Archive for the ‘Total Brain Health’ Category

Making Mother’s Day More Memory-Able: Brain Boosting Activities that Celebrate Moms

Monday, May 6th, 2013

This Mother’s Day, why not plan some activities that bring the mothers (and everyone else) in your community the gift of better brain health? Here are some ideas for a few things to do that may be a bit different and will help everyone both celebrate the day and have a chance to exercise their brain in a fun way:

Flower Power Match: Play your own memory matching game using seed packets purchased at the garden store.  Purchase in pairs (two identical packets) at least 10 sets of flower, herb, or vegetable seeds. Remove the seeds (you can save them for another project) and cut out the front of the packets. If needed you can tape or glue the packet fronts to stiffer paper, such as card stock cut to size. Use your seed packet “cards” for a game of memory: Place the cards face down and having clients turn two up at a time. Is it a match? They keep the cards. Non-matching cards are turned back over and the next person then takes their turn. Keep playing until all the “cards” have been picked up. Need to up the ante? Time people’s turn, allowing 30 seconds to make their move, which will make it more challenging. Want to make it more accessible? Leave the packets picture side up, and have folks talk about the item (color, scent, special meaning, etc.) as they identify and pick up a pair.

Mom Songs: Have a sing-a-long that’s all about mom. Ask folks to think of a song that has a particular key word in the title or in the song lyrics. Then have everyone sing the song in whole or in part. Key words for Mother’s Day include: mom, mother, momma, son, daughter, love, family, as well as others you might think of yourself. Make this activity more accessible by bringing in “mom songs” for the group to sing together.

7 Words of Mommy Wisdom:  Wise advice from those in the know can be a valuable gift. What words of wisdom can your folks pass down to new moms (or parents) in just 7 words?  Provide them with a few examples (“sleep and shower when baby is napping”, “raise them well, then let them go”) to get started. Your clients can write their “7 Words of Mommy Wisdom” on index cards. Or have them use them in making Mother’s Day cards that they can also then decorate, which you can then distribute through a local maternity ward or prenatal clinic.

Mom Movie Night. Hold a movie night – or even a film series – that celebrates mothers of all kinds. Suggested films include Gypsy, Mommie Dearest, Stepmom, Mrs. Doubtfire, Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood or Terms of Endearment. Up the brainpower for this activity by holding a discussion after the film about the mother’s character and her impact in the film. Don’t forget the popcorn and other treats.

Happy Mother’s Day from all of us here at Total Brain Health!

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Posted in Aging, Alzheimer's, Brain Fitness, Brain Health, Memory, Memory Improvement, Seven Words of Wisdom, Total Brain Health | 2 Comments »

Too Cool Alert! TBH Fair Program goes Virtual on Second Life

Monday, April 8th, 2013

TBH Coach Lynne Berrett is taking our brain health fair program into the virtual world of Second Life. Opening April 28th, the fair is part of a larger Virtual Ability Mental Health Conference on Second Life, a free 3D virtual world site.  We are proud to have our program go where no brain health fair has gone before! For more information about the Second Life TBH Fair, you can contact Lynne directly at musicandhappiness@gmail.com.

Posted in Aging, Brain Fitness, Brain Health, Memory, Memory Improvement, Total Brain Health | No Comments »

We Are All Memory Champions: Celebrating Our Inner Memory Super Heros

Thursday, March 21st, 2013

The U.S. Memory Championship was held in New York City this past weekend, just on the heels of Brain Awareness Week. It is a fascinating if quirky event, truly an occasion with ancient roots, where competitors vie using the oldest techniques of memorization mastery.

In truth we are all memory champions. While we tend to focus on our forgetfulness, we really remember far more than we forget.  I would even suggest that our cultural preoccupation with forgetting is unhealthy. We’d be much better off forgetting about all this forgetfulness! Let’s focus instead on the incredible job we do remembering, and celebrate our own inner memory super hero.

Here is a simple, fun exercise you can use yourself or with those you care for that will get you really thinking about your inner memory super hero!

This exercise will raise awareness of the marvel that is memory: Practice a “Brain Awareness” Day.  On that day, simply focus on everything you can remember, from who you are to where you are, from how to brush your teeth to how to get to work, from where you left that important folder to the lyrics to a song on the radio to how to get back home. The feats of memory are really astounding once we focus on them, and this exercise is a great way to refocus your sense of your own memory ability.

