Credit: Ben Heine (via Flickr)

Searching for your cell phone ……… again? Not able to find your car keys? Whatever the reason you keep forgetting stuff, you don’t have to live with it anymore, irrespective of what your age is.  You can be in your 30s, 40s, 50s or more; you have no excuse to let your brain fog.

According to experts, you can keep boosting your memory at all ages, if you start taking care of this most complicated and important organ of your body.

Here are some tips to a simple lifestyle that will keep your memory sharp for years.

If you are in your 30s, here’s a list of things you ought to do:

Floss Daily – Did you know that oral plaque is bad for the brain? It can cause immune reaction that can reduce the functioning of the arteries that deliver vital nutrients to the brain cells.  You will have to floss each and every day without fail.

Exercise Your Brain Along With The Body – You know that exercising the body is essential to keep it fit but what about exercise for the brain?  When you exercise, your brain is also energized and is at its best.  You can play some language or music lessons on your iPod while in the gym.  If you don’t want to do it in the gym, then do a crossword or some such mental activity as soon as you come out, as your brain is all fresh during and after an exercise session.

Eat Lots Of Fish – Just as water is therapeutic, fish that live in water are great for the brain. Foods that are high in DHA, a type of omega-3-fatty acids are excellent.  They include yogurt, salmon, trout etc.  DHA empowers the brain by reducing any arterial inflammation and repairing the nerve sheath.  This helps with memory loss, depression and Alzheimer’s disease.

Now if you are older and in the 40s, you don’t have to fret.  Here’s how you can keep your brain sharp and young:

Play Your Kids’ Games – According to neuropsychologists, playing games like the Rubik’s Cube keeps the brain sharp at any age.  This is because of the need to concentrate and think of how to go about it and use your spatial skills; all of which are needed for improvement of the brain.  If you don’t like Rubik’s Cube, then play something that requires you to think and play.  You may even play Bridge on a regular basis if you have a group of friends.

Build Up A Speeding Heart – Making sure your heart rate increases at least thrice a week for 20 minutes at a stretch.  This is considered excellent for the brain, as the brain receives plenty of oxygen that helps with new cell growth. While walking and jogging are great; aerobics works wonders.  Any form of exercise will help with the cognitive functioning of the brain as you grow older.

Well, you would be thinking there’s nothing you can do in your 50s.  You could not be more wrong:

According to researchers, certain nerves present in your fingertips stimulate the brain and they need to be exercised, but in the most fun way…by using chopsticks to eat, rolling a pen between your fingers or knitting.  Think and you’ll find plenty of ways to stimulate those nerves.

How Electronic Games Help – They are not only meant for your grandchildren, they are wonderful as brain exercises for you too. You need to give some juice to your brain. According to health specialists, video games have the capacity to stimulate different parts of the brain that we normally don’t use for our regular activities.  How about playing Brain Challenge for the Wii?

Don’t Pop Too Many Medicines – You may suffer from problems like body aches when you exercise too much or insomnia and other issues.  Although, you can get rid of the immediate discomfort by popping the pill, in the long-run, it can only prove to be harmful.  Be vary of sleeping pills as they can cause confusion and cognitive impairment at your age.   Many such medicines have anticholinergic effect and hinder nerve cell communication. It is advisable to go with relaxation techniques and other alternative methods.

Here are some foods that are great for the brains of all age groups; both young people and the older generation.  These foods contain natural chemicals that fight cognitive decline:

-         Cocoa

-         Coffee

-         Red wine

-         Walnuts

-         Blueberries

-         Asparagus

-         Egg yolks

-         Rosemary

-         Tomato sauce

At every stage of your life, there are bound to be some changes in your overall physical and mental faculties; however it is in your hands to stay physically active and mentally sharp for as many years as possible.  You don’t want to waste your life suffering from mental illnesses, do you?

With the lifestyles we lead and our dietary habits, piling on pounds as we grow older, is inevitable. Some of us even tend to take it easy, having gotten used to carrying all that baggage around.

I was browsing a weight loss forum the other day and read a post by a woman who is overweight and loves it – because her face looks healthy and glows when she is plump and it doesn’t look as attractive when she loses a few pounds.

What can you say to such people? The reason for this line of thinking is because most people don’t really know the numerous problems that excess fat in the body causes.  For most, it is just an appearance issue.  What they don’t seem to understand is that overweight is a medical concern and can seriously affect their health.

