Upside Of Aging

Exercise Can Give You A Better Brain

If you could, would you do aerobic exercise on a regular basis if you knew you would have a better chance of remembering where you put your cell phone, of remembering your friends' names, of doing a better job of bidding at a bridge game, or winning an argument with your kids…finally? I'm betting you said YES.

The conclusion from a couple of recent research projects shows that aerobic exercise, the kind that increases the heart rate and respiration, is important to brain health. We know that regular aerobic activities are associated with a healthier cardiovascular system which means more oxygen and nutrients to the brain so that it can function at its best.

What you may not have known is that aerobic exercise also reduces the numbers of cell-damaging free radicals, again protecting the brain from environmental toxins and producing more proteins that protect the brain. All this from the Massachusetts General Hospital Depression Clinic Study.

Rush University Medical Center in Chicago just reported that the stronger men and women between the ages of 54 and 100 maintained the best brain function. In other words, the greater the muscle strength a person has the more likely she will maintain proper cognitive function over time. An earlier study showed that those who participated least in social activities also had the most cognitive degeneration.

The bottom line for you: Physical Activity, Mental or Cognitive Activity, and Social Participation all contribute to your healthy brain function. If that's the case then creating some type of multidisciplinary approach including all three activities can help us stay alert and strong mentally. Even knowing there's no absolutes, rather than taking a medication for memory, this approach is certainly worth including in our self help health plan.

What are your thoughts about this approach? Do you have other ideas?

To your success at healthy aging.

Ruthan Brodsky

Thoughts and Emotions Influence our Phsyical Health

In my last post I gave you my perspective of the mind-body connection. Now I'd like to learn what you think about our brains and our bodies.

There seems to be ongoing research proving the idea that thoughts and emotions have a powerful influence on our physical health. Research shows that the brain can release hormones and other chemicals that affect white blood cells and other parts of the immune system. Though the chemicals have other functions they are a link between our thoughts and our ability to resist disease.

For instance, when you react to stress because of fear, your brain sends a danger message to your body. Hormones are released to raise blood pressure and prepare your muscles for quick action so you can fight or flee the danger. The stress hormones depress the disease-resistance system and over time, can damage the brain, your heart and your digestive tract.

We already know that thoughts can cause ulcers, indigestion, and high blood pressure. Thoughts can also depress the immune system which can lead to a variety of illnesses. Keep in mind that whether a person experiences poor health and how soon, also depends on that person's heredity, environment, diet and behavior. Those are the unknown factors.

So what happens when you think positively? More on that for my next post.

To your success at healthy aging.

Ruthan Brodsky

PS  There have been some queries whether I would do a series of telesimanars focusing on the brain, how it works and how to keep it working. Are you interested?

Dementia Obstructed by Bridge

There was a recent article in the NY Times about a group of women in their nineties who play bridge daily. The card game is their social network, their mental challenge, and their reason for getting dressed up, Bridge is their way of life.

More Brain Training Research for Memory

In my last post I wrote about training the brain to work faster. There is also a new study, out of Sweden, reporting that active training of working memory can increase the brain's number of dopamine receptors. These receptors are important in learning, fine motor movement and other functions.

It is well established that brain biochemistry does affect mental activity. Dr. Torkel Klingberg's research shows that mental activity and the thinking process itself can affect brain biochemistry.

When the dopamine system isn't working well, your working memory and problem solving abilities are diminished. Although it is true that there are many factors that contribute to poor memory besides the number of dopamine receptors, the research shows that cognitive training could have an important role in brain functioning.

The question researchers are now asking is whether these types of training would be helpful to people who had strokes and other brain injuries. The studies show that rather than focusing on memory retention, therapies should concentrate on training the brain for greater improvement.

Or you could take up bridge. What do you think?

To your success at whatever the age.

Ruthan Brodsky

Memory Improvement with Brain Training

You can train your brain to process information more efficiently so that you improve your memory even as you age. A recent study found that after 8 weeks of training, a group of healthy adults, 65 years and older, improved their brain processing speed.

One of the interesting results from this study was that the exercises also helped aspects of memory that weren't directly a focus of the exercises. Previously in other studies, all memory improvements were related to the specific tasks tested. This study, published in the April 2009 issue of the Journal of American Geriatrics, showed that exercises focusing on improving speed and accuracy in the brain's central auditory system, also led to improvements in memory and attention.

