There is a lot we can do to keep our brains healthy and potentially prevent
or lessen the cognitive decline that often comes with aging.
The Alliance for Aging Research recommends these steps for improving
your brain health.
- Eat a Brain-Healthy Diet. A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids
(commonly found in fish), protein, antioxidants, fruits and vegetables and
vitamin B; low in trans fats; and with an appropriate level of carbohydrates
will help keep your brain healthy.
- Stay Mentally Active. Activities such as learning a new skill or
language, working on crossword puzzles, taking classes, and learning how to
dance can help challenge and maintain your mental functioning.
- Exercise Regularly. Exercising often can increase circulation,
improve coordination, and help prevent conditions that increase the risk of
dementia such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
- Stay Social. Spending time with friends, volunteering, and traveling
can keep your mind active and healthy.
- Get Plenty of Sleep. Not getting enough sleep can have a negative
impact on brain health.
- Manage Stress. Participating in yoga, spending time with friends, or
doing other stress-relieving activities can help preserve your ability to
remember and learn.
- Prevent Brain Injury. Wearing protective head gear and seat belts
can help you avoid head injury, which has been associated with an increased
risk of dementia.
- Control Other Health Conditions. Maintaining a healthy weight,
exercising, eating a well-balanced and nutritious diet, and controlling
stress can help reduce your risk of diseases that affect your brain,
including diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and hypertension.
- Avoid Unhealthy Habits. Smoking, heavy drinking and use of
recreational drugs can increase the risk of dementia and cognitive decline.
- Consider Your Genes. If your family history puts you at risk for
developing dementia, work with your doctor to find ways to maintain your
brain health to help avoid or slow the progression of cognitive decline.
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Tips For Healthy Brain
Health Benefit Of Ginger
In Eastern societies, ginger has always been known for its healing powers. Pythagorus was one of its greatest supporters in Ancient Greece. King Henry VIII of England used it to protect against the plague. Though we don't know for sure if ginger can actually protect you from the plague, we do know that it is beneficial in many other ways.
The American Phytotherapy Research Laboratory in Salt Lake City has conducted a classic study on motion sickness, which may cause you to leave the dramamine on the shelf during your next vacation.
By spinning motion sickness-prone students in two groups-one group was given Dramamine, the other group ginger -- it was discovered that the group given the ginger was able to withstand the full 6 minute "spin" with less nausea and dizziness, while the other group stopped the ride within 4-1/2 minutes.
Japanese researchers believe the gingerols found in ginger, may be responsible for blocking the body's reflex to vomit. Taking 1/4 teaspoon 20 minutes before a car or boat trip should give you about 4 hours of relief. Another popular remedy is 3 or 4 slices of sliced ginger in a cup of boiling water to make ginger tea. Sip as needed to relieve nausea caused by motion sickness.
Denmark researchers have discovered that ginger can block the effects of prostaglandins. These are substances that cause inflammation of the blood vessels in the brain, which leads to migraines. Though the results are still experimental, 1/3 teaspoon of fresh of powdered ginger taken when you feel a migraine coming on can help stop pain before it starts. Using the same theory, ginger has been found to produce "marked" relief in arthritis pain. The ginger tea described above or 1/2 teaspoon of ginger is recommended by Danish researchers for arthritis relief.
A researcher at Cornell University Medical College discovered that ginger has an effect on blood clots that is similar to that of aspirin. By the same token, it appears that high cholesterol levels are lowered using the same active ingredient, thromboxane.
When buying ginger, fresh is best! Be sure to avoid ginger with dry, wrinkled, skin, mold or soft spots. African and Indian ginger are the most potent. Grating or using a garlic press will give you the maximum benefit.
Ginger can definitely give you many benefits but more is not always better. An ounce a day should give you all the benefits you will need.
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Coconut Oil
Have you heard about coconut oil diets yet? People are adding coconut oil to their diets and are getting incredible results. They are losing weight, increasing their energy, and getting healthier.
For centuries people have been using coconuts and coconut oil to stay healthy and lean.
Find out how coconut oil is helping thousands of people like you become healthier, have more energy and lose weight for good.
Coconut oil diets are becoming increasingly popular as people are discovering out how coconut oil helps them lose weight, increase their metabolism, and even fight disease.
Coconut oil is safe to use, and does not turn to fat in your body. It raises the metabolism, so you burn more fat and have more energy. It does not increase your cholesterol, but actually helps lower it. Coconut oil is wonderful diet addition for just about everyone.
