How to Keep Your Brain Power

by Teresa Carr

The secret to staying sharp throughout your later years is by using the right “brain food” and lifestyle choices. In an excerpt of his book, The Brainpower Plan: 21 Days to Better Brain Health, neurosurgeon Jordan K. Davis, M.D., says he knows 80-year-olds who possess a greater intellect and mental acuity than many lackluster college students. Here are a few tips to keep brain cells going: 1. USE THOSE NEURONS. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Always keep your brain busy. Learn different things. Play strategic games, play a musical instrument, even go dancing, or do word or math puzzles. Try Sudoku or even crossword. There is a website dedicated to brainteasers, called Sharp Brains. 2. LET’S GET PHYSICAL. Being physically fit can slow down the affects of brain tissue loss. All it takes is 15 to 20 minutes a day three times a week of moderate activity like walking that is enough to be beneficial for proper brain function. If you rather be dancing, biking, or some other activity just keep moving. 3. KEEP YOURSELF HYDRATED. Make sure you drink filtered water during the day and in the evening. Be careful of drinking out of plastic bottles. The toxins in the plastics leech into the water. Some health supply stores have polyurethane bottles and containers available and are safe to use for your drinking water. Most people don’t get 8 glasses a day. Water is as essential as oxygen is the most important nutrient for the body. Penta is oxidized water that can contribute to optimum brain health. Make it a good habit to drink two-liter bottles daily. 4. EAT ANTIOXIDANT-RICH LOW-GLYCEMIC FOODS. Keep insulin under control. Too much insulin can damage cognitive cells needed for memory. It affects aging by causing nerve and brain cell degeneration. Eating foods with carotenoids, the yellow and red pigments in fruits and vegetables are beneficial to preserve brain function into old age. Eat low-GI foods, such as whole grains, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, dark-green leafy vegetables like collards, spinach and kale. Foods highest in antioxidants include red beans, wild blueberries, kidney beans, cranberries and artichoke hearts. 5. TAKE YOUR BRAIN ENERGIZING VITAMINS AND SUPPLEMENTS. The vitamins and supplements that help to boost the memory are the super-energizers for brain cells include, Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC) helps make acetyl-choline, a major neurotransmitter, Alpha-Lipoic Acid helps restore the liver’s powerful antioxidant, glutathione, CoQ10 improves cellular respiration, fights oxidative stress, and inhibits programmed cell death, NADH (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide) converts the amino acid tyrosine into dopamine which is involved in memory, concentration and energy production, it stimulates cellular productions of dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin, which enhances alertness, concentration and mental clarity, and all the B vitamins: B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5, B6, B9 (Folic Acid), and B12 (sublingual tabs). Recommended products are Natrol’s Brain Speed Memory, Enzymatic Smart Q10 CoQ10, and Garden of Life Clear Energy. 6. GET OVER THE STRESS. The best thing to do to manage your stress is to think about the good things in your life. Always put a smile on your face. Another way to manage stress is by meditation and prayer. I find the best way is by meditating God’s Word and talking to Jesus Christ. He’s always available to listen. He also answers prayer (Jeremiah 33:3; Matthew 7:7). Studies have shown that people who pray have better health and less disease than people with no spirituality in their lives. Let’s not forget to laugh. Laughter is medicine to the bones. Read funny jokes and stories or go see a funny movie or show. Some suggestions are The Marx Brothers (The Cocoanuts, A Day at the Races, Duck Soup), Laurel and Hardy, The Three Stooges, Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty, The Three Amigos, Jerry Lewis (Rock-a-bye Baby), Danny Kaye, Red Skelton, Bob Hope (loved him in the Road films and Ghost Breakers), Don Knotts, I Love Lucy, Gomer Pyle, Mork and Mindy, Looney Tunes, and Bananas (clean Christian comedy). Let’s not forget to turn up the music and dance your stress away. Taking nature walks and visiting the zoo can recharge your spirits too. It’s also important to exercise the brain with mental aerobics. According Gary Small, M.D., director of the UCLA Memory and Aging Research Center in Los Angeles it helps your brain develop natural pathways. Just 30 minutes a day can have an impact in a few weeks. Over time your brain gets stronger, so your brain becomes more efficient. 1. Work the Opposite Hemisphere. Sit at the computer and operate your mouse with your nondominant hand. If you don’t have a computer try writing with your nondominant hand. Practice over a few days and try to increase your dexterity. 2. Practice Basic Memory Training. Boost your observation skills to enhance memory. Remember the type of clothing and the color of someone you saw. Do this again the next day and make an effort to observe and focus on details. 3. Exercise Your Right Brain. The Healthy Brain Kit launched by Andrew Weil, M.D., and Gary Small contains brain exercises, a 52-page study guide, and 35 brain-tuning cards along with two CDs about the secrets of the brain and its abilities. Jordan K. Davis, M.D., founder of the Brain and Memory Institute of America, The Brainpower Plan, Basic Health Publications, (800) 575-8890.

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