There were 6 different exercises designed to increase the speed and accuracy of brain processing. One exercise asked participants to distinguish between high-pitched and low-pitched sounds. In the beginning of the test, the sounds are slow and distinct but the speed increases and it becomes difficult to tell the difference.

At the end of this study, lead by Glenn Smith, Ph.D, a Mayo Clinic, participants were tested on such tasks as repeating lists of words or numbers after hearing them only once. There was improvement across the board.

More good news that you can teach an old dog new tricks. The importance of this study is that older adults show improvement and the improvement can transfer to daily activities and problem solving.

Good news for me too. I am tweeting and learning all about Twitter. Just found a list of 47 tools you can use on twitter for your business or fun. I am sure I'm a bit slower in learning how to work these tools than some college kid but I am learning and using them.

Keep up the good work Mayo Clinic!

Is this good news for you? Love to hear what you have to say.

Ruthan Brodsky

Memory, Healthy Brains and Your Social Life

We all know the saying to use it or lose it. As we get older, we understand the importance of applying that phrase to our body as well as to our brain. We exercise, learn to play bridge, and eat more fruits and vegetables.

What you may not know is that your social life, staying connected with family and friends, plays a major role in preventing dementia.

The big surprise in this recent research from Johns Hopkins University is that the contacts don't have to be face-to-face; telephone and e-mail can also make a difference. They also report that club activities, such as card games, parties, attending meetings and home hobbies were also tied to a lower risk of dementia.

Apparently, interacting with people is another way to exercise your brain. The conversations create new connections between brain cells and help the brain build up a protective preserve.

Staying connected with the rest of the world also helps reduce stress and that reduces the levels of the stress hormone cortisol and lower cortisol levels are linked to better cognitive performance.

Another thought is that maintaining a social network also reduces inflammation because older women who were socially active had lower levels of interleukin-6, a substance linked to chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is something you don't want; it's linked to Alzheimer's, heart disease and cancer.

Stay connected is the best advice anyone can give.

Join a cooking class or join a book club. Volunteer for a cause that you has meaning for you. Get involved with your house of worship. Teach an adult how to read or mentor a young child. These are all connections which will not only make you feel more positive about yourself but will also be activating your brain, exercising it if you will.

To your successful aging.

Ruthan Brodsky

Brainpower Boosted with Over-the-Counter Remedies

I enjoy watching the late-night ads for products that will take 20 years off your life in 3 easy payments. I'm always amazed how creative someone is to think of that gadget which will take all the wrinkles and folds out of your neck. And then there are the supplements which regenerate flab in two weeks no matter how much or how little exercise you do.

I personally wouldn't mind something for my neck. Nora Ephron says it better in her book I Feel Bad about My Neck and other thoughts on being a woman (Vintage, 2008) Check it out at the Amazon bar on the left.)

Now I've learned that ordinary nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs may considerably lower the risk for Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The good news is that this isn't an infomercial.

Researchers studied data on close to 15 thousand non-demented older adults. They participated in 6 separate studies which recorded their use of ibuprofen such as Advil and Motrin and Aleve. Patients who used some source of ibuprofen like Advil or Motrin, or Aleve were 23 percent less likely to develop dementia. (Neurology. May 28, 2008)

The study also showed that some supplements may benefit brain health although I've read other studies that show this isn't the case. Ginkgo biloba received good reviews in this study as an antioxidant, circulation enhancer and possibly reduces inflammation.

B vitamins were also given identified as helpful. The problem is that as we age we don't absorb the b vitamins as we once did so there's a deficiency.

Omega-3 fatty acids were also considered a must for good brain health. Getting too little omega-3 has been associated with increased risk for stroke, hypertension, AD, and depression. Nothing good!

Choline is the one nutrient that it not as well known. It's a nutrient found in meet, eggs, peanuts and fortified food. Its role is important to transmitting nerve signals in memory function. People who don't metabolize choline as well as younger people tend to have memory problems. Lecithin is a form of choline.

Caffeine, on the other hands, helps improve attention and focus. The research suggests that caffeine may counteract high levels of cholesterol that break down the blood-brain barrier responsible for protecting the nervous system from contaminants carried in the blood stream. Other studies report that regular consumption of caffeine – the kind you find in coffee, tea or chocolate – is supposed to help protect against age-related memory loss and Alzheimer's disease.

That is certainly good news for me. I love my coffee especially in the morning.