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Eating Fish Migh Help body and Brain
When it's omega-3 fatty acids, the kind found in many kinds of fish, it can help lower blood pressure and prevent heart attack and stroke, according to the American Heart Association. They also say it can decrease the risk of arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, which can lead to sudden cardiac death.
The American Heart Association recommends that Americans eat fish at least two times a week. They recommend mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon. These "fatty fish" provide two kinds of omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). They're also a good source of protein and don't have the high saturated fat of some meats.
"But we're finding more and more that physicians are saying, when there's some type of inflammation in the blood vessels, it can lead to plaque build-up, which can lead to heart attack and stroke.
"What they're finding is that people have inflammation on the blood vessels just like you have inflammation on the surface of the skin," she says.
Omega-3 fatty acids help keep blood vessels smooth and elastic, says McClune, a cardiovascular nurse. Omega-3 fatty acids also can help increase high-density lipoproteins, or HDL, the "good" cholesterol. (The "bad" cholesterol is LDL, or low-density lipoproteins).
The old saw about fish being good brain food has its basis in fact, she says.
that protein is essential for brain function, as are certain fats. The omega-3 fatty acids help with conduction of the electrical impulses."
Ussually tell people it's something that doesn't take long to prepare.For someone who's working, fish is something that 's easy to fix."
Fish also is low in calories, as long as it's not deep-fried or prepared with other high-saturated fats, Raible says.
Many people aren't sure how to cook fish. Others don't like the fishy taste.
These folk might try halibut, cod or talapia, says Howard Darrow, operations chef at McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant, Southside Works. They have a milder flavor than more robust species such as salmon, swordfish, perch and walleye.
People who want to cook fish at home shouldn't feel like they're swimming upstream, Darrow says. Most fish recipes are relatively simple to prepare.
A nice place to start is salmon, Whether it's farm-raised or wild, salmon is very high in omega-3, very good for the heart. There's so many different ways you can prepare it."
These include poaching, broiling or steaming. It also can be lightly sauteed with canola oil.
Steaming fish, that's something that very easy to do at home,.You can use your vegetable steamer and keep the fish out of the water and cook the fish with the lid on."
Flavoring fish doesn't require slathering on high-fat tartar sauce.
"You can use Old Bay seasoning. You could season it with lemon grass and lemon zest to get more of a citrus flavor that would go great with white rice and steamed broccoli or asparagus."
Another option is buying a nice piece of yellowfin tuna and rolling it in Cajun spice, Fish-oil supplements are another option, although not as effective.
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Tips For Healthy Eyes
Statistics suggest that by the time we reach 60, one in 12 of us will be blind or partially sighted. As it is National Eye Health Week (December 10-16), we find out how to slow the march of time and ensure you and your family enjoy good sight for years to come.
Forget a healthy sex drive or even being able to walk - given the choice most of us would sacrifice both of those if it meant we didn't lose our ability to see, according to the latest research.
It's the sense we apparently value above all others, yet looking after our sight seems to be a hit-and-miss affair, with half the population mistakenly thinking that not sitting too close to the TV, reading in a good light, and wearing an eye mask at night is enough to protect their eyes, according to a survey by eye care manufacturers Bausch & Lomb.
In reality, a regular eye test is one of the most effective safeguards, particularly as we get older when we are more at risk of eye conditions such as glaucoma and AMD (age-related macular degeneration).
This bellow tips to healthy eyes
*To clean your eyes thoroughly, wash them with cold water. Splash water into your eyes for best results.
* If your eyes are strained, soak cotton balls in chilled water or milk, and keep one on each eye for 10 minutes.
* Consume a diet rich in vitamin A.
* For treating dark circles around the eyes, cut slices of cucumber or potato, and keep them on your eyes for 15 minutes.
* To have sparkling eyes, soak amala in water over night, strain it in the morning in a clean cloth, and wash your eyes with this water.
*Exercise your eyes daily. Simple exercises like looking at a distant object and looking at an object at arms length can be done.
* Make sure that you remove eye makeup completely before going to bed.
*If you suffer from headaches frequently, get your eyes checked for any defect in vision.
*Do not read in dim light, or while lying down.
Follow our guide, with advice from the experts, to keep your eyes healthy…
EYE MYTHS
Wearing someone else's glasses may damage your eyes.
This just isn't true, although you may not be able to see very well with them and may get a headache or double vision, you won't come to any harm from wearing glasses that are not your prescription (unless you're driving a motor vehicle).
Watching TV too much or too closely will damage eyes.
Kids will be delighted to know that this warning isn't true, but parents can fall back on the fact too much viewing can make your eyes tired or cause a headache. You're particularly vulnerable if TV's viewed in the dark when you are effectively looking at a moving light, like a torch.
