What does cognitive FX clinic actually do to change blood flow?
 

Hello,

Taking a break for a month from functional neurology treatments while some supplements kick in. I still believe some of my brain fog/low mood episodes are due to poor/uneven blood flow to the brain.

Since I was a teenager, I have struggled with two strange things. 1) low blood sugar episodes/symptoms where I felt like I needed to follow a hypoglycemic diet to feel good and eat halls between meals for my sugars. It sometimes feels like I don’t get sufficient sugar to my brain, or almost like it can’t get up there. I was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome and said this was something that just happens with those patients, but I feel like a little too sensitive.

2) I used to have more issues where I literally wouldn’t get proper blood flow to my head so I couldn’t sit/stand for long periods without either walking around or laying down to get blood to my head. I was diagnosed with POTS/days autonomies but this got a lot better around age 17.

I feel like my lingering post concussion symptoms (those mood episodes, foggy thinking, weird head sensations) have something to do with blood flow in my brain.
What does cognitive FX actually do to treat this problem? Is it so different than what I’ve been doing here?

Have you ever had a thorough hormone and thyroid blood test? A neuro endocrinologist may have some help for you.

Cog FX has you do cognitive therapies that try to force different part of the brain into action. I hear it is grueling work.

I did go to a wellness doctor years ago and he said (most likely due to my polycystic ovary syndrome) that I had an excess of male hormones and cortisol and a deficiency in vitamin d. He also said something called chromium I needed to take on the daily. We are going back to one of these doctors soon but I went off my birth control recently so I am going to wait a little until that adjusts. My neurologist agreed that PCOS/hormones are a factor in my flare ups and he thought my birth control was not a good idea right now. He said it’s more of a shotgun approach as you did in your messages once.

I've heard they use cognitive exercises among intensive exercise.

This article is great: 21 Proven Ways to Increase Brain Blood Flow — Optimal Living Dynamics

Also, Dr. Kharrazian's book (carrick trained but more focused on the nutrient/diet/supplemental side of healing brains) is nice for increased brain blood flow. He talks about vinpocetine, huperzine a, gingko, and a few others.

He also mentions brain fog as indicating brain inflammation. Catechins from tea, passionflower extract (baicalein), curcumin from turmeric, resveratrol, luteolin, and apigenin were his recommendations for brain inflammation in that book.

I too have significant brain fog and those hypoglycemic crashes. It is significantly better when avoiding processed foods, in particular the grain-based ones. Fasting, light to moderate exercise, vitamin C, niacin, and NAC.

Also, infrared light (I have a $40 unit) is incredible across all boards for my brain.

I had a buddy diagnosed with POTS about five years ago.