Fernandina Beach Peppermint Comes to the Aid of Cognition & Appetite Regulation!
Peppermint candy canes...don’t these just bring back childhood holiday memories?! Remarkably, peppermint is being found today to in fact be beneficial for memory and cognition (and appetite control). The whiff of peppermint fills holiday décor, stockings, cocoa, and more! Amelia Chiropractic Clinic hopes for a peppermint-filled holiday for our Fernandina Beach chiropractic patients that will make their journey to Fernandina Beach back pain relief and neck pain relief more pleasant!
PEPPERMINT, BRAIN, COGNITION
Researchers and healthcare professionals immersed in the care of Alzheimer's disease and cognitive impairment welcome effective, simple, safe-to-use-long-term treatments. Essential oils are potentially just such therapies. Essential oils are extracted from nature’s herbs of which there are many sources low in toxicity. Researchers suggest that these work by lowering the neurotoxicity of amyloid beta (Aβ), anti-oxidative stress, controlling the cholinergic (the part of the nervous system that processes acetylcholine) system, and enhancing neuroinflammation involving microglia (brain and spinal cord immune cells). (1) In a lab experiment with mice, researchers tested how smelling peppermint essential oil enhanced the ability to learn as well as retain memory as seen in hippocampal CA1 region neurons reverting back to normal and Aβ deposition falling among other changes that may improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease. This experiment also inserted a new term – metabolomics - which is the study of chemical processes involving metabolites (small molecules). In this study, such metabolites involved were arginine, proline, inositol phosphate, cysteine, and methionine. (2) We at Amelia Chiropractic Clinic found these quite interesting!
PEPPERMINT, BRAIN, APPETITE
Much like cognition and memory are linked to the brain, appetite is, too. Diseases like obesity, diabetes, anorexia, bulimia nervosa are a few issues linked to appetite dysregulation. A review of published studies, many of which were studies done with mice, concerning essential oils or fragrant compounds that were reported to control food intake and energy. Their findings: 11 essential oils and 22 fragrant compounds intenisified appetite; 12 essential oils and 7 fragrant compounds shrank appetite. How? Numerous processes involving the sympathetic/parasympathetic nerves, leptin protein hormones, and more. They also said that fragrance memory and cognitive processes may also contribute to appetite regulation. Nonetheless, they revealed hope for appetite regulation and eating disorders control employing essential oils and fragrant compounds. (3) (We all know that carrying extra weight around isn’t good for us, particularly not for those of us with Fernandina Beach back pain even though Amelia Chiropractic Clinic is very good at managing that!) Amelia Chiropractic Clinic would think our Fernandina Beach chiropractic patients may be more inclined to enjoy peppermint throughout this year’s holiday season!
CONTACT Amelia Chiropractic Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Rudy Kachmann, a neurosurgeon, on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes the connection between diabetes and back pain as well as a variety of other conditions like inflammation, back surgery, etc. He talks about the beneficial role chiropractic has in healthcare and back pain care. Dr. Kachmann has presented at conferences on The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Make your Fernandina Beach chiropractic appointment today. Want to share a peppermint candy cane at your next appointment?!
