Archive for the ‘Memory’ Category

Exercise Your Brain

Posted by admin on October 11th, 2009

This is part one of a two-part series on the mental and physical benefits of simple, everyday exercise. In this first part, I want share some cutting-edge research that strongly suggests that exercising regularly can improve the odds of preserving our memory and mental function well into our “golden years”.

In tomorrow’s blog, I’d like to highlight some of the lesser-known health benefits of exercise. The more we’re aware of the real benefits of exercise, the more likely we’ll be to make the effort to commit to a consistent exercise routine.

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The Natural Mind

Posted by admin on October 11th, 2009

The minds of adults and children are generally thought to be quite different. But when we look at some of the problems in our daily lives, we find that many are shared by both kids and grown-ups. One example is in the way our brains malfunction.

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The Healthiest Brain Foods?

Posted by admin on October 11th, 2009

Time for a pop quiz. I’ll ask you a question and you select the answer that you believe is correct.

Question: What three foods have recently been associated with better mental performance?

a) fruits, whole grains and vegetables

b) coffee, fish and olive oil

c) chocolate, tea and wine

I’m not going to answer the question just yet. First, I’d like to tell you a little bit about the study that inspired this blog.

The research to which I’m referring is from the December 2008 issue of The Journal of Nutrition. The study examined the mental function and diet of over 2,000 men and women in their 70’s.

Multiple tests were administered to determine how well the volunteers’ brains operated. The group of seniors was also asked to keep a food diary that detailed their regular diet.

The test results were tabulated. The diaries were analyzed. The conclusion reached is also the correct answer to today’s pop quiz:

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The Brain Fitness Program

Posted by admin on October 11th, 2009

The concept that aging inevitably brings about negative changes in our bodies and minds is widespread. Many people simply accept the “fact” that the physical body will weaken, eyesight will become blurry and the brain will no longer cooperate like it used to. To that I say: fight it! Accept what can’t be changed, but do whatever is possible to improve the things that are pliable. For example, we can and should adopt a philosophy that an aging brain can learn new tricks.

Sharpen Memory by Embracing Technology

A very hopeful study will be published in the April edition of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. In this study, researchers from multiple universities enrolled almost 500 patients in an 8 week long experiment. The goal of the experiment was to determine if a commercially available computer program could help sharpen the mental skills of healthy senior citizens (with ages ranging from 65-93).

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Fish Oil and IQ

Posted by admin on October 11th, 2009

Let’s face it, we are all affected both positively and negatively by the genes we inherit. Intelligence and overall brain function are no exceptions to this rule. But there are things that parents can do to help encourage optimal brain development in their kids. Today I’m going to focus on one simple strategy that can help ensure that nutrition plays a constructive role in shaping the minds of this and future generations.

It’s not always easy to get young folks to eat more fish. But it’s vitally important that they do. Modern science is proving, time and time again, that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish can help support the proper growth and function of young and nutritionally impressionable minds. I know that some of you are probably thinking that no matter how healthy fish is, your kids will never actually eat it. Fortunately, the natural health community has taken this issue to task and actually formulated good tasting fish oil supplements. Really!

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Alzheimer’s Disease and Nutrition

Posted by admin on October 11th, 2009

Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Those two words often provoke a fearful and visceral reaction in many people. I think part of the reason is that when AD strikes there’s really nothing much that can be done to strike back. Today’s blog reports on a new “medical food” that may help those diagnosed with AD to regain some control over their destiny.

Nutrition for the Brain

A few years ago, a product was developed in collaboration with Dr. Richard Wurtman of M.I.T.’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. The formulation of this nutritional cocktail was intended to provide support for those suffering the beginning stages of AD. It was given the name: Souvenaid. Souvenaid is a milk-based beverage that contains therapeutic levels of nutrients such as antioxidants, B vitamins, choline, fish oil, phospholipids (like those found in lecithin) and uridine-5-monophosphate (a building block of RNA and DNA commonly found in mother’s milk and molasses).

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The Brain Drink

Posted by admin on October 11th, 2009

Throughout history mankind has sought to find novel techniques for improving the way the brain works. In more recent times, this quest was often a direct response to test taking in the academic arena and job performance in our professional lives. In both instances, we are often asked to mentally function at a peak level while under a certain degree of stress. There is new research about a common food that just may provide an added mental edge when we need it most.

This Is Your Brain on Cocoa

Earlier this week a presentation was given at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference in Brighton, England. The topic was the role that cocoa flavanols (a type of antioxidant) have on cognitive performance during a mentally demanding task.

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Coconut Oil and Alzheimer’s Disease

Posted by admin on October 11th, 2009

I’m always on the look-out for ways to make my healthy lifestyle as interesting and mentally stimulating as possible. One way I do it is by listening to podcasts while exercising. It’s a great way to be entertained and learn something while conditioning my body.

A few days ago I came across a particular podcast by my friend, Jimmy Moore, that really got my wheels spinning. I listened with utter fascination and wondered what additional information I could find on the subject matter discussed. The topic of the program was the role that a much maligned fat could possibly have in reversing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of brain dysfunction.

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The Alzheimer’s Project – Review

Posted by admin on October 11th, 2009

The Alzheimer’s Project is a four-part documentary series and multimedia presentation currently airing on the cable network, HBO. It’s also available online for free for those who are not Home Box Office subscribers. This landmark event is a collaboration between HBO Documentary Films, the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association.

“Alzheimer’s is the second most feared illness, after cancer”. Those words appear on the screen during the second segment of the Alzheimer’s Project. Watching the incredibly intimate footage captured by the filmmakers will help every viewer understand why that is. But that’s only a very small part of the overall objective. What we find here is an attempt to present this mysterious disease through the eyes of the patients, their caretakers and the physicians who are desperately searching for a cure.

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Ginseng in the News

Posted by admin on October 11th, 2009

Last week I presented a case for North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) as a natural way to manage the common cold and flu. In the second part of my 2 part column on ginseng, I’ll focus primarily on another member of the Panax family known as red ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer). Red ginseng is typically grown in China or Korea, and is marked by a six year growth cycle. In pre-scientific times, it was considered a virtual panacea, but its reputation has cooled considerably in the 20th and 21th centuries. In my own recent review of the medical literature, I’ve discovered what seems to be a renewed interest in the scientific study of ginseng. There were literally thousands of clinical and laboratory experiments to choose from. I’ve selected three specific health issues to illustrate the breadth and power of this comeback root.

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