increasing memory power

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Scientific Reason behind Indian Punishment :

Remember the ‘good’ old Indian school punishments? Holding the earlobes with arms crossed over your chests, bending the knees and then sit and then stand and so on till the time Masterji is saying?

Ever thought why the traditional Indian school teachers would give this particular punishment? I believe even majority of the teachers who grant this punishment to their students do not know the reason behind it. This form of punishment has been in practice in our country since the Gurukul time and was given to the students who were weak in studies. That is a different question if now a days teachers grant this punishment for any mistake and not only for studies but originally it was meant for weak students only.
Talking about the logic behind this punishment, it is very interesting to know that this particular posture increases the blood flow in the memory cells in brain and synchronizes the right and left side of the brain to improve function and promote calmness, stimulates neural pathways via acupressure points in the earlobe, sharpens intelligence and also helps those with autism, asperger’s syndrome, learning difficulties and behavioral problems.

Probably we have forgotten this ancient method of increasing memory power but the West is now using is very diligently and they are recommending this posture or exercise to treat many a diseases.

Chemicals in Cosmetics Tied to Thyroid Problems...and also can cause depression

Chemicals in Cosmetics Tied to Thyroid Problems

PFCs linger in the body for long periods, study author says

WEDNESDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to a class of chemicals used to make a wide range of consumer products can cause changes in thyroid function, according to a new study.

People have widespread exposure to perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs), which are used to manufacture items such as fabrics, carpets, cosmetics and paper coatings. These chemicals break down very slowly and take a long time to leave the body.

For this study, researchers analyzed data from more than 1,100 people who took part in the 2007-2008 and 2009-2010 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The study looked at levels of four different PFCs as well as participants' thyroid function.

Along with finding that having higher levels of PFCs in the body can alter thyroid function in both men and women, the researchers also found that PFCs may increase the risk of mild hypothyroidism in women.

Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones. This can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, mental depression, weight gain, feeling cold, dry skin and hair, constipation and menstrual irregularities.

The study was published online July 17 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

"Our study is the first to link PFC levels in the blood with changes in thyroid function using a nationally representative survey of American adults," study co-author Dr. Chien-Yu Lin, of En Chu Kong Hospital in Taiwan, said in a journal news release.

"Although some PFCs . . . have been phased out of production by major manufacturers, these endocrine-disrupting chemicals remain a concern because they linger in the body for extended periods," Lin said. "Too little information is available about the possible long-term effects these chemicals could have on human health."

Fight Depression

Are there depression-fighting foods? A growing body of research says yes.

Recent studies have found evidence that foods such as  walnuts, and canola oil may be especially beneficial in fighting depression, thanks to an abundance of omega-3 fatty acids.

Researchers at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., have also found that foods rich in uridine have positive effects on mood. Uridine is a natural substance found in sugar beets and molasses, which may make these foods also good for treating depression.

Foods for Depression: What's the Evidence?

Exactly how these foods fight depression is not known. Researchers think that they may cause changes to some fats in brain membranes, making it easier for chemicals to pass through. The study at McLean Hospital used laboratory rats, and researchers there caution that the metabolism of rats and humans is quite different.

Kathleen Franco, MD, professor of medicine and psychiatry at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine in Ohio, believes that diet and supplements, along with medication and psychotherapy, have a role in depression treatment. "It is recommended that individuals eat a healthy diet [including] fruits and vegetables with antioxidants; omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, tuna and some other fish; and vitamins that include all the B's," says Dr. Franco.

Others are less convinced about the role of supplements and foods for depression. "Dietary supplements such as St. John's wort and others have less consistent support in research studies and thus may not be effective for depression,” says Richard Shadick, PhD, adjunct professor of psychology and director of the Pace University Counseling Center in New York City. “However, one way of controlling your diet that can improve your mood is limiting alcohol."

Foods for Depression: Other Possible Mood Boosters

Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids are not the only ones that have been studied for their effect on depression. Other foods or dietary supplements that may be beneficial include:

• B vitamins. Studies suggest that if you have low levels of the B vitamin folic acid and high levels of a protein called homocysteine, you are more likely to be depressed. Folic acid, vitamin B2, B6, and B12 have all been shown to decrease levels of homocysteine. You can ensure you get enough B vitamins by eating a diet high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and legumes.
• Amino acids. Tryptophan is an important amino acid your body needs to make the brain chemical serotonin. Low levels of serotonin are believed to be a cause of depression. Several studies have shown that a diet high in tryptophan can improve depression. Tryptophan is found in foods high in protein, such as meat, fish, beans, and eggs.
• Carbohydrates. All the carbohydrates you eat are broken down into sugar that your brain needs to function properly. However, eating too much sugar can cause peaks and valleys in your blood glucose levels that can cause or aggravate symptoms of depression. The best way to avoid these symptoms is to eat a diet low in refined carbohydrates and sugar and high in fruits and vegetables.
• St. John's wort. This plant has been used for centuries as a dietary supplement to treat depression and anxiety. Although some evidence has shown St. John's wort’s effectiveness in treating mild depression, two recent studies found that it was no more effective than a placebo for treating major depression.

