New Age Organic

‘Brain Power’

1. Jog your mind! Regular brain exercise can give you a memory boost by encouraging circulation to the brain, and by releasing hormones that will lift mood and kill pain.
2. Relax. Stress is a major cause of short and mid range memory loss, and will have a dramatic effect on concentration levels.
3. A good night sleep is essential for a healthy brain and nervous system, as well as memory. Research shows that people who are wakened during dream sleep fail to process memories from the day before, and with regular sleep interruptions will suffer a pattern of significant forgetful behaviour.
4. Watch your diet and eat for health. There is nothing better for your memory and your mind than a balanced, healthy diet with lots of fruit and vegetables. There is also research which shows that upping your intake of the minerals zinc and boron can revive memories.
5. Cut the Caffeine. Coffee, soda and other drinks with high caffeine levels are proven memory killers. More than one such drink per day will result in nervous system over-stimulation and affect your ability to concentrate. It will also interrupt sleep patterns which directly results in memory loss.
6. Stay mentally Fit. Several good studies show that participating in new mentally stimulating activities is associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer’s and other mental dementia. Regular stimulation helps the older brain retain flexibility and alertness that often lags in those who fall back to pattern behaviours and mundane routine activity.
7. Be sociable. Studies show that relationships, laughter, human interaction, and the regular use of social skills improve memory and brain power. Another study also showed that a lack of friends and interaction late in life can double the likelihood of developing some form of dementia.

A bit of stress in our daily lives is healthy and provides needed adrenaline for periodic energy boost in dangerous or critical situations. Common stress today however is a different matter. In modern life we are often pushing ourselves to the brink every waking moment, be it fighting traffic, meeting deadlines, or just racing to keep up.

This kind of manic stress is implicated in virtually every negative symptom of the aging process. Let’s understand it and look at ways to eliminate stress for good.

Are you stressed?

Symptoms of stress include:

• Sleep Problems
• Head, Neck, and Back Tension
• Digestive Problems
• Hair Loss
• Fatigue
• High Blood Pressure
• Palpitations
• Chest Pain
• Skin Problems, such as Hives, Eczema, Psoriasis, and Rashes
• Jaw Pain
• Infertility
• Menstrual Problems
• Sexual Difficulties
• Depression and Mood Swings
• Irritability and Frustration
• Memory Problems and Lack of Concentration

If you think that sounds like a recipe for disaster, you’re right.  Let’s look at how we can restore balance to your life with natural remedies.

Siberian Ginseng
This adaptogenic herb helps your body to adapt to and cope with physical and emotional stress.  Studies have shown that ginseng helps improve stamina and endurance, and helps increase the body’s resistance to infections.

Essential Oils
Uplifting and relaxing essential oils can be helpful in reducing stress when combined with a massage or meditation routine. Stress reducing essential oils include: cedar, chamomile, jasmine, lavender, marjoram, neroli and rose. Use as massage oil or in a vaporizer to fill the room with their tantalizing aromas.

Vitamin B
Our bodies burn up the B group of vitamins rapidly when we are stressed. So it’s especially important to eat a variety of B-rich foods, such as whole grains, brewers yeast, meat, oily fish, eggs, brown rice, wheatgerm, beans, sunflower seeds, and nuts.  It is also recommended that you take a B-complex supplement daily to make up for shortages in diet, particularly in times of great stress.

Antioxidants
Antioxidants are the the nutrients that help repair the damage done by emotional, physical, and environmental stress. They also play a major role in protecting the body from the ravages of free radicals that break down our cells and promote aging. Eating plenty of fresh, preferably organic, brightly colored fruit and vegetables is a great start, but if your diet is poor or you are under stress a supplement is recommended.

Zinc
Zinc is crucial for anyone under stressful conditions. It is needed for cell repair, digestion, immune function and emotional health. Zinc is also needed for the production of the adrenal hormones, so the Zinc you get in your diet will be quickly burned up when under stress. Food sources are: yeast, eggs, pulses, liver, meats, pumpkin seeds, most seafood and whole grains. Of course if your diet is not balanced or incomplete you should take a good supplement to make up for the shortage.

Essential Fatty Acids
A shortage of essential fatty acids (EFA) has been linked to stress. A deficiency will exacerbate stress symptoms and diminish the body’s coping mechanisms, while the stress itself uses up your existing EFAs, setting up a vicious cycle that leads directly to further EFA deficiency. Eat nuts, seeds, and plenty of oily fish, and take a supplement in the form of flax seed oil.

The Importance of Staying Fit
Exercise reduces stress by burning up the adrenaline created by stress. It also creates endorphins, the feel-good hormones that improve mood, motivation, and tolerance to pain and stress. The next time you are stressed try turning to exercise instead of alcohol, tobacco, or binge eating, and feel the difference.

Exercise is also good for improving brain function. Aerobic exercise helps to increase the number of neurotransmitters in the the brain, so that messages are carried more quickly between brain cells. This increases mental flexibility and agility over longer periods of time.

