E51 · 9 Habits That Harm Your Brain

One hour, I might walk into a session with a young athlete recovering from a car accident, their once lightning-fast reflexes now struggling to catch a ball. The next, I work with a middle-aged adult grappling with the fog of cognitive decline, their memories, attention, and processing speed just a fraction of what they were. Though separated by decades and causes—a jarring impact, a silent stroke, or the slow burn of Alzheimer's—both patients share a common ground: damage to their most magnificent organ, the brain.

This intricate network of neurons is vulnerable not just to the brutal force of external threats like bullets or car crashes, but also to silent internal battles. Uncontrolled inflammation, restricted blood flow, and even sneaky toxins can wage war within, leaving scars on the landscape of cognition. The consequences? A variety of challenges: memory that plays hide-and-seek, thoughts struggling to keep pace, attention flitting like a butterfly, emotions surging like unpredictable waves, and the frustrating tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon where that “I’ll think of it” word simply vanishes.

While this list only scratches the surface of the vast array of threats to brain health, it reflects the diverse cases I encounter. Today I’ll go through some of the most common cases for declining brain health that I see and what to do about them

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• 9 Habits That Harm Your Brain

Things Mentioned:

• Eat organic produce (use EWG's Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen as a guide).
• Use glass containers instead of plastic ones.
• Eat foods with limited or absent antibiotics, hormones, or toxins such as certified organic grass-fed and grass-finished beef, low-mercury fish, grass-fed and organic dairy, and organic pasture-raised eggs.
• Filter your water (my recommendation here)
• Prioritize natural ventilation in your home and use an air purifier.
• Choose non-toxic cleaning products.
• Seek regular sunlight exposure, aiming for at least 20-30 minutes daily. This will depend on your skin tone among other things but aim for early light for circadian rhythm and sleep benefits and midday sun for when UV rays are most potent.
• Consider supplementing with vitamin D, consulting your doctor for appropriate dosage based on your blood levels and individual needs.
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