However for now, most doctors agree that a depression diet, whether from food or dietary supplements, is not a substitute for proper medical care.

"Psychotherapy and medication are the most effective means of combating depression. It should be noted that for all forms of depression, it is important to see a mental health professional to determine the best treatment," advises Shadick.

Besides having good friends, good non abusive spouse, good healthy family environment, yoga, walk, walking near sea where saline breeze helps recovery faster, spiritual discourses, patience, being satisfied with what you have etc are all way to improvement but continuing with prescribed dose of medicine is must. 

Last Updated: 04/18/2012

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A Kennedy's Struggle With Depression, Addiction and His Family's History

Patrick Kennedy has opted for a life that includes a new family and a civilian mission as a mental health advocate after 16 years in Congress.

By Laurie Sue Brockway, Everyday Health Staff Writer

Patrick Kennedy, the youngest son of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy and Joan Kennedy, has become a new hero in the world of mental health advocacy. As a proponent of brain research and a spokesperson on the dangers of mental health stigma, he is helping to lead a crusade to bring mental illness out of the dark ages.

Kennedy, an eight term congressman who served as the U.S. Representative for Rhode Island from 1995-2011, said it is his own experience with depression, addiction, and bipolar disorder, and his family history, that has inspired his work in this field, yet he is finding himself at the forefront of an important national conversation about parity for mental health conditions in medical care that is much bigger than his own experience. To help with the cause he co-founded the foundation, One Mind, which is focusing on curing diseases of the brain and eliminating stigma.

Kennedy admits to being in and out of psychiatric treatment for “most of my life,” but says his big wake-up call occurred in 2006 when he smashed his car into a barrier near Capitol Hill and was subsequently arrested for DUI. The drugs in his system were Ambien and a nausea medication, but it forced him to face more serious underlying conditions — depression, alcohol addiction, prescription drug use and what was ultimately diagnosed as bipolar disorder. And it led him to speak more openly about his own experience.

“I just felt like I didn’t have a choice at that point because I was already public,” he recalled. “There was no anonymity, if you will, in my struggle. I was well-known for having this disease and people knew it ran in my family.”

Over time, Kennedy’s new role began to evolve naturally as he became more comfortable sharing his story. “What’s happened since that time is I found people in my life that were also struggling like me,” he explained. “People who would self-identify because they knew who I was and where I came from. I became an easy person for other to self-disclose to. That ended up helping my own recovery. It also helped me recognize that this was something that needed a voice and I was in a place where I could provide that voice because it was personal and, within in my own experience. I knew it intimately.”

Having grown up in a family that was very much in the public eye yet struggled for some semblance of privacy, Kennedy had to fight most of his mental health battles in secrecy.

When he was a boy, his older brother Edward fought a very public bout with cancer and lost a leg to the disease. Then there was his parent’s headline-grabbing divorce and his mother’s well-known struggles with alcohol addiction and, later, breast cancer. His sister Kara got lung cancer and seemed for a time to have survived it. His dad was diagnosed with a brain tumor and died in 2009. In 2011, his Kara sadly passed away unexpectedly.

With the enormity of the illness around him in his immediate family, and so much loss and tragedy in the Kennedy clan, mental illness was not talked about. In fact, Kennedy was so concerned about the stigma associated with his illness that when seeing a therapist in Washington, DC, he would park his car four blocks away so no one would know he was in treatment. And when he needed rehab for opiate addiction, he made his physician care for him outside of the psychiatric ward, so that no one would know he was being treated for addiction.

It was through this struggle that he learned firsthand that mental illness is not treated with the same urgency as a physical illness. While in Congress, this awareness led him to sponsor The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which states that mental illness and addition must be treated with the same consideration given to physical illness. It was signed by President Bush in 2008 and still awaits execution from the Obama administration. As a civilian advocate, he continues to try to use his voice to see that bill through, constantly reminding people how much it is needed.

He feels the battles he fights today for mental illness will save his own children and the next generation from fighting it twice –the personal fight and the fight against stigma. In 2011 he married school teacher Amy Petitgout. They are raising her five year old daughter and their 13 month old son, with a new baby due in November.

We spoke to Kennedy about his personal struggle with mental illness and his public advocacy.

Everyday Health: What prompted you to leave your job in Congress after 16 years and start the journey as a civilian advocate for mental health care?

