Brain Fog: A Complementary Nutritional Approach

Brain fog is a symptom that can be caused by several conditions besides Covid viruses and vaccine injections. On the premise that sometimes brain fog may result only from a combination of two or more causes, I’ve chosen to list below my best-guess ways to improve brain function generally. Try what you can and see what helps. For internet (and telephoned) orders I use Swansonvitamins.com (frequent and variable sales offered), Iherb.com, Vitacost.com, and Invitehealth.com (best sales occur around major holidays; next to be expected is around Labor Day).

1. Detox with Glutathione, NADH, and Probiotics.

The purpose is to help the liver and kidneys neutralize and eliminate toxins, which include the spike protein and other toxins in the vaccines. NADH recycles glutathione (also recycles CoEnzyme Q10—see below). Probiotics do many good things. These are discussed in depth here.

Glutathione 500 mg., one or two capsules, once or twice daily (more if it helps), preferably on an empty stomach. Try Jarrow or brands that contain Setria glutathione. If you don’t begin to notice improvements after a few days to a week, try another brand.

NADH Swanson lozenge 5 mg, 10 mg., or 20 mg.  Dissolve under tongue, first thing in day, best with empty stomach. The 20 mg. lozenge can be split into fourths, yielding cheap 5 mg.

Probiotic Hx (InviteHealth) and Healthy Origins brand Natural Probiotic 30 billion CFU. One each daily. Also, organic whole-milk yogurt (Between the pills and yogurt, lactose intolerance ought to decline or disapper.)

2. Unprocessed Cocoa Sharpens Brain Function for All Ages: Numerous Studies.

The benefits are greatest for people with “mild cognitive impairment”—the people who need help the most, which certainly sounds like it includes brain fog.

This is not the highly processed “cocoa” in hot chocolate powders. Even dark chocolate has been processed enough to lose a lot, though the darkest chocolate is better than nothing.

An InviteHealth nutritionist said Invite’s Cocoa Hx fixed her brain fog after getting Covid-19. Will other brands work as well? I don’t know. Invite has very high standards. As to that, products with a label that says “Supplement Facts” have much higher standards for purity and content, via the FDA I believe, than one with a label saying “Nutrition Facts,” which merely indicates a food.

One canister of Cocoa Hx (InviteHealth) ought to be enough to tell if it helps. Take one scoop daily with water (delicious). Avoid milk (it weakens the effect).

3. Krill and Fish Oil Provide Essential Brain Building Blocks (especially DHA). PS and Vitamin E Are Needed with Them.

Arctic Pure Krill Oil, Source Naturals brand, and/or

Twinlab Cod Liver Oil, unflavored. It has a very neutral taste. Get a new bottle if it has a “fishy” taste (uncommon in my experience); still cheaper than softgel capsules.

PS (phosphatidylserine) 300 mg. daily. It works hand in glove with krill and fish oils.

Vitamin E (all eight forms of E) has many benefits, but I list it here specifically to keep the polyunsaturated fish oils (EPA and DHA) from oxidizing. InviteHealth’s vitamin E has all 8 forms in one medium-sized pill. 

4. Methyl-B-Complex for Many Brain Functions

Some people need the methyl forms, 3 to 4 times daily.

Add more Choline for Memory. Two extra large organic eggs daily = about 250 mg. choline. Supplement pills are also available.

If Homocysteine is high, add more Methyl Folate (5-MTHF). 8,500 mcg. cut my homocysteine in half, though you might not need that much. Avoid folic acid. It is synthetic, puts an extra burden on the liver, and can interfere with folate metabolism in people who need the methyl form.

5. ALC + ALA (Acetyl-L-Carnitine + Alpha Lipoic Acid) for Brain Energy, Detoxing

Carnitine is an amino acid found in animal-source protein, especially in beef. It helps the body burn fat for energy, especially good for the heart. ALC is the form that energizes and protects nerves and brain tissue. ALA is a “universal” antioxidant; both fat and water soluble. Aim for ALC 400 mg. to 500 mg, ALA 150 mg. twice daily.

6. Curcumin: Anti-Oxidant for the Brain

Curcumin is an extract from the herb turmeric. Many years of research point to it’s help with Alzheimer’s disease and brain function.

7. Resveratrol—strengthens the blood-brain barrier that keeps toxins out of the brain.

I use InviteHealth’s Resveratrol Max. It works for me; Life Extension’s did not.

8.  Eye Nutrients: Eyes are Extensions of the Brain. What Works for Eyes Often Helps the Brain.

Natural-source Lutein and Zeaxanthin. E.g., one or two Jarrow Carotenall softgels.

Black currant extract (especially for night vision)

Zinc 50 milligrams, better in divided doses. Can upset if taken on empty stomach.

