Hurricane Brain, MCV, MCH, and how to rebuild brain nourishing blood naturally
If you’ve walked into a room this week and thought, “Wait…why am I here?” you are in good company.
Here in Florida, especially after a hurricane or any big life storm, I see the same pattern over and over. People are running on cortisol and granola bars, sleeping badly, and suddenly their brain feels like it’s wrapped in cotton. They can’t find words, feel emotionally flat, and start to wonder, “Is this early dementia? Is something wrong with my brain?”
I call it Hurricane Brain. And if that’s you, don’t sign up for dementia care just yet. You’re at a crossroads for curiosity, not a verdict of decline.
Today I want to bring you into how I actually look at your blood work when you tell me you have brain fog.
The two quiet brain markers MCV and MCH
On a standard CBC, there are two little markers that almost never get explained to you: MCV and MCH.
• MCV (Mean Corpuscular Volume) is the average size of your red blood cells.
• MCH (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin) is the average weight of hemoglobin inside each red blood cell.
I think of them as how well are you building and concentrating your blood markers. They tell us how effectively you’re using B12, folate, iron, and protein to build healthy red blood cells and deliver oxygen and nutrients to your brain.
In Western terms, when MCV and MCH are high, we worry about things like B12 or folate insufficiency and poor absorption, which are linked in the literature with cognitive decline, neuropathy, and frailty as we age.
In Chinese medicine, high MCV and MCH often reflect a sluggish Spleen Yang, the holding and concentrating function of your system that keeps blood properly formed and contained in the vessels.
Put simply, big, puffy red blood cells that aren’t well concentrated can mean your brain and nerves are not being fully nourished, even if your hemoglobin looks normal on paper.
How this shows up in real life
When MCV and MCH are running high, people often describe:
• Word finding issues, “I know the word, but I can’t grab it.”
• Walking into rooms and forgetting why.
• Tingling in hands or feet.
• Fatigue that sleep doesn’t fix.
• Mood swings or feeling oddly flat and unmotivated.
From a Western lens, we’d say B12 and folate are low or underutilized, stomach acid may be weak, and absorption in the small intestine isn’t great.
From a TCM lens, we’d say Spleen and Stomach Qi are tired, not transforming food into richly nourished blood, and the holding function of Spleen Yang is weak, so cells swell instead of staying compact and efficient.
Same story, two languages.
Either way, your brain is trying to think through mud.
Why storms, stress, and Hurricane Brain are so connected
In stressful seasons, hurricanes, caregiving, job changes, most people shift into survival patterns: more caffeine, more snacks, late dinners, less protein, and lots of just grab something.
That pattern does a few things:
• Lowers stomach acid and intrinsic factor, which you need to absorb B12.
• Overwhelms the Spleen and Stomach system with grazing and sugar instead of solid, rhythmic meals.
• Increases cortisol and adrenaline, which spike blood sugar and further tax the Spleen Pancreas in TCM terms.
Over time, you can end up with labs that are normal at the top level, but MCV and MCH quietly drifting high, signaling that the quality of the blood, not just the quantity, is changing.
That is the moment I want to catch you. Long before we’re talking about dementia risk, we can strengthen digestion, replete nutrients, and rebuild blood that truly nourishes your brain and anchors your mind.
What you can start doing this week
This is not about perfection. It’s about giving your brain and Spleen a fighting chance.
1 Build your brain blood plate
Aim to include some of these most days:
• B12 rich foods: egg yolks, grass fed meats, sardines, shellfish if tolerated.
• Folate rich foods: leafy greens like spinach, romaine, chard, asparagus, beets.
• Protein for building red blood cells: at least a palm sized portion of fish, poultry, tempeh, or lentils at meals, adjusted to your personal plan.
• Color for blood nourishment in TCM: beets, dark berries, black sesame, and small amounts of high quality red meat if that fits your body.
If you and I have already discussed it and it’s appropriate for you, a gentle methylated B complex with methylfolate and methylcobalamin can support absorption and methylation, especially if your MCV and MCH or B12 and folate have been borderline.
