Daily Health Tips: Trusted Medical Information, Health Tips and Advices

1. Playing games and solving puzzles: Any activity that requires us to use the brain to find solutions to problems have been proven to be a great way of sparking creativity. This does not only me an classic games such as chess and sudoku puzzles but also video games that include puzzle solving. 2. Develop your concentration abilities. Learn a meditation technique and build your ability to remain focused like a laser. Smart people can concentrate for longer periods of time than dummies! 3. Think positively. This sounds like a right old chestnut, doesn’t it? But thinking positively enables you to access your higher thinking abilities. When you are positive and feeling good your mind functions smoothly. Ask yourself emotion-leading questions like, “What am I grateful for right now?” and “Who do I love and who loves me?” 4. Go for variety: Why do you always order the same dish when you go out to a restaurant? People like routine. We feel comfortable doing things we kno...

1. No Breakfast  People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.  2. Overeating  It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leadingto a decrease in mental power.  3. Smoking   It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.   4. High Sugar Consumption  Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.   5. Air Pollution  The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decreasein brain efficiency.  6 . Sleep Deprivation  Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.   7. Head Covered  While Sleeping Sleeping with the head covered increases th...

Can't decide whether to order wine with dinner? Here's a little tidbit to help you make up your mind: Deciding "yes" might protect you from dementia down the road. A review of the findingsas suggests older adults who indulge in a daily glass (one if you're a woman, two if you're a man) of their favorite alcoholic beverage (wine, beer, or cocktails) are significantly less likely to develop age-related cognitive decline or dementia compared to folks who don't drink at all. Booze for the Brain How does imbibing do this? Researchers think the daily habit may protect against inflammation-inducing proteins in the brain, including B-amyloid -- a toxic protein linked to Alzheimer's disease. Other findings suggest that moderate drinking can boost cerebral blood flow by dilating vessels in the brain. One part of alcohol's brain-protective equation: It's thought that moderate social drinking may have a cumulative effect over many years ...

When was your last eye exam? It's possible your answer could affect your risk of Alzheimer's. In a new study, people with vision problems who failed to visit the eye doctor -- or who left their vision problems untreated -- were nine times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. Time for a checkup? The Vision/Cognition Connection To be clear, researchers don't think vision problems are a direct cause of Alzheimer's disease. But untreated eye problems could keep people from engaging in the types of activities that are good for your brain -- like reading, playing games, and even walking and socializing.    Prioritize Your Eyes Regardless of the connection between untreated eye problems and cognitive decline, there are lots of other good reasons to see your eye-care specialist regularly. The most important? Sight-robbing eye conditions like glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy typically don't have any early warning signs. R...

  Research shows infection by the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii , found in 10-20 per cent of the UK's population, directly affects the production of dopamine, a key chemical messenger in the brain.  Findings from the University of Leeds research group are the first to demonstrate that a parasite found in the brain of mammals can affect dopamine levels. Whilst the work has been carried out with rodents, lead investigator Dr Glenn McConkey of the University's Faculty of Biological Sciences, believes that the findings could ultimately shed new light on treating human neurological disorders that are dopamine-related such as schizophrenia , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , and Parkinson's disease . This research may explain how these parasites, remarkably, manipulate rodents' behaviour for their own advantage. Infected mice and rats lose their innate fear of cats, increasing the chances of being caught and eaten, which enables the pa...

Here's a relaxing, 30-minute practice that may bulk up your brain while boosting your mood and memory. We're talking about mindfulness meditation. The stress-reducing benefits of this ancient Zen practice are well documented, but how meditation works to improve well-being is little known. That said, a new study has revealed that meditation may enhance key structures in the brain responsible for learning, memory, and emotion control. Mind Your Gray Matter In the small study, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were taken before and after an 8-week program that combined about 30 minutes a day of full-body progressive relaxation, yoga, and seated meditation. Compared to a control group, the mindfulness meditation participants experienced an increase in gray matter concentration in the hippocampus, the cerebellum, and other key brain regions responsible for cognitive function and emotion control. The researchers suggest meditation may be an effective tool to  reverse  certain...

  In the moments before you "stop and smell the roses," it's likely your brain is already preparing your sensory system for that familiar floral smell. New research from Northwestern Medicine offers strong evidence that the brain uses predictive coding to generate "predictive templates" of specific smells -- setting up a mental expectation of a scent before it hits your nostrils. Predictive coding is important because it provides animals -- in this case, humans -- with a behavioral advantage, in that they can react more quickly and more accurately to stimuli in the surrounding environment. The study, published in the Oct. 6 issue of the journal Neuron , was led by Christina Zelano, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Jay Gottfried, M.D., associate professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and attending physician at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The researchers used functional MRI techniques and ...

