Are you HOSTING an infection that could be BLUNTING your brain?
You’re not as SHARP or as QUICK-WITTED as you used to be.
In fact, you once thought NOTHING could slow you down!
But now you’re having a hard time remembering the name of that person who JUST introduced themselves to you.
Friend, I know it can seem ALARMING when you’re not firing on all cylinders.
Don’t JUMP to conclusions.
Your cognitive function may have taken a HIT…
But it may NOT be down for the count.
Because there’s a hidden culprit that could be causing cognitive decline in some folks – and it’s something you and your doc might NEVER think to look for.
Some COVID-19 patients have reported brain fog as a symptom of their infection…
And Lyme disease often masquerades as Alzheimer’s!
You’ve even read right here in eAlert how a potential culprit behind Alzheimer’s-related cognitive decline could be a brain-eating bug known as a prion!
Now we have another pathogen to add to the list.
And if you thought the science behind Alzheimer’s was complicated before… buckle your seatbelt for this one.
A recent meta-analysis has ZEROED IN on a common parasite – one that prior studies have linked to mental illness.
It’s called Toxoplasma gondii. And scientists estimate that it could be LURKING in 30% of the world’s human population… including as many as 40 million Americans.
In the majority of them, it could be UNDETECTED!
That’s because in most people, T. gondii doesn’t cause any problems… because it’s DORMANT.
But for some folks… and for some reason… it occasionally “wakes up,” causing a parasitic infection known as toxoplasmosis.
And begins to WREAK HAVOC on cognitive function.
When that happens, it could be because the parasite has MIGRATED from the muscle and liver tissue where it normally camps out…
And has PENETRATED the brain!
That’s right – it’s tiny enough to cross the blood-brain barrier and actually set up shop in brain tissue.
A significant number of the more than 13,000 folks in the meta-analysis with mild cognitive impairment were also HARBORING this fugitive parasite…
And I know you might think that it was just a coincidence…
Or that the TRUE cause of their cognitive difficulties was old age or some other illness.
But the folks included in all the studies the researchers looked at were YOUNG (on average, under 50 years old) and HEALTHY!
That pretty much eliminates all other culprits besides T. gondii.
Your doc can run some bloodwork to test you for the presence of this parasite – and if you’ve got it, the most common treatment is a combination of an anti-malarial drug and an antibiotic.
Like any pharmaceutical drugs, they carry risks… which you’ll want to discuss with your doc.
And they are only effective in certain circumstances… in certain stages of toxoplasmosis…
So they might not help RESOLVE cognitive difficulties.
But there’s some exciting research surrounding herbal anti-parasitic therapies, with promising anti-toxoplasmic activity being shown with…
- ginger
- tongkat ali (a.k.a. “Malaysian ginseng”)
- myrrh
- turmeric
- and more.
And you could get a cognitive boost by supplementing with ginger… myrrh… and turmeric, too!
It’s a good idea to avoid exposure to T. gondii, which usually comes from contaminated meat.
Cats are also known to carry this parasite and transmit it via their poop… so make sure you keep that litter box scooped-out (and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards).
To eradicating brain bugs,
Sarah Reagan
P.S. Did you know that parasitic infections are often MISDIAGNOSED as irritable bowel syndrome, too? Click here to find out more.