Always check in with me or your prescribing provider before starting supplements, especially if you’re on medications or have autoimmune concerns.
2 Eat with rhythm, not in a constant graze
Your Spleen and gut need clear on and off times to transform food into usable nutrients.
Try this for the next 7 days:
• Three solid meals.
• Minimize little bites between. If you need something, choose a small protein or fat based snack rather than something sugary or refined.
• Stop eating 2 to 3 hours before bed so digestion can complete and your brain can detox overnight.
From a functional lens, this steadies blood sugar and insulin, which helps protect vessels and nerves. From a TCM lens, you’re respecting the Stomach Spleen clock and letting them fully cook and then rest, which improves blood quality and mental clarity.
3 Support stomach fire so you can actually absorb B12
If you tend toward bloating, feeling full on small amounts, or you’re on long term acid suppressing meds, your stomach acid may be low. Without enough acid and intrinsic factor, you simply cannot absorb B12 well, no matter how much you take.
Gentle options, if they’re right for you:
• A tablespoon of diluted apple cider vinegar or lemon water before meals, skip if you have active ulcers, severe reflux, or are on certain meds.
• Bitter greens like arugula, dandelion, radicchio as a starter to wake up digestion.
• Warm, cooked meals instead of cold smoothies and salads all day. TCM sees cold, raw diets as weakening stomach fire and Spleen Yang, which lowers hemoglobin and blood building capacity.
If you’re on acid reducing medication, bring this up at your next visit so we can coordinate safely rather than stopping anything abruptly.
4 Gentle movement that rings out the fog
Your red blood cells live about 120 days and rely on good circulation and kidney Spleen cooperation to be renewed and broken down properly. From both science and TCM, regular, moderate movement improves oxygen delivery and supports Spleen Stomach in making and moving blood.
Think:
• 10 to 20 minutes of walking after meals.
• Simple qigong, tai chi, or stretching that focuses on the legs and feet to pull Yang down and root your Qi, which often calms that floaty, spacey feeling.
You do not need to crush it at the gym. In fact, over exercising can destroy red blood cells and worsen heat and inflammation.
How I’ll use this with your labs
When I read your blood work, I’m not just looking at are you anemic. I’m asking:
• Where are your MCV and MCH?
• Does this look like low B12 and folate intake, or an absorption and stomach fire issue?
• Is there a Spleen Yang pattern, cells enlarged, blood a bit puffy, with fatigue and brain fog even though hemoglobin is okay?
• How does this align with your tongue, pulse, story, and symptoms?
That’s how we decide together whether you need:
• More targeted nutrition,
• A methylated B complex,
• Digestive support,
• Spleen nourishing herbs or acupuncture,
• Or simply rhythm and nervous system repair.
If you’re reading this thinking, this is me
Here’s what I’d love you to do:
1 Hit reply and tell me:
• Are you noticing Hurricane Brain, word finding, room forgetting, emotional flatness?
• When was your last set of labs, and do you know your MCV and MCH?
2 If you want a deeper dive, I’ve put together a free PDF for you on brain protective blood markers, things your doctor may not have explained, and how they connect to fatigue, mood, and cognition. I’ll send you the link and, if you’d like, we can go over it together in a session.
You are not destined for decline. What looks like my brain is failing is often your body whispering, please nourish my blood, my digestion, my rhythm. Those are fixable, trainable systems.
With care for your beautiful, foggy, still very much alive brain,
Your Name
P.S. If you’d like me to personally review your latest labs with this lens, MCV, MCH, B12, folate, and more, reply LAB REVIEW and we’ll set up a time.
If you are in Florida and want a practitioner who reviews labs through both Traditional Chinese Medicine and functional patterns, you can book a consultation with Longevity Wellness Clinic. If you are outside Florida, we also offer Zoom consultations so we can review your labs and create a natural plan wherever you live.
To schedule, contact our office and request a lab review session.