We read of the many health problems associated with overweight.  They are arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, fatty liver, sleep apnea, asthma, high blood pressure, gallstones, mood, depression and energy levels, all of which impact the quality of life.

If you’re thinking, you know it all, you cannot be more wrong.  I thought I knew everything until I read an article in the news.  I always worried about gaining weight and the possibility of diabetes, which could lead to kidney failure or some such horrible problem.

But what I read was scary and it is sure to motivate you to keep the bulge at bay from now on.

Scientists who are involved in researching problems associated with weight are of the opinion that there’s something more dangerous and critical happening inside our body; especially in one of the main organs of our body – our brain.

They have found that excess of body fat can lead to shrinkage of the brain, making us much more vulnerable to cognitive problems, and possibly dementia.  Such people are at increased risk of memory problems, visual or sensory disturbances, inattention, problem solving, gait problems or speech difficulties among others.

In our society, the incidence of Alzheimer’s has been on the increase for many years and this is attributed to the stress we encounter in every aspect of our lives, at home and at work.  Mental health decline is by and large the scariest as it leaves people at the mercy of others.

As part of the study, 94 elderly people who did not have dementia or other cognitive impairments were followed for five years.  It was seen that the brains of overweight people looked eight years older and those of obese people were 16 years older when compared to their leaner peers.  People with a larger body mass index had smaller brains because they had less brain tissue.  Most of the lost tissue was in the frontal and temporal lobes, which are important for planning and memory.

It’s early days yet to really know whether this would surely lead to dementia, but a smaller brain is indicative of destructive processes and there is the increased risk of Alzheimer’s, according to researchers.

Scientists say the reason for the shrinkage could be because excess body weight increases the possibility of clogged arteries, thus reducing blood supply to the brain cells, resulting in brain cell death and shrinkage of the brain.

According to a professor of neurosurgery and director of the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair in Tampa, “We all lose some tissue as we get older and they’re saying this is being accelerated.”

This is said to be the first study of its kind showing physical evidence in our brains that links obesity and overweight with cognitive decline.

Unfortunately, we are part of the “obesity epidemic,” and this is a problem that affects all age groups, including kids. Statistics reveal that more than 60 million Americans are now obese, while another 36 percent come under the overweight category.

It’s time to understand that obesity affects every organ of our body and everything within our body is linked.  We are what we eat.

We’ve ravaged our body and all it has to offer, and the time for reparation is now. What happened to the concept of balance in everything?  Yes, including food.

Haven’t we seen our grandparents and parents suffer from Dementia? I hope we learn the lesson while we still can.

The human brain is the most complex and highly sophisticated computer ever built. The entire nervous system is very complex and is as vulnerable to various problems as the rest of the body is. There is fear of damage to the brain cells, infections, injuries, degeneration and other defects and tumors. Degeneration or disease in which nerve cells degenerate and die, usually quite slowly, is pre-senile dementia, which includes Alzheimer’s.

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a non-reversible age-related brain disorder that develops over a period of time (years). In the initial stages, people experience confusion and memory loss, which usually is mistaken for memory changes associated with aging. However, these symptoms of AD gradually lead to personality and behavior changes, a decline in cognitive abilities such as decision-making skills, language skills as well as problems recognizing even close family and friends. Ultimately, AD leads to loss of mental function. These losses are caused by the worsening breakdown of the connections between different neurons in the brain and eventually their death. AD comes under the group of disorders called dementias and is the most common cause of dementia among people aged 65 and older.

What Are The Symptoms?

There are three stages of Alzheimer’s disease:

• Mild
• Moderate
• Severe

Mild Alzheimer’s

The common changes that are noticeable in people suffering from mild AD are:

• Loss of interest in life.
• Recent memory loss without any changes in conversation or appearance.
• Loss of judgment about money.
• Difficulty with new learning and making new memories.
• Trouble finding words.
• Shorter attention span.
• Loses way often.
• Resists changes or new things.
• Has trouble thinking logically.
• Asks repetitive questions.
• Withdraws, irritable and uncharacteristically insensitive and angry when tired or frustrated.
• Will not make own decisions and start depending on others to make decisions.
• Forgets to pay or forgets how to pay – may give the person a wallet instead of money.
• Forgets to eat, eats constantly or eats only one kind of food.
• Misplaces things or losing things by hiding them in odd places or even forgets where things go, like putting dishes in the washing machine.
• Constantly searches, keeps checking or accumulate things that have no value.

