Photo by julien Tromeur

Our brains are adaptable and are rewiring themselves in response to new experiences and challenges constantly. This process is known as neuroplasticity and plays a crucial role in learning new skills and recovering from brain injuries.

Neuroplasticity is a feature of our brains and offers potential for growth, adaptation, and growth. It also plays a key role in the brain’s ability to resist age-related cognitive decline or disease.

What does Neuroplasticity entail:

• forms new connections-brain cells form new connections with other brain cells enabling processing and storage of new information which helps in learning and acquiring knowledge.
• Strengthens existing pathways-frequently used neural pathways become more efficient resulting in improved performance in familiar tasks
• Creates new pathways-brain builds new neural circuits which enables new abilities and allows different areas of the brain to take on new roles and cognitive flexibility.

How can we improve brain adaptability and cognitive flexibility?

• Engage in playful activities and laughter such as puzzles and games
• Mindfulness and meditation-helps reduce stress, anxiety and improve focus and attention
• Learn a new language, play an instrument, create art, read widely
• Social interactions
• Exercise-increases blood flow to the brain promoting growth of new neurons and synapses
• Nutrient-rich foods and hydration support brain function and protect against cognitive decline
• Quality sleep is essential for memory consolidation and brain health

Looking for some ideas to stiumulate your brain? Check out some ideas on my Amazon Brain Health and Daily Routine List

Photo by Valentin Balan

Turmeric is a spice that comes from the ginger family and has been in India for thousands of years as a spice. Turmeric has many compounds with medicinal properties called curcuminoids with one important being curcumin which is the main active ingredient in turmeric and gives it the bright orange and yellow color.

The health benefits of turmeric and curcumin include:

• Antioxidant properties-reduces free radicals and protects cells against oxidative damage
• Reduces inflammation-makes it beneficial for joint pain, osteoarthritis, and exercise induced muscle soreness
• Supports heart health improving the function of the lining of blood vessels and reducing risk of heart disease and metabolic syndrome
• Blood sugar management-improves insulin sensitivity
• Helps with brain function-may increase Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor(BDNF), potentially delaying age-related brain diseases and improving cognition

Now the benefits of turmeric sound great, but the issue is curcumin has poor absorption so even consuming turmeric in your food may not give you these health benefits.

The reason for poor absorption of curcumin are:

• Poor absorption-curcumin struggles to cross cell membranes in the intestine limiting how much enters the blood stream
• Rapid metabolism-the liver treats curcumin as a toxin and quickly breaks it down before it can circulate
• Fast elimination-at a cellular level, cells actively push foreign compounds out of cells including curcumin

Here are some tips to obtain turmeric benefits:

• Add black pepper
  • studies have shown adding black pepper which contains piperine slows down the metabolic breakdown of curcumin in the liver and delays digestive enzymes allowing curcumin to be utilized. Some studies have even shown that a pinch of black pepper can increase curcumin’s bioavailability by 2000%.
• Combine with a healthy fat
  • curcumin is fat-soluble, so pairing turmeric and black pepper with a healthy fat such as olive oil, avocado, full fat milk allows the curcumin to bypass the liver entirely and absorbs into the blood stream. Take turmeric with meals that contain fat for better absorption.
• Heat activation
  • gentle heating of turmeric in cooking may enhance it’s bioactive properties

Looking for high-quality turmeric and black pepper? Check out my curated Amazon Spice List to stock your pantry!

Per Mass General Brigham Communications, in news.harvard.edu “Drinking 2-3 cups of coffee a day tied to lower dementia risk.”

“Evidence from a study of more than 130,000 people suggests that two to three cups of coffee a day can reduce dementia risk and slow cognitive decline.

The research — published in JAMA and led by investigators from Mass General Brigham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard — analyzed data from the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.

