RAI FITNESS 1ANTI-AGING STRATEGIES FOR ACHIEVING
1
SUPER MIND POWER
ROBERT GOLDMAN,
M.D., D.O., PH.D.,
PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SPORTS MEDICINE
WITH
RONALD KLATZ,
M.D., D.O.,
PRESIDENT, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ANTI-AGING MEDICINE
ISA BERGE
U.S.
Within these pages you
$24.95
will find all the
how
date, cutting-edge information on
/CANADA $35.95
most up-t
to boost brai
power, improve memory, concentration, and creativil
and keep your mind super-fit
—
as long as you
The most important organ we possess
is
our brain.
liv
is
It
our
remarkable brainpower that sets us apart from other species and
makes us
special.
And
like
can be made stronger with consistent
effort,
can be expanded and strengthened.
too,
of us
is
Anti-Aging Medicine, tips
all
our brainpower,
In fact,
each one
capable of developing Super Mind Power.
As cofounder and director Dr.
of the
American Academy
lives,
of
Robert Goldman has at his finger-
of the latest scientific research
can do not only our
our muscles, which
on what each of us
mental powers throughout
to retain all our
but also to actually strengthen and improve our
mind power as we age. Now he shares that information,
in
layman's terms, with numerous self-tests, charts, and quizzes, so that
we
all
can improve memory, sharpen con-
centration, reduce stress, learn to sleep better, all
—
man
ward
off
—
above
the devastation of Alzheimer's disease. Gold-
discusses the
minerals,
and
many
nutritional
supplements, vitamins,
and medications that have been proved
enhance mental
fitness, providing specific
mens. But he also goes beyond
doses and
to
regi-
this, detailing particular
exercises, activities, and lifestyle techniques designed to
sharpen mental acuity. Each chapter ends with a "Brief Refresher" chart of the strategies discussed, and the book
concludes with an Appendix detailing an overall plan for pursuing Super Mind Power on
As medicine continues
becomes more
vital for
us
all
new millennium.
fronts.
increase longevity, and
to
and vigorous, Brain Fitness bible for the
all
to
is
it
keep the mind healthy
destined to become our
FlYG^tl
BY THE SAME AUTHOR Death
in the
Death
Locker Room: Steroids, Cocaine, and Sports
in the
Locker
Room
II.
Drugs and Sports
The "E" Factor Seven Anti -Aging Secrets
Stopping the Clock
The Science of Anti -Aging Medicine Advances
in
Anti-Aging Medicine
Anti-Aging Medical Therapeutics,
Vol. I
Anti-Aging Medical Therapeutics,
Vol. II
N
(2fiu~
K
/A
ANTI-AGING FOR ACh SUPER M I
DOUBLEDAY NEW YORK LONDON TORONTO SYDNEY AUCKLAND
PUBLISHED BY DOUBLEDAY
Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group,
a division of
1540 Broadway,
DOUBLEDAY and
New
York
the portrayal of an anchor with division of
a
New
Inc.
York 10036
dolphin are trademarks of Doubleday, a
Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group,
Inc.
Book design by Chris Welch Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Goldman, Robert, 1955-
mind power
Brain fitness: anti-aging strategies for achieving super
with Ronald Klatz and Lisa Berger.
—
/
Robert M. Goldman
1st ed.
cm.
p.
Includes bibliographical references and index. 1.
Cognition 4. I.
—Age Stress
factors.
2.
Memory
management.
Klatz, Ronald,
5.
—Age
Aging.
1955-
II.
.
3.
—
Aging
Sleep
—Age
Prevention.
Berger, Lisa.
BF724.55.A35G64 153.
factors.
6.
III.
Title.
1999
l'2— dc21
98-18785
CIP
ISBN 0-385-48864-5 Copyright
©
1999 by Robert Goldman, M.D., and Lisa Berger All Rights
Printed
in
Reserved
the United States of America
January 1999 First 1
3579
Edition 10
8642
factors.
To
all
the great scientists past, present, and future seeking to unlock
the secrets of the
human
and grandmother Rose,
brain,
my parents Arnold my mind and being.
and to
who shaped
and Alice
^©DC^OWLlPd^l^TT
There were many challenges with induced to present
scientific information
vealing private past laborators, Dr.
this project, especially since
life
experiences.
I
from
would
Ronald Klatz and Lisa Burger,
and professionalism,
book agent Gail
my
Ross.
I
was
a personal angle re-
like to
thank
my
col-
for their astute insight
publisher Doubleday and Judith Kern, and
My
thanks to the following individuals
who
provided information, data, personal interviews, and ancillary support for the project.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, William Shatner, Dan Rutz (CNN), Dr.
Tom
Deters {Muscle and
(Howard
University),
Fitness),
Don
Jack LaLanne, Dr. Venon
Yaeger
(Sports Illustrated), Dr.
John Abdo, Dr. Thomas Allen, Neil Spruce,
Grahm, Anthony Barone, Lyle Hurd,
Dr.
Phil
Howard
Ben Weider,
Broxham, Stedman
Dharma Singh
Khalsa, Dr.
Eric Braverman, Dr. Steven Sinatra, Dr. Steven Novil, Dr. Thierry
Hertoghe, Dr. Kelvin Brockbank, Dr. Michael Taylor, Dr. Aftab
Ahmed, Warren
Preis, Phil Scotti,
Bob Brahm
Perris Calderon, Dr.
Michael Crohn, Joe Shultz, Leslie Cohen, Alan Tamshen, Martin
Glen
Silverberg, Steven Speigle,
Braswell, Ali Berman,
Ben Lew,
Bryon Klein, Paul and Sandy Bernstein, Mauricio Fernandez, June Colbert, Paul Chua, Darryll and Jo Burleigh,
G. K. Goh, Leong
Andy Handayanto,
Ooi,
Brun, Will and Dr. Steve
Norm
Kheong, Yew Lin Goh,
T. T. Duarai,
Ron
Kahn, Alan and Cory Dropkin, Mark
Ali
Pam Kagan, Joe
Dabish, Rob Romano,
and Claire Bernstein, Jerry and Goldie
Vitale,
Klatz, Sparky Bern-
Harry Schwartz, Dr. Nick DeNubulie, Bob Delmontique, Dr.
stein,
Dari
Wah
Chan Boon Young,
Ann
Ungaretti, Royalynn Aldrich,
Graham and Kathryn
Put-
nam, Steve Groshek, Eve Magnet, Paul and Mark Goldman, Susan Greenberg, Dr. Brad Grant, Judy Heifitz, Dr. Harold Hakes, Dr.
Deborah Heath, Alex Tomspon,
Kenny Wong,
Peter Julian,
Dr. Arthur Heath, Louis Habash,
Sumner and Georgia Katz, Joy Knapp,
Mitch Kaufman, Leon Locke, Dr. Ron Lawrence, Jim Lorimer, Jake Alan Mintz, John Adams, Gary Vogel, Jim and Debbi
Steinfeld, Dr.
Manion, Sandi
Renalli, Dr. Art
Grannen, Joe
tonja, Richard Ornstein, Stu
Tom
Nahas, Tony
Dee, Mel Rich, Steve Stern, Eric
Perle, Dr.
Greg Rilmore, Rick Merner, Tim
Rafael San-
Partipilo, Javier Pollock,
Glen Pollock, Brenda Payne, Kim Bardley,
Purvis,
Robins,
Little, Dr.
Tom
Jeff Plitt,
Bob
Rasandich, Arlene
Shiner, Sylvia Lugibihl, Ida
Olivos, Schinna Harris, Vicki Joy, Mildred Bonner, Dr. Jerry Rodos, Eric Roper,
Amy
Sklar,
Dr. Phil Santiago,
and
Tammy
Steve Sokol, Steve Schussler, Larry Strickler,
Anne
Sobel,
Lome
Caplan, David Kravitz, Gary
Strauch, Sharon Ringer, Bettie and Joseph Whitaker,
Stacy Seigle, Richard Yong, Felix Lee,
Aung,
Sudisana
Sukama,
Eve
Tomzak, Jay and Tracy Tuerk,
U
Taliferro,
Titus
Maung Swe, U Hla Tom Merridith, Mike
Tin
and Vicki Marincas, George and
Maria Iusco, Dr. Bob Voy, Carole Weidman, Eric Weider, Joe Weider,
Ken
Wilson,
Burdy,
Mary
Dave Zelon, Nancy Smith, Pamela
Ellen
Maunz,
Lisa
Travis, Isabella
Meacham, and Debra
Battjes.
(g®MTi[MT
INTRODUCTION. DR. BOB'S SUPER MIND Exceptional Super
Mind Power
ONE. WISE UP: RAISE
4
YOUR INTELLIGENCE
Lessons from Seattle and Baltimore The
POWER
Seattle Longitudinal
Study
10
1
The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging [BLSA]
What's Your Intelligence Profile?
A
15
Personal Mental Agility Program Assess
How
Assess Your
Capture
You Learn Best
Exercise to
A
Pump Up
Cognitive Cocktail
26 29
Information
Cement Your Sharpened
21
23
Thought Process
New
36
Intelligence
Learning 41
9
39
14
CONTENTS
X
TWO. DETAIL POWER: IMPROVING RECALL AND FIGHTING MEMORY LOSS 45
A Memory Acid Test
46
Good Times
Recognizing Old Friends, Reliving
Memory
Kinds of
49
Your Aging Memory:
What Gets
Better
Brain Foods
55
Try a Shot oj Sugar
55
On the Fat On the Pasta
Memory
57 57
Memory
Minerals
Vitamin Power
Memory
58 59
60 64
Pills
Hormone Therapy
68
69
Estrogen
A Mother Hormone for Men
and Women
Human Growth Hormone (hGH) Protect Yourself with Exercise
Smell Your
Way
to a Better
Memory
Builders
81
Memory
Poisons
82
On
the Horizon:
News
A
to
Stays,
56
Powerful Nutrient
Grease Your
What
55
The Glory of Garlic
Pile
Goes,
52
Bring
A
What
Personal
74 76
Memory
A Well-Tuned Mind
Watch For
86
Memory Program
71
88
79
85
47
2
CONTENTS THREE. SLEEPING BETTER: FINDING
POWER
SLEEP
96
Your Sleeping Brain
98
Why Do We
YOUR PERSONAL
95
Flying into Difficult Sleep Inside
Sleep?
102
Sleep Robbers: Varieties of Insomnia The Air
Robber-. Sleep
Apnea
1
Suddenly Asleep: Narcolepsy in
Sleep Debt?
113
Enough?
115
How Much
Is
As You Grow Older
1
Finding Dreamland Sleep Potions
09 1
09
1 1
Another Sleep -Stealing Hormone
Are You
1
Mental Disorders
Sleeplessness Associated with
Sex Hormones
104
07
Constant Motion: Restless Leg Syndrome
Sliding
XI
1 1
112
18
120
125 125
Foods, Drinks, Herbs Sleeping Pills
1
Sleep Hygiene
27
130
Increasing Your Personal Sleep
Power
131
FOUR. BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS: BEATING STRESS
A
Beast with
Two Heads
What
Stress
Does
to the
What
Stress
Does
to
151
and Aging
155
Taming the Beast
158
Coping Techniques Exercise
1
159
59
Diet and Nutrition
Body
142
Your Mind and Brain
Individual Stress Signs Stress
140
1
64
146
137
61
3
CONTENTS
XII
Relaxation and Breathing
Making
How Do
for
You Deal with
72
You
178
Stress?
181
CEREBRAL SECURITY: HEADING OFF ALZHEIMER'S DEMENTIA 185
FIVE.
Family Fears:
Am
Work
Stress
1
Who, When and How
Getting
I
195
Virus Involved?
Way oj Eating
Poison Minerals
Ways The
1
97
198
to Protect Yourself
199
Low Blood
Nun Study
More
Protection: Antioxidants
205
NSAIDs
206
A Lifesaving Hormone? Help from DHEA 2 Less Fat,
A Long It
More
Shot:
or Lose
Slowing
It
207 1
Fish
21
The Nicotine Patch It:
Education
Down
New Compounds
SIX.
Horizon
21
21
Going After Free Radicals
the
212
215
The Calcium Route
On
Sugar, Lowered Stroke Risk
201
Anti -Inflammatories:
Use
195
Electricity Connection?
Solid Protection:
191
194
Stressed-out Brain Cells
An
217
220 222
THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN: SEXUAL STIM
Sex Hormones
186
188
Solving Mysteries About Causes
The American
Hits
188
It?
Diagnosis Difficulties
A
It
231
The Take-Charge Hormone:
Testosterone
233
227
199
1
CONTENTS 236
The Sap of Life-. Estrogen
His and Hers
239
More Hormones
to
Luteinizing
Your Relationships
243
244
Vasopressin
[Dehydroepiandrosterone]
244
245
Pheromones
246
(Phenylethylamine)
Mastering Your Emotions to
242
243
Oxytocin
How
241
243
Prolactin
PEA
Muddy
Hormone Releasing Hormone (LHRH)
Progesterone
DHEA
XIII
246 246
Find Happiness
248
Eating for a Better Sex Life
Cultivating Emotional Smarts
Hormonal Heads-Up
253 253
Acknowledge Strengths Sexual Savvy
252
253
SEVEN. MIND CALM: HOPE FOR THE WORRIED WELL Shades of Blue
258 261
Secrets of Serotonin
An
Essential Lubricant
It's
the
263
265
Herbal Relief
Sweat Out
Sadness
266
Not Always Depression: Attention Getting Control
Always on Edge
273
276
The Hangover Headache
111
lighten Up: Fighting Tension Headaches Hitting Back-. Treatment to
See a
Doctor
Headache Facts
Deficit Disorder
11 ^
Headaches and Migraines
When
257
282
278 28
278
268
CONTENTS
XIV
Don't Ignore That
Head Bang
282
APPENDIX
A:
GLOSSARY
APPENDIX
B:
NUTRITIONAL NOOTROPICS
APPENDIX
C:
SPECIAL BRAIN NUTRIENT
288 302
PROGRAMS
304
APPENDIX D: MEDICAL CENTERS SPECIALIZING IN TREATMENTS FOR COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT AND ANTI-AGING 308 APPENDIX E: SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND SUPPORT 310
APPENDIX
F:
KIDS' BRAIN FITNESS
APPENDIX
G:
THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF
ANTI-AGING MEDICINE INDEX
321
316
313
^ ^©T| T®
The information here knowledge and your
is
TTfrfli
d3i^©[i^
intended to complement your personal
doctor's care.
The
suggestions in this
book
should not replace the advice of your personal physician. You should consult with your doctor before making any changes in the care or
treatment of
book so
if
is
a
medical condition.
general and
may
Much
of the information in this
not apply to your particular circumstances,
you develop any medical problems or symptoms,
doctor
first.
talk to
your
°} Sj
r&>
LK
/s\ Z^
^OT^
U
LKU
Introduction
^©11^
[MOM®
We
all
sleep
want
to be smarter
and more
and better handle the
throws our way.
I
powerful the mind can make
be pushed. The mind can think yourself
is
fat,
alert, to
stresses
and
require less
strains that life
have always been fascinated with us feel
and how
so closely linked to the
how
far the inner self can
body
that
you
really
thin, sick, healthy, poor, rich, a loser, or a
winner.
Having competed
for
many
years on the world level as a strength
and having studied the martial
athlete,
arts since
long experienced the Super Powers of the Mind. records,
I
did not accomplish that goal with
my teens, When set I
I
have
world
body or muscle power
my mind. When performed karate board or brick breaks, it was my mind and inner chi that allowed my hand to pass so easily through those barriers. The more challenged my but with the power of
I
I
body and mind, the more respect
I
gained for
this intricately
tuned
synergy the Greeks spoke of centuries ago. The mind-body link reality,
and
I
wanted
to learn every technique of
how
to
is
a
meld the
INTRODUCTION
2
two, and so increase
my
brainpower, memory, concentration, focus,
imagination, and creativity. That was the impetus for writing this
book, putting together
Mind
manual" for building Super
a "user's
Power.
As
a
young
child,
marveled
I
at
to this country at age twelve not
money
my
grandmother Rose. She came
knowing the language and with no
or family support, but she had the mental
tude to raise and protect eight children.
power and
forti-
was the force of her mind
It
and personality that forged the bond among scores of grandchiland even great-great-grandchildren. At
dren, great-grandchildren,
the end of her
and humor. Her
tion, sip
at ninety-five,
life,
she
possessed wit, concentra-
still
selective hearing could filter out useless gos-
and pick out important conversations twenty-five yards away.
She was
Mind
my
first
I
was
a teenager,
enormous power and across the
Though
literally
room with
One
of
my
a blur.
When
I
centration and
he was
much
was
heavier opponents
was not
a
was training
them
Chinese gung
for the
complete fu
Olympic wrestling team,
I
all
the freestyle
master
move
his
athlete.
in
the 1970s,
I
legiate wrestling
that
Olympic
and every athlete
I
knew
as the ultimate
His drive was so intense, and his concentration
were so developed, that he was
he used these same
con-
knew.
looked up to Olympic gold medal winner Dan Gable
skills
to
mind-body kinesthetic sense were so developed
was competing
mind power
their physical
with such force and concentration that he was almost
wrestling maneuvers I
they could exert
30 pounds soaking wet, could
able, in a matter of hours, to learn
When
larger,
It
that enabled
early teachers 1
the astounding concentra-
slight of build,
propel
who, though he weighed only like lightning,
at
a single stroke.
Mind Power
strength but Super feats.
marveled
I
tion of martial arts masters.
and
Super
a natural
Power.
When
these
who had
exposure to someone
skills for
coach
in
years as he
American
virtually unbeatable.
became the winningest history.
It
And col-
was Dan's super
brainpower that allowed him to mold himself into the ultimate physical machine and to teach those
skills
to others.
INTRODU CTION Since age four,
I
have studied
classes at the Pratt Institute in
my own museum
to establish
Chicago. Art in
is
art.
New
I
3
began with gifted
York, and as an adult, went on
of fine
art,
into the soul of the creator.
many
As
is
that
provides a
it
have learned about
I
art,
the ability of a Leonardo or a
is
Michelangelo to visualize complex three-dimensional images.
I
re-
child forcing myself to create three-dimensional characters
call as a
my
to train
I
and
different types of intelligences
For instance, there
skills.
of
the true mirror into the hearts and minds of people
have realized that there are mental
Museum
the Institute
the past, and what makes art so fascinating
window
children's
imagination and creative
entertainment.
In
hindsight,
skills.
know
I
did this almost daily for
I
that
childhood game
this
me to enhance my powers of visualization and But how do we unlock the creative instincts that
helped
concentra-
tion.
are within
each of us? Here again, Super
Mind Power
is
the tool, and
secrets
its
THE MOVIE STAR MIND Jake Steinfeld,
who
has trained numerous movie
stars,
has
noticed that they think differently: "Very successful movie stars are
very
focused individuals
motivation but
what
I
my
.
.
my
.
goal
been mental
has
technique has always been
call a positive
fitness.
Steven Spielberg
say,
'Okay, buddy,
let's
psyche,
use a positive
I
and would
go twenty- five reps or push-ups or
whatever/ and be encouraging him, saying, 'You're doing
and patting him on the back and making him
would ups,'
and tell
tell
like Bette Midler,
Bette, 'Okay,
and she'd give say,
her,
just ten.'
doing
me
'Hey, chief, 'It's
fifty."
I
a
feel
great,'
good. But
use a negative psyche.
I
for twenty-five push-
look and a couple of choice words
ain't
she'd give
I
down
get
let's
doing them,
up to you, you got
Then
use
psyche or negative psyche. With people
like
with some people,
I
me
a big
this
I'll
do
ten,'
and
I'd
movie coming up, do
zingaroo look, and end up
INTRODU CTION
4
have been used by masters for centuries.
Now you,
own Super Mind Power program. The most important organ we possess
too, can develop
your
mind and
scious
us
is
the brain.
makes each of us very
special.
And,
have
this plastic quality
Beginning with our
make
from other
us
our muscles,
like
which can be made stronger with focused, consistent brains, too,
our con-
the memories, power, and sensations that
all
human. Our remarkable brainpower elevates
species and
It is
effort,
our
and can be molded.
earliest life experiences,
our brains begin to
process and store amazing quantities of data, which allow us to per-
form tasks
while very human, exceed anything that can be
that,
done on the most powerful computer. But how do we tap
enormous data bank nius
is
tion."
of potential?
Thomas Edison
said
it
into this
best:
"Ge-
one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspira-
Our
ability to focus
with determined effort can raise each of
us above the crowd.
EXCEPTIONAL SUPER MIND POWER In the late 1980s,
which today
cine,
organization. As fascinated
I
I
founded the National Academy of Sports Medi-
is
the premier personal fitness trainer certification
have watched the organization grow,
by what
trainers of the stars
mental training and exercises.
I
do
I
have been
for clients in terms of
have taken
these trainers and detailed their lessons in this
my
experiences with
book
so that you, too,
can learn about these special mind programs. Read about what trainer to the stars Jake Steinfeld did to get Harrison Ford, Steven
Spielberg, Priscilla Presley, and Bette Midler ready for career challenges,
him
and techniques employed by Michael Jordan's
for an injury-free
What is
body and mind
mental powers make people
them
find history-making career.
rich, successful, or
their drive, ambition, concentration,
to the pinnacle of their careers.
trainer gave
powerful?
It
and determination that bring Consider basketball phenom
INTRODU CTION What
Michael Jordan. taller,
per
him from other
separates
stronger, younger, or even faster.
Mind Power
him
that enables
5
to fly
players?
Bill
above
crushed
all
chapters,
Gates the smartest nerd
Mind Power
But his Super
competition and
you
will
all
him the
has
best.
Is
necessarily.
so focused that he has
obstacles in his way. In the
how
read about
He
opponents.
his
town? Not
in
made him
has
not
is
No. But he does have the Su-
the unbending will to win and focus, and that makes
techno whiz
He
coming
these people and others have de-
veloped their Super Mind Powers.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was
when
another block of muscle
just
he came onto the movie scene. But with
his
Super Mind Power
—
his
staggering drive and determination
—he
from the greatest bodybuilder of
time into one of the most pow-
erful individuals in the at
movie
all
industry.
I
was able to turn himself
have seen
mind power
his
work. Having served with him on the President's Council on
Physical Fitness and Sports,
names and
faces.
He
I
witnessed his remarkable
could work
room
a
like
memory
for
no other person, not
only greeting every individual by name but also recounting minute details of past
encounters and personal habits. You
about some of his other super mind
Super Mind Power
is
not only how much
remember. For instance,
it
is
will
be reading
skills.
we remember
the extraordinary
we Oprah
but what
empathy
of
Winfrey, and her ability to connect with individuals and with the masses. ple,
It is
the ability to tap into our creative selves
as, for
Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, and Meryl Streep do
exam-
when they
transform themselves into characters. This feat takes not only tense dedication but tedious hard
work and arduous
in-
repetition.
Their mind power includes the ability to suspend their egos to adapt to the
mood, manner, and very essence
of fictional characters.
Another example of Super Mind Power
is
the brilliant and fluid
stream of comic genius within Robin Williams,
and
Billy Crystal.
ative talents to
power
They have
trained their minds,
be able to improvise, but
training to
make
Whoopi Goldberg,
this ability
it
memory, and
has taken years of
look simple and
effortless.
cre-
mind Tiger
INTRODU CTION
6
Woods may
way
well be on his
history because of his Super centrate,
The This
is
and hone
—
his ability to focus, con-
with constant practice.
Mind Power
has enthralled us since childhood.
comic book heroes. And
a supervillain
—
a brilliant
for
each superhero, there has
Lex Luthor or Darth Vader
tantalized us with his possible mental powers.
Mind Power
Super
greatest golfer in
the appeal of superheroes, from Superman to Batman to an
array of other
been
Mind Power
his talent
idea of Super
becoming the
to
It
has
has always been the
more than
of the characters,
who
their physical
power, that has captured our imaginations. Today, the popularity of
shows
like Star Trek,
Independence
power
of
Day
movies
attests to
mind over
like E.T.,
and
alien creatures like those in
our fascination with intelligence and the
matter. Similarly, the universal appeal of
black magic, crystals, and ghosts speaks to our interest
pires,
power
of the
mind
to control others or read thoughts.
move mountains,
idea that our minds can
We
vamin
the
love the
so to speak.
Each of us wants to learn our own secret brain-enhancing techniques. For some, this
is
what
drives religious devotion. Intense faith
has enabled people to walk again, regain hearing and vision, and
make chronic pain als
of pain
disappear.
Hindus and monks undergo great
and deprivation, armed only with
The powers
of the
tri-
their mental powers.
mind have given them strength and made
"mira-
happen.
cles"
The
goal of this
book
is
to help
you
learn the Super
Mind Power
techniques of the superstars, the supersuccessful, the superpowerful. It
will give
you
ideas for
ways
to
change your
life
by turbocharging
your mind and brain to increase your memory, concentration, focus, determination, discipline, imagination, creativity, and energy, while
decreasing your fatigue, pernutrients can
stress,
a
stress
sleep.
Learn which su-
power up your mind and which new super
medications are out there to
how
and need to
pump up your
brain
thinking power. Learn
how special anticore. And learn about
supernap can quick-charge your mind and
techniques can rejuvenate your cerebral
the latest advances in preventing Alzheimer's and other mental diseases.
I
Advances
we
and
know much more
better. In 1799, the
been
than
By 1899,
just a
Now
average
When
is
it
Computer catwenty years,
we do now about how
to live longer
life
span was 25 years
today we age very
century ago, the average
—
as
it
had
differently.
span had reached 48
life
almost 80 years, and scientists are predicting that
United States census was taken
first
was under age
ulation
us.
spans will reach 120 to 150 years by the year 2049.
life
the
around
a half years. In just
average
for centuries before. But
years.
all
7
doubling every eighteen months, and medical knowl-
doubling every three and
is
will
science and medicine are
in
pabilities are
edge
NTRODU CTION
1790, half the pop-
in
sixteen. In 1990, less than one-quarter of the
population was under sixteen.
It is
predicted by the U.S. Census Bu-
reau that by the year 2025, the country will have two sixty-fiveyear-olds for every teenager. sixty-five has risen
The percentage
300 percent
in
the
of Americans over age
last century,-
those aged sixty-
seventy-four up 800 percent, those seventy-five to eighty-
five to
four up
,300 percent,- and the
1
number
of those over eighty-five has
increased by 2,500 percent!
We
are
young?
How
dom? What our
all that's
new
are
we going to
to
do with the growing number
and you need not
and happiness
as
you
age.
lose
The advent
in
who
created the
of Anti-Aging Medicine, the world's
and
scientists
of aging. Since in
its
is
of the
not
in-
your memory, concentration, focus,
am one of American Academy
Along with Dr. Ronald
the original twelve physicians
first
Klatz,
I
medical society of physi-
dedicated to combating the degenerative disease inception in 1993,
more than
it
has grown to over 5,400
forty-four nations.
we can change the way our secrets of Super Mind Power.
that
of years in
ahead.
science of antiaging medicine means that aging
members
our minds
have the mental mind power to participate
are living in an exciting time of history.
evitable,
cians
how do we keep
do we preserve and protect our experiences and wis-
You want
lives?
We
definitely living longer, but
all
It
is
showing the world
bodies and minds age
With the mind-boggling advances
in
if
we
use the
gene therapy, nanotech-
INTRODUCTION
8
nology, genetic engineering, organ regeneration, and drug develop-
ment, per
we
Mind
The
anyone
our most valuable possessions.
robbers," In this
healthier,
to help us take advantage of these
greatest tragedy for
identity,
and
are going to live longer
and there
is
a lot
loss of
is
They
you can do
and we need
added
a Su-
years.
memories, for these are
are the core of our personal
to protect yourself
from "mind
and losing these irreplaceable valuables.
book
there are self-tests, brain booster information charts,
and numerous quizzes to help you gauge where your mind power
is
now and what you might do
is
also information
to
enhance your performance. There
about the new and exciting brain medications
now
under development, which may soon be available so that everyone can boost their brainpower.
The programs and techniques barrier against the greatest
terioration
—which
in Brain Fitness are
team of thieves of
are out to steal
mind. Learn the secrets of Super
all
your protective
time
— age and
de-
your greatest possession, your
Mind Power!
One
\M0§!
UP
RAISE YOUR INTELLIGENCE
Over
the past decade,
I
have been faced with
a
daunting
task:
taking an idea about a revolutionary medical device for pro-
tecting the brain during trauma from conception to the
marketplace.
The
idea
grew out of discoveries about how cold tem-
peratures can prevent brain
damage when trauma
diac arrest has disrupted a person's
Ronald Klatz, and
I
like stroke or car-
oxygen supply.
My
partner, Dr.
have devoted years to inventing the Brain Cool-
ing Device, which consists of a neck-stabilizing plate and a helmet that
is
fitted
over an accident victim's head and
and the Brain Resuscitation Device, which and oxygen through the carotid umbrella
company
that
filled
with a coolant,
delivers vital nutrients
arteries to the brain.
We
named
the
would develop and promote these innova-
tions Life Resuscitation Technologies, Inc. (LRT).
Our For to
venture required a wide assortment of
starters,
while
refine the
we had built
a
skills
and knowledge.
prototype of the device,
technology so that
it
we needed
could be manufactured for
prospective users, such as hospitals, ambulance companies, and the
BRAIN FITNESS
10
military.
had
I
to learn about the patenting process, steps for gov-
ernment approval, components and manufacturing, corporate tures
and financing options, and
ventures.
had
also
I
to
do
licensing, marketing,
a crash course
on
securities
and
struc-
joint
law and cor-
porate structure, and master an array of sophisticated business de-
velopment
skills.
The prospect
of
more appealing than daunting. was
possible: Regardless of
mind was
quite capable of
I
I
knew from my
becoming
stronger, faster,
also could alter the structure of
efficiently
brain studies
in
I
add
my
was
intellectual fine-tuning
my grades
more knowledge. Not only could but
and
this learning
all
school or
my I.Q.
score,
my
and capturing
to the contents of
brain so that
what
it
my
mind,
worked more
and processed more information.
LESSONS FROM SEATTLE AND BALTIMORE A compelling source pacities
of information about the brain's intellectual ca-
comes from two
past forty years.
The
studies that have
been under way
Seattle Longitudinal Study
for the
and the Baltimore
Longitudinal Study on Aging have been tracking thousands of people throughout their lives, chronicling the changes brought about
by aging
in their physical,
emotional, and mental health. Longitudi-
nal studies are relatively rare because they require a continuous
stream of resources to track people year after year. Most scientific
and medical studies they look
are cross-sectional or case studies,
at different
people
at
the same time.
study on aging might compare a thirty-year-old enty-year-old nal study
woman
its
results
cross-sectional
woman
with
Seattle
a sev-
thirty to age seventy.
from longitudinal studies open
windows onto how our bodies and minds change with
The
that
conclusions, while a longitudi-
would follow one woman from age
As you can imagine, ing
to arrive at
A
meaning
and Baltimore studies have
fascinat-
time.
slightly different partici-
pants and methods. For example, the Baltimore study did not
clude
women
until
1978, and the Seattle study has
in-
worked with
WISE subgroups of volunteers to mental aging patterns.
people
train
Basic to everyone's findings its
structure
order to change their
in
the studies share conclusions about
Still,
our brains and minds age, and what
or alter
11
U P
—what
brain has plasticlike qualities,
is
we can do about
a belief in
and
it.
the brain's ability to
scientists call
plasticity.
its
as the child
grows
how
its
An
mold
infant's
brain creates
new nerve connections and strengthened communication pathways. But the idea that an adult's brain can also do this
For
many
years, the brain
like a
computer, with
nently
in
its
was considered to be hardwired, much
connections and chips molded perma-
place and incapable of alteration.
that the brain
is
relatively new.
is
turns out, however,
It
quite capable of expansion well into adulthood.
Certain physical and mental activities can noticeably alter the brain.
Neurons, the
brain's
nerve
cells,
can grow
larger,
and the
connectors between neurons, called synapses, can become stronger
and multiply. Scientists
have seen
this
La
for Biological Studies in
happen. Researchers Jolla, California,
at
the Salk Institute
put rats
in what's called
an enriched environment, meaning that they were surrounded by lots of stimulation.
toys and in this
games
rodents had ample space to run around, and
to play with. Brain studies of rats that
had spent time
environment revealed that the animals had developed 15 per-
cent more ing.
The
And
brain cells in the regions that control
memory and
the mice acted smarter, too, running mazes faster and
learn-
more
efficiently.
Results
come from
showing that the brain can a
with musicians is
down new
wiring also
study done by Dr. Michael Merzenich at the Univer-
sity of California at
which
lay
San Francisco. Dr. Merzenich has been working
who
suffer
from
a
condition called focal dystonia,
caused by the brain merging nerve connections so that one
neural path controls the muscles of
two
fingers.
A
guitar player, for
may find that continuous practice makes it impossible for move two fingers independently. To help musicians regain
instance,
him
to
control and separate the
merged neurons,
teaching them various muscle exercises.
Dr.
Merzenich has been
— 1
r
r
BRAIN FITNESS
2
100°/c
—— ——
—i
i
i
i
40
20
60
age Adapted from Smart Drugs
In a
more
to touch
a
(1
its
brain,
120
years
in
993)
spinning disk with only this action
—
1—T
100
startling experiment, Dr.
monkey repeated examined
II
1
I
i
many
Merzenich taught
its
times,
a
monkey
three middle fingers.
The
and when Merzenich
later
he discovered that the area of the cortex
re-
sponsible for transmitting responses from those fingers had grown.
The
conducting the Seattle and Baltimore longitudinal
scientists
studies have witnessed
what happens
—they
become stronger and
efficiently,
to people
when
their brains
remember more, can think more quickly
and develop
a better grasp of elusive concepts.
The
studies have
shown
that deliberate, methodical mental training or
exercises can
make
demonstrable difference
a
have proved that the adage "use brain as to any other organ.
it
or lose
it"
in people's lives.
refers as
much
They to the
— WISE
The
13
U P
Seattle Longitudinal
Study
Since 1956, the Seattle study has been watching people aged twenty to ninety,
who
Schaie, at
whose numbers now top has since
become
Launched by K. Warner
5,000.
director of the Gerontology Center
Pennsylvania State University, the study has also trained and
tested smaller groups of people to see
if
mental functions could be
improved. Dr. Schaie and his wife, Sherry Willis, looked
and found that over
ple over sixty-five years old
showed
fourteen years, approximately half
types of thinking. that
their ability to
is,
skills
—
They had
solve problems
map
period of about
deterioration
in
two
— and
spatial
orientation
or piece together objects. Half the
group had maintained their thinking Dr. Schaie
229 peo-
some inductive reasoning power
lost
their ability to read a
a
at
skills.
and Dr. Willis gave the
group about
entire
five
hours
of "mental training." This consisted of exercises in learning spatial
and honing verbal and memory
relationships, solving problems, skills.
Then everybody was
thinking had not declined
more stunning slipped.
A
results
retested.
About
half of the
group whose
showed marked improvement, but the
came from the people whose
abilities
40 percent of them regained what they had
full
the fourteen years, and, even
vived thinking
skills for
training, follow-up tests
more
lost
had over
incredible, they retained their re-
years to come. Even seven years after the
showed
had retained what they
that they
had learned. In
examining the huge pool of people
Schaie has discovered sharpest mentally.
common
elements
Those people who
in
the Seattle study, Dr.
among
aren't
those
who
are the
missing a mental beat
in
their senior years share these qualities:
•
Regularly do a variety of activities, such as reading, traveling,
attending cultural events, joining professional associations and clubs, pursuing further education •
Open
to
and quickly able
to grasp
new
ideas
BRAIN FITNESS
14
and willing
change
•
Flexible
•
Married to
•
Above-average education and income
•
Free of chronic diseases
•
Satisfied with personal or professional
On ties
spouse
a bright
accomplishments
the other hand, Dr. Schaie found that the attitudes or activi-
common
to people
the years included
with
to
who
strict
suffered mental deterioration through
adherence to
a routine
and
dissatisfaction
life.
The Baltimore Longitudinal Study oj Aging [BLSA] Like the Seattle study, the Baltimore study has been monitoring a large
group of people since the mid-1950s. The BLSA, organized
and run by the National
Institute
on Aging, has recruited more than
2,400 people between twenty years old and ninety years old. Every
two years or
so, participants travel to
physical, psychological, tologists
Baltimore for two days of
and mental function
have developed
a
tests.
wealth of data about
The BLSA geron-
how
people age, not
only physically and emotionally but cognitively (their thought processes), too.
Leonard Hayflick,
a cell biologist
and one of the
founders of the National Institute on Aging, summarized the findings
the •
on cognition
BLSA
in his
book How and Why We Age.
Here's
BLSA what
has found about our minds and intellects.
Top mental performance
scores were achieved
by people
in
every age group. •
Some people with high
scores
showed no mental
decline at any
age. •
There was no relationship between and high blood
intellectual
pressure.
•
Vocabulary scores did not change with age.
•
Short-term
memory
declines with age.
performance
— WISE
15
UP
some
Test scores for logic decline after age seventy only for
people.
The
people
ability to learn oral material begins to decline in
over age seventy.
People over age sixty make more mistakes
learning
in verbal
than younger adults.
WHAT'S YOUR INTELLIGENCE PROFILE? While many people ing cannot be
summed up
in a single
Stanford-Binet
the
either
realize that a person's mental abilities
telligence tests
measurements
bias.
—
are
still
or
Scale
application.
all
sorts of reasons,
They may be
Weschler
such is
and
as racial
that they have
useful for predicting aca-
demic success, but they cannot predict whether
good
tests
the most widely used in-
But for me, one of their biggest flaws
little real-life
the
learn-
the United States. Intelligence quotient
in
have been criticized for
gender
number, standard I.Q.
Intelligence
Intelligence Scale for Children
and
a
parent, have a successful career, or can even
person
will
manage
a
be
a
family
budget.
While school systems continue
to use I.Q. tests, social scientists
and neuroscientists have been exploring the kinds of intelligence that play a significant role in the day-to-day
life
of adults.
intelligences or mental talents that are not only innate in all of us to
are
and present
one degree or another, but that can be strengthened or
improved upon.
Many
brain's plasticity enables
also to quicken
The
These
intelligence experts have found that the it
not only to compensate for damage but
and strengthen
we
its
processing.
many intelligences has been most thoroughly developed by Howard Gardner, Ph.D., a professor at the idea that
possess
Graduate School of Education book, Frames
oj Mind. Dr.
at
Harvard University,
in his
seminal
Gardner, by applying knowledge of brain
development, especially discoveries about the
brain's plasticity
and
BRAIN FITNESS
16
neuroanatomy, has identified seven "frames" or types of intelligence.
Each intelligence has
a neurological root, that
the brain that directs
is,
a discrete region of
Each of the intelligences
it.
is
relatively inde-
pendent and can be molded or combined with others according to the
demands
of a person's
The essence
life
or culture.
of an intelligence, says Dr. Gardner,
resolve genuine problems or difficulties
which becomes the
create problems, Dr.
and the
We
the ability to
ability to find or
basis for learning.
Gardner has found that everyone has
profile."
is
a distinctive "intellectual
possess talents and cognitive abilities that predomi-
all
nate or stand out and, even
more important,
are
worthy
of continu-
ing development. Although asserting that scientists will never
up with fies
human
a single list of all
intelligences, Dr.
Gardner
come
identi-
the basic seven: •
Linguistic.
ing, including
This
is
language ability
in
both speaking and writ-
grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, and an ease with
foreign languages. People with this intelligence are natural writers, poets, ars.
public speakers or debaters, lawyers, teachers, or schol-
They have
good
a
verbal
memory
as well as a
good memory
for personal experiences. •
Musical. This
is
the ability to recognize and use pitch, tone,
and rhythm. People with
may
play an instrument, sing, compose, or
be devoted
and tonal •
this intelligence learn
listeners to
music and sharp
all
at
music easily and
three.
Or
they
may
picking out rhythms
patterns.
Logical-Mathematical. This
strings of reasoning, to
to understand
is
the ability to handle long
do complicated mental
and manipulate abstractions.
people to be talented
in
finance or law.
It is
They
calculations,
and
unusual for these
prefer
working with
abstractions and solving problems and might be mathematicians
or physicists. •
Spatial.
ulate shapes
This
and
is
to
the ability to recognize and mentally manip-
move
objects, to create mental images,
accurately perceive the visual world. Such people might be
and to artists
Wl SE U
17
P
or sculptors, architects, scientists or inventors, or great chess players. •
Bodily-Kinesthetic.
This
intelligence
movements and encompasses and
flexes,
physical
complished swimmers, dancers,
may seem
•
to stem
in
body
fine
re-
may be
ac-
actors, or professional athletes,
play a complicated instrument, or
originates in
coordination,
with moving objects. These people
skill
intelligence
rooted
is
work with
Although
tools.
this
from the motor-sensory system,
it
and depends on perception and the nervous system.
These people
Interpersonal.
are smart about other people.
They
read other people well, naturally sensing moods, motiva-
tions,
and temperament. They have great empathy, and may be
nurses, therapists, social workers, doctors, religious or political leaders. •
Personal. This intelligence
is
people are acutely attuned to their
knowledge
deep self-knowledge. These
own emotions and
use this
to understand their behavior. People with this intelli-
gence may be
writers, psychologists, or actors.
(Since writing Frames oj Mind, Gardner has reportedly added an eighth,
which he
knowledge of the this talent
calls naturalistic intelligence,
natural
might be
Another expert tal skills that,
he
a
world to solving problems.
cook or
is
and the application of new
work
life.
His three types of intelligence surface practical achievements.
plies
analytical.
The person with
He may do
and those of
knowledge
in-
a firm believer in intelligence as a practical tal-
ent that affects a person's daily
his abilities
everyday experiences.
components: the internal thought process, ap-
plication to a person's daily environment,
is
men-
psychologist at Yale University, thinks that
a
telligence has three
process
person with
the field of intelligence offers a range of
in
learning. Sternberg
A
farmer.)
says, are clearly applicable to
Robert Sternberg,
the ability to apply
well
others.
to situations,
is
in
a
people with different
strong internal thought
on standard
The second
tests
type,
and assessing
who
creative. This person
is
readily ap-
great at gen-
.
1
.
BRAIN FITNESS
8
TAKE ACTION Pinpoint Your Multiple Intelligence
Take
this quiz to see
which of your
talents
and
abilities pre-
dominate.
When
1
listening to sounds outside
naturally pick out
Can you
2.
map
your window, do you
rhythms or notes?
easily navigate using a
map without
turning the
to orient yourself to north?
Do you love to dance, and are good Do you easily remember verse you
3.
4.
at it?
learned in school or
snatches of a speech you heard?
Do you
5.
automatically feel sympathy and rapport with
someone who's had
Do you
6.
find
a sad experience?
it
easy to imagine distances that span light-
years and galaxies?
Do you like reading philosophy or self-help books that en-
7.
courage introspection? 8.
Would you
9.
Can you immediately hear when
like to
be
a psychotherapist? a singer or
musician hits
a sharp or flat? 10.
when 1
1
When their
grammar
Do you enjoy
steps of a 12.
listening to people talk,
new
Do you
is
do you automatically hear
incorrect?
the complicated process of learning
all
the
software program? like to draw,
even making
realistic
doodlings of
people and objects? 13.
use
have good hand-eye coordination and
like to
it?
14.
you
Do you Do
friends often ask
as insightful
What your
you
for personal advice
and regard
about people's behavior and emotions?
answers suggest:
The
questions you answered with a
WISE UP
1
9
strong "yes" suggest you have a particularly strong intelligence.
These questions point to these Questions
&
1
Questions 2 & Questions
&
3
9.
Musical
12: Spatial 13:
Bodily-Kinesthetic
Questions 4 &
10: Linguistic
Questions 5 &
8:
Interpersonal
Questions 6 &
1
Questions 7 &
14:
erating
new
of person
is
ideas
intelligences:
1:
Logical-Mathematical Personal
and novel approaches to problems. The third type
strong psychologically
—
that
is,
intuitively reads
people
and circumstances.
None
of these types of intelligence
is
more or
less useful,- they're
The
simply different ways of looking at workaday problems. talent in
each of them, and what distinguishes
someone
of average intelligence,
triguing about this type of insight
is
What
I
person from
find
most
that Sternberg believes this
is
ingredient, insight, can be learned
insight.
a gifted
and become an
core
in-
key
integral part of
someone's thinking. These are the three types of insight that can be learned: •
Selective
information.
Encoding
It's
Insight.
Being able to focus on essential
the kind of thinking a lawyer uses to pinpoint key
evidence or a detective uses to identify important clues. To apply this insight to
a
problem-solving, you need to recognize and define
problem, assemble accurate information about
strategy to solve
it,
apply
all
available resources to
it,
it,
develop a
and
finally
track the progress of the solution. •
Selective
Combination
Insight.
Being able to combine facts
into a meaningful, larger perspective.
It's
the kind of thinking a
doctor applies to drawing out a diagnosis from or
how
scientists
develop theories to
test.
many symptoms
To apply
this insight in
BRAIN FITNESS
20
order to
come up with
new
a
you need
perspective,
assumptions, take reasonable risks in suggesting
new
to question
ideas,
and
al-
low yourself to make mistakes. Selective
•
Comparison
perspective, either seeing facts in a
known
known, accepted way.
To apply
ies.
Being able to apply
Insight.
facts in a
It's
this insight for daily
how
new way
inventors
a
unique
or seeing
make
new
discover-
accomplishments, you need to
recognize your consistent strengths and weaknesses, accent your strong
skills,
and have confidence
medical school was hard on
tests
and found memorization
sured that
by
I
had made the
a brutally
ates
graduates
last in
and arranging is
a
a struggle.
I
was only mildly
reas-
call
The answer
was not very good
someone who gradu-
you
call
someone who
to both: "Doctor." at
multiple-choice exams,
I
I
complicated treatment plan or an international corporation.
While weak tion
did not do particularly well
right decision in going to medical school
the class?" I
ability.
am pretty good at organization and coordinating many disparate elements of a large structure, whether
also learned that
it
I
the class, and what do
in
learned that
I
me.
your
honest riddle: "What do you
number one
As
for
in
in
theory and tending to
detail,
I
score high on innova-
and application.
As you read about intelligences and ways to beef them up, you
may think that the lessons here apply mostly to children. But, while many of the discoveries about intelligence are being made by eduand tested on schoolchildren, we adults
cators
are not being over-
looked. Research into the aging mind, especially the effects of disease
and what's considered normal
there
much room
is
in
attrition,
is
revealing that
the grown-up brain for developing
intelli-
gences.
One
busy researcher
is
Marilyn Albert,
a
Harvard professor and
director of gerontology research at Massachusetts General Hospital.
She has examined more than one thousand seniors over age eighty and looked says, "Is
at their
capacity to enhance natural intelligence. She
mental exercise important for the brain? People used to ask
Wl SE U
me
that years ago,
and
one way or another. the data look like
I
I
P
would say we
2
don't have
don't say that anymore.
—use
it
or lose
I
enough data
tell
them
1
to say
that's
what
it."
According to Dr. Albert, there are four key ingredients to staying smart: •
Education
•
Strenuous physical
which improves blood flow
activity,
to the
brain •
Strong lungs, which helps deliver well-oxygenated blood to the brain
•
Feeling a sense of purpose about one's
A
life
PERSONAL MENTAL AGILITY PROGRAM
Raising your intelligence requires possible
two
things:
knowledge of what
and the drive to acquire and practice mental
ing about various kinds of intelligence,
goes into each,
is
a useful starting
skills.
is
Know-
and the kind of thinking that
point for considering your
own
cerebral resources.
As
I
dove into the job of bringing the cerebral resuscitation de-
vice to market, of mental tools.
I
weighed
my
intellectual assets
The job ahead
of
me would
my
and
require
assortment
new
learning,
DOT RICHARDSON'S MENTAL TALENT This talented athlete and orthopedic surgeon excels in mental organization. She told Sports
key to her success softball field, she
she
is
in
is
Illustrated
writer
compartmentalization.
Don
Yager that the
When
she
does not think about the hospital.
is
on the
And when
the hospital, she does not think about baseball. She has
that ability to shut off everything except for the business at
hand.
BRAIN FITNESS
22
scientific
and the
and business
analysis, a great deal of insight into others,
adapt to unpredictable developments.
ability to
human
research team began developing devices for
would employ low-temperature
ing portable technology that ogy,
many
in
the medical
Even some experts were
in
When
community thought
it
was science
entific principle stuck in
and again,
common
sense and a basic
even
is
falling
and then being revived and recover-
ice into frozen waters
fully,
sci-
our minds: Rapid cooling of the brain
profoundly neuroprotective. Case after case of children
ing
biol-
fiction.
emergency and trauma medicine thought we
a bit crazy. But time
through
our
resuscitation us-
they had been clinically dead for thirty minutes
after
or more, fueled the team's drive.
As we were developing our technology, other researchers were
making discoveries
in
medical
the
of
art
suspended-animation
surgery that bolstered our efforts. This type of surgery patients sel in
who have
an aneurysm, which
may
the brain. This bubble
bubble on
a
is
burst at any time,
threatening condition. But an aneurysm
may be
is
a
used with
blood ves-
making
it
buried deep within
the brain and unreachable with conventional techniques.
suspended-animation surgery,
a life-
With
core body temperature
a patient's
is
dramatically lowered by removing blood, circulating ice water in
the veins, and sometimes even packing the
temperature drops to the point brain
wave
activity.
low-pressure surgery.
Once
replaced,
much
as
at
body
which there
in ice.
is
no heartbeat or
This condition gives the doctor
environment
in
the aneurysm
and the patient
is
is
which
to
The body
perform
eradicated, the blood
a bloodless,
delicate is
brain
warmed and
revived. This surgical innovation, as
any technology, has helped convince the medical commu-
nity that brain-cooling devices are a viable approach to saving people in emergencies.
Brain cooling
is
an example of
this area of research as a
mental
how my
skill set.
example. Sharpening your mental
thought processes work
This next section
skills is
is
in
another
not necessarily a step-by-
step process but a total conditioning. Imagine going to a health club
or
gym equipped
with free weights, weight machines, and aerobic
WISE UP
23
A CONSTANT LEARNER Dr.
Ron Lawrence,
a seventy-three-year-old neurologist
and
founder of the American Medical Athletic Association, makes
"What
learning a constant activity.
every so often," he says. "Every lenge. For instance,
never very good painting and
now
do
is
month
something new
learn
or two,
take a chal-
I
have been studying calculus, which
I
at.
I
also
I
have gotten into
I'm studying pastels.
And
me on my
keep
ferent publications that
art I
—
I
I
was
studied
oil
subscribe to
dif-
New
York
toes, like the
Review of Boohs."
machines
like the StairMaster.
Although
as a
beginner you
the machines according to a predetermined circuit, once
experience
—many
you need
to
work
on.
use
you have
of your muscles are already well developed
pick and choose what a
may
Some machines
—you
exercise
couple of muscle groups simultaneously, while a set with free
weights
may
tax a single part of
your body. So
it is
with a personal
mental agility program.
Assess
Figuring out
how you
How
You Learn Best
learn best
—how you understand and
retain
information
—
membering
certain classes in medical school, especially anatomy,
know
learn best
to
that
I
requires
memorize the
some
ing
method
I
reading.
I
a short quiz. ReI
spent months trying
illustrations in Gray's Anatomy,
but
it
was not
until
and seeing the organs, muscles, and blood
my mind started clicking. is
and taking
by watching or doing.
lab classes with a cadaver vessels that
reflection
Conversely,
either forget
what
I
my weakest learn-
read or remember
in-
consequential details. I
have also found that
short-term
memory and
my
long-term
that I'm
memory
good
at
is
stronger than
remembering
faces
my and
BRAIN FITNESS
24
strings of
numbers. Part of the potential marketing of the Brain Cool-
ing Device required numerous presentations to groups that might
provide financing and groups that might use the device, such as the
Department of Defense.
In these presentations,
background and complicated
To
define your learning style,
Ask yourself which
ences.
joyed or found
you
well
organic chemistry, but
as
much
time to
it
as
I
it
successful school experi-
was
you did well
possible to
is
by working very it
did best explaining
relating to individuals.
classes or subjects
subject in
first recall
As you know,
easy.
find difficult
and
figuring,
I
in
and en-
do well
hard. For instance,
a struggle
and
I
in a
did
I
devoted twice
did to other subjects.
Next ask yourself why you did
well:
Because you found the material easy to understand?
Because the teacher explained everything well?
Because the teacher demonstrated concepts? Because the teacher used a
lot of visual or auditory
props to ex-
plain things?
Because you were very motivated to do well and worked extra diligently?
Because you liked doing Because you are good
the.
homework and
required reading?
type of test given
at the particular
in
the
class?
Because the class included
a lot of lab
work?
Because you enjoyed debating the subject with other students?
The
point of these questions
predominates all
of
them
at
in
to find out
your mind. There are four
which
styles,
style of learning
and while you use
one time or another, or sometimes combine
tend to prefer one of them they
is
as
styles,
you
you absorb new information. Here
are. •
Auditory learning. You learn by listening to people
whether
it's
a lecture,
your hearing
is
on
television, or
from the radio.
supersensitive but that
you seem
It's
talk,
not that
to retain what-
ever comes through your ears, seemingly without effort. You can
WISE be sitting
in a
25
U P
meeting doodling while you are listening and
terward remember everything that was
you
learner,
Hands-on
•
may go
tions
you're this kind of
If
new information with
can't take in
background
radio going in the
said.
You
learning.
—too much
af-
the television or
distraction.
by doing. Elaborate explana-
learn
over your head, but once you actually duplicate the
physical motions required in a process or construction of something,
it's
locked into your mind. This duplicating action
quire copying mathematical figuring
someone has done, program
clicking through the steps in a software
use
re-
actually
know how
to
or playing a sport you're trying to learn instead of listening
it,
to an instructor.
stand the
If
you
you
are this kind of learner,
why behind things and keep
like to
under-
trying things. Another term
meaning
that
you want
the process or inner workings of whatever
you
are learning
for this kind of learning
know
to
may
is
"procedural,"
to
about.
Verbal learning.
•
primarily tive
—
If
you
by reading. This kind
that
is,
it
tion. all
facts.
You think
is
your
style,
you
if
you
in sen-
restate,
read.
like to
see
informa-
style.
This learning
is
especially
delivered in color and with another sensual associa-
if it's
such as a distinctive smell, or with an emotional connection.
What
is
acquired
When you
in this
you remember. But your memory,
a
and short
look
at
suits. If
as an adjunct to learning,
are:
you want
Chapter Two.
to favor a particular type of
memory
often big-picture im-
learn well,
learning, has long suits
you tend
is
to detailed renderings of a subject.
your memory, take
memory
type of learning
opposed
pressions as
of
this
information
Demonstrations, firsthand experiences, movies, and pictures
lasting
with
If
in
also called declara-
sometimes sharpened
provide grist for this learning
tion,
many
is
down something you have
explain aloud, or write Visual learning.
is
you take
of learning
involves absorbing
tences and your learning
•
learn this way,
it is
like
your
to sharpen just
In the present context,
useful to understand that
memory. The main categories
BRAIN FITN ESS
26
•
Numbers and
•
Words
•
Proper nouns, such as names and places
•
General information and concepts
Go
data
through the same process with
learning. Recall
what has stayed
what you have forgotten
to jar
ory grabs
first
and keeps
predominant learning
in
in
memory
you did with
that
your mind and use memory cues
order to pinpoint what your
mem-
Once you have identified your and memory ability, you know the kind
longest.
style
of situation to seek out or construct for peak learning.
One
Assume the
piece of advice to enhance your learning:
last
by controlling physio-
right frame of mind. Prime yourself to learn logical distractions. Put
another way, do not
to stress or pressure affect
your body's reaction
let
what your mind
is
doing.
Use deep
breathing (Chapter Four explains this technique) to suppress
hormonal
tracting
—
action. Relax large muscle groups
dis-
— head, neck,
to
improve concentration. Make yourself physi-
cally comfortable in
your surroundings and clothing so that you are
abdomen
back,
not interrupted by annoyances.
keep your mind
Finally,
world
is
flexible
and confident. Very
rocket science. You can master almost anything you put
your mind
to.
Often, insecurities and doubts have no more sub-
stance than your imaginings. Shrug step
up
facts
them
off.
Believe that
are a
and
number
ideas,
something
in
ways people think when confronted with new
of
new
Thought Process
projects,
order to
make
and new people.
a decision or solve a
How
base, so to speak,
and
and fast-charging synapses, tend
instinctive than adults in
making
you analyze
problem depends
on how you process information. Young people, with
pulsive
you can
to the task.
Assess Your
There
little in this
a smaller data-
to
be more im-
decisions. Adults have
WISE more experience
that they can apply to their judgments, but, as with
learning, there are various
and
a
new
27
U P
situation. Dr.
ways they can consider new information
Edward de Bono,
a British
educator
who
has
written extensively on thinking and creativity, says that there are six
ways of thinking: Objectively: focusing mainly on facts,
statistics,
and hard
in-
formation, which form the foundation for any decision or
proposed solution. With
this
kind of thinking, you avoid
making assumptions or judging something too try to let the information Critically:
backs,
looking
speak for
at a situation or
early.
You
itself.
problem
for possible draw-
unwanted consequences, and trouble
This
spots.
kind of thinking could be called "What's the downside?" a negative
way
It's
of evaluating things.
Positively: looking at
all
the benefits, solutions, and
or problem
bilities a situation
may
new
possi-
provide. This kind of
thinking could be called "What's the upside?" With this thinking, everything has a plus side, a silver lining. Creatively: applying novel or unusual remedies to a situation or
problem. This type of thinking ideas.
To prod
this
ation, reversals
is
always generating
new
kind of thinking, de Bono uses exagger-
and opposites, and random words and word
association. Intuitively: reacting
A
mainly according to emotions or
person thinking this
instinct.
way responds
to a situation with his
way you
think about a problem
or her feelings. Self-monitoring: examining the to identify
any biases or flawed assumptions. With
type of thinking, you
first
this
consider how you think before
deciding which of the other thinking styles to apply. I
tend to be a combined objective-plus-creative thinker.
collect facts
and hold
of information. out,
While
off I
making any conclusions
am doing
until
I
I
like to
have
a ton 1
this,
I
also like to mull over faf -
even esoteric ideas about the situation.
Once my company had
BRAIN FITNESS
28
TAKE ACTION Develop Your Thinking
Use
develop thinking
this exercise to
stance described below, write out a
cording to each of the Problem:
You have
Skills
styles.
way
For each circum-
to think about
How
are.
just
had your annual job performance
Decision
money help
in
You have
do you do to make-.
six
months
buy
Your neighbor's dog, which
many
You've talked to your neighbor about
to
a
you
Your teenager wants to earn and save enough
near your bedroom, wakes you up
a light sleeper
are pro-
this?
allowance and
a car.
Tricky situation:
you
eval-
to convince her that
He has asked for a bigger making money. What do you do?
to
ac-
styles.
uation and learned that your boss does not think ductive enough.
it
and has never heard
it,
his
is
kept
nights with
in
its
an area
barking.
but he swears that he's
dog
and so
bark,
refuses
do anything. What do you do?
prototype for the Brain Cooling Device,
ways
to get the
word out about
it.
I
I
had
to
come up with
had enough information
to
know
that medical schools, medical organizations, professional associations,
and medical companies were potential
ing about these people,
head.
Where would
I
I
be? In a highway accident?
a
door to
a
who would
As
I
was think-
imagined myself with the device on
Bosnia? Beside a frozen lake to the people
users.
I
had
fallen into?
be saved by
I
On
a
back
street in
my
thinking
turned
this device,
my
and that opened
whole new group of prospective supporters, endorsers,
and medical researchers.
WISE
New
Capture
With most
Information
of the thinking styles,
about the problem or decision can't think positively
is
hand
in
order to consider
essential to perking
to
go on. So, cap-
and master
this ability to find
It's
infor-
person not only seem smart but actually func-
a
always begin with the basics:
I
comprehension, sharpened
enhanced
no magic to
this,
but
listening.
Then
I
desk.
It
has almost no paper on
journals, newspapers,
able to read large
this,
and
it,
creativity.
muttering to yourself
wade through,
to
I
and
calculations,
add the stimulation of
you already have too much paper
my
lots of reading, selective
quick
vocabulary,
Lots of Reading Before you skip over
at
You
the successful magician, you need to draw from a grab bag of
gadgets.
that
it.
up your intelligence and
tion as an exceedingly bright person. There's like
know something
to
you have something
sharpening your thinking.
mation that makes
you need
without some information and you can't react
with your emotions unless turing information
at
29
UP
take a peek
go through dozens of
and books every week. The secret to being
amounts of material
is
learning
how
to scan
and
mentally compartmentalize the information.
What
I
mean by scanning
is
precisely
what the dictionary says
means: "to look over quickly and systematically."
means that you do not read every word that are reading for information, not for pick. Pick out
meaning
—
in
is
The
it
"quickly" part
printed.
When
you
enjoyment, you need to cherry-
only the "best" words
—those
that carry the
most
the sentence or paragraph. At times, you can skip over
sentences, particularly those that restate information, offer examples, cite sources,
or serve as transitions to another point.
"for instance," "namely,"
"according
are
you can
all
flags for material
And do
skip
if
summary," and
like
"in fact"
you've got the main point.
not read aloud or even say the words in your mind. Instead
of getting
bogged down by
facts or ideas
The
to," "in
Words
individual words, think of chunks of
and read words
"systematically" part
in blocks.
means
that
you always look
in certain
BRAIN FITNESS
30
spots for key sentences or nuggets of information. Generally, a piece of writing
is
organized one of three ways:
and arguments building to with
main
a
facts
Each paragraph of the writing
string or theme.
a central point,
sentence.
Look
If
will limit
of the
To
first
or the
last
even the topic phrase, that
my
When
I
reading to an
want
to
plow through
a lot of
article's
headlines, the
first
main paragraphs, photo captions, and the practice your scanning
go through
skills,
last
is
the
mate-
sentence
paragraph.
a stack of material
(if
don't have a ready pile, use a couple of magazines) and read
each
once. Don't backtrack
article or piece of writing just
fuzzy on a paragraph's main point
—
it
will
circle the
key ideas or topic sentences.
each piece, state aloud or write out
main
points.
length.
Do
this
with three to
Spend no more than
in
no more than
hour on
read the old way. Don't scan but go article,
a
num-
a
finish reading
paragraph the
depending on
this.
you
you're
hand, underline or
When you
aside for a day, then return to the articles
each
in
five articles,
half an
if
probably be stated
ber of times and a number of ways. With a pen
ish
usually built
is
stated in either the
is
for the topic sentence, or
I
you
which
a single
the paragraph has a heading, that highlights the thesis.
heart of the paragraph. rial,
and arguments,- and
connected by
as a string of pearls, a series of ideas or facts
around
pyramid, with facts
an inverted pyramid,
point,- as
main point followed by supporting
a
as a
their
Put the material
read,
and
this
time
word by word. When you
fin-
compare your impression of the main point with
what you gleaned from the
earlier reading.
I
think you will find that
they are pretty close, but that your second reading takes twice
as
long.
To categorize information, you
physically organize each piece of
reading. Create a simple system for organizing
go through
—
discrete piles or
file
folders will
all
that
you have
do the job. You can
ganize information according to subject matter, according to tive
importance for you, or according to
activity,
if
any,
Selective
you
it
how much
to or-
rela-
follow-up
demands.
Comprehension For
a better
understanding of what
read, learn to ask questions. Virtually every piece of writing
WISE
U P
3
1
does two things: conveys information and expresses an author's opinions, feelings, or attitudes. There jective writing.
Even the
is
driest rendition of statistics
by what the author has chosen
tive
Reading comprehension tional
no such thing
is
usually
made
subjec-
to include or not include.
gummed up
not by the informa-
content of a piece, but by the author's individual, sometimes
personal, reasons for writing the piece in the a strong sense of the author's
have
is
as purely ob-
a point of view, share
secret of
What What What
new
first
When you
place.
agenda, whether
to
it is
insights, or educate, you've
promote
grasped the
comprehension. As you read, ask yourself these questions: information ideas
is
the author trying to convey?
is
the author trying to convey?
does the author think of
approve, dis-
this information:
approve, unsure?
What
writing tricks does the author use to put forth the infor-
mation
and demonstrate self-expression:
exaggeration,
generalizations, emotional appeals, data from unreliable or
outdated sources, anecdotes, use of secondhand sources,
convoluted or faulty arguments? the piece balanced or one-sided?
Is
it
favor?
Why
If
skewed, which side does
the author doing this?
is
Enhanced Vocabulary
Building your vocabulary should be a
lifetime habit, as regular as brushing
your teeth.
No
one
is
so smart
or learned that he does not need to constantly add to his personal
dictionary of words.
I
think the mistake
many people make
in en-
hancing their vocabulary, and the reason they do not hang with is
that they collect too
you
are assembling a
This
is
why young
many words they have
little
working vocabulary, the words
children easily learn about ten
and eventually can accumulate
a
use
for.
stick
it,
When
with you.
new words
a
day
vocabulary of 100,000 words.
To construct your growing, working vocabulary,
try these sugges-
tions: • it,
Limit yourself to one
jot
it
new word
down anywhere. On
a day.
When you
encounter
the flap of a used envelope, the edge
BRAIN FITN ESS
32
of a dollar
keep in
the margin of a magazine. You do not have to
bill, in
this piece of paper,
but writing
down
it
will
help cement
it
your mind. •
Collect words related to your immediate world. For instance,
words related to cooking, food, clothing, the weather, the names of everyday objects, adjectives describing people
you
regularly
encounter, verbs or adverbs for actions you do or often see. •
Use
better tion.
if
association to
remember words.
you immediately
Use
it
in a
associate
it
remember
a
word
with an experience or emo-
Make up
conversation.