Kennedy: it’s hard to know how you end up where you are. It’s a confluence of various events. Clearly, my dad’s passing was a significant turning point in my life. It led me to question how I lived my life and what kind of life I wanted to live, going forward. I would say that moved me to retire because I was more interested at that point on, “how do I build a personal, private life for myself so that if I were ever to find myself in the situation he did I would also have family and friends that could surround me.” I realized, through his struggle with his own mortality, that at the end of the day that’s all we have: It’s our family and our friends.

You’d been in the ‘family business,’ so to speak, and found it was no longer the right path for you?

In politics I had won every election I had been in, but I realized that wasn’t going to keep me company at the end of my day. It was very fulfilling on one level and exhilarating, but on another level it left me both feeling empty and wanting more. As a champion of mental health all through my time in Congress, it made sense that the intersection between my personal journey and my political journey converged. I recognized that as a private citizen I could remain involved on the issue that meant most to me and which I was also most proud of in terms of my accomplishment in congress: the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.

You were sponsor of that bill, which would require insurers to cover mental illness on a par with all illnesses. Can you explain how it would work?

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act defines six categories of care: Inpatient InNetwork; OutPatient InNetwork; In Patient Out of Network; Out Patient Out of Network; Pharmacy; and Emergency Services. It says that if diabetes is treated across the whole spectrum by primary, secondary tertiary levels of care then addiction and chronic mental illness needs to be treated the same way. If cancer is treated by primary and secondary care along all those categories by an insurance company, then by law mental illnesses and addictions services need to be reimbursed equally along all levels of care. It sets up analogous metrics so that we can now put the idea of equality of coverage into practice. For example: I have asthma, and all that’s covered. None of it is subject to any denial; I get it routinely and automatically. But I also have the disease of addiction—like I have the chronic illness of asthma—but my chronic alcoholism is not treated same way as chronic asthma along all categories of care.

How do insurance companies currently treat mental illness?

The way we reimburse your mental illness-- if you compared it to diabetes-- we would be waiting until you needed your legs amputated or went blind before we would treat you. To give it another analogous comparison: If you had cancer-- the way we reimburse mental illness and addiction-- we would wait until at stage four cancer you are about to die before we would treat your illness. We don’t have any mechanism to implement equal care. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which was signed by George W. Bush, says the brain is part of the body and illnesses need to be treated on par-- hence the word parity --with other physical illnesses. If it were a heart attack, you’d respond right away. You’d be referred to appropriate services and treatment. No one would second guess what the protocol for treatment would be. [Currently] If you have first onset of schizophrenia, or psychosis for bi-polar disorder, or acute instances of alcoholism or addiction, these are not treated with the same urgency that their other physical counterparts are treated with.

What has to happen in terms of politics and the study of the brain?

Now, we are waiting for President Obama to release the final rule implementing the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. It was passed in 2008 and here we are five years later and the White House still hasn’t issued a final rule deciding how that actually gets implemented. Discussion is very helpful, but at the end of the day, if the discussion takes place but we don’t have strong rules implementing the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act than talk is cheap. The brain is part of the body and none of us would excuse having cancer or diabetes or cardiovascular disease treated the way mental health is treated today, then why are we so silent when it comes to having the brain illnesses that are so ignored.

Are they brain illnesses ignored because they are “invisible” and because people don’t speak up about them?

It’s because of the historic fear and the ignorance that pervades this whole discussion [of mental health]. We really haven’t had a national dialogue about how the brain is part of the body and the symptoms of brain illness are behavioral. We haven’t made that distinction between what is the moral choice and what is the medical choice. These issues are looked at as character issues, not chemistry or medical issues. Everyone thinks it’s up to you to act normally. For some people, their illness hijacks their brain. When their illness hijacks their brain, they don’t act normally. That is a symptom of a brain illness; it’s not a reflection of their moral character. Our brains are the most important organ in our body. They affect how we feel, how we view the world, and how we perceive ourselves and perceive others. Every family in America has in an interest in better understanding so we can better treat anything that is a brain illness. Not only with medications, but to treat it with environmental and recovery models of care.

Are people afraid to force the issue of care with mentally ill individuals who are not actually asking for our help? 

My brother and sister and I had guardianship of our mother, so I am intimately familiar with this whole issue of loving someone and wanting to take care of them when they are unable to care for themselves. This is a big issue and facing families whose children with autism are aging out of our education system. It’s facing families with parents who have early onset of dementia. It’s facing families who have children with severe addiction and alcoholism. This is an issue everybody should care about. Tragically, our criminal justice system has become the biggest mental health system in the country. Sheriff (Lee) Baca, from LA County Jail, said to me that he ran the largest mental health institution in the country. You can go down the list of major Metropolitan areas and see that because there has been no public health approach to this issue, we have had it become a criminal justice issue as opposed to a public health issue.

