What can we do about the brain inflammation that holds us back in fog, fatigue and trauma responses?
To help answer that question and share brain inflammation with you is my guest, Dr. Austin Perlmutter, is a board-certified internal medicine physician, New York Times bestselling author, published researcher, and the executive director for Big Bold Health, a food-as-medicine company focused on helping people rejuvenate health through better immune function.
In the evolving field of trauma therapy, we're increasingly recognizing that healing isn't just about processing memories or changing thought patterns. The application of The Biology of Trauma lens is that it is just as much about addressing the impact trauma has had on our biology, which now keeps us stuck in our trauma responses.
One crucial aspect of this biological impact is brain inflammation. It is one of the most common yet most overlooked gatekeepers of trauma healing. Brain inflammation creates many of the symptoms that people attach to their trauma responses, yet often is what is triggering those trauma responses. Yes, you heard me right. It is not just people, places that can trigger our trauma response. It is also a specific immune cell in our brain - microglia.
//KEY MOMENTS//
[02:22] How immune activation and inflammation can change your thoughts and mood
[08:47] How inflammation suppresses healthy neuroplasticity and affects brain functions
[11:31] Science behind sleep and its impact on brain immune pathways
[15:48] Epigenetics may explain why some experiences leave lasting psychological effects
[22:47] Why there is no specific diet that will work universally to reduce brain inflammation
[28:52] Why your mind feels clearer in nature than in therapy
//RELATED PODCAST EPISODES//
- Episode 2: The Long-Term Effects Of Brain Inflammation with Dr. Peter Kan: https://biologyoftrauma.com/what-is-the-long-term-effects-of-brain-inflammation?el=YT-O
- Episode 27: How Does Brain Fog and Inflammation Affect Somatic Work: https://biologyoftrauma.com/how-does-brain-fog-and-inflammation-affect-somatic-work?el=YT-O
- Episode 29: What Is The Physiology and Biology of The Trauma Response?: https://biologyoftrauma.com/episode-29-what-is-the-physiology-and-neurobiology-of-the-trauma-response?el=YT-O