Your brain and spinal cord have immense metabolic activity to continually balance the functions of the central nervous system; and this means a lot of “waste” is also produced within the brain every second of the day and night. Along with this metabolic waste, brain cells are also vulnerable to the build up of other toxins including heavy metals, pesticides found in the food that we eat and other environmental toxins like flame-retardants found in all new furniture and carpets.
So how does our brain stay healthy with this toxic onslaught?
Thankfully the body has comprehensive systems to cleanse and detoxify; namely the lymphatic system, which is network of vessels spread throughout the body that carry waste away from the cells, as well as nutrients to them. However the brain doesn’t have any lymphatic vessels; instead it has its very own detoxification system in the form of the glymphatic system. This is a network of specialised brain cells (astroglial cells) and cerebro-spinal fluid that helps remove the build up of cellular waste.
Flow of CSF around the glymphatics is reliant on the blood vessels, as well as quality sleep, which is when the glymphatics are most active. Poor glymphatic flow has been linked to symptoms such as anxiety, depression and brain fog, as well as neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s disease. This means it’s imperative that we support this system, as well as barriers like the Blood Brain Barrier that prevent the influx of other toxins into the CNS, to maintain healthy ageing processes.
We can do this through a combination of diet and lifestyle approaches.
Join Dr Elisabeth Philipps as she talks through the practical ways to support your glymphatic system and detoxify your brain in the nutrihub webinar – recording available.
Dr Elisabeth Philipps PhD BSc (Hons) BSc Nutr Med AFMCP
Dr Elisabeth Philipps is a clinical neuroscientist and functional medicine practitioner, and runs a health consultancy specialising in brain health, the endocannabinoid system and phytocannabininoids including CBD. She regularly presents at conferences and events, and provides expert opinion for the national press, specialist healthcare publications and health companies. You can connect with Elisabeth via:
www.drelisabethphilipps.com
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