The Blood-Brain Barrier and Neuroinflammation - Dr. Datis Kharrazian

['lizbeth]

"One of the biggest risks to over activating the microglia is a leaky blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier is a finely woven mesh of astroglia cells and blood vessels that surrounds and protects the brain. It is designed to allow only nano-sized particles in or out as needed and keep unhealthy things out.

However, like the gut, it can become damaged and "leaky", allowing dangerous intruders to slip in and potentially trigger the ultra-sensitive microglia. The blood-brain barrier is extremely vulnerable to various aspects of modern life, such as inflammation and high cortisol from chronic stress. The most common symptom of leaky blood-brain barrier is brain fog or reduced brain function after exposure to environmental insults such as gasoline fumes, chemical cleaning products, or inflammatory foods.

The good news is that even though the blood-brain barrier degrades easily, it also has the potential to regenerate quickly. For instance, high stress degrades the blood-brain barrier, but normalizing stress can allow it to repair. This doesn't mean you have to quit your job and become a beach bum. Simply stabilizing your blood glucose and cortisol levels, reducing inflammatory triggers such as gluten, clearing up a gut infection or chronic virus, boosting your antioxidant system, and supporting anti-inflammatory mechanisms can help restore the blood-brain barrier and protect your brain.

In addition to stress and systemic inflammation, other factors that degrade the blood-brain barrier are elevated homocysteine (homocysteine, measured by a simple blood test, is an inflammatory compound that elevates with B vitamin deficiency), alcohol, advanced glycosylated end products (these are free radicals made during diabetes and high blood glucose when glucose cannot enter the cells), and harmful free-radical compounds, such as pollutants or other compounds that trigger inflammation."

['lizbeth]

The leaky blood-brain barrier challenge

The tight junctions of a healthy blood-brain barrier only allows nanoparticles, which are very tiny, to pass through while preventing the passage of antigens and environmental compounds.

GABA, a supplement popular for producing a calming, relaxing effect, exceeds the nanoparticle size and does not have a blood-brain barrier transport protein. Therefore, it technically cannot cross a healthy blood-brain barrier. If you take GABA and notice it has an effect, then you probably have a leaky blood-brain barrier.

Take 800-1,000 mg of GABA and give yourself a two-to-three hour window to see whether it affects you. It is best to take GABA between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. so you can sleep it off if it sedates you. If GABA cause relaxation, calming and sedation, don't keep taking it regularly or you risk shutting down your GABA receptor sites and a retest won't be accurate.

If GABA causes anxiety, irritability, or panic this also indicates a permeable blood-brain barrier (for reasons explained in the neurotransmitter section). Easting some protein may help alleviate these symptoms.

Feeling no change after taking GABA is a good sign your blood-brain barrier is intact. GABA should produce no symptoms as GABA "bounces off" a healthy blood-brain barrier.

an excerpt from "Why Isn't my Brain Working?" by Dr. Kharrazian

[SusanN]

Welllllll, very interesting Sister!!!! Lot's of "stuff" for me to digest here!! Hmmm...as to the GABA...hmmm...now that is crazy...!!! As my MO was "trying" to finish our appt last week, however, I, of course...had ONE MORE question...asking him about the Herceptin/BBB...he then closed the door as we discussed that for awhile!!

Again...THANK YOU!!

PS...love your signature!!

['lizbeth]

It appears to me that there is too much black/white thinking going on, that many lock into one reality of thinking. The danger of this is that we base research and medical treatment on a false premise. It becomes a powerful collective consciousness that becomes nearly impossible to change.

Of course, I've been mischievously chipping away at some less than helpful belief systems. The corsets are not too tight! Yes, this is an actual conclusion of an early study with nuns - they did not contract venereal disease because their corsets were too tight. No one connected it with . . . shhhhh! . . . sex!

And on a breast cancer note:

In 1842, the Italian physician Domenico Antonio Rigoni-Stern noticed that nuns in Verona were more susceptible to breast cancer than other women. Ruminating on what aspect of convent living might explain the phenomenon, he concluded that the nuns' corsets were too tight. This explanation was wide of the mark but the initial observation was sound; we now know that having children makes a woman less likely to develop breast cancer.

Another fascinating belief is that Herceptin is not protecting our Central Nervous System because it is too small to cross the blood brain barrier. And this is why, supposedly, that Her2 ladies have such an increase in CNS metastasis. Of course I don't hear any discussion about the recent acceptance of Taxotere and Platinum Salts as treatment and increased CNS mets (TCH).

I do hear plenty of conversations about the severe diarrhea with the TCH combo. I've previously posted about the Gut-Brain connections. Now add the affects of the treatment on the blood brain barrier. Its enough to make a cancer survivor go hmmmmmm . . .

Now, if we were really smart (which some of us are darn near Mensa, myself not included) we would consider treating brain metastasis by a 3 step process:

1) Introduce a chemical to degrade the blood-brain barrier
2) Administer a targeted treatment into the CNS
3) Administer another treatment to restore the blood-brain barrier

Or we can just mechanically bypass this - which someone has already thought of, and we read about the patients using it on our board:

http://her2support.org/vbulletin/sho...erceptin+brain

Or even better yet, we can enroll in clinical trials that offer better treatments, combined targeted therapies or antibody drug conjugates such as Kadcyla!

Of course, most of this is my own personal opinion, and of course I'm no doctor. Just a wanna be scientist!

[angelabs]

Datis Kharrazian is not a MD, she is DHSc whatever it means.

[angelabs]

Sorry, first REPLAY, hit Enter. Louise Hay is not a health professional either, she is a writer. Why on earth should anyone follow their medical advises? A leaky blood-brain barrier ? This site used to have people that give very good advises and infos about breast cancer, very science-based infos, but now ... a leaky blood-brain barrier ?

