Myelin: can be regenerated?
Myelin is the thick layer that covers the axons (stem neurons or nerve cells), whose function allows the transmission of nerve impulses between different parts of the body thanks to its insulating effect. It is classified as a lipoprotein and is located in the nervous system of vertebrates.
How is myelin formed?
Myelin is formed by a substance produced by Schwann cells present in connective and motor neurons, which are threaded along the axon forming the myelin sheath, which is a substance that insulates surrounding the axons with several layers of lipids and proteins and speeds the conduction of nerve impulses by allowing that action potentials jump from bare regions of axons and nodes of Ranvier (where there is not myelin), and along myelinated segments.
White and gray matter of the brain
Myelin has a white color, hence the phrase "white matter" which refers to the area of the brain whose axons are myelinated, and the "gray matter" refers to the cell bodies that are not myelinated. The cerebral cortex, for example, is gray, like the inside of the spinal cord.
Main functions performed by myelin:
Conductor of electrical impulses that send and receive messages of any kind to the body.
Causes of loss of myelin
Demyelinating diseases, which are those in which myelin is the main objective. There are two main groups of these diseases, acquired diseases (such as multiple sclerosis) and hereditary neurodegenerative disorders.
Iron deficiency during pregnancy (which affect the nervous system of the fetus especially if this gap occurs during the critical phase of nervous system formation.), and during the first years of life it can have a deep and lasting impact on brain development.
The inflexibility, fear and frequent and intense anger could be predisposing factors for nervous system deficits.
Symptoms of loss or damage of myelin:
The area of damage or destruction of myelin is called lesion or plaque. If the myelin sheath is partially damaged or destroyed, nerve impulses are slowed down or fail to be transmitted, and this happens because the impulses are transmitted throughout the nerve fiber in place between node and node, which requires more transmission time.
The symptoms are:
- A short circuit in the transmission of nerve impulses.
- Dysfunction of the nervous system because the system is slowed, which can result in sensory deficits such as blurred vision, poor coordination and identification of handedness, difficulty walking, incontinence (due to insufficient control of sphincters), paralysis, etc.
- The loss of myelin causes serious diseases of nervous system disorders since electrical impulses are not conducted with sufficient speed or stop in the middle of the axons and, being autoimmune, the immune system attacks the myelin to consider it as an unknown substance, foreign to the body.
- In the case of multiple sclerosis, which attacks the white matter (myelin) of the central nervous system, there may be relapse and remission phases (or outbreak). Its symptoms include any combination of partial blindness (blurring or gray), spastic paraparesis, unsteady gait, dizziness, diplopia, and incontinence.
- Although depression, anxiety, fear and anxiety can be caused by other factors, may be signs of demyelination.
Is it possible to regenerate the myelin?
Absolutely, that body would respond immediately if we’d asked it. However, the remyelination of the nervous system is still a controversial subject for science, which is still looking for a way, the drug or the process of how to encourage again the process of myelination of axons.
Natural medicine considers deeply the extraordinary self-healing ability and self-regeneration of the body, which only requires the necessary elements to enable and carry out its own cure. And one of the keys to begin a healing process is in the diet.
A proper diet is essential, including foods rich in folic acid, vitamin B12, C and D, essential fatty acids, etc. is essential for the nervous system begins to strengthen and regain its health.
In addition to a quality diet, you should consider other factors such as, for example, emotional attitudes to various issues. Inflexibility, mental toughness or fear, for example, cause severe stress in the body, and eventually these moods can cause wear to the nervous system.
If we imagine that myelin has the primary function of sending and receiving messages quickly, with fear, we indicate that "we do not want to feel" certain things, and woth inflexibility we say "we do not want to move" from our own points of assessment or consideration. The tension of not wanting to move or not wanting to feel or experience certain things causes problems to the nervous system.
Thus, you should consider if you are seeing and experiencing life, if you have the will to do things and find deep and meaningful assessments to cultivate and nurture each day.