You'll
rhyme or
a
Eat a distinctive food or inhale a strong smell as
sing about
you
it.
are learning
the word. •
Buy an unabridged thesaurus. Roget's
there are other
good ones out
there. This
is
the best
is
going to be
many of your new words. Most people tend to words
—
heard experts say that
I've
we
all
known
a source for
recycle the same old
have about
hundred-word working vocabulary and we simply keep
them around.
When you
word, look
the thesaurus for an alternative
•
Buy
a
in
but
a
two-
stirring
hear yourself repeatedly using the same
good dictionary
(larger than
you did not know.
pocket
size,-
unabridged
is
the best) not only to look up the exact definition but also for the
pronunciation guide so you can say the word aloud. This also helps seal •
it
in
your memory.
At the end of each week,
looked up and written down. small spiral notebook
and use
If
try to recall the
you cannot remember them, get
it
to log your
Quick Calculations Number phobia Most
people's eyes glaze over
words you have
when they
is
a
a
growing vocabulary. widespread disease.
see numbers, particularly
if
they are being asked to multiply, divide, or do elaborate addition or subtraction.
Hand
calculators,
uring, have increased
my
math
best friends, either, but
people even think
I
aversion. I
I
for simple fig-
confess that numbers are not
have learned not to avoid them. Some
am good
shorthand mental calculations
numbers more manageable.
which people now use
with numbers because of I
have mastered. Here
is
a
couple of
how make I
Wl
•
always try to round numbers to units of ten, especially
I
when
difficult.
But
1
X 20
5
an easy sum. At times,
close enough, and
am
balancing
a
I
(or
may
I
when
cially
to
buy
possible,
dividing.
percentage, which
transform
I
dropped •
1
1/16, in
down
remember
ing to
a
twice) then minus
not get the exact
is
think
I
good enough
but I'm
total,
accuracy.
If
I
have
I
for
me.
convert fractions into the nearest simple
I
my mind
So when
A
see 3/16,
I
steak price that
slipped three-quarters of a point.
numbers
large
figures.
maximum
5,
terms of percentages, espe-
in
find easier to understand.
I
1
tank of gas, for example, getting
a
manageable
into
sizes
As you probably know, there
telephone numbers are seven
hold
0,
1
to a quarter or 25 percent.
it
break
I
X
5
hung up on pinpoint
don't get
within a few dollars of the total
Whenever
1
corporate statement or deciding whether
enough cash on hand
•
15x19
multiplying. Tens are easy to handle. For example,
may look is
33
U P
SE
is
a
try-
reason
Your working memory can
digits.
of seven units
when
—any
more and something
is
erased or forgotten. Putting large numbers, like phone numbers plus area codes or
many measurements them
smaller packages helps keep a
in
repair jobs, into
your active memory. This
To get comfortable with numbers, do
keep
it
a
running
are
calculations in your
total in
pumping
your addition
your head
will
Do
come
as the clerk
adds up the items. As
watch the gallon number and
gas, just
these painless exercises
pretty close to
Better Listening Did you
know
that
read that.)
And
pick up
sorts of information
all
quite simple:
else.
if
It's
and not
To do
this,
you
train yourself to
and
listening with
you must
It's
one ear
first
times,
what shows on the
you
be
ideas.
paying attention.
try to total
enough
a
sharp
The key
read?
register.
(I
listener,
think
you
I
will
to listening well
actually hearing
as
and
are twice as likely to re-
member something you heard than something you
ing said
head
doesn't matter. For instance, at a store checkout counter,
up the dollar amount.
is
is
bunching technique.
when you
home
for
what
is
be-
you think about something
eliminate the distracting noise that
surrounds the delivery. Ignore the
way
the information
is
spoken.
BRAIN FITNESS
34
Don't get sidetracked by any verbal or
body language. As you
Do
open your mind
not be thinking about
how you
to absorb
what
being
is
if
you
Do
said.
are going to respond or framing
whether you agree or disagree with what's being
Interrupt only gle question.
gestures, facial expressions,
Listen only to the content.
are listening,
a question or
tics,
are totally confused
and then only to ask
not string together multiple questions
—
that
said.
a sin-
makes
the speaker say what you want to hear instead of what he wanted to say. Listen for verbal clues to
words or phrases, or changes
unspoken messages, such in
as
repeated
tone of voice.
Don't jump to conclusions or automatically assume that you
what
is
going to be
ing what point(s) as a reliable
son?
What
is
said. Listen to the entire delivery
being made. As you do
source of information. is
How
before decid-
that, evaluate the
knowledgeable
the source of his information?
is
Does he use
emotions to persuade?
Puzzle Art Checkerboard
know
speaker
this perfacts or
WISE Stimulate Creativity
most
of the
and
lush,
I
visit Bali
and find
on
Its
frequently
artistically creative places
its
35
U P
earth.
rarely seen in the West,
which has
stress-filled civilization.
its
to be
one
rich
and
is
people, from farmer to fisherman, have a natural sense
and
of artistry. Unfortunately, such widespread beauty
to
it
culture
lost
While
much
Bali's
of
creativity are
its artistic
innocence
education system rewards
when
innovative creativity, standardized art training, particularly
was studying, drums American-born Indonesian
art
this quality
Allison
artist
I
out of students.
Berman has learned and perfected
techniques and uses them as inspiration for develop-
ing personal creativity. She has created a series of abstract movable pieces that she calls Puzzle Art.
board
own
illustration
art.
ciety.
It
With these
pieces, like the checker-
on the facing page, you change and create your
The checkerboard
pattern
is
a current
image
in
Balinese so-
symbolizes the balance that must be maintained between
good and
evil,
and the dynamic equilibrium between our
spiritual
and animal natures. The four corners represent the four corners of the world, thus symbolizing the totality of existence. In the
checkerboard, one image
is
the negative of the other.
With
your eyes closed, convert the positive into negative, and then back and
forth,
shift
holding each image for thirty seconds. Next, imag-
ine the checkerboards as three-dimensional
cubes, spheres, and
pyramids. Juggle these three objects, shifting from positive to negative
every few seconds. Metamorphose one shape into the other and
improvise by inventing
The
new shapes
nice thing about Puzzle Art
to is
add to the mix.
that there
answer and so no compulsion to achieve. tion exercise,
Raphael, but child."
I
it
When
think of Picasso's famous words:
has taken
me
a
whole
is
"I
no I
right or
do
this
wrong
imagina-
used to draw
lifetime to learn to
draw
like
like a
BRAIN FITNESS
36
Cement Your Sharpened
Intelligence
Experts say that people retain only about
they are exposed
to.
I
suspect that people with high functional intel-
ligences probably hold on to more. This it"
philosophy makes
body
the knowledge
a third of
where the
is
noticeable difference. There
a
of evidence in the scientific
and medical
also
wards
UCLA
as
discuss in
I
off disease.) Declares
is
Chapter
Five,
or lose
it
a
growing
showing that
literature
memory, and
"brain exercise" improves a person's learning ability,
mental quickness, (And,
"use
mental exercise
Arnold Scheibel, director
of the
Brain Research Institute, "Anything that's intellectually chal-
lenging can probably serve as
which means There
kind of stimulus for dendritic growth,
adds to the computational reserves
it
two kinds
are
a
of learning
your brain."
you can stimulate with
Declarative or factual learning
tual exercise.
in
is
intellec-
soaking up details
about people, events, and things, and procedural learning entails the
motor and perceptual
skills
used
in activities like
playing sports or
musical instrument. Declarative learning originates
hippocampus, which player
in a person's
is
also headquarters for
You
memory and
While
why
people
when they have
glimpse
a
at a
myth
PET
key
this in-
strong feelings.
when your
brain
is
firing
on
all
cylinders,
that the nerve connections are well developed in
it is
a
emotional wiring. Scientists suspect that
also learn better
meaning
the brain's
in
tertwining of learning, memory, and emotion explains learn better
a
all
areas.
that people only use 10 percent of their brain (a
scan of a thinking brain dispels that notion;, a per-
son's early learning
does favor certain regions. To cultivate neural
connections and receptors that are underused, look for opportunities to tackle unfamiliar tasks
Here
may
are
some
and ways of thinking.
exercises that can stimulate areas of the brain
you
not normally use. You will find that gradually these activities
become
easier
and your thinking more
are presented with a
before,
you
will
fluid.
As
a result,
when you
problem or situation you have not encountered
have more mental muscle to put behind
it.
Wl
•
Modify
habits.
SE
37
U P
Wear your watch upside down and on
the other
wrist. •
Develop other-handedness. Use your other hand tasks such as brushing
to
do
rote
your teeth or jotting down notes or num-
bers. •
Tap into
alternative sources of learning.
by reading, explore books on
tion mostly is
•
If
where you get most of your news, tap
Expand your reading
universe.
you gather informa-
tape.
If
the television
into on-line news.
Most people
stay with a certain
type of reading material, usually light fiction and popular peri-
up
odicals. Pick
a
copy of
Scientific
American or Forbes to read
about something completely foreign to you. •
Play
word games. Do crossword puzzles
one
to see
egory
who
or
can think of the most names
four-legged animals, edible
(e.g.,
compete with somein a particular cat-
fruits)
within a fixed
time. •
Memorize
a
poem.
Start with
something short and gradually
master longer ones. •
Practice your spatial
skills.
Buy
a Rubik's
Instead of doodling, try sketching
cube and work on
real-life,
it.
three-dimensional
objects. •
Get
a
map
topographical
of an area
you know. As you study the
contours of the land, mentally picture them as they are
in na-
ture. •
Learn about
a
musical instrument you
know
very
little
about,
for example, the recorder, harpsichord, clarinet, or drums. Lis-
ten to music that features this instrument so that identify •
its
Listen to a
you can
easily
sound.
new kind
of music, for example, opera, Gregorian
chants, or blues. •
Don't use
a calculator or
your checkbook. •
Watch
Do
a television
the
computer software program
to balance
math by hand.
movie with the sound
off
and
try to figure
out the personalities of the characters by watching their actions.
BRAIN FITNESS
38
•
In front of a mirror, practice facial expressions, for
example,
sus-
picion or contentment or surprise. •
Reconstruct
a
conversation that took place at least twenty-
down who
four hours earlier. Jot
said what. Test yourself
by
asking whoever else was involved about his or her recollections of the conversation. •
Keep
a
dream diary
(see
Chapter Three
and think
for details)
about the emotions and psychological underpinnings they stir •
up.
Practice reading upside
newspaper, see
how
down.
long
it
Start with a paragraph in a
takes you,
and gradually add
paragraphs as you become more adept. •
As you and
•
are drifting off to sleep, pick a year from
remember
try to
Keep
Use
lists.
as
a small
many
events from
it
as possible.
pocket notebook to record, for
stance, a food log as part of a weight-watching
purchases you •
to
Whenever you have in
•
make
a
your past
manage
a
in-
program or
budget.
hunch about something, write
it
down
order to test and develop your power of intuition.
Expand your verbal patterns by arranging unusual sentences and phrases with magnetic word pieces shops and stationery
(available in gift
stores.)
MORE REPS FOR A MENTAL PLAN Fitness guru
and promoter Jake Steinfeld uses
his daily exercise
routine to organize and prioritize his thinking. "While I'm train-
ing and counting reps, for every repetition the day. So alized
what
plished
it
mentally
in fit
when my workout I
is
I
complete,
set I
another goal for
have already visu-
have to do that day and have already accom-
my mind.
This keeps
and way ahead of the
me
not only physically
day,
fit
but
and ahead of the game."
WISE
Exercise to
Physical exercise it
pumps,
it
to
is
makes
it
39
U P
Pump Up
your brain
Learning
octane to an engine
like
—
it
revs,
hum. Aerobic conditioning, vigorous exercise
that requires lots of oxygen, feeds various parts of the brain, especially the basal ganglia, cerebellum,
oxygen comes more blood, and
new
derstand and retain
heightens your ability to un-
this
information.
demand
that
Activities
and corpus callosum. With more
neural growth. Studies with rats have
William
Greenough has been
T.
do
well as environment, can
vided
rats into four
help
coordination
physical
shown
this dramatically. Dr.
closely watching
to a brain. In
energize
what
exercise, as
one experiment, he
di-
groups and four levels of exercise. The heavily
exercised rats scurried around elaborate constructions of ropes and bridges. illaries
When
their brains
were
later
examined, they had more cap-
around the neurons than the control groups
brains were getting
At the
more blood and
Institute for Brain,
—
that
is,
their
fuel.
Aging and Dementia
at
the University
of California, Irvine, rats were also put through various exercise routines. Dr.
Carl
ate running all
of
Cottman discovered
around wheels
in their
that both the rats doing
cages and those treading virtually
night had richer nutrients in their brains.
growth
They had higher
a little trickier to study, researchers
have seen proof that exercise improves mental function Roberta Rikli
at
in
people.
the Lifespan Wellness Clinic at California State
University in Fullerton put thirty-one
tal
levels
factors, or neurotrophins, circulating.
Although human brains are
eighty-five
moder-
women aged
on an exercise program to see
if
fifty-seven to
they could regain men-
reaction time they had lost with age. Three times a week, the
women
in
one group either did aerobics or walking. After three
years, she
measured their response time and found that the mental
reactions in the second group,
not improve but declined. bics,
produced
a definite
The
which did no liveliest
improvement.
exercise, not only did
group, those
who
did aero-
BRAIN FITNESS
40
Different exercises stimulate different regions and neurological functions, so here
is
an assortment of activities to spread around the
excitement. •
Practice handstands or floating upside
down when you
are in a
pool. •
Take up or practice an
activity that requires coordination, such
as a racket sport, basketball, baseball, or •
Next time take
exercise oil
is
it
broken
(like a
works and
clock radio or a lock)
try to fix
it
or identify the
Consider working toward an advanced version of
part.
changing •
how
apart to see
it
broken this
gadget
a small
ballroom dancing.
—doing and
simple servicing on your
car,
such as
filters.
Learn to juggle, beginning with just three objects, or learn to
tie
complicated nautical knots. •
Learn basic stretching exercises, especially for those muscle
groups that you do not move much,
like the toes,
lower back,
and neck. • "Spin
your brain" and stimulate more neural
activity
by doing
tumbling or cartwheels or spinning your body around on one foot. •
Revive your jump-roping
•
Extend the amount of time you can stay underwater without
skills.
swim underwater
breathing. Diving from the edge of the pool, as far as
going •
you can
until
and
a little farther
Walk backward
for
you need
air.
Do
this regularly,
each time
a little longer.
two blocks
(don't forget to look for traffic
before crossing the street) and gradually lengthen the distance
you can
go.
ONE MAN'S BRAIN FOOD Neurologist Ron Lawrence believes that the brain functions
carbohydrates, up to
on
sugar,
six small
he
meals
in brain
fills
his
a day.
food.
Knowing
menu with complex
WISE Try meditation.
on
Cognitive Cocktail
extended mental
my
fortify
I
ments, which
My
tween the a
number
such as a monthlong business
cells
and strengthens
and
brain's right
"cognitive cocktail" contains acetyl-l-
compound
carnitine (ALC), a natural
exchange between
stress
cognitive muscle with an assortment of supple-
take daily.
I
left
that improves the energy cellular
geriatric
has been tested
in
showing signs of mental de-
cline, and noticeably sharpened their thinking
skills.
For instance,
in
involving almost five hundred patients in
Italy
in
communication be-
ALC
hemispheres.
of studies with older people
an experiment
1
with your eyes closed, mind focused
Sit quietly
A
project,
4
sound or thought, and breathe deeply.
a single
In times of
UP
and neurologic hospital
units,
ALC
was given
for
150 days
alongside a placebo. At the end of the study, the patients receiving
ALC showed tests,
and
improvements persisted even
their
ing the drug. nificant
"significant increases" in scores of mental function
Those
improvement.
as a cognitive
Caffeine
is
ALC
enhancer
my
in
who
patients
is
after
they stopped tak-
received placebos
showed no
currently being tested in clinical
sig-
trials
for Alzheimer's.
cocktail because of
its
stimulating effects
—
it's
the best nonprescription "upper" available. Vitamin B complex helps
me
guard against nutritional deficiencies that
good supply
For instance, a
may slow my
of folic acid helps
blood circulation
DR. BOB'S COGNITIVE COCKTAIL 500
Acetyl-1-carnitine:
Caffeine:
200
mg
mg
Vitamin B complex: 100 Pregnenolone: 50
Green
tea:
1
mg
mg
cup
Glucose powder:
1
tablespoon
thinking. in
BRAIN FITNESS
42
A BRIEF REFRESHER Everyone, regardless of
intelligence.
age or education, can improve his or her
Each of us has natural mental
talents
—
distinctive
types of intelligences, insight, learning styles, and ways of
thinking ciently
—
that
you
we can hone. To sharpen how
think,
you need
and practice mental
tion
quickly and
to constantly acquire
skills.
new
effi-
informa-
Here's how.
Assess your learning strengths. Assess your thinking strengths.
Capture new material. Read, master sion, ter,
enhance your vocabulary, do quick
and stimulate
Do ruts
comprehen-
calculations, listen bet-
creativity.
regular mental exercises. Memorize, get out of mental
by changing
Do
selective
new
daily habits, learn
music, and keep
lists.
regular physical exercises to stimulate the brain. Try
jumping rope, stretching, or meditating accompanied by deep breathing techniques.
the brain, and a healthy dose of B 12 guards against
ment. Another cocktail ingredient steroid
hormone
precursor,- the
is
body
memory
pregnenolone, which uses
it
to
make
other hormones. Scientists have called pregnenolone
because
it
appears to improve a person's
the
washed down with
DHEA
is
a
and
a
"smart drug"
memory and
has no toxic tea,
which
of antioxidants, sweetened with pure glucose powder,
which
side effects. All this is full
impair-
is
body slowly breaks down
a
cup of green
for brain food.
SELECTED SOURCES Bower,
B.
"Enriched mice show adult neuron boost."
Science News, 151,
206, April
5,
1997. Brink, S. "Smart moves:
new
research suggests that folks from 8 to 80 can shape up
WISE
their brains with aerobic exercise." U.S.
May Brody,
43
U P
News and World
118 (19), 76-82,
Report,
15, 1995.
J.
"Good
habits outweigh genes as key to healthy old age."
New
York Times,
February 28, 1996.
Dana
Alliance for Brain Initiatives. Delivering
The Dana
Update 1996.
Dean, W.,
Menlo
et
Smart Drugs
al.
New
Press, II.
York,
Results:
May
The Next Generation. Health Freedom Publications,
Park, California, 1993.
New
Gardner, H. Frames of Mind. Basic Books,
Golden, D. "Building Hayflick,
How
L.
and
Hultsch, D. F, et
al.
a better brain."
Why We Age.
Life,
York, 1985.
63-69, July 1994.
Pi —
1
1
Kotulak, R.
,
"Age differences
in
cognitive performance in later life style."
Inside the Brain: Revolutionary Discoveries of
City,
Langreth, R. "Scientists find brain cells." Wall al.
How
the
48
Mind Works. Andrews
first
Street Journal,
strong evidence mental stimulation produces
April
3,
1997.
"Aging, stress and cognitive function." Annals of the
New
York Academy
and Neri, M. "L-acetylcarnitine treatment of mental decline
Schaie, K., et
al.
20
(4),
in
the
el-
169-76, 1994.
"Perceived intellectual performance change over seven years."
Journal of Gerontology, J.
rela-
Mo., 1996.
derly." Drugs Under Experimental and Clinical Research,
Siegel,
life:
Journal of Gerontology,
717, 79-88, June 30, 1994.
of Sciences,
Salvioli, G.,
York, 1996.
1993.
and McMeel, Kansas
Levy, A., et
New
Ballantine Books,
tionships to self-reported health and activity (1),
A Progress Report on Brain Research,
1996.
49
(3),
108-19,
May
1994.
"Educating for understanding." Phi Delta Kappan, 75
(7),
563-67, March
1994. Trotter, R.
J.
"Three heads are better than one
veloped by Robert Williams,
P.,
J.
and Lord,
mood
(1),
45-52, February 1997.
Young,
S.,
of group exercise
older women." Australian and
and Concar, D. "These
(1848), S2-9,
triarchic theory of intelligence de-
Sternberg." Psychology Today, 20, 56-63, August 1986. S. R. "Effects
and
in
—
November
cells
21, 1992.
New
on cognitive functioning
Zealand Journal of Public Health, 21
were made
for learning."
New
Scientist,
136
Two
IMPROVING RECALL
AND FIGHTING MEMORY LOSS
suspect that
many
readers
may
turn to this chapter
first.
I
hear
more complaints about poor memory than about any other menI
tal
function.
It's
not just older people
who
are worried that mis-
placing their glasses or forgetting a birthday
memory
going. Even baby boomers and a few
is
nered
me
one's
name
you
or their "tip-of-the-tongue"
"A man from
39.
dinner,
At
ily
quick
New York was
and got on the
this exit, there
for construction
move
Gen
that their
X'ers
have cor-
about the meaning of their inability to remember some-
start reading, take this
ily
means
was
test of
memory
your power of
driving his car on the
interstate at exit 23 a
lapses. So, before
way
and got
roadblock and the
recall:
to a famoff at exit
man had
to wait
workers to remove the barricades. Impatient to
on, he took a side road.
Still,
he arrived
late for
the fam-
dinner."
45
.
BRAIN FITNESS
46
Immediately looking
after reading this story, repeat
at the written text
and
down
jot
aloud without
it
Repeat
details.
to yourself in fifteen minutes without looking at the text
down what you remember. Give any of the following
yourself one point
if
it
again
and jot
you note
details.
New York
1
2.
interstate
3.
exit 23
39
4. exit 5.
barricades
6.
construction worker
7.
side road
8. late
for family dinner
Scoring: In
your
first recall,
remembering
normal memory.
details signals a
only one or two fewer than
in
the
five to eight of these
In the second, first recall
remembering
indicates a normal
memory.
A I
look forward to
joyed
my
MEMORY
my
ACID TEST
high school reunions not only because
four years at Far
Rockaway High School
York, but equally important, because they give
how am
aging and
I
of six hours,
done
to
my
I
how my memory
get a snapshot of
recall of faces
my
is
me
in
Queens,
a reality
I
en-
New
check on
holding up. Over the course
younger
self,
see
what time has
and events, and glimpse how
lifestyles
have helped or hurt people's thinking.
Many
people are acutely aware of their minds becoming slower
and more
forgetful with the years.
Beginning around age less
exactness.
against a
In
forty,
It's
not
all in
our brains react
their imagination.
a little
slower and with
standard tests pitting the middle-aged mind
young mind, youth generally
wins. Middle-aged people
POWER
DETAIL
asked to
computer terminal and count how many red dots
a
sit at
were flashed on the screen or to trace flected in a mirror could not Yet, while
47
a
complicated pattern
re-
match the scores of twenty-year-olds.
our reaction times slow with the march of time, other
And a few
skills ac-
to strengthen
and im-
types of mental reaction and retention hold firm. tually improve.
There
is
much you can do
prove your memory.
RECOGNIZING OLD FRIENDS, RELIVING GOOD TIMES People worry
A
faulty
about losing their memory, and for good reason.
a lot
memory can make
how
to
life
frustrating
and unpleasant: Los-
names and important numbers, or not being
ing items, forgetting able to recall
daily
do something can turn everyday
monumental chores. Even worse,
a spotty
activities into
memory can rob you
of
cherished, satisfying experiences. Losing the ability to recall events
and people
in
your past can
rich, textured layer of
alter
your personality, erasing from
it
images and emotions.
While concerns about memory be balanced by the good news.
are understandable, they
Our preoccupation with
need to
deteriorat-
TAKE ACTION Write
Down
It
Simply writing something down forces you to pay attention to a fact or detail.
The
physical process of handwriting activates
an area of the brain you are not using at the time. Scientists this
call
encoding. In writing something down, you create the
equivalent of three copies of an item to remember. initial
thought, the act of writing
write
it.
memory
This stores
is
a
why
keeping
by volumes.
it
You have the
down, and the review
as
a daily journal increases
you
your
BRAIN FITNESS
48
memory has prompted scientists to Memory research has exploded in recent ing
methods ing,
and
for
enhancing
exercises.
Here
it:
are
find
ways
to
years into
improve
many
it.
enticing
pharmaceuticals, foods, vitamins, train-
some recent
findings, with
more
details
later.
•
"Brain networks can always be fine-tuned," says Dr. Charles
Stevens of the Salk Institute.
The
strength and sharpness of
your memory are affected most by factors you can control
—
ed-
ucation and intellectual activity. Researchers have found that
people
and
who
are kept mentally active through constant learning
activities
that stimulate their
memories and knowledge
have strong, sound memories. Regularly using information creates stronger connections
between brain
cells
and permanently
improves neural communication.
CEREBRUM intellect,
Parts of the Brain and Functions
memory,
language, decision-making
Intermediate mass
Cingulate gyrus controls behavior
and emotion
Pineal gland
Thalamus
body grows and matures
monitors and sorts out
the rate at which
messages
Hypothalamus
Hippocampus learning and
memory
controls bodily functions,
emotions, body temperature, hunger, thirst, blood pressure, sexual feelings
Frontal lobe Occipital lobe
motivation and
sense of smell
Pituitary gland hormones for energy production
CEREBELLUM unconscious and automatic functions, such as balance, posture, coordinated movement
Principles of Anatomy and Physiology (1990)
Adapted from
BRAIN STEM breathing, heart rate, levels of consciousness
and sleep
DETAI
•
POWER
49
Women
have the edge, and they usually outscore
kinds of
memory
Memory
•
L
men on
all
tests.
has a secret ingredient, best defined by the English
writer Samuel Johnson. "The true art of tention," he
memory
the art of
is
at-
said.
•
Various B vitamins can have a significant impact on memory.
•
Certain types of mental exercise are excellent protectors against
memory
loss.
"Memory
•
new
class of
have been widely and successfully used
now
available worldwide.
—"smart foods"—enhance
my
last
reunion,
remember bumping
I
Arthur. Since our last
pharmaceuti-
Europe and are
in
learning.
MEMORY
KINDS OF At
to a
cals,
Particular foods
•
which belong
pills,"
names were close
into
my
locker buddy,
alphabetically, our lockers
were always next to each other.
He
gave
numbers.
My
expression must have been one
rattled off a string of
me
hearty greeting, then
a
of total perplexity because he quickly explained. "Don't
ber? That it.
Good
win
a
was your locker combination
thing you had
TV
quiz
me
show with
around!"
I
—
roared with delight:
of your various
needs the most attention. "Working memory"
translates sensory signals
from what you
taste into a single impression.
salty
a
It's
the brain's ability to
them from moment process the
to
see.
how your
brain
hot chafing dish of round, a
connection between
This connection
is
mesh together sensory
working memclues
and hold
moment. While working memory
mind goes through, the thought
short-term memory.
is
memo-
you smell something
if
brown lumps, your brain immediately makes
ory.
could
see, hear, feel, smell, or
For instance,
and tomato-like and then see
what you smell and what you
He
long-term memory!
his
To improve your memory, consider which ries
you remem-
you were always forgetting
or image
it
is
the
creates
is
BRAIN FITNESS
50
Working memory
stores the impression of the
smell and the bubbling,
brown
sight in the short-term
bank, then taps into your long-term sight are familiar.
memory
it
reports that
a piece of
information
If
so,
tomato and
you
to see
this
if
salt
memory odor and
and seeing
are smelling
meatballs.
To remember
memory
to long-term
memory
—
move
to
—you need
it
to focus
from short-term
on
it
for at least
Working memory and memory are like a pencil and scratch pad. Working memdown what you are doing from moment to moment. But
eight seconds,- otherwise
it
will evaporate.
short-term
ory jots
since the scratch
seven items
at a time,
items you noted
depends on
pad (short-term memory) can hold only about
you
earlier.
and forgetting
are constantly writing over
Exactly what ends up in long-term storage
how you have
organized and processed the information.
Repetition of and thinking about a piece of information, paying tention
—what
scientists call rehearsal
—help send
at-
to the long-
it
term storage bank.
Your long-term memory bank has an assortment of deposits.
There ory, is
is
semantic memory, which
which
is
is
individual
facts,-
episodic
experiences and events,- and procedural memory, which
behaviors, habits, and rote activities.
Like a pinball machine ringing with bells and lights, your
ory bounces off a number of corners
chemical and electrical chain reaction.
term memory, scientists believe, other hand, your long-term
is
memory
in
mem-
the brain and triggers a
What
sets off
your short-
On
the
kicks in either because of
new
an electrical impulse.
connections that have grown between brain a
mem-
cells
or as the result of
chemical event involving peptides.
Of
course,
memories
are
formed every day of our
conversations and experiences. While there
seepage of
stuff into
is
our long-term memory,
lives,
no way
we can
through
to stop the
contribute to
the flow through deliberate learning. By setting out to learn something,
you build memories. Educators say
that learning
is
either
declarative (also called factual or associative) or procedural. Declarative
learning absorbs details about people, places, things, and
DETAILPOWER
51
highly associative, meaning that you automatically link
events.
It is
details,
which then stay together
in
your mind. The other type of
learning, procedural, involves the perceptual in
acquiring the knowledge of
knowing how
how
to
do
and motor
things.
skills
used
activities like
It's
to dance.
Researchers have found that the chemistry of the brain changes
during declarative learning, and they
call this
change long-term pobeen
tentiation (LTPj. In laboratory tests, brain cells that have ficially
arti-
stimulated react chemically with each other and appear to
"remember" that stimulation, so that they continue to communicate even
after the stimulus
the connections
is
diminished.
between brain
stronger links at virtually any age youngsters. successful
cation
LTP may
memory
that
is
enhancers.
—
why
this
In is
stimulation strengthens
fact,
not
a
grow
the brain can
phenomenon
just for
practice and repetition are such
They
reinforce a chain of
communi-
strong and accessible as long-term
still
months or years
explain
cells.
The
memory
later.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER'S AMAZING SHORT-TERM MEMORY While attending ical Fitness in
a
meeting of the President's Council on Phys-
Washington, D.C., Arnold learned
just
before the meeting that he was going to be asked to remarks.
make
a
few
Conferring with his good friend Jim Lorimer, he
sketched out
a list of ten topics
he might
was numbered and they reviewed the ing began.
When
list
Arnold was asked to
mentioned each topic
in
memory.
talk about.
Each item
twice before the meet-
talk ten
minutes
later,
he
the order in which he and Lorimer had
arranged them, and he did this without his
minutes
a scrap of
paper to jog
— BRAIN FITNESS
52
YOUR AGING MEMORY: WHAT GOES, WHAT STAYS, WHAT GETS BETTER At
my high school
reunion,
I
sought out a
"girl"
I
had had
a crush on,
despite rumors at the time that she experimented with drugs. She
was tion,
and well into her white wine.
there,
my
and while she remembered
lection of
We
had
a brief
conversa-
name, she clearly had no recol-
any of our times together.
I
drifted off to another part of
the room, wondering whether the drug use, white wine, or age had
eroded her memory.
Age does chip away
at
our memory. Starting around age twenty,
your brain gradually diminishes percent
less
in size
and leaves you with 10 to 20
gray matter by the time you are eighty. Scientists are
unsure of whether this reduction
is
actual loss or rather shrinkage of
They do know
nerve cells and
glial cells.
tors with age,
which reduces the amount of chemical
between
cells,
and that fewer brain chemicals
are coursing through
possible to
that nerve cells lose recep-
tell
your head.
exactly
how
interaction
— neurotransmitters
Yet, researchers
have found
these alterations affect
it
im-
memory and
general thinking. "To this day, a connection between decreased
mental function and brain
cell loss
has not been proven," declares
Dr. Leonard Hayflick, of the University of California at San Francisco Medical School.
Not
all
the changes of aging bring bad news. Neurobiologists
studying stroke victims and amputees suffering from phantom pain
have discovered that parts of the brain can regenerate.
When
con-
nections between nerve cells (synapses) are broken, the brain can
grow new connections or compensate by strengthening nearby cuits. Scientists call this it
as a great discovery
Life
is all
memory
cir-
marvelous adaptation plasticity and herald
and the cause
for
much
hope.
except for the one present
by you so quick you hardly catch
it
going.
moment
that goes
—Tennessee Williams
POWER
DETAIL
53
TAKE ACTION Test
Most people exaggerate
Your Brain
their
Cells
memory
deficits.
They know
all
the times they have forgotten faces and names, misplaced keys,
or suffered a frustrating tip-of-the-tongue experience, but they don't detail
of
remember the many times they quickly from
how
a long-past event.
well your
once, turn
it
over,
memory
is
Take
recalled a fact or
this test for a
simple gauge
working. Read through this
and write down
as
many
items as
you can
list
re-
member. garlic
oregano
oranges
chocolate chip cookies
flour
raspberries
tomatoes
coconut
water
hamburger
nectarines
eggplant
white wine
mustard
rice
Scoring
Still,
some changes
If
NORMAL
18--39
10 items
40- -59
9 items
60--69
8 items
70+
7 items
in
speed of response
starting
then
it
memory
what goes and what
versal. Here's
•
AGE
around age
is
as
age appear to be near uni-
stays.
a measure,
fifty.
we
then
However,
if
it
diminishes in everyone
accuracy
is
the measure,
doesn't necessarily slip with age, except for long-term
memory.
BRAIN FITNESS
54
•
The type
of
memory
mediate storage of •
•
A
is
the im-
to a sight, sound, or smell
memory.
study of affluent retirees with
found that they performed
a
mean age
(how
well
membered), and verbal
recall
as
However,
of seventy-four
just as well in tests of
tion, paired-associate learning
graduates.
forties
lots of information.
Older people need longer exposure to activate sensory
your
at risk as early as
free
less
new
word genera-
information
young
re-
college under-
lower-income
educated,
is
seniors
scored lower than the college kids. •
working memory
Spatial
aging.
to
ability
remember where
to
demands constant refreshing
things are, which susceptible
—your
Its
rapid disappearance
—
especially
is
a
is
of
sign
Alzheimer's. •
The
— not once-known, common word—
tip-of-the-tongue
member
a
phenomenon
is
among people
being able to especially
re-
common
over sixty-four.
PLUS AND MINUS Assuming generally good mental aging around age of
change
sixty,
and
for
abilities that neuroscientists
perts say people gain
Vocabulary.
Verbal free
recall.
and
Word
showing
signs of
some, there are few signs
until their seventies or eighties.
and learning
Plus:
health, people begin
Here
memory
are the
and gerontology ex-
lose with the years.
generation. Paired-associate learning.
Proofreading. Capacity to generate
new
or
original ideas.
Minus-.
Mental response time. Speed and quality of sentence
completion. Storage of
working memory. tions).
lots of information. List recall. Spatial
Visual-spatial response (e.g., driving reac-
Tip-of-the-tongue memory.
Dream
recall.
DETAI
POWER
L
55
Will and discipline are part of learning and of forging strong
memories, and so
is
a
healthy brain. By that
mean
I
taking in the
necessary nutrients and doing the right exercises so that your functions efficiently. There
ory and learning ing.
One
of the
skills first
is
much you can do
to sharpen the
mind
mem-
that have slowed because they are rusty or ag-
places
you should look
is
the kitchen.
BRAIN FOODS Scientists are just
nutrition tration,
beginning to understand the strong links between
and mental function, and how
and
intellectual performance. Just as a
posed of many ingredients, brain food
namely proteins, carbohydrates, and that can spark your
memory, concen-
diet alters
is
fats.
good stew
is
com-
an assortment of nutrients,
Here
are
some
ingredients
memory.
The Glory oj Garlic Credit the Japanese for discovering that garlic can have a noticeable effect
aged
on memory. Researchers
garlic extract to the diets of
and found that their
ory
it
performance
test.
the University of
Tokyo added
mice specially bred to age quickly
not only extended their lifetimes but improved in
the water maze, a standard learning and
mem-
"These results suggest the possibility that aged garlic ex-
tract prevents physiological in
at
aging and age-related
memory
disorders
humans," claim the Japanese.
Try a Shot of Sugar
A
dose of concentrated sugar
searchers led
by
Dr. Paul
may
Gold
at
help short-term memory, say
the University of Virginia.
students were given glasses of lemonade early in the
re-
Twenty
morning when
BRAIN FITN ESS
56
their
stomachs were empty, then asked to read
forty-five minutes later they facts
in
were tested on
the article they could recall.
and
a short passage,
how many
One morning
of seventy
they drank
lemonade with sugar and on the next day lemonade with saccharin,
On
fake sugar.
the day they had the sugared lemonade, they re-
membered 30 percent more. The was not in
sugar that improved their recall
Gold concluded
table sugar but concentrated glucose. Dr.
the American Journal oj
and memory
in
Clinical Nutrition,
"Glucose enhances learning
healthy aged humans and enhances several other
cognitive functions in subjects with severe cognitive pathologies."
Bring
On
the
Fat
People learn better and remember more in their diets. Fats are
brain needs
them
when they have
present (this
body and
is
to function properly. Fats are
what makes
use of the unsaturated
down
composed
a fat "saturated")
fat in fish oil
of a string
and how much hydrogen determining
Our gray matter makes
brain use them.
breaks these
how
and vegetable
oil.
The body
into essential fatty acids (they're called essential
daily diet) that feed brain cell
The
genated)
in
test
fats, like it
animal
fat,
down and do
how various
fats
unsaturated
The
fat,
butter,
lubricate brain work-
memory and
of lab rats
high saturated
rats that
and those found
fat,
chowed down on
performed the worst. "The
in fried foods.
not add useful nutrients.
influence
Canada put three groups
them.
membranes and
in the
brain doesn't like short-chain, saturated (highly hydro-
These slow
To
the
good
especially
because the body cannot produce them but must have them
ings.
fat
our most concentrated form of energy, and the
of molecules, with the length of the string is
the right
on three
learning, scientists
different diets
—high
— then
tested
and normal
fat
the saturated
fat,
results indicate that a diet
mostly high
rated fatty acids can impair a wide range of learning and functions,"
concluded the researchers.
lard,
in satu-
memory
— D ETAI
On
Pile
Pasta
largely carbohydrates, as
is
they become part of a
POWE R
L
the
57
Pasta
you know, and when we
eat them,
chain reaction that ultimately produces
a
brain chemical that helps you think better. This fast-thinking neu-
rochemical
is
maybe even
when
serotonin, and
it
runs low you feel sluggish,
depressed, and cannot concentrate well. You can help
your brain produce more serotonin by feeding
amino acid found brain
is
it
tryptophan, an
protein foods such as milk and eggs.
in
fed lots of carbs,
sates for the chemical
which contain no tryptophan,
When your it
compen-
imbalance by increasing the tryptophan that
goes into the chemical stew to generate serotonin. By eating pasta,
you
actually generate a higher concentration of tryptophan.
Confused? Dr. Richard Wurtman Cognitive Sciences intuitive that the levels
is
at
MIT
at the
Department of Brain and
explains this paradox:
meal that most effectively
"It
seems counter-
raises brain
the one entirely lacking in tryptophan (that
tryptophan
is,
one con-
taining carbohydrates but no proteins) whereas a protein-rich meal,
which
elevates blood tryptophan, has the opposite effect
on the
brain."
POWERFUL NUTRIENT
A At the reunion,
whose
class
passages.
we would aller."
He was
Do you
my
enjoyed because
French teacher, Mr. Darien, I
had
who
a
sharp verbal
be able to
if
we
listened
rattle off
right. Repetition
memory
taught through oral rote.
to repeat verb conjugations
told us that
still
into
iron-fisted teacher
we had
He
bumped
really
I
and he was an Every day
I
and memorize long
and concentrated, years
the past perfect tense of "to go
enhances verbal memory.
find yourself forgetting directions
you heard only hours
or days ago? This can be annoying and frustrating, and can force to learn things twice.
Today
I
later
use the same technique for
you
remem-
BRAIN FITN ESS
58
bering information that of the instructions in
phone numbers
my
I
my
applied in French
class.
mind, and find that
recited to
me
I
replay the sounds
I
am
remember
able to
years ago by sounding the numbers in
mind. But the mind does not always cooperate, and knowing
about citicoline would certainly have made some learning
a little less
trying.
Scientists in the line, a
fect
United States and
form of choline and part of the vitamin B complex,
on verbal memory. This makes
know
have been testing
Italy
that choline
citico-
for
its ef-
sense, because they already
helps the brain produce the neurochemical
acetylcholine, a key ingredient in routine
memory
activity. In
dou-
placebo-controlled studies involving older volunteers
ble-blind,
with failing memory, from either aging or predementia, citicoline has consistently improved test scores for verbal
memory
as well as
immediate memory and delayed logical memory, the organization of thoughts and a concept of things that occurred is
found
in
egg yolks, organ meats, beans and
the past. Choline
in
peas,
and
lecithin sup-
plements. Lecithin, a nutritional extract, helps deliver choline to the brain. In fact,
because
it is
a better delivery
system than choline supplements
provides a steadier, longer supply of choline than the sup-
it
plements.
GREASE YOUR MEMORY Another naturally occurring substance
memory
is
meaning Think of
phosphatidylserine (PS). This
that it
it's
a naturally
occurring
fat
as grease or lubrication for
thirty-five studies,
of
that's
names and
PS has been found
faces, lost objects,
is
been shown to sharpen
a
phospholipid nutrient,
found
your mind.
at
Memory
fuzziness
more than
memory
Assessment Clinics
in
149 people were
memory impairment, which experienced by many people over fifty. Pa-
treated for what's called age-associated
memory
In
to stimulate people's
Bethesda, Maryland, and Stanford University,
the
membranes.
telephone numbers, and paragraphs
they have read. In a joint study
is
in cell
DETAI
tients, fifty to
LPOWER
seventy-five years old, took 100
three times a day for twelve weeks.
non-PS counterparts
in tests of
tion during reading,
and
be
a
The PS
name and
recall of
Thomas Crook, who
jects. Dr.
accustomed
to
dorsement. Not found
in
plements. While
mg of
PS or
a
memory, concentra-
face
led the study, concluded that
memory
foods,
PS
is
recommended doses may
lost
that's a
ob-
PS "may
loss in later life."
guarded statements,
many
placebo
patients outscored their
telephone numbers and
promising candidate for treating
scientists
59
From
ringing en-
available in dietary sup-
most of the studies
vary,
involving PS used 300 milligrams a day.
MEMORY MINERALS Boron, which
is
found
peas, lentils, nuts,
ory
tests.
ter
found that
and
in
foods like apples, peaches, pears, beans,
leafy vegetables, looks like a
Researchers at the 3
winner
USDA Human Nutrition
in
mem-
Research Cen-
milligrams a day improved people's alertness and
learning ability.
Lack of magnesium can cloud your memory by retarding blood circulation in the brain. Scientists have
magnesium
to
had good luck with giving
memory-impaired older people who seemed
to be
showing signs of early Alzheimer's. You can get magnesium by
eat-
ing whole wheat, almonds, cashews, and leafy green vegetables.
you consume when you
Zinc, a trace metal
eat shellfish, beans
and peas, or dark turkey meat, can also juice up your memory. Doctors in
have known for
the elderly,
a
long time that a zinc deficiency, particularly
has been linked to mental confusion and even
Alzheimer's disease. Zinc's positive effects are also noteworthy.
Women
in studies at
ability to
the University of Texas discovered that their
remember words and
visual patterns
got enough zinc into their system.
lowance
for zinc
is
12-15 milligrams.
improved when they
The recommended
daily
al-
BRAIN FITN ESS
60
MEMORY FOODS These foods and nutrients have been shown to boost memory in
noteworthy ways:
Aged
Improves
garlic.
memory
memory,
spatial
fights
age-related
loss.
Sugar/glucose. Improves short-term memory.
Carbohydrates
which
in pasta. Stimulates
production of serotonin,
fuels learning.
Unsaturated
fat
in
olive
oil,
fish oil.
Strengthens general
learning abilities. Citicoline in egg yolks, organ meats. Enhances verbal
mem-
ory.
Phosphatidylserine (PS)
in
supplements. Stimulates
memory
of names, faces, lost objects, and numbers.
Boron
in apples, pears, beans, peas.
Enhances alertness
for
learning.
Magnesium eral
Zinc
in
whole wheat,
nuts.
Enhances
alertness, gen-
memory.
in shellfish,
short-term
beans and peas, dark turkey meat. Aids
recall,
word and
visual
memory.
VITAMIN POWER Science
is
making amazing discoveries about how vitamins influence
our thought processes. In recent years, vitamin supplements have
been linked to better moods, higher scores on intelligence
more memory, and sharper nutrients to
attention.
expand your memory
are
Some
tests,
of the best vitamins
members
and
of the B complex: Bj
(thiamine), B 2 (riboflavin), B 3 (niacin), B 6 (pyridoxine), and B n
(cyanocobalamin), as well
The harm from not
as choline, carnitine,
getting
and
folic acid.
enough vitamin B has been known
for
decades. Insufficient intake of niacin can foster a disease that looks
— DETAI
mental
like
illness
and
hallucinations. People
B2
6
1
characterized by confusion, depression, and
who do
not take
in
enough
can become
Bj
ir-
and aggressive and exhibit personality changes. Deficiencies
ritable in
is
PO WE R
L
may produce
neurotic depression.
And
not enough B, 2 has
long been connected with dangerous (pernicious) anemia that can lead to a host of neurological problems.
So the converse of vitamin deficiency
RDA
levels
health
—makes
ily,
three are star
Of
the seven
memory
Research Center on Aging
in
Bj,
of the B vitamin fam-
B 6 and B l2 ,
memory
Human
of Agriculture
at
Nutrition
Boston. Seventy men, aged fifty-four
to eighty-one, were tested on their thinking and
then measured for levels of various B vitamins
men
.
study on thinking and
a
Mayer U.S. Department
the Jean
members
boosters
Vitamin B^ was the subject of
that higher, stronger
actually strengthen your mental
of B vitamins can sense.
—
memory
skills
The
systems.
in their
and
with the highest concentrations of B 6 did better on the Back-
ward Digit Span Test and the Activity Memory
Test,
both of which
employ working memory.
Most people, min B 6
A
.
says the U.S. government,
do not get enough
Vita-
National Health and Nutrition Survey of almost twelve
thousand people between the ages of nineteen and seventy-four vealed that 71 percent of
sume the recommended
men and 90
percent of
dietary allowance of B 6
women do
re-
not con-
.
Older people may especially lack B 6 either because they are not ,
getting
enough
in their diet
or from supplements or because their
bodies are not absorbing what they are consuming. Nutrient absorption
suming
is
a
a
problem
as
we grow
older.
If
you
find that
you
are con-
reasonable amount of a vitamin or mineral but
showing up
in
your system (through blood
ask your doctor for vitamin injections.
dosage for B 6
is
between
1.6
and
tests),
it's
not
you may have
The recommended
to
daily
2 milligrams, with supplemental
doses going up to 200 milligrams. Rich sources of B 6 besides sup,
plements, are yeast, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, tuna, and
Another B vitamin This vitamin,
essential for
like the citicoline
memory and
you
liver.
concentration
is
B 12
.
just read about, helps stimulate
BRAIN FITNESS
62
acetylcholine.
A good way
pump up this neurochemical, accordGunma University School of Med-
to
ing to Japanese researchers at the icine,
is
by adding B ]2
producing
it.
You can shellfish,
to diets that lack the choline necessary for
find B 12 in organ foods such as liver
in
such as clams and oysters. Vegetarians have to be especially
sensitive to B 12 intake, since
The recommended
diet.
and kidneys, and
not an ingredient
it is
daily allowance for B
is
]2
in their regular
2
micrograms,
with the supplementary dose up to 1,000 micrograms.
Older people can
meaning
that they
suffer
from what's called atrophic
no longer produce enough stomach acid
process the vitamin B ]2
in their food.
symptoms, including memory
The
loss, lack of
result
can be
to
a host of
coordination, and weak-
You can boost vitamin B 12 intake with
ness in the limbs.
gastritis,
milk, dairy
products, eggs, meat, poultry, and shellfish, or with supplements or
B 12 shots.
Vitamin B ]
land's
may sharpen
thinking, especially in
women. At Eng-
University College Swansea male and female students aged
seventeen to twenty-seven were given huge doses (ten times the daily
recommended amount)
tested every three
months
covered that the thiamin
of nine vitamins or a placebo,
for a year. in
At the end, the researchers
The
results.
researchers, led
women
in
at-
the
by David Benton, were surprised by the
"Unlike most previous studies, an unusual feature to the pres-
ent study
is
that aspects of cognitive functioning
improved only
year of taking a high dose of vitamins," they asserted.
ter a
dis-
the vitamin cocktail quickened the
tention and mental reaction time of the forty-seven study.
and
figured that the
women showed
different results
cause their bodies respond differently to
from the
af-
They
men
be-
diet.
Your morning orange juice may also boost memory. Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, ical
is
well
known
that attacks free radicals,
break
down
as
an effective antioxidant,
which
a
chem-
are unstable molecules that
or destroy healthy cells through oxidation.
Its
antioxi-
dant qualities, which fight atherosclerosis, possibly by strengthening the collagen in the arteries,
may
also
have
a direct effect
on
DETAILPOWER
63
MEALTIME BRAIN BOOSTERS These vitamins, and the foods that deliver them, can improve various facets of your thinking:
(whole grains, oatmeal, wheat germ, oysters, and
Vitamin B t
reaction time
liver): attention,
Vitamin B 6 (wheat germ, sunflower seeds, yeast, tuna, and liver):
working memory
Vitamin B 12 (clams, oysters, kidneys, and tion,
Vitamin
concentra-
mental alertness, learning
C
(oranges, strawberries, red peppers, and leafy
memory
green vegetables): general
thinking
liver):
skills.
Clearer arteries
mean more blood and oxygen
to the
brain.
At Southampton General Hospital the diets and thinking abilities of 92 riod
England, doctors surveyed
people over
a
twenty-year pe-
and found that "cognitive function was poorest
C
the lowest vitamin take
1
in
may
status"
saying that there
memory
versity of Trieste
and suggested that "high vitamin
is
even more enthusiastic about ascorbic
"substantial" evidence that
disorders. Drs.
in
in-
may be
acid,
useful in
Angelis and Furlan at the Uni-
memory
food sources for vitamin
like parsley, broccoli,
it
may be
a
disorders.
C are red peppers,-
and brussels
oranges, strawberries, is
De
it
aging mice and suggest
treatment for an assortment of
lowance
C
found ascorbic acid did an extraordinary job com-
bating induced amnesia
Good
those with
protect against cognitive impairment."
Italian scientists are
fighting
in
leafy vegetables
sprouts,- and, of course, fruits like
and papaya. The recommended daily
al-
60 milligrams, the supplementary range between 50 and
10,000 milligrams, and a dose for peak mental performance milligrams per day.
is
1,000
)
BRAIN FITN ESS
64
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and Nervous
AMA Home Medical
Library
(1
System,
991
MEMORY At
my
reunion,
lish class pal
chat,
I
I
had an encounter common
Debbie introduced me
moved
PILLS
on.
Ten minutes
to many.
to her husband,
later,
I
My
and
old Eng-
after a short
had no memory of Debbie's
husband's name.
What
my
strains
introduced to
a
synapses are short-term
a
tasks like being
group of people, then having to use their names
conversation minutes
undoubtedly
memory
ishly testing an array of
memory what Prozac
know this is a common experience, and why pharmaceutical companies are fever-
later.
big reason
in
I
compounds
that they
has done for depression.
hope I
will
do
for the
recently read that
DETAILPOWER more than 150 such
65
"brain drugs" are currently
under development
worldwide.
What many
people do not know, however,
that there are
is
al-
ready drugs available that are designed specifically to improve menfunctioning. First developed
tal
they are
common
class of drugs
mind."
is
fare in
by
a
French scientist
call
the 1970s,
Europe, Asia, and South America. This
called nootropics, literally
Some people
in
new
meaning "toward the
them cognitive enhancers because they can
improve learning and thinking speed, delay mental aging, and sharpen memory. For now,
I
who
the United States because their
in
effects are not always consistent
they work. Those
on what they do to memory.
will focus
Nootropics are controversial
and experts disagree on whether
do work say
believe they
sive results are typical for a juvenile science
drugs.
The
skeptics point out that
memory
is
a
new category
of
most of the studies have been on
animals, not humans, and that the
thinking and
and
that the inconclu-
whole science of improving
founded on poorly understood mechanisms.
Nevertheless, the experts do agree on a couple of points. For one,
nootropics do not produce side effects like those of other "mind drugs," the psychotropic medications used to treat mental illnesses.
They do not
sedate or stimulate, as can other drugs that
work on the
mind. Most experts accept the evidence that they can improve some aspects of learning, but their effects are not uniform, and there
way
to predict
Still, as
whom
they
is
no
will benefit.
often happens with
new medical
treatments, people are
forging ahead regardless of scientific debate. For instance, in Ger-
many
nootropics are widely prescribed by physicians not only for
dementia but also
for slight
memory
disturbances.
The most popu-
of these drugs are ginkgo biloba, piracetam, pyritinol, nimodip-
lar
ine,
and ergot
alkaloids, a medicinal
The mostly widely known
compound
derived from fungus.
cognitive enhancer, piracetam,
is
usu-
ally
taken as a general "brain booster" for various thought processes,
but
it
has also been successful in relieving age-associated
impairment.
One
memory
recent French study produced dramatic results.
66
BRAIN FITNESS
About 135 people, aged
fifty-five
and
older, at
Grenoble University
Hospital were separated into three groups and given either 2.4
grams
day of piracetam, 4.8 grams
a
a day, or a placebo. After six
mem-
weeks, the higher-dose patients generated the best scores on
ory
even though they had the worst scores before the study.
tests,
One
most famous studies of piracetam was done, again
of the
France, with 225 dyslexic schoolchildren. 3.3
grams
study,
a
day or
a
in
children took either
placebo for nine months. At the
of the children
all
The
had below normal reading
the
start of
skills,
although
they were of average intelligence. At the end, the children taking piracetam showed "significant improvements." years in reading accuracy and
1
.7
ory
loss,
1.3
years in comprehension, while the
youngsters taking the placebo advanced only Piracetam
They had gained
may even have some
reading
skills.
clout with the worst kind of
mem-
in their
comes with Alzheimer's. Researchers
the dementia that
Poland have found that high doses (2.4 grams
a day)
seem
in
to stop the
progression of Alzheimer's and that doses of around 800 milligrams a
day improve the memory and attentiveness of epileptic Piracetam
not generally available
is
can either order
macy without
in
the United States, but
through the mail from Europe or buy
it
prescription in Mexico,- this
personal use only.
Nootropil and
It
is
patients.
is
it
you
phar-
in a
perfectly legal, but for
sold under a variety of names, such as
Pirroxil, usually in
400-milligram or 800-milligram
capsules.
Nimodipine has This drug
is
conditions),
brain cells, nals
a
which means
which
when sending brain
much cell it
as
is
produced promising
results in
memory
tests.
calcium channel blocker (usually prescribed for heart
dilutes
between brain
anced
also
cells.
that
its
A
it
stops calcium from leaking into
effectiveness in delivering electrical sigits
impact
become
unbal-
steady drip of calcium reduces
strong individual signals.
It
tends to
people grow older. Disrupted calcium regulation
in
the
thought to be one of the underlying causes of dementia. Too
calcium
kills
brain cells and too
little
halts the
growth of new
connections. Another reason nimodipine appears to work
increases cerebral blood flow.
is
that
DETAI
Scientists
have found that nimodipine
requiring associative
know
memory,
that
kind of learning and
this
LPOWER is
67
especially useful for tasks
linking cause
is,
memory
well
—
it
and
effect.
You
happens when you
repeatedly burn your tongue testing fresh-from-the-oven cookies until
you
modipine
finally learn
tablets
not to taste
when they
were given three times
a
are steaming.
day
for three
When
ni-
months
to
people aged sixty to seventy-five whose learning had noticeably slowed,
it
boosted their associative learning speed by 50 percent.
As some
scientists explore
new drug
aids for
memory, others
are
TAKE ACTION Pharmacies, over-the-counter shelves, health food stores, and mail-order catalogs offer a variety of
pills
that
may expand your
memory. Piracetam (400-800 mg/day): memory, attentiveness, reading comprehension
Nimodipine (30-90 mg/day):
associative learning
and mem-
ory
Clonidine (Doses vary from
.1
mg
memory,
to
your doctor.):
spatial
fects: sedation,
low blood pressure
.3
mg
May
Consult
learning, recall. Side ef-
Pyritynol (300-600 mg/day): vitamin B 6 functioning.
a day.
.
Helps cognitive
lower depression.
Deanol (400-800 mg/day): memory, cognitive functions Deprenyl (10 mg/day): long-term memory, concentration, attention span Acetyl-1-carnitine (1,000-2,000 mg/day): attention, concentration
Ginseng (500-1,000 mg/day
extract): general
memory,
learn-
ing
Ginkgo biloba (40-120 mg/day tration
extract): attention,
concen-
BRAIN FITNESS
68
reexamining known pharmaceuticals for possible benefits to learning and memory. For instance, oral doses of
(MSG), which
monosodium glutamate
spurs the flow of certain neurochemicals, have im-
proved memory
in
people with deficits caused by aging.
Clonidine, a drug prescribed for lowering blood pressure, has also
been found to be useful
ies
in treating
memory
remember where you put
ability to
disorders, particularly the
things (spatial memory). In stud-
with animals, clonidine improved the ability to learn new informa-
tion (like
where food was hidden) and
forgotten.
While nowhere near
sedative side effects tists
are
to recall facts
perfect as a
and the dose has
encouraged enough to put
it
once known but
— —
memory drug gauged
to be carefully
it
has
scien-
into clinical testing.
HORMONE THERAPY Hormones
play an active role in memory.
what happens
With
who
to a person
A prime
example of
bringing few nutrients and oxygen to the brain. As a thinks and
thyroidism,
moves more is
slowly.
not treated
is
has low levels of thyroid hormones.
blood flows more slowly through the
less thyroid,
this
And
in time,
if
arteries,
result, a
person
this condition, called
hyper-
the blood vessels of the brain age
prematurely and atherosclerosis can occur. Furthermore, hyperthyroidism reduces the cells.
Symptoms
number
of dendrite connections
of hyperthyroidism are sluggishness, slowed think-
ing, difficulty in concentrating,
waking up or
between brain
after resting.
Not
and
a
poor memory, especially when
surprisingly, thyroid therapy can re-
verse these signs. Says Dr. Thierry Hertoghe, an internationally
known
expert in hormones, "Thyroid supplements are really great at
magnifying the intelligence of
a patient to
such an extent that
physicians consider thyroid hormones to be the ultimate of intelligence verses failing
.
.
.
many
hormone
the efficacy with which thyroid treatment re-
memories of people
definitely
mones depends on when the therapy
is
sooner thyroid supplements are given, the
low
started. better."
in
thyroid hor-
In general,
the
DETAI
Testosterone
is
in
POWER
69
memory hormone. Men and women who memory (the ability to manipulate precise
another
test better for spatial
movements
L
space) generally have
more testosterone
their
in
"When testosterone therapy is women [women who feel themselves more as
blood. According to Dr. Hertoghe,
taken by transsexual
men and the
try medical treatment to
body
make
of a male], these masculinized
their bodies look
more
women become more
like
pro-
ficient in spatial tasks,
but lose their previous language fluence, a
typical characteristic of
women."
Depending on the
state of
your memory, you may want to think
about taking aggressive action such as hormone replacement therapy.
The
idea of replacing
during
bodies
menopausal
shown
that
normal
women it
hormones
aging
is
as
they are depleted from our
widely
Millions
accepted.
of
take estrogen, and recent investigations have
not only counteracts the effects of menopause but also
can sharpen slowed thinking. Another hormone, dehydroepiandros-
(DHEA), which both men and women churn out
terone
dance
until
star of
thirty,
when
begins to drop
it
hormone replacement programs.
promise
(hGH)
around age
in
is
It,
perking up flagging memories.
off, is
too, has
in
abun-
the latest
demonstrated
Human growth hormone
another candidate for replacement therapy
if
you
are con-
cerned about slipping cogs.
Estrogen
Most
of the research into the effects of
hormones on memory has
concentrated on estrogen, with good cause. Researchers around the
globe are finding that estrogen can markedly sharpen a woman's thinking,
and one leading researcher pinpoints
its
cognitive benefits
on memory. Dr. Barbara Sherwin of McGill University reports there is
"reason to believe that this sex steroid might enhance memory,"
while noting that estrogen does not impact equally. In healthy
young women,
it
all
kinds of
memory
appears to most benefit short -
and long-term verbal memory and especially paired-associate mem-
BRAIN FITNESS
70
which
ory,
is
how
other hand, the
weakened, In
hormone seemed
spatial
one of the
remember new information.
well they
to have
no
effect on, or
On
sometimes
memory.
women on estrogen replacewomen not on ERT were read a
studies, twenty-eight
ment therapy (ERT) and
forty-three
short paragraph and after thirty minutes asked to recall as
about
as
it
the
they could.
The women on
estrogen remembered
much
much
more, leading the researchers to conclude that the hormone not only helped their rial.
memory
While Sherwin admitted
tween the two groups of
She said that
significant.
phone numbers,
Some
is
forty-five
that the difference in performance be-
women was not huge, it was statistically the ERT women probably recalled tele-
instructions,
and directions more
easily.
have found that estrogen's influence on women's
scientists
memory
new mate-
but also their ability to learn
apparent even during normal menstrual cycles.
women
at the
A study of
University of Western Ontario discovered
women
that during the high-estrogen phase of their cycle,
many words
ter on verbal fluency tests (saying as
did bet-
as possible start-
ing with a certain letter within a certain time) than during their
low-estrogen phase.
The
effects
menopausal
was
first
on the thought processes of post-
estrogen
of
women
have been examined ever since the hormone
synthesized.
A
number
with estrogen have shown that in verbal
memory
but
in
of tests of elderly
women
treated
can produce major gains not only
it
other kinds of mental functioning as well.
Dr. Sherwin says that various studies provide "compelling evidence" of the benefits of estrogen replacement for aging minds. Researchers at
Stanford University
who
tested the
fifty-five to ninety-three, half
made
memory
on estrogen and
a difference for
definitely
is
important to note that estrogen comes either
the brain
and that
when
it is
scientists believe
delivered
In studies of estrogen
by
women aged
half not,
found that
remembering names and
it
injection,
of 144
more
in tablet
of the
faces.
It
form or by
hormone
gets to
injection.
and brain
activity, researchers
have found
DETAI
POWER
L
that estrogen has a stronger influence
by the
left
The
hemisphere.
your brain, you might
and manual
directs language, verbal skills,
1
on mental functions governed
side of
left
7
recall,
dexterity. Furthermore, a
healthy circulation of estrogen through the brain stimulates the production of nerve growth factor (NGF), which the brain manufac-
memory.
tures to protect neurons vital for
estrogen
NGF
the brain,
in
If
there
is
not sufficient
memory
production drops, and
cells
weaken.
While the
results of various studies
have not been uniform, prob-
ably because they did not measure the same kinds or levels of estrogen, or use the same
memory
tests,
estrogen
may
well help
you
remember an address or phone number you heard but not help you remember where you put your
glasses.
Estrogen replacement therapy
Women
is
not for everyone, however.
at risk for breast cancer, in particular,
should think twice
about whether they want to add to the hormone that researchers
have implicated tions.
And
as a possible contributor to
not as
much
cancerous
research has been done on
muta-
cell
ERT
in pre-
menopausal women.
However,
a
new generation
harmful side effects
is
of estrogen drugs that sidestep the
about to
hit the marketplace.
Called
(selective estrogen-receptor modulators), these drugs are
Consequently, they are showing remarkable results for
fighting heart disease
and osteoporosis while not
risk of breast or uterine cancer.
ready
in clinical trials,
A hormone
and others
it
into
as the
mother
of
woman's
raloxifene
is al-
are close behind.
and Women
reputed to boost the memories of both
DHEA, known
verts
raising a
One SERM named
A Mother Hormone for Men
is
designed
and bones but not the uterus and
to deliver estrogen to the heart breasts.
SERM
men and women
hormones because the body con-
dozens of other hormones
(its
offspring include estro-
BRAIN FITNESS
72
DHEA
gen, androgen, testosterone, and corticosterone). steroid until
hormone produced by our
around age
were producing
recommended doctors,
An
a neuro-
adrenal glands in a steady stream
the flow begins to slacken. By age
DHEA
our bodies are producing a small fraction of the
sixty-five,
that they
when
thirty,
is
its
it
may
that
is
anti-aging powers, part of
for
DHEA
our twenties. While
in
its
usually
is
magic, say some
hike your memory.
investigation at Bates College in
memory found
various steroids affect
Maine
that
that looked at
DHEA
was
how
a standout.
Researchers fed female rats six different steroids, then put them
memory and
through
learning
tests.
Those on DHEA-S
form that has solubility properties similar to plain larly excelled in tests of
(the sulfate
DHEA)
particu-
working and long-term memory.
In the
discussion of their findings and comparisons with other research, Drs. Cheryl Frye
and Jodi Sturgis concluded, "This confirms that
DHEA-S' memory enhancing species, sex or
memory
effects ... are
Another researcher, Eugene Roberts La
stitute in
Jolla, California,
so well. In his
work with
rats,
Beckman Research
In-
DHEA works DHEA stimulates
why
learned
messenger and the formation of
branches that connect brain
cells.
no magic
the
he discovered that
cell
is
at
may have
production of a key brain
DHEA
not unique to this
task."
bullet for a failing
memory, however. The
re-
memory has so far been limited to animals, which do not have as much of the hormone as humans, so scientists must theorize about how it could affect the husearch into
its
influence on thinking and
man brain. Nevertheless, they have found that
growth
in
animal brains.
DHEA
it
stimulates neurite
also helps balance the body's pro-
duction of potentially hazardous stress hormones, called glucocorticoids.
If
stressful
there
is
an imbalance
among
various glucocorticoids, under
conditions tissues like those
the hippocampus,
Some
may
doctors hesitate to
facial hair in
the
memory
headquarters,
suffer.
recommend
tainty over long-term side effects. In
acne and
in
women, and
DHEA
some
because of uncer-
tests,
it
has produced
researchers have theorized that
POWER
DETAIL
it
may
raise the risk for heart disease
though there
shown
is
no evidence that
and prostate cancer
this
that at extremely high doses
73
in
men,
al-
And a rat study has may cause liver prob-
happens.