Beyond all that, regular exercise increases the supply of oxygenated blood to the brain, which enhances concentration, alertness and intellectual capacity. All of these things are diminished in periods of stress, so the more you can train yourself to use exercise as a coping tool, the more effectively you will reduce the stress in your life.

No Caffeine, Please
Research has shown that drinking four to five cups of coffee or soft drinks, makes the body act as if it is under constant stress. This combined with other stressors will increase blood pressure significantly, leading to an increased risk of heart disease as well as damaging the adrenal system.  Because caffeine is so addictive you may find that cutting out coffee and soft drinks completely may be easier than simply cutting back.

Building enhanced brain power and maintaining a healthy fully capable mind as we age is nothing to take lightly.  There is plenty of evidence to support the notion that both mental agility and memory decline to some extent as we age, but the good news is that this does not have to be the case.

By ensuring that our diets are truly healthy, and we get plenty of brain building exercise and continue to stimulate our minds as well as take specific supplements to enhance brain function, we can stay ahead of the aging process and remain as sharp and quick minded as we were in our younger years, in fact with rigorous focus we can be far better than we ever were.

What makes us forget?
Intense stress is most often the culprit behind being forgetful, interfering with our ability to concentrate, make important decisions and remember. Being over extended and over taxed, having too many irons in the fire may also be a problem.  When you are doing too many things at once you are less likely to focus on the details, the less you pay attention, the less you will be able to remember.

For 99% of people memory loss never becomes a serious problem, but some diseases, such as Alzheimer’s can lead directly to memory loss. Alcohol abuse and recreational drug use can also affect memory in significant ways.

Beyond diet and mental exercises we turn to specific natural vitamins and minerals to build brain power.

Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo exerts its vascular effects primarily on the lining of the blood vessels. It stimulates greater resilience in the venous system, aiding in the clearing of toxins that accumulate in the blood stream when there is a lack of oxygen. Ginkgo is mainly implicated in conditions that affect the brain, including short-term memory loss, vertigo, headaches and depression.

The memory enhancing benefits of Ginkgo are not limited to the elderly. In a double blind study, the reaction time of healthy young women performing memory tests was significantly enhanced after a period of taking Ginkgo as a supplement.

Recommended dosage is 60mg-80mg 3 times daily.

Alpha Lipoic Acid
Alpha Lipoic Acid is a powerful antioxidant, and has been shown to prevent oxidative stress in nerve tissue.  Lipoic acid helps maintain glutathione levels, which are found to be depleted in conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. It appears to have a protective affect on the brain and nerves, as well as the liver which deals with toxins that can affect our brain function. It is found in meat and most vegetables as well as natural supplements.

Recommended dosage is 200mg to 400mg per day.

DMAE (Dimethylaminoethanol)
This memory-building substance is common to a number of compounds that are known to stabilize cell membranes. Cell membrane degradation has been proposed as one of the key mechanisms of the aging process. DMAE is normally present in small amounts in the brain, and is known for its remarkable brain-enhancing effects. It is naturally occurring in anchovies and sardines, which may explain why fish is so often regarded as brain food. DMAE works by accelerating the brains synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which in turn plays a key role in maximizing mental ability and preventing memory loss in aging adults.

DMAE is also used for treating attention deficit disorder, enhancing memory and mood, and boosting cognitive function. DMAE is also used for treating Alzheimer’s disease, by increasing IQ, physical energy, and muscle reflex.

Recommended dosage is 75mg to 150mg per day.

Pycnogenol (Pine Bark Extract)
As well as having potent antioxidant effects, Pycnogenol also helps maintain neurotransmitters so that they function longer and improve the circulation of the brain. The increase in nitric oxide provided by Pycnogenol may also improve learning ability and memory.

Recommended dosage is 50mg to 150mg per day.

Super Oils
Rosemary essential oil has enjoyed a reputation of enhancing memory for hundreds of years, hence the old saying “rosemary for remembrance”. Try a single drop of rosemary oil on each wrist to stimulate the senses. Peppermint oil is another good choice to stimulate the mind.

Oils can also be used to affect your moods, which in turn will affect your memory. Antidepressant and cheering oils include bergamot, orange, and other citrus oils.  Rosemary is great for mental fatigue as well. Virtually any application of essential oils, including baths and massage, will have the desired effect. Another very effective way to use them is to simply get them into the air using a spray bottle (10 drops in 1 pint of water) or a vaporizer.

EFAs and Brian Power
Essential fatty acids are now recognised as star nutrients essential for optimal brain function and as mood stabilizers. Without omega-3 fatty acids (one of the EFAs) brain cells stiffen and inhibit the messages that pass between neurons. Shortages of these essentials have also been linked to low intelligence, learning disabilities, and depression. What’s more, they also enhance cognitive, aural, and optic development, which continue throughout life.

The best sources of these omega-3 fatty acids are avocados, cold-pressed oils like olive, and nuts and seeds such as walnuts and flax seed. Oily fish such as salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel, pilchards and fresh tuna also contain omega-3 fatty acids.