The wonderful but fragile nervous system
Roger castell
We do not always measure the fundamental importance of the nervous system. However, it is thanks to him that we exist as conscious individuals capable of acting. It indeed makes it possible to ensure all the vital functions in the physiological field (digestion, circulation, breathing, elimination…), as well as psychological (thought, expression, feeling, sensation, action…). This system therefore deserves to be properly recognized and preserved to avoid damaging it.
Organized and well protected
The nervous system is beautifully organized and hierarchical. It is made up of several parts (brain, spinal cord, plexus, etc.), which all work harmoniously with the aim of preserving life. (1)
The main body, the brain, weighs on average 1,3 kg, which represents approximately 2% of the human body, It has a very complex structure since it can contain up to 100 billion neurons. These brain cells are connected to each other, to communicate gracefully. To long fiber called axons. The axon of a neuron transmits nerve impulses to other cells in the brain or body to help adapt to circumstances. The nerve impulse is not an electric current but a biochemical phenomenon. Other cells called glial provide functions centered mainly on the support of neurons.
The brain acts on the muscles, glands and other systems (circulation, breathing, digestion, etc.), but it is also the seat of consciousness, intellectual abilities and information storage.
The point of junction between the axon of a neuron, another neuron or a non-neuronal cell, is the synapse. When nerve impulses reach the synapse, a chemical called neurotransmitter is released, such as acetylcholine or norepinephrine.
Axons occupy most of the cerebral space and each of them can have several thousand synaptic terminals. Many axons are wrapped in a sheath of myelin, a fatty substance that serves as insulation and increases the speed of travel of nerve impulses. The total length of myelinated axons in the adult human brain is on average over 100 kilometres!
Progressive demyelination of nerve fibers causes the multiple sclerosis. This disease affects approximately one in 1500 people and results in "plaque" lesions, first inflammatory and then sclerotic (hard), which cause walking and sometimes vision disorders.
Effective protection.
The organs of the nervous system are well protected, the brain in the cranium and the spinal cord in the spinal canal inside the vertebrae. Both are surrounded by membranes, the meninges, whose intermediate space is filled with cerebrospinal fluid, which also performs a protective function by absorbing shocks.
A certain fragility
Made up of 78% water, the brain consumes about 20% of the available energy. But the neuron is fragile. It is the cell that resists the least well to the absence of oxygen. A stoppage of cerebral circulation for more than 3 minutes can lead to the destruction of nerve cells. The neuron is also very sensitive to the lack of nutrients (amino acids, vitamins and glucose) and it is disturbed by drugs (alcohol, nicotine, stimulants, tranquilizers) which modify its functioning. Similarly, certain anesthetics, a lack of oxygen or too cold a temperature can also modify or stop the nerve impulses causing numbness (hibernation).
Ongoing maintenance.
As in a computer, the greater the number of circuits, the greater the possibilities of the nervous system. The richness of the connections (therefore the increase in the number of circuits) occurs above all during childhood thanks to reflection and memorization. Intellectual training is essential, all the life to create new connection and stimulate the whole system. But diseases can affect each of the structures, producing the two serious diseases of Alzheimer (neuron) and Parkinson (nerve impulses).
2 – Alzheimer's disease
This disease is a degenerative disease of brain tissue. The progressive destruction of neurons leads to the irreversible loss of mental functions (memory, intelligence, concentration). This condition, described in 1906 by the German physician Alois Alzheimer, becomes more and more common after the age of 80, but it can affect adults from the age of 50.
By observing the statistics of cases treated in 2012, in ADL (long-term illnesses), we see that this disease of cerebral "degeneration" appears from the age of 30 and that the distribution affects after 70, especially women. We can therefore think that lifestyle is probably involved in this deterioration of memory. (2)
Breakdown by gender and age group of “Alzheimer's” patients declared in 2012
| Ages | 0 to 29 | 30 to 39 | 40 to 49 | 50 to 59 | 60 to 69 | 70 to 79 | 80 to 89 | 90 years and + | Total |
| H F | 0 0 | 10 6 | 52 31 | 301 332 | 1 312 1 553 | 5 159 8 434 | 8 832 23 256 | 2 081 8 606 | 17 747 42 218 |
| Total | 0 | 16 | 83 | 633 | 2 865 | 13 593 | 32 088 | 10 687 | 59 965 |
The first symptom is a loss recent memories, accompanied by minor distractions, which gradually increase. Old memories are generally preserved, but the neurological damage then extends to other areas of the cortex causing more severe disorders (mental confusion, aggressiveness, mood disorders, language difficulties and loss of old memories) . Finally, death occurs when the destruction of neurons affects vital functions.
