Environmental Medicine : Do you lose your concentration easily?

students sleep in lecture hall

There are many factors that can affect our concentration. When you're sleepy, difficult to focus in something, if you're sleepy in lecture hall, ofcourse you can't absorb what the lecturer said. If you lose your concentration easily, maybe there is something wrong in your cerebral hemispheres or the reticular activating system have been injured. An altered level of consciousness can result from a variety of factors, including alterations in the chemical environment of the brain (e.g. exposure to poisons), insufficient oxygen or blood flow in the brain, and excessive pressure within the skull. Do you know that if you expose to pesticide for a long time, you will develop a brain fog.

Pesticide in our lives

In 2002 1.1 billion pounds of pesticides were used by 90% of households in the United States. There are more than 1,055 active ingredients registered as pesticides, which are put together to produce over 16,000 pesticide products that are being marketed in the United States.

Pesticide is dangerous, but we still consume it as our daily meal

• Pesticides are used to control organisms considered harmful. 
• kill mosquitoes that can transmit potentially deadly diseases like west nile virus, yellow fever, and malaria.
• kill bees, wasps or ants that can cause allergic reactions. Insecticides can protect animals from illnesses that can be caused by parasites such as fleas.
• prevent sickness in humans that could be caused by mouldy food or diseased produce. 
• Herbicides can be used to clear roadside weeds, trees and brush. They can also kill invasive weeds that may cause environmental damage. Herbicides are commonly applied in ponds and lakes to control algae and plants such as water grasses that can interfere with activities like swimming and fishing and cause the water to look or smell unpleasant.
• Used in grocery stores and food storage facilities to manage rodents and insects that infest food such as grain. 

Brain Fog

Brain fog can be simply defined as mental confusion or even lack of mental clarity. Brain fog affects all the age groups and may interfere in performance at work, school and relationships. The name 'brain fog' is related to the feeling the person has and features with

• loss of mental acuity - forgetfulness, inability of one to think clearly and decreased attention span
• detachment and discouragement
• depression and anxiety may accompany the underlying condition
• low-self-esteem, lead to accidents and be predisposing factor in crime and delinquency.
• problems with concentration, lack of focus and confusion
• face problems when it comes to learning new tasks and solving problems and finally, there is decreased mental stamina and obvious reduction in creativity.

what can cause brain fog? 

• Physical imbalance and emotional causes are only some of them. The change in brain's function can be also caused by biochemical elements. 
• Stress is most definitely the leading cause of brain fog. Stress also contributes to depression. Coping with stress and learning how to relax may be beneficial in overcoming the problem.
• Another cause of brain fog is insufficient blood supply of the brain. Poor circulation can be enhanced by yoga or similar physical activity or with certain medications which can be only prescribed by the doctor. 
• Exposure to certain metals, pesticides, carpet cleaners and carbon monoxide may also induce brain fog. The symptoms may additionally occur due to excessive exposure to electromagnetic fields. 

How to detoxify your body from Pesticide exposure?

More and more, people are discovering that they have environmental sensitivities. Many fruit and vegetable supplies that are non-organically produced contain residue, and pesticides are commonly used on lawns and gardens. Frequent complaints or symptoms are tiredness, brain fog, skin rashes, and overall sluggishness. It's not easy to eliminate all exposure, but you can help to detoxify your body and flush it out of your system.

• Increase selenium dose. Selenium is a mineral that is important for the production of an enzyme that helps to detoxify your body. A suggested dosage is: 200-400 mcg taken as a supplement daily.
• Eat certain foods such as lemons to help reduce certain pesticide levels in your body. Asparagus (organic is preferable, but not necessary), has been proven effective in reducing a widely used pesticide to very low levels in the body.
• Eggs are another powerhouse, not only to increase energy levels but as a toxin remover.Try free-range omega eggs for added benefit.
• Use your bath to detoxify your body. About one quarter of the toxins in your body are eliminated through the skin. Using epsom salt baths a couple times per week can help significantly to draw toxins out.
• Try skin brushing for detoxification benefits. The simple act of skin brushing is stimulating, thereby reducing the fatigue induced by pesticide exposure. Moreover, it also helps the lymph drainage system to flushtoxins from your system. A daily skin brushing regimen is optimal, but even a few times a week can be helpful.

bath for detoxification

eggs increase energy and act as toxin remover

Lemons to reduce pesticides level in body

                                                                                            


True Story

I have been dealing with phantom health issues for over 4 years. In August 2004 while working for a Pest Control company. I had a major pesticidespill occur. A backpack sprayer of termidor (fipronil) spilled all over the back and shoulders of my shirt, literally soaking my shirt. The coworker training me said don't report it, we would get fired. He just said change your shirt. I ended up quitting the job due to chemical sensitivity.

A little time passes and my drive slowly diminishes to nothing and motivation in general. In fact even waking up with dreams were gone. I was noticing my brain was becoming impaired. I started having a numbness to life. I was having weird burning sensations in my head and was always going to the doctor just not feeling right.

The doc did a brain MRI and it was normal. The doctor would pass it off as depression or anxiety and once sent to a neurologist who only gave me one visit and dismissed anything could be related to pesticides.

I also noticed I couldn't use cleaners anymore unless I had very good ventilation like outdoors. I would get brain fog that lasted for hours.

I made calls to various experts. I even did my own research and found this pesticide along with others are hormone disruptors and cause other effect which would explain why I am on hormone replacement therapy.

All I know is something is not right. Not only do I have hormone probolems but a 3cm lesion on my liver, sensitivity to any cleaners where I can getbrain fog and other issues.

I found a place in Texas that deals specifically with what I was exposed to from testing to treatment.

If you have battled any of this let me know.

Read more at http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=627219&ktrack=kcplink

Refferences

1. http://www.steadyhealth.com/about/brain_fog_symptoms.html#comment

2. http://www.firehow.com/2010042112262/how-to-detoxify-your-body-from-pesticide-exposure.html