You’ve been open about your own experiences with mental illness. What was your wakeup call?

I got arrested. Ironically, I had been in treatment at the Mayo Clinic only five months before I got arrested. The differences between that, and when I went back to Mayo [following the arrest], is that when I went back to Mayo I finally went into the mental health ward. When I went to Mayo the first time, I didn’t go to the mental health ward because I was worried about perception. I worried about what people were to think if they were to know that I was inpatient in a mental health facility. Here I am the sponsor of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, the champ, yet in my own case I too wanted it to be kept a secret because of the stigma. I told the physicians to treat me in the regular hospital for the opiate withdrawal I went through.

So you need needed to detox prescription drug addiction to Oxycodone?

The opiate withdrawal was only part of what I needed to recover. It was the physical aspect of my illness. There are other aspects that needed to be treated in addition to the physical aspects. Those would be the emotional and spiritual elements of recovery and the psychological. I didn’t want to be known for having needed that care and as a result five months after I left, I was arrested. Why? It wasn’t because I was back on opiates. it was because I was taking sleep medication, stomach pain and other kinds of medication which altered my mood. That’s an example of the untreated basic illness that was never treated because of the stigma of getting the treatment.

When were you diagnosed with bipolar disorder?

I’d been seeing psychiatrists for my whole life and had various diagnoses and medications over a period from when I was teenager through all my inpatient visits. Diagnoses are, very unfortunately, difficult to ascertain and it takes a long time before you ultimately get a diagnosis. I’ve been in and out for a long time without that diagnosis. I got it [the diagnosis] at Mayo but a lot of this gets overshadowed by the self-medication through the concurrent addiction problem. The most adamant illness is your addiction. As is the case in most folks with these illnesses there are co-occurring illnesses. Often what happened is that everything gets silo’d. That’s one of the big challenges we have is un-silo this system of treatment so we can take a more realistic and holistic approach to treating the individual and better identify the proper course of treatment that’s going to be most effective for that person.

Is there a particular kind of support that helped you through depression?

I’m a big subscriber to 12 steps recovery; it is evidence-based, even though it’s a non-medical “approach.” I think it is cognitive behavioral therapy, if you will, and it is what is most effective in helping. That kind of day-to-day orientation to recovery-modeled care, recovery way of life, and the 12 step recovery is something I’m a big proponent of. I’m a beneficiary of medications and medical treatment as the more peer support and fellowship from being in recovery with my peers.

You grew up in a fishbowl, in a very public family that sought privacy. Now you’ve come to the forefront to share your story. What motivated you?

First of all, I thought it was the worst thing in the world that I had to read about myself as a failure in recovery when I got arrested. Here I was the sponsor of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and even I couldn’t stay stopped. In other words, I couldn’t stamp off it. It was a very low point, but it was in that low point that I also was reminded I suffer from a chronic illness.

No one would blame me for having another asthma attack. Even if I were to go in environments which stress me out, or [put myself around] allergens that trigger my asthma, everyone would take care of me. I was very conscious of the double-standard: If I had diabetes and gone out and ate couple more pieces of chocolate and had diabetic shock and ended up in the ER, people would have sent me get well cards. Too bad you have that disease, what can we do to take care of you. Instead it became a reinforcement that these issues are looked upon as matters of personal character, not chemistry.

Is it possible that because of your family background you are even more sensitive to the lack of support for mental illness?

My mother is public about it; her struggles have been very public struggles. When I was growing up we didn’t talk about it. She was isolated. We also had cancer in our family, all of our family members. When it’s cancerous its ok to care for you but when it’s mental it’s something they’ll march you out as someone who is kind of weak; someone who can’t pull themselves up by their bootstraps and carry on.

I just think that’s been something I’ve been very conscious about. I’ve obviously felt ashamed myself in my own struggles. I feel that is changing and I feel very fortunate to be part of a movement that’s opening the doors to make sure that future generations, my children, don’t have to fight twice--once to recover and two to overcome the stigma of their illness. What we do with these illnesses is we add insult to injury. It’s one thing to fight the illness; it’s another to fight the isolation and stigmatization that comes from having that illness, that’s why I feel so powerfully about this.

Has sharing your story has been a catharsis?

It’s definitely been a real way of life in every respect. It’s how I relate to the world so I’m no longer alone. I relate to my fellows who are also in the struggle and that makes me feel like I have friends everywhere. By taking up the mental health advocacy is a way to stay connected to my primary purpose in life, which is to stay sober in life and to help others achieve sobriety and recovery.

