Folic acid made my brain fog worse
 

Hey I just thought I would contribute a bit to this forum. So I think my illness (fatigue, inability to workout without getting a racing heart beat for days, depression) is more along the lines of chronic fatigue syndrome.

I went to a good doctor and he prescribed me a lot of things, but one of them was high dosage folic acid. My brain fog got extremely bad on the folic acid. I am part of a chronic fatigue syndrome forum and it has recently been agreed upon that folic acid definitely is bad for people with compromised immunity, which is definitely abundant in those with head injuries. It is agreed upon that methylfolate is a vital supplement for gut and brain health.

Ever since I switched to methylfolate my brain fog symptoms improved a lot. I take solgar metafolin 200mcg-400mcg a night. I really suggest anyone with pcs or fatigue etc to do the same, and avoid folic acid like the plague. This means not eating cereals with folic acid etc.

I know MarkinIdaho, you advised folic acid, and you are a big contributor on the forum. I am particularly interested in seeing if you were to switch to methylfolate, you would see a slight difference?

Folic acid is not needed in large doses. I do not take a large dose of it. In fact, I do not take an individual supplement of folic acid. I take the amount normally included in a B-100 complex and a multi-vitamin. I just checked. The total is 1200 mcgs. My blood test shows my folate levels to be optimum, basically, at the high end of the recommended blood level.

You posted <I am part of a chronic fatigue syndrome forum and it has recently been agreed upon that folic acid definitely is bad for people with compromised immunity, which is definitely abundant in those with head injuries. >

PCS subjects do not necessarily have compromised immune systems. Where did you get that information?

What do you mean by brain fog and what dose of folic acid did your doctor suggest?

That is interesting - Commercial bakers are now by law having to include Folic acid in bread in New Zealand.

very interesting, thanks for sharing. i think my brain fog also got worse when i added wheat germ to my breakfast in february. i ran out a couple weeks ago and actually have been starting to remember things a little better

The suggestion that pcs subjects have compromised immune systems is more of a general statement that concussions can cause brain/gut axis infections. It is likely that head injuries cause inflammation which trigger viral or bacterial infections to replicate. This is not agreed upon yet, but logically makes sense and probably will be common knowledge in 100 years or so when doctors finally understand post head injury problems a lot more.

By brain fog, I mean slow thinking, inability to see clearly at long distances, inability to focus, inability to hold conversations with people due to trouble maintaining focus.

My doctor suggested 4000mcg of folic acid per day. Folic acid may be important for preventing birth defects or other physical problems, but for pure brain health I think methylfolate is far superior. People with PCS may have inflammatory conditions in their body that mess up the conversion process of folic acid to methylfolate.

Folic acid is not a natural chemical for humans. Folic acid is not present in a single food naturally. We eat food with folinic acid, which is then converted into its usable form methylfolate. So yeah, folic acid is not "natural" in any way.

I really just wanted to put it out there that there is no reason to take folic acid at all over folinic acid or methylfolate in my opinion.

Yeah, avoiding gluten has helped me slightly as well. Next up: Dairy. But dang I love my milk and yogurt! I probably won't ever give up dairy no matter what lol.

my memory seems to be better now, weird that the wheat germ had that effect

Don't play football,

You posted <The suggestion that pcs subjects have compromised immune systems is more of a general statement that concussions can cause brain/gut axis infections. It is likely that head injuries cause inflammation which trigger viral or bacterial infections to replicate. This is not agreed upon yet, but logically makes sense and probably will be common knowledge in 100 years or so when doctors finally understand post head injury problems a lot more.>

Can you provide any references to this claim? It does not make sense to me. Compromised immune systems could come from spinal injuries near the spleen, I think it is T6 or so.

Your intake of 4000 mcg of folic acid sounds dangerous.

If you are concerned about dairy, you might look for some non-homogenized milk. Homogenizing milk breaks up the fat molecules into smaller bits that can cross through the abdominal wall undigested. By consuming un-homogenized milk, the small intestine has to digest the fat molecules before the nutrition can be absorbed.

I am lactose intolerant of homogenized milk. I can drink un-homogenized milk all day long. I have not tried raw milk yet. My raw milk source only sells it in plastic. I buy un-homogenized milk in glass bottles.

You might also look into A1 and A2 milk. The beta casein chain in A2 milk will not pass through the intestinal wall until it is digested. The mutated beta casein chain in A1 milk breaks in the gut. The smaller pieces pass through the intestinal wall undigested. Some studies suggest A1 milk for a number of immune disorders and neurological/psychiatric maladies.

I just googled "brain/gut axis infections." What a subject ripe for unscientific claims. I don't doubt that there are brain/gut axis infections or complications. I know that the birth control pill industry tries to deny the hormonal causes of IBS so as to not hurt their hormone birth control pill sales.

One immune issue to consider is very simple. The immune system needs adequate B vitamins. Many people are deficient and when a concussion adds stress to the brain, the deficiency gets worse. This B deficiency can increase the symptoms of immune system dysfunctions. My air borne and food allergies are improved greatly when my B's are correct.

On the other end of the spectrum, immune system compromises stress the brain to cause an increase in PCS symptoms.

btw, My understanding of wheat germ is that it should be consumed in balance with the rest of the grain. To consume it separately denies the food balance of the whole grain. Wheat germ is another of those products promoted to get people to buy a grain product that is otherwise sold as cheap fodder for cattle. Leave it with the rest of the grain like God intended.

All I know is I had a very mild IBS (no medication) and after my TBI it got worse. Now if my stomach gets upset then all my PCS symptoms gets multiplied by 10 times. The reason I take Elavil is more to keep the stomach calm than anything else. Recent study shows there is a direct connection between brain /gut. Some times even I think my anxiety is coming from stomach.

I had no problem with wheat now I avoid wheat whenever I can and sure my stomach behaves. I am even thinking of gluten free. I take low dosage folic acid (400 mcg) and it comes with B-12, B-6 and Biotin. Hope it is not causing my brain fog.

Have you ever had a serious work-up for TOS (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome) or other C-4 to T-4 spine injuries/inflammations? I had serious IBS as a result of my injury. When I was properly treated for the spinal and related radiculopathies, my IBS cleared up. It returns from time to time but will clear up with the same physical therapy techniques.

When mine acts up, I get bloated and have other IBS symptoms.

pcslife, You don't indicate whether you are male or female. Females have a propensity to IBS due to the hormone cycles they go through monthly. These same hormone cycles can exacerbate PCS.

A work-up for TOS would include X-rays to determine if you have false ribs on your cervical vertebra. The false ribs can cause nerve inflammation and dysfunction to the gut. As one ages with these false ribs, they become more problematic due to the slow compression of the vertebral disks bringing them closer together.

After my first PT session, I had a huge BM as my large intestine started to function better. The PT also was able to release a spasming ileocecal valve (the valve between the small and large intestine) I needed to take a spasmotic and softening laxative for a year to get the intestinal muscles working stronger. They had become very weak after 18 months of minimal function. The main symptom of this was continual BM's like a deer. Small turds, no normal size BM's.

Sorry for the gross subject but the treatment did not take place until a proper diagnosis was made. The TOS or TOS like injury is common in whiplash injuries.