Follow our alternative advent calendar
Masturbation makes you go blind.
No, the only correlation between the two is that semen contains a large amount of zinc and a deficiency in zinc (although nearly impossible to achieve solely by masturbating) will cause a decline in a person's vision.
Exercising eye muscles can allow you to 'throw away your glasses'.
People (normally) need specs because of the shape and size of their eye (i.e. their eyes are too big or too small). Exercises won't help this.
Not wearing your glasses will make you depend upon them less.
If you don't wear your glasses you may become more accustomed to the blur and won't remember how bad it is, and thereby think that your eyes have got better (when they haven't).
Eating carrots improves eyesight.
There's some truth in this as carrots are a source of vitamin A, which is important for the eyes. Before embarking on an all-carrot diet, bear in mind that it's more important for eye health to have a balanced diet that supports your all-round health. Poor nutrition is implicated in diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Using your eyes too much can wear them out.
Your eyes will last for a lifetime if they are healthy (or have conditions that are treatable). Eye health has nothing to do with the number of hours you use them.
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Tips For Preventing Breast Cancer
There is so much awful news and information out there about breast cancer. These days it seems that every magazine, newspaper, radio show, and piece of mail has a headline declaring that every woman's risk of developing breast cancer is increasing. There is a numbing feeling of inevitability in all this information we hear and read that more and more women tend to think about breast cancer as a 'when' rather than an if.
There is so much frightening information about the disease out there. The stats available are horrible and this bring one major question to mind; 'what can be done to prevent breast cancer?' The bulk of medical advancement in the area of breast and indeed most cancers, involves what should be done after, and not essentially before, getting the disease. There is more to preventing breast cancer than the ritual yearly mammogram. Of course this may help detect the breast cancer at its early stage, but that is about the best it can do. It won't prevent you from getting the disease. To prevent breast cancer, we need to be more proactive, we need to take individual and collective action.
The first step towards proactively preventing breast cancer is to understand the causes and risk factors of breast cancer and what decreases breast cancer risk. However, there are few conclusive answers to these queries, partly because most research focuses on eliminating breast cancer after - not before - it occurs. Medical research has validated so few risk factors for breast cancer that almost 70 percent of the women diagnosed with breast cancer are not associated with any clear cut risk factor.
Individually, we can prevent breast cancer by buying and eating organically grown food, filtering our water, building powerful immunity, living wisely and vigorously, being in touch with our breasts, using natural remedies for menopausal problems.
Try out the following tips:
* Aerobic exercise 3-4 times a week
* Maintaining a positive mental attitude
* Breathwork and deepening body-awareness
* Expressing your feelings to keep your energy flowing
* Eating healthy foods and taking the "right" supplements
* Avoiding toxicity
Try as much as you can to avoid the following and you will be as far from breast cancer as you humanly can:
Any medication containing acetaminophen
Products such as Tylenol, Sudafid, Bromo seltzer, vicodin, and many others which drive down the glutathione levels in the body. Glutathione is an essential antioxidant and detoxifier.
Aspartame (not to be confused with aspertate) has been proven to cause cancer in rats. It is a common ingredient in many no-sugar products such as yogurt, ice cream, desserts and carbonated beverages. Splenda is also harmful.
Toxins. Use toxin-free, organic products. Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly with soapy water to remove chemical residues. Better yet, buy only organic products and non-GMO (non-genetically modified) foods. Read labels (veggies and fruit will have an 9 to indicate organic and an 8 for non-GMO).
Active computer screens should be at least 18 inches away from your body. You need to be at least 36 inches from your active television screens.
It is obvious that several factors that are known to predispose someone to breast cancer are not completely within our control. It makes more sense therefore, to be very keen about your breast. This serves a dual function. Even when it does not completely protect you from cancer, it allows for early detection of the cancer when it does occur. No one knows your body as well as you do. That's why it's essential to examine your breasts at the same time every month - so you can detect any changes that might occur. When you do the self-examination, you are reassuring yourself that your body is still in great condition
Breast Self Exams still remain the number one method for detecting changes in breast health. Although, finding any symptoms does not really mean you have cancer but when you have it, early detection means your survival probability is very high. Very high! It also means you have a broad range of alternative and complementary treatment options.
When we talk about breast cancer, the second worst killer after lung cancer, knowledge is not just power, it is your life!
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Best and Healthy Foods
There are some foods that are considered to be incredibly nutritious for your body, helping you to reduce your risk for many diseases and conditions. Eating these foods regularly can help you live longer and healthier.
