Brain Health

Can we improve the way our brain works? There is new evidence that we can. With the almost epidemic of Alzheimer’s and Dementia in our elderly it makes sense to do everything we can to keep our brains healthy. How much more sense does it make to do these things to help our brains heal if they have already been injured?

Exercise comes in many forms. When it comes to the brain there are many benefits to multiple forms of exercise.

Stretching our brains by expanding our knowledge has been shown to reduce or postpone dementia in most of its forms.  One of the keys to this expansion of knowledge is to truly want to use the information you are learning. Memorizing a shopping list does more good than memorizing a random list of words. Learning a new hobby or a new language does even more.

Our brains can become dehydrated just like our body. When the brain is dry thinking becomes harder, and slower.

Physical exercise is just as important as mental exercise. Exercising while listening to music seems to do the most good. You don’t have to spend hours at it, but you do need to get your heart beating a little faster each and every day. Depending on your fitness level this can mean as little as standing for thirty minutes a day. If you can’t manage even that then start with the amount of time you can stand before your knees feel weak and your heart is pounding.

Certain foods are important in boosting your brain power. The antioxidants found in green tea are a good example. Healthy fats are another example. The healthy fats are the ones your body uses to build and maintain brain and nerve cells. Healthy fats include coconut oil, avocados, walnuts, and Omega 3 fatty acids that can be found in fish (look for mercury free) flax, hemp oil, and organic free range meats and dairy. Many people think only of Vitamin E when they think of healthy oil, but all Omega 3 fatty acids work in similar ways.

The spice turmeric is an anti-inflammatory that crossed the blood/brain barrier.  Celery contains luteolin, which has also been shown to reduce brain inflammation. Broccoli and cauliflower are known for their choline, which supports brain development. Eggs and meats (organic grass fed) are very high in choline.  Blueberries are a well-known antioxidant.

On the flip side there are foods we want to avoid for healthy brains. Grains and sugars top that list. 

Both cause inflammation.

Fasting can also trigger brain rejuvenation.  An easy way of doing this is simply skipping one or more meals per day. This has been shown to increase the neurotransmitters in the brain.

Anything that lowers the immune system lowers the brain system. This includes antibiotics, anti-psychotics drugs, and anti-inflammatory medications (not supplements).

Controlling stress is another key to brain health. EFT (emotional freedom technique) is a very handy tool in relieving stress. With its help you can take the pain out of past events, rendering them unable to trigger an emotional reaction in the present.

Sources:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/24/lifestyle-changes-may-decrease-stroke-risk.aspx?e_cid=20130624_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130624

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/08/01/brain-exercise.aspx?e_cid=20130801_DNL_art_2&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art2&utm_campaign=20130801

http://www.naturalnews.com/041873_green_tea_improved_memory_dementia_prevention.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/042073_healthy_fats_food_sources_fatty_acids.html

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http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/10/31/9-foods-brain-health.aspx?e_cid=20131031Z1_DNL_art_2&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art2&utm_campaign=20131031Z1

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http://www.naturalnews.com/043899_fish_oil_brain_health_omega-3_fatty_acids.html

Save your brain from dementia by exercise

The longest-ever study examining the effect of lifestyle choices on chronic disease has concluded that moderate exercise may be the single most effective way to prevent dementia.

"What the research shows is that following a healthy lifestyle confers surprisingly large benefits to health," lead researcher Peter Elwood said. "Healthy behaviors have a far more beneficial effect than any medical treatment or preventative procedure."

The study, conducted by researcher from the Cardiff University and published in the journal PLOS ONE, followed 2,235 men from south Wales for 35 years, starting in 1979. The men, aged 45 to 49 at the study's start, answered regular questions about their lifestyle and health throughout the study.

The researchers found that five factors were most important in reducing rates of all chronic diseases, including dementia: regular exercise, healthy diet, low body weight, low alcohol intake and not smoking. Compared with people who followed none of these five factors, people who followed any four were 60 percent less likely to suffer from dementia or cognitive decline and 70 percent less likely to suffer from diabetes, heart disease or stroke.

"The size of reduction in the instance of disease owing to these simple healthy steps has really amazed us and is of enormous importance in an ageing population," Elwood said.

Improve your health today

The single biggest connection found was that between exercise and dementia, yet Elwood emphasized that an overall healthy lifestyle is more important than any one component.

"Exercise happens to be the most important but the other factors come in very close behind," he said.

Yet, increasing your physical activity level might be one of the easiest ways to improve your overall health. It takes only 30 minutes of exercise five days a week to reap significant benefits.

"We should all live a more active lifestyle," Elwood said. "If I park my car a mile from work - that makes me likely to do more than the half an hour a day. Any exercise has some benefit and the more, the better."

"Sadly, the evidence from this study shows that very few people follow a fully healthy lifestyle," Elwood said.

The researchers found that, even with reductions in overall smoking rates over the past 35 years, the number of people who qualified as living a healthy lifestyle did not change during the course of the study. This is consistent with recent surveys finding that less than 1 percent of the population of Wales follows all five recommended factors, with 5 percent not following any.

"If the men [in the study] had been urged to adopt just one additional healthy behavior at the start of the study 35 years ago, and if only half of them complied, then during the ensuing 35 years there would have been a 13 percent reduction in dementia, a 12 percent drop in diabetes, 6 percent less vascular disease and a 5 percent reduction in deaths," Elwood said.

The researchers also found that, over the course of the study, unhealthy living was responsible for 10 percent of all healthcare expenditure in Wales.

Dementia is a growing public health concern, expected to affect 135 million people worldwide by 2050.

"We are facing potentially large increases in the numbers of people living with dementia and if we are to deal with this crisis head on we must invest in research," said Rebecca Wood, chief executive of Alzheimer's Research UK.

"It's encouraging for people to know there are simple steps they can take now to reduce their risk," she said.

Sources for this article include:
http://www.naturalnews.com/043493_dementia_exercise_healthy_lifestyle.html