Ep. 055 – Know Your Numbers: C-Reactive Protein (CRP)

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Good morning and welcome to Episode 055 of the Train Your Brain Podcast with Dr. Michael Trayford. Every Monday we produce a 30-minute episode. Tuesday through Sunday we produce episodes with five-minute tips. Every episode of the Train Your Brain Podcast features a tip, so you can receive pointers 365 days a year that will help enhance the performance of your brain!

Today Dr. Trayford shares brain training tip number 55! If you haven’t ever wondered about inflammation in the body, then Dr. Trayford has a brain training tip that you should really consider. Inflammation in the body is a huge factor in our health and now there is a way to measure it with a simple blood test. Talk to your doctor about testing your C-Reactive Protein so that you can maintain the best health possible for your brain and body. Join us!

If you have any concerns regarding the information and applications discussed in this podcast, please consult your physician and a doctor who is experienced in functional neurology. Michael Trayford DC, DACNB is available for consultation by calling (828) 708-5274. Thanks for listening.

This is part of the: know your numbers section. In previous tips we’ve talked about blood sugar and blood sugar testing. Now we’re moving into the inflammatory realm or the realm of inflammation.
C-Reactive Protein is a pretty big marker that over the course of 10 years I’ve seen it go from a test that was really invalid as far as the FDA and powers that be are considered. Now it’s a fairly standard routine test for generalized inflammation in the body. It’s especially related to inflammation in the nervous system, brain and spinal cord.

So what is C-Reactive Protein?

It is a marker of inflammation of the body that is found in any and every known inflammatory state, which is pretty generic. We need to look at is this directly after a problem has happened or is it in a seemingly normal individual that is showing signs of a chronic inflammatory condition.

Basically there is a higher risk for degenerative disorders of all kinds as well as things like heart disease, diabetes and much more. When you’re looking at cardiovascular disease and diabetes they directly impact the brain. Levels of inflammation will often result in decreased blood flow to the brain.

So C-Reactive Protein is a molecule produced by the liver that travels throughout the entire body.

During any type of inflammatory process, these levels rise dramatically. So if someone just had a massive injury, heart attack or stroke, these levels will often go very high.

What we’re looking for are these lower, sustained elevated levels that are indicative of an ongoing or chronic inflammatory process, autoimmune disease and these types of things.

The range varies, but normal would be in the range of zero to ten milligrams per deciliter. Ideally we want the number to be zero. When people are going to 8, 9 or 10, then we’re really looking at some kind of chronic inflammatory condition in the body and we want to make sure we can start to look at other tests to determine what the problem might be.

Ultimately C-Reactive protein is another type of canary in the coal mine that there might be something significant going on with the heart and/or brain.

It’s a good idea to ask your doctor about it or contact us and we can give you more information about how and where you can get tested.


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