This disease is characterized by two types of lesions of the cerebral cortex, senile plaques and neuro-fibrillary degenerations. Their causes mainly relate to genetic and environmental factors.
The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is based on the interrogation, the psychological tests and the finding of an atrophy of the seahorse, one of the cortical regions of memory. Currently, Alzheimer's disease is one of the most costly pathologies for society. Its increase requires adapting the premises of retirement homes to accommodate people with this disease as best as possible.
The search for a drug capable of stopping the neuro-degenerative process having been unsuccessful, natural solutions aimed at rejecting the causes of the deterioration and strengthening the cerebral structures, through cognitive stimulation, physical exercise and a balanced diet, seem promised a great future.
Causes of disease
The causes of this memory disease are multiple. Some attribute a major role to poisoning caused by heavy metals (mercury, aluminum) and chemicals (pesticides). Others call Alzheimer's disease,3 type diabetes“, directly involving the responsibility of sugar. Excess glucose would promote clogging of cells by oxidation and formation by glycation of a glycoprotein, a molecule that causes mitochondrial dysfunction, reducing energy production. Finally, the deterioration of the blood vessels aggravates the evolution of the disease, by disturbing the cerebral micro-circulation (3)
Alzheimer's disease is a disaster for the person who gradually loses his autonomy, but also for the family who must ensure the daily life of the disabled person. This reality was experienced by a friend, who told me of the moral suffering he experienced when he saw the progressive evolution of his mother's illness. “Mom started losing her memory at 75.
She used to walk the streets of the small town where she had lived for a long time every day. One day, she got lost and couldn't find her house and it was the neighbors who took her home. Subsequently the adventure happened again and we gradually realized that her memory loss was getting worse and that she no longer knew how to eat normally. Feeding only on very sweet industrial biscuits and cakes, she could no longer be alone and we had to enroll her in a specialized establishment.
But the memory continued to deteriorate and soon she no longer recognized her own children. This realization shocked me. At each of my visits, I told her “But mum, I am your son René” and she invariably answered me: “Oh well, I didn't know that I had a son”. So I cried, looking at that face which had kept its pretty smile, but which no longer expressed any of the warm feelings it showed me. This moral ordeal was very difficult for me to overcome.
3 – Parkinson’s disease
This neurological disease is manifested by muscle problems. It was first described in 1817 by an English physician, Dr. James Parkinson (1755-1824).
In France, 150 people are affected by this disease, which affects 000 victims of both sexes every year. In 15, the statistics show an increase especially after the age of 000, which suggests the main influence of unsuitable lifestyle habits.
Breakdown by gender and age group of “Parkinson” patients declared in 2012
| Ages | 0 to 29 | 30 to 39 | 40 to 49 | 50 to 59 | 60 to 69 | 70 to 79 | 80 to 89 | 90 years and + | Total |
| H F | 5 5 | 23 17 | 147 116 | 595 453 | 1 792 1 395 | 2 945 2 491 | 2 392 2 584 | 257 462 | 8 156 7 523 |
| Total | 10 | 40 | 263 | 1 048 | 3 187 | 5 436 | 4 976 | 719 | 15 679 |
This disease can begin from the age of 50 with slight tremors of the extremities of an upper limb, then the disease sets in and produces muscle stiffness (hypertonia) difficulty in walking with small steps and shuffling. Involuntary jerky movements of the arms and head are almost permanent. We then notice a tense and leaning forward attitude with a frozen face. But soon, appear more serious disorders of the elocution and a difficulty to carry out the gestures of the daily life. Often, these symptoms are accompanied by urinary disorders, falls, hallucinations and depression, even if the intellectual faculties remain for a long time.
