Monday, August 31, 2009

The Myelin Sheath


The Myelin Sheath is going to be getting more and more attention in the next few years. It's already starting to become the star that it may very well seem to be. What is it? Myelin is the fatty substance that encases your nerve fibers. It's essentially a very important type of insulation. Every time your nerve is stimulated, the myelin gets a little thicker, your insulation gets stronger resulting in a faster signal. The faster the signal the better your skill and speed of delivery.

So when you practice a correct tennis stroke, your growing myelin to produce a better swing. Thick Myelin equals speed and skill. Every time you practice a skill, it's been said your creating muscle memory, it would be more proper to say your growing more myelin.

Multiple Sclerosis is essentially a nerve disease where the myelin starts to deteriorate, resulting in less skilled movement. There may be future evidence where the loss of myelin could be associated with other neurological diseases.

Nutritionally I think it makes sense to support the myelin growth with supplements like fish oil as it is made from fatty substance.

1 comment:

Mike T Nelson said...

YES!!! Cal Dietz and I had a chat about this last year and I have chatted with Dave Barr about it too. I agree with your thoughts.

The nervous system is KEY!

Rock on
Mike T Nelson PhD(c)
Extreme Human Performance