At the end of these “Brain Awareness” days, it will be easy to see the reasons we all have to stop worrying so much about forgetting and start celebrating our own inner memory super hero.

Happy Memories!

Dr. Green

Posted in Brain Fitness, Memory, Memory Improvement, Total Brain Health | 2 Comments »

How to Have a Healthy Thanksgiving Without Eating Like a Pilgrim | Guest Post by Deane Alban

Wednesday, November 21st, 2012

We are so happy to have the chance to share this guest blog post with our readers! Deane Alban is the force behind bebrainfit.com another great organization promoting better brain health. We hope that you enjoy the post and her practical tips for making Thanksgiving not only a wonderful day of thanks and good company, but also a bit healthier as well.

The first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the early settlers with help from the Native Americans as a way to offer thanks for their surviving another brutal year. They constantly lived with the uncertainty that there would be enough food and this relatively abundant spread was a rare treat for them.

Thanksgiving has evolved into a holiday that revolves around family, food, and sometimes football. Now we don’t have to worry about having enough food to survive, we have to worry about surviving the over-abundance we have!

Not Your Ancestors’ Thanksgiving

The average number of calories in Thanksgiving dinner can reach 4,500 — along with 229 grams of fat. It contains nearly 200 grams of carbohydrates and 2,000 milligrams of sodium, more than is healthy to consume in an entire day. Our traditional Thanksgiving spread bears no resemblance to the original Thanksgiving.

Here are some of the things you wouldn’t have found at the first Thanksgiving – mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, or rolls with butter. They didn’t have sugar, eggs, or dairy so there was no pumpkin pie with whipped cream topping.

What did they eat? Few records exist but accounts show they ate deer, wild fowl (possibly wild turkey), cod, bass, wheat, corn, and barley. There was no specific mention of fruits or vegetables. Other items native to the area that may have been on the menu include clams, mussels, lobster, eel, acorns, walnuts, chestnuts, squash, and beans. There were no alcoholic beverages. Dried wild berries, grapes, or plums may have finished off the meal. Probably not your idea of dessert!

How Much Can One Meal Really Hurt?

Most people convince themselves that they can afford to pig out “just this once” – after all, they’ve looked forward to this meal all year long! They’ve been waiting to eat those delicious dishes that are only prepared at Thanksgiving. And how much can one bad meal really hurt?

Hospitals report a surge in heart attacks around Thanksgiving. The high intake of fat and carbohydrates elevates triglyceride and cholesterol levels. The high sodium content raises blood pressure. The stress of traveling and dealing family adds additional strain the heart. These increase your chances of a heart attack or a stroke. The American Heart Association says if you have heart disease, a big Thanksgiving meal quadruples the risk of having a heart attack.

Massive amounts of gastric acid are produced trying to handle the load of food that can lead to several acid reflux. The high fat content has been known to precipitate a gallbladder attacks.  The average Thanksgiving dinner could be dangerously high in carbohydrates for anyone with diabetes.

Even if you have no serious medical concerns, you’ll probably feel in need of a nap after eating. People blame the tryptophan in the turkey for making them tired, but there isn’t enough tryptophan in a serving of turkey to matter. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to digest so much food at once. While your stomach is hard at work digesting, it pulls blood supply away from other organs for up to six hours, leaving your heart and brain relatively deprived. That’s why you feel comatose after a huge meal.

Recipe for a Healthy Thanksgiving

Fortunately, you don’t have to eat a meal that resembles the first Thanksgiving to have a healthy holiday. Here some steps you can take to stay happy, healthy, and feeling great while enjoying the food you love.

  • Eat a small breakfast and lunch. Starving yourself leads to overeating later.
  • Take a walk earlier in the day. This stimulates enzyme production to help digest the meal.
  • Offer healthier versions of a few side dishes. Have sweet potatoes roasted in olive oil as well as the marshmallow version.
  • The resveratrol in red wine helps offset the side effects of a high fat meal. Have a glass or two, but no more. Getting tipsy leads to mindless overeating.
  • Eat slowly and chew well. Savor each bite. You’ll eat less and enjoy it more.
  • Be selective about what you eat. If you don’t love a particular dish, skip it.
  • Keep the total amount of high carb foods on your plate to a portion the size of your fist. This may mean having only a tablespoon or two of some dishes.
  • Stop eating when you are satisfied. Don’t go back for seconds of unhealthy food. If you are still genuinely hungry get more salad, turkey, or vegetables.
  • Bring your own leftover containers to take home leftovers. Knowing you can have your favorite side dish again removes the need to gorge on it today.
  • After eating, get up and move! Help clear the table, do the dishes, play with the kids, or take the dog for a walk. Plopping down in front of the TV is the worst way to finish off a day of heavy eating.

