Encouraging words can have powerful effects. For instance, halftime inspirational pep talks by sports coaches are famous for getting athletes to improve their performance. But now medical researchers have found that other types of words can help you alter your own physiology and brain function. They can make you measurably stronger and less susceptible to [...]
One of the paradoxes of brain health is that while your body can make its own brain and memory-boosting chemicals, it often won’t if you don’t have the right lifestyle habits. But that’s the way the human body is designed. You have to be smart about your daily habits if you want to make your [...]
Super-agers – people of advanced age who have hung onto their mental capacity -- are known to suffer much the same atrophy and degenerative changes seen in people with advanced Alzheimer's. How can these old-but-still-bright seniors maintain healthy cognitive function even though their brains are as physically wrecked as people with a deadly disease? To [...]
"Sit up straight. Don't slouch!" Perhaps you remember this rebuke from your parents or teachers. We should have listened to them. Back in 1984 a US study found 58 per cent of teenage boys and 30 per cent of girls had spinal damage. Just imagine what a study carried out today would reveal about the [...]
In the midst of our junk-food-addled, sleep-deprived, over-medicated culture, there exists at least one popular trend that’s good for our brains: The near-death of the necktie. The traditional suit for males is still hanging on – barely -- but the necktie that used to go with it has nearly disappeared. You may see ties at [...]
If you’ve been with us for a while, you’re aware that the right nutrients in fruits and vegetables can improve the way your brain functions and ages. But researchers have now also found that the color scheme that surrounds you in your daily life exerts a strong influence on how your mind works. Some colors help [...]
Relationship advice columnist Wendy Atterberry believes there are 15 issues every couple must discuss before tying the knot. As well as more obvious ones concerning children and career plans, they include the type of mattress to sleep on, whether to have a TV in the bedroom and where to take vacations. But there was one [...]
Every 24 hours your brain engages in an activity that helps preserve your memories, re-energize your thinking abilities and defend against problems like Alzheimer’s. But as you enter middle-age and beyond, unless you’re careful to help your brain regenerate itself in this way every day, you increase your chances of memory loss and other symptoms [...]
After reviewing hundreds of studies, a number of researchers have concluded that light to moderate alcohol intake, particularly red wine, lowers the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. But before you reach for the corkscrew, you need to be aware that research results on brain health are inconsistent. Other studies associate moderate drinking with brain [...]
They cost billions, yet have ended in almost total failure. 244 clinical trials were conducted to test new drugs for Alzheimer's between 2002 and 2012, yet only one of the pharmaceuticals showed any benefit, and even this had hardly any impact on the disease. Developing a drug to target a single aspect of brain chemistry hasn't worked. [...]