Coffee and tea contain bioactive ingredients like polyphenols and caffeine, which have emerged as possible neuroprotective factors that reduce inflammation and cellular damage while protecting against cognitive decline. Though promising, findings about the relationship between coffee and dementia have been inconsistent, as studies have had limited follow-up and insufficient detail to capture long-term intake patterns, differences by beverage type, or the full continuum of outcomes — from early subjective cognitive decline to clinically diagnosed dementia.

Data from Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study help to overcome these challenges. Participants repeated assessments of diet, dementia, subjective cognitive decline, and objective cognitive function, and were followed for up to 43 years. Researchers compared how caffeinated coffee, tea, and decaffeinated coffee influenced dementia risk and cognitive health of each participant.

Of the 131,821 participants, 11,033 developed dementia. Both male and female participants with the highest intake of caffeinated coffee had an 18 percent lower risk of dementia compared with those who reported little or no caffeinated coffee consumption. Caffeinated coffee drinkers also had lower prevalence of subjective cognitive decline (7.8 percent versus 9.5 percent). By some measurements, those who drank caffeinated coffee also showed better performance on objective tests of overall cognitive function.

Higher tea intake showed similar results, while decaffeinated coffee did not — suggesting that caffeine may be the active factor producing these neuroprotective results, though further research is needed to validate the responsible factors and mechanisms.

The cognitive benefits were most pronounced in participants who consumed two to three cups of caffeinated coffee or one to two cups of tea daily. Contrary to several previous studies, higher caffeine intake did not yield negative effects — instead, it provided similar neuroprotective benefits to the optimal dosage."

Take home points

• Prevention of dementiais important and as Americans usually start their mornings with some caffeine, this study is encouraging. However, we are not clear as to what specific coffee or teas would be better(Columbian, Americano, Expresso, Darjeeling, Matcha).
• Chose caffeinated coffee over decaffeinated when you can.
• Coffee has other health benefits also which you can get in at the same time!
• Try to avoid caffeine intake in the evening and night time as it can affect your sleep
• Remember…there are other things you can do to keep your mind sharp also such as exercise, playing games, eating healthy, etc.

Photo by Content Pixie

When was the last time you forgot something(such as forgetting to call someone, sending an important email, forgetting something important at home)? What did you say to yourself? Was it something negative?

We can be way too hard on ourselves. Self compassion is treating ourselves with kindness and understanding like we would to a friend or family member. Self compassion can increase our happiness and wellbeing. It also improves resilience to stress and trauma. The next time you make a mistake, give yourself some grace.

Ways to practice self compassion:

• Talk to yourself in a supportive way-reduce negative self-talk, treat yourself with kindness and understanding.
• Practice mindfulness-being aware of our hurtful thoughts and emotions can help balance the negative with the positive and you can come up with solutions instead of criticism
• Practice gratitude
• Practice self care
• Have positive thoughts and an optimistic attitude

‘Japanese Walking’ is a type of interval training allowing you to reap the benefits of walking in a shorter amount of time.

While there may be a lot of hype around reaching 10,000 steps a day, research suggests there may be benefit in even lesser steps per day day(perhaps even 6000 to 7000 steps).

The truth is any amount of activity or movement makes a difference. Next time you go out for a walk, give ‘Japanese Walking’ a try.

Photo by Ava Sol

July is Self Care Awareness month and a good time to look into our current self care practices and explore things we can do to nourish ourselves….mind, body and soul.

Self care is important for physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Taking time for yourself helps in handling the everyday hustle and bustle of life.

Here are some things to to consider and incorporate into your life:

Physical Health

• Exercise-if you can’t get in the recommended amount of exercise for you…do what you can, when you can, even 10-15 minutes counts and can add up
• Healthy eating-practice intentional eating-get in lots of fruits, vegetables, fiber, and protein
• Stay hydrated
• Sleep- try to have a sleep goal of 7-9 hours
• Relaxing activities and hobbies

Mental and Emotional Health

• nature walks, yoga, mindfulness, meditation, deep breathing,
• practice gratitude and positive self talk and thinking
• hobbies including puzzles, reading a book, listening to music, journaling

Benefits of self care

• reduces stress and anxiety
• prevents burn out
• improves emotional well being
• helps to improve focus and boosts productivity
• improves overall health-helps prevent diseases and also helps control and manage chronic conditions
• fosters healthier relationships at work and at home
• improves self-esteem and self-worth

Per Elizabeth Gulino, in refinery29.com “‘Glimmers’ Can Make Us Happier — & They’re All Around Us”.

