"Brain Fog"

[juls]

One of my children suffers from what he calls brain fog or brain explosions. Sometimes he even says his brain hurts. I know that he suffers from some neurological difficulties, mild Tourettes, SPD and maybe even incredibly mild autism spectrum stuff too. Lately he has been able to verbalize his brain difficulties in very descriptive detail. He told me that his "train of thought" does not zoom fast on a tract but instead hits many bumps and meanders when he is trying to express his thoughts. How I wish I could fix these issues for him! My latest exploration has been special diets. He has no real "gut" issues like many on the autism spectrum but I have been wondering if yeast could be playing a role in his troubles. Anyone have neurological success using a special diet with a child who did not have gut problems?

[Elinor Everywhere]

Wow, this sounds very much like my son. He doesn't have the issues you've listed, but he is ADD and was a fetal-alcohol baby. He describes his brain fog as too much noise in his head, kind of like static or too much input.

 

Other than meds, the only thing we've found so far that helps is a shot of espresso. This was working for a while, but over time it seemed to build up and didn't allow him to get a good night's sleep (even if he only had coffee first thing in the morning). When he has caffeine, he says it "quiets" his brain and he can think properly.

 

FWIW, we resisted meds for a long time, but now a very low dose of Adderall is helping. I hope to find another solution though, and would be interested in hearing stories of natural methods (we already take Omegas).

[JamBerry]

My ds8 has autism and is only 'sorta verbal' so he is not able to explain to us at all what's going on in his head. However, we have noticed ourselves that apples in particular make him a 'space cadet.' He's also gfcf, but that's for other reasons. Apples is the 'space cadet' factor for him.

Likewise, anything with artificial colors make him hyper/crazy/a silly drunk.

 

For my ds10 (who is 'normal') certain foods affect his ability to think straight. In his case, oats seem to be a major player, as well as artificial colors AND flavors.

 

I think diet can sometimes be a huge factor, but it can be very different from person to person and sometimes hard to figure out.

HTH

Pam

<><

(Formerly Pam in N.FL.)

[Ginger]

My son has what seems like brain fog also. He says his head feels like it is floating. He has all the ADD symptoms, but I haven't done anything about it. But now that he is playing basketball, I'm really noticing how serious it is. He just seems so clueless out there. He cannot follow what is going on...just sort of runs up and down the court with the crowd. He had several cases of thrush and yeast diaper rash as a baby, so I too, have been wondering if this is yeast related. Just yesterday I started giving him acidopholus. But he'll only take one and the recommended dose is 2. I'm anxious to see if this helps clear up his brain fog.

The shot of espresso is an interesting idea. I'm not a coffee drinker, so I wouldn't even know how to make it, and I doubt he'd drink it. What about a coke? I know you get the sugar in it, though. But I'd be curious to see how it works.

FWIW, I remembering having something I'd describe as the brain fog for most of my life. But after my son was born, I started taking grape fruit seed extract(which also counteracts yeast), I don't think I've had it since.

[Chels~]

One of my children suffers from what he calls brain fog or brain explosions. Sometimes he even says his brain hurts. I know that he suffers from some neurological difficulties, mild Tourettes, SPD and maybe even incredibly mild autism spectrum stuff too. Lately he has been able to verbalize his brain difficulties in very descriptive detail. He told me that his "train of thought" does not zoom fast on a tract but instead hits many bumps and meanders when he is trying to express his thoughts. How I wish I could fix these issues for him! My latest exploration has been special diets. He has no real "gut" issues like many on the autism spectrum but I have been wondering if yeast could be playing a role in his troubles. Anyone have neurological success using a special diet with a child who did not have gut problems?

 

I didn't read the other responses, but I suffer from "Brain fog". For me it is absolutely connected to an overgrowth of yeast. What has helped me is fish oil, achdolpholis(I know I spelled that wrong), and severe limit on sugar including honey. I can tolerate stevia, and other natural sweetners, that's about it. I also have had to increase my natural fiber intake as well. Doing all these things along with excercise has not only helped me focus but made me a healthier person over all. This is only from my personal experience, but I HTH's.

[Mom2GirlsTX]

My youngest dd is 8 and describes this same situation. She had brain damage as a baby, had several strokes after that and now has seizures and migraines. The migraines are new (yuck!)

The brain fog sounds similar to abscense seizures to me, when your child can have small seizures without much outward signs. Of course it could be lots of other things, just saying that crossed my mind because of my own experience with dd.