Moderate Alzheimer’s

• Noticeable behavior changes and concern for hygiene, sleep and appearance.
• Difficulty recognizing people and own objects, even close family like the husband and son.
• Poor judgment and self neglect. May wander off and risks falls.
• Repetitive talking.
• Restlessness and repetitive movements, especially during late afternoon or evening, such as trying doorknobs, pacing etc.
• Has trouble following notes and performing tasks.
• Inappropriate behavior and may be threatening, accusing, biting, hitting, kicking or screaming.
• Forgets manners and etiquette.
• Begins to see things or people that do not exist.
• Takes frequent naps or wakes up at night thinking it is morning.
• May be scared of a mirror image and thinks it is following them or that a television story is their story.
• Need help with remembering how to do things, such as dressing, drinking etc.
• Forgets the difference between public and private behavior. May remove clothes in public.

Severe Alzheimer’s

• Loses recognition of self and/or family.
• Speaks nonsense or is very quite.
• May refuse to eat or forgets to swallow.
• May cry out frequently or keep touching things.
• Loses control of bladder and bowel.
• Has weight loss and thin skin.
• May forget to walk or be unable to walk.
• May have seizures, frequent falls and infections.
• May sleep more.
• Need help with the ADLs.

How Is It Caused?

What causes AD is not yet understood. Scientists suspect there are several factors that affect each person with AD differently.

Age is said to be the most important risk factor.

Family history is another risk factor. According to scientists, genetics may play a role in most cases of AD. Early-onset of familial AD, which is very rare, usually occurs between the ages of 30 and 60 and is said to be inherited. Late-onset AD, which is the more common form, occurs later in life and no inheritance is obvious. The only risk factor gene that has been identified is the gene that makes apolipoprotein E (ApoE). Every person has ApoE, which helps with the cholesterol in the blood; however, only about 15% of people have the form that increases the risk of AD. There may be other genes, but none have been discovered yet.

Scientists found evidence that some of the risk factors responsible for high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, high cholesterol and low levels of vitamin folate may increase the risk of AD.

How Is It Diagnosed?

Currently, doctors can only make a diagnosis of the probable causes. Most times, doctors can make a correct diagnosis using several tools.

• Asking questions about the person’s general well-being and health, ability to perform ADLs and past medical problems.
• Tests that check for memory, attention, language, counting and problem solving.
• Simple medical tests, such as blood, urine and spinal fluid tests.
• Brain scans.

Sometimes the results of these tests help doctors diagnose other diseases, such as drug reactions, depression, brain tumors, thyroid problems and blood vessel disease in the brain, as these diseases can have symptoms like AD.

How Early Diagnosis Helps!

Early diagnosis helps people plan for the future. It gives them time to discuss the options for care, look at treatment of the symptoms, with the patient still capable of making decisions.

What Is The Treatment?

The most unfortunate thing about AD is that there are no medicines that can slow the disease progression. However, there are four FDA-approved medications that are used to treat the symptoms. Although, these drugs will not stop or reverse AD, they have been found to help people carry on with their ADLs by helping with their memory, speaking skills, thinking, some of the personality and behavioral changes. For mild to moderate AD symptoms, rivastigmine (Exelon), Donepezil (Aricept) and galantamine (Reminyl) are given. For severe AD symptoms, Donepezil and memantine (Namenda) have been recently approved by the FDA.

What Is The Prognosis?

In rare cases, people develop AD in their 30s, 40s and 50s. This is called, “early onset” AD. But in more than 90% of the people, AD develops after 65 years of age. This is called, “late-onset” AD. The development and the damage in the brain are similar in both. The course of the disease and the rate of decline vary from person to person.

How Can Individuals And Family Cope With Alzheimer’s?

“I’ve accepted my AD as part of who I am. It’s not as difficult now that I’ve come to terms with it. Getting over the initial hurdle was most difficult.” – Susan

Some of the activities that a person with AD can do to help relax and get away from the stress include; having pets, volunteer jobs, listening to music, gardening, getting plenty of fresh air and exercise, going out with family and friends.

In case of an early diagnosis, the person can sit with close family members and decide on how they should be taken care of in the future. Loved ones play a major role in taking care of the patient and being loving, as the disease progresses. Once the disease reaches the severe stages, a nursing home may prove to be helpful, if it is not possible for one person to be totally dedicated to the care of the patient.

It is advisable to join some support groups in the local area to ensure all help and moral support possible.