This isn’t an eating competition! Don’t eat like it’s your last meal, or it just may be. Every year people have fatal heart attacks after dinner, even people who weren’t aware they had an existing health problem.

Remember what Thanksgiving is really for — a celebration of gratitude for the abundance we are blessed with in all areas of our lives. It’s not just about the food.

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Getting Back to Work | Finding Our Focus After Stressful Events

Tuesday, November 13th, 2012

Like many of you, I have a love-hate relationship with deadlines. Nonetheless, I do respect and mostly meet them, if for no other reason than missing a deadline as a memory expert can be, well, difficult to explain. So it was with all good intentions that I sat down the last week of October to write my column for our November newsletter.

Then Superstorm Sandy hit.

The devastation and chaos brought to our region by this historic storm has been heartbreaking and traumatic. Our office and our homes lost power, heat and Internet service for 9 days. Yet that is nothing in comparison to the incalculable suffering experienced by friends, neighbors and our community here in the greater New York metropolitan area. Even as I write this, two weeks after the storm made landfall, thousands remain without power, many without their homes, businesses, or even basic necessities.

Today the governor of New Jersey told us “its time to go back to work.” Yet getting back to work can be difficult, even for those of us who are able to do so. While the danger of the storm has passed and a sense of normalcy has been restored for most of the region, a lingering sense of emotional disquiet remains. I have been hearing from many of you about how hard it is to get back to business as usual. Frankly, I’ve been having a tough time with it myself.

Why is it so challenging to get our minds back on track after a traumatic or unsettling event like Sandy? The events of the past two weeks have been distracting and disruptive to our routine, and regrouping from such incidents can take time. In addition, traumatic events can take a toll on our lifestyle, causing us to sleep poorly, eat or  drink more than usual, and generally feel more distressed.

So what can we do to regain our focus? Here are some simple strategies I have been using the past few days that have helped me get back to work:

  • Re-establish Routine. Getting back to your work routine as quickly as possible is one of the best ways you can get your mind back on the job. If you find it too difficult to stay on task, try writing out a work schedule with expectations and deadlines (yes, those deadlines!). Stick to that plan as a way of re-training yourself to stay on task and get your work done.  I found this especially helpful in freeing myself from the compulsion to constantly check the news in the aftermath of the storm.
  • Get Back to Your Lifestyle. When disaster strikes, our usual healthy lifestyle habits may fall by the wayside. This can be especially true if we are displaced or under great stress. Many folks are now joking about the “Sandy 5,” which resulted from lots of comfort driven eating and drinking (not to mention unclaimed Halloween candy). Now is the time to get disciplined again. Get back to the gym, plan healthy meals, and limit your alcohol intake. If your sleep pattern is still disrupted, try deep breathing or other relaxation strategies to help you fall asleep. Try some lavender oil, which has been found to promote relaxation and alleviate anxiety.
  • De-Stress. Events like Sandy can be stressful for many of us, no matter how distant we may be from the actual area affected by the storm. We are moved by the plight of others, and can often feel more vulnerable and uncertain when faced with the unpredictability of such disasters. Be kind to yourself, and allow yourself and those around you time to heal. Treat yourself to more time with a favorite activity, give an extra hug, take a few minutes to practice a simple meditation or affirmation.
  • Keep Company. Staying social can help you get back in focus and offer you the comfort of companionship. Make plans with family and friends, even for a casual dinner or quick walk in the park. We were blessed with generous neighbors who hosted several families in the two weeks after the storm, giving us great company and many wonderfully memorable meals (in fact, it was actually hard to leave).
  • Help Others. Reaching out and helping others is a wonderful way to regain your footing and re-establish community after a traumatic event. My daughter and I spent our first days back home gathering coats, clothes and other household items to donate for those in areas most affected by the storm. Friends held an impromptu pizza party for a wonderful, dedicated group of repair personnel who came from Arkansas to assist in the recovery efforts. Check on an elderly neighbor, volunteer to make dinner for folks in need, or make a donation to help through an established organization.

I hope that you find these strategies help get your mind back in focus and on the job whenever great challenges strike. They made a big difference for me this week.  While I may be a bit behind schedule, I am ever grateful to be back at my desk, thinking clearly and making new deadlines.