Seems like it is also a chance to pave a new way for this next generation.

That’s all I’m trying to do. We can’t be perfect; we can just try to the next right thing. I feel what I’m trying to do is resonating with people and it’s giving me a great feeling of fulfillment and I’m getting a lot validation that this is the right way to go. It’s uplifting to know that I’m part of something that’s much bigger than me and it’s important. It gives me a sense of purpose and value in my life.

You can follow Patrick Kennedy on twitter @PJK4brainhealth.

What Not to Say to a Depressed Person

By Therese Borchard

YOUR REACTION?

There is nothing worse than feeling like a complete utter failure, crying your eyes out, and then a well-intentioned person comes along and says something that, to your ears, sounds like: “You were right! You are, in fact, a loser.” Good intentions or not, the wrong words hurt. Awhile back, I published a piece,  “10 Things Not to Say to a Depressed Person.” Among the no-no’s were:

1. It’s all in your head. You need to think positive.
2. You need to get out of yourself and give back to the community.
3. Why don’t you try and exercise?
4. Shop at Whole Foods and you will feel better.
5. Meditation and yoga are all you need.
6. Get a new job.
7. Are you happy in your relationship?
8. You have everything you need to get better.
9. Do you WANT to feel better?
10. Everyone has problems.

Everyday Health’s Andrea Bledsoe, Ph.D., recently compiled her own list of harmful one-liners to say to persons with bipolar disorder:

1. You’re crazy.
2. This is your fault.
3. You’re not trying.
4. Everyone has bad times.
5. You’ll be okay — there’s no need to worry.
6. You’ll never be in a serious romantic relationship.
7. What’s the matter with you?
8. I can’t help you.
9. You don’t have to take your moods out on me — I’m getting so tired of this.

Still more can be found on Margarita Tartakovsky’s list at PsychCentral.com.

So what, on earth, can you say? I found these responses helpful when I was in buried in depression:

1. Can I relieve your stress in any way?
2. What do you think might help you to feel better?
3. Is there something I can do for you?
4. Can I drive you somewhere?
5. Where are you getting your support?
6. You won’t always feel this way.
7. Can you think of anything contributing to your depression?
8. What time of day is hardest for you?
9. I’m here for you.

Subscribe to Sanity Break

http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/therese-borchard-sanity-break/

Dr. Mercola suggests: Vitamins Offer Hope for Alzheimer's

Vitamins Offer Hope for Alzheimer's

By Dr. Mercola

In the United States, Alzheimer's disease is currently at epidemic proportions, with 5.4 million Americans—including one in eight people aged 65 and over—living with the disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association's 2011 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures¹.
By 2050, this is expected to jump to 16 million, and in the next 20 years, it is projected that Alzheimer's will affect one in four Americans, rivaling the current prevalence of obesity and diabetes.
There is still no known cure for this devastating disease, and very few treatments. Alzheimer's drugs are often of little to no benefit at all, which underscores the importance of prevention throughout your lifetime.
Research repeatedly suggests the best hope for patients lies in prevention through optimal diet, exercise and staying socially and mentally active. As recently reported by Forbes²:

“[A] new study in Science suggested that last year’s ‘breakthrough’ pharmaceutical, bexarotene (Targretin) – a cancer drug that had initially received wide publicity for helping break up the plaques in Alzheimer’s – doesn’t seem to do this very well at all, and can have significant adverse side effects for the patient.

‘Something happened in that initial report – either something technically or otherwise, which we can’t put our hands on at this point in time,” study author Sangram Sisodia told US News & World Report. ‘Something is seriously wrong.’

While memory loss is common among Westerners, it is NOT a "normal" part of aging. Research has shown that even mild "senior moments" are caused by the same brain lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. These cognitive changes are by no means inevitable!
People who experience very little decline in their cognitive function up until their deaths have been found (post-mortem) to be free of brain lesions, showing that it's entirely possible to prevent the damage from occurring in the first place. At the end of this article, I share my best tips for maintaining healthy brain function well into old age.
In recent years, researchers studying natural compounds have offered new hope. For example, two recent studies suggest that compounds in cinnamon, as well as vitamins B12, B6, and folate may delay the onset and/or slow progression of the disease.

The Promise of Cinnamon and Vitamins in the Fight Against Alzheimer’s Disease

The first study in question, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease³, found that cinnamaldehyde and epicatechin, two compounds found in cinnamon, have an inhibitory effect on the aggregation of a particular protein called tau. Tau plays a large role in the structure and function of neurons.
But while a normal part of cell structures, this protein can begin to accumulate, forming “neurofibrillary tangles” that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. Both compounds were found to protect tau from oxidative damage that can lead to dysfunction.
Donald Graves, adjunct professor in UCSB's Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and co-author of the study explained the protective process to Medical News Today⁴:

"'Take, for example, sunburn, a form of oxidative damage. If you wore a hat, you could protect your face and head from the oxidation. In a sense this cinnamaldehyde is like a cap. While it can protect the tau protein by binding to its vulnerable cysteine residues, it can also come off,' Graves added, which can ensure the proper functioning of the protein.”