DHEA
lems, even cancer.
You can buy DHEA, usually nutrition stores.
There
are
in
25- or 50-milligram capsules, from
no standard doses. Most
clinical studies
have used daily doses of 25 to 100 mg. Getting the right dose is
important with
DHEA,
have your hormone dose
will
so
you should consult
level tested before starting
depend on how much
on
DHEA your body
a physician it.
Your optimum producing nat-
Women
J
10
I
L
I
20
DHEA Adapted from Stopping
J
Levels
the Clock
(
1
I
40
30
I
I
50
age in years by Age in Men and 996)
I
and
is
- Men
-
level
'
60
Women
70
BRAIN FITNESS
74
urally,
need
which you can
less
blood
than men, and some people take
who
particularly those
DHEA,
find out from a
are
men and
acnelike pimples in
available,
the lost
facial hair in
and may be even more
hormones
women
only every other day,
prone to the most annoying side effect of
ple with these complaints, a precursor of
now
Generally,
test. it
women. For peo-
DHEA,
pregnenolone,
is
effective in helping to replace
of youth.
Human Growth Hormone (hGH) As
a
memory
human growth hormone
tonic,
Like other hormones,
it is
is
not uniformly potent.
body development and personal
essential to
chemistry, surging through us until our mid-twenties or so, then
ebbing. By the time less
than
in
we
our youth.
we pump
are sixty or seventy,
Human growth hormone
feeds not only our
muscles, bones, and tissues but also our brains. As lose
many of their receptors
ficiency
A rier
for
hGH can
and mingle with
ters. Scientists
amount
it
Although
certain brain cell receptors
have found that
it
and neurotransmit-
raises the level of (3-endorphin, the feel
energetic and "high," and low-
of dopamine, a neurochemical that agitates us.
easier for us to concentrate
hGH
known
is
for our skin, muscles,
circulate,
to
By
re-
hGH may well
and remember.
to slow the ravages of aging, especially
and organs,
its
impact on
memory
chronicled. Scientists have learned that low levels of
spond
to a de-
slides as the years tick by.
ducing the amount of dopamine that might
be making
age, our brains
nevertheless cross the blood-brain bar-
neurochemical that can make us ers the
we
growth hormone, which leads
and may well explain why memory
large protein,
out 80 percent
is
not as well
hGH
corre-
poor memory, but they are uncertain about what happens to
memory when
hGH
To me, old age
is
is
increased.
A study at the Free
fifteen years older
than
I
University Hos-
am.
— Bernard Baruch
POWER
DETAIL
pital in
Amsterdam found
poorer iconic
memory
that
75
men who had low
memory
which might have
also affected their brain develop-
from
ment.
More promising results have come from
Fujisawa Pharmaceutical
low
levels of
memory. So
hGH
there's
Company
some evidence
actively researching
ficient in
in
He
study using
the
rats at
Japan. Here, researchers found
hGH
that
believes,
hGH
can help your memory.
Swedish endocrinologist, has been
and has conducted
human growth hormone, it.
a
almost definitely produced poor thinking and
Dr. Bengt-Ake Bengtsson, a
the use of
than those
Yet most of the subjects had low
produce
hGH
that
had
hGH.
pituitary did birth,
hGH
(the ability to retain a flash of information),
short-term, long-term, and perceptual-motor
whose
levels of
"We
face of the importance of
a
number
especially in adults
of studies
who
on
are de-
are just beginning to scratch the sur-
growth hormone
in
cognition,
memory
and brain function."
Human growth hormone,
like estrogen,
is
only available through
Human Growth Hormone (hGH)
40
50
age Adapted from Grow Young with
HGH (1 997)
in
60 years
100
BRAIN FITNESS
76
your doctor. Before you decide to pursue any kind of hormone
re-
placement, you need to have blood levels measured so your doctor
can adjust your dosage accordingly. Another route suggested by
hGH
advocates
is
to encourage
with supplements, nutrients, and
amino
your body to produce more
activities that spark its release.
hGH
and ornithine bump up your
acids arginine
hGH
by
The
tickling
the brain's cholinergic nervous system, which uses acetylcholine to pass information along. For this reason, the supplements choline and B5,
which increase
this neurotransmitter,
nine and ornithine. Other nutrients that
hGH cise.
of the best
ways
your
to get
may
argi-
increase your natural
and methionine.
are niacin, tyrosine, glutathione,
One
should be taken with
hGH
pumping
is
through exer-
High-intensity exercise, such as free-weight training, multi-
and aerobic
joint training,
can boost your brain and
hGH
memory
activities like sprinting, squash, or tennis,
circulation. In fact, exercise
for
more than
its
hormone
is
great for your
benefits.
PROTECT YOURSELF WITH EXERCISE Exercise
is
great for
protections against
all
mental functions and one of the best
sorts of
memory
loss.
cal exercise delivers vital fuel to
One
your
reason for this
brain.
is
that physi-
Although your brain
counts for just 2 percent of your body weight,
it
consumes
at least
25 percent of the oxygen you breathe. Oxygen and glucose are lifeblood, teries
and
if
this
supply
become clogged with
not get through. for thinking.
is
diminished, which happens
arteries
activity, particularly
blood pumping feeds the
when
its
ar-
cholesterol, essential nourishment does
The narrowed
Any
ac-
cannot deliver
sufficient fuel
aerobic exercise, that gets the
brain.
Regular exercise has a stronger impact on sharp thinking than
even good general health and sensible eating.
A couple
of years ago,
researchers at Scripps College in California tested 124
women, aged
fifty-five to
ninety-one, half of
men and
whom were couch pota-
POWER
DETAIL
and
toes
half of
whom were vigorous exercisers. The sedentary group week
spent no more than ten minutes a
pending few
The
calories.
memory a
at least 3,
tests that
00
1
one and
calories per day.
involved reading spans (recalling the
(holding two sets of letters
was unique
a
memory and
in their
The
to each).
last
computer monitor) and
surprise finding
good health did not make
tary group's
for at least
potatoes and exercisers took a battery of working-
sentence previously read on
letter
strenuous exercise, ex-
and walked
stairs,
one-quarter hours a week, and burned
The couch
in
active group participated in recreational
gardened, climbed
activities,
77
word
of
letter sets
identifying
which
was that the seden-
a difference in their scores,
but their lack of exercise did. Although their blood pressure levels
were close to those of the exercisers and they
healthy, they
felt
could not match the scores of their active counterparts. searchers concluded,
ways we Even
A
"It
tame
gave
memory
at
activity
who walked
acuity
is
Dr. Robert
Research Laboratory
exist."
a difference.
Marianna University
St.
at
the connec-
who walked
people
daily
and
the farthest scored best, while those
who barely walked showed signs of One of the truest believers in the tal
in
and exercise focused on walking. They
tests to forty-six elderly
found that those
the
Kawasaki have been looking
in
between mental
tion
does seem to
walking can make
activity like
group of Japanese researchers
School of Medicine
re-
appears that exercise affects the brain
just don't understand. But the effect
a relatively
The
dementia. link
between exercise and men-
Dustman, director of the Neuropsychology
at the
Veterans Affairs Medical Center
in Salt
Lake City. He's been studying the effects of exercise on brain waves
and mental performance
for years,
sixty-year-olds can mentally
measures, the older thirty
and forty years
your mind
is
in
match people
it.
atively immediate.
half their age.
good condition scored just
their junior,"
he
says.
groggy from aging and too
something about
ally
men
and has found that aerobically
The mental Dustman
He
little
"On many
as well as
men
also claims that
exercise,
fit
if
you can do
benefits of physical activity are rel-
estimates that a nonexerciser of virtu-
any age may begin to see
results within six
months.
BRAIN FITNESS
78
MY
The I
am
exercise feeling
in intensity •
FAVORITE EXERCISES FOR PEAK THINKING AND MEMORY use to enrich
I
and
my mind
my physical
depends on
how
sluggish
surroundings. These exercises vary
and where they can be done conveniently.
Tai chi breathing. This breathing exercise incorporates your
body, breathing, and mind
in four distinct stages of activity:
inhalation, retention, exhalation,
and pause. Stand with your
heels together and your toes splayed at a 45-degree angle,
knees bent, spine straight. Bring your hands together of
you below the
Empty your
navel,
palms up, right hand cupped
in left.
lungs and slowly inhale. Slowly raise your hands
out to the sides, palms up, and sible as
in front
you
raise
make
as
wide
a circle as pos-
them above your head. At the same
slowly straighten your knees, hands
still
raised
time,
and lungs
full.
pelvis, hold,
and swallow aloud. Keep your neck
as stretched as possible.
Slowly exhale through the nose.
Tuck
in
your
Gradually lower your hands, palms down,
in a straight line
back to the starting position, while bending your knees into a semi-squat.
Empty your
lungs with a final contraction.
Pause to release the abdominal wall, turn palms upward, cup
them, and begin again. Repeat •
Shadowboxing. Stand erect with your apart. Flex in front of
with left
all
your knees
slightly
and
feet shoulder
visualize a
you. Clench your right
fist
back.
the
a
in a
way forward and
Use your whole body. Breathe
Conducting
punching bag
left fist.
and right twenty times. Move your arms all
width
and punch the bag
your might, then punch with your
motion, bringing them
•
this five times.
Alternate
complete
all
the
way
deeply.
humming or counting and help you warm up. Stand-
mental symphony. Start
to increase your concentration
ing with your feet slightly apart, arms out, elbows high and
DETAI
out to the sides, trace two
I
and
POWER
L
Cs
that are back-to-back with your
forearms.
Do
to strain
your arms. Try doing
this
motion
soda cans.
this exercise
you do
weights or
larly,
gradually increase the weights.
still
use physical activity to get
believe
I
nical material
such as
how
simplicity
in I
want
to
and
If
my mind and memory in gear, When am reading tech-
to run a software program, I
while holding
this exercise regu-
efficiency.
I
remember or learning
moderate aerobic exercise.
being careful not
at least ten times,
light
full
79
I
a
complicated process
take regular breaks for
pedal on a stationary bike or take a
walk around the block. This increases the blood flow to
brisk
brain just
when
I
need
it
—when
my
I'm trying to lock information into
my memory.
SMELL YOUR WAY TO A pleasant, of smell
even fun way to jog your
A
BETTER MEMORY
memory
is
through your senses
and sound. Did you know that when you combine learning
with a sensory experience, the information stays with you longer?
According to researchers into
your permanent
smell.
day,
The
at
UCLA, you
memory by coupling
can push information it
with
a
distinctive
researchers separated rats into four groups and spent one
one week, two weeks, or four weeks training them to associate
an electrical shock to their feet with the smell of ammonia, then
JAKE ("BODY BY JAKE") STEINFELD'S
MEMORY "If
I
TRICK
have to study something or memorize something,
into a
rhyme.
I
make
it
fun for myself."
I
put
it
BRAIN FITNESS
80
damaged
the group's
memory
trained for one day, one week, or
box with
electrical
its
When
centers.
the rats that had
two weeks were returned
to the
shocks and odor of ammonia, they showed
no recollection of the surroundings, shocks, or
smell. But the rats
with four weeks of learning and association remembered the shocks
and pungent
While
smell.
this
study used
memory hold
true
rats,
the strong ties between smell and
people,
for
At Bishop's University
too.
He
certain smells help students recall information.
students a
list
of twenty-four
their
memory
that
permeated their learning
much
gave forty-seven
words to remember while the smell of
either jasmine or Lauren perfume to be
in
David G. Smith discovered that
Lenoxville, Canada, psychologist
better
was
in
the
air.
Later tests
showed
when they smelled
the same scent
Other odors
that scientists
session.
memory
have found to enhance learning by providing
cues are am-
monia, chocolate, and peppermint.
At the University of Cincinnati, students watched breathing either different fragrances or pure
a
video while
through oxygen
air
masks. Afterward, they were asked to recall a certain line of dialogue.
While the pure
were tested
in
air
did nothing to their scores,
when they
the presence of the odors of peppermint and
lily
of
the valley, their scores were 25 percent higher. I
constantly practice using
When
I
visit a
place
I
If
I
want
sense of smell as a
have not been to for
on the smells around me riences.
my
a
memory jogger.
long time,
to trigger old images
I
concentrate
and remember expe-
to capture the essence of an experience,
I
seek out
the most memorable smell. For instance, to recapture the feeling of
my
high school years,
sweat, polished
I
wooden
gym
would
visit
floors,
and new vinyl mats. By capturing or
the
to
evoke the smells of
recapturing a certain smell, you activate the elements of your
ory that require
detail.
Paying attention
memory, and being attuned ability to
remember.
to
is
mem-
essential for a strong
your sense of smell
will
sharpen your
DETAILPOWER
81
MEMORY BUILDERS Here
your memory.
are ideas for activities that will strengthen
You need
•
to constantly use
and stimulate your store of knowl-
edge, language, and problem-solving trivia
skills.
Activities that help are
games, card games, crossword puzzles, learning computer
programs, and even children's word games thinking of a famous person whose
me
name begins with
last
("I'm
like Botticelli
Ask
R.
yes or no questions to find out who").
•
To sharpen your short-term memory, the next time you
ter a place
you have never been
new
before, such as a
store,
en-
note
the placement of ten items,- leave, then return fifteen minutes later
and see what you
game with •
recall.
yourself, the
You
more you play
will find that the
this
more you remember.
To remember routine things you have done, such
as
locking
the front door or turning off the coffeepot, remind yourself aloud as
you
are finishing the task. Vocalizing strongly reinforces
mem-
ory. •
We
all
know
What you may
that writing things
not
know
is
reminder to look
a written
Remembering names,
ciations.
When
at,
cements
a
name, give
list,
you can use
it
a
as a
or
just
our memory. So don't
be sure you make one. a
is
game
of asso-
in
the future.
When you hear
connection, which might be an alliteration
"by the bookcase").
ATM
in
for the first time, pick out a fa-
cue
("Donna with the droopy eyes") or
Tom
it
and numbers
faces,
meeting someone
cial feature that
helps us remember.
that the process of writing, not having
worry about losing your grocery •
down
If
a
context (being introduced to
you want
to
number, link the numbers to
remember a birthday,
a
combination an important
date in history, or an anniversary. Visualization also helps in mak-
ing associations. For instance,
parked •
in aisle
One
5A
of the
at
if
you want
to
remember
that
you
the airport, think of five airplanes.
most
frustrating
memory
lapses
is
the tip-of-the-
tongue experience. Scientists have devoted years to discovering
BRAIN FITN ESS
82
why
people temporarily forget
well-known piece of information
a
that seems to linger just a few inches reach.
While they haven't figured out why
they think that gest relaxing ally
beyond
women
are
more
it
their
memory's
happens (although
susceptible than men), they sug-
and forgetting about
it.
Dwelling on the lapse usu-
does not produce what you want to know.
MEMORY POISONS not enough to practice and stimulate your memory, you also have
It's
and the environment.
to guard against assaults from harmful foods
Every day, people consume chemicals and are exposed to things
like
memory. By guarding against the
fol-
saturated fats that can poison
memory
lowing poisons, you can slow or even prevent some
Stress Stress not only hurts your physical health,
your powers of
While short
recall.
damages brain
cells. Scientists
the chemical communication that tentiation (a chemical
and
also erodes
bursts of stress can rev
mental engine, the constant bombardment of tually
it
is
stress
stress disrupts
essential to the long-term po-
electrical action) that triggers learning.
process carbohydrates but that
in
excess can
hormone damage
that helps
brain cells.
Glucocorticoids inhibit the brain's ability to absorb glucose,
cal signals.
it
of
Consequently, brain
damaged or
ther
killed.
work with constant
It
up your
hormones even-
have found that
Stress also stimulates the flow of Cortisol, a
source of energy, and rob
loss.
is
its
ability to
cells
main
moderate other chemi-
become overexcited and
no wonder that people who
stress say
its
are ei-
live
they have trouble learning and
and re-
membering. I
ease the stress that has
become
ting aside a time in the early evening,
nighttime reading, for what quiet room, with the
close
my
tion, or
I
call
phone turned
my life by my workday
a regular part of
between
set-
and
constructive visualization. In a off
and the lighting dimmed,
I
eyes and imagine an upcoming meeting, task, conversa-
phone
call.
I
visualize the setting
and the people involved
DETAI
and see myself going through
POWER
L
it.
I
83
shape the ideas and sentences
going to communicate and practice
my
me
ments. This mental rehearsal helps
actions and
I
am
body move-
not only to anticipate and
control an event but also to moderate any stress associated with
By reducing the unpredictability of stress factor.
As
my own
reactions,
a stress buster, constructive visualization
it.
lower the
I
similar to
is
meditation and aerobic exercise. Painkillers Scientists have found that nonsteroidal anti-inflam-
matory drugs (what they fen) can chip
NSAIDs
away
at
NSAIDs and what you know
as ibupro-
your memory. While about 40 percent of
all
are prescribed for people over sixty-five years of age,
mostly for
arthritis,
they have also become the drug of choice for
sports enthusiasts beset In a
call
by the aches and pains
of physical activity.
survey of elderly rural residents by the University of Iowa Col-
lege of Medicine, people taking high doses of
NSAIDs (more
than
1,800 milligrams a day) were found to be at high risk for long-term
memory
While other
decline.
inflammatories
may
studies have suggested that anti-
protect the brain from dementia,
that very large doses of these drugs are harmful.
sume
much medication
that
for
Few
it
is
possible
of us can con-
any length of time and not
suffer
kidney damage. Nevertheless, the University of Iowa study contains a
warning that we
all
should heed: Excessive medications can do un-
seen damage.
Alcohol Regular, high consumption of alcohol
memory and
thinking.
When you
drink too much, the ethanol
broken down into various products, particularly ters,
which
cium
is
in turn
scientific
Some cohol
forget.
in
the brain. Cal-
communicate, and so your mind
However, there
is
no unequivocal
evidence that moderate alcohol consumption ruins
recall.
researchers have studied the effects of "medium" doses of
—0.05 milligrams per kilogram
and verbal or
down and
memory
that even
recall
of
body weight
and found that the immediate
actually improved.
is
fatty acid ethyl es-
reduce calcium concentrations
essential for brain cells to
begins to slow
definitely impairs
Some
—on
result
studies have
al-
learning
was minimal,
shown, however,
moderate alcohol can hurt information processing
tasks.
BRAIN FITNESS
84
Tap Water Tap water can be another memory
when
it
comes from antiquated, poorly maintained systems
contain numerous toxins. toxic chemicals, lead,
native
poison, especially
steamed
is
It
not unusual for tap water to contain
is
and even
distilled
fecal bacteria.
water,
which
A much also
is
the water
is
better alter-
called purified,
demineralized, deionized, or reverse osmosis water. tillation,
that
Through
dis-
largely purified of dissolved solids, chlorine,
TAKE ACTION Memory Saturated
fats.
Poisons
to
Avoid
Reduces the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the
brain.
Creates a cascade of chemicals that
Stress.
Alcohol. Breaks
down chemicals
communication between
cells.
in
kill
brain cells.
the brain that are vital for
Here
I
refer to alcohol as a
toxin that disrupts brain chemistry.
Tap water. Odds contains
tap
are high that the liquid
chlorine,
coming from your
aluminum,
fluorine,
and
lead,
bacteria.
Caffeine. In
brain and tle
more than moderate amounts can overexcite the
make concentration and
caffeine
work
is
good
a
A
lit-
brain stimulus,- moderate amounts
to the detriment of
Emotional turmoil.
learning difficult.
When
memory.
the brain's emotional centers are
highly activated, concentration and learning are
difficult.
Medication. Medications that sedate or calm can also slow
memory and
learning.
Drugs known
to impair
memory
in-
clude tricyclic antidepressants, lithium, antihypertensives, antibiotics,
and
analgesics.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In very high doses, drugs
like ibuprofen,
which
tion,
have been linked to
diate
word
recall.
are used to reduce inflamma-
memory
loss, particularly
imme-
DETAI
LPOWER
85
and toxic material. Minerals have also been removed from the water.
Other types of
"natural" water, such as bottled spring water or
min-
not as pure as distilled water.
eral water, are
ON THE HORIZON: A WELL-TUNED MIND About
ways
forty years ago, an Italian biologist searching for
cancer and experimenting with
how
cells
grow
to treat
or die, discovered a
protein that played a pivotal role in the development of certain
glands and muscles. Later, a Swiss neurobiologist discovered that this protein also
The
seemed
essential for
neurons to survive and thrive.
biologist Rita Levi-Montalcini called the protein nerve
and ever
factor, bilities.
have been captivated by
since, scientists
The discovery and subsequent
won
investigations
growth
its
possi-
her and a
colleague a Nobel Prize in medicine.
Nerve growth
factor
(NGF)
is
produced
in
the central nervous
system and operates by stimulating the growth of axons and dendrites,
the branches between cells and the brain's communications
network.
also helps
It
involved
ily tial
in
that
NGF
Sweden
tested
brains of aging rats
which
is
receiving tive
to a well-tuned engine.
NGF
nerve cells grew
in
Johns Hopkins University
system. Researchers injected
and then watched them perform
and
improvements
same areas of the brain that
scientists at
standard learning and
a
testing, the in
as essen-
whether the nutrient could stimulate
memory
aged or aging
is
circulated in the
by Alzheimer's,
are ruined
NGF
learning and memory. All this makes
in
to a healthy brain as oil
Knowing and
produce the neurotransmitters that are heav-
memory
test.
mentally slow
their learning
NGF
in a
a
dam-
into the
water maze,
After three weeks of rats
showed
distinc-
and memory. Furthermore,
the area of the brain where the
NGF
had been
introduced.
There
is
also evidence that estrogen
may
stimulate
the part of the brain, the cholinergic system, that
spokes of our
memory
apparatus. This
is
good news
NGF action is
in
the hub and
for
women on
BRAIN FITNESS
86
hormone replacement therapy who and learning
abilities.
Nerve growth trition store or
fective
factor
is
not something you can buy
pharmacy. At present,
drug because
its
to deliver
NGF
it is
it
at
the local nu-
cannot be made into an
ef-
molecules are too big to pass through the
blood-brain barrier, the protective
way
concerned about memory
are
filter
around the
by coupling the
either through direct injection or
molecules to others that can
slip
The only
brain.
through, what are
known
as
now, nerve growth factor and other members
carrier molecules. For
of the neurotrophin family are being clinically tested as treatments
amyotrophic
for Alzheimer's, eases. But
it's
lateral sclerosis,
and various nerve
dis-
on the horizon.
definitely
NEWS TO WATCH FOR •
A
California company, Cortex Pharmaceuticals,
(NIH)
rating with the National Institutes of Health
memory drug
called
Ampalex
is
to develop a
company
or ampakine. In
collabo-
tests,
the
drug was given orally to twenty-four healthy young volunteers a double-blind,
results for
placebo-controlled study and showed remarkable
improving learning and memory. The drug works by
increasing activity in the hippocampus,
term
memory
center,
which
is
the brain's long-
and the cerebral cortex. The
NIH
has re-
cently begun enrolling patients for an early-stage clinical
Ampalex
in
as a
treatment for mild dementia and for people
trial
in
of
the
early stages of Alzheimer's. •
Citicoline
learning and
is
memory
ing tested for
FDA
ninety-five people
ing 1,000-2,000 line
nutritional
a
in
supplement shown to improve
people over age
is
currently be-
fifty
and eighty-five
tak-
per day for two or three months, the citico-
therapy improved delayed-recall
inefficient
and
approval. In a controlled study involving
between the ages of
mg
fifty,
memory
in
people with
memories. People taking the higher dose showed not
LPOWER
DETAI
only improved delayed-recall
but also improved imme-
memory.
diate
Dana Consortium on Memory Loss and
Researchers for the
•
memory
87
Aging
are coordinating with colleagues at
School
versity
Medicine
of
to
begin
Johns Hopkins Unitesting
Cognex,
an
Alzheimer's drug, on people with normal memories.
A
•
nootropic agent called huperzine A, which comes from a
moss native
to China, has
particularly in
orders,
shown promise
in fighting
memory
dis-
Alzheimer's patients. Chinese scientists
have found that the moss extract works on the chemical imbalance that
associated with Alzheimer's and has produced positive
is
working-memory
results in reversing
A
•
deficits.
special antioxidant called a nitrone has
HOW
OLD
IS
been found to
re-
YOUR MEMORY?
Read the names below, then cover them. Barbara Cline
Henry
Russell
Diane Foster Bill
Daniels
Karen Tate Jeff Allen
Now
fill
in
the blanks:
Daniels
Cline Foster
Allen
Tate Russell Scoring-.
age
Under age
fifty,
one
is
fifty,
average.
two correct answers
is
average.
Over
BRAIN FITNESS
88
damage
verse age-related brain
chemical did as well on
a
Centaur Pharmaceuticals
in
old rodents given the
in animals,-
maze
young
as
California are
animals. Scientists at
now
testing an antiox-
idant-type drug on people.
PERSONAL MEMORY PROGRAM
A what
Here's
I
do regularly
formation or to sharpen
to stimulate
my mind
my memory
of particular in-
for better learning.
Constructive visualization. Mental rehearsal of an event,
•
conversation, or activity before
it
unknown and
eliminate stress of the
When am
Vigorous exercise.
ber the information, ercise.
I
I
The
relax.
makes learning and remembering much •
happens
actually
in
order to
lack of tension
easier.
reading and trying to remem-
frequently take a break and do vigorous ex-
Depending on the surroundings,
may do handstand
I
push-ups, regular push-ups, or jumping jacks, or take a brisk walk
around the block
Memory
•
a
pills.
couple of times.
My
personal favorites are aged garlic and
vi-
tamin C.
TONY
LITTLE:
VISUALIZATION
FOR A STRONG
MEMORY Tony
Infomercial entrepreneur and "America's Personal Trainer," Little
He
has perfected the art of visualization to boost his memory.
explains
how he
show. I'm the only
uses
it
in his
TV
work:
live
can go out and make a twenty-eight-minute I
visualize exactly
who
what's going to be there
my
I
am
—
mind, so by the time
they
call
me One-Take
"I
visualize each
infomercial, and the only person
selling to,
all I
how
that detail.
do
Tony."
it,
it's
I
live situation
I'm
going to
who
work. sell
go over and over
exactly right. That's
it
it,
in
why
DETAI
The weakest
Concentration.
•
tendency to be thinking of
something
POWER
L
my memory
link in
dozen things while
a
need to remember.
I
89
am
I
lots of
face-to-face
and
hands and body
member
my
listening to
speaking to me.
is
eye contact, positioning myself so that we're
am
I
is
constantly trying to correct
this by applying full-bore attention to whoever
This entails
chain
not scanning the periphery, and keeping to eliminate distractions.
still
exactly but
my
let
my
don't strain to re-
I
focused attention and eventual ab-
sorption do the job. •
Memory
mnemonic
create a personal
member time, •
I
someone
to send
pocket, or
if
I
want
my
turn
When
triggers.
I
want
device. For instance,
check,
a
remember
to
When
Articulation.
am
I
for the first time,
at least •
twice
Taming
in
I
I
am
I
want
to re-
to a different
someone
an appointed
my
will
memorize com-
read the material aloud or
trying to retain.
repeat his or her
at
arm.
trying to learn or I
if
I
move my pen
watch face to the inside of
repeat aloud the facts
it
I
to call
plicated or technical information,
one
remember something,
to
When
meeting some-
name aloud and
try to use
the next minute.
anger.
have found that anger, those times when
I
emotions take over
my mind
my
and body, can be the biggest im-
pediment to learning and memory. At these times, rational thinking disappears. frustration will •
So,
coming
whenever
on,
I
feel
I
an inkling of anger or
immediately dampen
it,
knowing
that
it
block learning or remembering. Diet and drink. In addition to following a low-fat, high-carb,
no-fried-foods,
and no-red-meat
amounts of
and
fruit
fruit drinks,
of shredded wheat, oats, distilled water,
I
I
consume enormous
and carbohydrates
and bran.
and when
diet,
My
in
drink of choice
do drink alcohol,
it
is
the form is
bottled
only small
amounts of red or white wine. •
Breathing exercises.
through the
nostrils
helps center
my
and
Deep
breathing,
which means breathing
pulling air from the lower diaphragm,
thinking and concentration. As you will learn in
Chapter Four, deep breathing avoids the hormonal reaction that
BRAIN FITNESS
90
A BRIEF REFRESHER There
is
much we can do
to slow
memory
memory that get memory boosters you
loss
and to accentu-
ate those facets of our
better over the years.
There
can tap
are lots of
into. Here's a
summary.
Memory found
fat
foods: aged garlic, concentrated sugar, unsaturated
in olive oil
and
fish oil,
and pasta
Minerals and nutrients: choline, boron, magnesium, zinc,
and phosphatidylserine (PS) Vitamins: B„ B 6 B 12 ,
,
C
Nootropics: piracetam, nimodipine, monosodium glutamate, clonidine
Hormones:
estrogen,
DHEA, hGH,
Smells: chocolate, peppermint,
testosterone
ammonia
Exercise: Regular exercise, especially aerobic activity, delivers
more oxygen
to the brain
and so sharpens memory.
Routines: Certain activities sharpen
recall.
These include
writing things down, focusing for longer than eight seconds on
items to be remembered, vocalizing, using associations, and regularly practicing
what you want
to
remember.
causes panic and the fight-or-flight feeling so that
more
clearly
and learn more
you can think
readily.
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al.
"The impact of long-term vitamin supplementation on cognitive
functioning." Psychopharmacology 117,298-305, 1995. Blaun, R.
"How
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L.,
May-June
1996, 35-42.
and Hartley, A. A. "Relationship between physical exercise
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Cohen, G. D. The
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L
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Crook,
T. H., et
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im-
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Angelis,
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Deberdt, W. "Interaction between psychological and pharmacological treatment cognitive impairment."
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Fackelmann, K. "Forever smart: does estrogen enhance memory?" 72-73, February
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Frye, C. A.,
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J.
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1995. Gale, C. R., et
al.
"Cognitive impairment and mortality
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Gladwell,
Gold, R
M. "The estrogen
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a
E.,
high saturated
Hayflick,
L.
How
L,
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Israel,
domized ment." Jaret,
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987S-95S, April 1995.
and Winocur, G. "Learning and memory impairment fat diet." Behavioral
and
Why We Age.
New
York, 1994. a
double-blind ran-
of general practice patients with age-associated
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Kalian, C. "Probing the
power
6
in rats fed
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Ballantine Books,
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trial
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impair-
1994.
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tober 1991. Khalsa, D. S. Brain Longevity. Klatz, R.,
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Mind
25
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Andrews
and McMeel, Kansas City, Mo., 1996. Livermore,
B.
"Build a better brain." Psychology Today,
40-48, Septem-
ber-October 1992. Martinex-Serrano, A., et tial
al.
"Long-term functional recovery from age-induced spa-
memory impairments by
nerve growth factor gene transfer to the rat basal
BRAIN FITN ESS
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forebrain." Proceedings oj
the
National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A., 93 (13), 6355-60,
June 1996.
Matsuoka, N.,
et
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"Changes
in brain
somatostatin
in
parison with cholingeric markers." Neuroscience, 66
Moriguchi,
"Aged
T., et al.
memory
memory-deficient
617-26, June 1995.
(3),
garlic extract prolongs longevity
deficit in senescence-accelerated
mouse."
com-
rats:
and improves
spatial
Pharmacology
Bulletin,
Biological
19(2), 305-7, 1996.
W.
Muller,
"Glutamatergic treatment strategies for age-related
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Raloff,
"Novel antioxidants
J.
memory
disor-
55 (25-26), 2147-53, 1994.
ders." Life Sciences,
may slow
brain's aging." Science News, 151,
January 25,
1997. Riggs, K. M., et
al.
"Relations of vitamin B-12, vitamin B-6, folate and
homocys-
teine to cognitive performance in the normative aging study." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 63,
C,
Saag, K.
et
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306-14, 1996.
"Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and cognitive decline in
the elderly." Journal of Rheumatology, 22, 2142-47, 1995.
Salaman, M. K. "Mind your brain." H., et
Sasaki, a
al.
20-24, June 1996.
Total Health, 18 (3),
"Vitamin Bl2 improves cognitive disturbance
in
choline-deficient diet." Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior,
rodents fed
635-39,
43,
1992.
Satoh,
"Walking exercise and improved neuropsychological functioning
T., et al.
in elderly patients
with cardiac disease." Journal
of Internal Medicine,
238, 423-28,
1995. Schatzl, H. "Neurotrophic factors: ready to go?" Trends
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18 (11),
Neuroscience,
463-64, November 1995. Shepherd, G. M. Neurobiology. Oxford University Sherwin,
B.
Academy
R
Spiers, ogy,
Stein,
"Estrogenic effects on
B.
of Sciences,
A., et
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et
Stoppe, G., et
743, 213-30,
al.
al.
May
E.
New
Press,
York, 1994.
women." Annals
in
New
York
14, 1994.
memory
in aging." Archives of Neurol-
Oxford University
Press,
New
York, 1995.
"Reasons for prescribing cognition enhancers
"Memory drug
of the
1996.
Brain Repair.
ternational Journal of Clinical
Tanouye,
November
"Citicoline improves verbal
441-48,
(5),
D. G.,
al.
memory
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appears to aid rodent
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Wall
in
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primary care."
In-
486-90, 1995.
Street Journal,
July 20,
1994. Tracy,
J.
I.,
and
Bates,
M.
E.
"Models of functional organization
as a
method
for de-
tecting cognitive deficits: data from a sample of social drinkers." Journal of Alcohol Studies,
55
Werbach, M. Third Line
(6),
726-38, November 1994.
R. Nutritional Influences on Mental
Press, Tarzana, Calif., 1991.
Illness:
A
Sourcebook of Clinical Research.
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Young,
S.
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93
N. "Some effects of dietary components (amino acids, carbohydrate,
folic acid)
on brain serotonin synthesis,
Physiological Pharmacology, 69,
Zhi, Q. X., et
al.
"Huperzine
A
mood and
behavior." Canadian Journal oj
893-903, 1991. ameliorates the spatial working
memory
ments induced by AF64A." NeuroReport, 6(16), 2221-24, November
13,
impair-
1995.
Three
BITTY! FINDING YOUR PERSONAL SLEEP POWER
am
my
and only begrudgingly hand over hours of
a reluctant sleeper
nighttime to unconsciousness.
I hours of the evening, when noises is
thoughtful time for me,
a serene,
energy. blast
It is
also
when my
and want to
into the night.
although
I
As
talk.
At most,
awaken
I
alert
I
are
working
like
muted and
when
in
This
lights low.
feel full of
I
the quiet
imaginative
business associates in Asia are going a result,
my workday
typically stretches
get four to six hours of sleep a night,
and energetic,
I
full
and
probably do not sleep
enough. But years of conditioning, and driving to squeeze productive hours from the day as possible, have enabled
many
as
me
to get
by. I
and
my
have never wanted to sleep longer, but I
have developed
sleep.
I
will share
but to devise your
we
sleep
a personal routine for
with you what
own
sleep
I
program
call it is
I
do want
affects
better,
improving the quality of
my
Sleep Power program,
useful to understand
and what happens to our minds and bodies
know how dreaming
to sleep
as
we
why
sleep; to
our thought process,- to be able to rec-
95
BRAIN FITN ESS
96
TAKE ACTION These little-known tention to •
who
People day.
my
me
truths about sleep motivate
sleep less at night feel
According to
more
who
sleep less than six hours a
night feel stressed, while just 14 percent of adults
seven to eight hours a night
As you age you sleep but because you
trends-.
stressed during the
survey in American Demographic magazine,
a
about 43 percent of adults
•
to pay at-
sleeping habits and correct troublesome
sleep
feel stressed.
not because you need
less sleep,
a less efficient sleeper
and have
less,
become
who
trouble sleeping without interruption. •
"Power naps" can compensate
for shorter sleep time
duce sharper concentration and •
Physical fitness
is
essential
if
alertness.
you want
to stay
unusually long period of time. "The only sleep cal
is
awake
way
for an
to fight off
through energetic physical activity during the
criti-
period of the early hours of the morning," says Peretz
Lavie,
head of the sleep laboratory
tute of
Technology
at
in sleep that
Technion-Israel
Insti-
in Haifa, Israel.
ognize and combat sleep disturbances and
changes
and pro-
come with
age,-
disorders,- to adjust to the
and to follow good
"sleep hy-
giene."
FLYING INTO DIFFICULT SLEEP My ability to harness the lessons of Sleep
Power
time
about every other month,
I
fly overseas.
I
travel to the Far East
is
challenged every
and, as everyone knows, flying and sleeping are about as compatible as driving
reset
my
and dancing.
I
do
a
number
of things to fight jet lag, to
sleeping times, and to minimize
Even before
I
leave Chicago,
I
my
body's confusion.
begin to combat
jet lag.
I
try to
SLEEPING BETTER
my
schedule
travel times so that
early evening I
and can go
I
97
will arrive at
my
destination in the
how much
right to bed, regardless of
have had while traveling. The day before traveling,
tem with cult.
a
I
a lot of
pick
sweat
my
suit
"flying
at
as
I
I
I
and wine
with deep sleep), and drink
my
tled or I
a a I
window
awakened by
also assemble
sleep.
explain later
(I'll
lots of
seat
—
slip
reservations, full
of sleep-
flight,
how
I
avoid alco-
alcohol interferes
this
air.
Also
when
makes me
I
make my
less likely to
feel
reser-
be
jos-
other passengers going by.
carry-on luggage with sleep in mind, packing floss,
mouthwash, an eye mask,
neck-support pillow, and earplugs. Before sleeping during
my
usual nighttime rituals,
good but psychologically
gets
me
a flight,
which not only makes me
ready for snoozing.
WEAPONS AGAINST
JET LAG
Adjust eating times to coincide with destination mealtimes.
Avoid heavy meals that
Wear
tie
up your digestive system.
clothes that are both comfortable and warm.
Avoid drinking alcohol and drink
Honor your
a
bottled water, which counteracts
toothbrush and toothpaste, dental
go through
on
heavy protein, which revs
During the
flight attendants or
my
shoes and
meal trays are
lots of
the dehydrating effects of dry cabin a
my I
up brain chemicals and delays
book
diffi-
carry-on luggage includes
me warm. When make my
inducing carbohydrates rather than
I
My
take off
request vegetarian meals so that
vations,
digestive sys-
put on just before landing.
board the plane,
hol, including beer
adjust
wardrobe" for comfort and circulation, usually
thick pair of socks to keep I
my
me
one time, which can make sleeping
and cotton underwear.
dress clothes that
As soon
food
and does not overburden
and
eat lightly
I
several small meals rather than three squares. This helps to different eating times
sleep
sleep time rituals.
lots of water.
BRAIN FITNESS
98
YOUR SLEEPING BRAIN
INSIDE
Given the prominence sleep plays to learn that
And
most medical schools
the National
ported
our
lives,
you may be surprised
no education on the
offer
subject.
Commission on Sleep Disorders Research
1993 that
in
in
the entire United States
in
re-
found only ten
it
postdoctoral students and six postdoctoral fellows doing basic sleep research.
we know
Still, is
a fair
amount about the mechanics wave
that vary according to brain
four stages plus rapid eye
we dream most waves become tal
of sleep. Sleep
not a constant condition but a series of mental states and stages
muscles
As we nod although
movement (REM) and pulse
regular. Breathing
making
it
are
still
in light sleep
"spindles,"
About ninety minutes
eye movement sleep and so completely loses lyzed.
The only
its
rate
asleep and brain
slow and our skele-
start
in stage
easily.
two,
Stage three
and our brain waves slow down but
show
activity.
fall
and can awaken
sleep,
and
we
—the time when
waves become slower
and stage four are deep regular spikes
sleep
impossible for us to hold our heads up.
off (literally!), brain
we
and dreaming. Sleep has
Stage one begins as
vividly.
relax,
activity
which
after closing
wave
are bursts of brain
our eyes,
we
enter rapid
dreaming. During this time, the body
muscle tone that
reason the eyes
move
is
we become
virtually para-
that those muscles are not
controlled through the spinal column but from the brain stem.
Another hallmark of
REM
sleep, say researchers
who
have stud-
ied people wired with electrodes sleeping in their labs, arousal.
Men
creases.
As the night goes on, you
and
with most of your
night.
While
teen hours of sleep in
a
rise
and
REM
state
is
fall
newborn spends about
REM,
adults
in-
through sleep stages
sleep taking place at the
tail
half of his daily six-
spend only about an hour and
a
state.
Even
adult sleeps less than eight hours, the length of the
REM
half out of eight hours every night in this
when an
sexual
have erections and women's vaginal blood flow
REM sleep,
end of the
is
about the same.
deep dream
)
SLEEPING BETTER
99
hours of sleep
REM
Stage
M\||N
1
Stage 2
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Adapted from
Trie
Sleep
-
Stage 3
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AfW
Stage 4
8ro/n one/ Nervous System,
AMA Home Medical
are
'
is
Library
(1
991
vital for
our body's chemistry. As
slumber, our brains
busy regulating hormones and neurochemical production. The
hormone perhaps most
affected
by sleep
is
duced by the pineal gland deep inside the that the pineal is
we
melatonin, which
brain.
why
melatonin production
nighttime and the seasons. Melatonin
our circadian rhythms.
The dark
is
When
As the night ends and the sun begins to
produces
less
five to ten
The amount ity of sleep.
mind
melatonin and times
is
it
influenced by
night and the short days of winter
culating through our bloodstream, our bodies
pumps out
in
the chemical that regulates
stimulate the pineal to produce melatonin.
ually
you keep
pro-
wired to the eyes and so reacts to light and dark,
is
easy to understand
sleep.
If
is
melatonin
know
it
is
is
cir-
time to
rise,
the pineal grad-
we awaken. At
night, the brain
more melatonin than during the
day.
of melatonin circulating in the brain affects the qual-
With more melatonin comes longer and deeper
Unfortunately, as
we age our
brains gradually
make
less
sleep.
melatonin,
which partly explains the insomnia that besets older people. Ac-
BRAIN FITNESS
100
2 P.M.
7 A.M.
3 A.M.
8 P.M.
The 24-Hour Cycle of Melatonin Production Adapted from Stopping
cording to
a
the Clock
study in
much melatonin
996)
elderly insomniacs produce just half as
Israel,
younger people. Research with young people
as
well as the elderly
Young
(l
shows
that melatonin
is
powerful sleep
a
adults at the Massachusetts Institute of
milligram,
fell
who
aid.
Technology Clinical
Research Center were given either melatonin or afternoon nap. Those
as
a
placebo before an
took the melatonin, some
as little as 0.1
asleep within six minutes, while the placebo people
needed twenty-five minutes to drop
off.
Another hormone intertwined with sleeping
hormone (hGH), which
made by
is
human growth
is
the pituitary gland and pulses
into the bloodstream in the early stages of sleep. Released in far
greater quantities
when we
are
young,
hGH
growth factor that promotes bone growth. important, for
body
fat,
it
build
helps the
muscle,
tendons, and ligaments.
is
converted into
hGH
In adults,
body synthesize
protein, break
and synthesize collagen
Many
is
experts believe that
powerful weapon against physical aging because
it
for
no
a
less
down
cartilage,
hGH may
be
a
can produce no-
— SLEEPING BETTER
O
1
1
Onset of age-related diseases coincides with decline
30 age
in
melatonin production
40 in
60
Melatonin Levels Through Adapted from Stopping
ticeable effects
With the
the Clock
(
1
is,
on muscle mass,
skin thickness,
and skin
years, our bodies gradually generate less
sleep triggers
its
sleep, the reverse
production.
Young subjects
4P.M.
8P.M.
Midnight
4A.M.
Adapted from Hormonal Rhythmicity
is
The more
24-Hour Plasma
Noon
Life
996)
While melatonin brings on that
70
years
and
elasticity.
less
true with
sleep
you
hGH.
hGH get, the
Cortisol
Old subjects
8A.M.
in
4A.M
Noon
Aging
(1
995)
8A.M.
Noon
BRAIN FITNESS
102
more hours your body has chemical.
possible that
It is
and brain chemistry
REM
in
hGH body
natural
is
pumping
is
essential for putting the
if
you put
also postponed,
and especially
sleep,
off sleeping for a day, the re-
and you miss out on
and
drift into sleep stages three
at its
a
shot of this
amount
highest levels, the
four,
and
hGH
class,
ergy
when
is
produced by the adrenal glands and
the
body demands
action.
body
you
for wakefulness
is
biol-
a source of en-
Somewhere around
the middle
upward
to prepare
of your sleep, the Cortisol level gradually turns
the
is
of the steroid Cortisol in
your system diminishes. Cortisol, you might remember from
ogy
body
builder.
you
Just as
hGH
motion toward normal
sleep. Nevertheless,
lease of
to generate this invigorating, anti-aging
and reaches
its
peak on awakening, when
are ready to go.
WHY DO WE SLEEP? Despite after a
how
good
awful
we
without sleep and
feel
night's sleep,
One
thing
core
body temperature plummets
is
certain:
ably, the person's
Not
sleeping
how
or
Without
sleep, a person's
to dangerous levels,
cold you got around
all-nighter studying for an exam?)
week
is fatal.
feel
sleep.
and inexplic-
weight drops, even when more calories are con-
sumed. (Remember
for a
how buoyant we
no one knows exactly why we need
more
3
A.M.
A person who
will eventually die.
is
when
deprived of sleep
As Dr. Peretz
the world's leading sleep researchers, points out,
pulling an
Lavie,
we can
live
one of longer
without food than we can without sleep. The exact cause of death
from sleep deprivation
is
unclear, although autopsies of rats that
started to die after thirteen days without sleep revealed small
orrhages
in
the brain.
The theory
that sleep allows our brains to rest seems to
sense, but only in part. In truth, the brain
For one thing, tions.
hem-
it
is
not inactive
constantly monitors and regulates basic
During deep dream
sleep,
in
make
slumber.
body
func-
brain waves on an electroen-
SLEEPING BETTER cephalogram look the same
as
when
person
a
consumption and cerebral blood flow are brain
is
alert
is
awake, and energy
Your
virtually identical.
why
and scanning your surroundings, which explains
people can sleep through
one speaks
103
a jangle of noises
name. Your brain
their
name and ready
to jerk
awake
if
and voices
some-
until
attuned to the sound of your
is
you
are called.
So much
for the
"restful brain" idea.
Sleep does help us conserve energy, however, and
our physical health. While
and so help the body
active rats
we
sleep,
our
is
essential to
immune systems
much more
susceptible to viruses
bacterial infections from routine, usually harmless sources. killer
T
cells,
they are least active
which in
fight infection in the body,
A
found that in de-
people with normal sleep habits.
in
we spend
life
and
recent
insomniacs, only moderately active
pressed people, and most active
That third of our
more
fight off disease. In animal experiments,
deprived of sleep were
study of
are
in
bed may
be
also
critical for
mental development, especially memory, learning, and a host of other complicated thought processes, such as making decisions and solving complex problems.
Some
researchers believe that the early
stages of sleep are essential to our physical well-being, while
sleep
is
essential to our
mental well-being.
When
REM
students at the
Sleep Disorders Center at Laval University, Canada, enrolled in an intensive course to learn a second language, this additional brain exercise resulted in their logging In a sity in
more
REM
sleep.
noteworthy experiment, Dr. Carlyle Smith
at
Trent Univer-
Ontario, Canada, gave four groups of students rules to a com-
plicated logic
game and
a list of
words to memorize, and that
evening allowed each group different amounts of sleep. The next
morning, everyone remembered the words, but the groups that got little
or no sleep
remembered 30 percent
less of logic
game
rules
than the well-rested groups. Dr. Smith believes that sleep, especially
REM
sleep,
is
essential for the absorption of
new information
into
long-term memory. Researchers at the University of Paris-Sud agree. In a learning study involving rats
in
Orsay, France,
and mice, the animals spent
— BRAIN FITN ESS
104
markedly more time
in
paradoxical sleep (what researchers
had learned new
sleep in animals) after they
by
tasks. In
call
REM
another study
Dr. Smith, animals not allowed to sleep immediately after learn-
ing their
way through
a
complicated maze did not retain their learn-
ing as well as animals that were allowed to sleep.
REM
may be especially good for perceptual learning knowing how to act when given a visual cue. Students at the Weizmann Institute in Israel were given a simple task to learn aided by a visual
sleep
cue and then allowed to sleep. During the night, some of the
students were
The
REM sleep while others dreamed on. those students who got a full night of REM sleep
awakened during
next morning,
performed their recently learned reaction much
faster.
Problem-solving appears to be another kind of learning that
proved by dream
sleep. Dr. Louis
Cottschalk
students while they were awake, sleeping, and in
REM
im-
the University of
at
California, Irvine, has studied the brain metabolism of three
found that intense dreaming during
is
REM
dozen
sleep.
He
generated significant ac-
tivity in the area of the brain that processes
reasoning and solves
problems.
Looking neer
at all the evidence,
in sleep research, best
"REM
I
think Dr. Stephen LaBerge, a pio-
summarized what
REM
sleep helps us adapt to our environment
sleep does for us.
by improving our
mood, memory and other cognitive functions through tain
neurochemicals that are depleted
tal activity,"
he
in
restoring cer-
the course of waking men-
says.
SLEEP ROBBERS: VARIETIES OF INSOMNIA Bad sleep
is
an almost universal affliction. While the frequent trips
around half the globe upset
my
sleep, millions of other
people lose
sleep nightly because of chronic disorders such as insomnia or sleep
apnea,
such as
work schedules a
new baby
in
(particularly shift work),
the
home
and personal
factors
or heavy alcohol consumption.
a
SLEEPING BETTER
A
105
government study of the problem has found that 40 million
Americans
suffer
from sleep disorders and another 20 to 30 million
have occasional sleep problems. Experts third
of the
Women
know
population suffers from
entire
more sleeping
generally have
more men
I
say that about one-
frequent
difficulties
insomnia.
than men, but
experience sleep apnea, a serious breathing problem that
repeatedly jerks them awake. Furthermore, people
who
vorced, widowed, separated, or single experience insomnia ten than married people.
Economic
status
makes
are
di-
more
of-
a difference, too,
with people on the lower rungs of the economic ladder reporting
more insomnia than the Insomnia
is
affluent.
one of those
aspect of a person's
silent miseries that
Many
life.
can undermine every
people's slow or fuzzy thinking, quick
temper, bad mood, poor reflexes, and even physical clumsiness can
be traced to their sleeping habits. Nothing saps mental vigor quicker than repeated insomnia, which
is
why even
the federal government
has been concerned enough to create a national commission to
study the problem. port,
Wake Up
stantial
America:
number
two-volume, almost four-hundred-page
Its
A National Sleep Alert
( 1
re-
994), concludes, "A sub-
of Americans, perhaps the majority, are functionally
handicapped by sleep deprivation on any given day." Insomnia comes that in
may
in
many
shapes. There
"transient"
is
insomnia
involve difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep, waking
the early morning hours before the normal time, or tossing and
turning
all
night and waking up tired. This type of insomnia
only a short while and
usually the result of jet lag, an illness,
For most people,
ication, or stress.
when you cannot
is
lasts for
me
med-
included, on those nights
get to sleep or are awake in the middle of the night
rehashing an argument or working out a problem, stress
is
the cul-
prit.
Your sleeping environment can also disrupt your slumber strange
bed or pillow
foam pillow on without
it),
all
(I
know
a
famous author
who
—
takes a special
her book tours because she has difficulty sleeping
unusual noises (you
may be used
to sleeping with
one
BRAIN FITNESS
106
THE TUBE CAN'T HELP If
you
find
resort to
you cannot the late-late
spectrum brigh t
them
lights
sleep in the middle of the night,
do not
movie on TV. Televisions emit
:
and so tend
full-
to stimulate people, not put
to sleep.
sound but kept awake by
a
new
noise), or bright lights
city repaired the streetlight outside
to get used to
When
my
window,
it
took
(when the
me
a
week
it).
your sleeplessness
lasts
more than three weeks,
it
becomes
chronic and suggests a serious medical, psychological, or behavioral cause. Medical causes could be a nighttime breathing obstruction
called apnea or a
movement
Psychological roots
may be
disorder called restless leg syndrome.
a psychiatric
problem such
as a
mood or
anxiety disorder, or recurring stress such as that caused by bereave-
ment.
On
the behavioral front, there are
many
possible wellsprings
of chronic insomnia: substance abuse, particularly with alcohol or
smoking,- or a severely disrupted circadian regular
work or personal
rhythm
insomnia has other,
symptoms:
•
At night, you do not
•
You wake up more than
more than •
ir-
habits.
In addition to persisting for weeks, chronic telltale
resulting from
fall
asleep within thirty minutes. five
times a night and are awake for
thirty minutes.
You wake up
at least
two hours
earlier
than you normally do,
cannot get back to sleep, and have slept
less
than
six
and one-
half hours. •
Your stage a night.
four,
slow wave, sleep
lasts less
than fifteen minutes
SLEEPING BETTER
107
PRESCRIPTION AND OVER-THE-COUNTER DRUGS THAT CAN CAUSE INSOMNIA Blood pressure medication: clonidine, beta-blockers, reserpine
Hormones:
oral contraceptives, thyroid medications,
cortisone, progesterone
Bronchodilators
Decongestants Nicotine Caffeine
Diet
pills
Levodopa Quinidine Anacin, Excedrin, Empirin
Cold and cough medications
The Air Robber:
Sometimes insomnia of
some other
can signal
is
is
ailment.
Sleep
Apnea
not just a sleeping problem but a
One
of the
more
symptom
serious medical problems
it
sleep apnea, an involuntary halt in breathing during
sleep that can last a few seconds or as long as a minute or two. This
sudden cutoff
in air jerks a
person awake as he or she struggles to
breathe and can happen dozens of times a night. Sleep researchers
have watched patients ripped from slumber even hundreds of times a
night by their inability to breathe. Needless to say,
the patient
is
come morning,
exhausted from having had only fragments of solid
sleep.
Sleep apnea ple in the tion.
is
surprisingly
common. Upwards
United States alone have been diagnosed with the condi-
Most
are
men.
Many
that they are always tired
people
and that
who have
find they are constantly
sleep apnea
their spouse
heavily and toss and turn in their sleep.
may
of 4.6 million peo-
know only
complains they snore
Some people with apnea
waking up during the night without
BRAIN FITNESS
108
knowing why and believe they
A friend of mine was
from simple insomnia.
diagnosed with apnea on
after takeoff
he
next to him,
who happened
fell
are suffering
asleep but
a shuttle flight. Right
was soon awakened by the passenger
to be a doctor. After explaining that his
excessively loud snoring was bothering people, the doctor gave a business card and suggested he
make an appointment
him
to
be tested
often in overweight, middle-aged
men who
for a sleep disorder.
Apnea crops up most
complain of constant daytime sleepiness and accompanying psychological ailments, such as depression, centration.
The main
causes
of
irritability,
apnea
configuration of a person's breathing passage.
lie
in
With
and poor conshape
the
or
obstructive sleep
apnea, the airway closes because of a large bundle of tissue, the uvula,
hanging
set so far
back
in
the back of the throat, or a tongue that
as to
block the passage, or
fat
is
naturally
deposits in the air pas-
sage.
The
treatments for apnea range from simple and obvious changes
in lifestyle to
complex
surgery.
Given that so many of the men
agnosed with apnea are obese, losing weight
Heavy
treatment.
is
often the
first line
di-
of
drinkers are advised to cut back in order to im-
prove the general quality of their sleep. Sleeping with the head slightly raised to prevent the
tongue from collapsing into the airway
may also help. But these changes alone are usually not enough. One common treatment is to sleep wearing a device like an oxygen mask called pressure.
a
C-PAP, which provides continuous positive airway
Even though
it
may
irritate nasal
to get used to sleeping with
Surgery
is
it,
passages,
and
it
takes time
the mask has a high success
rate.
another option, and can entail removing tissue to enlarge
the airway passage or
some type
of nasal or throat reconstruction.
Laser surgery to remove tissue on both sides of the uvula, and even the entire uvula
itself, is
done to stop snoring and may
apnea. Medication for apnea
when
there
is
is
of limited value
and
also cure the is
used only
a complication, like a thyroid condition or depression.
SLEEPING BETTER
109
Constant Motion: Restless Leg Syndrome Restless leg
syndrome,
as the
name
implies,
influences sleep than a sleeping disorder in feeling that bugs are crawling
around your
lying
in
the
make
staying asleep nearly impossible.
The
impossible can get
more
itself.
legs, or
make
still
is
way
a
condition that
Twitchy
legs,
the
muscle aches that
of falling asleep or
elderly suffer restless leg
syndrome, or periodic limb movement disorder, more than most,
and
usually associated with another physical ailment that ruins
it's
people's sleep. lably while
With
you
this condition, legs jerk or
are asleep,
sometimes causing
sometimes not. Nevertheless, sleep the sufferer awakens tired and
is
is
cramp uncontrol-
brief wakefulness, or
constantly interrupted, and
sleepy during the day. Both these
conditions have been linked to anemia, vitamin deficiencies, poor circulation,
and kidney
underlying cause relatively mild
When
is
disease, although current thinking
hereditary.
is
that the
However, the problems may well be
and sporadic and may not require medical treatment.
treatment
is
necessary, mild tranquilizers that contain an an-
ticonvulsant have proved effective.
Sleeplessness Associated with
Insomnia can also signal nal
to
insomnia
a serious
—awakening —
go back to sleep
falling asleep or
is
in
Mental Disorders
mental disorder. Persistent termi-
the early morning without being able
a classic indication of depression. Difficulty
not being able to stay asleep are also associated with
depression.
Other types of insomnia accompany mood
disorders, particularly
manic-depression. For instance, not sleeping for days, accompanied
by
bursts of high energy
and
psychotic episode. People
frantic activity,
who
are
can trigger a manic or
manic sleep
erratically,
and often
during the day but not at night.
Keep
in
mind
that with mental disorders sleep difficulties are only
BRAIN FITNESS
110
TAKE ACTION Keep a Sleep Log
A
do-it-yourself
lems
is
way
by keeping
to track the source of
a sleep log.
notebook with
In a spiral
the night before: the time it
took you to
fall
a
to the bathroom,
for
each day, take notes from
to bed,
number
how
of times
long you think
you woke up
dur-
you can remember), and the reasons
change
worry about the next
page
you went
asleep, the
ing the night (as well as
go
your sleeping prob-
a
(to
sweat-soaked sleeping garment,
Give the
day's meeting).
night's sleep a
and exhausting and "A"
quality grade, with "F" being agitated
being deep and refreshing. Also note mealtimes, snacks, and anything you consumed before bedtime. Include not only food
and drinks but a note
if
also
any medication, even
you exercised before bedtime,
a
simple aspirin.
too.
If
someone, ask him or her about your sleep
you
Make
sleep with
—whether
you
snored, talked or walked in your sleep, or anything else unusual. In this
way you can determine which
ity to sleep
variables affect your abil-
and the log can be used to describe your
habits to a doctor,
if
specific
necessary.
one of many other symptoms. Insomnia alone does not necessarily
mean you need
psychiatric attention.
Sliding Sex
The
decline in sex
sleep.
Hormones
hormones over the years
During middle age,
as
women's estrogen drops and men's
testosterone levels slide, a solid night's sleep scientists think
The
they
know
also fiddles with our
is
harder to
find.
Some
precisely why.
halt in estrogen production that
comes with menopause
af-
SLEEPING BETTER
fects
every part of a woman's
life,
flashes can be so severe that
showers
1
women
find themselves taking cool
the middle of the night and repeatedly changing sweat-
in
begin to fluctuate,
About 40 percent
many
When women
of
which may be
women
experts believe
the
symptoms
a
woman
menopause when hormone
enters perimenopause, the time before
that
1
including her sleep. Nighttime hot
soaked bedding. Such sleeping problems can begin when
levels
1
as early as the late thirties.
over age forty experience an insomnia
caused by hormones
is
in transition.
menopause become unbearable, many
of
opt for estrogen replacement therapy (ERT).
ERT
deflects
the physical signs of aging and the possible onset of heart disease
and osteoporosis, while another of
its
benefits
smoothing out the
is
ragged, disrupted sleep of the pre- and postmenopausal years. But the sleep bonus provided by
ERT
may,
come from another
in truth,
hormone, progesterone, which doctors combine with estrogen menopausal
women
at risk for
Researchers at the
Max
for
endometrial complications.
Planck Institute
Munich, Germany,
in
have found that progesterone has pronounced effects on different
A
kinds of sleep.
dose of progesterone shortens the amount of sleep
time before the onset of
REM
sleep, increases
pre-REM
sleep,
and
lengthens the time of deep sleep. Put another way, they found that
progesterone can work
Men do
they near their
many
like a
mild sedative.
not escape the hormonal swings that
suffer
fiftieth year,
from
a
come with
age.
testosterone levels begin to slide.
As
While
decreased libido and some degree of impotence,
sleep problems are not
common. Only
a small fraction of
men
will
experience erratic sleep and disruptive night sweats.
DHEA,
a sex
some people
hormone we produce
in
a
we
age,
sleep better. Available over-the-counter,
been shown to significantly increase
Given
less of as
high dose, 500 mg,
Munich stayed
in
REM
may
DHEA
has
sleep in healthy men.
test patients at the
Max
Planck Institute
deep slumber much longer than patients
did not get a nightly dose of the hormone.
help
who
BRAIN FITNESS
112
Another Sleep-Stealing Hormone
Human growth hormone may men and women.
Scientists
be contributing to poor sleep
in
both
have discovered that people with ab-
hGH production — either too little or too much — experience disturbed REM sleep, which doctors have been able to correct by normal
adjusting
hormone
Our hormones
levels.
clearly
on other parts of our remember,
tamper with our
lives,
how
from
sleep, but their influence
our skin ages to
much more pronounced. Signing up
is
hormone replacement therapy
for sleep alone
for
makes
how
we
well
some type
little
of
sense.
SUDDENLY ASLEEP: NARCOLEPSY A much It's
as
prevalant sleeping disorder than insomnia
less
common
in
Although only 50,000 people
have been diagnosed with narcolepsy, according to
fer
report, experts believe that
from
This
it.
distinctive
narcolepsy.
the general population, say sleep experts, as mul-
tiple sclerosis or Parkinson's disease.
ment
is
is
a U.S.
govern-
250,000 to 300,000 Americans
suf-
an incurable, disabling sleep disease with four
symptoms: great daytime
sleepiness,-
episodes of muscle
weakness or paralysis followed by strong emotion,- hallucinations right at the beginning of sleep,-
cause
is
unknown, and
it
symptoms by the time they it's
officially
most
telltale
diagnosed. Researchers say that fifteen
and the time when
symptom
is
someone begins showing
it is
sudden sleep
Perhaps
its
person will be driving,
in
finally identified.
—
a
signs
the middle of a conversation, or even eating, and suddenly asleep. This
emotion,
sudden
may
sleep,
last just a
Its
men and women equally. It can and most people who have it show are twenty. But then it may be many
years usually pass between the time of narcolepsy
paralysis after falling asleep.
afflicts
show up during childhood,
years before
and
which often occurs during times
moment
or for minutes.
fall
of high
SLEEPING BETTER Diagnosing narcolepsy
is
1
complicated and can be expensive,
1
3
re-
exam
quiring extensive physical exams, neurological tests, and an
used to diagnose most sleep disorders called the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT).
The MSLT, which
of nights in a sleep lab, tells doctors fall
asleep and measures the onset
REM
sleep.
is
conducted over
how
long
number
a
takes a person to
it
and length of sleep stages and
Children with narcolepsy are often misdiagnosed as
suf-
fering from depression, mental illness, or hypothyroidism. Treat-
ment
is
usually a combination of stimulant medication such as
dextroamphetamines and
a
program of frequent daytime naps.
ARE YOU
IN
SLEEP DEBT? do with biology or
Sometimes our sleep problems have nothing
to
personal chemistry, and are purely voluntary.
Many
us
—
at
one time or another choose
our decision
through the I
go without
intercontinental flight, is
to deprive ourselves.
a night's sleep,
And
I
of
while
toiling
but at times, like after a long,
have accumulated
a serious "sleep debt."
the term sleep scientists use to describe what happens after a
string of nights with less-than-normal sleep time.
Over
a
sleep debt of just a few hours can have a noticeable effect
you
—most
may be unavoidable as work forces us into night, we may end up with a heavy sleep debt.
try not to
This
of us
feel cold,
weak, and
Sleeping four hours
irritable.
Your thinking begins to
week, a
and make
suffer, too.
than usual for just one night can slow your
less
thought processes by almost half and make
it
especially difficult to
concentrate on a single task, such as reading a newspaper story.
The high in
our work
interest lives.
we pay on
our sleep debt
Given our twenty-four-hour
is
particularly obvious
society, lots of
work through the night answering phones, delivering
people
pizza, servic-
ing airplanes, talking to foreign customers, patrolling the streets,
maintaining computer services, or simply working
late. Shift
worker
blues beset millions of us. Typically, nocturnal hours reduce productivity
and may stop us
cold.
More than
half the people
who work
.
BRAIN FITN ESS
114
through the night, according to surveys, say they job
at least
once
a week. Working
night can also wreak havoc on
at
Night workers report three
people's personal lives.
more psychological problems, and the Wake
common
that marital problems are a
you ever doubted the
If
vania Turnpike and the
fallout
to five times
Up, America study found
from nighttime jobs.
potentially disastrous consequences of
when bad
lack of sleep, consider
asleep on the
fall
New
On
accidents occur.
the Pennsyl-
York Thruway, studies estimate, about
half the fatal crashes are caused
by sleepy
The
drivers.
ripple effect
of accidents from sleepiness can touch literally millions of people.
The Exxon
Valdez ran
aground just
after midnight,
with the probable
cause, according to the federal government, being the third mate's sleepiness.