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Hot Topic: Traumatic Brain Injury – 4 Things You Need to Know

Friday, July 27th, 2012

August is upon us. Now is the time when we revel in the remaining days of summer, and get in our last licks of outdoor fun (bike ride, anyone?). Football season is coming and high school sports practices begin. It’s a great time to learn more about a brain health issue that can affect any of us at any time, no matter our age, gender or athletic ability.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as concussion or closed head injury, is a major public health concern. The Centers for Disease Control report between 1.7 and 3.8 million cases of TBI in the United States occur annually. This is an astounding rate, especially when compared to the annual incidence rates of more recognized ailments such as breast cancer (176,300) or HIV/AIDS (43,681). Yet experts agree that even these high numbers probably grossly underestimate the incidence of such brain injuries, as they often go undiagnosed and unreported.

In addition, TBIs are associated with approximately 30.5% of injury-related deaths each year. Clearly this is something we should all know more about.

What is your TBI IQ?  Here are 4 things about TBI that you may not know:

1. TBIs Can Show Up In Many Ways.  TBI is caused by impact to the brain resulting from a direct or indirect impact to the head, face, neck, or elsewhere. You do not need to lose consciousness or experience serious symptoms at injury to have had a TBI. Additional symptoms of TBI include behavioral or emotional changes, diffuse physical complaints such as headaches, sleep disturbance, and cognitive changes including slower reaction times, difficulty concentrating, or feeling like you can’t think clearly or are in a “fog.” The more subtle symptoms associated with TBI can make it harder to recognize and easier to shrug off. However the growing body of clinical research underscores the importance of recognizing, assessing and treating all TBIs, no matter how “minor.” 

2. TBIs Can Have Long-Term Consequences. More and more studies suggest that having a TBI, especially more than once, may have long-term consequences. Several studies in retired professional football players with a history of multiple TBI have found that they are at increased risk for memory impairment and dementia. In addition, Canadian researchers recently reported that former athletes who suffered a concussion over 30 years previously showed decreased cognitive performance and abnormal findings on brain MRI when compared with a similarly aged group who did not sustain such injuries. Taken together, these studies raise questions about the long-term impact of TBI for all of us, even if we do not play a professional sport. A review published last month by leading experts in the field proposes that repeated TBIs may cause a cascade of physiological changes in the brain that accelerate cognitive aging.

3. TBIs Can Affect Anybody, Even You and Me. Unlike most brain health issues, TBI is of concern for all of us, no matter what our age, gender or occupation. The age groups at greatest risk for TBI are children ages 0-4, teens, and older adults over 65. Falls are the second most frequent cause of TBI among the frail elderly and the very young, with adults over 75 having the highest incidence of reported TBI. About 50 percent of reported TBIs are the result of motor vehicle, bicycle, or pedestrian-vehicle incidents. Car accidents are the highest cause of head injury in adolescents. Teens are also at greater risk for sports-related concussions, which often may go unnoticed or unreported. Studies suggest that young female athletes may be more vulnerable to TBI. In a recent report in the June 2012 issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine researchers at Michigan State University found that younger female athletes take longer to recover from TBI-related symptoms than their male counterparts. Finally, our troops are experiencing higher rates of documented TBI, in part due to changes in combat technology. TBI has been called “the signature wound” of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars due to the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Sources estimate that as many as 20% of our soldiers serving in these areas will experience a TBI.

4. There are Things You Should Do About TBI. As research interest in closed brain injury grows, there is much we can learn about TBI, including what we can do to “mind our brains” when it comes to this increasingly common brain health concern. Here are a few steps to consider to lower TBI risk for yourself and others in your family, and some things you should know if you or someone you care for experiences a TBI:

  • Protect Yourself. There are many common-sense steps we can all take to lower our risk for TBI. Wear helmets (and insist that others do as well) for high impact sports, such as cycling, skateboarding and skiing. Your helmet should fit snugly and comfortably.  And it should be strapped! Wearing a helmet unstrapped may seem “cool,” but a helmet won’t do much if it flies off your head at impact. Finally, parents need to wear helmets, too.  Insisting that your kids wear helmets and then leaving them off your own head isn’t setting a very good example. Always use seat belts in the car – it’s not only a good idea but also the law in most states. Finally, look for and remove tripping hazards around the house, such as small area rugs or electric cords, all of which are a very significant trip risk especially for older adults.
  • Take Care of Your Athlete. If you have a child who participates in sports, check if their school or team requires baseline cognitive testing. Such tests offer a guideline when assessing a TBI injury, and many school districts now mandate such tests for participation in their athletic programs. Insist that your athlete use appropriate protective gear. Finally, if your athlete is injured, make sure that they receive appropriate assessment and treatment, and are given plenty of time to heal completely and are cleared by a doctor prior to returning to play. Be sensitive to any uncharacteristic changes in mood, attention, or academic performance, which may be signs of a missed TBI.
  • Anything Else I Should Know? Researchers are just beginning to understand more about the reasons individuals have different courses of outcome from TBI. One theory recently discussed suggests that having greater cognitive resources, or Cognitive Reserve, may reduce risk for the long-term consequences seen in repeated TBI. This argument is particularly interesting from a brain health perspective, as studies have previously shown that folks who are intellectually engaged over their lifetime may have an associated lower risk for dementia, perhaps due to greater Cognitive Reserve. Certainly staying intellectually engaged is simply just a good idea, as such activities appear to be protective for long-term brain health.

Have you or someone in your family experienced a TBI? What did you find helpful to know or do? Would you have done anything differently? Do you have any advice for other readers? We’d love to hear from you.

Want more information on concussion?  Visit the Centers for Disease Control website to learn more.

Happy memories!

Dr. Green

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“A Mad Obsession” : On Poetry and Brain Health

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

What is it about a poem? We seem to have fallen out of the habit of reading, studying, let alone writing poetry. Yet there can be nothing quite like a stanza of fine poetic prose to bring us back to a moment, move us to tears, or force us to think about something twice.

April is National Poetry Month, and a good time for us to reflect on why poetry is good for our minds (and for our souls, but that we’ll have to leave for later). Poetry is just one of the many different, often unexpected ways we can keep our brains challenged and vibrant. Numerous studies have shown that intellectually engaging activities such as reading or writing poetry can be critical to maintaining our mental acuity and potentially reducing our risk for dementia over our lifetimes. While many activities can provide us with the “stretch” we need to stay sharp and ward off memory loss, engaging with poetic verse is one of my personal favorites.

Why is poetry good for our brains? First, poetry engages our minds. Often we read passively or simply to learn what we need to know. We cannot do this with a poem. By its very nature, a good poem asks us to delve a bit deeper to best discern its intention.  Second, poetry gets our creative juices flowing. Whether we read or even choose to write verse, poetry forces us to think out of our own box or experience. Finally, since poems come in all sizes, we can all find a poem to engage with no matter how short we are on time, making it an intellectual exercise that fits all time budgets.

Dr. Milton Ehrlich is a clinical psychologist who has in recent years become a prolific poet. Now 80 year old, Dr. Ehrlich first began writing poems when he began to work part-time at age 70, leaving him with more time to pursue what had always been an interest he had limited opportunity to explore earlier. “I’m now passionate about trying to master the craft of writing poems” writes Dr. Ehrlich. “I am always working on a poem and seem to crank out a new poem almost every week. I think about it all the time. Some would call it a mad obsession.” Ehrlich’s body of work is quite varied, but reflects a comfort in exploring our inner psychic world, with all its contradictions and conflicts, yet bound by a wisdom and integrity reached through experience.  “Writing a poem that works always stems from the unconscious. When the reader is moved, the poem succeeds.” Dr. Ehrlich has published over 50 poems and three books of his poetry, including his latest collection, “Trying in Vain to Remember Who I Am.” With his permission, I am happy to share with you one of his recent poems:

 

      VINTAGE LOVERS           

We keep each other warm

Bound together by the rich loam

Of collective memory

Libidinal heat still radiates

Touches that could melt a glacier

Glow red with warmth from a setting sun

With tender words and no apology

Refugees of aging examine

The geology of bodies gone awry

Old age is skating over thin ice

Marinated souls move

In slow synchrony

When remaining days are few

They climb over dusty books

And read to each other

Worn out bodies bend, break, and fall apart

These are the cracks

That let the light shine through

 

May National Poetry Month, Dr. Ehrlich’s work and his example of a “mad obsession” explored later in life be an inspiration to all of us looking to use such creative outlets to keep our minds vibrant and keen.

To learn more about the poetry of Dr. Milton Ehrlich, visit his website at www.milton.ehrlich.com. You can also view his books of poetry by clicking here.

Vintage Lovers© Milton Ehrlich 2012. Reprinted with permission.

This piece was previously published on Dr. Green’s column for the Huffington Post.

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