['lizbeth]

Dr. Datis Kharrazian is not a she. He is a health professional. He also has two additional degrees DC and MS and a DHSc. Which is 2 doctorate degrees. Being an MD doesn't make one an expert on every area, and we should appreciate the advice an MD gives us - but we also should be informed consumers. Part of being an informed medical consumer is to evaluate information from all sources.

I don't think you should follow his medical advice. After all, he is just too much on the cutting edge of science.

In the book "Why Isn't My Brain Working" he cites close to 1000 references which have been published in peer reviewed journals. More than just research, he has used the concepts with patients with good success in restoring cognitive function.

For those of us concerned with the BBB and chemo brain the information is quite insightful.

As far as Louise Hay, no one said she was an MD. This is a site for all the users and some of us are interested in a more holistic, integrated approach to health. She echos a belief that are shared by several religions and asian healing arts - that your health is affected by your thoughts, beliefs and emotions.

Many of these healing arts have several thousands of years of documentation. I can attest to the use of acupuncture for healing problems that came from cancer treatment that Western medicine was not able to help with.

If you don't agree with some of the posts - there is no need for you to read them.

[angelabs]

I apologize for calling Mr. Datis Kharrazian "she", I should have been more careful.

One cannot agree or disagree with facts, only with opinions. So, lets see:



fact : there is not such a thing as a "leaky blood-brain barrier".


fact : being an MD doesn't make one an expert on every area, but should make one expert in medical conditions.


fact : I searched PubMed for Datis Kharrazian and there was no entry found. I perused his site looking for peer
reviewed journals where he has published but his biography states that he has written "professional journal articles ".
Nothing about peer reviewed journals. The only research cited is one for Apex Energetics, in the Financial Disclosure
section. My opinion : that is not "cutting edge of science", that is not even science.


fact : there is an excerpt from Mr. Kharrazian book above, where it is explained how to diagnose "leaky blood-brain
barrier". So, you take one dose of GABA. If it works, it makes you feel relaxed (very subjective), then you have the condition. If GABA does not work (even more subjective), then you dont have it. My opinion : What a loving technique !
Loving and very dangerous and I hope that nobody uses it.


opinion : It is your opinion that an informed medical consumer evaluates information from all sources. I strongly
disagree with that. I think that an informed medical consumer evaluates information from all reliable sources.
By reliable I mean proved therapies, strong evidences, tested drugs and on. I also think that Christine and Joe had
that in mind when they started this forum.


fact : I am a very lucky girl. I do not have problems that came from cancer treatment that real medicine is not able
to help with. Except aging, but that does not come from cancer.


my opinion : Mr. Kharrazian sells dubious treatments for non-existing conditions.




Angela.

[SusanN]

Hi Angela...I try my best to be very compassionate to all on this site...these women and men, have brought me much encouragement more than anything...we can all agree to disagree, yet also need to respect eachother. I am saddened this thread has gone in the directions it has...I went to the link Lizbeth provided, it was interesting...we ALL are able to ask questions, give advice, offer an opinion, suggestion...IF our facts are incorrect, let us all respect one another as this is an extremely delicate area in each of our lives...I NEVER thought I would be told "you have cancer!!"
You are able to see my signature...it has been a LONG journey for my family...as I'm sure you know...I am not finished yet either!!
I do not see your signature, it is my hope you are doing well!!

['lizbeth]

fact: there is such a thing as a "leaky blood brain barrier"
The scientists would phrase it as blood-brain barrier dysfunction, compromised blood-brain-barrier integrity, or increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier

Dr. Kharrazian has simply tried to coin a phrase for the average person that is easier to understand.

fact: I'm sure you didn't find Kharrazian in Pub Med. If you weren't so angry you would have correctly interpreted what I said as "he cited close to 1000 references which have been published in peer reviewed journals". He researched articles from journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Blood, Clinical Nutrition, Journal of NeuroInflammation, Neuropathology, among many others.

fact: With the GABA suggestion - it was meant for information only. The board members are highly intelligent and would thoroughly research a supplement before purchasing one.

opinion: many of the posts on this board are not "proved therapies, strong evidences, tested drugs and on". Many of the news posts are the latest "discoveries" which may or may not become a treatment for cancer. They make us feel good, but as a patient we don't benefit from them. And they are yet to be proven.

This board is to support everyone with Her2 positive cancer.

Dr. Kharrazian's book "Why Isn't My Brain Working" is a great read for anyone who feels they have lost cognitive function. He advocates stabilizing blood sugar, increasing oxygen, and providing mental stimulation. The information is well researched, and easy to read. He addresses supplements, when they can help, and when the problems can better be addressed by diet changes.

If you don't find the information credible - then don't read the book.

['lizbeth]

And to clarify what Christine would wish I have repeated her post:


On behalf of the Board of Directors and members of the HER2 Support Group, I wish to welcome all of you to our website.

This group was formed in 2001, after I was declared to be cancer free after being diagnosed as stage IV with chest and brain tumors in 1999. It was through self-education of breast cancer treatments and specifically the HER2/neu gene that enabled me to make the correct decisions about my treatment options. I remain cancer free today. I am a health educator.

This website was built around the wealth of research that I gathered in my 2 years of active treatment. Follow the links on our homepage: www.her2support.org to access this information.

These message boards are designed to give you a forum where you can post your questions and concerns about anything that is on your mind. We have had women from over 100 different countries visit this site.

Hugs, well wishes and longevity to all,
Christine H. Druther MSPH
Founder/Director HER2 Support Group