Brain Health and Cognitive Fitness For Life
"Brain drains" are the most important risk factors (other than stress) that make it difficult to impossible for your brain to be healthy. Risk factors include issues like weight management, underlying health conditions, unhealthy choices, and environmental toxins.
In this category, you'll learn more about these risk factors, how they affect brain health, and the steps you can take to reduce or eliminate them from your life.
Besides the usual sneezing, coughing, and watery eyes, inhalant allergies can leave you with serious brain fog, inability to concentrate and focus, fatigue, irritability, and depression. In fact, seasonal allergies can derail your attempts to restore your brain's health.
The Alzheimer's Association pays lip service to the type of lifestyle modification that lowers risk for the disease. If you peruse our site, you'll find plenty of good news -- steps you can take to improve your brain health and improve your chances of not becoming an Alzheimer's statistic!
Inflammation is a natural process but can get out of control with an unhealthy lifestyle. It's a factor in 7 of the top 10 causes of death. Chronic inflammation itself is not painful but the damage it causes can be. It can lead to all sorts of seemingly unrelated problems including allergies, IBS, high blood pressure, and arthritis (or anything that ends in "itis"). Two of the best kinds of nutrients for reducing inflammation are krill oil and antioxidants.
Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are produced by home wiring, appliances, cell phones, and other electrical devices. There are many known ways EMFs harm your brain. No one really knows what living in this ocean of EMFs is doing to our health, but there is much evidence that it is detrimental to our brains. Here are some common-sense guidelines to reduce your risk.
There is no cure for MCI. Rule out underlying health conditions first, then make lifestyle changes and consider nutritional supplements. MCI is an intermediate stage between "normal" age-related mental decline and the diagnosis of dementia. Somewhere between 5-20% of seniors are believed to have it.
Everything we know about cholesterol and heart disease is wrong. High cholesterol levels and saturated fats don't cause heart disease. Let's take a look at the myths about cholesterol and heart disease and why you need to know this information for your brain.
Polypharmacy - taking multiple medications - is fraught with problems. It can cause cognitive issues, especially among older adults. When you consider that the average 65-year-old takes 5 medications, you can imagine how widespread the problem of polypharmacy is.
Chemo brain has multiple causes including chemotherapy itself. Learn the causes and, most importantly, steps to take to minimize cognitive issues. Two studies reported in the news this week have completely divergent points of view. Read on and decide for yourself which you think makes more sense.
High blood pressure can lead to premature cognitive decline as well as stroke, TIA, dementia and mild cognitive impairment. Lifestyle changes, undertaken AFTER a professional evaluation, can significantly improve your blood pressure and reduce your health risks. Here are 7 ways to lower your blood pressure that your brain will thank you for.
Menopause can have many negative health effects including cognitive issues. Learn effective ways to minimize this AND improve general health. Once menopause is over, brain function usually returns to normal. But there is much you can do to feel like your usual self and minimize frustrating and embarrassing "menopause moments".