7 Effective Ways to be Brain Healthy

The brain is a monstrous, beautiful mess. It's billions of nerve cells-called neurons-lie in a tangled web that displays cognitive powers far exceeding any of the silicon machines we have built to mimic it. ~ William F. Allman

 This is an extract from the book, Brain Longevity, authored by Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D. with Cameron Stauth. I have summarized briefly here the 7 important areas to promote a healthy brain: 

1.      Nutrition: As fat and sugar are the average American’s diet, the intake of healthy food has declined. Therefore, Dharma recommends a low-fat diet, high in complex carbohydrates, with adequate protein. He also recommends multiple vitamin/mineral tablet (with magnesium, selenium and zinc), vitamins E, B complex, C, coenzyme Q-10, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, choline-rich lecithin, chlorophyll-based “green drink”. Omega-3 fatty acids are also recommended though it is not mentioned in the book.  Eat less processed foods and red meats and more fruits and vegetables. Sit down, eat slowly and enjoy eating.

2.      Connect: It is stated in the book that the physical effects of stress can be greatly reduced if a person has a social support system—friends or family. So, get connected and join groups and social organizations locally. Do not retire from life, but be more sociable and live life fully.

3.      Physically active: The simplest thing you can do is walk. Dancing is also good for you. One important thing is aerobic exercise; it is to feed the brain with the necessary blood and oxygen and promotes cognitive functions. Do you know why strokes occur? Strokes occur when the supply of blood to an area of the brain is shut off long enough to kill that area. Brain cells are very vulnerable to impaired circulation; they can survive for only one to two minutes without the oxygen and glucose that blood provides.

4.      Spirituality: Meditate, do yoga, Tai Chi, pray or attend regularly a formal place of worship to get peace of mind.

5.      Mental stimulation: Learn a new language, read and write daily, play board games, visit new places, listen to classical music and solve problems.

6.      Manage stress: Learn to relax and slow down. Be in control of your daily life by doing less. According to the book, cortisol is one of the hormones secreted by the adrenal glands. It’s secreted in response to stress. In moderate amounts, cortisol is not harmful. But when produced in excess, day after day—as a result of chronic, unrelenting stress—this hormone is so toxic to the brain that it kills and injures cells by the billions.

 One important brain chemical that is depleted by chronic stress is the stimulating neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which not only helps ‘cement” memory but is also vital in helping you to maintain a positive, happy mood. It is an essential ingredient in your brain’s “pleasure pathway”.

7.      Positive mental attitude: Your thoughts control your endocrine system, and your endocrine system controls your emotions. The endocrine system releases the hormones that excite or depress you, and make you happy, sad, or angry. Always think positively and send positive signals to your brain so that you will be cheerful.   

The brain is the man; its health is essential for normal living; its disorders are surely the most profound of human miseries, and its destruction annihilates a person humanly, however intact his body. ~ H. Chandler Elliott