Let's Talk Mental Fatigue - with Dr. Taylor Bean

The feeling of brain fog to memory recall is a complaint I have seen increase over the years in my office.

My patients complain of feeling forgetful or not being quite as sharp. They complain of now needing several lists to remember what to do the next day or frequently forgetting why they walked into a room. Can you relate?

Our daily demands seem to be greater than ever. From the pressures at work or working longer hours to make ends meet. To wanting to raise a healthy family and instead of going to bed at a decent hour, we do things such as stay up late to bake the latest healthy muffin recipe on Pinterest.

What may be happening to you is simply mental fatigue or mental burnout.  Our daily demands affect our ability to remember and execute tasks that were once consider easy to us yet now, have become challenging.

A few supplements that I have turned to support my patients with include Magnesium Threonate, Nadogen® and NADH+.

Magnesium threonate was discovered and patented by MIT researchers based on its ability to boost brain levels of magnesium. What makes it unique is its ability to cross the blood brain barrier, which other forms of magnesium are unable to do. As a result of it being able to enter the brain, magnesium threonate has the ability to support with cognitive dysfunction, sleep disorders, and anxiety. One incredible finding of magnesium threonate was its reversal of brain aging effect.  Provita’s Synergistic Magnesium Threonate not only includes this form of magnesium but also glutamic acid, which plays a significant role in cognitive behavior.

Nadogen® is product that specifically helps to increase NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) by way of using Nicotinamide Riboside (a NAD+ precursor) and Pterostilbene, which has been shown to increase NAD+ levels in the body.  Increasing NAD+ actually supports the production of ATP. What is ATP? Energy. Energy for every single cell in our body. Part of the cause of mental fatigue can be due to a lack of energy, specifically the production of ATP.

While Nadogen® contains the NADmolecule, Provita also has NADH+, which is the reduced coenzyme form of vitamin B3.  Several different parts of our body require the NADH molecule, and it has been found the heart muscle cells contains 90mcg of NADH per gram of tissue, with brain and muscle tissue containing 50mcg per gram of tissue. The more NADH present in cells, theoretically, the more efficient they function in energy production.

NAD molecules - in both oxidized (NAD+) and reduced NADH forms - are profoundly important in the body to maintain energy production from the heart, the brain to red blood cells. They have been found to play a significant role in chronic fatigue as a result of its impact in ATP production (energy). Along with NADH, this product also contains synergistic CoQ10 and Chlorophyll for increased absorption.

RESOURCES:

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507259/
  1. Liu G, Weinger JG, Lu ZL, et al. Efficacy and Safety of MMFS-01, a Synapse Density Enhancer, for Treating Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. J Alzheimers Dis.2016;49(4):971-90.
  2. Slutsky I, Abumaria N, Wu LJ, et al. Enhancement of learning and memory by elevating brain magnesium.Neuron. 2010;65(2):165-77.
  3. Fox NC, Scahill RI, Crum WR, et al. Correlation between rates of brain atrophy and cognitive decline in AD. Neurology. 1999;52(8):1687-9.
  4. Terry RD, Masliah E, Salmon DP, et al. Physical basis of cognitive alterations in Alzheimer’s disease: synapse loss is the major correlate of cognitive impairment. Ann Neurol. 1991;30(4):572-80.
  5. Santaella ML, Font I, Disdier OM. Comparison of oral nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) versus conventional therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome. P R Health Sci J. 2004 Jun;23(2):89-93.

 

About the Author

Dr. Taylor Bean is a Naturopathic Doctor and owner of TaylorMade Wellness in Salmon Arm, BC. She began her career working overseas In Singapore for two years, to now 6 years working in Canada, she has been able to blend Eastern and Western approaches from a clinical and cultural perspective. As a mother of two, she has a passion working with pregnant mothers achieve a healthy pregnancy and smooth labor along with working with children to help them thrive.

 

DISCLAIMER:
The statements on this website are informational only and shall not to be construed as medical advice to diagnose,  prevent or treat any medical condition. Please consult your healthcare practitioner before taking natural supplements, especially if you have a serious health condition and you are on medication for it.