“In significant life events, joy is supposed to be easy to find. Things like marriages and children and graduations and job promotions are the times when we expect to feel happiness and contentment with our lives — and we often do. But what about the inbetweens, the smaller moments? And we’re not just talking about concerts, sunsets, parties, trips — we’re talking about even smaller moments, the ones that might just pass you by if you’re not looking close enough. Those moments? They’re called glimmers.

Branded as the opposite of triggers, Deb Dana, LCSW, psychotherapist and author, coined the term glimmers, and says that they’re tiny micro-moments of joy that allow us to feel calm and give us a sense of inner peace. While the word glimmer — defined as a faint or wavering light — insinuates that these small bits of joy are hard to find, blink-and-you’ll-miss-them kind of moments, in reality, glimmers are all around us. They’re your favorite song being played in the grocery store and a flower growing out of a crack in the sidewalk. And, while brief, these small fleeting moments can fuse together to create something substantial enough for us to run with."

Glimmers is a term coined by Deb Dana in her book “The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy”. Triggers activate the sympathetic nervous system and can send us into fight, flight, or freeze mode. Triggers make us feel unsafe. Glimmers on the other hand activate the paraympathetic nervous system which help us feel relaxed and reduce stress.

Take time to enjoy and appreciate those tiny moments of joy every day…..be it your morning cup of coffee/tea, a beautiful sunset, catching the sight of a surprise rainbow, birdwatching, the touch of soft fabric, or the gentle smile of a loved one or even a stranger. Find those glimmers! They are there!

Per Taylor Hatmaker in FASTCOMPANY “Your food is full of microplastics-and now we know why”.

“A sweeping study shows how plastic packaging and food processing—even opening a jar—can contaminate what we eat and drink with tiny plastic particles.

A study published… delves into the mystery of how the plastic objects we interact with daily shed tiny particles that creep into our bodies, brains, and guts.

While the scientific focus has long been on how microplastics pollute our environment and impact wildlife, researchers are increasingly raising alarms about how the same contaminants can wreak havoc in the human body.

The new research, published in the journal NPJ Science of Food, wove together data from 100 previous papers that studied microplastics, nanoplastics, and plastic particles. The results were compiled into an open database published by the Food Packaging Forum, a Swiss nonprofit that examines chemicals in food packaging.

Microplastics and nanoplastics are plastic particles in the millimeter-to-nanometer range, with the latter causing even more concern among scientists because their microscopic size makes them able to slip into human cells.

……The new study looked at a broad range of “food contact articles” that included water bottles, cutting boards, food processing equipment, and packaging ranging from food wrappers to tea bags. Most food packaging contains plastic—even many items that seem like they don’t, such as the paper that wraps around cold cuts and cheese, cardboard takeout containers, and glass bottles and jars, which often have a plastic-coated closure.

The authors focused on how everyday objects used as intended can shed microplastics and how that shedding can worsen over the course of repeated interactions. Across 14 different studies, microplastic shedding was found to increase with repeated uses, including screwing a reusable water bottle lid on and off, washing a melamine dish, or putting plastic tableware into contact with hot foods.

……Food and beverage containers can expose the human body to microplastics every time we interact with them but relatively little is still known about how that process works. That mystery is an ominous one, considering how ubiquitous plastics are globally in food packaging and preparation and how their presence is increasingly linked to reproductive, digestive, and respiratory problems, and potentially even colon and lung cancer.

