November Highlights Health Interests

November highlights several health concerns such as pancreatic and lung cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and Crohn’s Disease. Medical science focuses attention on an increased awareness of their symptoms, causes, and cures.

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Alcohol Shrinks Your Brain

In the October issue of the Archives of Neurology Carol Ann Paul, of Wellesley College, and colleagues reports that alcohol makes our brains shrink.

Even moderate intake such as a small glass of wine over dinner every night has a significant effect.

The positive effect that low to moderate alcohol intake has on our blood flow only helps our heart not our brain. The study also showed that the negative effect is more serious for women.

Since declines in brain volume and increases in white matter lesions are associated with memory loss and worsening dementia, the effects of alcohol likely have some functional impact over time, says Carol Ann Paul.

Surpising News About Ginkgo Biloba

Talk about surprise when the French scientists saw the results of their study.
In the study they compared different products effect on dementia on people over 65.

Over 3500 men and women were divided in 3 groups. One took ginkgo biloba, one took another memory stimulating product and the last group used nothing.

After 13 years the group that had the lowest rate of dementia was the group that used no products.
But the death-rate was a lot lower in the group that took ginkgo biloba.

Conclusion: Take ginkgo biloba to live longer and other things to prevent dementia e.g. exercises.

Easy Exercises To Improve Your Memory

Do you forget where you put your car keys?
Or maybe you’re like me; I forget people’s names.
Maybe you’re worried about getting dementia as you age.

Either way our mind needs to be challenged just like the rest of our bodies. Scientists have shown that exercising the brain can prevent dementia.

Neurobics, by professor Larry Katz, is brain exercise to help prevent mental aging. Neurobics challenges all our senses as well as the communication between the right and the left brain.

One thing I really like about neurobis that you do not need to set a lot of extra time aside. Nope, these exercises will not take a lot of time, just implement them in your daily routine.

Here are some exercises that fit right into your daily schedule:

• Listen to music and smell something unusual at the same time
• Choose a different route when you go to work our to the grocery store
• Do you grocery shopping at the farmers market instead of in your regular grocery store
• Take a shower and wash your hair with your eyes closed
• Take another seat at the breakfast table
• Get dressed with your eyes closed
• Feel the different textures of your clothes with your hands before you get dressed
• Brush your teeth with your other hand
• Use ear plug during dinner (something I highly recommend if you have more than 2 kids)
• Read to somebody
• Have sex
• Learn a foreign language or sign language
• Do sudoko or play chess
• Do diagonal exercises like yoga, juggle or walking with poles.
• Be socially active

Our brains need stimulation through our whole lives. If we don’t challenge our brains it stagnates, just like the rest of our bodies.

But it’s not only us 30+ers who need brain stimulation. Children have to learn a lot. Stimulation between the right and the left brain (like neurobics) can be helpful and improve their learning curve.