Groton Peppermint Comes to the Aid of Cognition & Appetite Regulation!
Peppermint candy canes...don’t these just bring back holiday memories from youth?! Amazingly, peppermint is being shown in today’s research to actually benefit memory and cognition (and appetite control). The scent of peppermint fills holiday décor, stockings, cocoa, and more! Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office wishes our Groton chiropractic patients and their families a peppermint-filled holiday that will make their journey to Groton back pain relief and neck pain relief more pleasant!
PEPPERMINT, BRAIN, COGNITION
Researchers and healthcare professionals taking care of Alzheimer's disease and cognitive impairment hope for effective, simple, safe-to-use-long-term therapies. Essential oils are possibly just such treatments. Essential oils are taken from nature’s herbs of which there are many sources that have low toxicity. Researchers offer that these work by lowering 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 mice experiment, researchers tested how smelling peppermint essential oil improved learning and memory ability as seen in hippocampal CA1 region neurons reverting back to normal and Aβ deposition reducing among other changes that may improve cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease. This experiment also inserted a new term – metabolomics, the study of chemical processes involving metabolites (small molecules). In this study, such metabolites included arginine, proline, inositol phosphate, cysteine, and methionine. (2) We at Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office found these so fascinating!
PEPPERMINT, BRAIN, APPETITE
Much like cognition and memory are associated with the brain, appetite is, too. Diseases like obesity, diabetes, anorexia, bulimia nervosa are a few issues associated with appetite dysregulation. An assessment of published studies, many of which were mice studies, regarding essential oils or fragrant compounds that were said to influence food intake and energy. Their findings: 11 essential oils and 22 fragrant compounds amplified appetite; 12 essential oils and 7 fragrant compounds decreased appetite. How? Numerous processes involving the sympathetic/parasympathetic nerves, leptin protein hormones, and more. They added 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 realize that being a bit overweight is not beneficial for us, particularly not for those of us with Groton back pain even though Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office is very good at managing that!) Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office would think our Groton chiropractic patients may be more inclined to enjoy peppermint throughout this year’s holiday season!
CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
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 mentions the beneficial role chiropractic plays in healthcare and back pain management. Dr. Kachmann has spoken at conferences on The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your Groton chiropractic appointment now. Want to share a peppermint candy cane at your next appointment?!