The
meltdown
into
nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island almost went
4 A.M. after a sleepy plant worker failed to notice
at
was
that a coolant valve at
1
:23 A.M.
When
NASA work-
the space shuttle Challenger blew up,
had been getting
ers
and the Chernobyl reactor blew up
stuck,
than
less
back-to-back twelve-hour
six hours' sleep a
shifts for
night and working
between two and
five days,-
one
expert described them as "severely sleep deprived." I
suspect that a large segment of the population
debt.
Whenever
take an early
I
morning
flight
is
running a sleep
and am
aloft
around
10 A.M., which should be an alert hour for most people, at least half of the coach cabin
How
can you
is
dozing.
tell if
you're running a sleep debt?
Sleep Foundation says that statements,
sleep
of the following
and
are therefore
a debt.
Falling asleep
takes
2. It
you agree with any
you may not be getting enough
accumulating
1
if
The National
is
hard for me.
me more
than thirty minutes to
have too much on
3.
I
4.
When wake
5.
I
6.
Even when
I
sleep
7.
Sometimes
I
am
I
my mind
during the night,
because
can't relax
all
I
go
to I
fall
asleep.
to sleep.
can't
go back to
sleep.
have too many worries. night,
I
still
afraid to close
feel tired in
my
the morning.
eyes and go to sleep.
SLEEPING BETTER am dreaming
8.
I
feel that
9.
I
wake up too
10.
I
am
1.
I
feel irritable
12.
I
nod
1
I
5
night long.
the morning.
in
when
when
off
1
early.
and sore
stiff
all
1
I
can't sleep.
sitting in a dark
room,
like a
movie
theater,
or during a business presentation. 1
3.
I
sleep for inordinate
The important
thing to realize about sleep debt
not bank extra hours
mean you can
not
And
the only
way
amounts of time on the weekend.
in
is
that
the sack. Getting lots of sleep one
sleep that
much
less
to erase an accumulated debt
week does
week and
the next is
you can-
feel fine.
with serious pillow
time.
HOW MUCH
IS
ENOUGH?
Humans
are
fulness,
and the accompanying changes
grooved to
a
twenty-four-hour cycle of sleep and wake-
hormone production, and other
body temperature,
in
physiological processes. By
pressing or lengthening the time between light and dark, as
when we
fly
across time zones,
disarray. Flight
we throw our
com-
we do
internal clocks into
crews and travelers have found that
it
takes
two
to
three days after crossing multiple time zones to synchronize the personal wake/sleep cycle with the daylight
and darkness of the new
environment.
Not
getting
math
ing, tion,
enough
figuring,
and the
my body for
my
make
decisions.
I
can
I
am
tell
when
speech slows and sounds clumsy.
temperature goes on a roller-coaster
the point where
learning, reason-
understanding of complicated verbal informa-
ability to
had enough when
memory,
sleep undermines
flushed or dropping so
I
have not
In addition,
ride, either rising to
much
that I'm looking
another layer of clothing.
According to
a
Gallup poll of America's sleep habits, poor sleep
hurts about half the entire population's ability to perform routine
BRAIN FITN ESS
116
tasks at least
around
at
once
first
week. You probably
know
by looking
clues
an accumulating sleep debt are hard to miss:
a
bad
One
of
the loss of sense of humor, followed closely by
is
crankiness, poor concentration, sluggishness,
how much
Just
this just
your coworkers and family members. The signs of
night's sleep or
the
a
sleep
and
forgetful ness.
enough? Put another way, how much do
is
our brains and bodies need for peak performance? While each of us has a unique physiology and needs, researchers have put groups of
people
in special situations
designed to reveal basic human sleep
re-
quirements. Typically, study volunteers are sequestered for weeks in
windowless, soundproof rooms sealed off from natural and man-
made environments
so that only their individual circadian rhythms,
rather than sounds, sunlight, external temperature, or normal daily routines, determine
how much
they sleep.
are free from the usual cues that
to awaken,
whether
it's
tell
When
them when
brains and bodies to sleep
and when
the sound of the eleven o'clock news on the
television or the smell of
morning
coffee, pure biology sets the
sleeping clock.
The Wake people sealed
who away
Up, America report noted that
usually sleep seven in timeless
rooms
sleep time rose to 8.6 hours. is
when
a
group of young
and one-half hours
for
two weeks,
The notion
closer to our optimal shut-eye time
is
a night
were
their average nightly
that nine hours, not seven,
reinforced by other studies.
Before Edison invented the lightbulb in 1879, average nightly sleep
time was between nine and eleven hours. In the Polar
Psychology Project, researchers
Canada during the summer when the sun never
at
the upper tip of
sets relinquished all
timekeeping devices, including the clock function on their computers,
and were allowed
ation,
and
sleep.
the researchers
to set their
own
schedules for work, recre-
As described by Dr. Stanley Coren first
in Sleep Thieves,
kept to their usual sleeping time of seven to
seven and a half hours a night. But very quickly their slumber time lengthened, and by the end of the experiment, they slept more than ten hours in every twenty-four-hour period.
Another source of clues about how much sleep we need comes
SLEEPING BETTER
117
TAKE ACTION You can conduct
much
experiment to learn
a personal sleeping
sleep your brain
and body need.
First,
you need
how
to erase
any sleep debt you may be laboring under. Given the pace and
demands
in
most people's
a sleep debt, so
Add enough
bed
to
will consist of thirty
easier to tack
erased your debt
earlier). is
you
on
A
at the
minutes to one hour,
beginning of your night
you have
sign that
waking up when you want
alarm. (See the section
The
it.
sleep time to your nightly pattern to pay off your
which may be
tions that
odds are high that you do have
devote the next two weeks to eliminating
debt (for many, this
by going
lives,
on sleep debt
successfully
to without an
to eliminate other indica-
are in debt.)
actual experiment requires
two weekends when you
have the freedom to sleep and no morning commitments. Prepare your cues.
bedroom by eliminating any
Unplug
away watches, keep
clocks, put
or natural time
artificial
pets out. Arrange
the blinds or curtains so that they block out as possible,-
tape
them closed around the edges,
Soundproof the room
as
radiators that kick
on
fle
much at
as possible
programmed
days
—go
to
bed
you when
tell
to
at
it).
necessary.
if
times, ask family
—two
if
mem-
the noise
filters
two
Satur-
Fridays,
your routine time and allow your body to
wake and you
arise (habit
may push you awake
at
roll
over and
Four nights of natural sleep should give you a
fairly ac-
the usual time, but
do
light as
—shut windows, muf-
bers not to shower while you're sleeping
through. For at least four evenings
much
if
curate baseline figure for
feel like
sleeping more,
how much
sleep your
body can
use.
from the animal kingdom. The animals most closely related to us physiologically, large primates, sleep
much more
than
we
do.
Mon-
keys and large apes take ten hours a day, while gorillas need twelve hours.
BRAIN FITNESS
118
One way
needed sleep time
to estimate
is
by noting how long
doses of restorative sleep affect your thinking. Studies
who
University sleep labs, where people
two hours
they chose, produced remarkable
The
became much trate,
and
Stanford
normally sleep seven to
eight hours a night were allowed an extra results.
at
sleep
subjects'
whenever
mental
skills
sharper, particularly their alertness, ability to concen-
number
agility in juggling a
of
demanding
tasks simulta-
neously.
The answer
how much sleep people need differs from Only you know whether after six hours a night
to exactly
person to person.
you
perky and ready to go or whether you are dragging
feel
eight hours in the sack.
own
us has our
"What
The
quality of sleep
is
after
subjective, so each of
personal definition of insomnia and answer for
enough?"
is
Statistically, the
odds are that your
close to eight, although
you may
ideal
well
number
fall
of sleep hours
is
somewhere within
a
broader range. For normal, healthy adults, needed sleep time
where from three hours
(yes, this
the optimal
amount
is
any-
for a very
small fraction of people; to ten hours ^Einstein insisted that he
needed It
this
may
much each
surprise
you
nightj.
to learn that
change significantly over the
your sleep requirement does not
years,
even though,
as
you plow
through middle age or near old age, your sleeping patterns change.
AS YOU As we grow
older,
we
GROW OLDER
sleep differently.
Although the amount
of
sleep each of us needs does not change, the quality of our sleep does
Our
change. less
time
in
bodies' chemistry
are easily
through.
time
in
changing, and as
deep, delta wave sleep and more time
times restless sleep.
and so
is
Our
REM
We
become more
sleep.
lights
we spend
in a light,
sensitive to our
awakened by sounds or
sleep
a result,
some-
environment
we once slumbered
becomes more fragmented and we spend
less
SLEEPING BETTER As age depletes us of hormones
like
melatonin,
hormone, estrogen, and testosterone, our cadian rhythms
—speed
we
up, so
1
1
9
human growth
internal clocks
—our
cir-
are sleepier earlier in the evening
and awaken sooner. For most of our
lives,
the cycles of sleep and
wakefulness peak twice every twenty-four hours:
between 2 and 4 A.M. and 2 and 4
(which
P.M.
We are most sleepy one reason the
is
af-
—
many countries contrary to myth, people take siestas not only in warm countries but around the world) and most alert around noon and again around 7 P.M. As we age, the ternoon nap
such
is
a staple in
troughs of sleepiness shift and
we become dozy
morning and
ing or early evening, and wakeful in the early
morn-
closer to late
late af-
ternoon.
One way
to reset a circadian clock
dose of bright
light.
If
knocked askew by age
you have ever suffered from seasonal
disorder (SAD), the melancholy or depression that shorter daylight of winter, light affects you.
you know how
tubes) for
a
People eager to reset their internal clocks
weak winter sun,
few hours I
to bright light has
NASA space
When
six
SAD
recom-
40-watt fluorescent
I'm feeling the effects of the
by
my desk.
Wake Up, America says that exposure
been used successfully to help
shift
workers and
shuttle crews maintain artificial sleep cycles.
Daily exercise
at a set
time of day can also help reset a person's
circadian clock. In a recent study, both endurance cise
will sit in
the light of two 500-watt halogen floodlights
sit in
reflected off the wall
a day.
affective
either natural or artificial
type of light box equipped with
up to
with a
comes with the
front of strong lights (doctors specializing in treating
mend some
is
helped healthy older
ature increases
men
readjust their circadian
and decreases, and
the incidence of insomnia.
I
and aerobic exer-
body temper-
their sleeping patterns, decreasing
have found vigorous walking to be very
and whenever
helpful in correcting a
skewed circadian
clock,
to the Far East,
each day with a
thirty- to sixty-minute brisk
walk about the
I
start
a
less,
travel
city.
Alterations in our lifestyle as
ing
I
getting into
new
we grow
—
older
for instance,
work-
hobbies, or personal developments such as
divorce or a child going off to college
—
also toy with our sleep
1
BRAIN FITNESS
20
EXERCISE YOUR There
is
WAY TO HEALTHFUL
A
strong evidence that exercise improves sleep.
of forty-three people, aged fifty to seventy-six, ular exercise, entists
SLEEP
was put through
a sleep
complaints about
up during the
how
long
it
did no reg-
and exercise study by
Stanford University. Everyone
at
who
group
took them to
sci-
the group had
in
asleep,
fall
waking
or waking too early in the morning.
night,
Twenty-four of the participants did thirty to forty minutes of low- impact aerobics four times a week, while the others were sedentary. After sixteen weeks, the people that their sleep
less
exercised found
improved measurably. For instance, before the
study, the exercise
group needed almost twenty-nine minutes to
after exercising for four
fall asleep,-
who
months, they
fell
asleep in
than fifteen minutes.
patterns. Nevertheless, persistent
natural part of aging
find yourself
problems with sleeping are not
and should not be ignored or accepted.
on the back
If
a
you
side of middle age with sleeping troubles,
look to causes other than the calendar.
FINDING DREAM LAND I
have an active dream
lessly
life
involving exotic places in which
confront perilous situations and do wondrous things
feating monstrous apparitions believe, strengthens
my
solves inner conflicts,
course, this
is
I
fear-
like de-
and rescuing people. Dreaming,
I
imagination, judgment, and confidence, re-
and helps me solve real-world problems. Of
just an opinion,
because science has
little
hard infor-
mation about the meaning and reasons behind dreaming.
Although research into sleep and dreaming gitimate discipline,
much
is
of the investigation into
a scientifically le-
dreaming
is
based
SLEEPING BETTER
1
2
1
HOW OLYMPIC SOFTBALL STAR DOT RICHARDSON USES DREAMS TO PLAY BETTER Ever since Dot Richardson was a
little girl,
ing to visualize amazing feats on the ball
she has used dream-
field.
For
many
years,
she dreamed that she was playing shortstop and fielding a hard ball hit to
her
stretching herself roll,
In her
left.
dream, she
and then touching second
ticed the action, she
dreamed
on the U.S. Olympic
literally
catching the
flat out,
it.
base.
championship game
to her
left.
in
for the ball,
doing
a
forward
She never actually prac-
Then one
day, as a star player
was playing
softball team, she
tional
dove
ball,
drive
came
her dream, she
made
Houston and the hard
As she had hundreds of times
in
in a na-
an amazing dive and catch, and thousands of fans went wild.
They had never
seen this kind of athletic
recounted the story to
grooved
it
in
skill,
Sports Illustrated writer
her dreams, and
it
was
who
but for Dot,
Dan
Yager, she
as natural as trotting
had
around
the bases.
on speculation. Since we night, with individual
serves
more
all
dream
than
it
night goes on and
Dreams
also bring the
REM
sleep
REM sleep, although we REM dreams are not only
most refreshing
consumes
a larger
sleep.
As the
chunk of our
total
dreams grow longer, more complex, and more unusual.
in early
night are usually related to recent, daily events and
familiar surroundings,- later, our
connected to the distant later,
this activity de-
vivid dreams take place during
complex but
sleep time,
—
receives.
frequently dream throughout the night. the most
four to six times a
dreams lasting up to an hour
scientific attention
Our most
—generally
past.
dreams are more convoluted and
What you
often
remember
are the
flying-over-the-Grand-Canyon type of dreams rather than the
dream about what you had
for dinner.
BRAIN FITN ESS
122
While
generally agree on into
REM sleep,
how
anything, they
we drop
distinctive brain waves, a primitive
on the brain stem
signals are carried
scientists
if
our brain manufactures them. As
which generates
area of the brain
These
over what dreams mean,
scientists argue
starts firing electrical signals.
by the brain chemical
REM
have found that they can turn on
acetylcholine, and
by
sleep in cats
jecting the brain with a substance that acts like acetylcholine.
originate. All the signals
emotions and visual images that coalesce into forget dreams, say neurophysiologists,
brains
do not
When
it
it
a
produce
a
comes
point or purpose
When we
dream.
usually because our
is
to
—
what dreams mean
researchers
find
—whether common
little
they have
more than random nerve
little
Hobson,
a
a
My
ground.
dream of zooming across glassy waters watching the marine
to Allan
mix of
out enough of the chemicals needed for memory.
spit
low represents
Some
and others
of these signals shuttle to the thinking part of the brain
go to where emotions
in-
life
be-
impulses, according
Harvard psychiatrist and director of the Labo-
ratory of Neurophysiology at Massachusetts Mental Health Center
and
a
prominent dream researcher. Hobson's book The Dreaming
dream theory by explaining
Brain revolutionized
images are the
that
REM
sleep
result of a barrage of electrical impulses that
thinking brain, the cortex, has organized into loose patterns or sociations to form the standard dream,
which
our as-
has elements of both
the real and the bizarre. This dream possesses about the same
amount
of meaning,
Hobson
argues,
hiccup.
a
as
He
explains,
"We're not saying dreams have no meaning. We're saying dreams
have meaning and they have nonsense. The problem
which
is
which. In
clear they hardly
many
instances, the
meaning
need interpretation. The
real
the idea that images in dreams are symbols. that stuff as
if it
were meaningful, then
sell
is
deciding
of dreams
is
so
question arises over
When
people interpret
those interpretations,
it's
quackery."
An
alternative scientific theory about our
who won a Nobel Prize in mediof DNA. He believes that dreams
posed by biologist Francis Crick, cine as one of the discoverers
dreams has been pro-
SLEEPING BETTER
123
enable our brain to sort through and purge useless information and
The
associations.
process helps us "unlearn" and shed
we
barrage of sensory and other information
some
of the
when
pick up
we're
awake.
Despite the debate over what dreams might mean, sleep researchers agree that they
Dreams appear
to
full
be particularly helpful
in
solving problems, mak-
Dream
derground Railroad,
Elias
Tubman
Howe's solution
and Mr. Hyde,- and
German
benzene
ecular structure of the
dreams very useful
find
pad and pencil by
REM
bouts of puzzles
a
for designing a
to jot
often
And
and
for solving problems,
Most
for instance.
his story of Dr.
discovery of the mol-
even keep
I
I
I
find myself solving organizational
dream sleep helps
clearly,
new
structure of a
us to untangle
emotional puzzles either within ourselves and relating to our
image or
gone
to
in
our relationships with others.
bed agonizing over what
to
A
couple of times
do about
have
REM
their studies of
third of our
testified to the
sleepers, they
Some people apply
a special
the middle of a dream and, as
what you do.
it's
just a
If,
in
yourself, "This
have had
is
a lucid
Even sleep In
have learned that about onefear,
and that
less frequently.
type of dreaming, the "lucid" dream,
being aware that you are dreaming
that
have
emotional power of dreams.
to their personal or professional dilemmas. Lucid
knowing
clear.
dreams include feelings of anxiety and
happy thoughts come much
I
self-
a personal situation
and found the next morning that the answer was lab researchers
a
down thoughts remember between
— arranging the corporate and marketing
company,
workable
ring.
my bed
sleep.
scientist's
Un-
plotted for the
sewing machine, Robert Lewis Stevenson's plot for
I
literature
of famous accounts of problems solved during slumber: Jack
Nicklaus's golf swing,- the routes Harriet
Jekyll
anything,
do serve an important purpose.
ing tough decisions, and easing emotional turmoil. is
if
you
as
it
is
dreaming
happening.
It's
entails
being
in
are flying, running, or whatever,
dream and that you have some control over
the middle of a frightening dream,
just a dream,"
dream.
you can
tell
and dissolve the danger, then you
BRAIN FITNESS
124
TAKE ACTION Sleep researchers offer a number of tips to improve your
ory of dreams.
your dreams
First, realize
—almost 90 percent
not
it is
you can remember. Next, cram
REM
sleep as possible,
of the night,- get
up
tablet.
possible.
Do
Then
and
People eager to learn
memory
as
and
to conjure
end
many
de-
a bedside
your
recall.
up lucid dreams im-
and go through
certain
they are dropping off to sleep. Stephen
LaBerge counts and focuses on
his
mental process.
He
"One, I'm dreaming, two, I'm dreaming," and so forth finds himself at fifty
much
do awaken,
recall as
again. Practice sharpens
how
as
sleep toward the
When you
still
of nightly dreams
mental exercises just
your night
down your dream on
write
remember
important to believe
into
thirty minutes later.
this again
prove their
It's
which means more
do not move your head or body. Lie tails as
difficult to
of people studied in sleep labs
when awakened.
recalled their dreams that
that
mem-
and
really dreaming.
If
repeats, until
you think
a
he
me-
chanical aid might help as a biofeedback device, LaBerge has
developed the NovaDream and DreamLight, which beep and flash red
during
REM
sleep to
he becomes aware when he
is
wake the
sleeper slightly so that
dreaming.
Dr. Stephen LaBerge, the Stanford University Sleep Research
Center researcher tions of
REM
who
"discovered" this ability to control the ac-
sleep, says that
people use
it
to explore alternative
ways of behaving or novel experiences without quences. nize
Some
sleepers say that lucid
and correct unpleasant,
suffering conse-
dreaming helps them recog-
negative
emotions.
During
their
dreams, they learn to recognize situations that will lead to trouble or possible harm, and to change tional landscape.
They
into a sense of control
what might happen and
their
emo-
learn to transform feelings of dread or fear
and enjoyment.
SLEEPINGBETTER
125
SLEEP POTIONS Usually
when people cannot
sleep,
they try some kind of sleeping
poll,
about two-thirds of the people
According to the Gallup
aid.
who
have difficulty sleeping try an assortment of remedies, includ-
warm
ing
baths, cutting out caffeine, relaxation, over-the-counter
medicines, eating snacks, and exercise.
Foods, Drinks, Herbs
While most people know
some do not
some
late,
same stimulant
realize that the
soft drinks,
medications.
that the caffeine in coffee
And keep
impedes
also appears in
sleep,
choco-
and even over-the-counter and prescription
mind
in
that caffeine flows into the blood-
stream immediately, can generate a jolt within thirty minutes,
and stays board
the blood for up to six hours.
in
a plane, for instance,
may
still
A
latte
before you
be with you when you try to
curl up.
Foods can petite.
affect
Lack of sleep
your
and your sleep can
sleep,
sets off a
affect
chemical chain reaction
in
your ap-
your brain
and actually stimulates your hunger, leading you to overeat. As you deprive yourself of sleep, your
body begins
to crave carbohydrates,
which produce the brain chemical serotonin, which
triggers
even
greater sleepiness. Thus, one danger of mixing sleep debt with eat-
ing
is
adding pounds. This
work
shift
food,
—they
is
eat at the
a
common
wrong
and so gain weight. Eating
complaint of anyone pulling
times, too often,
a large
and the wrong
meal before bedtime diverts
blood into the digestive system that should be circulating through your brain for tive If
when
in
its
sleep activities (remember, our brains are just as ac-
REM
sleep as
you want food
that will help
on these intercontinental natural sweeteners.
when we
flights.
are awake).
lull
I
These include
you
into sleep, try
eat starchy foods
what
I
do
and foods with
pastas, cereal, bread, potatoes,
126
BRAIN FITNESS
pretzels, cookies, fruits,
and
not only
fruit juices.
Calcium, which you find
milk and other dairy products but also
in
vegetables like broccoli,
another useful sleep
is
green
in leafy
helps soothe
aid. It
the neuromuscular system, stimulates the body's production of melatonin,
and so
Tryptophan, an amino
acts as a natural tranquilizer.
acid found in protein foods, helps bring on sleep by stimulating the
production
brain's
counter
in
of
While not
serotonin.
the United States because a batch of the supplement that
was contaminated badly hurt and even able
by
prescription,
tryptophan
is
some people,
killed
and many people have found
One way
sedative.
fective
over-the-
available
it
nudge your brain
to
to
be
avail-
a very ef-
into producing
by eating carbohydrates. By loading up on and so
create a shortfall of tryptophan-producing protein,
it is
carbs,
you
trick
your
brain into spewing out more.
Since the U.S. Food and herbs, there ever,
no
is
official
Drug Administration does not
approval for their use
they are widely researched and used
popular as
which
a sleep aid
There
Europe. Particularly
in
the liquid-extract form of valerian root,
are reportedly
ian root available in
more than 150 drugs made from
Germany
alone.
European
scientists
studying this herb for years, and have found that
amount
of time
it
takes people to
One
latency period.
it
who
gave
side effects. Dr. a
Andrew
have been
helps reduce the
asleep, what's called the sleep
it
was conducted by Swiss
to 128 people,
who
re-
reported
it
acts as a
mild sedative with no
Weil, author of Spontaneous Healing, recom-
dose of one teaspoon
Other herbs known
comes
it
valer-
noticeably improved the quality of their sleep. There seems
to be widespread agreement that
mends
fall
of the larger studies
searcher Peter Leathwood, that
How-
America.
available in health food stores or in over-the-counter prepa-
is
rations.
is
in
regulate
in
for their
warm water
drowsy
at
bedtime.
effects include kava,
which
and which
Pacific
either in capsule form or as a liquid extract,
islanders have
Chamomile,
been using
for centuries for
especially in a tea,
Lemon
balm, also available
And the
essence of lavender
is
in tea oil,
famous form,
is
its
for
its
calming
qualities.
sleepy influence.
another sedating herb.
according to a study reported
in
the
SLEEPING BETTER
1
27
NATURAL SLEEP AIDS GABA: Gamma-aminobutyric
Melatonin Dose: 0.1-10 mg/day.
acid
A
Start at the lowest dose
and increase
in
0.5-mg
sleep aid supplement.
Follow label directions or physician instructions.
increments.
Take on an empty stom-
Ethyl alcohol (small glass of
ach.
wine prior to bedtime)
Side effects:
mild
grogginess,
headache,
nausea,
lowered sex
depression,
occurring
Naturally
in
by
prescription.
liquid
extract
in
bath
White-noise generator
Fan directed
at
head of the
Eye mask Earplugs
water.
No known
oil
bed
Valerian root tsp.
tea
Cool bedroom
turkey and milk. Available
tea
Lemon balm
Warm
Tryptophan
warm
Chamomile Lavender
drive.
1
High-carbohydrate meal
Clean towel over the pillow
side effects.
Kava Kava
Comfortable sleeping
attire
Follow label directions or physician instructions.
prestigious English journal Lancet, can be as effective as a pharmaceutical sedative.
Sleeping Pills
The
hot,
new
sleeping aid, as
you probably know,
creted by the pineal gland in the brain, melatonin regulates the body's reaction to light
and
dark,
is is
melatonin. Sea
hormone
that
and so governs our
BRAIN FITNESS
128
circadian rhythms.
know when
helps us
It
seasons are changing,
when
the
sleep,
and
when
to wake. Darkness stimulates the production of melatonin
and
body
at
is
brightness suppresses
more
of this
peak reproductive time, when to
its
As night
it.
hormone, and we grow
falls,
and
pineal gland produces less
less of
As we
age, however, the
the hormone. At age forty, the
body produces one-sixth the melatonin surprisingly, elderly
the pineal gland spits out
sleepy.
it
did in the teen years.
people with insomnia generate only
Not
a small
younger person with healthy sleeping
fraction of the melatonin of a patterns.
Taking melatonin to help sleep seems to make chemical sense.
Swallowing trick the off,
dose
a standard
body
—
8
milligrams
—during
into thinking night has fallen
and
the day can
time to doze
it is
enabling one to nap on.
Unfortunately, not tonin, so
it is
all
sleep problems arise from the flow of mela-
not an effective sleep remedy for everybody. Several
studies with different kinds of sleeping problems have yielded in-
consistent results.
The
studies involved doses from 0.1 to 80 mil-
ligrams and two types of sleeper, normal sleepers
whose
circadian
rhythms were out of sync and chronic insomniacs. While some chronic insomniacs got
relief
from melatonin, others did not. The
came
to people suffering from jet lag, shift
work adjustments, or delayed
sleep onset after they took 5 mil-
best sleep from melatonin
ligrams a day for a month.
The bottom whether ever,
it
line
works
on melatonin
for you,
that
you have
because
taking
supplements
production of melatonin.
people
and
it
for
prolonged pe-
may
suppress
your natural
And be aware
that in a small minority of
can produce fatigue and even depression.
are not
to discover
and experiment with various doses. How-
you should avoid taking melatonin every day
riods,
it
is
If
you want
prone to these ailments, begin with
a
to try
low dose
(0.1-0.5 milligram) at bedtime.
Over-the-counter sleep medications can be effective without the
next-morning grogginess that many people experience when taking prescription sleep aids.
The
secret ingredient in
many
of these
OTC
SLEEPING
TIPS FOR USING Things to remember
you
if
are
ETTER
B
29
1
MELATONIN
going to use melatonin to im-
prove your sleep: •
Sleep
in total
darkness or with eye shades on to maximize
your body's production of melatonin. •
People under age forty produce adequate amounts of melatonin and so should take supplements only for short-term
sleeping problems. •
It
helps to take melatonin not only on the day of a flight but
for •
two or three days
Doses of melatonin
after crossing time zones.
weapon
as a
against jet lag range from
Lower doses produce
0.5 milligram to 10 milligrams a day.
fewer side
Grogginess
is
the most
common
side ef-
others include mild headaches, upset stomach, lower sex
fect/
and depression.
drive,
small •
effects.
amount and
If
unsure of your dose,
increase in
start
with
a
0.5-mg increments.
Melatonin appears to be more effective when taken on an
empty stomach, which may help rapid absorption. •
If
you do not want
to take melatonin supplements, certain
foods increase your body's natural melatonin include rolled oats, whole
and tomatoes.
A
brown
multivitamin high
These
sweet corn, bananas,
rice, in
levels.
B vitamins and calcium
encourages melatonin production. Avoid consuming feine,
•
Do
caf-
which can decrease your melatonin.
not take melatonin
if
you
are pregnant, a nursing mother,
taking prescription steroid drugs, or tal illness,
severe allergies,
if
you
autoimmune
suffer
from men-
diseases, or
immune
system cancers.
remedies
is
antihistamines,
which
are usually taken for allergies
runny noses, and which also make people sleepy.
comes with these remedies you take them over
is
that
you can build up
time, their effectiveness will
A
and
caveat that
a tolerance, so
wear
off.
if
Also, they
BRAIN FITN ESS
130
should not be taken chinery.
when
I
know
a
you
number
will
be driving or operating other ma-
who
of business executives
traveling through three or
be sleeping
will
if
them only
take
more time zones and when they
strange surroundings.
in
Some people have found
DMAE
that the nutritional supplement
(dimethylaminoethanol) stimulates lucid dreaming. Available sules, tablets,
with any
and
liquids, the
new supplement,
dose ranges from 200 to
talk to
low dose. Taking too much
your doctor
DMAE
first
1
in
cap-
,000 mg. As
and
start
with a
can cause cramping of your
skeletal muscles.
SLEEP HYGIENE Lots of people sleep badly because of what researchers sleep hygiene. This
anywhere or
just
at
is
a stuffy
way
call
poor
of saying that people can't sleep
any time and should make sure
their surround-
ings are as conducive to snoozing as possible.
For good sleep hygiene, the
room
is
not too
distracting noises.
sociate your sex).
If
warm
is
you
just
you
sleep.
Make
sure
the lighting, eliminate sleep because
you
as-
slumber (and, of course,
also a part-time television chair, snack place, or
may be having
a
hard time thinking about
the lights go out.
When you sleep fore
Check
bedroom with more than
your bed
when
turn to where
You may be missing out on
reading table, your mind sleep
first
or too cold.
or,
try to sleep,
more
may
precisely,
also
what you have done
be getting
in
right be-
the way. Obvious sleep
robbers include an early evening nap, exercising
less
than two hours
before bedtime, smoking (the nicotine can keep you awake), taking
cold remedies that contain caffeine, or eating foods that rev up your system.
SLEEPING BETTER
131
JAKE STEINFELD'S COFFIN SLEEP The well-known Steinfeld
hours
and
most
a
is
personal trainer and television personality Jake efficient sleeper.
a night. That's basically all
try to eat lightly before
need. I'm in the zone
I
do go
I
get about three and a half
"I
and around 6:30,
to sleep,
so not to have too
much weighing me down.
down
no tossing and turning.
to bed, there's
ers, kiss
That's
my
why
good
wife call
I
it
I
day
all
when
But
lay
I
get under the cov-
and wake up the exact same way
night,
the coffin sleep."
INCREASING YOUR PERSONAL SLEEP POWER Power naps
when
need to
I
my
are
secret
reset
my
weapon.
do not use them
I
internal clock or adjust for a
regularly,
only
bout of bad or
inadequate sleep, since excess fatigue can actually keep you awake. Rarely longer than twenty minutes, into slow
wave
naps are
sleep (stage 2-4) that leaves
sharp and ready for whatever
emergency twenty-dollar If
my power
bill
next.
is
tucked
I
place
it,
the bottom of
in
power
then need cash and find only
naps:
money
in
its
I
go into
my
may
power nap
a
my
tie
I
my
I
my
shade or turn off forearm over
clothing,
feet
my
a light,
my
I
believe
which may I
in-
also take
eyes.
I
propped up on another
floor of an
While noise generally does not bother me,
my
true for
get as close to prone as possible, which
on the carpeted
chair, or stretching out
drape
is
follow a routine that
adjust
I
require sitting in a chair with
a
The same
lint.
briefcase.
forget to re-
or taking off a jacket or sweater.
shoes and watch.
lower
would
do the
sleeping diet, they are as valuable as
curative power. First
clude loosening off
my
staples of
I
my
I
the bank.
Each time ensures
As
feeling calm yet
think of them as
spent that twenty dollars regularly, one day
I
me
quick drop
a
empty
light does, so,
if
I
office.
cannot
get in a position that allows
On
plane
trips,
I
me
to
carry eye shades
BRAIN FITNESS
132
and earplugs. As
away from the rate.
my
sink into
I
of martial arts training,
my
blood pump,
I
slip
through
my
breathing and heart
have developed from several decades
I
and calm
quiet breathing, air
my
my mind
deliberately turn
my heart beat, my
focus inward, listening to
concentrate on feeling the
and gently
I
and quiet
day's concerns,
Using the concentration
nap,
my mind
move from my diaphragm
and body. to
my lungs
nose. Every few breaths or so,
forcefully exhale in order to accentuate that feeling of air
my body
through
The While
my
rest
and
may be
regime
drops, and
a personal sleep
reaches
it
warm bath
ing a
perature so
might
moving
using your slumber time for opti-
may be
helpful for you, here are
Body temperature
•
is
to erase the sleep debt that
you construct
to help
I
passages.
essence of Sleep Power
mal mental
I
some other
We
fall
asleep as
it
lowest point between 2 and 4 A.M. Tak-
or shower before bedtime raises your
that
ideas
program.
leads us into sleep.
its
draining you.
when you go
to
body tem-
bed, your temperature
is
dropping, which brings on sleep. •
Taking two baby aspirin before you go to bed increases the
amount
of deep-sleep time
(Be sure the aspirin don't •
caffeine-free,
and take
it
with water so they
your stomach undigested.)
sit in
Keep
is
and decreases nighttime awakenings.
a sleep diary, especially
cause of a sleeping problem.
if
The
you
are trying to pinpoint the
formal diaries that sleep re-
searchers give their subjects contain sixteen questions that must be
answered every morning. The questions include: take
you
awaken? scale)?
to
asleep?
fall
How
rested
Did you
How many times do you
feel this
How
long did
during the night did you
morning (on
take any naps yesterday?
What
a six-point
foods, drinks, or
medication did you take before bedtime? This provides valuable formation •
at a
in-
medical evaluation, should one become necessary.
Learn power napping.
The
pressing, nagging thoughts, so
secret
is
clearing your
any rote mental
activity,
mind
of
whether
counting sheep or reliving a pleasant encounter from the day, useful.
it
is
SLEEPING BETTER
133
Dieting changes sleeping habits significantly, making
•
difficult to fall asleep
it
more
and reducing the amount of slow wave
sleep. •
If
noise bothers you, whether
a mate's snoring,
it's
apartment pipes, or street sounds, buy
a
noisy
white-noise machine or
A BRIEF REFRESHER Quality sleep
essential
is
for
good mental
garden-variety insomnia or a patch of
fitful
functioning. For
sleeping, try these
remedies: Practice
ronment
is
good
sleep hygiene.
comfortable, not too
ing lights or noises, and that like
reading material or
Make warm
sure your sleeping envi-
or cold, free of distract-
you have removed
a television
turned on.
distractions,
Remove any
sources of allergies, like dust.
Eat right. Starchy foods
like bread, pasta, potatoes,
and milk
products help promote sleep because they prompt your brain to generate sleep-inducing serotonin.
Try herbal der
oil
aids. Valerian root, kava,
help some people
fall
asleep
chamomile, and laven-
more
easily.
Avoid certain medications. Some prescription and over-thecounter medications can produce insomnia. These include melatonin, blood pressure medicine, decongestants, nicotine, caffeine, diet pills,
and some types of cold and cough remedies.
Lower your body temperature. Sleep comes
as
your body
warm bath or shower before sleep makes your body to cool down and drop off to sleep.
temperature dips, so a it
easier for
Try baby helps
aspirin.
some people
Taking two baby aspirin without caffeine
sleep.
Learn power napping. Knowing
how to
grab twenty minutes
of restful slumber in the middle of a long day not only rejuve-
nates your thinking but can night. Excess fatigue at
make
it
bedtime can,
easier for in truth,
you
to sleep at
keep you awake.
BRAIN FITNESS
134
FM radio to a spot between
your
set
unwanted •
your sleeping problems stem from
If
you may be reacting
lems,
stations in order to block out
noise.
down on
allergies or sinus prob-
to dust mites in
your bedding. To cut
dust and particles, put a clean towel over your pillow.
SELECTED SOURCES Astrom, C. "Interaction between sleep and growth hormone. Evaluated by manual
polysomnography and automatic power spectrum danavia,
92
New York, 1986. Stop Aging Now. HarperCollins, New York, 1995. Sleep Thieves. Free Press, New York, 1996.
Borebely, A.
Carper,
J.
Coren,
S.
Secrets of Sleep.
Ezzell, C. "For a 14,
EEG power pt.
Basic Books,
good memory, dream
on." Science News, 142 (20), 333,
November
1992.
"DHEA
Freiss, E., et al.
Hauri,
analysis." Acta Neurology Scan-
281-96, October 1995.
(4),
in
administration increases rapid eye
1),
E107-13, January 1995.
P.,
and Linde,
Hobson,
J.
S.
No More
Sleepless Nights.
A. The Dreaming Brain. Basic Books,
Karklin A., et
Wiley and Sons,
New
sleep
and
New
(1
York, 1996.
York, 1988.
"Restricted energy intake affects nocturnal
al.
movement
the sigma frequency range." American Journal of Physiology, 268
body temperature and
sleep patterns." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 59 (2), 346—49, February
1994. Kate, N. T. "To reduce stress, hit the hay." American Demographics, 16 (9), 14—16, Sep-
tember 1994. King, A.
C,
et
al.
older adults."
"Moderate-intensity exercise and self-rated quality of sleep in
New
England Journal of Medicine,
Dreaming Ballantine Books,
LaBerge,
S. Lucid
Lavie,
The Enchanted World of
P.
.
Sleep.
277
New
(1),
January
1,
1997.
York, 1985.
Yale University Press,
New
Haven, Conn.,
1996.
"Learning while sleeping?"
Leathwood,
P.
Prevention,
42
(1), 14,
January 1990.
D. "Aqueous extract of valerian root improves sleep quality
in
man."
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior, 17 (1), 65-71, July 1982.
Morin, C. M.
Relief from Insomnia.
Doubleday,
New
York, 1996.
National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research. Wake Up, America:
A
National
SLEEPING BETTER
Sleep Alert. Vols.
1
and
2.
Government
1
Printing Office, Washington,
DC,
35
Sep-
tember 1994. National Sleep Foundation,
1367 Connecticut Ave.
NW,
20036. Weil, A. Spontaneous Healing. Alfred A. Knopf,
New
York, 1995.
Washington, D.C.,
Four
BEATING STRESS
probably experience as preneur
I and
a
who
any professional or entre-
stress as
constantly juggling the
is
competitive workplace. Most of
ternal sources like tions,
much
my
demands
my
of healthy living
stress
comes from
ex-
responsibilities in international sports federa-
medical technology companies, and the American
Academy
which
of Anti-Aging Medicine. Sure,
I
generated by managing
spread over four continents and wor-
ries
my
about being overextended. But
tendency to be
learned to contain I
a staff
have internal
a perfectionist.
my
my
stress,
greatest stress
Over
is
mostly
comes from
the years, however,
have
I
psychological and emotional stress as long as
maintain certain habits and routines. In truth,
I
than deplete
can be
frequently find stress to be invigorating, and rather
my
inner resources,
a destructive beast,
the right regimen. the
mind and
What
brain.
I
it
energizes me. While
have found that
especially concerns
While most people
it
I
know
it
can be tamed, given
me
is
how
stress affects
are familiar with
what
does to the cardiovascular and digestive systems, especially
stress
its
role
1
3 7
— BRAIN FITNESS
138
in heart
my
conditions and stomach ailments,
If
drive
I
it
focus on
and mental health.
intellectual, emotional,
sports car:
I
right,
it's
fast
and
fun.
influence on
its
Stress for not,
If
it
me
like a
is
can be scary,
even deadly. Let a
me
take
you
to an international bodybuilding competition
Mr. Universe Championship that was held
look
Spain
in
—
for a rarefied
both the harmful and the productive power of
at
stress.
A
world-class sports competition, especially one where the standard of
excellence depends squarely on one's body,
The
stressors.
a crucible for a host of
athletes, as well as officials like myself,
with demands on their professional
emotional
is
stability,
skills,
must cope
psychological smarts,
and physical stamina. While everyone has
a per-
sonal coping style, with personal and professional lives often in flux,
you may
find
it
useful to read about
The ballroom
at
new ways
of coping.
the Melia Castilla Hotel was a tense scene. Be-
neath a glittering chandelier dozens of muscled swimsuit briefs were pacing, jogging ters.
On
the bare raised stage were two
in official suits. It
in place,
beam
men wearing
only
or talking in small clusscales operated
by men
blue blazers and scrutinized by grim-faced coaches in sweat
was weighing-in time
for the Mr. Universe
World Body
Build-
ing Championships and an exceedingly stressful time for the representatives from
The 70 1
more than
athletes
sixty nations as well as officials like myself.
were anxious about making
whether they would be chosen ness
had
to
for the
do with professional
their
weight
random drug
pressures.
I
tests.
class
and
My edgi-
was attending the cham-
pionship as chairman of the International Medical Commission and
Medical and Doping Committee for the International Federation of
Body
Builders (IFBB).
testing, overseeing
My
chief responsibility
was the
everything from the random selection of
ticipants to testing protocols to disqualifying athletes itive.
If
event's
anything went wrong
—
type of misunderstanding
it
—
was
a
sample
lost,
my reputation
different.
both participants and
test par-
who tested pos-
contamination, any that could suffer.
International sporting events are high-stress occasions,
one was no
drug
and
this
For the next two days, stress would bombard officials.
We
all
would
feel
the tension of psy-
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS
139
chological pressures and physical demands. Bodybuilding
is
an es-
and
pecially stressful sport psychologically because an athlete's skills
achievements are is
all
focused on his body.
The
bodybuilder's "sport"
become
the perfection of his physique, and so flaws or failures
in-
tensely personal. Self-image and self-confidence are tested to the
maximum. Bodybuilders never live
get a break from their sport, for they
with the object of their striving every hour of every day.
sessive thinking, with
the
all
Competition, because
can
attract,
is
not
Ob-
uncommon.
generates excitement and anxiety, pre-
it
sents an athlete with both
ills it
good and bad
stress.
The
lack of control
may feel about an event adds another layer of psychologistress. The outcome resulting from years of training and personal
athletes cal
sacrifice
is
in
the hands of judges, the sanctioning organization, and
sponsors.
competing requires
Physically,
on
body
his
Many
feel
—micromanaging
a
person to make severe demands
his diet, sleep,
and training regimen.
they must finely hone their metabolism, which can strain
normal body chemistry. And,
as
you
chemistry
will read, personal
drives a person's response to stress.
A person's this
environment can also intensify anxiety. The athletes
their surroundings first
come from around
competition had
was
familiar to them,
the world. Very
and
for
many,
of
little
was
this
at
their
big-time, foreign competition.
While cruited
I
by
had attended numerous such events, ever since
Weider
Dr. Ben
stretched by a job where
I
for the IFBB years before,
was always on
call.
is
It's
a state of
I
had
and
self-denial. Also,
re-
to be
many things and rather difficult to explain.
qualities are sacrifice
combined with
was
My workday would be-
gin before sunrise and extend long into the evening, and
Mental toughness
I
would be
I
most importantly,
Its
it is
a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give
in.
character —you could — Coach Vince Lombardi, Green Bay Packers
mind
call
it
in action.
1
BRAIN FITNESS
40
THE MOST STRESSFUL OCCUPATIONS Experts say that people working in these occupations are most
prone to stress-related
more
stressful,
illness.
While other occupations may be
they involve a higher level of control,
case of a corporate
CEO
which reduces the
as in the
effects of stress.
Construction worker Secretary
Laboratory technician
Waiter or waitress
Machine operator Farmworker
House
painter
Midlevel manager Foreman/supervisor
always available to attend meetings, make decisions, or resolve
dis-
agreements.
A It's
is
BEAST WITH TWO HEADS
impossible to be alive and not
the rare person
know what
whose experience with
encounters or situations, most of us
stress feels like.
stress
know
it
is
While
it
limited to occasional
as a beast
always lurking
nearby. Although stress usually causes discomfort and can undermine a person's physical side. Stress
and psychological health,
can be harnessed to
fuel success
Although many people regard managed,
this
is
it
it
also has a beneficial
and achievement.
as a sensation to
be eliminated or
true only part of the time. Stress can be a pleasant
experience, one to be savored. Stress researchers are well aware of its
appeal.
Hans
Selye, the Austrian physiologist
the concept and study of
stress,
who
popularized
distinguished between two types:
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS
141
DAMAGE STRESS CAN DO TO A BODY Cause mineral depletion. The
•
duce
a 33 percent
Magnesium
blood.
drop is
stress of extra
work can pro-
mineral content (magnesium)
in
necessary to maintain blood
Increase physical craving for carbohydrates
•
more neuropeptide
pH
in
the
balance.
by releasing
an amino acid peptide that helps regulate
Y,
feeding behavior.
Burn the "youth" hormone
•
which
detrimental
is
DHEA. High
over time,
Cortisol levels,
accompanied by low
are
DHEA. Compromise the blood-brain
•
barrier.
Researchers con-
cerned about protecting soldiers from the effects of chemical warfare have found that stress
have shown that physical
rats
susceptible to
distress
the blood-brain
which protects the brain from toxic molecules. Studies
barrier,
with
may compromise
and
stress
makes the brain more
damaging chemicals.
eustress.
(An early study on hormones led Selye to ap-
ply the label "stress" to a general area of medical investigation, bor-
rowing the word from physics, where
between
a force
his English
"I
been
and resistance to
it.
it
refers to the interaction
Selye later confessed that had
better,
he would have called the concept
HOW
TO NOT FALL APART
think people get older
when they
are not challenged.
have to be challenged, you have to have what
Without some get
all
positive stress,
the stresses taken
ing the
boob
tube,
off,
that's
you
strain.)
we
call eustress.
literally fall apart.
and you're
When you
sitting in a chair
when problems
You
develop."
watch-
— Ron
Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D., founder of the American Medical Athletic
Association
1
BRAIN FITNESS
42
S
ALARM REACTION
T
I
Shock Phase
Counter Shock Phase
2.
R
.
E
I
S
STAGE RESISTANCE
S
V o
STAGE OF EXHAUSTION I
ORGAN
FAILURE, DISEASE,
DEATH
General Adaptation Syndrome Adapted from Stopping
Eustress
damage
(eu
means "good"
a person's health.
someone and
the Clock (1996)
Greek)
in
is
pleasant stress that doesn't
the feeling of being captivated by
It's
falling in love, playing a flawless
game
of tennis, re-
ceiving an award for a professional achievement, listening to your child play in a music recital, is all
stress at
its
and even reading an exciting book. This
best.
WHAT STRESS DOES TO THE BODY Many
people confuse
makes me look
To
define
as "the nonspecific (that
the body, be
word
soma,
it
with
its
symptoms.
it,
is,
I
defer to
common)
Hans
who
described
any demand upon
mental or somatic." "Somatic" comes from the Latin
acts to forces either it,
training
than a purely psy-
Selye,
result of
meaning "body." Put another way,
from outside
My medical
at stress as a physiological rather
chological event. it
stress
from within
it,
like a
it's
how
the
body
re-
thought or emotion, or
like a physical threat.
So what does your body do? As soon
as the brain realizes that a de-
— BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS mand
being made on the body,
is
more hormones
it
143
pump
signals various glands to
The
to deal with the situation.
signal goes to the di-
The
rector of the endocrine system, the pituitary gland.
pituitary
gland releases three hormones: vasopressin, which raises blood pres-
and two
sure,
ACTH
hormones,
stress
(adrenocorticotropic hor-
TTH (thyrotropic hormone). The stress hormones go to The ACTH spurs on the adrenal cortex and the TTH gooses
mone) and work:
the thyroid.
metabolism sources
The
thyroid gland, which
is
in
the throat, regulates your
— how quickly you burn up oxygen and other energy
—with the hormone thyroxine. Farther pump
kidneys, the adrenals
and noradrenaline
south,
on top of your
out two more hormones
(also called
— adrenaline
epinephrine and norepinephrine).
Adrenaline provides the energy to help the body respond. duces more red and white blood
blood sugar
increases
tion,-
pressure so that the heart
oxygen to muscles and system.
You
start to
Meanwhile, the adrenals, stress
namely
cells to fight
level
pumps
tissues,
to
feed
ACTH
faster to deliver
sounds
infec-
blood
and stimulates the central nervous
has stirred up other hormones from the
is
a
which
are
as corti-
kind of glucocorticoid that our body can
familiar, there's a reason.
is
"hydrocortisone.")
While you
don't exactly
hormones, you know the sensations
causes
it
excitement, panic, or variations on these feelings. In flight or
fight stress response,
you can run away.
skin surfaces, stricted feel
pro-
more blood and
a type of corticoid called glucocorticoids,
feel this waterfall of
so
elevates
cells,-
convert into Cortisol. (Another term for Cortisol
fear,
any incoming
hormones. Sometimes, glucocorticoids are referred to
this
It
breathe faster and your muscles tense.
costeroids. Cortisone
If
re-
which
blood It is
is
shunted from the stomach to the legs
goes to deep muscle for
why you
"flight,"
sweat and get cold
fear.
away from
The con-
blood vessels cut down on circulation, which can make you
"cold
fear."
As the blood leaves your stomach, you may
seous or the classic "butterflies."
The quickened
creased blood to your muscles can stress, also
known
body braces
make you
as the fight-or-flight feeling.
for action.
feel
nau-
heartbeat and in-
flush.
This
Every system
is
pure
in
your
BRAIN FITNESS
144
My
most vivid experience with
waterskiing in water,
in
my
Jamaica.
I
was waiting to make
feet set into the skis,
me, Freeze: Water snake: For out thinking,
I
or flight occurred while
fight
when
launched myself out of the
ten feet into the air and into the boat.
standing chest-deep
the motorboat driver yelled at
second,
a
a run,
It
was
I
a statue,
and then, with-
skis,
propelling myself almost
was
a
high jump from
stan that even an Olympian would have difficulty executing: sure
I
could never do
Dr. Selye
dubbed
ten as not the
down when
resists
And
I'm
again without a huge shot of stress chemicals.
this first stage of stress the
bodys alarm
alarm reaction. Of-
and then calm
bells clang for a brief time
the threat diminishes, entering into the counter shock
phase. However, It it
it
dead
a
if
the threat continues, the
hormones and energy sources
body depletes
body on
stay
stores of vitamin C, vitamin E.
its
resists or adapts.
alert status as the
and B vitamins, and
demands more calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. To produce more hormones and antibodies, the body breaks down protein.
The
price the
body pays
and develops infections Adapting to the to the surging
as
—
it
is
costly.
The body
develops
it
shows the
a stress disease,
tries to adjust
namely:
the stomach and upper intestine
Peptic ulcers
High blood
•
Heart trouble
•
Nervous conditions
•
Premature aging of the brain and nervous system the end. the
in
pressure
body
yells
Uncle: and becomes totally exhausted.
the exhaustion stage of stress, the glands shrink and
duction drops, the
blood pressure
The coup de
hormone
immune system produces fewer white blood
rises,
and the stomach churns out more
grace of the exhaustion stage
unrelenting flow of Cortisol it
weight
effects of the constant pres-
•
pletes
loses
hormones, elevated blood pressure, and altered body
•
In In
It
high
is
weapons weaken.
stress reaction
chemistry, but over time, sure.
its
for resistance
of glucose, eats
lets
too
much
is
pro-
cells,
acid.
brain cell death.
The
calcium enter the brain, de-
up the antioxidants that
fight destructive free
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS and ultimately
radicals,
stroke, heart attack, or
As you
it
kidney or
one
rises,
may then
another
may be
result
damage, or
Certain
falls,
or
cease circulating.
that just the right mixture
dubbed
liver
is
cancer,
does to our brain
is
CHANGES
reaches optimal out-
Hormones do
a
balancing act so
provided for the event
what
at
hand. Selye
adaptation syndrome, giving
can do to our body.
stress
What
equally dramatic.
IN
PLASMA CONCENTRATIONS
IN
ADAPTIVE ANC STRESS -ASSOCIATED CONDITIONS Counterregulatory Hormones Condition
Insulin
Glucagon Gi owth
Consumption
Epinephrine Cortisol
Hormone
or Activity
of.
NC NC NC
NC NC NC
T/NC
I
T
T
T
t
T
T
T
Glucose
T
i
i
Protein
t
r
T
Mixed meal
T
NC
i
t
NC NC
i
t
Exercise
i
Fever
Starvation
Acute
hypoglycemia
i
T
T
T
T
Surgery/trauma
I
T/NC
T
T
T
Heart attack
i
T
T
T
T
Most other
i
t
T/NC
T
T
stress states
T
= increase,-
(rapid,brief)(slow,chronic)
-I = -
decrease,-
NC
in-
hormones counterbalance
when one
this entire process the general
us a precise description of
45
of these things.
all
from the following chart, hormone action also
will see
others,- as
The end
neurons.
feedback mechanisms.
cludes
put,
kills
1
= no consistent, lastin g change
Adap [ed from Hormones and
Aging (1995).
it
1
BRAIN FITNESS
46
OVERWORK
EFFECTS OF STRESS FROM
A
study of 248 automotive workers compared hours worked
during the week with mental function. Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine found that increased overtime
was directly linked with poor performance on
and decision-making, and increased people's sion, fatigue,
tests of attention
feelings of depres-
and confusion.
WHAT STRESS DOES TO YOUR MIND AND BRAIN The judges
at
the bodybuilding competition began reading out the
numbers of the
room
With each number, the
rippled with sighs of relief or bursts of nervous laughter. Vir-
tually
and
athletes to be drug-tested.
all
the competitors were uneasy, worrying about themselves
who had
their friends. Athletes
never even touched
a steroid
fretted about false positives, although highly unlikely, or having
consumed
The
a
banned substance unknowingly.
selected athletes were isolated in a special waiting area where
they were given bottled water.
were allowed into sary.
The language
petitors
quickly
procedure or ficials
lete
this area,
and
I
felt
No coaches,
only
friends, or other athletes
and
officials
barrier raised everyone's stress
became
frustrated
if
neces-
hormones:
Com-
interpreters,
they didn't understand
if
they were being misunderstood, and the other
struggled to ensure that no one was offended. Each
was escorted
to a
bathroom
stall
to
produce
a
of-
ath-
a urine sample.
On
top of the fear caused by being singled out and separated from
coaches and friends, the pressure on the athletes increased
as
they
were expected to urinate on command.
The
psychological impact of stress
is
no
less
powerful than the
physical onslaught. Stress churns up emotions, muddles thinking, fogs concentration, and eats at
memory.
Just as
some people
are
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS physically energized
by
147
stress chemicals, others thrive
on the men-
pressure of stress.
tal
Stress clearly can influence
pecially affected.
people think, and
For memory, stress
story. Scientists believe that
mild
constant stress hurts
tense,
how
adrenaline, then crumbles
if
it.
the
a
is
memory
briefly
is
hormone bath
outset, stress helps strengthen explicit
is
es-
good-news, bad-news
stress helps
Memory
memory
but that
in-
sharpened by
continues. At the
memory, the memory
of pre-
memory. But over
cise facts or images, or what's called flashbulb
memory deteriorates under stress. Scientists say the cause of memory loss lies in the hippocampus. Stress chemicals in this
time,
the
part of the brain disrupt long-term potentiation, the chemical chain
reaction that enables us to convert short-term
memories into some-
thing more lasting. Brain scans have confirmed this theory. Scans of
people
who
have suffered long periods of
stress
—
been abused and Vietnam veterans with post-traumatic der
—
reveal that their
abilities
steps, learn quickly,
act decisively
stress disor-
hippocampus has shrunk.
The person who responds formance and
who have
children
well to stress
enhanced. The
may
find his or her per-
ability to think
ahead many
concentrate calmly, apply sound judgment, and
may come
as naturally as breathing.
For some athletes, crowds, noise, and being the center of attention are off the
enormously depleting, while other competitors seem to feed chaos and cacophony. Trained
as
a world-class
Arnold Schwarzenegger has learned to adapt ergy from large crowds to people's simultaneous
all
facets of his
demands,
his ability to
life.
for instance
The
when
athlete,
draw en-
many
stress of he's
managing
media interviews, stimulates instead of depletes him. Outside the sports world, people
who can
demands and pressure made on them ness."
adjust to
and feed
off the
are considered to have "hardi-
At the other end of the spectrum are people
tively to psychological stress and, as a result,
who
react nega-
develop related
illnesses,
such as an addiction, depression, or other psychiatric disorders. In the late 1970s,
Suzanne Kobasa,
a researcher at the University
BRAIN FITN ESS
148
THE HARDY, STRESS-RESISTANT PERSONALITY Commitment:
is
actively, enthusiastically involved in profes-
and personal
sional
life.
Control: can determine the direction and substance of one's life.
Challenge: views change as positive and
is
about
flexible
making adjustments.
of Chicago, began a three-year study of executives at Illinois Bell
and how
their personalities influenced their reactions to stress.
She
followed more than 160 managers, monitoring their physical health
and the
men
level of stress in their lives. All the
and scored high on the
more on
this).
scale of stressful
life
lived stressful lives
events (see page 150 for
At the end of the study, Kobasa discovered that more
than half the executives lived under constant stress but never got sick,
while the rest of those studied routinely
encing a
The
sick after experi-
stressful event.
difference between the
personalities
and
stressful events
attitudes.
The
executives
commitment,
hardy execs showed
a
who
easily
working and personal positive
control,
in their
weathered
and challenge. The
strong commitment,- they
themselves and about their
as
two groups, she found, was
possessed a quality of "hardiness," which consisted of
three characteristics:
ments
fell
lives,
lives.
They
felt
good about
also felt in control of their
and they viewed change and
These
challenges.
concluded, determined whether
a
three
qualities,
manager would develop
readjust-
Kobasa a stress-
related illness or not.
Ever since this groundbreaking study, numerous other scientists
have explored what makes some people more resistant than others to stress.
Some
disagree with Kobasa's findings and point out the ob-
vious limitations in her study
—the
men, the information on physical
target group
illness
was
was middle-class
self-reported,
and the
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS
HOW MICHAEL JORDAN
FEEDS ON STRESS
Stress energizes the world's best basketball player.
dan has told observers that when the clock
two minutes, the
fans are roaring,
149
is
Michael Jor-
down
to the last
and he has to make
a
game-
winning shot, he hears nothing. His entire mind and body are tuned to what
is
happening inside the
lines of the court.
He
blocks out everything and swishes through a three-pointer.
three qualities overlap. However,
Kobasa has
lots of
company
assertion that an individual's feeling of control over his
him better able
ness
makes
stress.
frequently translated into a state of peak performance.
is
that wonderful
feeling of
competence, power, and control
the middle of extreme stress that
Athletes often find the zone
people achieve
it
how
they discover
when,
in
a big deal, audit,
the accountant
who
the lawyer
—
is
known
when they
in
are competing, but other
the process of pushing themselves,
The
salesperson
who
flawlessly
for a brief, shining
It
as "being in the zone.''
to harness feelings of anxiety
productive, satisfying action.
cases
her
the world of bodybuilding, as well as in other sports, hardi-
In
is
cope with
to
life
in
moment
deftly
and arousal into
who smoothly
closes
executes a complicated
remembers dozens
of relevant
or two, these people are in the
zone.
Hardiness, like finding the zone, depends on achieving a sense of control.
And
actions.
While
this feeling of control alters
your perceptions and your
up your mind, being hardy or
stress revs
in
the zone
seems to put everything into slow motion so that you can focus and concentrate better. You see relationships more clearly, whether the distance between
you and
ble of numbers.
Your senses are heightened so that colors are
sharper, sounds are sitive. It is as
if
more
a tennis ball
distinct,
or the significance of a jum-
and your sense of touch more sen-
the stress chemicals in your
body have moved from
1
BRAIN FITNESS
50
TAKE ACTION Signs oj Stress
If
some
of these statements ring true to you,
you may
well be
suffering from major stress:
My My
sore back
becoming
is
a regular
parents are always nagging
my
me
backache.
about something.
I
had
I
haven't had satisfying sex in months.
I
am
a fight
with
best friend and we're
still
not talking.
drinking three or more glasses of alcoholic beverage a
night.
never have time to eat a decent lunch.
I
My
favorite jeans are too tight.
can't sleep at night
I
The
my
roof and gutters on
have
I
because of noisy neighbors.
a credit card bill that
house need I
repair.
can't afford to pay.
My spouse wants to quit his/her job. My spouse spending too much. is
my
If
child gets sick, day care
My child I
is
not doing well
becomes
in school.
keep hearing rumors of layoffs
It's
hard for
me
to
I
have
I
don't feel safe at
little
a crisis.
at
work.
work because the phone keeps
say over
my
home
priorities at
unless
all
my
ringing.
work. doors and windows are
locked.
your racing heart and tense muscles to your
and the motor center of your
ears, eyes, fingertips,
brain.
Developing hardiness or finding the zone chance. As you will find later
is
not a matter of
in this chapter, there are skills
you can
develop, attitudes you can cultivate, routines you can incorporate,
and
activities
you can
practice that are the raw material for the hardy
personality or the zoned-in athlete.
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS
151
INDIVIDUAL STRESS SIGNS When
Dr. Ben
Weider recruited me
dangers of athletes using banned drugs, Death
made
just
a big splash
subject. Dr.
Weider
and
felt
it
I
had become
was time
in the
sports medicine fellowship,
chemistry, this was the
and
time
first
and he asked
knowledge of medicine and drugs
me
to develop a
my medical
stud-
doctorate in androgen steroid
a I
had
Locker Room,
bodybuilding federation
worldwide education and testing program. Despite ies,
on the
recognized expert on the
a
for the
to seriously attack the drug problem,
my book
for the IFBB,
had been asked
to creating a
my
to apply
program
for
hun-
dreds of medical professionals and athletes. Since the IFBB did not
have any standing active medical committees, devising and imple-
menting
all
the protocols and procedures
relationships with
lish
Olympic
fell
to me.
I
had
to estab-
testing labs around the world,
design testing protocols, develop informational materials and docu-
ments, and institute a program to educate other medical profession-
on drug abuse and
als
For the
first
testing.
four years,
I
personally conducted the bulk of the
testing while creating a system so that each of the 164 tions
of the federation would be able
my work and
do
lab testing facilities
and
member
testing.
initiating partnerships
na-
Much
of
with Olympic
around the world.
officials,
and the media, especially
tions with athletes from different cultures
sometimes
fragile.
move
to
as
at international
competi-
where national reputations
This Mr. Universe contest had drawn
from sixty countries and so put
had
own
procedures are continually scrutinized by participants, gov-
ernment
are
its
involved devising procedures for on-site testing protocols
strict quality control,
My
to
smoothly
my system
in
men
the spotlight. Each step
as a tango. Bodybuilders, like athletes in
know that they are often We know our integrity is
other sports that require muscle or strength,
under
a
cloud of suspicion of drug abuse.
sometimes doubted, and so
we
insist that
be very rigorous and very public.
our drug-testing program
1
1
BRAIN FITNESS
52
Wherever
me
asked
went during the two days of the competition, people
about testing procedures,
more
tests of
scope.
I
substances.
know my
I
twitches in
my
Another sign and
I
is
for future
were always under
micro-
stress signals well: Early signs are light
muscle
felt as if
I
I
and elsewhere. With persistent
and may not return
much more
and plans
a
face
petite disappears
sweat
test results,
stress,
my
ap-
for days. In a hot climate,
than usual, and dehydration and dry mouth set
bad
sleep,-
I
cannot seem to drop into
REM
I
in.
sleep,
wake up ragged and weary.
Some situations are stressful for virtually everyone. It is the rare person who doesn't feel the chemistry of the adrenals when he or she speaks before a large group, gets into a heated argument, a
lie,
or enters a
new
social situation. Experts looking for
measure psychological riences are.
have compiled
stress
and assigned them values according to
Perhaps the best-known
and Richard Rahe ing Scale but
Rahe
in
sand patients and looking
death of
as the Life
common expehow stressful they of
at
which has
Events Scale. Holmes and
by monitoring about
what events
stressful life event,
a spouse,
to
1967 and called the Social Readjustment Rat-
known today
The most
ways
was devised by Thomas Holmes
list
identified forty-three events
illness.
lists
tells
and
in their lives
at
the top of the
as a traffic ticket,
thou-
preceded an
At the bottom
a value of 100.
nor violation of the law, such
five
is
is
list,
a mi-
which has an
1
point value.
Other items on the
list,
in
order of stress magnitude, include
di-
vorce, being jailed, personal injury or illness, getting fired, trouble
with in-laws, outstanding personal achievement, and
What The
all
these events have in
common
researchers found that even
that involve
some type
Life Events Scale
ternative
of
change
is
a vacation.
the element of change.
happy or enjoyable experiences are a source of stress. Since the
was devised, other researchers have developed
ways of measuring
stress.
al-
Richard Lazarus and his col-
leagues at the University of California at Berkeley strongly believe that a person's perception of
what
than the situation would seem to
is
stressful
justify,
can be more powerful
and that major events over
— BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS
153
HASSLES SCALE These daily hassles
most frequently cited
are
as stressful
by peo-
according to the textbook Health Psychology, Second
pie,
by Linda Brannon and 1992).
The number
is
Jess Feist
Edition,
(Wadsworth Publishing Co.,
the percentage of people out of 100 1
who
checked the experience.