It’s interesting to note that there’s a high correlation between type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. Some even believe Alzheimer’s may be a form of brain diabetes. Insulin and insulin receptors in your brain are crucial for learning and memory, and it’s known that these components are lower in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
In addition to the above findings, cinnamon has also been found to have beneficial effects on blood glucose management in type 2 diabetics. This is one of the reasons I include cinnamon in my healthy coconut candy recipe.

B Vitamins Again Show Promise in Alzheimer’s Prevention

The other study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences⁵, found that vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid may help slow the progression of the disease, confirming and supporting previous studies. As reported in the featured article⁶:

“The fact that B-family vitamins may play a significant role in dementia, or more specifically in warding it off has been consistently illustrated. What is news from the current study, however, is that high-dose B-vitamin treatment in people at risk for the disease ‘slowed shrinkage of whole brain volume,’ and especially reduced shrinkage in areas known to be affected in Alzheimer’s disease.”

The 156 study participants, all of whom were over the age of 70, were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. This, along with midlife hypertension, midlife obesity and diabetes, is a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s. One group of participants received a placebo while the other received high-dose B-vitamin treatment consisting of:

• 0.8 mg folic acid
• 20 mg vitamin B6
• 0.5 mg vitamin B12

It is important to note that vitamin B12 comes in many forms and it is typically injected because it is not absorbed well by most people, especially in the elderly who need it most. This is due to it being one of the largest vitamins known. The most common form is cyanocobalamin but a better from would be methylcobalamin. A better alternative to B12 injections would also be sublingual sprays, which are absorbed very similarly to the injections.
The treatment effectively slowed shrinkage of the whole brain volume over the course of two years. It also reduced, by as much as seven-fold, the cerebral atrophy in certain brain regions that are particularly vulnerable to damage associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Another major boon: The supplements cost less than 50 cents a day and are readily available in pharmacies and health-food stores. In the placebo group, higher homocysteine levels at baseline were associated with faster atrophy in these same regions. According to the researchers⁷:

“We... show that the beneficial effect of B vitamins is confined to participants with high homocysteine... and that, in these participants, a causal Bayesian network analysis indicates the following chain of events: B vitamins lower homocysteine, which directly leads to a decrease in gray matter atrophy, thereby slowing cognitive decline.

Our results show that B-vitamin supplementation can slow the atrophy of specific brain regions that are a key component of the AD process and that are associated with cognitive decline.”

Dr. A. David Smith, professor emeritus of pharmacology at Oxford University, founding director of the Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Ageing, and senior author of the study told Bloomberg News⁸ that this B-vitamin treatment is “the first and only disease-modifying treatment that’s worked. We have proved the concept that you can modify the disease.” This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who understands that without proper nutrition and exercise, your brain will be increasingly vulnerable to damage with age...

Vitamin B Cocktail Already Used for Dementia Prevention in Sweden

Three years ago, the same group of researchers showed that the atrophy rate in patients’ whole brains was reduced by about 30 percent in those taking the vitamin cocktail⁹. The atrophy rate was even higher—53 percent—in those who had elevated homocysteine levels, a benefit that was reconfirmed in the featured study. According to Bloomberg¹⁰:

“The studies, known as Vitacog, were funded by seven charities and government agencies and vitamin maker Meda AB of Solna, Sweden. Smith is an inventor on three patents held by Oxford University for B vitamin formulations to treat Alzheimer’s disease... Vitamin B12 is found in liver, fish and milk and folic acid in fruit and vegetables. Deficiency of folate and B vitamins is already linked to dementia...

Doctors in Sweden began measuring homocysteine in people who report declining memory about two years ago, said [Johan] Lokk [professor and head physician in the geriatric department at Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden, who wasn’t involved in the study]...

Swedish patients with high homocysteine are given folic acid and B vitamins, even if they aren’t deficient. ‘We think the increased homocysteine level could be deleterious to the brain,’ Lokk said. ‘We wanted to be on the offensive in diagnosing and treating patients. In our opinion, it is harmless and cheap.'”

