Keep your brain healthy

[Guest guest]

Keep Your Brain Healthy

T JOSEPH BENZIGER

 

Brain is a wonderful gift of Mother Nature. It controls everything concerned

with us from birth to death. It is important to keep it healthy not only for

conducting ourselves intelligently in the world; but also to maintain all our

living systems powerful and efficient.

 

Richard Restak, a clinical professor of neurology at the George Washington

University Medical School, has said that the best way to keep your brain healthy

is to use it.

 

The brain gets better the more we use it. Throughout our life, it undergoes

changes in structure and function. These changes are influenced by our life

experiences. In his new book `Think Smart' Dr. Richard Restak, who has written

more than 18 books about the human brain, takes a fresh look at this wondrous

and mysterious organ.

 

Dr. Richard Restak has said that we have learned more about the human brain in

the last decade than we did in the previous two centuries.

 

Obesity is bad for brain. It has been known all along that what's good for heart

is also good for brain. Now, Restak says, recent studies have shown why obesity

- already a known danger to the heart - is also bad for the brain. He has said,

" Obesity is now recognized as the No. 1, in the list of the causes of dementia

that will lead to loss of brain functions. So it's important to get one's weight

under control, to keep blood pressure under control, as well as cholesterol, and

all these things because they create problems with the blood vessels feeding the

brain. "

 

Restak has emphasized the importance of physical activity as well. He has said,

" You have to think of something that you really like doing, because exercise

creates new path lines, new vessels around the neurons and increases

interconnections. It also elevates what is called the nerve growth factor, which

is a tonic, you can think of, which helps brain cells growing and be nurtured.

It doesn't have to be any great amount of exercise. Walking a mile two or three

times a week will decrease your chances of Alzheimer's about 30 percent. "

 

Another valuable point for brain-enhancing given by Restak is `taking short

naps'. He has said, " It's been found that napping in the afternoon during the

workday for about half an hour is tremendously a rejuvenating ability force that

enables us to restructure the brain, make consolidation and enhancement of new

knowledge. So things like that are new and were not really recognized

previously. "

 

Rewire your mind

 

Restak has affirmed that just as we can improve our brain's health, we can also

improve its function. He has pointed out that we were not born with a fixed

level of intelligence. People can raise their IQ by reading great works of

literature, expanding their areas of interest or simply increasing their

vocabulary.

 

Dr. Richard Restak has explained how we can increase brain health and function.

He has said, " You get new words every day. For instance, my word of the day is

'evadible,' meaning it's something that can be avoided. So, you can use that and

work it into a sentence: It was an evadible situation. "

 

The human brain is able to continually adapt and rewire itself. Multitasking is

a good example. Our brain's neural wiring is not designed to perform two

different tasks at the same time and with the same level of efficiency. But it

can, with training. Restak has said, " It's already being seen as a change factor

in the military where people who have had a lot of experience with video games

are moving rapidly in the military in terms of doing things that require a lot

of eye-hand coordination, which the younger person has achieved through their

video game experience. And they are so good at this that they have been able to

outperform someone who is of a higher rank and a longer military experience. "

 

Mapping a path to better health-Keeping your mind active and flexible has

long-term benefits, too. Working to improve your memory may be crucial in

preventing Alzheimer's disease. Keeping your body active and your mind sharp can

help you as you age. People can sharpen their memory by doing mental exercises

and games, such as visualizing a map of their surroundings. He has said, " I just

go through my house, local library, I see it in my mind. So as I walk [mentally]

from one place to another, I see the objects that I'm trying to remember. So

it's as simple as it can be. You need just to set your own 10 places. See them

clearly. Then try to remember. Take one object and exaggerate it, whether it's

your house or a library or whatever it may be. "

 

Restak has mentioned several other brain exercises. " Let us say I ask you about

the presidents of the country, a number of prime ministers or presidents as far

as you can recall. Then, I would ask you to recite them in terms of their

political affiliation. Then recite them in order according to alphabet staring

with A and going as far as you need. " He emphasizes that while severe mental

decline is usually caused by disease, age-related memory loss can be the result

of inactivity and a lack of mental exercise and stimulation. He has urged all to

pay attention to everything they see, hear and do, and continually try to learn

new skills.

 

Dr. Richard Restak's main message is simple: The best way to keep your brain

healthy is to use it.