52.4%
Concerns about weight Health of
family
a
Rising prices of
Home
member
48.1
common goods
43.7
maintenance
Too many
42.8
things to do
38.6
Misplacing or losing things
Yard work or outside
home maintenance
38.1
Property, investment, or taxes
37.6
Crime
37.1
Physical appearance
35.9
which we have
little
control do not seem to be as stressful as
minor situations that require us
So Lazarus and Scales
38.1
—
1
17 daily
friends
life
to
make
some
a decision.
developed the
events, both positive
Hassles
and Uplifts
and negative, surround-
ing work, family, relationships, personal health, and chance occurrences. a
How a
person reacts to ordinary hassles, especially, can offer
good barometer
perts argue over
for stress-related illnesses
whether
some found
that they
of the scale
is
The key
do
such
as depression. (Ex-
positive, uplifting events in
women
but not
in
men
can feed
—and
occurred,
intensity,
The
so this half
often disregarded.)
to the Hassles Scale
is
the rating. For each hassle that has
occurred within the past month, a person has to indicate it
stress
how
which
how
often
severe the event was on a three-point scale, and is
its
frequency multiplied by severity.
point of the Hassles Scale
is
that the experiences
must be not
1
BRAIN FITNESS
54
only vaguely unpleasant but also persistent, so that they create a cious cycle.
The
hassle fuels the stress,
vi-
which makes even more
or-
dinary events also stressful. Pretty soon, the smallest annoyance
producing
a
Each of us has particular
and being
is
probably something
knows our personal
stress points
ies are resisting stress
stantly battling
While
I
else.
It's
is
every
now and
warning system
stressful to
me,
each of us
if
and can recognize when our bod-
or showing signs of exhaustion from con-
have
a friend
who
plays professional football
Although the conditions were then and
my
colitis,
two
classic
treated, they flare
up
friend uses these flare-ups as an early
for stress. Oftentimes, his gut will
realizes that
loss of privacy
useful
years ago developed a duodenal ulcer and
stress disorders.
he
it.
vulnerabilities.
person for a couple of days
a public
your pivot point
who
is
major psychological and physiological reaction.
some unidentified
ache long before
stressful situation
bothering
is
him, and his sensitive stomach alerts him to a condition he needs to address.
Dr. Herbert Benson, a pioneer in stress-fighting techniques
author of one of the most successful books on coping with
stress,
and The
Relaxation Response, says that there are a variety of individual signs
that
warn of
serious, illness-threatening stress.
realms: physical, behavioral, emotional,
They
fall
into four
and cognitive.
Physical Symptoms
Headaches
Tight neck, shoulders
Indigestion
Racing heart
Stomachaches
Restlessness
Sweaty palms
Tiredness
Sleep difficulties
Ringing
Dizziness
Back pain
in ears
Behavioral Symptoms
Excess smoking
Grinding of teeth
Bossiness
Overuse of alcohol
at
night
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS
1
Compulsive gum chewing
Compulsive eating
Attitude critical of others
Inability to get things
55
done
Emotional Symptoms
Overwhelming sense
Crying Nervousness, anxiety
Boredom
pressure
— no meaning
Anger
to
anything
—
Edginess
of
Loneliness for
no reason
make
decisions
Unhappiness
ready to explode
Feeling powerless to change
Easily upset
things Cognitive
Symptoms
Trouble thinking clearly
Inability to
Forgetfulness
Thoughts
Lack of creativity
Constant worry
Memory
Loss of sense of
loss
of running
away
humor
STRESS AND AGING The age
of
The Men's Universe competition
from early twenties to his fifties
who
late forties,
looks great and
participants ranged
with one athlete from Turkey still
is
in
competitive. By striving to
maintain their muscles, middle-aged bodybuilders are slowing their
JAKE ("BODY BY JAKE") STEINFELD THRIVES ON STRESS I
have learned to thrive on
Rather,
I
stress
go the other way.
If
or going around
it,
avoiding
it
move on
to the next.
and not
there I
is
let
it
beat
me down.
a challenge, rather
deal with
it,
go through
it,
than
and
BRAIN FITNESS
156
mental aging. The reason
them
active, causing
to lose muscle
around the shoulders and chest
bone
means
less
As
>.
age, they
mass (the
a result,
oxygen rushing
become
less
area to go
first
is
they lose strength and
and put on more body
density, exercise less,
in exercise
As people
clear.
is
fat.
This drop-off
and so thinking
to the brain,
starts to slow. I
tivated
by repeated
cessful
is
constant forties
success,
who
stay in the sport longer are
mo-
and one quality that makes them
suc-
have found that the athletes
their ability to deflect the corrosion that
comes with
This also seems to slow their aging. Athletes
stress.
in their
have an aura of relaxed self-confidence. Their muscles are
limber and supple.
They move through
seamlessly without any of the hurried
their routines
movements
smoothly and
that suggest anx-
iety.
Some
scientists
now
believe that the aging process
and may even be accelerated, by that the ravages of aging
betes
osteoporosis,
—
stress.
It
may be no
propelled,
is
coincidence
heart disease, hypertension, cancer, dia-
weakened immune system, dementia
—
are also
the legacy of years of stress. Even the superficial signs of aging, like
wrinkles and loss of muscle strength, can be tied to
Decades
wear and
of
tear
from
stress
hormones
every organ of our bodies slowly breaks us down. actions that stress puts in motion
minds react older than they turely.
•
Here
are
The body
some ways
requires
(98.6°) after being •
are.
more time
warmed
Heart functions such
flushing through
The chemical
may well make Too much stress
that stress wears us
to return to
stress.
re-
our bodies and ages us prema-
down.
normal temperature
or chilled.
as heart rate,
blood pressure, and cardiac
muscle strength weaken so that physical exercise
is
more
diffi-
cult. •
There
•
The
is
less
sprouting of
brain depletes
can make
it
more
new
brain cell branches.
oxygen and nutrients more
susceptible to strokes.
quickly,
which
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS
•
Heart and blood vessels become
mones, so
it
takes a larger shot of
gency or fast-changing •
The body
is
a large
hormones
to react to an emer-
situation.
in circulation
Moreover, oversecretion
life
and times of the
longer to do more damage.
may happen when
Pacific
salmon
is
not under
swim miles up freshwater
terfalls in
streams,
order to spawn. As they make their
stress.
example of what
a vivid
shot of stress hormones can do to a body. As you
these fish
hor-
less sensitive to stress
able to immediately halt production of stress
less
hormones, so they are
The
157
may know,
jumping dams and wa-
way upstream, they
velop peptic ulcers, their muscles shrink, their
de-
immune systems
collapse, they develop tumors,
and they generate abnormally high
levels of glucocorticoids. After
spawning, they
comes from
a burst of
hormones
Dr. Robert Sapolsky, a
that floods
a neuroscientist at
die.
and
The deathblow
kills
the brain.
Stanford University and
leading stress researcher, firmly believes that stress hormones
speed up the aging process, and not brain. fect
He
just in the
body but
also in the
has found that glucocorticoids have a particularly nasty
on the hippocampus, the part of the brain
in
ef-
charge of learning
and memory.
One
by-product of the rush of hormones that comes with
and aging that
is
a spurt of free radicals,
damage and
cals are stress
kill
which
neurons and other
are renegade molecules
cells in the
body. Free radi-
produced by the chain of chemical reactions
hormones. Glucocorticoids, especially
scientists think that
set off
Cortisol,
more damage by interrupting the body's production and some
stress
by the
can do even
of antibodies,
they actually destroy antibodies that
circulate in the blood.
As we know, some of us age more slowly and better than others. For some people, the flow of our aging stress hormones
damaging. Sapolsky has rats,
a
theory about
is
not as
this, too. In his studies
he has found that the animals that were petted soon
with
after birth
did not experience the same cascade of damaging hormones as those
BRAIN FITNESS
158
were not touched. By petting the animals, the researchers
that
seemed
make them
to
This discovery
resistant to the biological actions of stress.
may well
we
help us adults. While
clock to ask for a more nurturing childhood,
psychology and mental wellness can have
how
our brain copes with
The
we may
it
does suggest that
powerful influence on
stress.
between
side of the connection
flip
a
back the
can't turn
stress
and aging
dramatically slow the aging process by moderating
respond to
hormones
stressful forces
and learning
to
is
that
how we
check spurts of the
stress
that age us.
TAMING THE BEAST During the competition,
—
I
woke
early to get in a
workout
My goal on these walks
—
a fast-
clip
walk
my
heart rate to 140-160 beats a minute for at least forty minutes,-
if
am
I
before the day's events.
feeling stressed-out,
Another element of an anaerobic
activity,
circulation
weights
is
gym
version
is
flow, the anaerobic action of
matter where
I
travel,
in
As
I
working with
can always find a couple of
This helps
me
to
still
like big,
thick rubber bands.
available, the surgical tubing or
do speed training and resistance
maintain lean muscle mass, which normally
on an extended, overseas, high-stress
flex various
me a compact An even smaller
also carry with
I
powerbands, which look
lose
I
the form of rubber surgical tubing.
weight machines are not
would
me
(While walking, an aerobic exercise, stimulates
powerbands enable me
I
cross-training,
not as cardiovascular and focuses more on muscle devel-
exercise
training.
is
on autopilot and concentrate on the
two- to five-pound hand weights.
When
exercise
such as working with weights, that allows
and oxygen
No
opment.)
stress.
to raise
walk to ninety minutes.
my stress-reduction
to put the physical activity
mental side of
my
stretch
I
is
muscle groups,
ging problems and play what
I
call
I
let
trip.
my mind wander
into nag-
the retrospect/prospect game.
I
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS event or situation that caused
recall a past
how
the feelings, then reflect on ety today.
Next turn I
that
a lifetime occupation.
is
perfect as
we grow
older.
chronic stress than acute
stress.
which
by
are often triggered
sipate in a short time, are
We
and put
into per-
it
This
is
not a one-
learning to play bridge, but a continuing education
skill like
we
no anxi-
that great load produces
too, will fade.
it,
Learning to tame stress time
great stress and relive
to a current source of stress
and know that
spective,
me
159
need to constantly
I
am much more concerned with
I
believe that quick bursts of stress,
external, uncontrollable events
much
and
harmful than persistent
less
battle the stress that eats at us for
months, flooding our brains with high
levels of corrosive
dis-
stress.
weeks and hormones.
Coping Techniques
There
are a variety of
another,
I
weapons
for
taming
this beast.
At one time or
use most of them: exercise, diet and nutritional supple-
ments, vitamins and herbs, social support, and what
body
activities
and cognitive
martial arts, alone.
An
—meditation, breathing
exercise
healthful food,
exercises.
program
is
if
your diet
and meditation without relaxation
To manage and harness your body's and
stress,
you need
every sign of
—
whole-
of these, however, works
sible.
a full-court press
call
exercises, muscle relaxation,
None
useless
I
is
loaded with un-
is
virtually impos-
brain's reaction to
to apply an all-around assault
on
stress.
txerase
You may be
surprised to learn that doctors disagree
on whether
physical exercise can reduce the harmful effects of stress. Ever since
boom in the 1980s, exercise has been modern cure-all, and many people have assumed that
joggers launched the fitness hailed as a
1
BRAIN FITNESS
60
JUST A LITTLE BIT WILL DO YOU You
A
don't have to
go overboard
to reap the benefits of exercise.
study involving more than 13,000 people (10,200
3,100
women) compared
sities.
The
people,
the effects of different exercise inten-
good
in
were grouped into one of
health,
from sedentary to mildly active on up to
five categories,
tensely active,
all
and followed
compared mortality
health)
Cooper Aerobics
rates (the ultimate
and found the biggest difference
in
in-
At the end of the
for eight years.
eight-year study, the researchers at the tute in Dallas
men and
Insti-
measure of
longevity between
the least active people and the next level up, the moderately active.
These
in
the next level, the very active, did not
moderately
nificant longevity over the
had the highest mortality
who
exercised the most.
—
Among
in exercise
walking
did not see any benefits
have been
stress are best battled
tivity
may
exercisers.
The
beyond
just
this level of exercise.
one of
its
for
by
targets.
It
turns out that only
and that only certain types of
exercise.
many people
will
be finding that moderate ac-
well be a better stress buster than extreme exercise. Put stress bet-
than running a marathon, and forty minutes of stretching and
floor exercises folks, this
is
probably better than speed walking. For ordinary
means you do not have
prime shape to use exercise to lower
A number a
differ-
Notably, the researchers
a day.
another way, brisk walking for an hour probably reduces ter
women women
men, the couch potatoes had
certain types of exercise lower stress,
The good news
sig-
ranged from no exercise (sedentary) to thirty to
sixty minutes of brisk
stress illnesses
Sedentary
4.6 times higher than
more deaths than the vigorous
3.9 times
ence
levels
active.
show
person's
straining.
of studies
mood and
A
show
that
to be a seasoned athlete or in stress.
moderate exercise can influence
feelings of stress
more than sweating and
four-month study by University of Massachusetts
sci-
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS
161
including Relaxation Response author Herbert Benson, of 135
entists,
middle-aged people compared the benefits of moderate-intensity walking, low-intensity walking, and low-intensity walking with
chi-type relaxation exercises. For the
ner for easing tension, depression,
walking plus
tai chi.
women,
tai
the hands-down win-
and anger was the low-intensity have come up with simi-
Scientists elsewhere
lar results.
At
Wonkwang
University School of Medicine
searchers looked at a group of
men
The
at
mone
levels declined.
the men's workouts and
at various points in
Moderate exercise successfully combats
do
—
it
does not set off
ACTH.
a
stress
because of what
and
tal
time-out from the worries and pressures that cause
quiets
is
a
eases stress, say experts, because
It
calming distraction, the mind slows
and our whole system ceases
Here
are
some
it
stream of stress hormones like Corti-
sol
exercise
researchers
the midpoint of the training and afterward that stress hor-
found
doesn't
re-
learning the martial art of
qigong, which revolves around breathing exercises.
took blood samples
Korea,
in
its
stressful
it
creates a stress.
down and
men-
When
the
body
churning.
guidelines for moderate exercise,
which
I
define as
a brisk activity for forty minutes, three to five times a week.
•
Do
a repetitive, relaxing activity like riding a stationary bicycle,
walking, or •
swimming easy
laps.
Find an activity that requires enough concentration or distraction so that stressful thoughts are forgotten, like a crossword
puzzle or videogame. •
Alternate or
combine the two types of physical
and anaerobic, to avoid boredom and increase exercises,
which use
oxygen over cycling,
large muscle groups
and
activity,
benefits.
aerobic
Aerobic
a strong stream of
a steady period of time, are running, walking, bi-
and swimming. Anaerobic
exercises,
which use
fast
muscles for quick bursts of energy, are working with weights
and
sprinting.
bine the two.
Many
activities, like
team sports or
tennis,
com-
BRAIN FITNESS
162
For any type of exercise to be an effective buffer against has to be a constant in your
go on
life.
This
is
it
not like a crash diet that you
few weeks or months and, having
for a
stress,
hit a target weight,
abandon. Even moderate exercise needs to be constant. Researchers
who have that
it
ments
plotted the benefits of physical activity have discovered
takes ten
mood and
in
a
results like
improve-
milder reaction to normal stressors.
you're the kind of person who, like me, enjoys vigorous exer-
If
cise,
you
still
can reap stress-lowering benefits. For certain types of
stress, a long,
me
weeks or more before they see
sweaty workout
explain why.
A
is
just
what the doctor ordered. Let
big source of stress for
weight and self-image. They're always on
whether clothes
will
Whether
they are
in fact
fit,
many people a
diet,
and think of themselves is
They
irrelevant.
is
their
worry about
as overweight.
feel this
way and
every time they pass a mirror or think about trying on a bathing or what they'll eat for dinner, their stress hormones people, vigorous, pound-shedding exercise
A
demanding workout can
tration, ball
stress
relieve stress because
for a it
insist that
long run or pounding
the best
through aerobic conditioning,
exercise
is
like
way
a tennis
more oxygen.
to stress-proof your-
jogging
at least a
The theory behind
that endurance exercise teaches your
efficiently use
body
So, in times of stress,
this
couple of school of
to take in
when
and
the heart
racing and the muscles are priming for action, the aerobically
conditioned person for
a great stress reducer.
offers an outlet for an overflow of
miles three to five times a week.
starts
For these
hormones.
Some medical people self is
suit
also siphon off the stress of anger, frus-
and aggression. Going
may
is
rise.
so
more
One
better equipped to
is
meet the sudden demand
air.
expert has found that intense exercise eases stress by im-
proving feelings of well-being. Dr. Steven Petruzzello versity of Illinois at
at
the Uni-
Urbana-Champaign has been studying what
exercise does to people's anxiety levels for
many
years,
and has
pushing on the exercise equipment produces im-
found that
really
provement
in people's
moods.
In
one
study,
he compared people
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS who
did no exercise with people
people
who
who
did high-intensity cycling.
did moderate cycling with
He
tested the cyclists' anxi-
ety levels after exercising and found that those
hardest and
consumed the most oxygen not only
had stronger positive
The cherry on cisers
163
who worked
the
anxiety but
felt less
feelings.
the sundae, so to speak, for lots of dedicated exer-
and athletes
is
the
endorphins, the brain's
side of stress reducing: generating beta-
flip
own
"feel
good" chemicals. These neuro-
peptides are the body's natural painkillers and energizers. (The
word
"endorphin" comes from "endogenous," meaning "produced within,"
and "morphine," although
this brain
chemical
more potent than morphine.) The body about twenty minutes into for
a
starts
is
two hundred times
producing endorphins
vigorous workout and spews them out
hours afterward.
Unfortunately, endorphins are a bit unpredictable cisers
cise
experience the rush, and sometimes
its
effect
— not
is
—one
for the
body and one
limited. Exer-
for the brain
that the blood-brain barrier prevents mingling. So, high els of
endorphins
may
exer-
we have two
physiologist Peter Farrell has suggested that
endorphin systems
all
act as a natural painkiller for the
—and
blood
lev-
body but do
not necessarily seep into the brain and produce the famous euphoria. Still,
runners and extreme-sports fanatics
wax
poetic about the
endorphin high, and often push themselves to the outer achieve
it.
One way
to incorporate high-intensity exercise with the stress re-
duction benefits from moderate activity relaxation to your
workout
in
is
to
add
workout time. For instance,
the weight room,
I
spend ten to
my mind
a
few minutes of
after a strenuous
fifteen
pedaling a stationary bicycle. During this time,
and
limits to
minutes gently
my
muscles relax
calms down.
Regardless of whether you prefer moderate exercise or want to
throw yourself into intense workouts, you should do some type of physical activity. There
is
little
disagreement
among
about regular physical exercise effectively diminishing after study has
found that people
who
the experts stress.
exercise regularly are
Study
more
re-
1
BRAIN FITNESS
64
TAKE ACTION Do Walking
is
a
constant
a lifetime of athletic
pertise
a Walking Workout
in
my workout
regime, threaded through
accomplishments including martial
and world strength records. Here's how
a regular part of
my life
I
arts ex-
make walking
and keep from losing motivation or
get-
ting bored.
once
•
Try to walk
•
Walk
•
Build up your walking routine, going
to
at least
a day.
your favorite music with
a sports headset. faster, farther,
and more
frequently. •
Keep
•
Set immediate and long-term walking goals.
•
Reward yourself with nonfood
•
Walk with
a friend.
•
Keep your
perspective. Don't
a
walking journal to record your progress.
walking or worry •
if
you miss
Use your walking time
treats
when you
become
reach a goal.
obsessive about your
a day.
to mentally relax
and concentrate on
nonstressful thoughts.
They
sistant to the pressures of stress. illnesses,
and when they do get
sick,
suffer far fewer stress-related
they bounce back
much more
quickly.
Diet and Nutrition
The competitive
bodybuilder's diet
complex carbohydrates,
protein,
and
is
bland and large
distilled water.
He
—
loads of
or she lives
on mountains of steamed vegetables, baked potatoes and yams, steamed or broiled chicken and
fish,
hard-boiled eggs with the yolk
discarded, plain white rice, rice cakes, and bunches of fresh
fruit.
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS
When
country hosts an event,
a foreign
athletes'
it
on
accommodate the
food preferences, but the offerings are not always an exact
match. So, worrying about whether they stay
tries to
65
1
have the right foods to
will
their training diet, at least until their event
major source of Fortunately,
stress for athletes at
is
over, creates a
an international competition.
most of them consume foods that help them ward
off
the fallout from stress. I,
too, closely
demands on me cells alert
and
drates to the tra
amino
repair cell letries
watch what are
eat during events like this,
more mental than
clicking,
acids
I
get from
some
damage brought on by a
physical.
and
eat lots of protein
I
complex sugars found
bag contains
plements.
I
in fruits
and
where the
To keep my limit
my
brain
carbohy-
fruit juices.
The
ex-
proteins and supplements help
stress.
I
also
make
sure that
my toi-
healthy supply of antistress vitamins and sup-
Keep reading
to learn
what these
are.
Your eating habits can help on two fronts when battling
stress:
TAKE ACTION Low-Stress Foods
When you
are
under
a lot of stress, or are
stressful time, eat carefully.
and that do not create
a
Choose foods
demands
a
that are easy to digest
buildup of toxic residues your body will
have to wash out. You want your system tra
about to enter
that stress puts on
it.
free to
Here
are
handle the ex-
my
favorite low-
stress foods.
Almonds
Chicken
Mushrooms
Raisins
Apples
(skinless
Onions
Salmon
Bananas
white meat,
Oranges
String beans
Cabbage
broiled)
Pears
Tomatoes
Cantaloupe
Figs
Pineapple
Turkey
Carrots
Grapefruit
Plums
Grapes
Potatoes
BRAIN FITNESS
166
They can make you more toms of
stress,
and they can
you the
also give
demands put on your body and
cial
you from symp-
stress resistant, protecting
equipped to harness and use
stress to
meet the spe-
fuel to
brain so that you're better
your advantage.
Food and drink can reduce your body's physiological stress.
By watching what you consume, you can
reaction to
halt a stress re-
sponse and help your body recover more quickly. Furthermore, the right diet can repair the
damage from
stress
hormones, particularly
restore glucose levels to normal,- nourish neurotransmitters,-
Cortisol,-
and protect against
When
free radicals.
emergency demands
you need an
are
made on your body and mind,
infusion of nutrients so that
you have the energy and
body gob-
strength to handle the situation. In times of stress, your bles
up magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin
drates.
under
One
sol
reason you might crave sweets or starchy foods
stress, says Dr.
Foundation
and carbohy-
E, proteins,
in
Dharma Khalsa
when
of the Alzheimer's Prevention
Tucson and the author of
Brain Longevity,
that Corti-
is
prompts the release of the brain chemical neuropeptide
Y,
which
stimulates your hunger for carbs. Stress also persuades the kidneys to conserve sodium, so
blood
levels rise.
This sodium draws water from
sodium
tissues, thus in-
creasing the volume of blood and so raising blood pressure. This reaction
is
tension.
An
your
salt
called hypervolemia and,
if
obvious countermeasure to
chronic, can lead to hyperthis
chain reaction
is
to limit
intake during stressful times.
Researchers at the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore con-
ducted studies of what
salt
did to people under
stress.
During
a
two-
week period
of high stress, medical students took either salt tablets
or a placebo.
The
students
who
took the
salt
showed
pressure, leading the scientists to surmise that salt
work together on key hormones. Looking
recommend
that, in times of stress,
about 3,000
mg
Caffeine at
Duke
a
day
may do
University
—about
a
and
heaping teaspoon of salt.
This time
blood
stress
at these results,
people limit their
the same thing as
who
a rise in
salt
may
doctors
intake to
salt.
it is
researchers
gave students either caffeine tablets equal
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS
to
two cups of coffee or
much
as the
story.
The
four times
and then gave them
a placebo,
While the blood pressure
test.
of the coffee group
more than the placebo
you drink one cup is
of the very nutrients
extremely
way
of coping with stress.
ing,
When
a
consuming or the food
the pressure
limit,
kind of self-medication
itself
makes
a
stressful. Skip-
Some people
worrying about gaining weight, and more is
person
deprives
hits,
they hit the
stress,
overeat-
Eating as a
stress.
—
use eating
either the act of
feel better.
But taken to
self-medication can readily slip into addiction and
abuse. In times of stress,
you need
to
does
stress.
This can create an unpleasant cycle of
coping mechanism
fully,
stress:
it
five.
vital nutrients
combat
to
note of caution about eating and
refrigerator.
its
you need
noted that
day or
a
ping meals and drastically cutting back on
as a
as
students. In concluding that caf-
have also found that crash dieting
A
jumped twice
hormones increased
coffee group found that their stress
so regardless of whether
you
a pressured
noncoffee group, the adrenaline levels really told the
feine clearly magnifies stress, the researchers also
I
167
manage your
diet
more
self-
care-
not relax your normal good eating habits.
Magnesium This
essential mineral helps
your body metabolize
carbohydrates and fuels the efficient functioning of nerves and muscles.
People whose diets do not contain enough magnesium are sus-
and high blood
ceptible to heart attack, stroke, well as poor diet in
the
is
why
body
is
an
to release
enemy
of magnesium. Stress stimulates cells
magnesium, which
professionals in nutrition often
plements for patients
who
pressure. Stress as
then lost
in urine.
This
recommend magnesium
sup-
is
are nervous, irritable, anxious, or de-
pressed. Researchers in France found that
when combined with vitamin
B6
it
protects even better
.
Daily dose, depending on body weight,
is
250-500 mg. Overdose
side effect: diarrhea.
Vitamin
A
In times of
chronic
stress,
will
can keep the
much
cortisone,
weaken your immune system. The best source
of vitamin
adrenal glands from swelling and spewing out too
which
A
vitamin
A is beta-carotene,
which
is
found
in carrots, squash,
sweet potatoes,
BRAIN FITNESS
168
yams, cantaloupe, apricots, spinach, and if
you As
stick
with colorful foods,
like
orange, red, or yellow.)
supplement, the optimal daily dose
a
(You can't go wrong
citrus.
5,000 IU. In high
is
—one study looked women who consumed 10,000 IU day —vitamin A can be harmful, pregnant women. doses
at
a
particularly for
Consult your doctor before starting any new drug or vitamin
men, especially
you
if
Vitamin
C
Vitamin
duction and so
C
liver.
body
helps your
a natural tranquilizer.
is
attacking
dant,
pregnant. Toxic side effects include
are
headaches and an enlarged
the
radicals
free
Some
cut stress
the
are
toxic
free radicals
is
what makes
tough on
body. Free radicals damage blood vessels,
RNA; weaken
the
scientists believe that
immune
chemical
producing more
stress.
stress so
pro-
also a powerful antioxi-
It is
that
hormone
by-product of
a
regi-
damaging, because they are so
DNA, and
system,- eat at neurotransmitters,-
and
speed up physical aging.
The optimal
daily dose
is
,500 mg, which should not be taken at
1
one time, but parceled out three or four times
body cannot metabolize more than 500 mg from too much vitamin
effects
Vitamin E Vitamin E
is
C
are gas
at a time. Possible side
and diarrhea.
another antioxidant that protects against
the invasion of free radicals, boosts the
immune
the oxidation of bad cholesterol, which can
system, and blocks
damage
sources of vitamin E include leafy green vegetables, grains, seed oils, nuts,
As E
levels
if
too
—cause
meaning your body
much
is
cells. liver,
Food whole
and wheat germ.
supplement, the optimal daily dose
fat soluble,
is
day
a
because the
a day,
stores
400-800 IU. Vitamin
is it,
so
taken. Extremely high doses
fatigue, nausea, headaches, raised
it
can reach toxic
—over 800 IU per
blood pressure, and
prolonged clotting time.
B Vitamins When you of vitamin B. Because
body
fat
but
is
it is
are
under
stress,
a water-soluble vitamin,
it is
lot
not stored
in
flushed through the system. As a result, you can
quickly develop a deficiency during helps
your body chews up a
you metabolize
glucose,
stress.
Vitamin B 1; thiamine,
which provides needed energy. Opti-
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS mal daily dose: 50-100 mg. Vitamin B 2 riboflavin, ,
169
is
also an
energy
producer and helps your adrenal glands produce antistress hor-
mones. Optimal daily dose: 2 mg. Vitamin B 5 also nourishes your
them from becoming enlarged and
adrenal glands and helps prevent
unable to produce stress-fighting hormones. Optimal daily dose:
100-200 mg. Vitamin B 6 pyridoxine, keeps your nervous system ,
strong and resistant to
stress.
Optimal daily dose: 100 mg.
Amino Acid Supplements sumes amino acids (long
In times of stress,
your body con-
While you
strings of protein molecules).
manufacture some amino acids, there are some you can get only
through foods or supplements, and these are known
amino cope
When
acids.
you're stressed,
as essential
amino acids help the body
—they beef up the immune system, provide energy
and nerves, and convert amines
into neurotransmitters.
to muscles
The amino
acids that stress especially gobbles are lysine, tyrosine,
and the
branched-chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine. While
you can beef up your amino
acids
by eating
proteins,
ing an amino acid supplement once a day
I
more
is
find that takefficient
and
equally effective. Supplements are available at health food stores
and some stress,-
are specifically designed to
meet the
special needs of
follow their dosage recommendations.
Ginseng: The Root of Stress Protection Over the centuries, the herbal root ginseng has been credited with such miraculous
powers tients
as
enhancing sexual performance and reviving comatose pa-
on the brink of death.
reputation
is
anecdotal, so
the globe agree on
seng belongs to
which means
a
just
—
its
I
Much
of the evidence for
prefer to use
potency
as
it
for
its
wondrous
what experts around
an antistress tonic. In
fact, gin-
category of medical substances called adaptogens,
what
it
sounds
like
—
it
helps your
body adapt
to
various kinds of stress.
Ginseng,
like
any other
plant,
grows
in
many
varieties.
The most
widely used are Asian ginseng and American ginseng, which are
sometimes labeled with their Latin name, Panax. (What Siberian ginseng belongs to the it is
not
a true
ginseng,
it
same botanical
does help reduce
family,
stress.)
is
called
and although
Researchers be-
BRAIN FITN ESS
170
Panax ginseng responsible
lieve that the ingredient in
properties
chemical called
a
is
that ginseng has a
pronounced
a
for
its
tonic
gensenoside. Studies have shown
effect
on the adrenal glands, and pos-
sibly the other glands involved in the stress reaction, the hypothal-
amus and
pituitary.
Ginseng appears to help the adrenals pump out
more hormones when under in
times of extended
once the
to
show
periods
a
And
results.
when
headache. it
stress It
usually takes at least a couple of
piling
is
stressful time. Paul Bergner,
recommends
not like swallowing an aspirin
is
should not be taken
the stress
glands' return to normal
ended.
stress reaction has
when you have
smooth out hormone production
and quicken the
stress,-
Taking ginseng to fight
stress,-
the time, but for brief
all
up or when you
an herbalist
weeks
who
are entering a
has studied ginseng,
that people begin taking ginseng about three
weeks
before an expected onslaught.
Chinese herbalists also say that stress
lifestyles.
not relieve symptoms of
Ginseng
is
On
the other hand, ginseng readily defeats
fa-
and insomnia.
tigue, anxiety,
have very
may
depression and headaches, which can arise from un-
like
healthy
it
commercially available
little
in
many
of the tonic root in them. As
forms,
you
the extracts, teas, capsules, raw roots, tablets,
some
of
which
are sorting through
and powders, look
for
an indication on Chinese or American products that the ingredients include gensenoside.
Take ginseng on an empty stomach and preferably with drink that
is
easy to digest, such as
for Asian ginseng
Stop taking
it if
nal bloating, or
cold
is
in
tea.
food or
The dosage range
1-6 grams,- for American ginseng, 3-9 grams.
your blood pressure if
an herb
a
rises,
you experience abdomi-
you overheat (with the Asian version) or become
(a possible side effect
from the American version).
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS
1
ANTI-STRESS SUPPLEMENTS Magnesium (250-500
Phosphatidylcholine
95%
(3-9 g/day)
mg/day)
Calcium (500-1,000
Phosphatidylserine
(300 mg/day)
mg/day) Selenium (100 meg/day)
Amino
acids, especially:
Zinc (30 mg/day)
Lysine
Copper
Tyrosine
mg/day)
(2
Manganese
(2
mg/day)
Vitamin
A
(5,000 IU/day)
Vitamin
C
(500
mg
3
Glutamine Leucine Isoleucine
Valine
times/day)
Vitamin E (400-800
L-taurine
(Dose
IU/day)
Vitamin B complex
B/thiamine (50-100 mg/day)
will
vary with formu-
lation, follow turer's
manufac-
or physician's
recommendations.)
B 2 /riboflavin (50-100
mg/day)
Ginseng Asian (1-6 g/day)
B 3 /niacin (50-100
American (3-6 g/day)
Ginkgo biloba (30-60
mg/day) B 6 /pyridoxine (50-100
mg/day)
mg/day) Aspirin (80
B n /cobalamin (50-100
mg/day or
as di-
rected by a physician)
mg/day) Avoid: Folic acid (800
meg/day)
Pantothenic acid
(100-500 mg/day) Biotin (200
meg/day)
Choline (50-100 mg/day) Inositol
(50-100 mg/day)
Coenzyme Ql 0(60-180 mg/day)
Salt
Refined carbohydrates ("sweets")
Alcohol Caffeine
7
1
BRAIN FITNESS
172
Avoid:
Negative
Skipping meals
stress
r
Overeati ng
Sleep deprivation
Note: Always consult your personal physician before beginn mg
any nutritional or drug therapy program.
Relaxation and Breathing Before each event at a bodybuilding competition,
Asian athletes prepare for competition.
I
I
like to
watch the
learn a lot from seeing
how
they integrate their meditation and breathing exercises into an
mosphere of controlled chaos. While other
athletes are literally
at-
and
mentally pumping themselves up with exercises and chatting with friends, the
bodybuilders from Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia are
frequently off to the side
by themselves. They seem
to
be watching
the action, but their eyes are focused inward. Often, they are sitting ramrod-straight, their lower stomachs and shoulders gently rising
and
falling.
Perhaps the most effective laxation. Relaxation,
which
is
ing in your easy chair with a
you
way
of handling stress
a little
more complicated than
good book or
anticipate stress, reduce the intensity of
and recover more quickly once the
Why
does relaxation work?
through
is
new
a
its
reclin-
video, can help
physiological effects,
situation has settled
One
big reason
is
down.
that relaxation
techniques are physical activities that trigger chemical actions
your body to counteract the chemistry of fighting
fire
with
fire.
stress.
Put another way,
in it's
Like stress, relaxation uses physiological re-
sponses to manipulate pivotal reactions rate,
re-
— namely, metabolism,
heart
blood pressure, breathing, and muscle tension.
For a long time, relaxation as treatment was considered a bit fringy
—the province
modern
of
New Age
science, in part led
Relaxation Response, has
by
changed
gurus and Eastern mystics. But
Dr. Herbert Benson all
that.
and
his
book The
Recent research and
clinical
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS studies into the stress response
173
and relaxation techniques have doc-
umented the medical reasons behind the success
of various relax-
ation methods.
For instance,
compared
tralia
a
study by scientists at La Trove University
relaxation
methods
on
effects
domly assigned
one of four groups
to
ing, meditation, or neutral reading.
specific relaxation treatment
to
do either
Aus-
men and women
in ninety-six
their stress reactions. People
and measured the
in
tai chi,
were ran-
brisk walk-
Each group participated
and then was measured
in its
for Cortisol,
heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones. All the treatments
produced stress
"significant" declines in Cortisol levels,
measurements,
produced the most In
tai chi,
which
in Irvine
changes
for the other
considered moderate exercise,
significant reductions.
another study, researchers
Center
is
and
at
the University of California Medical
found that transcendental meditation (TM) induced
in pituitary
hormones. The
scientists
concluded that
TM may
produce relaxation by pumping up the neurotransmitters that produce feelings similar to the In learning
member take
you
how
endorphin high experienced by runners.
to use relaxation to
that relaxation there.
The
is
combat
stress,
it
helps to re-
an end and that a number of roads will
best relaxation techniques involve the
whole
body. Spot reduction doesn't work. You can't focus just on your head or neck muscles to
when confronted by
a tension
headache
—you need
engage your whole body.
Common
techniques include yoga stretching, meditation, im-
agery, progressive muscle relaxation,
who
have compared the
gle technique
is
and deep breathing.
relative benefits of these
Scientists
found that
a sin-
not as effective as undertaking two or three meth-
ods within a single stress-reduction program. Here's an overview of relaxation techniques and suggestions for
using them for stress reduction.
Yoga Stretching
Stretching exercises pull your
mind away from
troublesome thoughts and emotions, redirect your focus on simple
movements, and so give your body physiological
symptoms
a
chance to recover from the
of stress, such as a racing heart or sweaty
1
BRAIN FITN ESS
74
palms.
I
use
chi
tai
movements, which combine proper and head
deliberate arm, leg, torso,
breathing.
The
and head
bending toward knees and
I
I
don't strain
my
ment
The
movements
That way,
karate.
to calm, flowing
bining the power of
Meditation Find least likely to
toes.
and
floor exercises that involve
stretching
is
soothing, not
dif-
muscles but gently elongate them.
ballistic, forceful
and Shotokan
twists,-
combine the gentle movements
also like to
more
and measured deep
exercises include stretching skyward, then dropping
at the waist,- torso
ficult.
exercises,-
slow
posture,-
I
water,
tai
of other Chinese
chi with the
gung
fu styles
can switch from bursts of move-
movement during
air,
of
and
a quiet place
a single session, like
com-
fire.
and
a
time of day
when you
are
be distracted by "must do" thoughts or other people.
Set aside fifteen to twenty minutes. Get into a comfortable position
and
try to relax
your muscles, particularly those
shoulders. Close your eyes
in
your neck and
and draw your concentration inward
to a
WORK THAT BRAIN All relaxation techniques
You repeat
Repetition.
•
have
common
elements, namely:
a physical activity, image,
word, or
phrase throughout the exercise.
You suppress
and worries
as
your mind focuses on narrow and immediate sensations, such
as
Mental
•
focus.
daily thoughts
the mechanics of breathing and the feelings of particular muscle groups.
Mind-body
•
perspective. Each technique has separate
and physical elements that you
tal
practice, develop,
men-
and har-
monize with one another. •
Discipline.
least a side,
You
practice the technique virtually daily for at
couple of months.
some type
When
stress
symptoms begin
of relaxation technique
tine but not necessarily daily.
is still
to sub-
part of your rou-
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS single, simple thought.
muscle groups. Don't worry
lease individual
become
to repeat a
word or
phrase,
your breathing, or to methodically contract and
to think about
but
You may choose
175
observer of where
a passive
it
if
re-
your mind wanders,
goes. Let your emotions
wash through you, not grab you. Notice what makes you angry, pleased, or worried,
and
let
Use your word or phrase
pass.
it
to dis-
lodge you from troubling thoughts or emotions and to center you as a passive observer.
Cognitive Strategies "Cognitive
changing the way you automatically think
for
With thoughtful
effort,
iety, frustration,
anger, fear, passivity,
oculation Training, in which
and
fears, to
and
One way
you
based on
chological skills for
do
to
term
in stressful situations.
this
stress
—with
is
—anx-
positive
with Stress
In-
learn to identify particular feelings
to apply relaxation
Psychological Skills Education stress arises
a catch-all
and self-doubt
gradually expose yourself to
role-playing,
is
you can replace the emotions of
thinking and self-confidence.
is
strategies"
is
them through imagery or
skills.
a strategy for
people whose
from their personal performance, not external sources.
It
two-pronged approach: mastering physical and psy-
a
skills to
succeed
at a certain task,
and developing mental
applying them, including making any necessary behavioral
changes. Goal-setting
is
another powerful strategy. While we're
all
familiar
with long-term goals, such as wanting to be promoted to vice-president or to lose twenty pounds, are
much
setting
is
better for attacking stress.
Another
a plan for reaching
Imagery "Imagery"
is
suous, or captivating.
At
are
momentarily pleasant,
stressful
with panic and dread
and
And
your goal.
inspiring, sen-
moments, use imagery
negative or fearful thoughts. Instead of
that calm
characteristic of goal-
another word for concentrating your atten-
on mental images that
stress,
realistic goals
establishing short-term results that can be measured.
you must have
tion
more immediate and
filling
reassure. For instance,
to displace
becoming consumed by your
your mind, turn toward images
when
anticipating having to ex-
BRAIN FITNESS
176
why something went wrong,
your boss
plain to
arguments and anger and imagine have
how you
about
a friendly discussion
a scenario in
then visualize
such as a bottle, and
a three-dimensional shape,
colored liquids.
Add
and add
as
many
details as
you
them around, make them imagine yourself
as a star
— imagine
and bring
performer
End
ten to your thoughtful words. breaths, then
in
bodybuilders use to relax after
found that while the goal tension.
groups
It
is
is
and work through
Most
PMR
within minutes, although
the
at
group of people.
a
you, and people
lis-
session with five deep
is
a
technique
strenuous workout, and
mind
and relaxing of
I
have
also loses
specific
its
muscle
practitioners begin with their feet
abdomen, upper
PMR
chest,
can relax the body
and
face.
first
learning the technique of con-
when
you
Lastly,
—
will
have to devote
day to the exercise. Once your body knows
tense and relax quickly,
it.
your scene, move
(PMR) PMR
and relaxing certain muscles, you
thirty minutes a
in
to the world.
calves, thighs, buttocks,
fingers, arms, shoulders, neck,
imagine
newcomers.
to relax the body, the
a systematic tensing
in a set order.
tracting
a
ruffles
this
open your eyes and return
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
this a
with different-
in a stressful situation
Nothing
You're cool, articulate, reasoned.
Do
Now
a scene in a peaceful place
with family members, speaking before
office,
fill it
can. Put people in
leave,
shape such
an object floating
a label to the bottle or
Next, create a larger canvas
a
such as red.
a different color.
it
you
find a quiet
this,
your eyes, and visualize
couple of times, each time making
of
can improve the situation.
a certain color,
it
which the two
To do
Successful imagery requires practice. place, get comfortable, close as a square,
push aside visions of
will
at least
how
to
be able to apply the technique to
stressful situations.
Breathing Everybody breathes, so what's so special about serious athletes have
make
a
sive
for decades, breathing the right
measurable difference
and brain handle letes
known
stress
from
in all
performance and directions.
Some
in
how
it?
way can
the
body
professional ath-
even believe that correct breathing can help them find that
zone
in
which
their
minds and bodies
As
elu-
effortlessly flow together.
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS
When you
get into an argument, or in any other stressful situa-
your quickened heart
tion,
you breathe
177
faster
and
rate
pull air
and constricted blood vessels make
from the chest
in
shallow gulps. This
the sympathetic nervous system into activating the flight-or-
jolts
fight response.
And,
and
as hyperventilators
sufferers of panic reac-
gets worse,
and
can produce dizziness, light-headedness, and strong feelings of
fear.
tions
know, rapid shallow breathing feeds on
Breathing through the
mouth and
pulling air from the top of the
hormones. This
lungs also activates stress
not like to exercise. Panting
itself,
why many
is
—shallow breathing—
people do
definitely un-
is
pleasant.
A much ing,
better
way
deep breathing, or
to breathe
a
is
technique called yoga breath-
nostril breathing.
You
inhale and exhale only
through the nose. This delivers more oxygen to the lower lobes of the lungs and in turn better oxygenates the blood so
more energy
to the muscles
and
brain.
You draw
air
it
can deliver
down through
the heart of the solar plexus, diaphragm, stomach, and pelvic floor, to the base of
your spine. As you exhale, focus your mind's eye on
a
point of light behind your eyes and place the tip of your tongue on the acupuncture point at the top of the mouth's soft palate.
Deep breathing
quiets
stressful
parasympathetic nerves, which work
reactions in just
by stimulating the
the opposite
way from
the sympathetic nerves. Parasympathetic nerves relax your muscles,
slow your cardiovascular system, and do not set off your adrenal gland.
Deep breathing
is
ners, tennis players,
now used by many
professional athletes
even pro football players
fessionals to treat stress-related illnesses. In
Bartholomew's Hospital
in
—
—and by medical
one
run-
pro-
case, doctors at St.
London taught deep-breathing
tech-
niques to twelve agoraphobia (fear of open spaces) patients. After
two training posures to
sessions, the patients fearful
situations
to
went through seven weekly which they applied
their
ex-
new
breathing method. At the end of the study, and even six months later,
the deep-breathers experienced a complete elimination of
panic attacks.
BRAIN FITN ESS
178
Learning deep breathing
Here
•
are
Lie
some
down
difficult
but does take practice.
tips.
flat,
put your hand on your diaphragm
rise
(just
below the
and breathe through your nose. Your hand
belly button),
gently
not
is
and
fall.
Notice the
feeling,
and how
it
will
differs
from
for
chest
chest breathing. •
Time your breathers
is
want to aim •
respiration
The normal range
rate.
between eight and seventeen breaths
you
for a steady eight to ten breaths a minute.
As you exhale, contract your throat so that the
makes
a minute,-
a rattling
air
flowing out
noise or a "Darth Vader" sound. This empties
your lungs so that with your next breath, the
air will travel
lower to the abdomen. •
Slowly integrate your deep breathing into your daily routine, beginning with mildly
rush-hour driv-
Consciously breathe through your nose, keeping your
ing.
mouth •
stressful situations, like
closed.
Practice deep breathing at least once a day. First thing in the
morning when you're
good
still
in
bed, and before going to sleep, are
times, because you're lying
down,
relaxed,
and more
aware of breathing sensations. •
Be patient, even though "learning to breathe" sounds snap. Professional athletes
them anywhere from truly pulling air
a
who
week
use the technique say
to three
like a it
took
months before they were
from their diaphragms.
MAKING STRESS WORK FOR YOU The key
to
making
two types of Acute juice,
stress,
stress
work
for
you
is
distinguishing between the
and cultivating the one while defusing the
stress generates
other.
those shots of adrenaline that are like brain
while chronic stress eats away
at
your body and brain
cells.
As
— BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS you have
just read, short bursts of stress
ergy, but
prolonged baths of
down mentally but speed up
stress
179
can give you
fuel
and en-
chemicals not only slow you
the aging process.
Harnessing Acute Stress •
Prepare yourself for the chemical rush by eating the right foods
and vitamins,
amino acid supplements. One
as well as
vorite meals during stressful times
salad
—
skinless
cooked
small handful of nuts, a
huge
my
fa-
large grilled-chicken
a
white-meat chicken on
string beans,
followed by
is
of
a
bed of
lettuce, cold
sweet onion, mushrooms, tomatoes,
and an olive
fruit
oil
a
and vinegar dressing
salad for dessert (use orange juice for
"dressing"). •
Eliminate salt
•
all
forms of caffeine from your
heavy
diet, as well as
and alcohol.
Take ginseng daily before and during periods of acute reasonable starting dose
if
stress.
you're taking a liquid extract
is
A
,500
l
mg/day. •
Learn deep-breathing techniques and apply them stressful situations so that this invaluable
you •
weapon
is
small,
in
ready
when
are hit with a large blast of stress.
Do a combined breathing/muscle floor with
your lower legs on
relaxation exercise: Lie
a chair
and
a rolled
low under your neck. Close your eyes and do
on the
towel or
inhaling and exhaling very slowly. As your breathing allows to relax, loosen
fortably back.
pil-
nostril breathing,
your neck muscles so that your head
is
you
com-
Take twenty-five deep breaths.
Harnessing Chronic Stress •
Monitor physical indicators of elevated sleeping, acid stomach,
stress, particularly
poor
poor concentration, and bouts of
irra-
tional anger or depression. •
Review
critical
situations
in
your
life
from the retrospect/
1
BRAIN FITNESS
80
A BRIEF REFRESHER While
severe,
prolonged
our thinking, mild transitory us to respond better
our energy and jumbles
stress depletes
stress
and smarter
to
can be harnessed to enable life's
daily challenges.
Each
of us needs to be aware of our personal stress triggers and to de-
velop a battery of ways to control
stress.
Here
are
some proven
ways.
Moderate exercise
Exercise. five
times a week)
is
just as
(forty minutes a day, three to
good
as
heavy
exercise.
do
I
brisk
walking.
Diet and nutrition. Particular foods help ease the stress.
These include
(e.g., string
fruits (e.g., apples,
effects of
bananas), vegetables
beans, carrots), poultry (white meat only), raisins,
almonds, and salmon. Useful vitamins and minerals include
magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin
amino acid supplements. Foods and
B vitamins, and
E.
that aggravate stress include salt
caffeine.
Ginseng. This herbal root extract beater for
many
is
a
very effective
stress
people.
Relaxation. This helps counteract stress chemicals. Activities include meditation, yoga, stretching,
tai chi,
and progressive
muscle relaxation. Breathing exercises. Deep-breathing techniques help tap into chemicals that counteract stress chemicals.
Cognitive strategies. Learning new modes of thinking can reduce
stress.
These include
Stress Inoculation Training
and im-
agery.
prospect perspective. Remember, this
which you compare pletely
is
a type of reflection in
a past, stressful situation that has
blown over with
a current situation that
is
com-
bothering
you. Incorporate regular exercise that
is
not necessarily physically
.
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS
181
demanding, but that allows your mind and body to focus on
and so dissipate
repetitive action
residual stress. This
walking and light weights do for me. least
once
day walk the
a
stairs of
If
is
you do nothing
a
what
else, at
your office building rather
than taking the elevator.
Every day, grab This
minivacation away from
a
may be twenty minutes
mundane concerns.
of meditation, a brief flight into
imagery, or playing a computer
game
for a
few minutes.
HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH STRESS? This quiz
tests
how you
react to the stress of daily living.
By mea-
you can
identify
suring your reactions to situations and people,
which kinds of at
stress
you
find
most
difficult to handle.
The
you an idea of how your stress-coping
the end will give
scoring
skills af-
your general health and longevity.
fect
N=Never R= Rarely S=Sometimes
A=Always
1
2.
much
as possible)
N
R
S
A
-2
-1
+1
+2
-2
-1
+1
+2
-2
-1
+
1
+2
-2
-1
+
1
+2
challenges.
-2
-1
+
1
+2
creative outlet.
-2
-1
+
1
+2
-2
-1
+
1
+2
-2
-1
+
1
+2
-2
-1
+
1
+2
generally happy.
I
feel
I
spend time with and enjoy family
and 3.
(or as
I
friends.
feel in
and
control of
my
personal
life
career.
within
my
means.
4.
I
live
5.
I
set goals
6.
I
participate in a
7.
I
have and enjoy leisure time.
8.
I
express
9.
I
laugh
financial
and look
my
for
new
hobby or
feelings easily.
easily.
1
.
BRAIN FITNESS
182
10.
I
expect good things to happen.
-2
-1
+
1
I
get angry easily.
+2
+
1
-1
-2
critical of myself.
+2
+
1
—
-2
critical of others.
+2
+
1
-]
+2
+
1
-1
+2
+
1
-1
1
—
1
12.
I
3.
I
am am
14.
I
often feel lonely, even around others.
15.
I
worry about things out of
1
\6.
I
regret sacrifices
my
control
have made.
I
TOTAL:
+2
+
+
1
I
+2
-2 -2
I
-2
[
-2
+_
Scoring-.
-32 to —11; You
are severely stressed
and need
relief
immedi
ately.
-10
to +6:
You
live
with
a lot of stress,
but
it's
not overwhelm
ing.
comes and goes
+ 7 to +18: Stress
in
your
life,-
it's
very
man
ageable.
+ 19 to +32: You're so unstressed you're almost euphoric.
Selected Sources Benson, H., and Stuart,
E.
M.
The Wellness Book.
Simon and
Schuster,
New
York,
1992. Bergner,
P.
The Healing Power oj Ginseng and
the
Tonic Herbs.
Prima Publishing, Rocklin,
Calif., 1996.
Brannon,
and
L.,
Feist, J. Health Psychology, Second Edition.
Wadsworth Publishing
Co., Belmont, Calif., 1992.
Braverman,
E. R.
PATH.
Wellness
Manual. Publications for Achieving Total Health,
Princeton, N.J., 1995.
"Coffee worsens stressful situations." (10), 6,
November
Elias, A. N.,
Edell Health Letter,
Duke
University Research, 9
1990.
and Wilson, A. E "Serum hormonal concentrations following
scendental meditation Hypotheses,
44
Friedman, A., et
(4), al.
ronal excitability Medicine, 2,
—
potential role of
gamma
tran-
aminobutyric acid." Medical
287-91, April 1995.
"Pyridostigmine brain penetration under stress enhances neu-
and induces early immediate transcriptional response." Nature
1382-85, December 1996.
BATTLING THE BRAIN BEASTS Goldberg, L, and Breznitz,
New
Macmillan,
Hoon,
S.,
eds. Handbook oj
183
Stress. Theoretical
and
Clinical Aspects.
York, 1993.
"Acute effect of qiqong training on stress hormonal levels
R., et al.
in
man."
American Journal oj Chinese Medicine, 24(2), 193-98, 1996.
"You don't have to sweat to reduce
P.
Jin,
"Efficacy of Tai Chi, brisk walking, meditation,
P.
tal
and emotional
1996.
stress." Hippocrates, April
Jaret,
and reading
stress." Journal of Psychosomatic Research,
36
in
reducing men-
361-70,
(4),
May
1992.
Warner Books,
Khalsa, D.
S. Brain Longevity.
LeDoux,
The Emotional Brain.
J.
Miler, L. H., et
Monat,
al.
versity Press,
Proctor, S.
The
Stress Solution.
and Lazarus,
A.,
P.,
et
New al.
Simon and
New
York, 1997.
Schuster,
Pocket Books,
R. S., eds. Stress and
New York, New York,
1996. 1993.
Coping An Anthology. Columbia Uni-
York, 1991.
"Effect of overtime
work on cognitive function
workers." Scandinavian Journal oj Work. Environment Health, 22
in
automotive
124-32, April
(2),
1996.
Sapolsky, R. (4),
M.
"Stress
and neuroendocrine changes during aging."
Generations,
16
35-39, Fall-Winter 1992.
Tate, A. K.,
tions for
and Petruzzello, changes
S. J.
"Varying the intensity of acute exercise: implica-
in affect." Journal oj Sports Medicine
and Physical
Fitness,
295-302, December 1995. University of California, Berkeley, Wellness
Letter,
9
(7), 7,
April 1993.
35
(4),
Five
HEADING OFF ALZHEIMER'S DEMENTIA
regularly speak to groups of seniors about physical ness.
A
I about
six
thousand people, many of
and anxious to know
The conference tions, in
show
recent conference and health
is
how
whom
a regular
on people's minds.
do
were over
fifty-five
Academy
of Anti-Aging Medicine,
and
have been peppered with questions about hormone
1
room only
Las Vegas attracted
event sponsored by numerous organiza-
replacement therapies and nutrition. But
ing
fit-
to protect themselves from Alzheimer's.
such as the American
years past,
in
and mental
I
spoke
at
this year, Alzheimer's
an afternoon session, and
as a sea of folks insisted
I
talk
it
was
was stand-
about what they could
to fend off dementia.
Alzheimer's has grabbed people's attention with of a nationwide
manhunt
about the "crime" and tim. Either
for a serial killer.
how
to
make
all
the intensity
People want to
sure they
know
do not become
all
a vic-
they are afraid for themselves or they have watched the
disease steal the personalities fears are fueled partly
and
lives of friends or relatives.
by the assumption
that Alzheimer's
is
Their
unstop-
1
85
BRAIN FITNESS
186
pable and cannot be prevented, postponed, or checked. For years, this has
been largely
many
so.
However, discoveries about
its
and possibly
genetic, biological,
environmental causes, diagnosis, progression, and treatment are
changing the landscape and starting to
shift
the odds in our favor.
we have
Alzheimer's
is still
of say about
when, how, and sometimes even whether the disease
the scourge of the senior years, but
lots af-
flicts us.
FAMILY FEARS: WHO, WHEN,
AND HOW Many
IT
HITS
who crowded into the ballroom at Bally's Resort and Casino were women in their fifties and sixties. Their husbands of the people
were either long gone or more interested
on human growth hormone. and hungry
blunt, practical,
questions,
I
could
tell
I
in a
enjoyed these
simultaneous session
women
—they were
Judging from their
for information.
they kept up with scientific advances but were
impatient with research jargon that did not give them hard
One
of the
and "What I
first
are
them
told
questions was a version of
my
"Who
that there are three broad categories of people
women, and people with
the disease. As most people know, Alzheimer's
old.
between
As the years
2
only the aged are
rise,
had
to
tell
them
in
is
the percentage increases: it
grabs between
jeopardy.
that
women
Much are
a family history of a disease of aging,
1
3
Among
people over
and 48 percent. But not
to the chagrin of
more
age, particularly as they reach sixty
my
susceptible than
and beyond.
One
audience,
men
women
into their eighties, the incidence rate
going to be higher.
risk level rises significantly
if
is
than
as
they
explanation
simply women's longevity: With more
The
who
and 10 percent of people over sixty-four years
eighty-four years old,
I
gets this disease?"
chances?"
are at risk: older people,
afflicting
facts.
men
is
surviving
an immediate relative has had
the disease. Alzheimer's in one first-degree relative (parent, sibling,
CEREBRAL SECURITY
187
grandparent) quadruples the odds of developing the disease/owr
first-degree relatives produces a forty-fold increase in like-
and two
The
lihood.
times
family link in Alzheimer's
so strong that
is
it
has led re-
searchers to uncover genetic origins.
Each
cell in
the
body contains
chromosomes composed
are
a nucleus,
of genes.
If
and inside the nucleus
you imagine Russian ma-
trioshka dolls, those dolls within dolls within dolls,
Genes
picture.
are responsible for the body's chemistry
ufacture every enzyme, protein,
hormone, and growth
you get the
— they manfactor.
They
also disseminate the body's master chemical plan: All physical fea-
from curly hair to skin color and some diseases are generated
tures,
by genes. Genes come from parents from the father
—and
eration. Four different in
—
is
genes have been spotted
One
life.
Two
smaller group of patients (about 20 percent)
There are
a
One
is
that having a certain
one gene alone but involves
The
more than genes
a
disease has
number
many
in
merely
gene or genes
raises the odds. Secis
not caused by
of genes, plus a host of other
different forms
and causes, and
all
been linked to Alzheimer's.
genetic mysteries underlying the disease are, in truth,
It
means
that
no one
and the individual has
happens.
in-
the environment, education, individual
health and lifestyle habits have
The
signs
are at work. For instance, poisons in foods, certain
chemicals and metals
ness,
it
that scientists are fairly certain this illness
influences.
who show
the
fifties.
does not make the disease inevitable, is
among
couple of things to remember about the genetic
fluence on Alzheimer's.
news.
of these genes, called
other genes have been found
of the illness as early as their
ond
as likely instigators
suspected of contributing to a variety of Alzheimer's that
attacks late in
much
from the mother, half
pass on information from generation to gen-
the development of Alzheimer's.
apoE4,
half
is
absolutely
a significant
doomed
good
to contract this
ill-
degree of control over what
BRAIN FITNESS
188
AM While the people one's fate
is
GETTING
I
listening to
me
sealed, at least half
were relieved to hear that no
talk
were convinced they were showing
One woman
early signs of the disease.
IT?
how
described
her car keys and eventually found them
in
the freezer section of her
group surmised that when she got home, she im-
refrigerator (the
mediately went for the ice cream and forgot what was
woman was
Another
she had lost
sure that forgetting the
in
names of her husband's
business associates was proof of her creeping dementia.
needed convincing that forgetfulness or dreaded disease.
not the
•
It's
normal
your
for
—
parked the car •
It's
normal
you do not •
A
after
bad memory
shared with them these spatial
memory
The group is
probably
facts:
—remembering where you
to begin sliding in your twenties.
age thirty-five to forget the names of people
see often.
sign of early Alzheimer's (before sixty-five)
loss but a
change
indifference, •
I
a
her hand).
and
in
emotional tenor
—
is
not
memory
feelings of detachment,
loss of naturally affectionate
Another sign of the early version
is
difficulty
mannerisms.
with language and
verbal learning.
DIAGNOSIS DIFFICULTIES The memory
comes with Alzheimer's
loss that
You may remember events years went do
this
morning.
Or you may have
familiar tasks, like
signs nitive
is
definitive.
which
first.
and not remember where you difficulty
remembering how
Diagnosing the disease requires tests as well as a
and function
tive diagnosis,
selective at
to
microwaving a frozen dinner. Neither of these
and behavioral
of blood
past
is
tests.
is
why
a battery of cog-
complete laboratory workup
Only an autopsy can produce
a defini-
the disease doesn't appear as a cause on
.
CEREBRAL SECURITY
189
TAKE ACTION Alzheimer's?
Is It
While
a firm diagnosis
must be
to a medical professional,
left
there are widely accepted markers and criteria that strongly
someone may be developing
suggest to see
if
your assumptions about Alzheimer's are close to
You
1
You
how
forget
plained just 2.
Alzheimer's. Take this quiz
program the VCR, which your son ex-
week.
last
can't
to
true.
remember the name
of
someone you dated
in
college twenty years ago.
You
3.
can't
remember the name
of the kid
who mows your
lawn every week.
You
4.
You
5.
can't
remember why you opened remember how
can't
a
cupboard.
washing ma-
to operate your
chine. 6.
You
regularly "lose" eyeglasses
1.
No.
2.
No.
3.
Maybe.
4.
No.
death certificates. Nevertheless, the reliable
A
and keys.
5. Yes. 6.
tests
No.
doctors give patients are
90 percent of the time.
diagnosis can be elusive unless done by a medical professional,
because mental or behavioral problems can point to other troubles.
Memory and mood ical
difficulties
can be caused by stroke, tumor,
clin-
depression, thyroid malfunction, nutritional deficiency, infec-
tious disease, or a side effect of medication.
There
is
an entire other
category of dementias that are not Alzheimer's: vascular or multiinfarct dementia, frontal lobe dementia,
and dementia associated
with Parkinson's. So,
what do doctors study
They begin with someone
else)
a
to arrive at an Alzheimer's diagnosis?
complete history of symptoms (what
and signs (what you see
in yourself)
is
seen
in
from the patient
BRAIN FITNESS
190
as well as test
is
from family members. The cornerstone of the cognitive
the Mini-Mental Status Examination, a series of questions
about a person's sense of time and
memory,
place,-
and concentration,-
attention,
mood,- thought processes,-
ability to
do
practical
and judgment and reasoning. The "Time and Change" quently used with older patients. liable:
A
person
is
It's
test
simple and considered
tasks,is
fre-
fairly re-
asked the day and time, and to make a
dollar's
worth of change.
The
behavioral and cognitive
of three stages, depending on
symptoms can be grouped
how
far
into
one
the disease has advanced.
On
average, Alzheimer's takes about eight years to
though some people Medical experts
may
live
consume
a victim, al-
with the disease for twenty years or more.
distinguish
between
but professionals and family members
five or
who
even seven stages,
take care of Alzheimer's
patients separate the disease into three stages.
Early or Mild Symptoms
Confusion and memory
loss
Disorientation and getting lost
in familiar
surroundings
Problems with routine tasks
Changes
in personality
and judgment
Moderate Symptoms Difficulty with activities of daily living, such as feeding
and bathing Anxiety, suspiciousness, agitation
Sleep disturbances
Wandering, pacing Difficulty recognizing family
Severe,
Advanced Symptoms
Loss of speech Loss of appetite and weight
and
friends
CEREBRAL SECURITY
191
Loss of bladder and bowel control Total dependence on caregivers
Laboratory
tests
hunt for underlying biological causes of
and changes
difficulties
in
memory
behavior or personality. These can be
problems with metabolism, infections, or inflammatory diseases.
The
tests include
blood counts and function
tests for electrolytes,
and thyroid, and screens
liver, renal system,
for syphilis
and
defi-
ciencies of vitamin B l2 or folic acid. Studies have found that people
with familial Alzheimer's frequently have low levels of vitamin B l2 but doctors do not
know
yet whether the deficiency
tributes to Alzheimer's or
company
the
is
,
con-
the result of poor eating habits that acscans such
Brain
disease.
somehow
as
magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) can also help identify the disease and distinguish
it
from vascular dementia.
SOLVING MYSTERIES ABOUT CAUSES After describing the symptoms,
An
older
man
at
I
saw that
my
audience
felt helpless.
the back of the group, after hearing about signs of
suspiciousness and sometimes paranoia, interjected, "They're suspicious for a
good reason
—people
A
sad
While researchers
are
are trying to lock
them
up!"
chuckle ran through the group. But there
is
a silver lining,
learning exactly
how
teries
surrounding the disease.
Scientists
Alzheimer's. particularly
the
areas
attacks the brain
have
A
told them.
what Alzheimer's looks
about
it
I
a pretty
and
they are also learning
like,
are unraveling the chemical
good understanding
of
mys-
what happens with
brain with Alzheimer's has patches of dead neurons,
around the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, which are involved
in
learning,
memory,
logical
language. These patches, also called plaques, are
thinking,
composed
and
of frag-
ments of protein, particularly beta-amyloid. The beta-amyloid protein kills the neurons,
although scientists are just
now
learning that
)
1
BRAIN FITNESS
92
these errant proteins are focal points for inflammations and the pro-
duction of free-radical damage within the brain.
A recent study conducted by Changis Geula, medicine
fessor of
at
Beth
Israel
Ph.D., assistant pro-
Deaconess Medical Center, Bruce
A. Yankner at Children's Hospital, Boston, and coworkers shows
Parts of the Brain
and Functions
Motor cortex Premotor cortex coordinates complex or sequences of
movement, such as playing the guitar
Prefrontal cortex (thought elaboration)
sends instructions to the muscles causing voluntary movements, such as pitching a ball
Primary somatic sensory cortex
-
for long periods, such as planning
receives information from the sensory receptors in the skin, such as pressure, pain,
for the future, problem-solving,
temperature
gives the ability to concentrate
and behavior modification
Gustatory area
Visual association cortex
(taste)
interprets
and analyzes
information received by the primary area
Broca's area (speech)
Primary
Primary
visual cortex
auditory cortex
detects visual scene,
detects the qualities of sounds,
such as light and dark
such as tones and loudness
Left
hemisphere
Frontal lobe
Right hemisphere
Right hemisphere controls perception of:
• Visual images • Spatial relationships • Geometric shapes Longitudinal fissure
And
is
responsible for:
• Emotions • Abstract ideas • Intuition • Creativity • Imagination Left
hemisphere
is
responsible for:
Parietal lobe
Occipital lobe
TOP VIEW
• • • • • • • •
Verbal
skills
Language comprehension Reading Writing
Math
ability
skills
proficiency
Logical thinking
Reasoning Organizational
skills
Adapted from The Brain and Nervous System, AMA Home Medical Library 1 991 (
— CEREBRAL SECURITY that
when beta-amyloid
mals
at levels similar to
is
193
introduced into the brains of aged ani-
those that occur
Alzheimer's disease,
in
it
causes profound brain cell death. In addition, the study implicates the aging process as an insidious partner in the disease. As Yankner says, "If is
we can
learn
why
the aging brain, but not the
susceptible to the toxic effects of A-beta,
young
we may be
brain,
able to tar-
get the susceptibility factor with drugs."