SOY:
Whole soy foods are a great source of protein and contain other nutrients such as fiber, B vitamins, essential omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, and iron. Foods containing soy protein are a healthy alternative to meats and other animal products that contain cholesterol and saturated fat, because they provide all the amino acids, a type of nutrient that people need to stay healthy.
Whole soy foods contain iso-flavones that alleviate PMS and menopause symptoms and can lower the risk of breast cancer. Examples of soy foods are: tofu, tempeh, garbanzo beans, soy milk, and miso.
SALMON :
Salmon is low in calories and saturated fat and high in protein and the omega-3 essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids are essential for human health but because the body cannot create them, they must be obtained from foods.
In addition to being an excellent source of omega-3s, which reduce “bad” cholesterol, it helps prevent coronary artery disease, lower blood pressure, improve circulation and promote weight loss. Salmon is an excellent source of selenium, protein, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and magnesium.
NUTS:
Although nuts are high in fat, the fat is mostly unsaturated fat, which has a beneficial effect on health. The healthy fats found in nuts actually reduce the risk of heart attack.
Nuts are also good sources of dietary fiber, magnesium, copper, folic acid, vegetable protein, potassium, and vitamin E, all of which have been shown to be important for heart health.
The magnesium relieves sugar cravings and the vitamin E keeps skin and hair healthy and reduces the risk of cancer.
Enjoy a variety of nuts and seeds each day like walnuts, Brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and flax seeds. Try to eat an ounce each day.
BEANS:
Diets rich in beans can lower cholesterol levels, improve blood glucose control in diabetics, and reduce the risk of many
cancers. They are an excellent source of complex carbohydrate, fiber, and folic acid. Beans are a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and potassium.
Beans keep blood-sugar levels balanced because they are digested slowly. They are high in protein, calcium and iron. Use in soups, potato dishes, salads, burritos, dips and spreads.
The best sources are red beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, and black beans. (Dried beans provide the most nutrients.)
CITRUS:
Citrus fruit contain hundreds of nutrients including high levels of vitamin C, a vitamin that helps to support the immune system and prevents free radical damage.
Owing to the multitude of the health benefits of Vitamin C, the consumption of vegetables and fruits high in this nutrient reduces the risk of death from heart disease, stroke and cancer, lowers “bad” cholesterol, and helps fight infection.
Citrus fruits, which are also acid fruits, are the most detoxifying and healthy fruits. Excellent sources of citrus fruits are grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, lemons and limes.
CRUCIFEROUS VEGGIES:
These vegetables are full of phytochemicals that help reduce the risks of many types of cancer. The fiber and antioxidants detoxify the liver and boost the body’s immune system.
There are many examples of cruciferous vegetables such as: broccoli, kale, cabbage, watercress, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, chard, kale, mustard greens, rutabagas and turnips. However, broccoli is king!
Ounce for ounce, broccoli has more vitamin C than an orange and as much calcium as a glass of milk. One broccoli spear has three times more fiber than a slice of whole grain bread. It is the richest source of vitamin A and has the most potent cancer-fighting components.
YOGURT:
Yogurt is an excellent source of protein, calcium, riboflavin and vitamin B12. It helps to boost the immune system, improves the body’s natural defenses and reduces the risk for certain types of cancer.
Yogurt contains lactobacillus and acidophilus cultures that bind to cholesterol in the intestine to reduce total cholesterol in the body and encourage the right kind of bacteria to multiply in the gut. These bacteria help to digest food, prevent stomach infections and provide relief from vaginal infections.
GARLIC:
Garlic is one of the oldest known medicinal plants and its powerful healing properties have been known for thousands of years. It enhances the immune system and liver, improves digestion, reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer and lowers blood pressure and cholesterol.
It slows hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and decreases its symptoms of poor circulation, fatigue and headaches. Garlic also helps to prevent blood clots from forming, reducing the possibility of strokes.
SWEET POTATO:
The sweet potato, a root vegetable, is an excellent source of vitamin A (beta-carotene) and vitamin C, two very powerful antioxidants that eliminate free radicals in the body. Antioxidants also reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer.
The sweet potato is the richest low-fat source of vitamin E and can help regulate high blood pressure and anemia. It protects against inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. The sweet potato is a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron.
WHOLE GRAINS:
Whole grains not only contain fiber and traditional nutrients such as B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium and iron, but also numerous disease-fighting phytochemicals and antioxidants. A diet rich in whole grains reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancers.
Whole grains, rich in fiber, are healthy alternatives to refined flour products. Add brown rice, oatmeal, whole grain breads and crackers, and unbuttered popcorn to your diet.
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