If you read yesterday's column (of course you did), then you've already adopted three new ways to be happier. Here are seven more. No, winning the lottery isn't one of them. We YOU Docs want you to bet on a really sure thing: training your brain to be happier. The payoff ? Huge. You'll be better able to cope with stress or pain and to fight colds, flu, heart disease, and even cancer. Plus you'll be happier! Talk nice to yourself. Is your inner voice quick to snap out things like, "How could you forget that, you idiot?" Trade put-downs for encouraging words; they set you up for success. Connect. Talk -- really talk -- to people you care about; you'll both benefit by connecting. Get physical, too; hugs stimulate oxytocin, the "cuddle hormone," spreading a feel-good boost. Lovemaking does, too, in steady relationships (those couples report the highest happiness levels). Keep a gratitude journal. Si...

Next time you feel a little foggy or forgetful, brew yourself a refreshing glass of iced green tea. A recent study provides convincing evidence that the brew may help boost memory performance and attention in older adults who have mild cognitive impairment. A Cognition-Boosting Brew The study involved older adults who were given green tea supplement extract to take twice daily, along with an extra amino acid that's found in green tea -- L-theanine. And compared with a control group given a placebo, the tea takers exhibited sizeable improvements on tests that measured their memory and attention skills. It's not quite clear how green tea enhanced their cognitive functions, but the researchers suspect that it might have something to do with the extra L-theanine. Something about this compound may help produce a jump in theta-wave activity in regions of the brain responsible for memory and attention.    Memory in a Cup? And although the study participants took ...

Eating foods rich in B vitamins and omega-3s, like hummus, can be a real memory booster, according to Samantha Heller, author of  Get Smart . And these nutrients will be especially brain-friendly if you combine them with a few extra ZZZs. The Hummus Has It Hummus is a Mediterranean staple made from vitamin B6-rich chickpeas and high-in-omega-3 olive oil -- nutrients that Heller says are key to a swift, sharp memory. A spinach salad with a little drizzle of olive oil and vinegar will net you brain-friendly nutrients as well, because spinach is rich in B9. And tuna is another great source of both B vitamins and omega-3s.   And a Side of Sleep Sleep helps consolidate newly learned information into your memory bank. So when you're working on a brain-friendly menu, remember to hit the hay early, too. Heller notes that combining B vitamins, omega-3s, and better sleep is a surefire recipe for improving your recall. To improve your sleep habits, keep a regular sleep schedule, elimi...

You might think of daydreaming as a slacker habit, but it turns out that it's good for your brain. So let your mind wander a little bit today. Zoning out doesn't mean your mind is on vacation. Just the opposite. New research involving brain scans showed that when people daydream, the brain actually works harder, and in different ways. Stop Paying Attention A new study compared brain activity during two different conditions -- when people played an easy game and when their minds simply wandered freely. And daydreaming lit up the brain areas that researchers expected it to, such as those areas that handle routine daily activities. But, surprisingly, the activity of daydreaming also activated the lateral prefrontal cortex and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex -- the so-called executive network of the brain, where complex problem-solving happens. Which led researchers to conclude that giving your brain a break allows these higher-function areas to work on the w...

Get more blood flowing to your brain -- and more clever thoughts flowing from it -- by drinking a little beet juice in the morning. Like every other part of your body, your brain requires good blood flow in order to function quickly and effectively. And research shows that a morning shot of beet juice may help ensure good circulation to your cranium. Brainy Beets Why beet juice instead of apple or orange? Beets are a good source of nitrates, helpful little substances that get converted into nitr ites by bacteria in our saliva. And nitrites do a world of good for blood vessels, helping them to relax and better assist blood flow and oxygen circulation. When researchers recently upped participants' nitrate intake by having them drink 16 ounces of beet juice with breakfast, among other dietary changes, a brain scan done just a day later showed noticeably better blood flow to white matter in the frontal-lobe region of the brain, an area where blood flow often suffers ov...

You can make your brain as sharp as someone 4 to 7 years younger just by getting a little more sleep. Most Americans fall short of the recommended 6 to 8 hours. But in a recent study of middle-aged folks, those who consistently slept 6 to 8 hours a night scored the best on cognitive-function tests. The Long and Short of It In the study, people reported how many hours of sleep they got on an average weeknight. And then they did so again more than 5 years later. They also took cognitive-function tests on both occasions. And those who fell short of the recommended 6 to 8 hours of sleep had the lowest scores. In fact, their scores were akin to someone many years older. But interestingly, getting too much sleep was problematic as well. Those who got more than 8 hours also had super-low scores on the cognitive-function tests. So while you're getting more ZZZs, try not to be a total sleepyhead. Sleep and Your Brain It's not clear why too little or too much slee...

Pureed into soup, boiled, or grilled, this is one spring veggie you can't afford to forget about: artichokes. Turns out that artichokes are high in luteolin. And a recent study suggests that this power-packed antioxidant may help quiet neuron-damaging inflammation in the memory center of our brains. Cool Your Head Over time, chronic inflammation can damage and even kill off brain cells in the hippocampus -- the memory-making part of our brains. And this gradual kill off of brain cells can lead to declines in memory and our ability to learn new things. But in a 4-week mouse study, hippocampal inflammation declined in a group of older, memory-impaired test subjects when they were fed a luteolin-enhanced diet. In fact, memory performance in the luteolin group matched that of much younger mice. (Related: A healthful diet is not the only way to keep your memory intact. Find out how your attitude about aging affects your memory .)   Luteolin inhibits microglia...

