BeingHealthy.TV » Brain

Study: Olive Oil May Fight Alzheimer’s

Talli van Sunder — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 13:00:26 +0000

Photo by Monica Ongpin via Flickr

Of the many words that we dread hearing, one of the most dreaded is Alzheimer’s. Many people fear losing themselves or their family members to this degenerative brain disease that not only makes us forget who we are and the names of our friends and family, but is also fatal. Alzheimer’s disease is no joke. It is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States and currently has no cure.

Alzheimer’s kills brain cells, which leads to memory loss and to changes in our behavior and thoughts, affecting our activities of daily living and social life. However, even though the outlook for Alzheimer’s looks bleak, there is a worldwide effort to find better treatments to prevent the disease from developing.

Study:
The in vitro findings of a team of researchers from Monell Center and Northwestern University may hold the key to preventing and treating Alzheimer’s disease. These researchers studied the affects of oleocanthal (a natural compound found in extra-virgin olive oil) on highly toxic proteins that are believed to contribute to the degenerative effects of Alzheimer’s. They incubated these toxic proteins with oleocanthal and found that the oleocanthal altered the structure of the proteins by making them bigger. This affected the proteins’ ability to bind to neural synapses and damage brain nerve cells. They also discovered that oleocanthal made these toxic proteins more accessible to antibodies. This looks like a very promising area of study that may lead to a way to slow or halt the progress of Alzheimer’s.

What does this mean?
This means we are getting closer to find a cure for this debilitating disease. However, studies have to move out of in vitro tests and into clinical trials before we’ll know how effective oleocanthal would be for Alzheimer’s treatments. So, only time will tell. Until then, I’ll continue eating extra-virgin olive oil, regularly. After all, it is healthy in many other ways and it is rich in oleocanthal, which may prevent or decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s.

Source: Monell Chemical Senses Center

BH4BP #39 – Headaches: A Pain In the Neck…I Mean Head

Talli van Sunder — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:00:17 +0000

Photo by Migraine Chick

Almost everyone has experienced a headache at one time or another. Headaches are one of the most common human ailments, after all. For most people, headaches are an infrequent annoyance that occur only a few times a year and rarely get in the way of everyday life. But for others, headaches can bring disabling pain that can last for days or weeks!

Since headaches affect so many people, I decided that talking about ways to reduce the effects of headaches would go a long way toward helping many of you live a little healthier and happier. Thus, in this show, I discuss what headaches are and ways to avoid or minimize tension headaches, migraines and cluster headaches.

Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia, Mayo Clinic, medicinenet.com and American Headache Society.

The Blog Posts for this week are:

If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review. It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners. Thanks for listening, everyone!

BH4BP #38 – Memory: Maintain Your Mental Might!

Talli van Sunder — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:00:05 +0000

Photo by dbking via Flickr

In some ways, your brain functions like a muscle. If you don’t use it, you lose it. If you train it though, it works better. The more you challenge your brain, the better you are able to process and remember information and the better your memory is. So, if you think you have poor memory, there is still hope. You can take steps to improve it.

This episode is the second part of a two part series on memory. For those of you that are new to this podcast, make sure to download and listen to last week’s show, #37 first. In this show, I will give you tips and strategies to sharpen your mind and improve your memory.

Other episodes referenced in the podcast are:

Dealing with Stress: Parts 1 and 2 (Shows #31 and #32)
Trouble Sleeping? (Show #15)

Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia, www.fi.edu and helpguide.org.

The Blog Posts for this week are:

If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review. It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners. Thanks for listening, everyone!

BH4BP #37 – What’s Up With My Memory?

Talli van Sunder — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:00:20 +0000

Photo by Brian Hillegas via Flickr

If you’ve ever forgotten where you put your keys, couldn’t remember the name of a movie or walked into a room and for the life of you couldn’t remember why you were there, this is the episode for you.

This is the first in a two part series on memory. In this show, I discuss what memory is, how aging affects memory and the warning signs of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s. The following week in show #38, I will go over ways to keep your mind supple, active and sharp as you grow older. Your brain is like a muscle. If you don’t use it, you lose it

Some references I used while researching this show are The New Wellness Encyclopedia, Wikipedia and helpguide.org.

The Blog Posts for this week are:

If you like the show, please head on over to iTunes and give me a nice review. It’s a great way to give me some good exposure and can help me get more listeners. Thanks for listening, everyone!

Exercise Your Most Important Muscle!

Talli van Sunder — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 17:00:09 +0000

Photo by Zanastardust via Flickr

We all know that exercise is important, but today I want to talk about a different kind of exercise. We all need a regular regimen of exercise to keep our muscles in tip top shape. However, we can’t forget the most important muscle that we have. I’m talking about your brain.

Why workout your brain?
People often don’t think about the fact that you have to challenge yourself mentally or your brain will decline in function. Studies have shown that failing to challenge the brain could actually result in Alzheimer’s and possibly dementia. Those are conditions you definitely want to avoid.

How should I exercise my brain?
How you workout your brain depends on your interests, but remember, you don’t have to be good at whatever activity you choose. In fact, that’s the point. By tackling something that you’re not good at, you have a chance to really challenge your brain. If you’re very good at the activity already, it doesn’t stimulate your brain very much. It’s similar to how a short walk doesn’t challenge a marathoner, but swimming some laps will. Here are a few things you could try, but remember this is hardly a definitive list. It’s just a few ideas to get you started.

Do puzzles or brain teasers: Want to challenge your brain? Try some brain teasers or puzzles. If you don’t know where to find some, try one of the brain teasers on sharpbrains.com. Or, if you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, download one of the puzzle games available on the Apple app store such as a version of Sudoku or Wurdle. (Many other mobile devices have equivalent programs, but I only own an iPhone.)
Go to a museum: They are a great place to learn about historical events, art, natural history and the community. There are museums for almost everything you are interested in and learning is a great way to stimulate your brain. For maximum effect, go to a museum about a subject you know little about and learn as much as you can.
Learn how to sing or act: Learning something outside your normal experience can be beneficial to sharpening your mind and singing or acting are extremely different from the activities that most of us pursue on a daily basis.
Learn a new language: Learning a language can be very stimulating for the brain. It involves memory, comprehension and creativity. As a bonus, you’ll be able to speak a new language, which is always fun, and can be beneficial in the long run if you travel.
Read: Reading is not only fun and entertaining, but it helps stimulate your mind and keeps it sharp by introducing you to new topics.
Introduce something new to your routine: Doing something new on a daily basis, challenges your brain, gives it new pathways to process and keeps it sharp. So try cooking a different recipe, traveling to a new destination or taking up a new hobby.

The key is to push your brain into doing something new or difficult fairly frequently because it will exercise your brain and keep it sharp as you age. Don’t forget the old saying, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” And the worst thing to lose, is your mind.