Oxford Peppermint Comes to the Aid of Cognition & Appetite Regulation!
Peppermint candy canes...don’t these just bring back childhood holiday memories?! Amazingly, peppermint is being found today to actually be good for memory and cognition (as well as appetite control). The hint of peppermint pervades holiday décor, stockings, cocoa, and more! Satterwhite Chiropractic hopes for a peppermint-filled holiday for our Oxford chiropractic patients that will make their journey to Oxford back pain relief and neck pain relief more pleasant!
PEPPERMINT, BRAIN, COGNITION
Researchers and healthcare professionals involved in the care of Alzheimer's disease and cognitive impairment hope for effective, simple, safe-to-use-long-term treatments. Essential oils are possibly just such treatments. Essential oils are extracted from nature’s herbs of which there are many sources low in toxicity. Researchers offer that these work by reducing the neurotoxicity of amyloid beta (Aβ), anti-oxidative stress, managing the cholinergic (acetylcholine processing in the nervous system) system, and boosting 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 evidenced by hippocampal CA1 region neurons going back to normal and Aβ deposition reducing among other changes that may improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease. This study also shared a new term – metabolomics, the study of chemical processes encompassing metabolites (small molecules). In this study, such metabolites involved were arginine, proline, inositol phosphate, cysteine, and methionine. (2) We at Satterwhite Chiropractic found these so interesting!
PEPPERMINT, BRAIN, APPETITE
Much like cognition and memory are associated with the brain, so too is appetite. Diseases like obesity, diabetes, anorexia, bulimia nervosa are a few diseases associated with appetite dysregulation. An assessment of published studies, many of which were studies done with mice, concerning essential oils or fragrant compounds that were said to manage food intake and energy. Their findings: 11 essential oils and 22 fragrant compounds amplified appetite; 12 essential oils and 7 fragrant compounds shrank appetite. How? Several processes involving the sympathetic/parasympathetic nerves, leptin protein hormones, and more. They also stated that fragrance memory and cognitive processes may also play a role in appetite regulation. Nonetheless, they revealed hope for appetite regulation and eating disorders control using essential oils and fragrant compounds. (3) (We all know that being a bit overweight is not good for us, especially not for those of us with Oxford back pain even though Satterwhite Chiropractic is very good at managing that!) Satterwhite Chiropractic would think our Oxford chiropractic patients may be more motivated to enjoy peppermint this holiday season!
CONTACT Satterwhite Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Rudy Kachmann, a neurosurgeon, on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates the connection between diabetes and back pain as well as a variety of other conditions like inflammation, back surgery, etc. He mentions the beneficial role chiropractic has in healthcare and back pain management. Dr. Kachmann has presented at conferences on The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your Oxford chiropractic appointment now. Share a peppermint candy cane with us at your next visit!