General Anesthesia Could Increase Risk of Dementia in Elderly by 35 Percent

Related research suggests that being exposed to general anesthesia can increase the risk of dementia in the elderly by as much as 35 percent. The research was presented at the annual congress of the European Society of Anesthesiology (ESA). As reported by Medical News Today¹¹:

“Postoperative cognitive dysfunction, or POCD, could be associated with dementia several years later. POCD is a common complication in elderly patients after major surgery. It has been proposed that there is an association between POCD and the development of dementia due to a common pathological mechanism through the amyloid β peptide. Several experimental studies suggest that some anesthetics could promote inflammation of neural tissues leading to POCD and/or Alzheimer's disease (AD) precursors including β-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.”

Participants aged 65 and over were followed for a total of 10 years. Participants exposed to at least one general anesthetic over the follow-up had a 35 percent increased risk of developing a dementia compared to those who were not exposed to anesthesia. According to lead researcher Dr. Francois Sztark¹²:

"These results are in favor of an increased risk for dementia several years after general anesthesia. Recognition of POCD is essential in the perioperative management of elderly patients. A long-term follow-up of these patients should be planned."

Tips for Avoiding Alzheimer's Disease

The beauty of following my revised Nutrition Plan is that it helps treat and prevent all chronic degenerative diseases, from the common ones like heart disease, diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer's to the ones you have never heard of or can't even pronounce. So please read the Plan as soon as you can. It is divided into three helpful sections, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced to help you start at the right level.
The plan is the first step in addressing Alzheimer's disease, which is currently at epidemic proportions, with 5.4 million Americans – including one in eight people aged 65 and over – living with the disease.
Remember, while memory loss is indeed common among Westerners, it is NOT a "normal" part of aging, and cognitive changes are by no means inevitable. People who experience very little decline in their cognitive function up until their deaths have been found (post-mortem) to be free of brain lesions, showing that it's entirely possible to prevent the damage from occurring in the first place… and one of the best ways to do this is by leading a healthy lifestyle.

• Sugar and Fructose. Ideally, you’ll want to keep your sugar levels to a minimum and your total fructose below 25 grams per day, or as low as 15 grams per day if you have insulin resistance or any related disorders.
• Improve magnesium levels. There is some exciting preliminary research strongly suggesting a decrease in Alzheimer symptoms with increased levels of magnesium in the brain. Unfortunately, most magnesium supplements do not pass the blood brain levels, but a new one, magnesium threonate, appears to and holds some promise for the future for treating this condition and may be superior to other forms.
• Optimize your vitamin D levels with safe sun exposure. Strong links between low levels of vitamin D in Alzheimer's patients and poor outcomes on cognitive tests have been revealed. Researchers believe that optimal vitamin D levels may enhance the amount of important chemicals in your brain and protect brain cells by increasing the effectiveness of the glial cells in nursing damaged neurons back to health.
  
  Vitamin D may also exert some of its beneficial effects on Alzheimer's through its anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties. Sufficient vitamin D is imperative for proper functioning of your immune system to combat inflammation that is also associated with Alzheimer's.
  
• Keep your fasting insulin levels below 3. This is indirectly related to fructose, as it will clearly lead to insulin resistance. However other sugars (sucrose is 50 percent fructose by weight), grains and lack of exercise are also important factors. Lowering insulin will also help lower leptin levels which is another factor for Alzheimer’s.
• Vitamin B12: In addition to the research presented above, a small Finnish study published in the journal Neurology¹³ also found that people who consume foods rich in B12 may reduce their risk of Alzheimer's in their later years. For each unit increase in the marker of vitamin B12, the risk of developing Alzheimer's was reduced by two percent. Remember sublingual methylcobalamin may be your best bet here.
• Eat a nutritious diet, rich in folate, such as the one described in my nutrition plan. Vegetables, without question, are your best form of folate, and we should all eat plenty of fresh raw veggies every day. Avoid supplements with folic acid, which is the inferior synthetic version of folate.
• High-quality animal-based omega-3 fats, such as krill oil. (I recommend avoiding most fish because, although fish is naturally high in omega-3, most fish are now severely contaminated with mercury.) High intake of the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA help by preventing cell damage caused by Alzheimer's disease, thereby slowing down its progression, and lowering your risk of developing the disorder.
• Avoid and eliminate mercury from your body. Dental amalgam fillings, which are 50 percent mercury by weight, are one of the major sources of heavy metal toxicity. However you should be healthy prior to having them removed. Once you have adjusted to following the diet described in my optimized nutrition plan, you can follow the mercury detox protocol and then find a biological dentist to have your amalgams removed.
• Avoid aluminum, such as antiperspirants, non-stick cookware, vaccine adjuvants, etc.
• Exercise regularly. It's been suggested that exercise can trigger a change in the way the amyloid precursor protein is metabolized¹⁴, thus, slowing down the onset and progression of Alzheimer's. Exercise also increases levels of the protein PGC-1alpha. Research has also shown that people with Alzheimer's have less PGC-1alpha in their brains¹¹ and cells that contain more of the protein produce less of the toxic amyloid protein associated with Alzheimer's. I would strongly recommend reviewing the Peak Fitness Technique for my specific recommendations.
• Avoid flu vaccinations as most contain both mercury and aluminum, well-known neurotoxic and immunotoxic agents.
• Eat blueberries. Wild blueberries, which have high anthocyanin and antioxidant content, are known to guard against Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases. Like any fruit though, avoid excesses here.
• Challenge your mind daily. Mental stimulation, especially learning something new, such as learning to play an instrument or a new language, is associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer's. Researchers suspect that mental challenge helps to build up your brain, making it less susceptible to the lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease.
• Avoid anticholinergic and statin drugs. Drugs that block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter, have been shown to increase your risk of dementia. These drugs include certain nighttime pain relievers, antihistamines, sleep aids, certain antidepressants, medications to control incontinence, and certain narcotic pain relievers.