Causes of disease
There are several possible causes of this disease. It could have a hereditary origin, be the result of a violent blow to the head, or be linked to the influence of chemical substances, in particular phytosanitary pollutants (pesticides, insecticides) used by market gardeners and gardeners (first victims) or those found in industrially produced foods (vegetables, cereals, non-organic meats), which affect the entire population. Taking medication (neuroleptics) or hard drugs could also have a role.
All these toxic products could act in two ways on the cerebral structures: either cause real "short circuits", hindering the passage of nerve impulses, or "oxidize" the cells of the niger locus, very sensitive to this reaction, due to their high concentration of iron. In addition, the disorders of cerebral circulation, always present, have certainly contributed to produce a degeneration of neurons. The cells of this cerebral gray matter secrete a neurotransmitter, dopamine, which participates in motor regulation. These cells can no longer act, the neurons gradually degenerate (4)
Margerie recounts with emotion the "ordeal" of her mother. “Mom has had Parkinson's for over 20 years. The evil developed little by little from the age of 55 and my sisters and I watched, helpless and desolate, as his motor skills slowly and inexorably deteriorated. His gait gradually became more and more hesitant and his verbal expression more and more jerky.
On the other hand, she has always claimed not to suffer and she still retains all her intelligence at her age, even showing herself capable of doing "crosswords" every day and signing checks for her granddaughters on birthdays. No longer able to dress alone, or wash herself, we had to resign ourselves to entrusting our mother to a retirement home. This decision was difficult to make, but we had no other possible choices. Nobody understands the origin of his illness since mum has always been very reasonable. She never smoked or drank and she spent her life working and caring for her family. Why did this handicap come to poison his life? ".
4 – Importance of stem cells
According to “official” medicine, stem cells can only regenerate the tissues from which they originate and Bone Marrow Stem Cells (CSMO) are therefore characterized by their ability to renew only blood cells. But, according to American studies, CSMOs could generate all tissues (bone, cartilage, ligaments, etc.). It is thus admitted that the body has an innate mechanism of regeneration that all injuries and internal dysfunctions are perceived remotely by CSMOs, since all the cells of the body communicate with each other.
It is by leaving the bone marrow, via the bloodstream, that the CSMOs will reach the affected tissue to repair it. They are then transformed, depending on the case, into cells for the muscles (myocytes), for the heart (cardiomyocytes), for the liver (hepatocytes), for the bones (osteocytes) and even into nerve and glial cells. Under normal health conditions, the human body constantly renews itself every day, using the regenerating potential of CSMOs. But in individuals suffering from degenerative diseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, cancer, etc.), this important role of CSMOs is no longer functional. (5)
Fortunately, scientific studies have shown in the United States that the process of stimulation of CSMOs would again become possible thanks to klamath seaweed. Its action could be explained by the presence of a large number of nutrients essential to life which make it a antioxidant powerful capable of stimulating the migration of CSMOs to the tissues.
It contains, in fact, almost all the minerals, trace elements, vitamins, amino acids, enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and fatty acids. polyunsaturated, including gamma-linolenic acid. This exceptional seaweed, considered the oldest on the planet, would therefore make it possible to fill the significant and often old deficiencies from which the elderly often suffer.
Serious but preventable diseases
The two diseases of the nervous system are catastrophic for the people affected, but they also represent a very serious handicap for the community, which must provide care and often permanent assistance to the sick. The early teaching of the notions of truly natural prevention is therefore essential in order to hope to reduce or perhaps completely eradicate these two diseases. The solutions exist, but what political power will agree to implement them, for the greater good of the population?
1 – Atlas of the human body, DCF edition, p. 42 to 49.
2 – Alzheimer's Plan 2008-2012: www.plan-alzheimer.gouv.fr .
3 – Doctor Philippe Catella: Alzheimer's disease, Sources Vitales n° 58 (2006), p. 4-8.
4 – Article extracted in part from the book: “The keys to active longevity”, Dangles editions, p. 205 to 210.
5 – Dr Guy Avril: Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, Sources Vitales n° 58, March 2006, p. 9 to 13.