Age-related memory loss. Think it's inevitable? Here's why you might want to think again. Buying into the stereotype that memory function automatically dwindles with age could become a self-fulfilling prophecy, research shows. Defy the Stereotypes At least that's what happened in one study. When older adults (ages 60 to 70 years) were given cues that people their age tend to suffer from memory loss, they actually performed more poorly on memory tests than a control group not exposed to such cues. Likewise, older adults who felt looked down upon -- or stigmatized -- due to age also fared poorly on memory tests. Bottom line: Anxious thoughts about negative stereotypes may disrupt your working memory. So think positive! Multifaceted Memory Protection Okay, positive thinking is no guarantee against memory problems -- but a positive attitude is always a healthier choice.

Scientists Observe Karaoke Singers to Get Better Understanding of Neurodegenerative Conditions Belting out a karaoke tune and then listening to the cringe-worthy performance afterward gave researchers new insights into how the brain processes embarrassment. In the study, scientists from the University of California, San Francisco and University of California, Berkeley observed 79 people, 58 of whom had neurodegenerative conditions while the rest had healthy brains. In neurodegenerative conditions, brain cells are progressively damaged or destroyed. Although not asked to sing karaoke in a club or bar, each volunteer crooned "My Girl" by the Temptations along with the voice-recording device and were videotaped while doing it. They were then asked to watch and listen to their vocal chops minus any accompanying music. The goal was to embarrass the singers while researchers measured their facial expressions and reactions, including sweating, breathing, and heart ...

You could turn fuzzy thinking into a killer memory with this brilliant little habit: power napping. In a study, people who took a power nap after learning a new task performed 50 percent better than the non-nappers when they were later given a test on the task. Total Recall The process of making memories is complicated. And new memories are the most fragile. But in the recent study, researchers discovered that nappers who got quality deep sleep (slow-wave sleep) during their naps learned new material much better compared with the sleep-deprived participants. Scientists think something about deep sleep helps new memories encode into higher brain regions where memories become more permanent.    Something About Sleep Getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night is a good health goal. It boosts your immune system, helps control stress levels, and may even be essential in keeping your heart and other body parts healthy. And a power nap now and then can be a good wa...

Generally, what's harmful to your heart also is also harmful to your brain. Make no mistake about it: While fried potato skins are busting your buttons, there's also a portion that gets shuttled up through your arteries to your gray matter. Saturated fats, for example, clog arteries that lead to your brain, putting you at risk of stroke, while omega-3 fatty acids -- the good fats found in fish -- are helpful for your brain because they help keep your arteries clear. They also alter your neurotransmitters and reduce depression. These are the best foods to keep your brain and your RealAge young: Food Why Recommended Amount RealAge Difference Nuts Nuts contain monounsaturated fats to keep your arteries clear, as well as levels of precursors of serotonin to boost mood. 1 ounce of nuts a day is just right. (More is fine, but be careful of calorie overload.) An ounce is about 12 walnuts or 24 almonds. Men: 3.3 years younger. Women: 4.4 years younger. ...

Our brains tend to shrink as we age, just like a piece of fruit on the counter. But you could help keep your brain plump and young just by walking about a mile a day. That's right. In a 9-year study, people who walked just 6 to 9 miles each week preserved significantly more gray matter as they aged, compared with their more sedentary peers. Steps Worth Taking What's so great about a big brain? It likely means more mental power. In the study, not only did the walkers have less brain shrinkage, but also that translated into a twofold reduction in their risk for cognitive impairment. What's more, the researchers also looked at the benefits of physical activity in people already suffering from cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease and found that a mere 5 miles a week of walking seemed to slow progression of the condition. So when it comes to brains, bigger really is better. (Here's another nifty way to minimize age-related brain drain.)  Nurtur...

Want to keep your brain razor sharp for years to come? Just say no to middle-age spread. When it comes to memory and concentration, it may pay to practice waist control. Packing on extra pounds can slow not only your time in the 50-yard dash but also your ability to remember things and stay focused. Need help shedding weight? Find a diet buddy . Obesity and declines in both memory and attention span have long been linked in older people, but new research has found the same relationship in 30-somethings, too. And the slowdown only gets worse over time. A large study tested 2,223 adults, ranging in age from 32 to 62, to see how their weight affected four different measures of cognitive function. Five years later, the researchers tested them again. Those who were seriously overweight -- meaning they had a body mass index (BMI) over 30 -- did poorly on the first round of testing. Worse, their mental abilities had declined even more at the 5-year mark. Why? One theory faul...