How To Better Remember

Like the graying of hair, and the sagging and lining of skin, an inevitable byproduct of aging is an aging of the brain and a decrease in the ability to remember things. As there is a decline is our general mental prowess, there is a requirement to shore up our mental faculties with little tips and tricks that help us remember better. Here are some useful ways and means that I found, for helping retain something better and recalling it better:

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Advances in Alzheimer's Cure: Recent Studies and Findings

Areas of the Brain Affected by Alzheimer's Disease

It is the nature of the disease and the fact of how widespread it is that causes scientists and researchers expend so much time and energy on finding cures for Alzheimer’s disease. It is estimated that 2-5% of people over the age of 65, and up to 20% of those over 80, have the condition. Of late I came across some interesting as well as heartening information about recent advancements made in this space and we are now closer than ever before to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s.

This BBC article talks about a drug called Aricept which a sufferer of moderate Alzheimer’s has found to be very effective in slowing the rate of deterioration. The article goes on to talk about Some specialist memory clinics, such as the Rice centre (Research Institute for the Care of Older People Centre) in Bath, which offer assessment, support, information and advice to carers and to those with memory problems. According to the sufferer on Aricept, "The drugs have.....

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Fish Oil: Not Just for Memory Loss

We have discussed what supplements are good for limiting or slowing or even improving memory loss, in which we touched on how good fish oil is for us and our ageing memories. However there is a whole lot that fish oil is good for. By having a balanced diet that includes beneficial and healthy fats (Omega3 fatty acids) we can improve not only the health of our brains but also our bodies. Omega3 fatty acids are said to be good for everything from weight loss, to curing eczema, to curing colds, to preventing heart disease…

Heart disease, High Blood Pressure, Triglycerides: Among women, higher consumption of fish and omega-3 fatty acids is

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Baby Boomers and Memory Loss

Baby boomer is the term used to describe someone who was born during the post-World War II baby boom. Though there is no clear consensus as to what exactly a baby boomer is, this is the generally accepted definition for term. This is a generation of people that was generally associated with privilege and as a group, they were the healthiest, and wealthiest generation to that time.

The baby boomers are now an aging generation, and though many will refuse to admit it, they are a generation grappling with and trying to come to terms with old age and its attendant difficulties. Perhaps the most difficult issue that the Baby Boomer has to grapple with is that of Memory Loss. Memory is a person's mental ability to store, retain and recall information and the decline of this is known as memory loss.

The reason that baby boomers find the idea of memory loss so scary is largely because

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Memory Boosting Drugs

There is no doubt that we can now, as a result of modern medical advancement, have access to drugs that improve memory, concentration, planning and reduce impulsive behavior. These are variously termed as smart drugs, smart nutrients, cognitive enhancers, brain enhancers. They are also termed as Nootropics. Studies relating to memory and memory boosting drugs are being carried out all the time as reported in this BBC article here.

This Time article talks about how a 40 year old executive used Adderall, a prescription amphetamine ordinarily used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) very successfully to help him in his continue work and the multitasking and speed that is typically required. The article raises a lot of questions about the safety of such drugs and the moral and the ethical implications that their use involves.

Given that many issues surround the popping of pills for reasons such as boosting the memory or otherwise, one is always on the lookout for safe supplements that are natural or as close to what nature intended as they can reasonably be. Among these, Fish Oil, Gingko Biloba and Gotu Kola are known to be beneficial.

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Physical Exercise and How it Benefits the Brain

We have spoken a lot about the kind of mental exercises that keep the brain agile and keep mental deterioration at bay, such as puzzles, concentration games, online memory tests, crosswords, quizzes and reading of all kinds. But even physical activity and exercise boost the brain’s well being.

In a study conducted by researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center, blood glucose (blood sugar) levels have been shown to be linked with memory loss that occurs with aging. Turns out that one should be careful to control blood sugar levels for reasons other than the obvious ones, obesity, diabetes, etc. According to a web journal, the researchers, using high-resolution brain imaging showed that rising blood sugar levels selectively target a key area of the brain linked to memory decline. According to lead researcher Scott Small,

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Mental Exercises for the Brain

Do you know the similarity between an abandoned house and an idle brain? They both deteriorate. The most effective was to keep a mind agile and in good health is to USE it! Stretch your mind, challenge it with puzzles, conundrums, quizzes; read, learn new things, do some Mental Exercise for the Brain so that the inevitable and inexorable march or time has less effect on your brain. It is the principle of “Use it or lose it”!

As you would desire and work towards a fit body, so must one concentrate on constantly stimulating the mind as well! Proactively doing so is said to generate new neurons and strengthen neural connections. So what can you do to put the brain through a good, strenuous work out?

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