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

What's your goal today? And does it fit into your life plan? If these questions leave you scratching your head, then your brain might be suffering in more ways than one. In a recent study, older adults who had a strong sense of purpose in their lives were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease or cognitive impairment over the long haul. The Purpose-Driven Life What does having a purpose in life got to do with the price of eggs? Well, for one, it means that your actions and choices are guided by specific goals and desires. For another, it makes you more wired to look for meaning in personal events and experiences. And the piece de resistance of all this meaning-making? Researchers think it may help positively alter immune-system functioning in a way that benefits your heart and blood vessels. And that's good for your noggin.    A Better Health Perspective Lots of things can add purpose and meaning to your life, whether it's settin

Walking 6 Miles a Week May Protect Against Dementia Walking a little over three-fourths of a mile a day may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.           Among people who already have mild cognitive impairment (MCI), walking a similar amount may slow the brain degeneration and memory loss associated with the condition, "In cognitively normal adults, walking 6 miles a week instead of being sedentary was associated with a 50% reduction in Alzheimer's risk over 13 years. "In people with MCI, walking just 5 miles a week reduced brain atrophy and cognitive decline -- by more than 50%. Any type of exercise that's equivalent to walking 5 or 6 miles a week will probably offer the same brain protection. As Brain Cells Die, Brain Volume Decreases Between 2.4 million and 5.1 million American have Alzheimer's disease, according to the National Institute on Aging. Alzheimer's is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys m

Ginseng, Fish, Berries, or Caffeine? Listen to the buzz about foods and dietary supplements and you'll believe they can do everything from sharpen focus and concentration, to enhance memory, attention span, and brain function. But do they really work? There's no denying that as we age chronologically, our body ages right along with us. The good news? You can increase your chances of maintaining a healthy brain -- if you add "smart" foods and beverages to your diet. Caffeine Can Make You More Alert There's no magic bullet to boost IQ or make you smarter -- but certain substances, like caffeine, can energize and help you focus and concentrate. Found in coffee, chocolate, energy drinks, and some medications, caffeine gives you that unmistakable wake-up buzz -- though the effects are short term. And more is often less: Overdo it on caffeine and it can make you jittery and uncomfortable. Sugar Can Enhance Alertness Sugar is your brain's preferr

Vitamin E Supplements Increase Risk for Hemorrhagic Stroke but Decrease Risk for Ischemic Stroke, Researchers Say Although the risk remains relatively small, researchers have found that taking vitamin E supplements increases the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, in which bleeding occurs in the brain. But vitamin E supplements reduce the risk of ischemic stroke, the more common type of stroke, in which blood flow to the brain is blocked, the researchers say. Markus Schürks, MD, a researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, led an international team that analyzed data from the medical literature. The group reviewed nine trials published through January 2010 that included more than 118,000 study participants; 59,357 took vitamin E supplements and 59,408 took a placebo. The trials did not include people who took multivitamins. Mixed Results on Vitamin E Vitamin E did not significantly affect the risk of stroke overall. The study did not evaluate which doses of

Study Shows Technique Improves Number Skills for People Who Have Math Disability   Electrical brain stimulation can help boost math skills for up to six months, finds a new study published in Current Biology . While the people in the new study did not have any math deficits, close to 20% of individuals do have a moderate to severe math disability, and even more will lose their numerical abilities as a result of stroke or neurodegenerative disease. The stimulation technique used in the new study -- transcranial direct current stimulation -- involves applying a weak but constant current to the brain to affect neuron (brain cell) activity. This technology is sometimes used to treat people who have sustained neurological damage following a stroke. Fifteen college students aged 20 to 22 participated in six, two-hour sessions in which they received either electrical brain stimulation to enhance or impair neuron activity or a sham procedure. The stimulation was applied to

Drinking Beet Juice Increases Blood Flow to Brain and May Fight Dementia   Drinking beet juice increases blood flow to the brain in older people, a finding that suggests the dark red vegetable may fight the progression of dementia, a new study shows. Beet roots contain high concentrations of nitrates, which are converted into nitrites by bacteria in the mouth. And nitrites help open blood vessels in the body, increasing blood flow and oxygen to places lacking in oxygen. Previous studies have shown that nitrites -- also found in high concentrations in celery, cabbage, and other leafy, green vegetables like spinach -- widen blood vessels, but researchers say this was the first to find that nitrites also increase blood flow to the brain. Blood Flow to the Brain "There have been several very high-profile studies showing that drinking beet juice can lower blood pressure, but we wanted to show that drinking beet juice also increases perfusion, or blood flow, to the br