Beta-amyloid
is
not the only villain here. Another protein called
tau gets into the neurons
and disrupts the long, fibrous tubules that
The
carry nutrients and signals from one cell to another. twists
and turns around the
These twisted
fibers halt
tau protein
tubules, creating tangles of neurofibers.
communication between
cells
and gradu-
ally starve the neurons.
While the exact chemistry tifies scientists,
and tangles
of these plaques
still
mys-
they have found intriguing clues to their formation.
For instance, both plaques and tangles contain a buildup of alu-
minum. This
is
a
main reason that aluminum has been targeted
possible contributor to the disease, and that
some medical
sionals suggest that people reduce their exposure to
The
brain's
metabolism
nutrients into energy
that cause plaques
—
and
— how
its
cells
and
a
and molecules break down
plays a role in the production of the proteins
where some very
tangles. Here's
key component
in
forming memories,
Brains with Alzheimer's lose their normal as well as
other brain chemicals
hibits the release of
profes-
it.
useful dis-
coveries have been made. For starters, one of the brain's vital icals,
as a
—
is
chem-
acetylcholine.
amounts of acetylcholine
serotonin, somatostatin (which in-
growth hormone), and noradrenaline. Thus,
searchers are testing
compounds, such
as the
drug
re-
selegiline, that
block the enzymes that degrade these chemicals.
The
precipitous drop in acetylcholine in an Alzheimer's patient
has led researchers to promising
new
treatments for the disease
drugs that can increase or replace this chemical, or that can slow disappearance. Called cholinesterase inhibitors, a
number
its
of these
drugs are already in the clinical testing pipeline, and two, tacrine
and donepezil, have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Ad-
BRAIN FITNESS
194
ministration as treatments for Alzheimer's.
these drugs
I'll
you more about
tell
later.
Neuroscientists have also learned that a diseased brain cannot
handle normal amounts of the chemical glutamate, and brain cells are flooded with calcium. Calcium
is
essential for
to receive and send messages, but too much calcium
One
promising area of research
is
as a result,
kills
neurons
brain
cells.
investigating whether antioxi-
dants or the herb ginkgo biloba can slow the rate of brain cell death. Scientists
have also found that the metabolism of glucose, the
only nutrient, slows
down
theory suggests that the
an Alzheimer's brain.
stress
One
through their effects on glucose metabolism
ditions.
This theory
the stress
hormones
Other researchers
compound ALC
is
intriguing
hormones, glucocorticoids, which
enhance the production of glucose, might be
usually cells
in
brain's
in
killing brain
pathologic con-
pointing researchers toward ways of reducing
in
the brain and so slowing brain cell death.
are investigating
whether the naturally occurring
(acetyl-l-carnitine) can
improve brain metabolism
by reducing antioxidants and speeding up communication between brain cells.
Stressed-out Brain Cells
Some
neuroscientists believe that stress
Alzheimer's story. In the chapter on
is
stress,
I
a
major player
explained the glucocor-
by
stress
and
brain
cells.
Dr.
ticoid cascade, that chemical chain reaction triggered
resulting in a flood of
hormones
that can
the
in
damage
Robert Sapolsky, the originator of the cascade theory, has learned that people with Alzheimer's have a high level of tion.
hormone produc-
Their brains appear unable to stop production of
stress hor-
mones. Aging, among other things, seems to reduce the
brain's
ability to halt the stress response.
Alzheimer's disease causes,
and
it is
is
undoubtedly the
result of a
possible that one of the ingredients
onslaught that comes with the brain's reaction to
is
number
of
the chemical
stress.
CEREBRAL SECURITY
A
195
Virus Involved}
Yet another ingredient in the Alzheimer's stew
may be
which
a virus,
A
could point to an antiviral approach to prevention and treatment.
team of researchers examined the brains of ninety people, about half with Alzheimer's and half without, and looked viral history.
The people whose
most
brains were
genetic and
at their
likely to
show
were those who'd had
signs of genetically triggered Alzheimer's
a
history of cold sores from the herpes simplex virus. In fact, the peo-
were four times more
ple with frequent cold sores
likely to
develop
the genetic form of the disease.
The
researchers explain in the authoritative medical journal The
Lancet that the herpes virus
early in
mant
life,
is
very
common. Most
but not everyone shows symptoms.
until, in
some people,
reactivated
it is
like stress or ultraviolet light
of us are infected
The
virus stays dor-
by environmental
and erupts into cold
factors
The
sores.
re-
searchers found that the herpes virus and Alzheimer's disease are active in the
same region
of the brain,
that people with cold sores
and they believe
may be more
it
is
possible
susceptible to developing
Alzheimer's.
They
also
think
that
findings
their
inflammatory drugs, which reduce virus
activity,
symptoms.
lay the beginning of Alzheimer's in
may
If
explain
may
why
anti-
prevent or de-
their findings hold
up
other studies, they suggest that early treatment for cold sores,
such as applying
a vaccine,
could help protect against Alzheimer's
dementia.
The American
A
Way oj Eating
landmark study involving Japanese Americans and African Amer-
icans
compared the prevalence
very different
diets. Dr.
son of individuals living
of Alzheimer's
William Grant did in
among people
a side-by-side
with
compari-
the United States with those of the same
1
BRAIN FITNESS
96
background
ethnic
living
Japan
in
or
He
Africa.
found that
Alzheimer's strikes 4.1 percent of Japanese living in the United States, while in Japan, the rate
percent of African Americans
while
.4
1
percent of Africans
What's so different
American
lifestyle
in
is
in in
just 1.8 percent.
America? The answer seems to
life
When
be the main in
fat,
The
result
These foods and minerals spawn
when
is
free radicals
the free radicals reach the brain, they stress
the plaques and tangles of Alzheimer's.
Alzheimer's Disease Prevalence (65+)
2000
2200
evi-
intake. In particular, acid
neurons to the point of inflammation, toxic poisoning, and death.
the
Grant picked apart what
refined carbohydrates, and salt are believed to
culprits.
the blood, and
lie in
might be, he found convincing
dence pointing toward diet and caloric drinks, alcohol,
average, 6.2
Nigeria are victims.
and environment.
these facets of American
On
the United States get the disease,
2400
2600
2800
3000
3200
vs. Total
3400
Food Supply
3600
per capita total food supply (calories/day)
Adapted from Alzheimer's Disease Review, http://www.coa.uky.eclu/ADReview
3800
4000
cell
5
CEREBRAL SECURITY
197
Poison Minerals
A
prime suspect
in
the Alzheimer's investigation
aluminum, which
is
people absorb through food, cooking utensils, personal care prod-
and medications. Doctors have found that people who have
ucts,
died with Alzheimer's have concentrations of the metal
their
in
neurofibrous tangles.
Aluminum ment
—
is
the third most
common
element
occurs naturally everywhere. You take
it
spinach and berries,
the environ-
in
aluminum
aluminum pans, and
in
in
in
and cabbage,
acidic foods like tomatoes
in
through foods cooked
in
medications and
health products, including antiperspirants, antacids, buffered aspirin,
some ointments. Water
cosmetics, and
purification systems
used by local municipalities and food preservation processes also
may add aluminum. The human body does compounds
all
aluminum
the same way. For example, the aluminum hydroxide in
antacids does not easily dissolve, while the in
not absorb
milk of magnesia
is
serve no purpose in the
quickly absorbed.
body and
aluminum
The
citrate
light metal
toxic at high levels.
is
milligrams you absorb a day through food and water
found
seems to
The 0—1 1
generally ex-
is
creted by the kidneys.
There
is
no proof
tions persist about in
that
aluminum causes Alzheimer's, but ques-
whether
it
might be
a
cause or an effect. Studies
Canada, Australia, and Europe have linked aluminum
form that
is
added
to drinking water to
remove
sulfate,
Other research
creased
incidence
that this
man-made aluminum compound damages neurons
brains.
There
is
of
Alzheimer's.
the
bacteria, with in-
has
shown in rat
other circumstantial evidence against aluminum, as
well. Before the treatment
was
altered, renal patients
were absorb-
ing aluminum from dialysis fluid and equipment and showing symp-
toms of dementia. There
are reports that residents of
has a high level of aluminum in
its
neurological
tangles
Alzheimer's.
diseases,
especially
Guam, which
water, have a high rate of
And some epidemiology
like
studies
those
have
found linked
in
the
BRAIN FITNESS
198
methods have been
disease with the metal, although the study
questioned.
No
one
is
accusing aluminum of sparking the disease, but some
experts believe that
it
aluminum
fans the flames. "While the
ware does not get into food,
it
may be
possible to take in
cook-
in
aluminum
other ways. So some experts advise against antacids containing
in
the metal, aerosol antiperspirants (because the aluminum can enter the brain through the nasal passages), and tap water. For me, this
simply one more good reason not to drink tap water, which is
I
is
believe
a slurry of brain poisons.
Another metal that idence for
common
it is
thin.
is
sometimes fingered
a
plaques. Zinc
is
was the only one
it
more than 50 milligrams
to bind to protein
it is
probably
a day.
One
a
good
that's
idea to avoid taking
Australian study reports that
—90 mg
a
day
— experienced men-
deterioration.
An
Electricity Connection?
Other environmental hazards may be harder a researcher at the University of
be
other
impossible to avoid, being an essential mineral
people given megadoses of zinc tal
although the ev-
clump that resembled the infamous Alzheimer's
everywhere. Nevertheless, in
zinc,
A laboratory study of zinc and twenty-five
metals found that
and produce
is
a
Southern California, says there
connection between Alzheimer's and electromagnetic
high-electricity areas around
power
lines
Sobel points to three studies, two done Angeles, which found that people
and
to avoid. Joseph Sobel,
electric
and in
electrical
fields,
in
who worked around power likely
the
machinery.
Finland and one
machines were three times more
may
Los lines
to develop
who did not work around electric fields. studies who were most exposed encountered
Alzheimer's than people
The people
in
the
strong electrical fields from the electromagnetic radiation of ma-
chines and worked as seamstresses, dressmakers, and
tailors.
CEREBRAL SECURITY
1
99
TAKE ACTION The Toxic Environment
These environmental elements
are
all
possible suspects in the
causes of neurological diseases including Alzheimer's, and
some
neurologists, as well as a report from the U.S. Office of Tech-
nology Assessment, recommend avoiding contact with them:
Aluminum
aerosol antiperspirants, and tap
(in antacids,
water)
Zinc
(limit intake to
50 mg/day)
Metals (cadmium, mercury, lead,
iron,
manganese)
Petrochemicals
Electromagnetic
fields
Industrial chemicals
and pesticides
WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF The conference
seniors leaned forward in rapt attention
gan talking about
how
when
I
be-
they might protect themselves from the dis
ease.
Solid Protection:
Strong evidence
is
Low Blood surfacing
Pressure,
that
Alzheimer's and other dementias stroke prevention.
Why
high blood pressure are strokes
the
Lowered Stroke Risk best
protection
may be low blood
against
pressure and
low blood pressure? Because people with
much more
and dementia have
a
likely to suffer a stroke,
and
long shared history. Recently, studies
have probed further and found that strokes
may
trigger the
symp-
toms of Alzheimer's. Researchers have
known
for a while
about a connection between
BRAIN FITN ESS
200
hypertension and various kinds of dementia. Hypertension
mon
cause of diseased blood vessels
in
ing those that carry blood to the brain, and this
Without is
sufficient blood, brain tissue dies.
Or
called a cerebral infarct.
bleeding
a diseased
kill
The death
brain tissue.
of brain tissue
blood vessel may cause
blood vessels leading to the brain
is
may
experience mental confusion,
The end
some type
Depending on exactly where the damaged brain
the stroke victim
disrupt
loose and clog blood
the brain and produce a cerebral hemorrhage.
in
result of diseased
stroke.
may break
arteries, includ-
damage can
can narrow, either of which can
vessels, or arteries
com-
a
the brain, which can bring on
dementia. High blood pressure damages the body's
the steady flow of blood. Tiny clots
is
tissue lies,
memory
loss,
unconsciousness, paralysis of a limb, or loss of speech. While the out of
many
tiny strokes
may seem
have found that the effect Researchers
in
is
to
cumulative and dementia often follows.
and paid
showed any
all
particular attention to their
pressure and mental faculties. At the beginning of the study,
the people
fall-
be temporary, neuroscientists
Goteborg, Sweden, followed 382 people,
seventy, for fifteen years
of
signs of dementia or Alzheimer's.
aged
blood
none of As the
study progressed, the researchers noticed that those people with
high blood pressure, particularly the diastolic (lower) reading, were
more
likely to
develop dementia
five to ten years later.
Even though
the subjects' blood pressure declined as they grew older, the people
with the higher readings
were those
who developed
when they were
seventy-five years old
dementia beginning around age seventy-
nine.
High blood
pressure has also been associated with developing
Alzheimer's late in
life.
Among
the people in the Goteborg study,
high diastolic blood pressure around age seventy was recorded people
who showed symptoms
in
of Alzheimer's starting around age
seventy-nine. This discovery about Alzheimer's seems to have been unexpected,- the researchers reported, sure
was increased
in subjects
before dementia onset
is
"Our finding
that blood pres-
with Alzheimer's disease 10-15 years
significant."
Even more persuasive findings about the interaction of strokes
CEREBRAL SECURITY
20
1
WHAT YOUR WRITING STYLE REVEALS A
fascinating finding from a study of almost seven
derly nuns reveals that the
number
way
of ideas she expresses
mar she
uses
Alzheimer's
— may
fifty
years
indicate later.
young person
a
writes
el-
—the
and the complexity of the gramto
susceptibility
a
With
developing
access to the medical and per-
sonal records of the School Sisters of Notre
Snowdon and
hundred
Dame,
Dr.
David
fellow researchers at the University of Kentucky
Sanders-Brown Center on Aging read autobiographies written
by ninety-three nuns when they
first
entered the religious order
around age twenty. Their authors, now
were given mental function mentia.
The
tests
at least fifty years older,
and assessed
for signs of de-
researchers found a strong correlation between
"low idea density" and "low grammatical complexity"
in
an au-
tobiography and poor cognitive function. Dr. Snowdon believes that "low
linguistic
ability
in
early
was
life
a
strong
predictor of poor cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease in late life."
and Alzheimer's, and the possible protection provided by low blood pressure, have surfaced from another source, the School Sisters of
Notre Dame.
The In 1990,
David Snowdon,
Nun Study
a professor of preventive
medicine
at the
University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, launched a longitudinal
of
study involving an order of nuns, the School Sisters
Notre Dame. The study began tracking the
lives
proximately 678 nuns aged 75 to 102, looking
at
and deaths of ap-
how
their
minds
and brains aged and the progression of any symptoms of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's.
What makes
this
study extraordinary
is
that
BRAIN FITNESS
202
many nuns agreed
so
to participate fully, allowing access to their
lifetime medical records, giving regular
and
blood samples
for genetic
nutritional testing, taking annual mental function tests,
and do-
nating their brains for study after they died.
For scientists investigating the aging brain, the Sisters of Notre
Dame
present a perfect petri dish. Their cloistered lives in convents
the midwestern, eastern, and southern United States helped to
in
many
eliminate
of the variables that confuse other studies of aging
They never married
individuals.
or had children,
educated, do not smoke, drink moderately
vironments, eat similar food, do similar
medical care.
It is
if
at
all,
activities,
college-
are
live in similar en-
and have
similar
hard to imagine a more homogenous and pristine
group of subjects. The nuns,
who
and
are mostly schoolteachers
dedicated to helping the sick and the poor, were eager to participate the study. "A person with Alzheimer's disease
in
est
people
I
know," remarked one
At the beginning of the
Nun
is
one of the poor-
sister.
Study, Dr.
Snowdon and
his
team
collected detailed personal and family histories and gave each participant an extensive battery of
memory, cognitive, and physical
these have been updated at least every two years. As the
tests. All
nuns die and their brains are examined, Dr. Snowdon has been publishing his findings in a steady stream of studies gins, causes,
One
such study recently focused on the connection between
by stroke and Alzheimer's.
Dr.
Snowdon
team examined the brains of 102 deceased nuns and looked
his
at their
ori-
and course of Alzheimer's.
brain infarctions caused
and
on the possible
performance history on cognitive function
tests
and whether
any had shown symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer's. What the entists
dead
found has been called
"exciting."
The
tissue or infarcts, indicating a stroke,
brains that
In contrast,
signs of Alzheimer's of stroke
had spots of
turned out to be those of
the nuns with poor scores on the cognition tests and
have had dementia.
more
likely to
nuns whose brains evidenced clear
— numerous plaques and
tangles
—but no
damage, had shown no signs of dementia and done
cognition
tests.
Dr.
Snowdon
sci-
signs
well
on
highlighted this startling finding: "Sig-
CEREBRAL SECURITY
203
TAKE ACTION Guard Against
To protect your
brain against strokes,
blood supply
arteries so that the
have to guard against hardened
throw
that can
blood
Strokes
off clots,
flow. Entire
is
you need healthy
steady and constant. You
gummed-up
arteries,
and narrow
arteries that
arteries
can reduce
medical books have been written about hy-
pertension and stroke prevention. Here
be
cerebral
what
is
I
have found to
useful. •
Maintain low-to-normal blood cholesterol levels
mg
low 180
per deciliter of blood with
HDLs
—
be-
(high-density
lipoprotein) being at least 25 percent of total cholesterol.
have found that eating oatmeal regularly (three times
and taking niacin and aged
garlic extract daily
keep
a
I
week)
my
cho-
lesterol in this range. •
Consume
a
steady diet of
fruits
and vegetables.
I
eat
one
or two pieces of
fruit
with breakfast every day, regardless of
what
and
I
else
I
eat,
bowl of soup or
always garnish lunch, whether
leftovers,
and/or green beans, or drink •
Add
it's
a
with fresh tomatoes, carrots, a glass of
vegetable juice.
an extra dose of potassium to your daily
extra serving of potassium-rich food (about
400
fare.
mg
An
of the
mineral) every day can help prevent hypertension and so cut
your
risk of stroke
by 40 percent. Potassium-rich foods
in-
clude raw or cooked fresh spinach, fresh orange juice, cantaloupe, banana,
baked potato, baked beans, and canned
sardines. •
Take antioxidant supplements daily
vessels.
I
take vitamin
A
for healthy
(2,500 IU), vitamin
mg), and vitamin E (200-400 IU).
C
blood
(2,000-4,800
BRAIN FITN ESS
204
nificant
numbers of individuals with abundant neuropathologic
sions of Alzheimer's disease do not
While
Dr.
Snowdon
become demented."
also stated that
someone with Alzheimer's damage he hinted that the answer might
he could not explain
why
the brain was not demented,
in
lie in
stroke damage. "These find-
ings suggest that cerebrovascular disease in
le-
may
play an important role
determining the presence and severity of the
clinical
symptoms
of
Alzheimer's disease." Dr.
Snowdon
thinks that a
number of small
strokes
may produce the
poor thinking of dementia and ultimately Alzheimer's. Put another way, you
may ward
off
what Alzheimer's can do
to your
memory and
thought processes by taking measures to prevent high blood pressure
and
strokes. Stroke prevention
may be
Alzheimer's prevention.
Caution: Be careful about letting your blood pressure drop too low,
which can happen
if
you
are
on hypertension medication and
How Antioxidants Work 1 Food nutrients and oxygen enter the cell to be metabolized. .
2. The
cell
produces energy.
Adapted from Stopping
Antioxidant Nutrients Beta-carotene Vitamin C
vitamin E the Clock
(1
996)
Harmless waste
H2 & 02
CEREBRAL SECURITY overmedicating.
If
205
your blood pressure drops way below normal
(90/50 or lower), the blood supply to the brain can be disrupted, and this
can
alter
your thinking and memory,
More
Protection: Antioxidants
who
Neuropathologists (scientists ering that antioxidants
damage neurons.
as well as
may do
study diseased brains) are discov-
much
as
for retarding the signs of
name
Alzheimer's as for fending off strokes. Antioxidants, as the plies, fight
against the tissue
brain goes through into energy,
it
which
icals,
its
throws trip
and brain
off
chemical
chain
cells die.
Many
reactions
free rad-
destroy
tissue
what makes apples turn brown,
is
iron
scientists believe that free radicals are
Even though the production of
combat and even
aging as well as for
many
and Alzheimer's.
diseases, including cancer, heart disease,
possible to
that
As the
and oxygen
renegade oxygen molecules called
at least partly responsible for the body's
it is
oxidation.
usual business of turning glucose
through oxidation. Oxidation rust,
damage caused by
im-
free radicals
repair the
may be
unavoidable,
damage they
do. By con-
suming foods and vitamins that contain antioxidants, you put into play molecules that can neutralize the
damage
that free radicals are
wreaking on the body and the brain. Scientists in
England investigating the
effects
of antioxidants
have found that Alzheimer's patients have high levels of two en-
zymes
that play an active role in oxidation
tioxidants vitamin
A
and low
levels of the an-
(beta-carotene) and vitamin E.
Central Middlesex Hospital
in
London involved
A
study at
forty people, half
with Alzheimer's or dementia, and half nondemented people, and
concluded that not enough antioxidants
in the
blood may accelerate
a brain's
degeneration and the onslaught of dementia.
point,
also suggested that antioxidant vitamin
it
More
to the
supplements
may
slow the symptoms of dementia. Research
at
the University of South Florida College of Medicine
adds weight to the idea that Alzheimer's
may be caused
in part
by
BRAIN FITNESS
206
the
damage from
free radicals. Dr.
Michael Mullan,
a professor of
biological psychiatry, has found that the beta-amyloid protein, the
leading suspect in the search for causes of Alzheimer's, generates the release of toxic free radicals.
The theory
may be
that antioxidants
effective
weapons
against
Alzheimer's was put to the test by a team of scientists at twentythree medical centers working with the U.S. government-sponsored effort called the Alzheimer's Disease
Cooperative Study. For two
years or more, 341 patients with moderately severe Alzheimer's took
2,000 IU per day of vitamin E or 10
used for Parkinson's disease that
both the vitamin and study,
had
may
operate like an antioxidant), or
both the powerful antioxidant, vitamin
earlier studies
prescribed as
of selegiline (a drug
At the end of the
selegiline, or a placebo.
effectively reduced the
While
mg per day
eldepryl) have indicated that
teriously, patients taking
and the
selegiline
normal progression of the disease.
with selegiline (also
dementia, this study was the
E,
first
known it
as
Deprenyl and
helps slow Alzheimer's
large-scale test of vitamin E.
Mys-
both selegiline and vitamin E did not out-
perform those taking one or the other. The researchers suggested that the benefits of antioxidants
may have
Anti-Injlammatories:
NSAIDs
Evidence has been mounting that people steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
fen
medications
like
limits.
who
regularly take non-
(NSAIDs), which include ibupro-
Motrin and Advil, are
less
susceptible to
Alzheimer's.
One survey, for instance, tracked older people who regularly took NSAIDs for arthritis and found that their risk of developing this dementia was cut
in half.
A
six-year survey of
more than 7,600 older
people by the National Institute on Aging, which included thinking
ability,
a test of
found that those taking aspirin or NSAIDs regularly
were mentally sharper. Yet another study followed more than
1
,600
CEREBRAL SECURITY
207
people for over fifteen years and discovered that people taking
NSAIDs were were
half as likely to develop Alzheimer's as those
who
not.
Researchers at studies
Duke University Medical Center looked
at fifteen
and Alzheimer's and con-
involving anti-inflammatories
cluded that "fourteen of these studies suggest that such treatments (especially nonsteroidal agents) prevent or ameliorate
symptoms
of
Alzheimer's disease."
and the body's immune system
Scientists think that inflammation
the destruction of brain tissue by Alzheimer's.
play a pivotal role
in
They have found
that areas of a brain with Alzheimer's are fre-
quently inflamed, and so conclude that
NSAIDs may
help reduce
the swelling.
While
the
community
medical
is
encouraged
about
anti-
inflammatories as possible neuroprotective drugs, experts point out that so far the evidence has
come from
surveys, not blind, placebo-
controlled studies. This means that there are not yet any rigorous, scientific findings
confirming the drugs' benefits, or guidelines for
doses. Experts also remind people that to be taken over long periods fects,
NSAIDs were
not designed
and can produce dangerous side
ef-
including ulcers, intestinal bleeding, and kidney damage.
Nevertheless, the signs so far are very promising, and, like people
who began
at risk for heart disease
the scientific evidence of
about Alzheimer's
may well
its
taking aspirin regularly before
benefits
all
was known, people worried
begin adding a low-dose
NSAID
to their
daily handful of vitamins.
A Lijesaving Many
of the people in
ally familiar
women
audience
at
the conference were person-
with the wonders of another possible neuroprotective
drug for Alzheimer's the
my
Hormone?
in
—
estrogen. In a
showing of hands, almost
the ballroom said they were on
half
hormone replacement
BRAIN FITNESS
208
therapy to counteract the symptoms of menopause and protect
None were
themselves against osteoporosis and heart disease.
hormone supplements that's just
The
to boost their flagging mental functions. But
what the female hormone appears
to do.
may do more than menopause came around 1990 when two scien-
widespread inkling that estrogen
first
combat the tists
taking
signs of
from the University of Southern California School of Medicine
women
began examining data from almost nine thousand
They followed
retirement community.
how many had
noted
then
living in a
the group for eleven years,
what percentage had had
died,
Alzheimer's disease, and what percentage had been taking estrogen
replacement therapy. They discovered that the
were 40 percent longer a
though
less likely to
woman
estrogen
develop Alzheimer's. Furthermore, the
took the hormone, the better her chances. Al-
had shown
earlier studies
have Alzheimer's,
women on
this
that estrogen helps people
study pointed to
its
power
who
to protect against
the disease.
An
explanation of
around
how
the
why
hormone
estrogen deflects Alzheimer's revolves
acts in the brain.
the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, the ters,
It
appears most active in
memory and
and multiplies the amount of nerve growth
ing neurons and enhancing cell health. insulin-like
growth factor
1
learning cen-
factor, thus protect-
Growth
factor, particularly
(IGF-1), seems to play an active role in
an Alzheimer's brain. Explains Dr. Thierry Hertoghe, an international expert in brain chemistry,
"The IGF-1
level
in
the cere-
brospinal fluid of Alzheimer's patients seems similar to that of
normal people but
in
the forgetful patients, there
IGF-1 binding proteins.
mean cules,
the binding
which
is
A high
an excess of
concentration of these proteins
inactivates
the mole-
them and prevents
sufficient
amounts of valuable IGF-1 from entering the availability of IGF-1 for brain cells
may
literally sequesters
too tight or even
virtually
is
brain. This decreased
might be one of the factors that
predisposes to Alzheimer's."
Estrogen also stimulates growth of the synapses that carry signals
between
cells
and helps the brain maintain
its
output of acetyl-
CEREBRAL SECURITY
209
choline, the neurochemical essential to learning
hormone
thermore, the gets
more oxygen and
stuff," said
Fur-
stimulates blood flow in the brain so that
it
glucose. "The brain just lights up with this
Galen Buckwalter
Dr.
and memory.
at a
symposium on estrogen and
Alzheimer's disease at the University of Southern California in Los
Angeles.
A
study
in
Women's Health
the works right now, the
(WHI), sponsored by the U.S. National
Institute
ing at the health and aging of thousands of
placement portion of the ultimately involve 27,000
WHI
on Aging,
is
is
look-
women. The estrogen
study began
1989 and
in
women. Both doctors and women
gerly waiting for early results. But even without the study, estrogen
Initiative
re-
will
are ea-
government
accumulating accolades. Here are some recent
findings. •
A
five-year study lead
University involved 1,124
found that the
by
Dr. Richard
women
Mayeux
Columbia
at
over seventy years old and
women who had been
taking estrogen for at least
ten years reduced their chances of developing Alzheimer's to
40 percent. However, taking the supplement
also
for just
by 30
one year
lowered their odds. Dr. Mayeux also found that the hormone
lowered the
which
is
risk for
known
women who had
inherited the gene
ApoE4,
to quadruple a person's likelihood of having de-
mentia. •
The
first
controlled study of the effects of estrogen also gen-
erated promising results. Unlike other studies, which have been
surveys of women's health and drug-taking regimens, this study
compared two groups
of subjects,
one wearing
and the other unknowingly wearing function tests found that the
memory
a
hormone patch
placebo patch. Mental
a
of those
women
soaking up
estrogen was two and one-half times better, and their attention
150 percent better. While the study, conducted by Dr. Sanjay
Asthana
at the
Veterans Medical Center
involved only a dozen •
women,
in
Tacoma, Washington,
larger tests are planned.
Doctors Claudia Kawas and
Ann
Morrison, researchers
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
in
at
Baltimore, followed
A BRAIN FITNESS
210
women
472
never
for sixteen years
were
estrogen
taken
and concluded that those who had times
2.3
more
likely
have
to
Alzheimer's.
Unfortunately, the case for estrogen as a miracle brain drug airtight.
One
not
is
study has shown that estrogen replacement therapy
did not improve the subjects' mental functions. Like the study men-
tioned
earlier, this
tirement
aged
one examined
community
in
a
group of
women
living in a re-
Southern California. Eight hundred
sixty-five to ninety-five
took cognitive function
tests
women and
re-
ported whether they were taking estrogen replacement therapy.
Over the in
fifteen-year study, the researchers detected
the thinking
between the
skills
women
no difference
taking and not taking es-
trogen. Naturally, as
Alzheimer's,
What swer
is
I
I
read the steady stream of news about estrogen and
have
this
nagging question
in
the back of
about men? Should they be taking estrogen? So
men have
no. For starters,
a
much lower
risk
my
far,
than
mind.
the an-
women
of
developing Alzheimer's or other dementias. About 4 million Americans have Alzheimer's and three-quarters of them are
women. Neu-
enzyme
that converts
roscientists say that men's brains contain an
testosterone to estrogen and, unlike levels
do not plummet
women,
their basic
hormone
middle age. However, much older
in
with declining testosterone levels
may
men
benefit from testosterone re-
placement therapy.
Help from
As
scientists
have been trying to unravel the chemical mystery of
what Alzheimer's does findings.
DHL
A number
to the brain, they have
The
intriguing
of studies have discovered that the brains of
people with Alzheimer's have markedly brains.
made some
difference in
some
cases
is
less
DHEA
almost
half.
than healthy
Consequently,
scientists believe that
DHEA may act as a kind of neuroprotector by
enriching brain tissue
cells.
CEREBRAL SECURITY
A study of sixty-one men a correlation tivities.
in
between plasma
The men with more
veins were
2
nursing homes, aged 57 to
DHEA-S
of the
levels
1
1
04, found
and the men's daily
hormone pumping through
more independent and more
1
ac-
their
able to participate in normal
activities.
Less Fat,
more
Here's one eat a lot of
fat.
reason,
Most
and
for
dietary fat
More
me
Fish
it's
the most persuasive, not to
and high-calorie
diets
can destroy
your brain. As Dr. Grant discovered when he examined the diets of Japanese Americans and African Americans, into neuron-killing toxins.
The
killer fats
molecules oxidize
fat
appear to be those found
Alzheimer's Disease Prevalence (65+)
vs. Fat
Supply
6
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5
UK® 4
3
y'j/
CANADA®
-
-
/S
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yS
-
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-
-
® FINLAND ® SWEDEN
-
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2
NIGERIA
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20
40
60
80
1
00
120
140
per capita fat supply (gram/day)
Adapted from Alzheimer's Disease Review, http://www. coa. uky. edu/ADReview
160
180
200
2
BRAIN FITN ESS
12
in protein (e.g., pies),
animal
and saturated
high-fat diet
is
fat),
consuming
large
for
moving
diets
who have much
fats
feature of the
calories a day.
getting Alzheimer's do not live
but rather eat largely whole grains,
fresh fruits,
and vegetables. Europeans, however, take
much
Americans, but
more
fat as
fish
than
we
Dr. Grant
calories.
into a risky high-calorie, high-
less risk of
loaded with these
and
(e.g., pastries
Another
numbers of
was eating more than 2,000
People
on
fried food).
fats (e.g.,
found that the threshold fat diet
refined carbohydrates
a different
kind of
fat.
in
They
almost as
much
eat
Swe-
do. Figures about eating patterns in England,
den, and Spain, as well as Japan and Singapore, point to a direct link
between more this
fish for
dinner and
unequivocal conclusion:
less Alzheimer's. Dr.
offers
increased fish consumption can
". .
Grant
.
lower the incidence of dementia."
A Long
Shot:
The Nicotine Patch
As smokers may know, nicotine improves
memory. However, the price
for this
so scientists have been exploring
nicotine without the
Recent
is
very steep,
to reap the mental benefits of
accompanying health hazards.
scientific findings
deed, tickle the
mental sharpness
ways
and
their concentration
memory
have confirmed that nicotine does,
cells.
in-
Researchers at Baylor University Col-
lege of Medicine in Texas have learned that nicotine improves the
communication between brain
cells
pus, the headquarters for learning
number
by zeroing
in
on the hippocam-
and memory. Nicotine boosts the
of neurotransmitters that travel
between neurons
in
this
brain region.
Armed with rette
the knowledge that the nicotine from even one ciga-
can improve a person's memory, scientists have found
around
cigarettes'
deadly side
effects. Dr. Peter
ans Affairs Medical Center in Albany,
New
Engel
a
way
at the Veter-
York, reports that the
steady drip from a nicotine patch raises learning test scores in
CEREBRAL SECURITY Alzheimer's patients. However,
smoking
A
I
am
213
not suggesting seniors
start
mind pump.
for a nicotine
substance inspired by a marine
worm may work even
better
than a nicotine patch. Scientists at the University of Florida have
found that
worms
form of
a synthetic
some
helps relieve
a
poison found
Alzheimer's
in certain
marine
symptoms by stimulating
a
piece of the brain called the alpha 7-type nicotine receptor. (The brain has a variety of nicotine receptors.) cell receptor,
just this brain
the scientists were able to spur thinking without caus-
ing the other side effects that
The
receptors.
By juicing
come with
stimulating other nicotine
synthetic chemical, called
GTS-21, has
slow the onset of Alzheimer's symptoms, and
it is
also
helped
being tested
at
the
University of Florida.
Use
One
It
or Lose
Education
It-.
of the sturdiest defenses against Alzheimer's involves a decision
relatively early in life to
develop and use your mind. Study after
study shows that a person's level of education and the mental de-
mands tia.
As
of an occupation or daily activities can guard against a
person obtains more education and/or engages
challenging
he or she
activities,
will
show
the odds drop as to
in
demen-
mentally
when and even whether
signs of Alzheimer's.
For instance, a study
aged 55 to 106 came to
in
the Netherlands involving 7,528 patients
this conclusion:
"People with only primary
education or low-level vocational training were significantly more likely to
develop dementia than those with medium-level vocational
training or university-level education."
Another study had tive terms.
similar results
The 593 people involved
lowing standard neurological
The
and framed
researchers, led
tests,
by Yaakov
lived in
its
New
findings in posi-
York City. Fol-
106 were found to be demented.
Stern, concluded, after collecting in-
formation about their education and work history, "The data suggest
2
1
BRAIN FITN ESS
4
TAKE ACTION Brain Exercises
One
reason
Alzheimer's
better-educated is
seem protected from
people
that the learning process has increased
strengthened the connections between brain tissue surplus
keeps them
alert
and sharp
This brain
cells.
as their brains age,
brain cells shrink, or Alzheimer's begins to encroach.
some
and
Here
are
"brain exercises" that, like education, will stimulate your
neurons. •
Keep
a daily journal, writing at least a paragraph about
your thoughts or interesting events. •
Do
regular puzzles.
try jigsaw puzzles.
If
you
Or
don't like crossword puzzles,
While crosswords help maintain your vo-
cabulary, jigsaws will help your spatial •
TV
Participate in
answer or that Wheel •
Tackle small
through
a
ing your
car's oil.
•
try writing poetry.
skills.
quiz shows. Shout out that Jeopardy!
oj Fortune phrase.
fix-it
problem,
memory
jobs in which you have to think
like replacing a faucet
washer or chang-
Take lessons on any musical instrument. The mechanics
of learning finger
movements and how
to recognize notes re-
quire extraordinary and novel brain coordination. totally incapable of learning to play an
If
you
feel
instrument, take
singing lessons. •
Create something. For instance, draw,
make up •
a story for
knit, paint, or
your children or grandchildren.
Learn something new: attend a
class, listen to a seminar,
read a book or magazine article on a subject you
know
noth-
ing about.
that increased educational
the risk of incident
AD
and occupational attainment may reduce
[Alzheimer's disease], either
by decreasing
CEREBRAL SECURITY ease of clinical detection of Alzheimer's or
215
by imparting
a reserve
that delays the onset of clinical manifestations."
There
downside
a
is
"more
the
to
education
equals
less
Alzheimer's" equation. Scientists have found that while educated
people (those with high school diplomas and some higher education) are less at risk,
if
they ultimately do show symptoms of the
is
that while the disease
may
hit
the same age, the educated person does not years
later.
When
much worse
looks
it
One
declines very quickly.
their thinking ability
ness,
explanation
people
show
at
signs of
it
less
until
in
the clever person
who had been
someone
in
else
successfully
whose very grad-
been apparent from the beginning.
ual decline has
SLOWING
IT
DOWN
Even when someone begins to show signs of Alzheimer's, years before he or she
is
ering that individuals have
You can take
The
incapacitated.
disease varies from person to person,
tion.
possible
more or
does surface, the damage that had been hidden
covering up the symptoms, than
many
ill-
may be
progress of the
and neuroscientists
some control over the
it
are discov-
rate of deteriora-
steps to keep your mental faculties longer.
Today, there are only two U.S. government-approved drugs on
They
the market designed specifically to treat Alzheimer's. tacrine (trade
name Cognex) and donepezil
(trade
name
and both work the same way. These drugs pump up the ply of the chemical messenger acetylcholine tivity of cholinesterase,
the
enzyme
Aricept),
brain's sup-
by disrupting the
that breaks
down
are
ac-
acetylcholine.
Thus, the drugs are called cholinesterase inhibitors, and are part of a large class of
soning erate
ability,
drugs that can improve the memory, judgment, rea-
and daily functioning of patients with mild
to
mod-
symptoms.
These drugs
are available only
gastrointestinal side effects,
by prescription and can produce
namely diarrhea and nausea. Generally,
BRAIN FITNESS
216
they are prescribed tient
is
when
a
doctor
reasonably certain that a pa-
is
showing signs of dementia.
A number
companies and drug developers are
of pharmaceutical
working on finding other medications that can boost the amount of acetylcholine in circulation.
One
obvious approach, eating foods or
taking supplements that are precursors to acetylcholine, like choline or lecithin, has, unfortunately, not
Other medications operating that have tories,
New
to treat fever
results.
the brain's cholingeric system
York) and huperzine A, a
Forest Labora-
compound formed from
The
cjian cencj ta.
Association reports that
China
in
shown promise include physostigmine (by
Chinese herbal medicine ical
shown promising
Journal oj the American
the
Med-
huperzine has been used for centuries
and inflammation and, more
mentia. In the United States, clinical
trials for
in
recently, for de-
huperzine are
the
in
planning stages.
The herb horse balm
contains a substance, carvacrol, that also
seems to halt the breakdown of acetylcholine
be
a
help
in
the brain. So,
it
promising treatment for Alzheimer's. Another herb that is
may may
rosemary, which seems to be a powerful antioxidant and
at-
tacker of free radicals.
The Calcium Route
Another theory about what Alzheimer's does to the brain involves calcium levels
in
diseased brain
cells.
use for communication and which
Too much is
calcium, which cells
carefully regulated, destroys
neurons, and researchers are tinkering with a category of drugs called calcium channel blockers.
proven sure.
These
are an established, medically
class of drugs that are already prescribed for
The National
cium blocker drug under consideration
Institute
on Aging reports that
for Alzheimer's for
human
tests.
is
high blood presat least
one
cal-
being tested and another
is
CEREBRAL SECURITY
217
Going After Free Radicals
Armed with
strong suspicions that free radicals
may be
implicated in
number
Alzheimer's, scientists are investigating and testing a
compounds aimed
combating the formation of
at
of
free radicals or di-
minishing their damage. already told you about the exciting findings of a test with the
I've
antioxidants vitamin E and selegiline. Selegiline has a checkered test history: In ers
some
tests
it
has improved patients' thinking and in oth-
has had no effect. However, doctors at the Veterans Affairs
it
Medical Center
in
Cleveland analyzed the
test data
from eleven
controlled tests of selegiline and found that eight produced im-
provements on such thought processes
and
call,
total recall.
one
In
study,
as
word
done
in
fluency, delayed re-
Czechoslovakia, the
researchers noted that 10
mg
proved
without producing hypertensive side
fects,
patients' thinking
which
it
can do
Another drug
at
per day was an effective dose.
imef-
high doses.
in testing for fighting free radicals in
acetyl-1-carnitine (ALC),
It
which has been shown
to
the
compound
improve think-
ing by juicing up the brain's energy exchange and metabolism. Researchers also believe that
ALC
reduces production of free radicals.
has already produced positive results in improving people's
age-associated trial
it
testing
memory impairment and
is
now
in
advanced
clinical
by Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals Company.
Scientists are also exploring
which
is
what the herbal tonic ginkgo
biloba,
extracted from the leaves of the maidenhair tree, can do
Ginkgo has
for Alzheimer's.
a
long history of helping to improve
thinking. In repeated controlled studies, this herb has sharpened people's fuzzy
many
memory, concentration, and thinking. As with so
other cognitive remedies, ginkgo prevents damage from free
radicals
and the
cell
oxidation that restricts the flow of nutrients in
the brain.
Studies aimed solely at Alzheimer's
symptoms have
ated persuasive numbers. For instance,
when
also gener-
half of forty Alz-
2
1
BRAIN FITNESS
8
WATCH OUT These drugs or compounds
are currently beii ig tested for their
on the symptoms of Alzheimer's. The Pharmaceutical
effects
Research and Manufacturers of America, list,
notes that these
phase
III
new medicines
clinical trials,
meaning
wh ich
compiled
are mostly in phase
that they are nearing the
this II
or
end of
their experimental tests.
Drug
Company
Development Status
AIT-082
NeoTherapeutics
Phase
I
ALCAR
Sigma-Tau
Phase
III
Phase
I
(acetyl-L-carnitine)
Ampalex
Pharmaceuticals
Cortex Pharmaceuticals
celecoxib
Searle
Phase
II
eptastigmine
Mediolanum
Phase
III
Pharmaceuticals
Exelon
Novartis
app submitted
Pharmaceuticals
idebenone
Takeda America
Phase
II/III
lazabemide
Hoffmann-
Phase
III
Phase
III
Phase
III
Phase
III
La Roche
Memric
SmithKline
Beecham metrifonate
Bayer Pharmaceuticals
milameline
Hoechst Marion Roussel
propentofylline
Hoechst-Roussel
Phase
III
Reminyl
Janssen
Phase
III
Pharmaceutica
CEREBRAL SECURITY
SR 46559
2
Sanofi
Phase
II
Phase
II
1
9
Pharmaceuticals
SR 57746
Sanofi
Pharmaceuticals
Synapton
Forest Laboratories
Phase
II
xanomeline
Eli Lilly
Phase
II
The drug development information
Note:
clinical testing.
Phase
I
healthy volunteers and II
testing involves about 20 to 80 normal,
designed to
is
and some healthy, and
tiveness. clinics
III
Phase
is
designed to
test a drug's effec-
testing involves 1,000 to 3,000 patients in
and hospitals and
and
ness
Phase
test a drug's safety.
300 volunteers, some with the target
testing involves 100 to
illness
refers to a stage of
is
designed to
test the drug's effective-
side effects. After a drug successfully completes
all
three phases, the manufacturer applies for a new-drug application.
If
the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration approves
application, the drug can then be prescribed By permission,
New
Medicines
in
Development
this
by doctors. Americans, Phar-
for Older
maceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, August 1997.
heimer's patients
unknowingly took 80
times a day for three months, their
proved
mg
of ginkgo extract three
memory and
"significantly" in just the first
month
Other research projects have looked
concentration im-
of taking ginkgo.
at various doses.
to a report in the English medical journal The Lancet, tors
According
European doc-
have been using daily doses between 120 and 200 mg. Ginkgo
has been tested in forty controlled
tests,
many, and doctors have noticed that after four to six
weeks.
effects except for
The
in
begins to
France and Ger-
show
effects
only
herbal extract produced no serious side
mild stomach problems.
Another possible neuroprotectant lalanine (DLPA),
it
mostly
which
is
is
the amino acid DL-pheny-
a contributor to the
of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine.
chemical production
DLPA is essential
to healthy
BRAIN FITN ESS
220
TAKE ACTION Drugs That Can Impair Your Thinking
These widely used medications can slow or confuse thought processes,
somewhat mimicking symptoms
Medications that consume the
need to be especially avoided by anyone
(e.g.,
(e.g.,
carbamazepine)
Antidepressants
(e.g.,
imipramine)
Antihistamines and decongestants
(e.g.,
diphenhydramine)
Antihypertensive drugs
(e.g.,
propranolol)
Antiparkinsonian drugs
(e.g.,
levodopa)
(e.g.,
Muscle relaxants (e.g.,
dementia.
metronidazole) (e.g.,
Sedatives
pills,
quinidine)
Anticonvulsants
Corticosteroids
and sleeping
at risk for
codeine)
(e.g.,
Antiarrhythmic drugs Antibiotics
Alzheimer's.
brain's store of acetylcholine,
like tranquilizers, painkillers, antihistamines,
Analgesics
of
hydrocortisone, prednisone)
(e.g.,
methocarbamol)
phenobarbital, diazepam)
memory, and while most people probably get enough through the proteins they eat,
some people supplement
their intake.
NEW COMPOUNDS One able
of the is
most exciting new medications about
to
become
avail-
the drug ampakine. Discovered in 1991 by Dr. Gary Lynch,
ampakine improves communication between brain
cells
by keeping
the lines of communication, the synapses, open a few seconds longer
than normal. In a test using a mild dose of the drug,
memory memory
of
men aged
it
sharpened the
sixty-five to seventy to that similar to the
of students in their twenties.
Ampakines (Ampalex)
are be-
CEREBRAL SECURITY
221
A BRIEF REFRESHER Alzheimer's
women and one
should
afflicts
people with a family history of the disease. Yet no
completely fated to become demented, and there
is
you can do or,
aging that more often
a disease of
is
is
much
to protect yourself against the onset of Alzheimer's it
strike,
to slow
its
progression.
Here
some
are
strategies.
Improve brain metabolism. Increasing blood circulation and
oxygen delivery
and damaging
retards the buildup of toxins
plaques and tangles, and increases the circulation of
neu-
vital
rochemicals. Reducing stress and the production of stress hor-
mones
is
a
way
Consume
to
do
this.
antioxidants.
These combat
free
harmful by-products of the natural oxidation process
body
that
may
well be a cause of the brain
damage
A
and foods that contain beta-carotene,
in
that
with Alzheimer's. Powerful antioxidants include vitamin
min
the
radicals,
selegiline,
the
comes E, vita-
and the
herb ginkgo biloba.
Watch what you
eat.
High-fat, high-salt diets have been
linked to Alzheimer's, so reduce consumption of saturated
hand, the
fats,
refined carbohydrates, and
oils in
fish
mackerel, and salmon,
found
may
in
salt.
fats,
especially
On
the other
deep, cold waters, like tuna,
help ward off the disease.
Take anti-inflammatory medication. Over-the-counter inflammatories like aspirin and ibuprofen have
anti-
shown promis-
ing results as neuroprotectants.
Lower brain tia.
risk of stroke. Strokes
damage and may
You can lower your
can do an enormous amount of
well be a leading contributor to risk
by controlling your blood
demen-
pressure,
not smoking, and watching your cholesterol.
Take estrogen. Hormone replacement therapy
in
women
is
probably one of the surest ways to protect against Alzheimer's.
BRAIN FITNESS
222
Exercise your brain. Mental activity builds neural connections that act as buffers against the dementia that follows brain cell death.
Slow
down.
it
Two
prescription
drugs,
tacrine
and
donepezil, help slow the progression of the disease.
ing developed by Cortex Pharmaceuticals and are currently being tested in clinical
trials as a
drug to
treat Alzheimer's.
Oft the Horizon •
Molecules from the Caucasian snowdrop plant have been
found to slow the breakdown of acetylcholine. Scientists have
molded the
plant's
thamine, which •
A
is
molecules into
a
compound
called galan-
in clinical trials.
study of a large population group
South Carolina pin-
in
pointed a possible link between high fluoride and reduced
risk of
Alzheimer's. Taking sodium fluoride, the study suggested,
may
slow the progress of the disease. •
Scientists in
Romania have been
testing a
new
Alzheimer's
drug formula that affects brain metabolism. Called Antagonic Stress, the
drug
is
ications, antistress
a
combination of antioxidants, nootropic med-
compounds, and minerals.
343 people aged sixty to seventy-six and with
In a
study involving
a history of organic
mental disorders, Antagonic Stress was pitted
in
double-blind,
placebo-controlled tests against a placebo, a nootropic drug, a free-radical scavenger,
and cerebral
extended over three months, and
vasodilators.
at
The experiment
the end, people taking the
Antagonic Stress capsule showed improvements on depression
and anxiety
tests,
memory and
intelligence scales,
slower mental deterioration. Another study
in
and exhibited
Romania came up
,
CEREBRAL SECURITY with similar
approved •
and the drug has been
results,
and
clinically tested
for use in that country.
Scientists believe they
similar to nerve
growth
without
flaw,
its fatal
have
factor,
which
is
finally
found
developing
damaged by
may soon be
a
new
at
tested in clinical
cells
regrow, but
Guilford Pharmaceuticals, a
preeminent neuroscican stimulate brain
class of drugs that
Alzheimer's.
drug compound
an inability to pass from the blood-
whose founders include Solomon Synder, entist, are
a
which helps brain
stream into the brain. Researchers
cells
223
The drug
class,
named GPI-1046,
trials.
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1996,
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Tolbert, S. R.,
Fuller,
M.
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A. "Selegiline in treatment of behavioral
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122-29, October 1996.
Tucker,
M. "Nicotine patch may help cognition
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in Alzheimer's."
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1996, 36.
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Alzheimer's disease." Nutrition Research
Newsletter,
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1
1
(6),
77, June 1992.
Weiner, M. can
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"Alzheimer's disease:
what we now know, and what you
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White,
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F.
L.,
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1995.
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the
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25, 1996.
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Nutrition, 18 (5), 7,
May
1995.
is
there a reason to worry?" Environmental
Six
iriHii
®YO@O^Z^L
BHAIN SEXUAL STIM
As
you have probably guessed by now,
firmly believe,
me up,
and have
I'm a
lots of scientific
mind-body
and that the
that thought processes affect our bodies,
lives consist of
more than thoughts. There
side to each of us: our emotions.
mind
is
useless
if
it
The
sharpest,
I
evidence to back
health of our bodies affects our brains and thinking. But, as
know, our
guy.
is
we
all
whole other
most knowledgeable
shares space with undeveloped or destructive
emotions. By tending to our relationships with others, by giving and getting the smorgasbord of feelings that ings,
we add muscle and
Emotional healthiness
ways
staying is
at
makes us
vital
human
be-
to our mental wealth.
not as elusive as
to cultivate our emotional
must look
power
it
and sensual
may
sound. There are
selves.
To do
this,
we
the chemical stew that courses through the brain and
body, especially our hormones.
A vivid demonstration occurred
at
of
how hormones
steer our emotional lives
an international conference on Anti-Aging Medicine
and Biomedical Technology
in
Las Vegas attended
by more than
227
BRAIN FITNESS
228
1,500 health care professionals from around the world. As chairman of the sponsoring organization, the
ing Medicine,
was
I
American Academy of Anti-Ag-
some
a participant in the doings, including
of
the lively relationships that developed and changed. While avoiding
any description that might warrant an "R" rating tell
you about some
my
of
make them healthy and
for this book, let
emotional encounters and what
I
did to
productive.
Given the locale and the people attending the conference, understandable
that
me
personal
were
relationships
agenda item. Huge conferences that push together
an
it
is
unwritten
active, curious
people into an intense couple of days always throw off some sparks. I
was
speaker
a
the three-day conference, and although each day
at
was packed with symposia and presentations, there was ample time for catching
up with old friends and meeting new ones.
Regardless of where you are or what you are doing, your sex hor-
mones
thinking. self
Her
going to influence some facet of your behavior or
are always
They
intrigued
certainly did with me.
by
nutritional
woman
a
I
had
just
seemed
we found
I
met but knew by
to be everywhere.
were not only her obvious physical
What
assets but
way she laughed with her eyes
too. Like the
lectures,
supplement company was an exhibitor
ference and she
asset, too)
Between
and seemed
to share
my opinions
found myreputation.
turned
more
the con-
at
my
elusive qualities,
(okay, that's a physical
of people. For instance,
ourselves both rolling our eyes at long-winded academic
answers to simple questions. Like me, she was intense and
became
head
at times
so focused on reading or listening that she was oblivious to
her surroundings. In looking
back
at that
conference,
I
think
hers, too,
alized
and understood what was happening
This quiz
if
we had
to us, the
re-
outcome
different.
illustrates
what
scientists
men's and women's brains, and cific abilities
behavior, and
was driven largely by hormones. And
maybe
might have been
my
and
skills.
how
memory,
the differences in
these variations influence spe-
For instance,
hearing, better short-term
know about
women
are verbal
have more sensitive
and good with words,
THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN
229
DO YOU HAVE A MALE OR A FEMALE BRAIN? The "gender" of your brain
is
determined by the amount of female
or male hormones you were exposed to
with feminine
traits
and
and
brains,
Men can
in utero.
women
be born
with masculine
traits
and brains. Take this quiz for a general idea as to whether your and your thinking
brain,
When you
1.
were
habits, are
elementary school,
in
and writing
spelling bees
more male or
female.
how
did you do in
stories? a) Excelled at both,- b) Ex-
celled at one,- c) Excelled at neither.
You're a tourist in a foreign city, walking around and ex-
2.
ploring the
sites.
How readily do you know which way you think
is
north?
you can
a)
You have no
it,-
c)
You know
3.
You're working late and the only discernible noise in your
office is:
a)
is
You hear
If
it
hum
of a
and
try to
You hardly hear
computer block
are walking
through
How
readily can
you
c)
You 5.
time
you can place
out, b)
it
which car
can't identify the source at
comes
member?
a)
on,
member any 6.
you
You
c)
making the noise After a moment's
It
it,-
all.
of the tune
the radio.
and
You're singing along to most of all,
is
a)
new tune on
a
how much
the chorus but that's
irri-
You can immediately pinpoint
b)
While driving you hear it
only mildly
It's
it
parking lot and a car alarm goes
a
identify
it,-
Your reaction to
printer.
(without looking for any flashing lights)? thinking,
find
at all.
it
You
4.
for a minute,
and immediately.
intuitively
the soft
tating; c)
off.
idea, b)
lyrics
it,-
b)
The
next
do you
re-
You can hum
sounds familiar but you don't
re-
of the music or words.
are interviewing for a
a tour of the
dozen people.
A
company few days
new
offices
later,
job,
you met.
recruiter gives
and introduces you to
when you
the job, the recruiter mentions that four of the people
and the
you
half a
learn that you've got will
be working with
Do you remember what
they
BRAIN FITNESS
230
looked
like? a)
You can
You
a couple,- c)
neighborhood yard
a
to a neighbor you've seen around
couple days
who
she
gives her name,- c)
Even
are introduced
and said hello to
in passing.
know who
she
A
You know
only after she
is
name,
it
takes
you
a
her.
You've decided to see a movie on your own, and as you en-
you
ter the theater, in
and
sale
after she gives her
couple of seconds to place 8.
You remember
that neighbor telephones you. a)
later,
immediately; b) You
is
b)
;
any of them.
can't give a face to
You stop by
7.
them
picture each of
see that there are clusters of people sitting
the middle and near the
aisles.
Where do you
next to other people so you can see
but a couple of seats away,seats 9.
better,-
Near the
b)
Off by yourself with
c)
Right
sit? a)
clusters
empty
lots of
around you. You're checking out from the grocery store and bagging
your groceries. Given different-size containers and bags of produce,
a)
You quickly give up making things
couple of items up,- c)
in
You neatly
each
fit
company
ing an affair with
someone
who?
You
a)
You
party and in
know
as
just a
they are rung
sure,- c)
You
see
coworker
a
the department.
easily detect the relationship,- b)
idea but aren't
and put
everything into one or two bags.
are at a
10.
You bag items
b)
bag,-
fit
hav-
is
Can you
You have
no clues and cannot
a
tell
good
tell.
Scoring-.
Men: For each
a)
answer add 8 points,
for
each b) answer add
4 points, for each c) answer subtract 4 points.
and
between brain.
A
A
score below
For each
a)
answer, add
1
traits.
2 points, for each b) answer
points, for each c) answer, subtract 4 points.
score between 40 and 80.
male brain.
will score
indicates a strong male
score above 48 indicates female brain
Women: add 4
48.
Most
Most
will
A score above 80 indicates a strong fe-
A score below 40
indicates male brain
traits.
THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN and
are
more perceptive and
more adept with
objects, shapes,
with geography and
ter
intuitive
231
about other people.
Men
are
and geometrical problems, are bet-
reading maps, and are more sensitive to
at
personal space around them.
SEX HORMONES Long before any
of us see the light of day, sex
hormones
are wash-
ing through our fetal brains, shaping the arrangements of certain
neurons, adjusting the chemistry, and orchestrating our sexuality.
Hormones
are brain chemicals, setting off a chemical chain reaction
that alters our physical selves, our emotional selves,
and our think-
ing selves.
At the beginning, everyone gen. Even after gender
our bodies. After the
makes
that
a
is
set,
is
bathed
testosterone and estro-
in
both these sex hormones are present
chromosomes have
set in
person male or female, the developing gonads produce
more testosterone or estrogen and the brain grows more or ceptible to certain sex hormones. As
mones
we
can
all
attest,
when
are fairly quiet until adolescence,
same
level in the
middle years, while others
Up
to a point, men's
same sexual path. itary
We
hormones and
Our hormones
searchers studying the In
fall in
the sex hor-
Some hormones
years and decline in the
cycles or steadily decrease.
and women's brains and bodies
all
have
are especially
women.
many
a
It's
travel the
hypothalamus that produces
directs the sexual response
gen and testosterone.
in
for
and
rise
sexually dimorphic nucleus
than
body
less sus-
their production
kicks into high gear. After that, their activity varies. stay at the
in
motion the chemistry
busy
in a
pitu-
and mating behavior.
spot of the brain called the
(SDN), which
is
very sensitive to estro-
here that guys and gals part ways. Re-
SDN have
found that
in
men
it is
one hundred autopsies of normal
much
larger
brains, the
SDN was two and a half times larger than the women's. While sure exactly what the SDN does, many scientists suspect that
men's
not
participates in establishing
it
gender identity and mounting behavior.
BRAIN FITNESS
232
Given the differences surprising to find that
By and
large,
men
in brain structure
men and women do
are naturally promiscuous
The
constant state of sexual arousal.
first,
and most,
lights on,
they
is
visual
like
—what
watching
they
However, men
see.
The sensory and
are
(I
like sex
them
with the
pornography, they are
know
these are general-
they don't apply to you.)
They
more aroused by the
like foreplay
and intimate
idea of a relationship than
tures of penises. (Ditto for you, gals all
are not in
experiences that turn women's heads stem from their
sense of touch, smell, and sound. talk,
if
They
like
turned on by sexual pictures of women. izations, guys, so don't be offended
and seek out many sex
sense that stimulates
they
sex,
not
is
it
not behave the same way.
partners. Their brains are wired that way. a
and chemistry,
—
I
know
by
pic-
this doesn't describe
of you!)
Sexual gratification
women, and
it is
more
of climax, while fewer
is
much more
important to
of a certainty. Virtually every
women
—maybe only one
men than to man is capable
in five
—
experi-
ence consistent rapidly induced orgasms.
Daily Fluctuations in in Elderly
8 A.M.
(69-80
Noon
Serum Levels of Testosterone and Young (26-36 yrs.)
yrs.)
4 P.M.
8 P.M.
Elderly Adapted from Hormones and Aging
(1
995)
Midnight
4 A.M.
-"—Young
THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN Over
hormone
time, our
levels
change, and aging alone
only influence. Physical activity lifestyle
233
as
well, as
not the
is
nutrition,
diet,
can also affect them. Contrary to what you might
times, our
hormones
are not always in charge.
We
and
feel at
can manipulate
them, even the two most abundant and powerful, testosterone and estrogen. Here's a tant to
They
keep
rundown
mind
in
that
of their
marquee
features,
and
it's
impor-
none of the sex hormones functions alone.
are constantly interacting in a ballet of balance, counterbal-
ance, and feedback loops. Thus, in concert, they engage in a chemical
dance that stimulates our emotions, thoughts, and behavior.
The Take-Charge Hormone-. This hormone pushes
all
charge of the sex drive
— not the
ship, but simple,
of us around,
Testosterone
men and women.
It's
in
desire for intimacy or a relation-
uncomplicated intercourse.
aggressive and competitive, even violent.
It's
It
also
what makes
us
shapes the body, too,
stimulating the growth of certain organs and hair, and helping the
body convert protein
women
than
—
a single day, a
into muscle.
more
ten times
Of
— and
his
afternoon. There's a reason
in a
cycles differently in men. In
men
it's
at
monthly
making her
falls six It
or seven times,
climbs during the
double what
it is
other times of the year.
is
the late first
also higher in the au-
A woman's
testosterone
moves
cycle, rising just before or during menstruation
and
feel sexy.
Outside forces also influence testosterone production. ing situation can it.
in
think a lot about sex, especially
the morning! Men's testosterone
tumn than
men have much more
emotions and thoughts.
night so that in the early morning,
in
it
man's testosterone rises and
which can whipsaw
thing
course,
pump
it
An
up, while a stressful situation can
Certain foods and activities also shove
it
arous-
dampen
around.
Testosterone also seems to have a strong influence on personal relationships. Sociologist
psychologist James
Alan Booth
Dabbs
at
at
Penn State University and
Georgia State University have looked
234
BRAIN FITNESS
TAKE ACTION Get a Grip on Your Testosterone
These foods, Sexual
activities,
intercourse.
and seasons
affect testosterone levels:
Researchers
believe
sex
that
affects
testosterone levels, not vice versa.
December
surge.
more than
Measurements of testosterone
found that the hormone peaked
Among men
peaked
in
in
four thousand military veterans aged thirty-two
to forty-four ber.
levels
their
in
early
thirties,
in
Decem-
testosterone
November.
Fights or arguments. Confrontations or physical threats can increase testosterone.
Red meat. This food has been linked
to higher testosterone
levels.
Vegetarian Zinc.
A
diet.
Red meat may
increase testosterone.
deficiency of this nutritional mineral, which
consume
either in foods like fish
and oysters or
ments, has been linked with subpar testosterone.
ommended
daily dose
is
you
in supple-
A
rec-
30-50 mg.
Vigorous exercise. Exercise, especially weight training
in-
volving large muscle groups like the quadriceps, boosts testosterone.
Aerobic exercise. Excessive stamina
activities, like
jogging
and cycling, lower testosterone. Stress.
Worry, tension, and other kinds of psychological
stress
generate chemicals that suppress testosterone.
at the interplay
relationships.
of this
between men's testosterone
They discovered
hormone had
unions.
and
their marital
men with higher They were more apt
that married
less stable
levels
levels
to
be
abusive, to have affairs, or to seek divorces.
Women's
relationships, too,
may be
colored by testosterone. Dr.
THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN Patricia Schreiner-Engel, a professor of obstetrics
Mount
Sinai School of
Medicine
in
New
and gynecology
at
York, measured testos-
women and
terone levels in thirty working
235
found that those with
higher hormone levels were not only the most success-oriented but,
more
none was married or
telling,
women
comparison, the
many
ried for
Women
more muscle and weigh
level has
gone too
cholesterol, weight gain,
mone
Signs
in
women
that
bad
and lowered voice.
feel listless, irritable,
dips
less.
far are lots of facial hair, a rise in
testosterone in either
little
Men
bido.
testosterone had either been mar-
less
with high testosterone levels are not only more sexually
hormone
Too
long-term relationship. By
years or were in lasting relationships.
active but have
the
with
in a
men
or
women dampens
and depressed when
the
li-
this vital hor-
below normal. For women, no testosterone means no
orgasm. Slowly, as
we
get older,
down. With men, the or
fifties,
Women
Although
years.
slide
of the testosterone turmoil quiets
becomes detectable
as the sexual
sixties,
mellow.
traits
much
also lose
fires
some
and brain
their forties,
and hard-driving personality of this juice around the middle
their ovaries continue to generate testosterone
menopause, other sources of
after
in
it
—the adrenal
glands,
even
body
fat,
—slow down production.
In relationships, testosterone
is
often a hidden troublemaker.