Vitamin C: 500 mg. several times daily or more if it can be tolerated.

9. CoEnzyme Q10 Is Part of Every Cell’s Energy Generation.

Ubiquinol is the active antioxidant form; ubiquinone (often called “coenzyme Q10 in supplements—confusing) is the oxidized form. NADH recycles ubiquinone back into Ubiquinol.

From age 40 onward, most people make less of the basic Co-Q10 molecule, and less NADH too.

For quick results, start with 100 mg. ubiquinol + 5 mg. NADH (lozenge, see above). Can switch to ubiquinone in oil-containing softgels and see. The CoQ10 molecule is best taken with meals containing fats or oils.

10.  Candida Yeast Infections Can Produce Brain Fog (Dr. Robert Atkins).

Candida feeds on sugar and digested carbohydrates. Cut carbs to starve yeast (and cancer).  

Probiotics fight Candida.

Olive leaf extract, according to Dr. Atkins, very effectively kills Candida. One “side effect” is such a kill-off of Candida that temporary illness can result until the body clears the toxins from the dead yeast. To start, try one or two higher-dose pills, once or twice daily; e.g., NOW Olive Leaf Extract 500 mg.

11.  Allergies can cause brain fog.

Dr. Pierre Kory reports that allergies can increase or suddenly appear after a Covid infection or vaccine injection. So you have to look out for the possibility. That happened to me after the 1976 Swine Flu shot.

Carlton Fredericks wrote that cerebral allergies—allergic reactions in the brain—cause many kinds of trouble. 

My allergies sometimes just stop me cold: feeling ”zonked,” just want to sleep; or else I start fumbling or bumping into things; cleared up with 4-hour antihistamine and slowing down for a while.

Remedies depend on what is causing the allergy: if food, avoidance helps; if air, air purifiers will help, as will avoiding times of day outside when airborne allergens are highest.

Everyone thinks of pollen allergies, but “mold” allergies are also common, and not just mold spores in the air. Foods fermented or overgrown with molds (wine, aged cheese, some vinegars), yeasts (yeast-leavened breads, beer), and fungi (mushrooms and similar) can cause intense allergic reactions. Add to the list fish paste, soy sauce, and some aged foods. I have read allergy warnings for raisins and sun-dried tomatoes (yeast/mold overgrowths).

Even foods that look “ok” except for just a spot of mold can have invisible mold tendrils spreading throughout them; better to avoid them than to eat after cutting out the spot, if you are very sensitive.

(Do look for foods that are fermented by bacteria, such as yogurts, sauerkraut, and other similarly fermented vegetables. They provide probiotics that are actually anti-mold/yeast.)

Increasingly, some nutritional supplements are produced in fermentation by aspergillis and other molds/fungi/yeast. How much of the mold allergens remain in the refined supplement to cause trouble? I don’t know, so I avoid them. Yeasts are sources of some b-complex, selenium, and chromium supplements.

Pharmaceutical antihistamines can help, if their “spacey feeling “ is tolerated.

Nutrients that reportedly act to quell allergies include quercetin, stinging nettle, and others that might be found on a web search.

12. Air Pollution Harms the Brain.

Look for air purifiers that use true HEPA filtration, good to 0.3 microns.

For best combination of price, room capacity, low noise, and performance, I like Winix’s 5300-2. The 5500-2 has a remote control. Both have vey bright operating lights except on night mode, which runs at the lowest fan speed. (I fold thick paper over the lights.)

13.  Pharmaceutical Drugs Have Many “Side Effects.”

This is always something to be checked out.

14.  Adequate Sleep, R&R

When you are tired, just thinking can be overwhelming.  For good reason.  The brain uses 20% of the body’s total energy. How much sleep is adequate? Hard to say. If you think you need 10 hours sleep, take it. If you need a daytime nap, take it.

Modern life with smart phones can become so distracting that you can suffer from what I call an “activity trap:” can’t stop to think because you are responding to so many stimuli.  The trick is to slow down, prioritize, proceed with “all deliberate speed,” and find something everyday just to enjoy (as in the ageless advice, “take the time to stop and smell the roses”).

Modern media and politics are loaded with excitotoxins: Fictions, half-truths, and gut-grabbing; all designed to grab you emotionally and push you around. Once emotions rule, you can’t think straight. Exercise what I call “adult filtering” to reduce the talk and claims to bare essentials.

Finally, there is the prayer (which transcends religion) attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr: “Lord grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” My own version: “Respect everything, Concede nothing.” Coach Taylor on the Friday Night Lights TV show put it: “Clear eyes, Full hearts, Can’t lose.”

Please share with people who might benefit.

Good Health to You!