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3 Facts Everyone Should Know About Stem Cells
Cord Blood Cord Blood is the blood that remains in the umbilical cord and placenta following birth. Cord Blood is routinely discarded with the placenta and umbilical cord. The blood in the cord is a rich source of stem cells. Stem cells are...
Diabetes, Recognizing the Signs, and Symptoms
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Fast And Easy Weight Loss Using Diet Programs And Diet Pills
If you’re one of the approximately 67% of Americans that are wired into the internet, there’s a good chance that sometime in the last 24 hours you’ve received at least one spam email promoting the latest and greatest diet pill or weight loss...
Frequently Asked Prempro Cancer Questions
Prempro FAQs Frequently Asked Questions Prempro side effects cause life threatening Prempro injury. Free Prempro consultation at Monheit.com Prempro FAQ #1: My doctor says that I still need to take Prempro for my osteoporosis, what should I...
The Baby Boomer Athlete: Prevention and Treatment of Minor Injuries
Are you a Baby Boomer? If you were born between the years of 1946 to 1964, you are part of the 79.1 million Boomers, comprising 29 percent of the total US population. According to the AARP, every seven seconds a Baby Boomer turns 50! And, about...
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Keep Your Brain Happy as You Age
No matter what our current age, we all want to have a healthy body and a healthy mind as we get older.
There is not much pleasure in living a long life if our final years are spent in pain and if we lose our ability to think and remember. As much as we dread suffering physical pain and illness in old age, many of us fear even more the prospect of losing our mental capacities.
We know that some people are able to live into their eighth and ninth decades still mentally sharp and physically spry. What are our chances of staying mentally alert and physically active in old age? Is it all a matter of random luck? Is losing our mental powers as we age inevitable?
The good news is that statistically the odds are on your side. Most people are able to keep their cognitive faculties as they age unless they develop Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, or diabetes.
As long as the brain itself remains healthy, older people can maintain their ability to think and remember, although processing may take longer than it used to.
Seniors are actually able to outperform much younger people in certain kinds of mental skills.
Do Our Brains Really Shrink as We Get Older?
Many subtle, but cumulative physical changes occur in our brains as we live and grow older. Some of these changes start before we are born, and some become most noticeable as we enter the fifth or sixth decade of life.
If you’ve ever heard that the brain shrinks as we grow older, it’s not just a myth. It's literally true. Men’s brains seem to shrink somewhat faster than the brains of women.
The good news for all of us is that although we may lose millions of brain cells each year, this does not necessarily destroy our overall thinking capacity unless the loss is concentrated in certain key areas of the brain.
Scientists have discovered that our ability to think and remember is preserved in spite of brain cell death, as long as the
brain is able to create new connections between the brain cells.
One way to keep producing new connections is to keep using your brain--keep on learning new skills and develop new interests throughout your life. If you treasure your brain, do yourself a favor and keep using it!
There are many other things you can do to help safeguard your brain function as you age.
Because your brain is flesh and blood, the strategies that help keep your body healthy will also benefit your brain.
Make it a priority to eat well, exercise regularly, and get sufficient sleep. Your brain, as well as the rest of your body will benefit. In addition, this strategy will improve your mood and outlook.
Learn more about which fats are good and which fats are bad, and then increase your intake of good fats, and decrease your intake of bad fats.
Most North Americans eat far too much of the bad fats--those that are saturated or hydrogenated, and they do not eat enough of the good fats their body needs, particularly the Omega-3’s found in foods such as salmon and flax seed.
Include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet, especially those that are brightly colored such as tomatoes, spinach, and berries. These foods are high in antioxidants, which help protect your brain cells from free radical damage.
Take a good quality vitamin and mineral supplement daily. Be sure to include at least 500 mg of Vitamin C, 400 IU of Vitamin E, 400 mcg. of Folic acid, and a well balanced Vitamin B complex.
About the author:
This article is taken from the new book by Royane Real titled "How You Can Be Smarter – Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better, and Be More Creative" If you want to learn how to use your brain better download it today or get the paperback version at http://www.lulu.com/real
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