As she has gotten older she has had the hardest time to focus, she says her brain races and hurts and she can not get "her head to make sense".(those are her words). She was started on Focalin (5 mg) about 2 months ago and after a rough start of a few weeks she is doing fantastic....She wants the Focalin on days she doesn't go to school because she tells me that it helps her brain "see clearly". I was so anti drug, I hate that she is on seizure medication but that is a must so I hated the thought of an ADDHD medication...well I was wrong, it has improved her life a million percent.

So the brain fog might be helped by some type of medication that helps ADD perhaps?? :)

[Laurie4b]

My ds, just diagnosed with ADHD, describes a similar phenomenon. He also has sensory processing issues, and some learning disabilities. I think what your child is describing is the difficulty keeping attention focused.

[JenneinCA]

My ds8 has autism and is only 'sorta verbal' so he is not able to explain to us at all what's going on in his head. However, we have noticed ourselves that apples in particular make him a 'space cadet.' He's also gfcf, but that's for other reasons. Apples is the 'space cadet' factor for him.

Likewise, anything with artificial colors make him hyper/crazy/a silly drunk.

 

For my ds10 (who is 'normal') certain foods affect his ability to think straight. In his case, oats seem to be a major player, as well as artificial colors AND flavors.

 

I think diet can sometimes be a huge factor, but it can be very different from person to person and sometimes hard to figure out.

HTH

Pam

<><

(Formerly Pam in N.FL.)

 

The part about the apples stuck out to me. I have been reading about Feingold diet and there is a section in there about apples being related to salicilates (sp?) and causing problems for some people. I haven't done Feingold and am really reading about it in an effort to deal with awful excema and ADD type behavior. But I might suggest you take a look.

 

I am allergic to aspirin and eat apples on most days. I am wondering if there isn't a connection for me.

 

Anyway the link to Feingold is here:

http://www.feingold.org/pg-aboutus.html

 

Jenne in AZ

(dd9, ds7,ds3)

[JamBerry]

We're feingold stage 2, plus no apples for ds8. The other high-salicilate foods don't seem to be AS big of a deal for him, but apples are a definite.

 

I have heard many folks say that epsom salt baths help with phenols/salicilates issues, but we haven't made much use of them. It's been just as easy to just avoid the artificial stuff and apples.

 

But yep, apples make him a space cadet. So, we eat pears now. :)

Thanks for the info though!

Pam

<><

[susie in tx]

My oldest has had brain fog for years. She says that she feels like the fog won't let her think straight. There were times that I felt like she wasn't "with us" for weeks and weeks on end. We were on a gluten free diet for years. We also eliminated many IGG allergies. I think it helped. I was also using a lot of dietary supplements at the time, so maybe it was the supplement. I dunno. A good multi and fish oil were just the beginning of the supplementation. She took a lot of fish oil. One of the turning points for us was adding in a b12 supplement. We used a nasal version as she didn't want to stick a needle in herself two or three times a week.

 

The b12 was amazing. I could tell an almost instant change in her. She was focused, paid attention, and had a ton of energy. After a while, the change in her didn't happen after she took the b12, so we discontinued it.

 

Yeast has been an issue here, though I don't know that it's related to the brain fog. She was recently treated with diflucan due to a nasty bacterium in her digestive tract. We (her doctor and I) decided to treat with a round of antibiotics and diflucan. Now, she's taking a lot of acidophilus. She's had some brain fog before and after the yeast treatment, but the bacterium is gone. ;)

 

At this point, I would say that trial and error seems to be the best thing for trying to figure out this kind of stuff. Growing physically and mentally also seems to affect the brain fog around here as well.

[Ottakee]

My girls take Omega Brites http://www.omegabrite.com 3 per day. They also take Supremadophillus from http://www.houstonni.net. Then they get a good multivitamin and a B100 complex.

 

All of that helps but the MOST help came from meds for the ADHD (Dexedrine) and meds for seizures (Lamictal for both and Tegetol for 12dd).

 

Has he ever been evaluated for seizures? How about ADHD?

[Elinor Everywhere]

FWIW, I remembering having something I'd describe as the brain fog for most of my life. But after my son was born, I started taking grape fruit seed extract(which also counteracts yeast), I don't think I've had it since.

 

That's interesting. I've also had times where I feel like I'm in a bit of fog--kind of like things are moving slowly. Do you get the same benefit from simply eating a grapefruit? Have you tried the grape fruit seed extract on your dc?

[juls]

Thanks for the many responses.

 

My ds has been evaluated for ADHD and was given the diagnosis but it has never seemed to be a correct diagnosis for him. He was borderline in the evaluation. He brain doesn't seem to race, it seems to run through mud. He gets frustrated as he tries to push out his thoughts. He doesn't get distracted by outside stimuli too often- he more typically gets just slowed down by the brain mud if you will!

