How to Boost Your Mental Functioning

spinach

We may accept it or not, mental performance decline as we age. But, it does not mean that we have no control of our aging process, it is just a matter of choice. You can hasten your aging process if you want by taking drugs, drinking alcoholic drinks, smoking, and other unhealthy practices. You can also delay the aging process by practicing healthy lifestyle.

Right diet is part of healthy lifestyle. What we eat plays a great role in how our body function. Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP) and National Institute of Aging encourage us to eat 3 servings of yellow, green leafy, and cruciferous vegetables everyday for a slow decline of about 40% in our mental functioning.

Eating spinach, which is a green leafy vegetable, could protect our brain from oxidative stress aside from it reduces the effects of age related decline in functioning of our brain. Vitamin E in spinach and other green leafy vegetables could help lower the loss of mental functioning.

Aside from powerful vitamin E antioxidant in spinach, folate or folic acid, potassium and other antioxidants could boost our neurological health. It was detected that level of folate is low on patients who are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Why not boost your folic acid level now for you not to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and improve your motor skills and learning capacity instead by eating 3 servings of spinach and other vegetables everyday?

A Closer Look On Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease, who is not afraid to suffer it? Studies showed that more women develop this kind of memory dysfunction than men. Gradual decline in cognitive abilities due to Alzheimer’s disease is irreversible and the cause of the disease is not fully understood yet but experts say that the only known risk factors of acquiring Alzheimer’s disease are age and genetics.

Increasing evidence suggests that Alzheimer’s disease resulted from an inherited susceptibility to a defect in the production of the protein beta amyloid (necessary for the maintenance of nerve cell connections). When the manufacture of beta amyloid goes awry, large clumps of cells grow that trigger inflammation and deterioration of nerve cells in the brain (Cooper, Kalaria, McGeer, & Rogers, 2000; Hardy & Selkoe, 2002; Selkoe, 2002).

If we simplify the findings of the experts it goes like this: In the regions of our brain that are attacked by Alzheimer’s disease, some nerve cells die while some lose their connection with their neighboring nerve cells due to defect in production of beta amyloid that is so important in maintaining the nerve cell connections. Dying of nerve cells could eventually lead to dying of the brain…

What is the implication of lose of connection between nerve cells and dying of some of it due to defect in production of beta amyloid in the brain? From simple forgetfulness on the early stage of this memory dysfunction it progresses to memory loss, even in doing a simple task that the patient used to do. Lose of the ability to talk and understand language and physical deterioration of the patient is evident as Alzheimer’s disease worsen.

Like cancer, as of now researchers are trying their best to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

Know Something About Dementia

Online backup helps a lot especially if you want to backup files from different computers into one and have access to it anytime and anywhere as long as you have internet access. Speaking of memory backup, hope it would be that easy to have backup for our human memory too like what we do with our files.

Lots of elderly and adult people nowadays suffers from dementia. They suffer from brain disorder that affects not just the memory function of the brain but language, attention, problem solving, and lose in ability to control their emotions too. Thus, affecting not just the cognitive aspect but their social and occupational aspects as well.

Stroke, traumatic brain injury, infections such as meningitis and encephalitis, hydrocephalus, seizures, and excessive alcohol intake or alcoholism  are factors that could cause dementia. Experts says that risk factors for dementia are family history, presence of vascular risk factors, educational level and advanced age. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) are the two most common forms of dementia.

How can we let people who suffer from dementia, like Alzheimer’s disease (AD), feel that we love and care for them? Why not recite to them their favorite memory verses or sing their favorite songs and hymns or tell their favorite stories while they were still on their best of health? These might be small things to do but it will help them calm down.

Why I Am Happy that I am a Woman

Medically speaking, I am happy that I am a woman. Though monthly period makes me less comfortable, I feel blessed that I am menstruating. Estrogen is scientifically believed that it could protect women from heart disease by controlling the bad cholesterol level, osteoporosis, and in brain disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.

Male hormone testosterone may help to increase activity but it could increase impulsiveness and aggressiveness too. They have no protection against accumulation of bad cholesterol in the body, putting men at risk for heart diseases.

Genes plays a big role in acquiring certain health problems but gender and lifestyle has great role too. To all women out there be thankful for the buffering effect of estrogen from certain health ailments.