Statin drugs are particularly problematic because they suppress the synthesis of cholesterol, deplete your brain of coenzyme Q10 and neurotransmitter precursors, and prevent adequate delivery of essential fatty acids and fat-soluble antioxidants to your brain by inhibiting the production of the indispensable carrier biomolecule known as low-density lipoprotein.

Other Natural Treatments for Your Anti-Alzheimer's Arsenal

Finally, there are a few other nutritional recommendations worth noting for their specific benefits in preventing and treating dementia. So, although your fundamental strategy for preventing dementia should involve a comprehensive lifestyle approach, you may want to consider adding a few of these natural dietary agents to your anti-Alzheimer's arsenal. These four natural foods/supplements have good science behind them, in terms of preventing age-related cognitive changes:

1. Coconut Oil: The primary fuel your brain needs for energy is glucose. However, your brain is able to run on more than a single type of fuel, one being ketones (ketone bodies), or ketoacids. Ketones are what your body produces when it converts fat (as opposed to glucose) into energy.
   
   The medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) found in coconut oil are GREAT source of ketone bodies, because coconut oil is about 66 percent MCTs. In fact, ketones appear to be the preferred source of brain food in patients affected by diabetes or Alzheimer's.
   
2. Astaxanthin is a natural pigment with unique properties and many clinical benefits, including some of the most potent antioxidant activity currently known. As a fat-soluble nutrient, astaxanthin readily crosses your blood-brain barrier. One study¹⁵ found it may help prevent neurodegeneration associated with oxidative stress, as well as make a potent natural "brain food."
   
   The molecules of astaxanthin neutralize free radicals and other oxidants without being destroyed or becoming pro-oxidants themselves in the process. It's is a unique molecule whose shape allows it to precisely fit into a cell membrane and span its entire width. In this position, astaxanthin can intercept potentially damaging molecules before they can damage your cells.
   You can get some astaxanthin by taking krill oil, which is a fantastic omega-3 fat supplement. But you can boost your astaxanthin even MORE by adding a pure astaxanthin supplement to your nutritional regimen. For optimal absorption, make sure to take krill oil and/or astaxanthin with a fat-containing meal, since both are fat-soluble.
   
3. Gingko biloba: Many scientific studies have found that Gingko biloba has positive effects for dementia. Gingko, which is derived from a tree native to Asia, has long been used medicinally in China and other countries. A 1997 study from JAMA showed clear evidence that Gingko improves cognitive performance and social functioning for those suffering from dementia.
   
   Research since then has been equally promising. One study in 2006 found Gingko as effective as the dementia drug Aricept (donepezil) for treating mild to moderate Alzheimer's type dementia. A 2010 meta-analysis found Gingko biloba to be effective for a variety of types of dementia.
   
4. Alpha lipoic acid (ALA): ALA can stabilize cognitive functions among Alzheimer's patients and may slow the progression of the disease.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/13/alzheimers-dementia-treatment.aspx?e_cid=20130613_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130613

Why do people shout at each other when they are angry?

 
A Hindu saint who was visiting river Ganges to take a bath found a group of family members on the banks, shouting in anger at each other. He turned to his disciples, smiled and asked, 'Why do people shout at each other when they are angry?' 

The followers thought for a while. Then one of them said, 'Because we lose our peacefulness, we shout.'

'But, why should you shout when the other person is just next to you? You can as well tell him what you have to say in a soft manner.' asked the saint.

Followers gave some other answers but none satisfied the other followers. Finally, the saint explained,

'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other to cover that great distance.

What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is either non-existent or very small...'

The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, they only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally, they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'

He looked at his followers and said:

'So, when you argue do not let your hearts get distant. Do not say words that distance each other more, or else there will come a day when the distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.'