What about you? Where do you pick up any of these nutrients – supplements or food?

Write to us in comments.

To your successful aging,

Ruthan Brodsky

Slow Down Mental Decline With a Challenging Job

Psychologists are now telling us that we can actually slow down age-related mental decline by working at a job that is mentally stimulating.  Guidelines for what makes a job stimulating are:

 

*Decision making

*Negotiating with others

*Analysis

*Making judgments

*Solving problems

*Planning and organizing

*Thinking on your feet

*Think Flexibly

 

The research, sponsored by the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association, was conducted on veterans, all male.  They reported that men who had more worked at the more complex jobs when they were younger probably built up a kind of cognitive reserve that they could use as they became older.  Interestingly, they discovered that having a complex job had less of an impact on men who were identified as very intelligent when they entered the Armed Services.  Apparently people who had less of an intellectual gift or may have been socially disadvantaged got something more out of having more complex jobs.

 

The researchers also point out that having a complex job does not make it a healthy job.  They can be the source of much stress and play havoc on the body.

 

It seems to me that the researchers might have considered studying young mothers with two or more children. That list of guidelines for what constitutes a complex job makes a great description for motherhood.

 

I also want to know if you retire at age 60 and take on a volunteer position that is every bit as complex as one you had in your thirties, does that give you a bit of an edge also? What if you started another business or are thinking about reinventing retirement?  Does that also give you a hedge against dementia? And then, of course, I want to know that if I didn't have a complex job when I was younger, could I somehow make up for it now?

 

If I find the answers to these questions, I'll let you know.

In the meantime, send me your questions and I'll find the answers.  

Scroll down to comments and type your questions in the blank window.

 

To your successful aging.

Ruthan Brodsky

 

If you are thinking about starting a business that operates out of your home and uses the Internet, I high recommend Connie Ragen Green's home study course. Click here for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 Steps to Protect Your Memory and Mind

Not losing your memory is important to all of us especially as we get older. Improving your memory is icing on the cake but if your are like me, anything I can do that will help my memory and it doesn't include a long to do list, I will be first in line.

The good news is that protecting your memory may not be that difficult to do although it will take some effort. In my last post I wrote about how thinking positively can help you maintain your memory. A few responded to this notion and asked if I would give them some practical suggestions about how to think more positively.

The first step is to change your mental attitude. Getting older does not mean you will automatically lose your ability to think and recall. Challenge your negative thoughts and redirect that negative energy into taking mental challenges.

Your Older Brain May Be a Wiser Brain

The other evening at dinner, I couldn’t remember the name of a friend’s husband. My husband helped me out. A few minutes later he couldn’t remember the last name of another couple we know and I was able to help him out. We teased each other about having another "brain fart".

The good news is we may be wrong!

An article published on May 20 in The New York Times (by Sara Reistad-Long) writes that the research reports that the aging brain is simply taking in more data and pulling out the more important facts from the garbage so that the information is more beneficial in the long run. The studies are analyzed in a new edition of a neurology book, Progress in Brain Research.

On the other hand, some brains do decline with age. People with Alzheimer Disease for example, loose all sorts of connections. Yet older adults, say the research authors, are actually expanding their interests so that focusing on one fact, such as a name, becomes more difficult to do.

"It may be that distractibility is not, in fact, a bad thing," said Shelley H. Carson, a psychology researcher at Harvard whose work was cited in the book. "It may increase the amount of information available to the conscious mind."

Apparently older adults retain the extra data when distracted and are able to transfer that information to another situation if required to solve a problem. It is remembering those irrelevant points that can take on a new meaning if the original concept or plan changes.

A broad attention span may enable older adults to ultimately know more about a situation and the indirect message of what’s going on than their younger peers, says Lynn Hasher, professor of psychology, University of Toronto.

Interestingly, the more creative the younger students were, the more trouble they had ignoring the unwanted data.

It is this extra attention to extraneous information that may explain why older people are thought of as being wiser because they can take in information from one situation, combine it with all their knowledge from previous experience, and than apply all to a different event.

How extraordinary. I wonder whether there is good hard data from the research to support this thesis or whether this concept is simply taking a different perspective of explaining what takes place with our brain as we age.

Any ideas? I welcome your comments on this new research. Scroll down to ‘Comments’ and type your ideas into the blank window. Maybe we can start a new forum.

To your healthy and successful aging,

Ruthan Brodsky