 

As for suppliments, he takes a ton and we've tried a ton! We've tried Omega Brites, we've done b12 shots, and he still does epsome salt baths...none of these have made any visiable differences.

 

Currently he takes about 15 supplements- mostly fish oil, vitamins and some amino acids. The combination that I am using has done wonders for his motor and verbal tics (he has Tourettes), but the brain fog continues.

 

This brings me to diet. Apples could be an issue but he doesn't eat them consistently. I have feared a yeast problem for a while though. This ds loves sugar and sweets a ton! They are limited in our house but he will raid the sugar bowl if desperate. I bought grapefruit seed extract about a week ago after doing some research on yeast but I then read some conflicting reports about using it so I haven't tried it yet. Interesting, Chels, that you have experienced a brain fog due to yeast.

 

As for the seizers, I have never considered that possibility. Is there a way to test for them? I need to look this up...

 

Thanks again for everyone's input!

Juls

[susie in tx]

I received a reply to this post in my inbox, but I don't see it here. Hmm. Anyway, I'm going to respond. The OP was stating that she had used quite a few supplements and was really looking for some other options and might be considering looking at the seizure angle or the salicylates.

 

This got me to thinking. When the dd I mentioned above eats cherries, she gets almost immediate brain fog. It's like she cannot function. She can barely speak. We had cherries for lunch one day and tried to do math afterwards. It wasn't even an option. She could barely string two words together. Math was out of the question.

 

I don't recall all of her IGG allergies off the top of my head, but I do know that tree nuts (almonds) are an issue for her. Tree nuts and cherries are in the same food family IIRC. So, it makes sense for her to have an issue with cherries. We don't eat nuts in our home. Seeds, beans and fruit with a seed (peaches, cherries, etc) are all used very sporadically in our home.

 

Maybe this will provide further food for thought.

[Ginger]

That's interesting. I've also had times where I feel like I'm in a bit of fog--kind of like things are moving slowly. Do you get the same benefit from simply eating a grapefruit? Have you tried the grape fruit seed extract on your dc?

 

 

I don't know about getting the same benefits from solely eating grapefruit. I heard about GSE when I was nursing--on a breastfeeding message board. I gave it to my son one time and I honestly thought it greatly improved his concentration. But I could never get him to take it again...it's a pill and he refused to swallow one from there on out. I really need him to learn to swallow pills. I've thought about trying with m & m's or something unintimidating.

[susie in tx]

GSE also comes in a liquid. It's not tasty and my kids hate it. One prefers to swallow the pill than to take the liquid and she hates pills.

 

I taught two of my dd's to swallow pills using tic tacs and Nordic Naturals strawberry flavored DHA pills.

[Elinor Everywhere]

Thanks Ginger. It sounds like something worth trying--I'd really prefer to keep my ds off his meds if I can. The meds really help him think and focus, but also make him a bit cranky and tired.

[BeckyFL]

I see that there are various brands of this. Can you share how you chose the Houston brand and what you think of it? I always wonder when they don't need refrigeration too. I looks like it has many different strains and I'm looking for a GOOD probiotic.

[mom4him]

One of my children suffers from what he calls brain fog or brain explosions. Sometimes he even says his brain hurts. I know that he suffers from some neurological difficulties, mild Tourettes, SPD and maybe even incredibly mild autism spectrum stuff too. Lately he has been able to verbalize his brain difficulties in very descriptive detail. He told me that his "train of thought" does not zoom fast on a tract but instead hits many bumps and meanders when he is trying to express his thoughts. How I wish I could fix these issues for him! My latest exploration has been special diets. He has no real "gut" issues like many on the autism spectrum but I have been wondering if yeast could be playing a role in his troubles. Anyone have neurological success using a special diet with a child who did not have gut problems?

My son showed no gut problems. His emotional problems were definitely helpsed with SCD. For him and myself the brain fog has been helped with getting chemicals/fragrances out of our lives. Not easy, either one but well worth it for us.

[Wyndie]

I had severe brain fog for years that cleared when I went on a diet to exclude yeast feeding foods. Recently I slacked off and was eating Chick fil a sandwiches once a week and the brain fog came back. Now it could have been from the yeast and sugar in the coating of the chicken or it could have been the MSG. Either way, I stopped eating them and the fog left. I think yeast is a VERY common cause of brain fog, but other things can trigger it as well - generally excitotoxins seem to be on the top of the list.