Cognitive Strategies and Tactics

[MSBOB]

So I just spent a good deal of time on the the following link.

http://www.nyas.org/Publications/EBrief ... efe5f6d801

I am preparing to start fall classes. I want to be my old self, although my memory doesn't work quite as well. It means, I need to work differently. Here are the key take aways I got from the link to improve memory when dealing with a large lesion load.

1. Context and Imagery
2. Repetition
3. Spacing between repetitions
4. Generation (self generated knowlege through synthesis of data)
5. Testing

Those are the statistical facts to improve memory.

Diet, aerobic excercise, sleep, intellectual pursuits, and staying away from environmental toxins will probably help fight cognitive impairment from progressive brain atrophy when done consistently for many years or decades.

I feel good now. I am ready to hit the books.

[LR1234]

Thanks for this. I have some cognitive Issues after a relapse and your plan makes sense.
goo luck with your revision.

[Apuman]

Interesting, when I read your 5 points, the first thing that came to mind was language learning. I know that it's been proven to show all kinds of cognetive benefits, and I personally find it to be thereputic, but I've never thought of it as as specific therapy for MS... Thanks for getting me thinking!

[fee001]

Hi!
Look into Candida as causes brain fog yeah

Fiona


National Candida Society
PO Box 151
Orpington
Kent BR5 1UJ
United Kingdom
telephone: +44 (0)1689-813039
e-mail: info@candida-society.org
website: www.candida-society.org

Candida is controversial. The medical profession denies its existence, except in very limited cases, making it very difficult to get a medical diagnosis of candida. Candida is the popular term for candidiasis (yeast overgrowth) - a condition first identified by American physicians in the 1970s.

Moderate amounts of candida (and other yeast) live in every one of us without causing any harm, but when given free rein to grow unchecked, e.g. by wiping out the surrounding bacteria with broad-spectrum antibiotics, candida can change into its fungal form and spore through the intestinal wall into the rest of the body. Once through, it rampages around the body producing a multitude of symptoms.

Common symptoms of Candida
A minority of suffers have numerous symptoms; the vast majority have thrush + a few others; not every sufferer has thrush.

Group 1: The damage to the intestinal wall allows undesirable toxins to permeate into the bloodstream. This condition called ‘leaky gut syndrome’ often leads to:

food allergies and intolerances
migraines
foggy brain
muscle aches
Group 2: Once through to the rest of the body, candida has the ability to disrupt the endocrine system causing symptoms such as:

thrush
cystitis
PMS
menstrual irregularities
joint pains
asthma
hayfever
sinusitis
fungal infections of the nails/skin e.g. athlete’s foot
weight gain or weight loss
ear infections
chronic tiredness
allergies
sensitivity to perfume, tobacco smoke and petrol
Group 3: Symptoms in the intestines include:

bloatedness
flatulence
diarrhoea and/or constipation
itchy anus
In addition, candida involvement has been implicated in some cases of other illnesses e.g. ME/CFS, Endometriosis.

Contributory factors
The popular perception is that candida is the consequence of antibiotics usage.The medical profession dismisses this as fantasy, saying that antibiotics could not have that effect in a healthy individual. But it may be that antibiotics act as the ‘final straw’ where health has already been compromised, most probably by one or more of the following:

use of the contraceptive pill or HRT
use of natural progesterone cream
use of other steroids (hydrocortisone, prednisolone etc.)
use of immuno-suppressive drugs
repeated use of broad-spectrum antibiotics e.g. for acne
dental mercury amalgam poisoning
other heavy metal poisoning e.g. lead, cadmium
chemical poisoning from the home, garden, workplace etc.
hormonal changes e.g. puberty, pregnancy, menopause
stress
Read how these factors can compromise health by disrupting the regulation of the body in our article: Is Candida an Endocrine Disorder? It shows how these factors can block oestrogen receptors, giving rise to high levels of progesterone. It has been known for decades that Candida flourishes in the presence of progesterone which explains why so many women get outbreaks of thrush when pre-menstrual.

Candida is not just the result of a faltering hormonal system, as it in turn aggravates the situation by binding to hormones, making them incapable of arriving at their target sites. At this point new symptoms appear, adding to the misery.

Diagnosing and treating Candida
Many symptoms of candida are in fact symptoms of the hormonal disruption that underlies Candida - and which underlies other conditions too e.g. low blood sugar. For this reason, medical advice should be sought to eliminate other, potentially more serious, conditions. Guesswork is unnecessary anyway, the Tests page has links to laboratory tests that can be carried out on samples (of blood etc.) delivered by post from anywhere in the UK.

Self-help treatment is beset with pitfalls for the unwary. Too many sufferers who 'go it alone' spend months on a highly-restrictive diet without improvement because they fail to appreciate the need to:

address the root cause of their symptoms
deal with complicating factors, and
eliminate food allergies / heal the 'leaky gut' to prevent further allergies developing
For this reason, in addition to the information and support we provide, we encourage members to seek professional help from practitioners who have expertise in:

diagnosis
interpreting test results
identifying and treating underlying causes
identifying and treating complicating factors that jeopardise recovery
tailoring treatments
monitoring progress
The Clinics page of our website has a listing of candida specialists including naturopaths, nutritionists, homoeopaths, medical herbalists, acupuncturists, kinesiologists and medical doctors

[LR1234]

My cognitive issues are caused by a big old lesion in the right front lobe of my brain:( I did the whole candida thing a couple of years ago with no luck unfortunately.

[fee001]

Hi!

Shame about that, just an idea. You are welcome anyways.

Fiona

[jimmylegs]

you could try testing zinc and ammonia levels. personally i never had an ammonia test but when i found and corrected zinc deficiency my intense cog fog cleared up.

also gingko biloba and niacin are great for blood flow: niacin intense and short lived with less noticeable cognitive benefit, gingko not intense, and taken over time there can be considerable cognitive benefit. for myself i was amazed by improvements while using gingko.

[LR1234]

my Zinc levels are normal, Thanks for the advice though Fiona/Jimmy x

[jimmylegs]

actually i was talking to msbob, but great that your levels are 'normal' L... although ms patients do all tend to sit in the normal range so, it's up to the individual patient whether they are satisfied with ms 'normal' (low end of the range) or healthy control 'optimal' (a very small section of the upper 'normal' range)

[LR1234]

ooops sorry didn't realise Jimmy:) thanks for the advice anyway (even if it was meant for Bob!!)

[jimmylegs]

no probs! do you know where you sit within the normal range L?

[Buela]

Following this thread with interest - I'm still in the early stage of "might have MS" but I'm researching it like crazy, and the chance of cognitive impairment scares me far more than any progression in physical impairment, so I'm definitely going to do anything I can to increase my chances of avoiding cognitive impairment, even if I don't yet have a diagnosis. Does anyone else have any suggestions -- and, if possible, research to back up those suggestions -- that you could share?

[jimmylegs]

sooo muuuch research BUT no time right this second. i shouldn't even be on here at all. i said on a diff thread you can read my regimen topic - see the relevant link in my 'signature' list.