It
can make people behave irrationally and fan bursts of temper or combativeness. Especially
throughout
falling
in
men, considering that
a single day, this
rising
it's
pugnacious hormone can make
them seemingly moody or so focused or single-minded block out other people's feelings or opinions. to if
my
friends
that they
seen this happen
I've
—they get pumped up and determined, then annoyed,
not outright angry,
Sometimes
and
their
when someone
hormones can
jerk
tries to
take
them around
them
off-course.
to the point of
ridiculousness.
On gas,
I
the second morning of the anti-aging conference in Las Ve-
noticed a colleague steam into the hotel restaurant looking for
a quiet
corner table.
He had
a sheaf of papers,
and he obviously
BRAIN FITNESS
236
wanted sion
to prepare his talk uninterrupted over breakfast. His expres-
was grim and determined, and
get his
work done before
room and saw tail
Gale, a
knew he
I
his 10 A.M. session.
woman
felt I
under the gun to
glanced around the
he had been chatting up
at
the cock-
party the evening before. She was watching him, waiting for him
He
to look around so she could catch his eye.
poured
his coffee,
to join her.
He
and she gave him
didn't
a
did look up as he
big smile and gestured for him
but gave her a grim smile, frowned
stir,
pen and paper, and went back to writing. She looked
when
she caught
me watching
her,
a little hurt, so
smiled, picked up
I
at his
my juice,
and
joined her.
About twenty minutes
we had both
later,
breakfast and were talking casually
peared beside the
table.
He was
exactly what he was thinking
tured at an
empty
"Isn't it a little
shrugged
—
when our grouchy
giving that
I
me
colleague ap-
very dirty look.
a
was moving
in
I
on Gale.
knew I
ges-
but he just growled.
chair,
early in the
helplessly,
finished a pleasant
day
for you?"
he snapped
me.
at
knowing he would not hear any explanation
I
I
offered.
"You've no call to say that," Gale declared. She pushed back her chair,
stood up, gave
away without
a
word
me
a
sweet "Thanks for breakfast," and strode
to him.
"Nice going, yo-yo,"
I
said. "For
about you, telling her what
a great
All of a sudden, the piss
looked
crestfallen.
your information,
guy you
I
was talking
are."
and vinegar drained out of him.
"Oops" was
he could
all
He
say.
The Sap oj Life: Estrogen
Women
are really fortunate to have this
hormone
that does so
much
not just for sexuality but also for personal relationships, mental functioning,
and even
as protection against Alzheimer's.
dusting of estrogen
—about one-twentieth
too, experience a sampling of
its
wondrous
of a
Men do
woman's
effects.
—
have
a
so they,
THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN As the biological sap of pares her
body and organs
makes her eager and lubricates a
a
terone.
It
makes
more
is
a
not compel her to
is
the
hormone
it
nourishes
it
make
that can
sexy, high-heeled shoes (they accentuate in-
stinctive "display" behavior)
touch. Estrogen
estrogen pre-
life,
and children. Physiologically,
for sex
and organs. This
wear
to
woman's reproductive
and receptive to intercourse, and
for
tissues
woman want
237
and makes her skin more
sensitive to
subtle in the mating dance than testos-
woman
eager for
a
mate, but not pushy.
initiate sexual activity (if
she does,
it's
It
does
the testos-
terone at work) but instead makes her definitely interested and available.
A
woman's estrogen
and while
it
it
falls in a
can swing enormously.
hundred receptors
The upshot
gans.
whispering
and
twenty-eight-day cycle,
peaks twice, just before ovulation and about a week be-
fore menstruation, least three
rises
in
a
for estrogen, so
that this
is
Human
female
cell tissue
influences
it
has at
many
or-
hormone may be constantly
woman's ear and affecting her moods, behavior,
how
thought processes, even
well she does at math.
(A study led by Barbara Sherwin,
a
leading
hormone
researcher at
McGill University, suggests that men's memories are enhanced by estrogen. She looked at thirty-three
testosterone and estradiol els,
men
and gave them
a
young men, measured
— the most potent form
number
of
memory and
their free
of estrogen
attention tests.
memory
The
gesterone,
is
not the only sex
hormone being produced.
another reproductive chemical,
also
is
actions. In the
first
her brain more lively
part of the cycle, a
—
she's
more
alert,
even depressed.
positive,
and more
of the cycle, progesterone spikes,
like that of a sedative,
and
a
moods
sharper and quicker with
reduces blood flow and oxygen consumption is
and
woman's estrogen makes
math problems, more buoyant and upbeat, more
Toward the end
Pro-
surging
ebbing, and this tide of hormones can tamper with a woman's
confident.
in
skills.)
But estrogen
fect
lev-
with the highest estradiol outshone their fellow test-takers
visual
and
—
in
the brain.
woman may
which
The
feel sluggish
ef-
and
BRAIN FITN ESS
238
TAKE ACTION Manage Your Estrogen These
and foods
activities
duction, although there
will raise or
lower your estrogen pro-
no natural way of reversing the hor-
is
monal shutdown of menopause: Regular, strenuous physical activity lowers estrogen.
Sexual intercourse raises estrogen.
Sexual abstinence lowers estrogen. Significant weight gain or obesity raises estrogen.
Severe weight loss or calorie restriction lowers estrogen. High-fat, low-fiber diet raises estrogen. Fiber diet of wheat bran supplementation lowers estrogen.
Low- fat
diet lowers estrogen.
Phytoestrogens (estrogens from plants)
whole-wheat products Alcoholism
Sometime progesterone
menopause life as
soy products and
raise estrogen.
raises estrogen.
her
forties, a
starts to
stage, or
woman's production of estrogen and
down and become
slow
erratic.
perimenopause, can wreak havoc
This pre-
in a
woman's
her hormones take her on an emotional tsunami. In a single
may
day, she
and
in
in
buoyant and
feel
out-of-sorts.
activity ceases.
Around age
A
positive,
fifty,
at
achy and sluggish,
menopause,
all
this
irritable
hormonal
woman's estrogen and progesterone production
plummets. Again, her moods and behavior can span entire oceans.
Some women
find themselves going through the stereotypical feel-
ings of depression trigger,
and
lethargy,
and
living with an emotional hair
quick to cry or laugh. Others discover that menopause
brings a certain liberation, with feelings of confidence, energy, and well-being.
While
ment
certain foods
and
activities, as well as
therapy, can affect and
smooth out
a
hormone
replace-
women's hormonal pro-
THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN
duction,
it is
lationships
useful for
may be
men and women
both
at least partly at
239
to realize that their re
the mercy of hormonal fluctua
tions.
HIS An
essential ingredient in
lationship
think and
AND HERS
any successful heterosexual romance or
an understanding of
is
feel.
The
reason
"second favorite organ"
lies in
—the
ception, even before gender
how what
brain. is
men and women
differently
Woody
Allen once called his
From almost the time
of con-
determined, men's and women's
brains develop into slightly but profoundly different structures.
mixture of hormones circulating through the its
re-
physical layout and determine whether
fetal
its
The
brain helps shape
construction will be
primarily male or female. Since the early 1970s, with the publication of the
first
study to
show
the structural difference between male and
female brains, numerous studies have shown that they part ways synaptically, anatomically,
and
in
terms of cellular organization. Au-
topsies plus scans of an active brain as
it
tackles a
problem or task
confirm the existence of His and Her models. Here's a
about
how
•
these
of
where our brains
two routes influence our
part
ways and theories
abilities
and behavior.
Men's brains are about 15 percent larger than women's. Speregions that are bigger include an area within the hypothal-
cific
amus one
rundown
that
is
in
charge of mating and sexual behavior:
half times larger in
men. However, before
my
It is
two and
male readers
RIGHT AND LEFT HEMISPHERES Right: visual, spatial, geometric shapes, emotions, abstract ideas Left: verbal skills,
ing and reason
language, reading and writing, logical think-
BRAIN FITNESS
240
begin to
feel superior,
keep
mind
in
sarily translate into smarter.
If
that bigger does not neces-
you doubt
consider the ele-
this,
phant's eleven-pound brain (ours weighs about three pounds) its
mental •
The
abilities.
cerebral cortex, the brain's outer layer,
right hemisphere in
Thus,
men
men.
In
women,
skills.
Anne Moir and David Jessel,
This
play and pillow
As
may be why, Sex,
left side.
women
tend to
say researchers
men
are excited
fantasies run to gentle fore-
talk.
faced with an abstract problem,
women
the right hemisphere, while brain.
thicker on the
is
thicker on the
authors of Brain
by pornography and women's sexual
When
it is
tend to be more visually oriented and
be more adept with verbal
•
and
men have
a result,
men
tap mainly into
both halves of the
utilize
an easier time thinking about and
solving mathematical and geometric problems, from
how
high-arcing baseball. Another
to find
something to catching
a
tion of this difference
was developed by neuroscientist Cecile
Naylor,
who
men and women
used brain scans to find that
ferent parts of their brains
when
illustra-
use
dif-
spelling. In a different study, re-
searchers at Yale University scanned men's and women's brains
while they were reading and saw that men's vated, while both sides of the •
A man's
skills. In
on the
contrast, a
men's emotional responses are rooted
means
right
and
left
in
left.
was
acti-
active.
or right side re-
woman's brain
regions in both halves to accomplish certain
women's emanate from both
side
women's brains were
brain has specific regions
sponsible for certain
left
skills.
pulls
from
For example,
the right side, and
This organization also
that men's emotional responses are distinctly separate from
their verbal abilities in the left hemisphere,
able to express their feelings.
thoughts
(left side)
On
and so they are
the other hand, women's
always have an emotional component (right
side).
Men's cerebral compartmentalization makes
them
to concentrate
than
men
it
easier for
and be single-minded. The emotional un-
derpinnings of women's thought processes
women
less
suffer
from depression.
may
explain
why more
THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN
•
women,
In
there seem to be
241
more or better-developed
fibers
the corpus callosum, the tissue connecting the two halves of
in
the brain. Although this structure starts out larger in men,
women's does
shrinks as they age, while a
women
more
are
more
to be
other people. the
power
able to integrate words and thoughts
articulate
women more of
not. Perhaps this
and
fluent.
The combination empathy and an
at
earlier,
when
•
body language. As we is
given to transsexual
women become
better at
language fluency.
Subtle wiring differences probably account for men's and
women's sensual
•
mean-
medical treatment to make their
bodies more male), the masculinized spatial tasks but lose their
detecting clues about
ability to intuitively extract
testosterone therapy
women (women undergoing
and tend
of thought and emotion gives her
ing from gestures, facial expressions, and
noted
why
This connection also makes
and sharper
sensitive to
is
it
Women
variations.
Namely:
have better hearing and can duplicate
a
tune more
easily. •
Men
•
Men's and women's sense of smell
at tolerating
• •
Men Men
women
are better at handling acute pain, while
have
are better
chronic pain.
a stronger
is
the same.
sweet tooth than women.
see distances better,-
women
see better at night.
MORE HORMONES TO MUDDY YOUR RELATIONSHIPS Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are not the only confections complicating
and confusing your
relationships.
brains process a pharmacopoeia of hormones,
chemicals that regulate organs and affect chemicals are constantly tinkering with So,
it
is
which
tissues.
all
we
Our bodies and are simply
Dozens
do, think,
of these
and
feel.
not surprising that they can also manipulate our relation-
BRAIN FITNESS
242
WHERE OUR BRAINS PART WAYS These
are the differences
between men's and women's mental
skills:
Men's Strengths
Women's
Math
Verbal communication
calculations
Spatial reasoning, e.g., geometry,
Linguistic learning, e.g.,
hand-eye coordination
Reading
a
vocabulary
map
Fine motor and
hand Seeing
Strengths
Seeing
in bright light
Sensitivity to salty taste
skills
at
night
Sensitivity to bitter
and
sweet tastes Interest in objects
Interest in faces
and people Hearing memory
Visual
Concentration, single-
Integrating thought
minded focus
ships alter
and sex
memory
and emotion
lives.
Here
are the
whom we
everything from
main chemical characters that can
find attractive to the intensity of or-
gasms.
Luteinizing
LHRH
is
traffic
hormones. fected
LHRH
the rise and
vital to
chemical
by
It
Hormone Releasing Hormone (LHRH) fall
of testosterone and estrogen.
It's
a
cop, regulating the stop and go patterns of other
sets the
stress,
in a nasal
and
tempo in
of
hormonal
men by
cycles. In
women
it is
af-
emotional or sexual situations.
spray has been used somewhat successfully as a
treatment for male impotence and
in
women
as a fertility drug.
THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN
243
Progesterone
This
is
hormone
a gestational
that prepares the uterus
and body
for
pregnancy, a precursor hormone that the body converts into other steroid hormones.
sex drive.
A
It
lowers testosterone levels and so dampens the
synthetic form
is
used
as a contraceptive.
Prolactin
A woman
produces prolactin when she nurses, and one of
its
effects
to reduce the sex drive
and lower testosterone.
In short,
as a sexual inhibitor so a
new mother can devote
herself to the in-
is
fant.
However, should
a
potence and depression.
woman In
produce too much,
both men and women,
it
serves
it
can cause im-
it is
stimulated by
physical activity, during sleep, and at times of stress.
Oxytocin Circulating in the reproductive systems of both
oxytocin
is
men and women,
the bonding and parenting hormone, and
by touch. While
it
meaning you produce and
stimulated
can cloud your thinking and reasoning
also creates strong feelings of attachment.
falling doses,
is
it
it
in
It is
a "surging"
ability,
it
hormone,
splurges rather than in steady rising and
can generate an immediate response.
when people
are constantly touching each
other, oxytocin can create a strong
bond. You have more control
Surging powerfully
over oxytocin than other hormones through the decisions you make
about
whom
women it
to touch.
It
mixes with estrogen for
tend to be more swayed by
doesn't arise.
ation for a
The production
woman
it
its
best effect, so
than men. Without estrogen,
of oxytocin
may
thus be a consider-
thinking about estrogen replacement therapy.
— BRAIN FITN ESS
244
Vasopressin
Vasopressin
an androgen, or male hormone, that moderates the
is
sex drive and general temperament.
and improves
trate
their
It
men
helps
memory. Vasopressin
is
think and concen-
not produced
steady drip but fluctuates through days, weeks, and months. pecially active during
REM
and some
sleep,
in a
It is
scientists think
it
contribute to the emotional intensity of dreams. Vasopressin in
es-
may men
—
women cement a relationship and create a bond between two people who have intimate physical contact. It also makes men more sensitive to the inviting sexual behavcan do what oxytocin does for
women.
ior of
Vasopressin works in concert with testosterone and so
up
stirs
men's aggressive behavior as well as their confidence and ordered thinking. in
apes or
It's
also the
men
Vasopressin
you ful
are
hormone behind animal grooming behavior
—heightens is
tempted
sex appeal, and launches mating rituals.
name
available in a nasal spray (trade to try
chemical that can
however, bear
it,
alter
in
mind
that
Diapid).
it is
a
power-
your body's other hormones. And,
cording to Dr. Michael Colgan
in
If
ac-
Hormonal Health, the long-term
consequences of taking regular doses of vasopressin are unknown
and potentially hazardous.
DHEA Both
[Dehydroepiandrosterone]
men and women have more
other hormone, and more or the mother of
less
DHEA
the same amount.
hormones because the body uses
steroid hormones, including estrogen
tabolizes into It's
making
pheromones and so worms
us eager
brain during orgasm.
and ready It's
it
DHEA
its
way
for sex,
is
called
to churn out other
and testosterone.
with us every step of the day, influencing
tive,
bodies than any
in their
It
also
me-
into our sex lives.
whom we
find attrac-
and rushing through the
especially powerful in
its
effect
on our
THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN
skin
— how
erotic odors.
how
looks,
it
Its
feels,
it
production
rises
then begins to taper off and hits
women,
In
ues to
stir
DHEA
how
smells,
it
its
trough around age
may be why
DHEA,
testosterone. In level,
thirties,
sixty.
woman's
a
Men
interest in sex
are probably less
perhaps because of the powerful tides of
DHEA has more say over muscle mass,
men,
off
menopause and contin-
at
does not disappear with her midlife change. influenced by
and by giving
during our twenties and
does not fade away
sexual desire. This
245
energy
and feelings of attractiveness than sexual behavior. Although
available over-the-counter in capsules,
boost your sex
life is
not
a clear
your natural production of
DHEA
as a
supplement to
winner. However, you can sway
it.
Pheromones
Pheromones, one of
DHEAs
offspring, are secreted in men's
and
women's sweat and send out subtle sexual scents that enhance sexual attractiveness. fect
them.
Other
Among
people's
animals,
pheromones pheromones
affect you,
are
and yours
definitely a
sexual
TAKE ACTION Ways
to Increase
Your Natural Production of
DHEA
Practice meditation. Exercise.
Reduce
stress
and lower
Cortisol level.
Get pregnant.
Ways
to
Lower Your
DHEA
Drink alcohol. Stay stressed
Be overweight. Manifest type
A behavior:
af-
aggressiveness, anger, impatience.
BRAIN FITN ESS
246
come-hither. Scientists suspect that the sense of smell and the sex drive are connected in humans, but they are not positive.
Pheromones appear uality,-
that
is,
they heighten your desire for touch and closeness,
more than they do
While undetectable
for sex.
may play a potent role The Erox Corporation,
they
founded by David
pheromones
your sensuality more than your sex-
to affect
pharmaceutical
a
Berliner,
for perfumes.
your behavior and
in
naked nose,
to the
feelings.
company
in
Utah
currently developing commercial
is
Erox has introduced "Realm Men" and
"Realm Women," which contain synthetic human pheromones.
PEA PEA and
circulates
men and women and
feelings of attachment.
called the love ing,
through
(Phenylethylamine)
It is
a natural stimulant that
hormone, because
euphoric feeling
when you
stimulates emotions
it
gives
you
are smitten
is
sometimes
that wonderful float-
by someone. Your PEA
production especially revs up during orgasm.
MASTERING YOUR EMOTIONS While our hormones boss us around
like a drill sergeant,
we do have
how we respond and behave. Although we can only tinker with our hormones, we can master our emotions. One powerful emotion we can harness is that bunch of positive feelings some peosome say
in
ple call happiness,
and others
call
contentment, satisfaction, or joie
de vivre.
How To
to
Find Happiness
find happiness, psychologists
need look no further than
and
his or her
geneticists agree, a person
own temperament and
life.
"
THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN
247
ARNOLD'S RELATIONSHIPS For Arnold Schwarzenegger, the secret to successful relation-
may
ships
his attitude. Here's
lie in
how a close
Lorimer, describes that attitude: "Here
himself in terms of joy, and
much more ings.
He
effectively
I
always enjoying himself, and
is
yourself and involved and committed, alert
and
is,
'I
love
my
all
when you
you
defines
to handle
of his deal-
are enjoying
are likely to be
likely to retain information better.
philosophy
him
think that enables
of his relationships and
all
who
guy
a
is
friend of his, Jim
I
more
think his basic
life.'
Studies and research into people's reactions to dramatic events in their lives, like crippling accidents or getting married, reveal that
each of us has
a
"happiness set point." This set point
termined genetic disposition. Like the notion of vidual weight
and actively
—
resist
ness set point with.
that our bodies are
is
programmed
a set point in indi-
the innate feeling of well-being that
or outlook on
life,
and enthusiastic to grim and depressed,
is
our prede-
to be a certain size
any attempts to lose or gain weight
Our temperament
is
—the happiwe
are
born
which ranges from sunny
determined by our genetic
makeup.
A proponent neticist,
pairs of
of this theory
Dr.
David Lykken,
a
behavioral ge-
who compared the feelings of well-being in fifteen hundred twins. He discovered that identical twins raised apart had
the same outlook on fessional
is
life,
regardless of their family situations, pro-
accomplishments, or financial
advanced degrees or high
status.
Such achievements
salaries or successful
only a 2 percent difference
in
as
marriages produced
the twins' mental outlook.
Even more remarkable, researchers have found that even the most traumatic events in people's lives do not alter their outlook for any
length of time. People
who have been
pled by spinal-cord injuries
mourn
divorced, widowed, or crip-
their loss, but within a year re-
BRAIN FITN ESS
248
sume
their natural outlook. Grieving
year are signs of a serious
and depression
not a change
illness,
more than
for
a
temperament or
in
personality.
There
is
another half of this equation, however, one that has
rect relevance to our lives. for
Our happiness
set point
accountable
is
probably about half our emotional temperament. The other
comes from the small
say psychologists,
Given that we emotionally shrug
off
pleasures and joys
monumental
di-
events,
we
half,
seize.
we should
seize the small delights that brighten our day.
Lykken says we have
Dr.
ways
a
range of happiness, and should find
to live at the top of that range: "Be an experimental epicure.
A
steady diet of simple pleasures will keep you above your set point.
Find the small things that you
know
give
you
a little
meal, working in the garden, time with friends life
with them.
In the
long run, that
grand achievement that gives you
will leave
a big
lift
high
—and
—
a
good
sprinkle your
you happier than some
for a while."
Eating jor a Better Sex Life
The
idea that food can affect your emotions
actions
is
not as far-fetched as
some foods off.
will
We know
may
sound.
It's
re-
only logical that
put a bounce in your step and others will turn you
that the
travel to the brain.
have
it
and even your sexual
just like sex
body breaks down food
Here they
hormones.
into molecules that
are converted into chemicals that be-
It's
not unheard-of to eat
a great
meal
and discover afterward, over dessert so to speak, that your mind dwelling on amorous thoughts. fragrances
The
may be
at
can alter his
life
More than
the candlelight and soft
generation
is
work.
greatest discovery of
my
by changing
is
that a
human being
his attitude.
—William James
THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN
It is
249
possible that your steak and red wine perked up your brain's
dopamine, the ultimate pleasure chemical. While widely known natural stimulant tive
—
it's
considered the mastermind that drives addic-
— dopamine
behavior
women's sex have
a
drive.
Male
thought to be behind men's and
also
is
with high levels of dopamine not only
rats
heightened sex drive but ejaculate quickly.
makes reaching orgasm
An
On
easier.
dopamine has been blamed sion.
which
In
other hand,
the
females,
too
it
little
for a nonexistent sex drive or sexual aver-
almost nonexistent sex drive
Parkinson's disease,
as a
is
one of the complications of
tripped by a shortfall of dopamine.
is
Foods that contain the precursors or ingredients tyrosine and choline are converted into neurotransmitters, including dopamine.
You can choline
find tyrosine (an
in
amino
drive.
and
meals that contain lecithin. However, scientists are unsure
about the precise chemistry that circulation
acid) in protein-rich meals
and how
it
is
needed to put more dopamine
in
reacts with other molecules to affect the sex
The more accepted ways
of boosting
production
its
fall
to tak-
ing certain drugs, namely Deprenyl (also called Eldepryl) and certain types of antidepressants like Wellbutrin.
Perhaps your dinner included
a
chocolate dessert. That could have
sparked romance. Chocolate contains amine compounds, including the
molecules
of
the
"love
hormone"
I
phenylethylamine (PEA). People theorize that
mentioned this
earlier,
may be one
rea-
son behind the passion of "chocoholics" and for giving chocolate to loved ones. However, scientists are quick to note that other foods,
such
as pickled herring
compounds than
and cheddar cheese, contain more amine
chocolate.
I
leave
it
to
you
to decide
whether
it's
a
love potion.
A much
stronger connection has been found between vitamin
(ascorbic acid) antioxidant,
and men's sexual potency. Vitamin
and studies have shown that
is
why men grow
sure to pollutants that
infertile
spawn
ifornia, Berkeley, researchers
is
with age
—
free radicals.)
it's
C
a powerful
free radicals, those
ing molecules that antioxidants beat up on, can (This
C
damag-
damage sperm
cells.
from years of expo-
At the University of Cal-
compared two groups
of men, those
BRAIN FITNESS
250
with low levels of ascorbic acid and those on
up or down.
their ascorbic acid intake adjusted
intake
by
fell
mg
dropped from 250 and when
half,
C
men
to
in
When
the vitamin
C
day to 5 mg, the men's sperm counts
was bumped up
it
the sperm counts doubled.
Texas Medical Branch
a
controlled diet with
a
When
60
to
mg
mg
or 250
a day,
researchers at the University of
Galveston gave
1
,000
mg
a
day of vitamin
unable to conceive because of low sperm counts, every-
thing started moving. After a
month
of taking ascorbic acid supple-
ments, the men's sperm counts rose by 60 percent and, even more
noteworthy, that
their wives conceived.
all
smoking can hammer
their
Guys should
also
be aware
sperm counts. The University of
Texas researchers also gave vitamin
C
supplements for a month to a
group of heavy smokers. At the end, the sperm counts of the men taking placebos did not change, while the sperm counts of those
mg
taking either 200
Women who
or 1,000
mg
markedly improved.
eat certain plant foods
may
find themselves feeling
the effects of ebbing or flowing estrogen levels. There of plants called phytoestrogens that help regulate a
duction of the hormone, pepping activity
when
it
up when
it's
is
a
category
woman's pro-
low or suppressing
high. Plants rich in these natural estrogen regula-
it's
tors include beans, peas,
soybean products, and leafy vegetables
like
cabbage. Fat appears to be a real turnoff, in
more ways than one. Besides
the other obvious physical consequences,
fat also
gums up the
sex
A fatty diet can alter the amount of estrogen in a woman's Women with a high-fat, low-fiber diet have higher estrogen
hormones. body.
levels than is
women who
eat vegetarian. In normal amounts, estrogen
wonderful for a woman's body and helps nourish her sex
wide swings
in
A comparison
menopausal
to
a high-fat diet
between
women
mer had 30
moods
estrogen production can play havoc with her
and temperament, and
and Asian
drive. But
in
women
Hawaii on
in
may
contribute to
Boston on a 40 percent
a 21 percent fat diet
in
fat diet
found the
for-
The
post-
the Boston group had 300 percent
more
75 percent higher estrogen
women
this.
estrogen than the postmenopausal Asian
women.
levels.
Women who
used
THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN
25
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY FOR
GREAT SEX! Good
Bad & Ugly
Increases testosterone:
Lowers testosterone:
Red meat
Vegetarian or high-
Zinc (30-50 mg/per day) Vigorous anaerobic exercise
fat diet
Zinc deficiency Stress
Regular, exhaustive
aerobic exercise
Increases estrogen:
Lowers estrogen:
Sexual intercourse
Sexual abstinence
Significant weight gain
Extreme weight
(recommended only if
severely underweight
loss
Severe caloric restriction
Alcohol (moderate amounts)
Excessively low
Beans, peas, leafy vegetables,
Overly strenuous
fat diet
soybeans and whole
physical activity
wheat products
on
Increases neurotransmitters:
Tyrosine (protein-rich meals)
Choline
(lecithin)
a regular basis
Overstimulates serotonin:
High glycemic index carbohydrates: bread,
Deprenyl
rice, pasta,
Antidepressants
corn, carrots, sweets
potatoes,
Chocolate Pickled herring
Cheddar cheese Increases sperm count:
Antioxidants, especially
Vitamin
C
Reduces sperm count: Free radicals Pollutants
Smoking
1
BRAIN FITNESS
252
lower their
a low-fat diet to
32 grams of estradiol.
A
plements
—
intake from 69 grams of fat a day to
day significantly dropped their serum estrone and
fat a
high-fiber diet also
fat
—two months
of eating
wheat bran sup-
markedly lowered their estrogen mixture (oat bran
or corn bran had no effect).
Men on
fatty diets
group of men asked to
fast
at the
may encounter
difficulties in their love lives.
A
University of Utah School of Medicine were
on two separate
nights. After the first night, they
were
given either a high-fat drink or a low-fat drink. Blood tests of sex steroid levels before
and
after revealed that the fatty drink
their free testosterone (but not their estrogen or
searchers surmise that fatty foods
may
lowered
LHRH). The
re-
inhibit a man's testosterone
production.
may
Fat flow,
and
also ruin a guy's performance. Erections
a high-fat diet
depend on blood
gum up One of
can lead to atherosclerosis and so
the plumbing needed to achieve and maintain an erection. the main causes of impotence
is
clogged
arteries.
Other foods can squash your sexual hankerings. Foods ingredients of the brain chemical serotonin can increase tion,
and over stimulation of
dampen
this
that act as
produc-
its
chemical has been shown to
sexual reactions in animals. Carbohydrates are one such
food. Starchy or sweet foods like rice, corn, potatoes, pasta,
ary dishes increase the brain's
demand
for
and sug-
tryptophan and
this
boosts serotonin production.
CULTIVATING EMOTIONAL SMARTS Personal relationships are such a vital part of everyone's, that
what
I
try to
I
keep
often think about in
mind and apply
how to
to
my
my
life,
as
they are of
improve them. Here's
life.
THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN
253
Hormonal Heads-Up Everyone lessly
combative, aggressive,
may become
teary,
of the ordinary,
This
I
overreact to
I
and
woman
about what
my
moody, or needy. if
may mean backing
or letting a
if
A man may become needargumentative, or stubborn. A woman
hormone changes.
subject to
is
say,
I
I
watch
detect a hormonal
and avoiding
off
for
behavior that
shift,
I
confrontation with a
a
someone
my hormones
outburst.
else's
I
am
to grab
out
accommodate.
vent her feelings. At these times,
not wanting
is
my
1
am
man
careful
tongue or to
always ready to apologize
temperament has made me say something inappropriate. And
don't take to heart anything said to
me
or out
in anger, frustration,
of impetuousness.
Acknowledge Strengths In personal as well as professional relationships,
person's strengths. Typically,
women
communicating, and talking out
a
I
often defer to a
are geared
toward verbalizing,
Men
lean toward action,
problem.
looking for immediate results and forging ahead.
Sexual Savvy
A
lack of interest in sex
problem.
In
men,
it
is
not normal and can indicate a physical
can signal low testosterone production.
stem from impotence, which can be caused by blocked little
DHEA,
or any
number
pertension, and alcoholism.
potence.
A
A man may
feelers.
It is
Smoking and
stress
be taking medications that
hormone
possible that a
arteries,
too
of diseases including heart disease, hy-
woman's aversion to sex can be hormonal.
nursing produces the
may
It
prolactin,
can aggravate imlimit his abilities.
A woman who
which shuts
is
off the sexual
woman's testosterone production
is
far
BRAIN FITNESS
254
A BRIEF REFRESHER Personal relationships and emotional well-being frequently turn
on the
rise
and
fall
of our
hormones and our
other people's strengths. Here's what
keep
I
ability to recognize in
mind about men
and women. Testosterone
rising.
Men's testosterone
rises
during fights or
confrontations, vigorous muscle-building exercise, in the
and
winter, in the early morning,
fall
and with the consumption of
red meat.
Testosterone
Men's
falling.
testosterone
they're
under
ciency,
and during exhausting aerobic
Estrogen
stress,
rising.
declines
when
eat solely vegetarian, have a zinc defi-
Women's estrogen
exercise. rises
with weight gain or
obesity, with alcohol consumption, with a high-fat, low-fiber diet,
and from consuming plant-derived estrogens
found
in
like
those
soy products.
Estrogen
falling.
Women's estrogen
strenuous physical activity,
when
weight, on a low-fat diet, and
falls
during regular,
she's cutting calories, losing
when
she abstains from sex.
Men's strengths: manipulating objects, math calculations, coordination, spatial orientation, geometry problems, brightlight vision, concentration, reading
maps and geography, and
sensitivity to personal space.
Women's
strengths: sensitive hearing, short-term
verbal ability, linguistic ability, fine
motor
skills,
memory,
night vision,
perception, visual memory, and intuition.
below normal, signaling the need
for
replacement therapy. She
may
be going through perimenopause or menopause, times when some
women
report a loss of interest. Certain antidepressants and dieting
are also
known
to
dampen
a
woman's sex
drive.
THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN
255
SELECTED SOURCES Colgan, M. Hormonal
Crenshaw, Dabbs,
The Alchemy of Love and
T. L.
M.,
J.
Jr.
among men." Dabbs,
M.,
J.
Apple Publishing, Vancouver,
Health.
G.
Lust.
"Age and seasonal variation
New
Putnam's Sons,
P.
in
B.C., 1996.
York, 1996.
serum testosterone concentration
Cbronobiology International, 7 (3), 245-49, 1990.
and Mohammed,
Jr.,
S.
"Male and female salivary testosterone con-
centrations before and after sexual activity." Physiology and Behavior, 52
(1),
195-97, July 1992.
Dawson,
E. B. "Effect of
smokers."
Fertility
and
ascorbic acid supplementation on the sperm quality of
Sterility,
58
(5),
1034-39,
November
1992.
G. "Ascorbic acid protects against endogenous oxidative
Frags, C.
human
sperm." Proceedings of
11003-6, December
the
National Academy of Sciences,
DNA damage in 88 (24),
U.S.A.,
15, 1991.
Gallamine, D. "Forget money: nothing can buy happiness, some researchers say."
New
York Times, July 16, 1996.
Gibbons, A. "The brain
as 'sexual organ.'
"
253 (5023), 957-60, August
Science,
30,
1991.
Gorbach,
May
S. L.
"Dietary modification of
hormone
Kampden, D.
and Sherwin,
L.,
B.
B.,
"Estradiol
healthy young men." Behavioral Neuroscience, Khalsa, D.
Warner Books,
S. Brain Longevity.
Konner, M. The Tangled Wing. Co.,
Krantz,
levels." Cancer Researcher Weekly,
24, 1993, 25-27.
New
New
related to visual
is
10
(3),
memory
in
613-17, June 1996.
York, 1997.
Biological Constraints on the
Human
Spirit.
Henry Holt and
York, 1982.
M. "Two
scents' worth: a
pheromones." Omni, 16 Lazarus, R.
1
S.,
and Lazarus,
ford University Press,
McNaughton, N.
(4), 24, B.
new
fragrance
company
January 1994.
N. Passion and Reason: Making
New
takes advantage of
Sense of
Our Emotions. Ox-
York, 1994.
Biology and Emotion.
Cambridge University
Press,
Cambridge,
England, 1989. Meikle, A. tabolism,
W, 39
et
al.
(9),
"Effects of a fat-containing
meal on sex hormones
Moir, A., and Jessel, D. Brain Sex. Dell Publishing, Spring,
B., et al.
"Effects of protein
New
men." Me-
York, 1991.
and carbohydrate meals on
mance: interactions with sex and age." Journal 1
in
943-46, September 1990.
mood and
of Psychiatric Research,
perfor-
17
(2),
55-67, 1982-83.
Van Goozen,
S.
H., et
al.
mance: casual evidence chologia,
"Activating effects of androgens on cognitive perforin a
group of female-to-male transsexuals." Neuropsy-
32 (10), 1153-57, October 1994.
Seven
IND HOPE FOR THE WORRIED WELL
have been fortunate never to have needed the help of trist,
but this does not
mean
that
I
am
a
psychia-
unfamiliar with the mental
I and emotional wounds that can skew thinking and jangle
feelings.
My
who
art-collecting activities have introduced
and painters but who
brilliant sculptors
clinical
One
mood
me
suffer
to people
are
from subclinical and
disorders like manic-depression and depression.
particular friend
is
an art-restoration specialist whose erratic
behavior and skewed thinking have sabotaged what might have
been
John
a brilliant career.
is
a
manic-depressive who, despite years
of medical treatment, persists in self-destructive habits.
knows he must keep comes so absorbed During
this time,
Although he
regular sleeping hours, he not infrequently be-
in projects that
he
is
he goes
for days
without sleep.
enormously productive but on
a
tive level.
He
thing
else.
Promises, commitments, meetings, schedules
them
off
that
will
when he
he has
built
throw himself into
is
up
in a
in
manic
a project
frenzy.
very selec-
and ignore every-
—he shrugs
During these times, much
terms of working relationships and prospec-
257
BRAIN FITNESS
258
Adding
tive business collapses.
to his difficulties during these times
He becomes
and either lashes out
is
his explosive temper.
at
people for no reason or becomes totally uncommunicative.
At times, we are
all
how overwhelming,
of us, even
all
someone
like
no matter
John, can get a bet-
go
to
medication and opt for the energy of his mania over the steady,
off his
What he
he gets from psychotropic drugs.
stable feelings is
subject to jumbled emotions. Yet,
on the mental storms that blow through. John chooses
ter grip
ing
irrational
mental acuity
—
is
sacrific-
and coherently.
his ability to think quickly
hard to be mentally sharp when brain chemicals are messing
It's
with your emotions. hospital
Of
you
course, mental illness can put
and even threaten your
in
the
but even mild, subclinical bouts
life,
can ruin memory, logic, concentration, and intellectual functioning. It is
essential for brain fitness that
you recognize
mental glitches that are disrupting your thinking
be
as easy as
it
in
yourself signs of
life.
may
This
not
sounds.
While some mental
illnesses are unmistakable, like the psychosis
of schizophrenia or the feverish energy of mania, others
may
insin-
They may
well be dis-
guised, or so ingrained into your thinking patterns that
you do not
uate themselves into your
how much
realize illness
is
as
much
a
mind more
subtly.
they are draining your mental resources. Mental medical disease
as epilepsy
centrated medical attention. However,
over certain varieties as to
talk
about
we have
in their nonclinical
demand constant medical
— depression,
care).
and can require cona little
forms (that
These
more control is,
not so bad
are the ones
I
want
to
attention deficit disorder, and anxiety.
SHADES OF BLUE When you hear that someone a picture of
someone who
tears. In truth,
pressed
is
restless
with
depressed,
morose,
depression has
may be
is
many a
you probably conjure up
listless,
and sad to the point of
expressions.
A person who
very short attention span. She
is
de-
(I
say
MIND CALM
259
TAKE ACTION Are You Depressed?
Answer yes or no
1.
Do you Do you
3.
Does your
4.
Do you
1
to
.
feel
to these questions:
sad a lot?
often feel guilty or unworthy? life
seem meaningless?
feel that
nothing good
is
ever going to happen
you?
Have you
5.
lost interest in
what you once enjoyed,
like
sports, music, movies, dining out?
Do you find it hard to make up your mind about things? 7. Do you often forget things and find it hard to concentrate? 8. Do you get angry and irritated often? Are you so touchy that you lose control for no reason? Do you frequently overreact? 6.
Have your
9.
10. 1
1
.
come 12.
If
sleeping habits changed lately?
Do you feel restless or tired much of the time? Do you think about death often or do thoughts into your
Have you
of suicide
mind? lost or
you answered yes
gained weight lately without trying to?
to four or
more
of these questions,
the feeling has persisted for longer than two weeks,
probably depressed and need to see
"she" because
women
a
you
are
doctor now.
are twice as likely to suffer depression)
appear bored and blase, or unusually cheerful and
The outward
and
signs of major depression are well
may
erratic.
known. They
in-
clude clear feelings of sadness or emptiness, lack of interest or pleasure in anything, insomnia, major weight loss or gain, agitation, fatigue,
inability
to
concentrate,
feelings
of
worthlessness
and
thoughts of suicide, and most of these feelings have to persist daily
BRAIN FITNESS
260
over
at least
you should
two weeks.
If
this
is
what
going through your mind,
is
see a doctor immediately.
Mild or moderate depression, however, the day but takes the excitement out of
lets a
new
tion out of small victories. Depression can to
remember
trivial as
person get through
and the
ideas
make
it
satisfac-
your work, to read for any length of time, and even to think cally.
Among
you
difficult for
well as important things, to concentrate
the elderly, loss of
memory and changes
in
on
logi-
behavior
that are typically labeled Alzheimer's are, in actuality, very often
caused by depression.
The
roots of depression are tangled in a person's biochemistry and
neurochemistry. Hormones, particularly estrogen, are probably a powerful influence,
one
ters, particularly
likely reason
women
suffer
more. Neurotransmit-
serotonin, are surely partly to blame.
basis of the disorder
is
why
biological
antidepressants can be so effective.
However, certain experiences can
the outbreak of a mental
trip
disorder. For instance, taking psychedelic drugs can tible
The
make
a suscep-
person psychotic, and erratic sleep habits, especially going
without sleep for days, episodes. There
is
much
common
a
is
in
trigger for manic-depressive
your daily routine that could push you
toward depression. Food, medication, exposure to sunlight, and the
amount fers
of exercise
from
The
mood
a role in
whether
a
person
suf-
disorder.
following connections between depression and what you eat
are cited
•
a
you get may play
by Dr. Gary Null
Among
Indian
in
the Townsend
patients
suffering
found that the amount of zinc
Doctors and Patients.
Letter for
from depression, doctors
in their
bodies dropped remark-
ably after they recovered. •
An
article in the Southern Medical Journal
tamin B n •
A
in one's diet
noted that
a lack of vi-
can cause depression.
deficiency in folic acid
is
common among
patients with de-
pression. •
High
levels of
heavy metals
like
aluminum,
lead,
and mercury
MIND CALM
26
1
the air and water have been associated with depression and
in
anxiety.
Depression has also been traced to nutritional deficiencies
amin B 6 (pyridoxine) and riboflavin and to excesses For some
feine.
women,
in
in vit-
sugar and caf-
birth control pills blacken their outlook. In
addition, depression has been linked to a lack of exposure to sun-
prompting research into the depressive syndrome, seasonal
light,
fective disorder
My
first line
(SAD). of defense against depression, especially
vulnerable (during long dark winter days), sure
I
Eating spinach
is
a tasty
(part of the B complex).
tucked into lasagna or
way
as part of a salad, give
is
a
day show
I
get
enough
of spinach a week,
Doctors studying chronic depression and
200-500 micrograms
the right diet.
is
to ensure that
About two cups
when I
I
feel
make
combat depression.
eat foods rich in the nutrients that
Folic acid
af-
me enough
folic acid
folic acid
whether
protection.
have found that
results.
wrapped up with depression because
it
affects the
balance of the neurochemical serotonin. Brain researchers have been
making
startling discoveries
about
how
this neurotransmitter affects
your moods and thoughts.
Secrets oj Serotonin
Serotonin
made
a big splash a
few years ago
as the secret
behind the
blockbuster antidepression drug Prozac. Prozac belongs to a family of drugs called serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors.
increase the
amount
These drugs
of serotonin coursing through the brain.
A
steady supply of serotonin improves a person's mood, and vice versa.
When diet,
a
person has low levels of serotonin, whether from drugs,
or natural chemistry, depression and
imbalance
The
is
mood
swings follow.
extreme, thoughts of suicide are not
federal
If
the
uncommon.
government approved using Prozac (the generic
BRAIN FITNESS
262
name tists
is
fluvoxamine) for depression
and since then
scien-
have found that serotonin does more than manage depression.
People
in
the grips of obsessive-compulsive disorder and bulimia
also get better diet
in 1987,
when
their serotonin levels are
pumped
up.
The new
drug Redux, which was recently recalled by the FDA, quiets
person's appetite
by
raising the level of serotonin.
may
pect that boosting a person's serotonin
And scientists
a
sus-
also relieve migraine
headaches, anxiety, and premenstrual syndrome.
Given the discoveries about serotonin,
it is
not surprising that
sci-
have been delving into which foods and nutrients the body
entists
converts into
it.
Clinical researchers have
been concentrating on
foods rich in tryptophan, an amino acid that the body converts into serotonin. Their attention has been on foods, not supplements, be-
cause supplements are not as effective, possibly because they have difficulty crossing the blood-brain barrier.
Experiments with foods heavy
changed people's moods and put a group of fifteen
in
tryptophan have dramatically
lifted their depression. British scientists
women
with histories of depression (although
they were not on antidepressants and had eating disorders as well)
on
a diet of foods either lacking
the scientists' surprise, ten of the
tryptophan or packed with
women
mood change was
was very quick chiatrist at
—within
To
developed symptoms of de-
pression immediately after lowering their tryptophan levels percent. "The
it.
quite dramatic for those
by 75
women.
It
hours, really," said Dr. Katy Smith, a psy-
Oxford University. "They were the
typical
symptoms
of
depression
—low
change
in
amount
ularly,"
she added. Other reports from doctors have said the same
mood
The amount
thing:
but also the other symptoms such as a
of activity, an increase in guilty thinking, partic-
of tryptophan in foods
and drinks can
alter a per-
son's feelings of depression.
You teins.
find tryptophan in
complex carbohydrates and some pro-
According to Drs. Judith and Richard Wurtman
at
the Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology, people prone to depression
inadvertently trying to self-medicate themselves
may be
when they
crave
MIND CALM body chemistry
starchy foods. Their
is
263
them
driving
to replenish
their depleted serotonin.
For most people, the
recommended
daily intake of tryptophan
is
500 milligrams, and people susceptible to depression may consume up
to 1,500 milligrams. Dr.
ment
of 1,500 milligrams of the
known
DLPA), which,
as
pression,
make
I
sure that
I
on
my
(also
using doses of 150-200 mil-
people's depression.
To ward
off de-
eat healthy portions of carbohydrates
select proteins at least twice a day.
to have
suggests a daily supple-
amino acid DL-phenylalanine
in studies
some
ligrams a day, has eased
and
Andrew Weil
menu: pumpkin seeds,
and any rice-based food, such
These
are the foods
I
am
sure
turkey, peas, beans or pasta,
as rice crackers or sushi.
As every carbohydrate-craver knows, you can
satisfy
your nag-
ging desire to nosh and raise your tryptophan by eating sweet, starchy snacks. But
I
stay
lurking on the horizon. up, but
it
away from sugar when
A
I
shot of glucose will certainly
can also drop you into
a funk.
A
off,
your chemical
levels
they started, and you will
on anxiety coming up
feel
offers
in
To
to you.)
people prone to de-
learn
one of these unfortunates, cut sugar from your
to
below where
the dumps. (The section
a third of the
pression are especially sensitive to sugar.
(artificial
to
a
the effect
more about what sugar can do
Doctors have found that about
two weeks
when
may have plummeted even more
pump you
chunk of chocolate or
handful of cookies will raise your serotonin, but
wears
sense depression
whether you
diet
are
completely for
sweeteners are okay) and watch what happens
your mood.
An Serotonin tists
is
Essential Lubricant
not the only brain chemical behind depression. Scien-
have found
a
road connecting
a
type of fatty acid and the
dence of depression. This polyunsaturated, essential ("essential"
means
that
it's
vital to
fatty
inci-
acid
your immune and nervous system
3
BRAIN FITNESS
264
but available only through diet)
is
omega- 3, found
in fish.
This
fat,
along with others, circulates through the brain to make chemicals
more of
and to sharpen communication between neurons. Think
fluid
omega- 3 and other
fatty acids as lubricants for the brain. For
have known that eating
years, doctors
heart disease. Just recently, the
some
reduces a person's risk of
of fish oil has been discovered
Omega- 3
for treating mental diseases.
diet that
power
fish
fatty acids are so vital to the
national governments, notably those of
Denmark, recommend According to
that people
scientists
at
consume them
(NIH), population studies
have found fatty acids
a correlation
and
Japan, suffer
much
Institutes
Bio-
Health
of
between people consuming fewer omegaIt
also
a dietary staple, like
is
Membrane
the United States and other countries
in
rising rates of depression.
countries where fish
regularly.
the Laboratory of
physics and Biochemistry at the National
Canada and
less depression.
seems that people
in
Taiwan, China, and
For instance, the Taiwanese have
only one-tenth the incidence of depression than Americans.
Omega- 3
fatty acids contain substances called eicosanoids,
exert a powerful effect
your body, others hurt corn
oil
and soybean
on body functions. Some eicosanoids help it.
For instance, omega-6, which has a reputation for
oil,
works. Perhaps not surprisingly, the fatty acids
water
The
NIH
had high
levels of
fish like trout, sardines,
simplest
once
vegetable
found
oil
way a
to get
omega-6
gumming up your
in their is fish,
blood. particularly cold-
salmon, tuna, herring, and anchovies.
enough omega- 3
is
to eat this type of fish
week, remembering, of course, not to cook the
more than does cosahexaenoic
eating.
acid),
You can
which
is
a
benefits.
also take
supplements of
form of omega- 3
DHA (do-
fatty acid.
that have helped the mental outlook of students ranged from a day.
However,
much omega- 3
is
scientists
needed
fish in
Omega- 3 supplements are 300-mg capsules, which deliver much
and so reduce the
also available, generally in
grams
in
researchers looking into
best source of omega- 3 fatty acids
at least
is
and depression found that people with severe symptoms
of depression
The
which
1
to 2
how megadoses may
have not yet looked
for depression relief, so
Doses
at exactly
MIND CALM
265
TAKE ACTION Perk Up: Eat Something Here's
what
I
eat
when
feel
I
depression could get the better of
me.
Toasted pumpkin seeds
Turkey sandwich Grilled tuna
Spinach and pasta Vitamin B complex supplement
not be called
between the weekly
for.
For me,
fatty acids
it is
and
enough
my
to
know about
mind, so
state of
I
the strong
include fish in
tie
my
diet.
Herbal Relief Scientists
ment
for
have been getting remarkable mild depression. Doctors
ing depressed patients
remedy found
who were
in
results
with an herbal
treat-
England and Germany watch-
taking either a placebo or an herbal
that the plant extract
was
"significantly superior."
TESTIMONIAL TO AN HERB Neurologist Ron Lawrence sometimes prefers an herbal ap-
proach to treating depression. John's-wort hypericum.
It
"I've
been impressed with
does work and
I
encourage
than using Prozac or selective reuptake inhibitors. St.-John's-wort
weeks,
very
I
found
safe."
a it
chance, to be very
If
it
St.-
rather
you give
which usually takes about three
good
in alleviating
depression and
BRAIN FITNESS
266
Equally exciting, very few of the people taking the herb experienced
any side
The evidence
effects.
for this miraculous
mounting, and recently, researchers
herb has been
Munich reviewed twenty-
in
three studies of the herb, involving almost eighteen hundred pa-
and
tients
found
remedy was
the
that
just
effective
as
as
antidepressant medication.
This herb
is
an extract of a bushy shrub with yellow flowers called
St.-John's-wort and
"wort" throw It
is
you
is
also
—
off
it
known
means
hypericum. (Don't
as
"plant" or "root" in
available over-the-counter in capsules
names Hypericum Verbatim,
St.
John's Wort,
and
and
let
the
word
Middle English.) under the
tablets
Kira. Regardless of
the producer, each dose should contain 0.3 percent hypericum. Experts say that fect.
it
takes a couple of
The suggested
daily dose
and up
to three times a day,
dation.
If
you
is
a drug. tablet,
comes It
you have talked
the
to
a
day
do not switch
Sadness is
as piercing as
your heart
rate
heart, better
If
a
muscle tone,
healthier.
and breathe hard, but not
to the
point of pain or exhaustion. Nevertheless, the activity deserves
your attention.
to
your doctor.
—stronger
—make you even
to raise
once
commitment than does swallowing
side effects
its
increased energy
You need
at least
to dueling with depression, exercise
requires a heftier
but then
a noticeable ef-
depending on your doctor's recommen-
Sweat Out it
300 milligrams
are taking antidepressant medication,
St.-John's-wort until
When
weeks to produce
you can read a newspaper while pedaling a
all
sta-
tionary bicycle or carry on a conversation while jogging, you're not exercising,
A
you
are
engaged
in a relaxing
pastime.
single workout will not fend off the blues.
your Reeboks
month
at least three
or more.
It
took
six
times a
weeks
week
You have
to lace
up
for thirty minutes, for a
for sports doctors to notice results
from an exercise experiment with one hundred male college professors.
The
profs
were
first
tested for
symptoms
of depression, then
MINDCALM
267
put on an exercise program and monitored. After a
who were most
those In a
month and
depressed showed the biggest improvement.
study involving moderately depressed men,
it
was ten weeks of
And
aerobic exercise before doctors saw a difference in outlook.
guys
who
A
the
did stretching instead of aerobic workouts, and for two
weeks instead of
ten, did
study of forty
sity of
a half,
not get better.
women
with
a depressive disorder at the
Univer-
Rochester Sports Center found that an aerobic activity
ning or walking
— or
—
run-
working out on weight machines almost
completely erased signs of depression.
The women
exercised about
three times a week. Each workout consisted of a five- to ten-minute
warm-up, weight
a
main session of either progressing through
circuit or
walking or jogging around an indoor track
they sustained an 80 percent of capacity heart of cooldown.
A
a ten-station
control group of
women
rate,
until
and ten minutes
with similar signs of de-
pression did no exercise. After eight weeks, the active women's scores on standard depression
tests
had improved dramatically,
while their sedentary peers registered no improvement tal
health. Moreover, the
pression a year
later,
women were
in their
men-
again tested for signs of de-
and the exercising group maintained
their
rosier outlook.
The
psychological reasons
are clear.
When
exercise
makes people
people exercise regularly, they
complishment, and more
The
why
in control of
physiological reasons that
feel a
feel better
sense of ac-
themselves and their
moving and sweating
lift
lives.
depression
stem from bursts of chemical activity and improved cardiovascular function. Strong lungs
and
a strong heart
grapple with the pressures of stress and
help your
make you
body
less
to better
vulnerable to
depression. Flexing your muscles and constant motion also increase
the flow of adrenaline, another possible explanation for cise acts as
And
why
exer-
an antidepressant.
exercise stimulates your natural opioid system
dorphins that
raise
—those
en-
your pain threshold and lower blood pressure.
Scientists at the University of
Goteborg
in
Sweden think
that the
endorphin "high" of exercise may be an effective treatment not only
BRAIN FITNESS
268
for depression but also for alcoholism,
drug addiction, and anorexia
nervosa.
For exercise to kick
with
stick
nient.
it.
So pick an
We all know that
consuming, or choices.
an effective antidepressant, you have to
in as
activity if
something
we
of hassles,
full
you
is
and
relatively conve-
a lot of trouble, costly, time-
won't do
it.
There
are lots of
you may prefer jogging, climb-
prefer brisk walking, but
I
find fun
ing a stair machine, running on a treadmill, swimming, or riding a stationary bike. easy. Begin
If
you
are
new
to regular exercise, start light
with fifteen-minute workouts
low
at a relatively
and
resis-
tance and only gradually increase the duration and difficulty. Your first
goal should be to establish a routine you can live with.
finish you'll
your workout with some energy and motivation
If
you
left over,
be back the next day.
NOT ALWAYS DEPRESSION: ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER
IT'S
Sometimes
a
glum, but the
may act depressed, irritable, unmotivated, and demon may be not a mood disorder but adult atten-
person
tion deficit disorder
Many in
(ADD).
believe that
ADD
afflicts
the teen years, but experts
the cases of childhood
now
linger with girls longer. So, is
estimate that about one-third of
ADD stretch
children strikes boys ten times
the gender split
only children and then burns out
fairly
into adulthood.
more often than
by the time
its
girls,
ADD
in
tends to
it
sufferers reach adulthood,
even.
Like depression and other mental illnesses, families
While
and generations. And,
times referred to as residual)
like
ADD
ADD
floats
through
depression at times, adult (someis
a thinking disease.
It
can make
concentrating, remembering, solving problems, even listening excruciatingly difficult.
can cause.
Here
are the kinds of mental blunders
ADD
MIND CALM
269
TAKE ACTION Beating Depression •
Fill in
nutritional deficiencies. Boost
acid, vitamins B 6 •
and B 12 and ,
your intake of
folic
riboflavin.
Eliminate nutritional aggravators, particularly sugar and
caffeine. •
Expose yourself to
at least thirty
two hours of high-intensity •
minutes of sunlight or
artificial light
every day.
Eat foods rich in tryptophan, particularly complex car-
bohydrates. •
Consider taking supplements of DLPA.
•
Load up on foods with omega- 3
•
Try St.-John's-wort.
•
Make
time for
cise three times a
minutes of vigorous exer-
at least thirty
week and keep
fatty acids.
it
up
for at least a
•
Spelling errors
•
Mistakes
•
Misunderstanding or missing important points
in
month.
simple arithmetic in
reading
material
—missing
•
Inattention while driving
•
Mind-wandering during conversation
•
Constant and major
memory
turnoffs,
lapses
—
running signals
forgetting simple things,
from where you put something to important meetings dangerous lane switching when driving
•
Impetuous behavior,
•
Intolerable impatience, e.g., inability to wait in line
•
Inability to finish projects
•
Repeated procrastination
Hyperactivity
Someone who
is
is
e.g.,
sometimes, but not always, part of the condition.
constantly in motion
—may be
position, scratching, tapping
id
—pacing, in
gesturing, shifting
the grips of the hyperac-
BRAIN FITNESS
270
tive version.
who
ADD
Doctors distinguish someone with
from someone
simply fidgety by watching whether the perpetual motion
is
becomes more pronounced over the course
down
son calms
ence wears
off,
For instance,
hyperactivity
if
of an interview.
after the initial novelty of an
someone
is
If
a per-
encounter or experi-
probably not behind the restlessness.
finds
impossible to
it
through
sit
a
two-
hour movie without getting up and down or repeatedly shifting her
down
may be
hyperactivity
seat,
as she
becomes engrossed
the in
fuel.
But
this
if
person
the movie, she probably
in
settles
isn't
hy-
one time or another
feel
peractive.
Diagnosing
ADD
tricky. All of us at
is
impulsive, disorganized, or unable to follow a conversation or un-
derstand a piece of reading material. For a doctor to make a firm agnosis, the long
list
of possible
must be accompanied by other crop up
in adulthood,- a
who were undiagnosed
symptoms and
years
The symptoms have
—not
just flare
ADD does not first it
as a child. Adults
as children are told to dig out old
records and family histories to identify early nored.
glitches in thinking
features. For one,
person must have had
to
symptoms
be chronic
—
that
were
that
is,
school
persist
ig-
for
up and disappear on occasion. And the mud-
dled thinking has to invade every part of a person's ily life,
di-
life
—work, fam-
personal relationships.
A person with ADD
can be very successful, having unconsciously
devised ways to get around his or her handicaps. Rather than treat the disease,
someone with
be always keeping
lists
event to remember
in
ple
do those
The if
ADD
deftly compensate.
She may
of things to do, dutifully recording every
an elaborate calendar, and letting other peo-
tasks, like
lengthy reading, that she cannot manage.
ability to concentrate
you want
may
and use your time well
to succeed in business
is
everything
—or almost anywhere
else for
that matter.
—Lee Iacocca
MINDCALM The very smart person can be and work so that
ADD
271
especially adept at configuring her
life
does not interfere.
Getting Control
The
standard treatment for
Ritalin
most people know,
as
(methylphenidate), an amphetamine
down and mines
ADD,
focus. (In people
—speed— and
their uses
is
order that
all
who do
it is
is
the drug
not have the disorder, ampheta-
their cousins rev
as a diet pill.) Ritalin
is
that helps people settle
them
so effective in
even used to diagnose
it.
Another one of
up.
combating the
dis-
Doctors unsure of whether
a
child or adult has the disease prescribe Ritalin and watch the patient's reactions.
If it
sharpens behavior and thinking, and
is
not abused as
an upper, the doctors confirm the diagnosis. Other effective amphet-
amines are Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine) and Cylert (pemoline). Antidepressants like imipramine, amitriptyline, and desipramine are also prescribed for
ADD.
But
many people do
drugs because of the disturbing side effects insomnia, weight sants
may
also
loss,
not
like
taking these
some who
in
take them:
nausea, dizziness, and headaches. Antidepres-
tamper with your blood pressure or heart
rate,
and
should not be taken by anyone with heart disease.
Any medication you
use for
ADD
should be buttressed by non-
medical strategies. Dr. Edward Hallowell, illness
and author of
Driven
pronged treatment program:
to
Distraction,
a
leading expert on the
recommends
inserting structure or systems for organizing your
nate
many
tention
of the holes that
span,
ADD
concentration,
and
life,
patience.
For
you
elimi-
instance,
at-
the
remember appoint-
finish projects.
•
A home
•
Write-on, reminder calendars everywhere: kitchen, fice,
three-
punches into your memory,
following organizational aids can help you to
ments and
a
and novelty. By
structure, motivation,
filing
system for unpaid and paid
purse, office, car
bills,
receipts, notices
home
of-
BRAIN FITNESS
272
•
For doing quick arithmetic, inexpensive hand calculators
on your desk,
kitchen,
in
Notepads and pens everywhere
•
Bulletin boards
the
room
the television
•
in
for notes to yourself
on which you tack up every
and
paper
slip of
lists
listing
something you must do or remember •
Central appointment
book such
Day Runner
as a
keep track of appointments, meetings,
or Filofax to
etc.
Developing motivation requires more subtle
steps.
It
means mak-
ing manageable changes in destructive or futile ways of behaving.
goes hand
about
hand with educating yourself and those
in
ADD
and
how
ADD
stance, people with
when someone
is
in-
are notorious for apparently not listening
speaking to them and for appearing to be indiffer-
ent to the requests and needs of others.
and talked about,
you
your actions and thinking. For
affects
it
close to
It
Once
can be relieved of
it
its
this trait
is
recognized
emotional baggage. Not
listening can be understood as an attention problem, not a sign of
self-centeredness or lack of caring.
understood to be
a
symptom and not
easier for a person to confront
Novelty tience
is
come
When
it
and
easily to
bursts of excitement.
A
search, for example.
If
psychological problem,
ADD. Boredom and
them, so tasks and
such
a
ADD
for hours
job
is
is
it is
activities
impa-
need to be
for spontaneity, creativity,
person with
computer screen
ADD
try to change.
important to people with
planned to include opportunities
in front of a
a
a characteristic of
and
cannot be expected to
on end doing on-line
sit
re-
necessary, the assignment should
include lots of breaks to walk around and talk to others, and enough flexibility to briefly
pursue interesting diversions.
Studies have been examining children to learn whether certain
foods aggravate or ease the symptoms of attention deficit disorder. Scientists in at least three studies
watched what happened when
children ate either a high-carbohydrate meal or a high-protein meal. In
on
each study, the kids consuming mostly protein did much better tests of attention
and
listening,
and were
less physically restless.
For some people, caffeine works as a stimulant similar to
Ritalin.
MINDCALM When ADD
273
hyperactive children were given caffeine tablets
down and shed
doses up to 600 milligrams a day, some calmed impulsive, restless behavior.
Of
in
their
course, so large a dose of caffeine
can also produce stomachaches, nausea, and insomnia.
A
may
deficiency of essential fatty acids
der. Scientists
play a role in the disor-
from Purdue University reported that among almost
ADD
one hundred hyperactive
more than
boys,
lower than normal concentrations of fatty acids
Other researchers looking into than
girls
have
ADD, and
boys
this
in
ADD youngsters often
deficiency,
namely excessive
ing in
in
had much
their bodies.
have noticed that more boys
general have higher essential fatty
acid needs.
The Purdue
half
show
thirst,
signs of essential fatty acid
eczema,
allergies,
and asthma.
researchers noticed that the boys were especially lack-
omega- 3
fatty acids,
which come mainly from deep-water
fish.
ALWAYS ON EDGE The
psychiatrists'
bunches
IV,
ders."
a
handbook
number
for diagnosing
of thinking problems under "Anxiety Disor-
These include panic
attack, phobias, obsessive-compulsive
and degrees of
disorder, post-traumatic stress,
The kind
of anxiety
I
When you
find yourself always
constantly, uncontrollably worrying,- easily
for a formal six
months.
anxiety.
guard against, and the most common,
called generalized anxiety.
trate,- irritable,-
and unable to
tired,-
sleep, you've got this bug.
your mental
if
distress
on
is
edge,-
unable to concen-
medical diagnosis, these feelings have to
And
DSM-
mental disorders,
However,
last for at least
undermines your family
life,
work, or relationships, you need to seek professional help. While milder bouts of apprehension
they also
demand
may
from physiological
on top of
in
the doctor's office,
attention.
Your mind's reaction to anxiety,
istry
not put you
as well as
fixed,
like its reaction to stress,
gushes
psychological springs. Flawed chem-
nagging ideas can make
logical, crisp thinking
BRAIN FITNESS
274
virtually impossible. Scientists believe that a sputtering supply of the
amino acid ety.
are
The
GABA
(gamma-aminobutyric acid) fans the
brain uses
needed
GABA
of anxi-
fire
to manufacture neurotransmitters,
which
for nerve cell function.
A number
of studies have delved into the connection between
anxiety and foods that contain nutrients like amino acids. Although it is still
not clear whether a shortage or surplus contributes to the
anxiety, or
whether anxiety has produced the imbalance, there
definitely a relationship
between what you put
in
is
your mouth and
the extreme discomfort of general anxiety. Here's a sampling of
re-
cent findings:
A study of patients
•
anxious about impending surgery found that
the most nervous had low levels of potassium in their blood.
A
•
study
in
England of
improved
this nutrient
German
•
fifty
people given selenium showed that
mood and
their
decreased anxiety.
doctors gave a group of very anxious people either a
kava extract or tract slowly
a
placebo over four weeks and found that the ex-
reduced anxiety.
To protect myself from
anxiety,
my
first line
of defense
is
to guard
against a physiological assault. Psychotherapy can also be effective,
cannot help you with
can explain
but
I
self
from anxiety through diet and nutrition.
Particular foods, drinks,
that.
I
and minerals
how
I
try to shield
my-
Caffeine in
fuel anxiety.
any form can perk you up to the point of discomfort,- alcoholic drinks can raise the level of toxic chemicals in the
body and make
you
sweeteners
anxious,-
and food additives
like
monosodium glutamate can put you on
artificial
edge. Allergies to specific
foods can also tip the scale. Reactions to the gluten other grains, dairy products, and chemicals readily
make you
may be
stoking your uneasiness.
you can make consume.
anxious.
in
You should consider
to arrest anxiety
is
One
and
in
wheat and
ham or bacon can how each of these
relatively easy dietary
to reduce the
amount
change
of sugar
you
MIND CALM Here's
what goes on
in
27
your body and brain
5
after you've polished
off a sugary snack.
•
Simple sugar
quickly converted by the
is
which floods the bloodstream.
body
into glucose,
your pancreas
In response,
leases a stream of insulin to
remove the glucose. At
your blood sugar
and you
level sinks
feel
re-
this point,
nervous, twitchy, and
light-headed. •
When
your blood sugar
level
is
low, your adrenal glands step in
may make
to help out with an injection of Cortisol. This, then,
you •
•
somewhat panicky, ready
feel
to "fight or flight."
