Physical Exercise Still Beats Mental Workouts For Keeping The Brain In Top Form

'Regular physical exercise appears to trump mental memory games when it comes to protecting the brain from shrinking, an otherwise natural process that occurs with age. Conversely, mentally and socially stimulating activities, long believed to stimulate the brain, had no major effect on preventing brain shrinkage, according to a study published in the journal Neurology.'

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"People in their seventies who participated in more physical exercise, including walking several times a week, had less brain shrinkage and other signs of aging in the brain than those who were less physically active," said lead author Alan J. Gow of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. "On the other hand, our study showed no real benefit to participating in mentally and socially stimulating activities on brain size, as seen on MRI scans, over the three-year time frame."

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Can Beets & Co. Boost Aging Brains?

 

 Study finds that nitrate-rich foods increase blood flow to key areas of the brain in older adults

'Vegetable-rich diets are linked to lower risk of hypertension and dementia.

While the vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols in veggies probably help, new studies in brain health suggest an overlooked reason – nitrates – for these benefits.

The words “nitrite” and “nitrate” typically evoke thoughts of hot dogs, baloney, and cancer risk.

Processed red meats are often preserved with nitrites … and/or with nitrates, which bacteria in the human body convert to nitrites.'

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9 Steps to Reverse Dementia and Memory Loss As You Age

by Dr. Mark Hyman

Dementia on the Rise

'Dementia is a big problem and growing every day. Ten percent of 65-year olds, 25 percent of 75-year olds, and 50 percent of 85-year olds will get Alzheimer's disease -- at a cost of $60 billion a year to society. Worse, the number of people with Alzheimer's is predicted to triple in the next few decades. It is now the seventh leading cause of death.

I believe this preventable, that we can slow this trend and even reverse it. In a moment, I will tell you how. But first I want to explain why just naming a disease -- whether it is dementia or anything else -- is becoming increasingly unhelpful (unless you just want to match the drug to the disease which is the only thing doctors are trained to do).

We have to think about individuals, not diseases. In medicine, our genetic differences are more important than our similarities.'

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Ginkgo biloba's health benefits.

This herb was already around for like thousand of years, and was used for so many things but up to now there are still many things aren't clear about it's benefits, My grand mother has been taking up some of this herbs for quite some time now and she told me that she felt a lot better and felt alert in some way. Especially in remembering things.

So what are some of the health benefits that could help us in our daily life and this benefits has been supported and proven with scientific researches and studies:

Dementia: One of the most talked about and popular benefit of this herb was the relation of this herb with memory enhancement. People with early stage Alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct dementia may benefit from taking Ginkgo biloba. The scientific research shows that Ginkgo biloba may be as effective as some of the prescription medications for these conditions.

Claudication (pain in the legs from clogged arteries): Some people with a condition known as claudication have pain in their legs while resting or after exercise. Ginkgo biloba has been shown to help this type of pain. Ginkgo biloba, however, is not as effective as physical therapy for this condition.


Ginkgo Biloba for Cerebral Insufficiency
While the research isn't as solid as the conditions above, using Ginkgo biloba for a condition called cerebral insufficiency holds promise. Cerebral insufficiency is a syndrome more commonly diagnosed in Europe that involves poor concentration, confusion, forgetfulness, headaches, fatigue, depression and anxiety. Some researchers believe that this condition is caused by a decrease in the amount of blood available to the brain because of clogged blood vessels.


Now in some cases there were reports that some people who took this may have caused too much bleeding especially Anyone using anti-coagulant medication, they should avoid taking Ginkgo biloba. Now of course if you have some doubts or anything a visit with your doctor wouldn't hurt. So ask your doctor for more advice.

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