Plastics appear to have no trouble finding their way into the human body. Another recent study found that the adult brain can contain a plastic spoon’s worth of microplastics and nanoplastics, an amount that’s seven to 30 times higher than what might be found in the liver or kidneys. Those kind of findings show that it’s imperative for future research to track down how all of that plastic is finding its way into the human body and what exactly it does once it gets there."

Study after study continues to show us the ill effects of microplastics on our bodies. While it is not possible to eliminate microplastic exposure, it is time to look at our everyday routines and see what we can change to decrease the exposure.

Photo by <a href=“Photo by Astrid Schaffner

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain awareness month. While dementia is not curable, it may be preventable. There is no guaranteed way to prevent dementia. However, research studies have shown that our lifestyle choices can influence our risk of developing dementia. There are 14 health issues that if reduced can prevent about half the cases of dementia in the world. Studies suggest that the risk of dementia is lowest in people who maintain a healthy lifestyle during midlife between 40 to 65 years.

Some things to take into consideration:

Take part in mentally stimulating activities

• Life long learning builds cognitive reserve by continuously challenging your brain with new information and skills

Develop and maintain social connections

• Improved social engagements improves cognition and prevents depression

Head safety

• Traumatic brain injury increases risk of dementia-the risk increases with severity and frequency of head injuries
• Wear protective gear during sports/activities
• Fall prevention in the elderly-remove tripping hazards, improved lighting
• If there is head injury, seek proper medical care and follow up

Improve cardiovascular health

• Treat and prevent hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity

Decrease stress

• mindfulness/meditation
• exercise regularly
• stay social
• get enough sleep/eat healthy

Good quality sleep

• associated with overall improved health and brain function

Diet

• No single food can prevent dementia but eat food rich in antioxidants, omega 3 fatty acids, and nutrients
  • berries(blueberries, raspberries)
  • fatty fish
  • nuts, seeds, lentils
  • avocados
  • olive oil
• Foods with negative affect on cognition: alcohol, sugary drinks, drinks with artificial sweeteners, red meat, ultra-processed foods

Exercise

• Studies have shown that people who exercise may be up to 20% less likely to develop dementia
• Staying active especially in your 40s to 60s seems to be the best way to lower your risk later in life

Hearing and vision loss

• potentially modifiable risk factors
• get regular check ups
• protect yourself from noisy surroundings, wear hearing aids if needed
• wear sunglasses to protect your eyes

Per Derek M. Griffith and Elizabeth C. Stewart, Vanderbilt University in CNN Health “Dads need to make healthy behaviors a part of their lives as they age”.

“If you had to choose, which would you rather have: a healthy father or a good father?

Studies suggest men often choose being a good father over being healthy.

Becoming a father is a major milestone in the life of a man, often shifting the way he thinks from being “me focused” to “we focused.” But fatherhood can also shift how men perceive their health. Our research has found that fathers can view health not in terms of going to the doctor or eating vegetables but how they hold a job, provide for their family, protect and teach their children, and belong to a community or social network.

……While many aspects of gender roles have changed, we have found that many men still recognize they are often defined as good or successful if they have paid employment that is enough to take care of their children and other responsibilities. Fathers generally aspire to be able to look after their children, spouse, partner or other loved ones. That may mean less sleep, longer hours at work and less free time for hobbies and exercise.

Wanting to be a great dad can motivate men to push themselves to work longer and harder than they may have thought possible, but these choices can come at a cost, particularly if they also are not making time to take care of themselves.

As we celebrate fathers, it is important to recognize that fathers, generally speaking, may not place health at the top of their priorities. Many fathers gladly sacrifice to see their children happy, safe and successful. The problem is that if fathers think only about these goals, their own health can often suffer."

On Father’s Day, as we celebrate the many men in our lives, let’s also encourage them to pursue a healthier lifetstye….eating healthy, exercise, going for those routine check-ups, maintaining a healthy weight, self-care, and sleeping well. Afterall, men taking care of their own health will help them take care of their families in the long run.