Have you ever said, "I just don't feel like myself anymore" — even though your labs look normal?

In this episode of the Health Fix Podcast, Dr. Jannine Krause breaks down why inflammation starts in the brain, how it drives fatigue, brain fog, cravings, hormone imbalance, and accelerated aging — and why 2026 is the year to stop suppressing symptoms and start correcting root causes.

Inflammation isn't just a body problem. It's a brain health issue first.

Your brain uses 20% of your daily calories, and when inflammation is present, it shifts into defensive mode, not performance mode. That's when clarity disappears, energy crashes, and nothing feels like it's working anymore.

🧠 What You'll Learn in This Episode

✔ Why fatigue often begins as brain fatigue and inflammation ✔ How inflammation changes perception, memory, and focus ✔ Why stress and unresolved trauma amplify inflammation ✔ The connection between blood sugar instability and brain fog ✔ How hormonal changes increase inflammation and cravings ✔ Why circulation and oxygen delivery are critical for healing ✔ How peptides may support inflammation regulation and mitochondrial health ✔ Why labs miss inflammation — but patterns don't ✔ How a personalized, holistic approach is the future of health

🚨 Signs of Brain Inflammation (Even When Labs Look "Normal")

• Brain fog after meals

• Morning stiffness lasting longer than 30 minutes

• Energy crashes or "wired but tired" feeling

• Poor recovery from exercise

• Mood and cognition fluctuations

• Low HRV or elevated resting heart rate

• Elevated CGM readings or blood sugar swings

Pattern recognition often detects inflammation long before labs do.

⏳ Why Inflammation Makes You Feel "Old"

When inflammation stays elevated:

• Cells don't repair efficiently

• Mitochondria produce less energy (ATP)

• Hormone signaling becomes disrupted

• Blood sugar regulation worsens

• Fat storage increases

• The brain becomes less efficient

That's why so many people say:

"I feel inflamed, puffy, foggy, and exhausted — but nothing is technically wrong."

🔄 The Key Reframe

Inflammation is not the enemy. It's a signal.

Suppressing it without addressing the cause is like turning off a smoke alarm while the fire keeps burning.

• Acute inflammation heals

• Chronic inflammation drains energy, accelerates aging, and blocks results

• The solution is root-cause correction, not symptom suppression

🧬 Why Brain Fog Happens (Step-by-Step)

Chronic inflammation releases pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β) that:

• Travel through the bloodstream

• Cross or weaken the blood–brain barrier

• Activate microglia (the brain's immune cells)

🚨 Result: The brain shifts into protection mode, not clarity mode.

This leads to:

• Slower thinking

• Trouble focusing

• Word-finding difficulty

• Poor mental stamina

Your brain is conserving energy for survival — not performance.

🔋 What Actually Clears Inflammatory Brain Fog

(Not suppression — regulation)

✔ Reduce inflammatory triggers (food, toxins, stress) ✔ Stabilize blood sugar ✔ Improve circulation and oxygen delivery ✔ Calm the nervous system ✔ Support mitochondrial function

When the environment improves, the brain recovers.

🧪 How to Measure Inflammation Beyond Standard Labs

To truly assess inflammation, you must look at:

• Immune signaling: IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β

• Metabolic stress: Insulin, A1C, HOMA-IR, TG:HDL, CGMs

• Oxidative damage: OxLDL, 8-OHdG

• Gut integrity: Zonulin, Calprotectin, Lactoferrin

• Nervous system load: HRV, S100B, GFAP

• Circulation: hsCRP, ESR, Homocysteine, Fibrinogen, ADMA

This is why people are told "everything looks normal" — while feeling anything but.

🎧 Bottom Line

Inflammation is your body trying to protect you. But when it becomes chronic, it quietly rewires how you feel, think, and age.

Dr. J's Survey to help her help you in 2026 - click HERE - fill it out & enter to win a 90 minute Health Planning session with Dr. J. Note: Drawing is Jan 6th at 8a, CST.

👉 Listen now to learn how to reduce brain inflammation so your body can finally heal.