Sugar robs your body of vitamin B complex, which your brain uses for
memory and
enhance
circulation.
reasoning, to fight antioxidants, and to
Sugar can stimulate your appetite, tempting you to eat even
more unhealthful
food.
Americans consume an enormous amount of each of us takes is
a
pounds of the sweet
carbohydrate and comes
fructose
A
and
glucose,-
in
On
average,
stuff a year.
Sugar
three varieties. Simple sugars are
complex sugars
are lactose, maltose,
The
and
su-
sugar you want to
third type
is
found
from your diet
is
the kind that immediately converts into glu-
crose. cull
in sixty-five
sugar.
cose, or
blood
chemistry.
Of
people eat too tificial
sugar.
This
in
is
course, glucose
much and
sweeteners.
the
sugar beets.
the sweetener that whipsaws your is
vital to brain function,
wrong
They snack on
but
and
ar-
body quickly
re-
kind, like refined sugars
sugars that the
duces to glucose, instead of food with sugars that are broken gradually and so offer a steadier source of energy.
plex carbohydrates
is
The
down
sugar in com-
the preferred type. Fructose, or
provides the kind of brain fuel that will not
many
fruit sugar,
make you anxious and
jittery.
Here
are
some foods
listed
according to
how
quickly the
converts them into glucose. Those at the top of the est to transform
and so
list
body
are the slow-
are preferred for a strict antianxiety diet.
276
BRAIN FITNESS
Fructose
Brown
Grapefruit
White bread
Milk
Wheat bread
Yogurt
White
Apple
Honey
Orange
rice
rice
Carrot
juice
Spaghetti
Potato
Table sugar (sucrose)
Glucose
Banana
HEADACHES AND MIGRAINES One
of the hallmarks of anxiety
ging
relative.
is
a dull
headache that
Almost everyone gets headaches
is
like a nag-
— 70 percent
of us,
according to surveys. And, listening to people talk about their headaches,
them
on.
it's
On
easy to get the idea that almost anything can bring
the
list
headache stimulants are
of
caffeine, red wine,
champagne,
chocolate,
monosodium
glutamate. Other candidates for the headache hit pa-
rade include bananas,
and
nuts.
And
figs,
cured
meat,
aged
cheese,
milk,
and
onions, lima beans, potato chips, yogurt,
then there are
all
the nonfood, environmental aggra-
vations: smoking, smog, strong perfume, the smell of gasoline, loud noises, bright lights, a
Some people head
in
find that even sex
the weather, and high altitudes.
and orgasm unleash
pain. Scientists studying the possible causes of
lieve that ical
change
no single trigger
is
universal
environment, and hormones can
all
who
throbbing
headaches be-
and that emotions,
diet,
phys-
bring on the sledgehammer.
At the Princess Margaret Migraine Clinic found that people
a
in
London, doctors
get migraines are most sensitive to alcohol,
red wine more than white wine, and most of
all,
to beer.
Cheese or
chocolate, often both, started headaches in about one-sixth of the sufferers.
People with tension headaches, however, were not sensi-
tive to food,
cohol.
and only one of the
forty tension types reacted to
al-
MINDCALM A
cascade of chemical and neural reactions brings on a headache
attack. first
277
With
a migraine, the
contract,
dilate.
blood vessels on the surface of the brain
which produces the strange lighting of an
As the blood vessels
dilate or
become
aura, then
inflamed, they press on
nearby nerves. Scientists are uncertain, however, about whether a cause of the pain or the result of
dilation
is
activity.
Your brain
is
mixed up
down
nerve
cell
is
in
feel pain,-
pain
is "felt"
in
pain sen-
arteries. Scientists are pretty sure that
headache chemistry and know that
swings up and
son's serotonin level
neurotransmitter
does not
around the
sors in the nerves
serotonin
itself
this
some other chemical
down
a per-
during a migraine. This
an inhibitory chemical, meaning that
communication. Rising and
it
shuts
falling levels of sero-
tonin can set off a chemical seesaw of blood vessel expansion and contraction, the result being a pounding pain in your head.
The Hangover Headache Excessive drinking causes a headache because alcohol dehydrates
you, temporarily robbing the brain of a plentiful supply of cerebrospinal fluid and so disrupting nerve cell action.
Most alcohol
also
contains congeners, which are flavoring and coloring chemicals that are
known headache
triggers.
The Harvard Medical School measures
to
prevent hangover
headaches include 400-800 milligrams of vitamin E and 1,000 milligrams of vitamin
C
before drinking. These vitamins help prevent
free-radical injury to the brain hol.
Also drink
lots of
from the toxic by-products of alco-
water before, during, and after drinking alco-
hol in order to prevent dehydration and to speed the elimination of
alcohol from the bloodstream. Over-the-counter ibuprofen taken
with a snack before drinking can also save you from a pounding
head the next morning. The anti-inflammatory helps prevent
in-
flammation of the nerves of the menages, the connective tissue covering the brain,
which
is
where you
feel
head
pain.
BRAIN FITNESS
278
Lighten Up: Fighting Tension Headaches
Tension headaches are the crabgrass of headaches, the most com-
mon tions.
kind of throbbing pain. This headache comes from It
may be prompted by
tight
anxiety or stress over
with your spouse. Danish scientists looking
among
direc-
head and neck muscles caused by
poor posture or straining over the wheel of your car
may be brought about by
all
for hours.
Or
it
work or an argument
at
headache patterns
four thousand people found that tension headaches were
by
usually set off
stress,
mental tension, and tiredness.
headache frequently begins
after
A
tension
you have been looking down or
bending your neck
for a
ple with relatively
heavy heads and unstable neck bones are more
long time, and doctors have found that peo-
likely to get tension headaches.
Hitting Back: Treatment
Of
many headache
course, there are
medications available. For
years, the standard medication for migraines has
which helps contract blood
vessels.
been ergotamine,
and beta-
Antidepressants,
blocker and calcium channel blocker drugs, which are normally used to treat high for
blood pressure and coronary artery
some headache
name
victims.
The newest
disease, also
work
drug, sumitriptan (trade
Imitrex), adjusts the balance of serotonin in the brain. Avail-
able in tablet form
and by
injection,
it is
migraines, even once the pain has set
mended
for
swollen.
taining caffeine
some people, People
However,
it's
not recom-
people with high blood pressure or heart disease.
Sometimes caffeine helps because
may be
in.
remarkably effective with
A cup may be
it
constricts
blood vessels that
of coffee, a Coke, or another soft drink conjust the thing to
wash away
caffeine withdrawal can generate a
who consume
fer a blistering
a certain
headache
if
amount
a
headache. For
mean
migraine.
of caffeine every day can suf-
they suddenly halt their caffeine con-
MIND CALM sumption
even
for
279
few days. This kind of headache
a
is
combated by
evening out your caffeine intake.
Some people swear by
belongs to the daisy family, feverfew a
headache preventative.
A
the herb feverfew.
Its
used by migraine sufferers as
is
active ingredient
an anti-inflammatory and to adjust serotonin studies in England,
feathery plant that
is
thought to act
freeze-dried feverfew daily experienced fewer and
headaches than study members
who
took
a
couple of
levels. In a
migraine victims taking capsules
with
filled
much
like
less painful
placebo.
Lots of people, myself included, use herbal or over-the-counter
One
pain medications sparingly.
phenomenon, which happens painkillers.
body
loses
you take pain
If
its
practical reason
who
to people
is
regularly use headache
more than three times
pills
the rebound
a
week, your
and the headaches get increasingly
ability to respond,
worse. Aspirin, anti-inflammatories, acetaminophen, antihistamines,
and muscle relaxants work well headaches are
what
I
do
•
to
head
headache pain
is
either to chill,
warm and
gets
the cold treatment
eyes.
—
area, usually
Eye masks
my
reaction
A
creeping
to
tension headache usually
homemade
ice
pack held
upper neck, top or side of
(plastic, gel-filled
my
masks available
worn when you get
if
the pain persists.
that the pain
is
coming from
back, neck, or eyes. I
veloping me,
use a I
A
I
taut, strained
heating pad
warm
washcloth.
will try to find a
shower, positioning
my
seek out heat
my
is
If
when
muscles
first
in
a killer tension
apply ice for up to twenty minutes and reapply
I
once an hour
available,
to counterattack. Here's
numb, and reduce swollen nerves
small,
a
drugstores) can be frozen and
is
first
relax spastic muscles.
around the painful
headache.
My
adjustment.
or to
my
your
if
off brain-draining pain:
Temperature
head, or
you need
a regular firestorm,
but
for lots of people,
in
I
can
my
choice, but
steam room or take
a
feel
upper
none
if
the tension feels like
it
it's
en-
warm
head so that the soothing water massages
the trouble spots. •
Muscle shake-out. The
strain of
concentrating on paperwork
or maintaining a forced posture for a long period of time
may
.
BRAIN FITNESS
280
push I
me toward
a
headache. This type of pain
so
is
common
that
routinely stretch throughout the day, even without prompting
from head pain.
I
stretch
my
head and neck by rotating
my
head
my hand to stretch my head first over my left shoulder, then over my right shoulder. may try to stretch my chin far down on my chest or lay my head back as far as it will go. When return to whatever was doing, am careful about my posture and consciously use my abdominal muscles to sit up straight. No slouching or tilt360-degree motion
in a
five or six times,
and then gently use
I
I
I
I
ing or crooked spine allowed!
Some
Ease the eyes.
•
straining. Part of the
days,
problem
feel like
I
is
my
eyes are constantly
creeping farsightedness, which
TAKE ACTION Finding Your Headache Triggers
Doctors ask these questions about recent behavior to help
headache
what
sufferers pinpoint
what
started their pain
and
learn
to avoid:
1
Have you skipped
2.
Have you eaten
a
a
meal?
meal with
nitrites
(cured meat, hot dogs),
tyramine (aged cheese), monosodium glutamate (processed foods, Chinese food), or phenylethlyamine (chocolate)? 3.
Have you spent
a lot of
time
in
the sun or exposed to
bright light? 4.
If
a
woman,
are
you going through hormonal changes
from your period, pregnancy, menopause, or birth control 5.
Are you missing sleep or sleeping too much?
6.
Have you
just
completed
a stressful
pills?
experience and
feel
some letdown? 7.
Have you
physically strained
lately,-
for instance, put in a
long day of gardening or driven nonstop for 8.
like
Have you spent time
in a
closed
heavy perfume or gasoline fumes?
many
hours?
room with strong
odors,
MIND CALM happens
to
everyone sometime
vated by poor lighting, staring read print.
good
Around the computer
lighting.
defense
final line of
room,
find a dark
I'll
glare. In
and can be aggra-
forty,
tiring,
I
have invested
screen, the light
reading areas,
I
in
bright
is
use strong halogens.
coming
on,
quietly for five or ten minutes with
my
is
sit
1
computer screen, and hard-to-
To prevent my eyes from
and diffused with no
My
age
after
at a
28
darkness.
If
I
feel eyestrain
eyes closed, and gently massage the orbicularis muscle that encircles • It
my
eyes.
Exercise for
delivers
relief.
more oxygen
thoughts.
pumps up
to the brain,
fighting endorphins in circulation, stressful
and takes
Twenty minutes
my
migraines
become
of pain-
my mind away
from
my mind toward mov-
Another sign of
a serious
to
See a
Doctor
chronic, attacking at least twice a
and disrupting your daily
life,
month
you should seek professional
condition
is
help.
headache pain that gets worse
over time with accompanying changes vision.
amount
muscles and away from headache pain.
When
When
the
of sit-ups, StairMaster, brisk
walking, or vigorous stretching exercises turn ing
me defeat a headache.
Aerobic activity helps
in
your memory, behavior, or
Your general practitioner may well send you to
a neurologist
TUMOR WORRY In
my
first
year of medical school,
headache twinge signaled
some anxiety first
if
I
a
had known
tumor.
I
I
worried that the smallest
could have saved myself
that brain tumors are rare
and the
signs are usually not headaches but dizziness, blackouts,
vomiting, problems with vision, and/or seizures.
headache, which can
advanced tumor causes
a
squeeze or a sharp pain
in
one
area.
Only
a
very
feel like a
head
BRAIN FITNESS
282
tor a barren.- or rests ro rule our brain disease.
eliminared rrearmenr
may
Once
rhis
has been
and or some rype
consisr of medicarion
of behavioral modification aimed ar your headache rriggers. Your
doctor
may
also ask
you
se
headache diary
a
in
which you
oossible dierary or environmen-
critj
physical healrh and activity ar rhe rime
sleep parrerns
tal triggers,
keep
ro
record rhe rime durarior
and medications you are raking.
Hmdacbt
Facts
•
More women rhan men
•
Menstrual migraines which arrack before during or afrer riod
afflict
more rhan
ger rhem.
half rhe
and
•
Migraines run
•
Migraines rend ro weaken
•
About 20 percenr
•
Drugs
in families
women who
are
ger headaches.
probably generic.
you ger
as
a pe-
older.
or headaches are caused
by whar you
ear.
work wirh migraines.
:ha: ea-e tension ::eacaches also
;:: vice versa •
Abour
who have
third or rhe people
a
rension headaches also
experience rhe nausea and light sensitivity typical of migraines.
Skipping
•
a
meal can cause
a
can dilate the blood vessels alter
headache because low blood sugar in
blood sugar and produce
the head. Sleeping late can also a
headache.
DON'T IGNORE THAT HEAD BANG A somewhat
hidden danger to the brain
is
advertent head bang or an accidental blow. a
toy
a
hard
fall
while doing sports or
way can produce
a
thought processes
may
A
a
fall
child hitting
an in-
you with
render-bender on the high-
mild traumatic brain injury TBI that
alters
your
and emotions and endangers your physical
health. What's scary about TBI
pened. You
a
trauma from
not have
losr
is
that
you may nor know
consciousness
or
if
it's
hap-
you did only
MINDCALM
283
TAKE ACTION Guide
to
Your Headaches
Kind: Allergy Triggers
and symptoms: Pollen, molds, and
some
Watery
foods.
eyes and sinus congestion. Antihistamines.
Treatment:
If
chronic, you
may need
desensitiza-
tion shots.
Kind-.
Arthritis
Triggers
and symptoms-. Like arthritis
triggers this headache. Pain at
in general,
it
isn't
back of head and
clear
in
what
the neck,
which gets worse with movement. Treatment:
Kind-.
Anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants
Cluster
Triggers
and symptoms-. Alcohol or smoking can cause severe pain
around or behind an eye. The pain frequently sleep
and can cycle on and
headaches can occur
regularly,
off
for days
Treatment:
daily.
Most
suf-
men.
Migraine medication (ergotamine), nasal inhalant of
oxygen
anesthetic,
Kind-.
during
or weeks. These
even weekly or
ferers are twenty-to-thirty-year-old
starts
Common
inhaling, lithium
and
classic
migraine
(also
called
vascular
headaches) Triggers
and symptoms-.
The common migraine
intense throbbing on one side of the head. gradually,
sometimes beginning with
strikes quickly
The
with
classic attacks
sensitivity to light.
Both
can bring nausea, even vomiting. Although thought to have
a
genetic basis, migraines can be triggered by food, drink, envi-
ronment, and
stress.
284
BRAIN FITNESS
Treatment:
Over-the-counter and prescription painkillers, fever-
few, ice, biofeedback, diet modification
Kind:
Hypertension
Triggers
and symptoms-. Feels like a tight metal
head. Caused by high blood pressure Treatment-.
Kind-.
(at least
200/100).
Medication for blood pressure, diet modification
Temporomandibular
Triggers
band around the
joint
(TMJ) headache
and symptoms-. Caused by teeth grinding, jaw clenching,
and poorly aligned
The jaw may
teeth.
click
when
eating or
yawning. Treatment-.
Biofeedback, relaxation, professional dental attention
to correct the bite
Kind-.
Tension
Triggers
and symptoms-.
comes from ally
The most common type
straining muscles in the neck, scalp,
triggered
by
daily
contraction" headache.
also
it
and head. Usu-
Also considered a "muscle
hassles.
May
of headache,
be triggered by vascular con-
striction.
Over-the-counter
Treatment-.
painkillers,
relaxation
therapy,
biofeedback
briefly, ister
and neurological
tests
normal. However, you
and scans
may
after the accident
start to
behave and
feel
may
reg-
odd. Your
memory may be fuzzy. You may get headaches more Or your personality may show subtle changes,- for example,
thinking and often.
new moodiness
or angry outbursts. For
some people with TBI,
it is
years between a "harmless" head jarring and diagnosis and help.
When
I
was competing
concerns was getting
hit
in karate
with
a
tournaments, one of the great
backhand
to the temporal area of the
MIND CALM
285
BRAIN INJURIES TURN HEADS more
Brain injuries are getting
new
federal law, the Traumatic Brain Injury Act,
officially
recognizes traumatic brain injury and autho-
cause of a
which
money
rizes
attention these days, in part be-
the act
is
for research
that more than
and
fifty
state grants.
One
reason behind
thousand people die every year
in
the United States from brain injuries.
head. There are delicate, gion,
and
a
blow
bleeding. This
strikes to the face are
naments, or protective headgear
What happens
banned
many
in
fatal
tour-
required.
with brain trauma
is
on the brain
that neurons
sur-
connect each other are stretched or torn and areas of the
face that frontal
is
the temporal re-
in
hemorrhage and
to that area could lead to a
why
is
somewhat weak bones
and temporal lobes are bruised. The
depend on exactly which nerves
Symptoms may show up
in
are
damaged and
blow or
fall
later scarred.
the form of headaches, dizziness, dou-
ble vision, or ringing in the ears.
Nausea and
smell, taste, or hearing are also signs.
especially
effects of the
A
a
weakened sense
person's thinking
may
of
suffer,
memory, concentration, attention span, judgment, and
abstract logic.
Or
he may become
the injury
irritable,
may damage
a person's
emotions, and
depressed, or lose his social
skills
and
in-
hibitions.
To make loss of
a firm diagnosis of TBI, a
consciousness for as long as thirty minutes, loss of
of events surrounding a dition.
Scale,
doctor asks whether there was
head trauma, or any change
The person may be
tested according to the
which measures the degree of
in
memory
mental con-
Glasgow
Coma
injury.
Treatment for TBI usually focuses on cognitive and psychological therapy.
While
little
may be done
for the brain
damage, which time
has perhaps reduced to scarring, patients need help understanding
and learning to cope with mental or emotional impairments. For
in-
BRAIN FITNESS
286
A BRIEF REFRESHER I
am
always on guard against mild mental disturbances that can
slow or sidetrack
my thinking.
order, generalized anxiety,
mon
Depression, attention deficit
and headaches
are relatively
dis-
com-
ailments that disrupt a person's mental sharpness. Here are
ways
to protect yourself.
Fight depression. Eat right by taking
amin B 6
,
more
in
folic acid, vit-
riboflavin, foods rich in tryptophan, especially
com-
plex carbohydrates, and foods rich in omega- 3 fatty acids.
Eliminate foods that might bring on depression, such as caffeine
and of
Get
sugar.
bright
minutes of sunlight or two hours
at least thirty
light
artifical
a
day.
Consider taking
DLPA
or
St.-John's-wort.
Counteract attention
deficit disorder.
To avoid the
of a short attention span and forgetfulness, create a
system for
bills
and
your daily
facet of
pitfalls
home
filing
receipts, use write-on calendars for every
keep notepads around the house and
life,
in
the car, hang a bulletin board to post reminders and important papers,
and maintain
Ward
off anxiety.
caffeine, alcohol,
comprehensive appointment book.
a
Avoid foods that
some
additives,
Protect against headache.
I
fuel anxiety, especially
and refined
try to eliminate the causes of
most headaches by using heat and cold nerves or to
warm
sugar.
to reduce swollen
tense muscles, regularly relaxing tense head
and neck muscles, giving
and doing
relief to strained eyes,
reg-
ular aerobic exercise.
stance, increased irritability ality
change
in
is
considered the most
someone with TBI, and
ones understand
this,
agnosed, treatment ling seizures, fever,
relationships
may
common
person-
unless a patient and his loved
may
suffer. If a
brain trauma
is
di-
include medication for migraines, control-
and brain inflammation,-
antidepressants,-
drugs like methylphenidate (Ritalin) to help concentration.
and
MINDCALM
287
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al.
"Endorphins and exercise: physiological mechanisms and
implications." Medicine and Science
"A type of 4-6, Ulrich,
fat
we may need more
March V,
et
in
Sports
and
Exercise,
22
of." Tufts University Health
(4),
& Nutrition
al.
Third Line
Letter,
15
(1),
1997.
"A comparison of tension-type headache
in
migraineurs and
migraineurs: a population-based study." Pain, 67 (2-3), 501-6,
Werbach, M.
clinical
417-28, 1990.
R. Nutritional Influences on Mental Press, Tarzana, Calif., 1991.
Illness:
A
in
non-
October 1996.
Sourcebook of Clinical Research.
Appendix
Acetylcholine
and
is
is
a
A
neurochemical circulating
the primary carrier of memory. Lecithin
at all
is
nerve-muscle junctions
the most important nutrient
to support production of acetylcholine, along with B vitamins
and vitamin C.
Acetyl-1-carnitine enhances energy metabolism, brain function, and the
immune
system.
ACTH gland. sol
It
(adrenocorticotropic hormone)
produced
in
the pituitary
stimulates the outer layer of the adrenal glands to produce Corti-
and androgen hormones. Levels of
stress,
is
emotion,
injury,
Adrenal cortex
is
and
ACTH
increase in response to
infection.
the outer layer of the adrenal gland.
Adrenal extract boosts the body's
ability to deal
fection, physical challenge, allergens,
Adrenal glands are located
at
with stresses such as
and sexual stimulation.
the top of each kidney.
The
outer part or
cortex produces corticosteroids, which regulate blood sugar levels and balance, and metabolism. rine,
The
which prepares the body
Adrenaline (epinephrine) ger or
288
stress.
is
in-
pH
inner part, the medulla, produces epinephfor stress. a
hormone
that prepares the
body
for dan-
APPENDIXA
289
Aerobic exercise includes swimming, jogging, and cycling, during which the rate
with the rate Allicin cial
is
when
shown
at
which oxygen reaches the muscles keeps pace used up.
garlic
is
minced, crushed, swallowed, or digested.
blood pressure, and the
to lower cholesterol, is
whiten
It
ingestion or absorption of antacids, cooking utensils,
and food additives such
as
potassium alum, which
is
degenerative condition
a progressive
in
nerve cells of the brain degenerate and the brain substance shrinks. is
unknown, but
Amino protein in
is
it
may be
linked to heredity or
that
it is
broken down into
amino
its
enzymes
acids
that
The
exact
The
value in eating
by hydrochloric acid
the small intestine. There
in
twenty amino acids that make up the protein
by the body (nonessential) and eight
which the
aluminum poisoning.
acids are the building blocks of proteins.
the stomach and then by digestive
are
used
is
flour.
Alzheimer's disease
cause
has been
risk of cancer.
element, harmful to the body, that enters
a light metallic
body through
antiperspirants, to
at
it is
pungent sulfur-containing compound that becomes benefi-
a
Aluminum the
which
activities
in
humans: twelve made
must be obtained by diet
(es-
sential).
Anaerobic exercise that relies
on
a series of
stores of sugar
Androgens
is
and are a
fat in
high-intensity workout such as sprinting
a brief,
biochemical reactions to obtain energy from the muscle.
group of hormones that cause the development of male
secondary sex characteristics, including
facial
hair,
deep voice, and
in-
crease in muscle mass.
Aneurysms
are caused
by the ballooning of an
of blood flowing through a
body, but most often occur
weak in
area.
artery due to the pressure
They can occur anywhere
Antioxidants are substances
in
vitamins that prevent cellular
due to oxidation and exposure to unstable molecules called
ApoE4
in
the
the brain and aorta.
(apolipoproteinE4)
is
a protein
people with Alzheimer's disease than
in
damage
free radicals.
gene that occurs more often
the general population.
two forms of the gene, apoE2 and apoE3, may protect against the
disease.
Arginine and ornithine are amino acids usually prepared and sold
combination. Arginine itary
gland
as a reserve
in
is
in
The other
in
the building block needed by the anterior pitu-
the production of
supply because
it is
human growth hormone. Ornithine easily
converted to arginine.
serves
BRAIN FITNESS
290
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
is
a
potent water-soluble antioxidant that ap-
pears to be effective in preventing diseases caused free radicals, e.g., heart disease, cancer,
cataracts.
a disease of the artery walls in
is
cellular It
damage from
may be
an impor-
and maintaining the immune system.
tant factor in strengthening
Atherosclerosis
and
by
thickens and thus impairs blood flow.
It is
which the inner
responsible for
layer
more deaths
in
the United States than any other condition.
Atrophic
phy
gastritis
Axon, or nerve pulses
is
chronic inflammation of the stomach with atro-
a
mucous membrane.
of the
between
fiber, is
the part of a nerve cell that carries electrical im-
cells.
Basal ganglia are paired nerve cell clusters in the cerebrum that play a
movement,
vital part in
specifically the
smoothness of actions and stop-
ping and starting. Degeneration of the basal ganglia
present in those
is
with Parkinson's disease.
Beta-amyloid
a protein
is
found
in
dense deposits
neuron plaques that are one of the distinctive
at
the center of the
tissue
formations of
Alzheimer's disease.
Beta-carotene
is
the precursor to vitamin A.
functions in neutralizing free radicals.
and
atherosclerosis.
It is
an
against respiratory diseases
It
may
It
is
an antioxidant that
help prevent cervical cancer
immune system booster and appears and environmental
to protect
pollutants.
Blue-green algae are single-cell aquatic plants that contain trace minerals,-
may have
Borage
oil
neurostimulatory effects. contains a linoleic acid that reduces the risk of atheroscle-
rotic heart disease.
Boron larly
is
a trace mineral that aids in the synthesis of steroids, particu-
estrogens and testosterone.
tain strong bones,
It
may
and prevent memory
help prevent osteoporosis, mainloss.
Branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine) aid ing liver
damage due
to alcoholism, restore muscle mass to a
ering from muscle tissue breakdown and fatigue, and
in revers-
body recov-
may be used
as a
possible treatment for neurologic disorders.
Calcitonin
is
a
hormone
that slows the rate at
down, thus decreasing the amount of calcium Calcium cent
is
is
found
that
is
which bone
is
broken
dissolved in the blood.
the most plentiful mineral in the body. All but a small perin
the bones and teeth and helps maintain their strength. Vi-
APPENDIXA D
tamin
is
291
required for the absorption of calcium. Calcium also functions
with magnesium to keep the heart healthy and the electrical rhythm of the heart pulsing regularly.
It is
also important in the transmission of impulses
between nerves throughout the body. Nonanimal, healthy sources of
cal-
cium are soybeans, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, dried beans, and green vegetables.
Carboyhdrates come
in
two basic forms: complex and simple. Simple
carbohydrates, like those gotten from candy, are one, two, or at most three
Complex carbohydrates,
units of sugar linked together in single molecules.
obtained from grains and other whole foods, are hundreds or thousands of sugar units linked together in single molecules. Centella. See gotu
Cerebellum ance,
kola.
the second largest part of the brain.
is
movement, and
Cerebral cortex the cerebrum.
The
coordinates bal-
posture.
the outer thin layer of the largest part of the brain,
is
cerebral cortex
is
the gray matter, the site of conscious
behavior, and protects the white matter, which
is
is
the inner fiber network
hippocampus and the limbic system.
of the deeper brain centers, the
Cerebral infarct
It
a loss of
oxygen
to the brain
and can produce
a
stroke.
Cerebrovascular disease
is
any disease affecting an artery supplying
blood to the brain.
Cerebrum Choline complex. cell
is
is
the largest part of the brain.
a water-soluble
compound and
Cholinesterase
is
an
enzyme
cholines, including acetylcholine.
of
of the vitamin B
loss,
that acts It
and helps learning
ability.
on the breakdown of various
occurs mostly
in
blood plasma, the
and pancreas.
Chromium with
member
essential for neurotransmitter production, aids in maintaining
It is
membranes, may slow down memory
liver,
a
insulin,
fat. It
picolinate
it is
may
is
a
mineral that protects the pancreas. Along
necessary to the breakdown of sugar and the metabolism
help to increase muscle mass and prevent heart disease and
diabetes.
Chromosomes
are threadlike structures in the nucleus of cells that carry
the genetic information that directs the growth and functioning of the body.
Circadian rhythm twenty-four hours.
is
the cycle in the
body
that runs approximately
BRAIN FITNESS
292
Clonidine
a
is
drug used to
Cobalamin (Vitamin B ,
3
metabolism of protein and
Cobalt
struction of red blood cells.
be obtained from foods
Copper
as
It is
it
which protects the
C
ture that
it
is
a
and
do
to
its
job
the con-
in
very small amounts and must
a catalyst in
concert with
for the
It
broad range
a is
essential for
conversion of tyrosine into melanin is
It
.
essential for the utilization of
strong influence on the health of the elastic tissues
ligaments and tendons. Copper
as
cells
aids in the
It
not built into supplements.
skin from sunburn
and so has
body such
of the
Bp
in
chemical reactions throughout the body.
in
hemoglobin synthesis and
vitamin
is
necessary
mineral that acts as
a
is
enzymes
of
blood
fat.
mineral that enables vitamin
a
is
)
hypertension and migraine headache.
normal functioning of the nervous system.
essential for the
is
treat
aids in the production of red
difficult to
become
beans whole wheat, prunes
is
so abundant in na-
deficient in this mineral.
leafy vegetables,
and
in
It
found
is
in
high concentration
from use of copper cookware.
Corpus callosum
is
an area of neurons
longitudinal fissure that enables the
in
the brain at the base or the
and right hemispheres
left
to
commu-
nicate.
Corticosteroid the adrenal glands natural
is
a class of
in
hormone made from
response to
stress.
and synthetic corticosteroids
by
controls the metabolism. Both
It
are
cholestrol produced
used to reduce inflammation
however they are toxic with long-term use. Cortisol It
affects the
mune it is
is
a
type of corticosteroid
made by
metabolism of glucose, protein and
system, and influences other
body
the fats
functions.
bodys adrenal
and regulates the im-
When
used
as a drug,
usually called hydrocortisone.
Cortisone
is
a steroid isolated
from the adrenal cortex that acts upon
metabolism and influences the nutrition and growth of connective
Cyanocobalamin, fcommonly known a
glands.
as vitamin
B 12
),
tissues.
helps maintain
healthy nervous system and prevents anemia.
Dehydroepiandrosterone fDHEAj adrenal glands. steroidal
may
It
appears to aid
hormones, may
in
is
a
hormone produced by
the
the regulation and production of
help reduce cholesterol levels and body
fats
and
help increase muscle mass.
Dendrites are short multiple branches of neurons linked by impulses.
They
carry electrical signals toward the cell body.
APPENDIXA Deprenyl acts as a
name
the trade
is
293
drug used for Parkinson's disease.
for a
It
neuroprotective agent and enhances mental function, mood, and
libido.
Dexotroamphetamine
a
is
stronger form of the drug amphetamine.
DL-phenylalanine (DLPA)
an amino acid involved
is
in
biochemical
processes related to the brain's synthesis of various neurotransmitters.
It
helps to increase mental alertness, promote sexual arousal, and alleviate
chronic pain.
name
of the Alzheimer's drug Aricept.
Donepezil
is
the generic
Dopamine
is
the neurotransmitter that controls physical
maintains proper function of the
immune
system.
It
growth hormone. High
tuitary gland to secrete
movement and
also stimulates the pi-
levels of
dopamine im-
prove mood, sex drive, and memory. Eicosanoids are tiny molecules produced by most fats
—
for
example, omega- 3
oils
— and
cells
from certain
are powerful regulators of cell func-
tions.
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
is
a
impulses produced by activity
trical
device that records the minute electhe brain.
in
It is
especially helpful in
diagnosing epilepsy.
Encephalopathy larly
is
any disease or disorder affecting the brain, particu-
chronic degenerative conditions.
Endocrine system consists of the
body
that produce
Endorphins are creas,
and
a
and
is
hormones
release
a
a
body
fat,
and
down
unsaturated categories.
bound
in
the nervous system, panstress.
type of fungus used to treat migraine headache.
hormone produced by
Fat can be broken
ecules
directly into the bloodstream.
and control the body's response to
the secondary sex characteristics in distribution of
of glands scattered throughout
See adrenaline.
Ergot alkaloids are Estrogen
number
group of substances found
testes that relieve pain
Epinephrine
a
A
fine
the pituitary gland that produces
women, such
body
as breast
development,
hair.
into the saturated, polyunsaturated,
fat
molecule
is
composed
and mono-
of three fatty acid mol-
to a glycerol molecule.
Focal dystonia
is
a repetive
moving up and down when Folic acid (folate)
with others to act
is
a
movement
disorder, such as a person's leg
in a sitting position.
coenzyme
as a catalyst for
(an
enzyme needed
chemical reactions
in
in
combination
the body) needed
BRAIN FITNESS
294.
for
forming prorein and hemoglobin.
etables,
legumes
ing and
when
It
is
available rrom leafy green veg-
whole grains and brewers
nuts,
room temperature. Your
stored at
It
is
lost in
cook-
best source
is
a fresh
green
yeast.
garden salad. Unlike the other water-soluble vitamins
prove lactation
act as an analgesic for pain
and increase appetite
skin
Free
radicals
reactive
damage
:esses or pollution that
acid can im-
promote healthy youthful
cases of debilitation.
in
very
are
folic
molecules
cell
formed by normal
components
unless stopped
cell
by
an-
iants.
Ginkgo biloba level of
an herb that
is
dopamine
ing plaque deposition
is
rich in antioxidants.
It
may
increase the
improve circulation by aiding the
the brain
in
inhibit coagulation in
in arteries
inhibit-
blood vessels and
improve mem'
Ginseng
is
may
an herb that
help improve mental performance
tains antioxidants that prevent cellular
inhibit the
growth
oi cancer cells
:ope with
stress
damage from
increase
free radicals.
It
con-
It
may
and enhance energy and help
by normalizing body functions.
Glial cells support nerve cells
by providing them with nutrients or by
attacking invading bacteria
Glucagon
pan
in
is
hormone manufactured by
a
monitoring sugar
Glucocorticoid
hat regulates the tein.
hibit
They
levels in the
refers to a
ah
blood
group of steroids produced by the adrenal
bodys metabolism
of carbohydrate
rat
and pro-
muscle tone blood pressure and gas secretion
I
inflammation
the pancreas that plays a vital
and lmmu'
allergies
^.ses
and
in-
affi
function oi the central nervous system.
Glucose
is
a
sugar substance found
in
the blood that
is
the source of the
and brains energy supply.
Glutamine
is
the precursor of glutamic acid which serves the brain
neutralizing excess ity.
ammonia
thus creating a clearer space for brain activ-
Glutamine may improve IQ
tence as well as speed healir
Glutathione peroxidase
alleviate fatigue
Glycine,
a
depression
and impo-
_
is
an
enzyme
tecting against lree-radical oxidating
itary
by
that has an important role in pro-
dar
nonessential amino acid aids in the treatment or low pitu-
gland function and
Glycocyamine
is
a
is
useful in the treatment or muscular dystrophy.
derivative of glucose
and
essential to the mainte-
APPENDIXA nance of fluid,
soft tissue structures
such as cartilage, tendons, ligaments, joint
heart valves, and blood vessels.
Gotu
kola (centella)
is
Hippocampus
is
vessels,
body
when
sixty,
the area of the brain that controls learning and
in a state it is
is
of vitality.
usually absent.
risk of heart attack or brain
of blood
condition
in
the body.
is
Many
of the aches
in
which an abnormally increased volume
the brain that coordinates hor-
in
influences food intake
impulses and regulates
Iodine
insulin
roxin, the thyroid in
metabolic
rate,
Iron
a
a sufficient
fa-
supply of
enzyme systems in
that
produce thy-
your body a
is
con-
normal
proper growth, normal energy, normal mental acuity, and
metal that
tabolism of vitamin ical
responsible for
job.
hormone. Two-thirds of the iodine
hair, nails, skin, is
its
Without
is
your thyroid gland. Sufficient iodine promotes
centrated
healthy
cannot do
the mineral involved in the
is
satiety
body temperature.
cilitating the entry of glucose into the cells.
chromium,
by sending hunger or
derived from the cells of the pancreas and
is
and pains of aging
hormone.
an endocrine gland
mone production and Insulin
tis-
diminishes as you grow older until
hemorrhage.
a
is
present
is
Hypothalamus
memory.
abnormally high blood pressure, which increases the
is
Hypervolemia
memory,
responsible for maintaining the
It
are a result of diminishing levels of this
Hypertension
fight fatigue, stimulate
and help prevent circulatory problems.
Human growth hormone (hGH) sues of the
may
an herb that
strengthen and tone blood
age
295
production and
is
and
teeth.
essential for red
E. In excess, iron
may
blood
may be
a
cell
formation and the me-
strong catalyst
in free-rad-
aid in the deposition of plaque in blood vessels.
Isoflavones are plant estrogens that are chemically structured like es-
trogen and have similar effects but are weaker. in
Two
primary isoflavones are
soybeans.
Kava (kavakava) evate
mood and
L-arginine
is
is
the root of a South Pacific herb that
It
may be
amino acid
an effective
the nutritional treatment of male
chondrial
is
help to
el-
reduce anxiety and fatigue. a nonessential
growth hormone.
L-carnitine
may
that can stimulate the release of
immune enhancer and may help
in
infertility.
an amino acid that transports fatty acids across the mito-
membrane
in
cardiac and skeletal muscles.
It
strengthens the
BRAIN FITN ESS
296
heart and muscles, and improves stamina and endurance during exercise.
may help slow the Lecithin
progression of Alzheimer's disease and
supplement used to
a nutritional
is
may have
manic-depression,-
L-glutamine
may help burn memory
alleviate
loss
It
fat.
and
antiaging benefits.
an amino acid that helps control alcohol cravings, ener-
is
gize the mind, inhibit senility, and counteract depression.
Linoleic acid
an essential fatty acid that has been shown to help pre-
is
vent hardening of the tiple sclerosis.
also has a positive effect
It
lowering cholesterol levels and Lipids are
Luteinizing
is
stimulates ovulation
men,
triggers the testes to
it
a circulatory
is
lymph
fluid
aids in
of fatty acids.
and prepares
a
woman's body
produce male sex hormones.
system of vessels distinct from the blood
vessel circulatory system that reaches tains
on sex hormone response,
important for healthy skin.
hormone
for pregnancy. In
Lymphatics
made
chains
fat
high blood pressure, and mul-
arteries, heart disease,
and immune system
most body cells.
areas.
This system con-
Lymphatics drain into lymph
nodes and, eventually, the bloodstream. Lysine
is
an essential amino acid found
in
food protein that
proper growth, enzyme production, and tissue repair
for
ulate the
immune
herpes virus, aid
Manganese It is
may
system, appears to have antiviral properties,
in fat
metabolism, and alleviate some
a mineral
is
It
involved
help stim-
may
infertility
in a great diversity of
needed
is
inhibit
problems.
enzyme
important to the proper use of biotin, thiamin, and vitamin C.
systems. It is
im-
portant in the production of thyroxin, normal central nervous system function,
proper digestion, and sexual function.
Magnesium lism. in
It
is
a
mineral involved in carbohydrate and protein metabo-
acts as an antagonist to calcium
and tends
to prevent calcium stones
the kidneys and gallbladder as well as the calcium deposits of arte-
riosclerosis.
Magnesium
is
also required for proper function of the central
nervous system. Alcohol depletes magnesium and
this
is
a
problem
in al-
coholism that can lead to seizures.
Melatonin
is
a
hormone
to be vital for the role in
many
secreted by the brain during sleep.
maintenance of normal body rhythms.
other body functions and
may have
It
It
appears
may
play a
neural antioxidant prop-
erties.
Methionine
is
a sulfur-containing
diovascular disease.
amino acid
that protects against car-
APPENDIXA Narcolepsy
and
sleep
brain.
a rare
condition characterized by sudden uncontrollable
occurs at irregular intervals.
Neurons system.
is
297
are the cells that are the basic structural units of the nervous
They
one-way electrochemical messages
transmit
Unlike most
Neuropeptide
cells,
Y
an amino acid peptide.
is
and from the
to
they cannot divide and cannot be replaced. a vasodilator believed to
It is
help regulate feeding behavior.
Neurotransmitter cells
is
chemical that transmits messages between nerve
a
or nerve and muscle
Niacin (vitamin B 3 )
chromium.
is
cells.
a
may boost
potent vasodilator and
the effects of
enhances energy production and the normal functioning of
It
the nervous system,- helps lower cholesterol, appears to promote healthy skin
and protects against sun damage,- promotes healthy colon
function,-
helps maintain balanced neurochemistry,- and provides protection against the development of arteriosclerosis.
Nimodipine
is
a
drug that acts
as a
calcium channel blocker and
is
used
blood pressure.
to treat high
Norepinephrine.
Omega- 3
See dopamine.
fatty acids contain
two polyunsaturated
fats.
They may
pre-
vent the formation of blood clots leading to heart attacks and protect
They
against cancer.
Oxytocin
is
are
found
a pituitary
in fish oils.
hormone
that stimulates muscle contractions
during birth.
Pancreas
is
one of the glands of the endocrine system.
It
controls blood
sugar (glucose) by producing insulin, which decreases glucose levels, and
glucagon, which increases them. Digestive enzymes are also produced
in
the pancreas.
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B 5 gland.
though
It
is
its
) is
a
precursor to cortisone
necessary for the conversion of
mechanism
of action
is
fat
not known.
synthesis, aids in energy metabolism,
and
in
the adrenal
and sugar into energy, appears to aid
It
acts as an antistress
al-
in steroid
and
antioxi-
dant vitamin. Also called calcium pantothenate, pantothenol. Parkinson's disease
is
a disorder in
which brain
cells
degenerate, affect-
ing muscle control, causing tremors, stiffness, and weakness.
The
cause
is
unknown. Peptide
is
a
compound
Perimenopause
is
of
two or more amino
a period of
some
acids.
five years
before the onset of
BRAIN FITNESS
298
menopause when some menopausal symptoms, such
as
hot flashes and
ir-
regular bleeding, occur sporadically.
Pernicious anemia
thought to
from
result
be absorbed and
chronic progressive disease of older adults
a
is
Phenylalanine
is
stomach so that vitamin B n cannot
a defect of the
levels of red
blood
cells drop.
an amino acid that
is
used by the body to produce the
neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine, which promote alertness. It
tal
can reduce hunger, increase sexual alertness,
and
Pheromones
interest,
improve memory and men-
alleviate depression.
by one
are substances secreted externally
individual
and
perceived by another, thus charging sexual and social behavior.
Phosphatidylcholine
which
acetylcholine,
a nutrient that
is
necessary for the production of
essential for the proper transmission of nerve im-
is
pulses. Since the brain diet,
is
cannot manufacture choline, you must get
from choline manufactured
in
the
liver,
it
from
or as a nutritional supplement
available at health food stores.
Phosphatidylserine cell
is
a
phospholipid essential for maintaining healthy
membranes throughout the body, and
especially in the brain.
The
brain
normally manufactures sufficient phosphatidylserine,- however, with aging
and nutrient
deficiencies, levels
form made from soy lecithin
is
may drop below optimum. A
synthetic
sold as a dietary supplement that proved
helpful in retarding or even reversing the progression of age-associated
memory
impairment.
Phosphorus the body. in
many
It is
a mineral
is
component
a
widely distributed
in
of bone. Phosphorus
the is
enzyme systems
of
present as phosphate
food preservatives such as those in colas.
Pineal gland
is
a
pine-cone-shaped structure
in
the brain that regulates
the body's response to light.
Piracetam
is
a
kind of drug believed to improve thinking and memory.
Pituitary gland
is
located in the brain and receives instructions from the
hypothalamus to release hormones that target other endocrine glands. Hu-
man growth hormone
is
produced
in
the pituitary, as
is
thyroid-stimulating
hormone. Potassium important
in
is
a mineral
found primarily inside the
cells
and
is
particularly
glucose metabolism, water and fluid balance, muscle (includ-
ing heart muscle) action, transmission of impulses along nerves, and in kid-
ney function.
APPENDIXA Progesterone
hormone
a
is
299
that aids in placenta function
and helps pre-
vent ovulation during pregnancy and lactation. Prolactin
Proline
a
is
hormone
that stimulates the production of breast milk.
amino acid
a nonessential
is
that enhances fat metabolism
and
aids in the production of connective tissue.
Prostaglandins
another, older
is
made
Proteins are large molecules are twenty. Eight of these
amino
cannot be synthesized
the
amino
Essential
life.
in
name
for eicosanoids.
of
amino
of
acids,
which there
meaning
acids are "essential,"
body even though they
that they
are necessary for
consumed from sources outside the
acids must be
body.
Pyridoxine (vitamin B 6
and It
) is
necessary for the metabolism of amino acids
aids in the synthesis of nucleic acids
appears to be an important factor
REM
(rapid eye
when
cle
the brain
movements. This Riboflavin (B 2
monds, whole of the
)
is
many
in
sleep
the period in the
is
found
in
It
lasts for
is still,
sleep cy-
ten to sixty minutes.
leafy vegetables,-
is
as al-
an important supplier
of energy production.
the active ingredient in a drug (trade
is
human
save for rapid eye
organ meats and plant sources such
and green
cells.
cellular reactions.
most active but the body
when we dream.
grains,
enzymes
Selegiline
is
movement)
and the formation of blood
name Deprenyl
or El-
depyrl) used to treat Parkinson's disease.
Selenium
damage by
is
a mineral that
free radicals.
It
works with glutathione peroxidase to prevent
appears to be involved
eicosanoids and to protect cell
may
also protect lipids
membranes from
the metabolism of
in
attack
by
free radicals,-
it
from oxidation, which helps to prevent cardiovas-
cular disease,- aid in the production of thyroid hormones,-
and protect
against environmental pollutants.
Serotonin only
in
is
importance to acetylcholine.
Sleep apnea a
the brain's primary "feel good" neurotransmitter, second
is
the condition of cessation of breathing during sleep, for
few seconds or even minutes.
Synapse cell
is
the functional
membrane-to-membrane contact
with another so that electrical impulses
may
travel
of
one nerve
from one
cell to an-
other.
Tau
is
a protein that
is
the main
gles of Alzheimer's disease.
component
of the neurofibrillary tan-
BRAIN FITNESS
300
Taurine
an amino acid that modulates neurotransmitters.
is
maintaining clear blood vessels and
Testosterone
) is
j
also appears to
It
involved
the metabolism of carbohydrates
in
be necessary for the normal functioning of the
nervous system, heart, and muscles, aids
symptoms
to alleviate
Thyroid gland
a
is
energy production, and helps
in
of stress.
located at the base of the throat and controls metab-
is
which the body uses energy.
olism, the rate at
Thyroxine
hormone produced
the thyroid gland and
in
ble for maintaining a normal metabolic rate in is
aids in
It
rhythm.
the most active androgen, the male sex hormone.
is
Thiamine (vitamin B to glucose.
in stablizing heart
responsible for the healthy growth of hair,
Tocopherol (vitamin E)
is
a fat-soluble
synergistically with selenium.
It
may
all
is
responsi-
the cells of the body.
nails, skin,
and
It
teeth.
potent antioxidant that works
reduce the susceptibility of low-
density lipoproteins to oxidize, prevent the formation of blood clots, help
maintain normal blood glucose trointestinal tract
by
levels,
and help prevent cancers of the
gas-
inhibiting the conversion of nitrates to nitrosamines
(carcinogens).
Tryptophan to
is
used by the brain along with niacin (B 6 ) and magnesium
produce serotonin,
ural sleep, iety,
reduce sensitivity to pain, act
and aid
Tyrosine
as
nat-
an antidepressant, reduce anx-
the control of alcoholism.
in
an amino acid involved with neurotransmitters.
is
alleviate depression
Valerian root
may
Tryptophan can help induce
a neurotransmitter.
is
and
It
helps to
stress.
an herb with effective antispasmodic properties and
act as a nerve tonic.
Vanadium
a trace
is
mineral that aids
in
the regulation of insulin me-
tabolism.
Vasopressin
is
a
hormone
released from the pituitary gland that helps to
control the body's overall water balance.
Vitami
Vitam n B 2
.
Vitam n B 3
.
See niacin.
Vitam n B 5
.
See pantothenic acid.
Vitam n B 6
.
See pyridoxins
See riboflavin.
Vitam n B 12 Vitam n C.
-
See cobalamine.
See ascorbic acid.
APPENDIXA Vitamin
Zinc
is
301
E. See tocopherol.
an essential trace mineral and a
may
enzymes.
It
involved
in cellular division,
increase the level of
gland dysfunction
in
component
T cells
growth, and
of over
in individuals repair,-
two hundred
over seventy,- be
help prevent prostate
older men,- help prevent vision loss due to macular de-
generation and cataracts, and stabilize
damage, thereby boosting immunity.
cell
membranes
against free-radical
Appendix B
You can stores,
find
mind-enhancing supplements
and even sporting goods
stores.
at nutrition stores, health
food
Sometimes the array of offerings
can be confusing. These four products contain the kinds and amounts of
components
I
look for
Cerebro -Gain Longevity
NY
in a nutritional brain booster.
Age
Erasers
(Bodyonics, 140
Lauman Lane,
11801. 800-527-7965) St. -John's-
5-HTP
Wort
(.33
mg
(Elemental), 10
Hypericum), 300
mg
Panax Ginseng (American), 10
mg
mg Yerba Mate, 300 mg Pregnenolone, 10 mg Synephrine, 100
Ginkgo Biloba 27/10/4 (60%
DMAE, 200 mg DHA, 25 mg L-Glutamine, 100
302
mg
1),
25
mg
mg
Hicksville,
APPENDIXB L-Pyroglutamic Acid, 100
303
mg
Vinpocetine (Periwinkle Seeds), 2.5
mg
Brain Span
(Quantum
PO
Leap,
Box
111457,
Carrollton,
TX
75011.
877-494-8443)
DMAE, 200 mg DHA, 25 mg
mg
L-Glutamine, 100
L-Pyroglutamic Acid, 100
mg
Vinpocetine (Periwinkle Seeds), 2.5
Ginkgo
Biloba, 25
mg
mg mg 100 mg
Phosphatidylserine (PS), 100
Phosphatidylcholine (PC), Acetyl-L-Carnitine, 100
L-Phenylalanine, 50 L-Tyrosine, 50
mg
mg
mg
Vinpocetine (Periwinkle Seeds), 2.5 St.
John's
Wort
(.33
Phosphatidylserine,
mg Hypericum), 50 mg
Schiff Regenex Brain Formula (Schiff
4250 West,
Phosphatidylserine, 300
Phosphatidylserine, 100
DHA (40%), Ginkgo
mg
Biofoods/Weider Nutrition, 1960 South
mg 25 mg
Bitartrate,
200
mg
mg
(Lucas Meyer,
217-875-3660)
mg mg
25
Biloba,
Tyrosine, 50
Leei-PS
300
Lake City, Utah 84104. 801-975-5000)
Salt
DMAE
mg
Inc.
PO
Box 3218, Decatur, IL 62524.
Appendix C
The
following
trient
is
Programs
a series of specially
designed Super
for specific health conditions
You should always
try to take
Mind Power
Brain
Nu-
you may be experiencing.
your supplements with meals and always
consult your personal physician before beginning any aggressive nutritional
program.
The dose
variations
depend on your body weight, gender,
and absorption capacity.
Memory-Enhancing Brain Nutrient Program Probably the second thing to go
(after sexual
potency)
is
one's
memory.
This can be very frustrating and can result from being overworked, overstressed, or sleep-deprived.
However, sometimes
sign of organic disease. Best advice
peak brain
memory
is
304
500-800 meg/day
Biloba,
an early warning
function to go with your mind-training
Choline, 50-100 mg/day
Ginkgo
may be
to arm yourself with supernutrients for
cises.
Folic Acid,
it
50-150 mg/day
memory
exer-
APPENDIXC
305
Lecithin, 1-2 g/day
Magnesium, 5-10 mg/day Phosphatidylcholine, 250-500 mg/day Phosphatidylserine, 300-500
mg/day
B Vitamins (B 1; B 2 B 3 B 6/ B 12 ), strong antioxidant formula ,
,
Vitamin C, 1-2 g/day Zinc, 30-50
mg/day
Mental Alertness/Antifatigue Brain Nutrient Program
The keep
brain it
nation,
like
is
an exercising muscle and requires the right power fuel to
and humming along on
alert
and
levels of
ing this program
turbines.
all
The proper
brain-powering nutrients are key for
you may
ratio,
this.
combi-
By follow-
your adrenal and immune system
also boost
functions.
Glutamine, 1-2 g/day Tyrosine, 1-2 g/day
Acetyl-L-Carnitine, 50-100 mg/day
Choline, 100-200 mg/day
Deprenyl, 50
mg
3x/week
Ginseng, 200-500 mg/day
Ginkgo
Biloba,
Licorice,
50-100 mg/day
50-150 mg/day standardized
hypertension or depression
Magnesium, 100-500 mg/day
is
in
extract
(Do not use
if
existing condition)
divided doses
Pantothenic Acid, 50 mg/day Phosphatidylcholine, 50-100 mg/day Phosphatidylserine, 300-500 mg/day
Vitamin C, Zinc, 30
3
g/day
in
divided doses
mg/day
Antistress Brain Nutrient Stress robs the
body
of
Program
amino acids and important
nutrients.
It is
impor-
tant to have protective levels of critical free-radical scavenging nutrients to
protect the brain and keep
it
at
maximum
function.
306
BRAIN FITNESS
Glutamine, 1-2 g/day Isoleucine, 1-2 g/day
Leucine, 1-2 g/day
500-1,000 mg/day
Lysine,
Choline, 50-100 mg/day
Coenzyme QlO, 60-180 mg/day Folic Acid, Garlic,
800 meg/day
250-500 mg/day
Ginkgo
Biloba,
30-60 mg/day
Ginseng, 3-6 g/day
50-100 mg/day
Inositol,
Magnesium, 5-10 mg/day Pantothenic Acid, 100-500 mg/day Phosphatidylcholine, 100-300 g/day
Vitamin A, 5,000 IU/day Vitamin B 1
(Thiamine), 50-100 mg/day
Vitamin B 2 (Riboflavin), 50-100 mg/day
Vitamin B 3 (Niacin), 50-100 mg/day Vitamin B 6 (Pyridoxine), 50-100 mg/day Vitamin B n (Cobalamine), 50-100 mg/day Vitamin C, 500-2,000 mg/day Vitamin
E,
Zinc, 30
400-800 IU/day
mg/day
Alzheimer's Protection Brain Nutrient Program
There
ward
are lots of exciting
developments
a cure for Alzheimer's disease. In the
tional preventative
program
evaluating the use of
and such, some
is
a
good
in
pharmaceutical research to-
meantime, an aggressive
first
line of defense.
hormone replacement programs
of
nutri-
Aside from
DHEA,
estrogen,
natural nutritional approaches should also be considered.
Acetyl-L-Carnitine, 1-2 g/day on
empty stomach
Antioxidants, high-dose complex daily B Vitamins, high-dose multiple B complex
Choline, 1-4 g/day
ft
APPENDIXC
Q 10,
Coenzyme Ginkgo
Biloba,
307
100-200 mg/day
100-250 mg/day
LipoicAcid, 100-200 mg/day N-Acetyl-Cysteine,
g/day on empty stomach
1
Phosphatidylserine, 200-300 mg/day
Antidepression Brain Nutrient Program
To keep restore
brain at peak function, depression must be staved
optimum
off.
You want
mood-elevating neurotransmitters such
levels of
epinephrine and serotonin.
Clutamine, 1-2 g/day Glycine, 40
mg
Tyrosine, 1-2 g/day
Tryptophan, 500
mg
at
bedtime
Gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), 100
mg
Kava, 100 Lecithin,
1
at
mg
bedtime
g
Phosphatidylserine, 300 mg/day Inositol,
6-12 mg/day
St. -John's- Wort,
Flaxseed,
1
300
tbsp/day
in
mg
divided doses
loading dose, then 200 mg/day
to
as nor-
Appendix D
SPECIALIZING ^OTOWi
H
RD K]
Z^ [^
W\M\
© 1 M] if
Alzheimer's Prevention Foundation
Longevity Institute International
Dharma Singh
Vincent Giampapa, M.D.
11901
E.
Tucson,
Khalsa,
M.D.
Colorado
AZ
89 Valley Rd. Montclair, NJ 07042
85749
502-749-8374
201-783-6868
Cenegenics
Optimum Health Stephen Sinatra, M.D.
Alan Mintz, M.D. 851
S.
Rampart
Las Vegas,
NV
Blvd., Suite
89128
888-YOUNGER
210
483 W. Middle Turnpike, Suite 309 Manchester,
CT
06040
860-643-5101
Thierry Hertoghe, M.D.
Avenue de l'Armee 127 1040 Bruxelles, Belgium
011-32-2-736-6868 Fax:
011-32-2-732-5743
308
fl
APPENDIX Princeton Associates for Total
M.D.
Commons Way,
Princeton,
Binyamin Rothstein,
DO.
2835 Smith Ave., Suite 208
Health Eric Braverman,
212
309
D
NJ 08540
609-921-1842
Building 2
Baltimore,
MD
410-484-2121
21209
Appendix E
Alzheimer's Disease
Attention Deficit Disorder
Alzheimer's Disease Education and
ADD
Referral
Warehouse
800-ADD-WARE
Center
National Institute on Aging
ADD/LD
P.O. Box 8250 Silver Spring,
MD
20907-8250
Online Resource Center
www 4 .interaccess.com/add/
800-438-4380 www.cais.com/adear
Brain Aging and Alzheimer's Association
919 N. Michigan
Ave., Suite 1000
Memory
American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine
Chicago, IL 60611
1341 W. Fullerton, Suite 111
800-272-3900
Chicago, IL 60614
www.ali.org
773-528-4333 www.worldhealth.net
3
1
APPENDIXE Mental Health
Exercise National
Academy
of Sports
National Institute of Mental
Health
Medicine 123
Hodencamp
Suite
311
5600
Dr.,
204
Fishers Lane,
Rockville,
Thousand Oaks,
CA
91360
800-656-2739
MD
Room 7C-02
20857
888-8-ANXIETY www.nimh.nih.gov
www.worldhealth.net
Anxiety Disorders Association of
America
Impotence 1
WWW Impotence Information
190 Parklawn Dr., Suite 1000
Rockville,
MD
20852
301-231-9350
Page www.ypn.com/topics/3385.html
National Alliance for Research on
Geddings Osbon
Sr.
Foundation
Schizophrenia and Depression
Room
800-433-4215
208 LaSalle,
www.impotence.org
Chicago, IL 60604
1431
312-641-1666
Menopause
American Psychological
Important Menopause Resources
Association
750
on the Internet www.meditopia.com/menopause
First St.
Washington,
NE
DC
202-336-5500
Menopause News Newsletter 2074 Union
St.
San Francisco,
CA
94123
Menopause Support Group 7136 West
McNabRd.
Tamarac, FL 33321
20002
3
1
BRAIN FITNESS
2
Traumatic Brain Injury
Migraines National Headache Foundation
128
St.
James
Place,
2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60614-6399
Brain Injury Association
1776 Massachusetts Ave. Suite 100
DC
800-843-2256
Washington,
www.headaches.org
202-296-6443
American Council
for
Headache
Education
875 Kings Highway, Suite 200
Woodbury, NJ 08096-3172 609-384-8760 www.achenet.org
Sleep Disorders Sleep Medicine
Home
Page
www.cloud9.net
National Sleep Foundation
729 15th
St.
Washington,
NW,
DC
4th Floor
20005
www. wehsciences.org/nsf
Narcolepsy Network P.O. Box
42460
Cincinnati,
OH
513-891-3522
45242
NW,
20036-1904
Appendix
DCDP©
New
brain development research
many
is
D
providing clinical insight into what
parents and child-care givers have
natal care, (2) consistent loving
F
known
for years: (1)
proper pre-
and caring interactions between young
children and adults, (3) positive stimulation from the time of birth really
do make
a difference in children's
A recent conference versity of
development
for a lifetime.
and Work
of the Families
Institute held at the
Chicago focused on what has been learned. Participants included
human
professionals from the neurosciences, medicine, education, vices, the media, business,
and public
New
The 1
.
Insights into
following
Early Development,
a
document
entitled Rethinking
by the Families and Work
taken from this work and summarizes
is
Human development
ser-
policy.
Their findings have been compiled into Brain-.
Uni-
its
the
Institute.
conclusions.
hinges on the interplay between nature and
nurture. •
The impact
of environmental factors
development
is
on the young
child's brain
dramatic and specific, not merely influencing the
general direction of development but actually affecting intricate circuitry of the
human
brain
is
how
the
"wired."
31 3
314
BRAIN FITNESS
•
How ally
humans develop and
learn
on the interplay between an
and the
depends
and continu-
critically
endowment
individual's genetic
and teaching
nutrition, surroundings, care, stimulation,
that are provided or withheld. 2.
how
Early care has a decisive and long-lasting effect on
how
develop and learn,
they cope with
stress,
and
how
people
they regulate
their emotions. •
Warm
and responsive early care helps
vital role in •
A
child's
baby
a
and plays
thrive
a
healthy development.
capacity to control
its
own emotional
hinge on biological systems shaped by
its
state appears to
early expressions
and
attachments. •
Strong, secure attachment to a nurturing adult can have a protective biological function helping a
ordinary stress of daily 3.
ing
is
•
The human
growing child withstand the
life.
brain has a remarkable capacity to change, but tim-
crucial.
The
brain
itself
can be altered or helped to compensate for prob-
lems with appropriately timed intensive intervention.
decade of
life,
There
the
the brain's ability to change and compensate
markable. •
In
are optimal periods of opportunity
ing which the brain
is
—"prime
times"
first
is
—
re-
dur-
particularly efficient at specific types of
learning. 4.
The
brain's plasticity also
tive experiences, or the
likely to •
means
that there are times
when
nega-
absence of appropriate stimulation, are more
have serious and sustained
effects.
Early exposure to nicotine, alcohol, and drugs
more harmful and long-lasting
effects
may have even
on young children than
was previously suspected. •
These
risk factors are frequently associated
by poverty. For children growing up
in
with or exacerbated
poverty,
economic de-
privation affects their nutrition, access to medical care, the safety
and predictability of the physical environment, the ily stress, 5.
and the quality and continuity of
level of fam-
their daily care.
Evidence amassed by neuroscientists and child development ex-
APPENDIXF perts over the last
315
decade point to the wisdom and efficacy of preven-
and early intervention.
tion
•
Well-designed programs created to promote healthy cognitive, emotional, and social development can improve the prospects
and the quality of •
The
life
for
many
children.
efficacy of early interventions has
been demonstrated and
replicated in diverse communities across the nation.
Fascinating studies completed at the University of California at Irvine
and the University of Konstanz
in
Germany demonstrate how
music (both listening to and learning to play
at
classical
an early age) develops the
brain dendrite connections needed for higher forms of thinking.
Companies
and services that deliver
are organizing to develop products
the necessary information for better early childhood education.
company, The Academy has compiled
nois,
ing centers
a
for Early
Childhood Education
remarkable product including
One
such
of Chicago,
Illi-
a curriculum for learn-
and schools, learning materials, teachers/parent/caregiver
training programs,
and
for accelerated early
a lab school that delivers a
comprehensive program
childhood development. The program has been
fined over several years of experimentation and
is
re-
based upon Montessori's
outstanding academic and socialization program and carefully substantiated by current early childhood brain research. gration of select aspects of
Glenn Doman's program
Howard
It
includes a unique inte-
Gardner's Multiple Intelligences,
for neurological stimulation, Italy's
Reggio Emilia
concepts of emergent curriculum, Stanley Greenspan and Daniel Goleman's
work
in
emotional intelligence.
It
also incorporates social skills,
hemispheric integration techniques and divergent thinking. note
is its
successful reading
ting wonderful results. in
program
for preschoolers,
The Academy
is
Of
special
which has been
currently operating
its
get-
lab school
conjunction with the Creative Care Children's Center of Barrington,
nois. Its educational
program
is
called the Heartpath Learning System.
For additional information, contact the
Education (773-528-0091).
Illi-
Academy
for Early
Childhood
Appendix G
THE ^\[M[i^O©z^R!] z^©A®!^V OP ^^Y0~^a0^d ^l©D(gDMi 'The surest
way
to predict the
future
is
to create the future.'
THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE Twelve pioneering
and
clinicians
met
scientists
in
Chicago
in
August
1992. This meeting was convened to establish a not-for-profit organization addressing the rapid
growth
The outcome
aging medicine.
in
the
new
science of longevity and anti-
of this meeting
was the founding of the
American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M), which today has over 5,300 members
in
44 nations worldwide. The mission: to promote the de-
velopment and dissemination of medical ceuticals,
and processes that
human body
the
resulting
practices, technologies,
retard, reverse, or
pharma-
suspend deterioration of
A4M
from the physiology of aging.
founded on the premise that many of the consequences of aging that
was are
considered diseases are biophysical processes that can be altered by medintervention.
ical
A4M's goals and
scientific
are to actively develop, support,
knowledge and the application
3
1
6
and encourage educational
programs concerned with the advancement of of anti-aging
and brain
fitness
scientific
techniques
APPENDIXG for the benefit of the
A4M's goals 1.
317
community and the common good
of
mankind.
all
are to:
advances
Facilitate expeditious
in areas of
longevity and brain
fit-
ness medicine. 2.
Make
available to practicing physicians information about the
multiple benefits of lifesaving, mind-enhancing, and life-extending technologies. 3.
Facilitate
the dissemination
proven information
and the 4.
in
of biomedically
and
scientifically
longevity science to physicians, scientists,
public.
Assist in developing therapeutic protocols
and innovative diag-
nostic tools to aid physicians in the implementation of effective
longevity treatment. 5.
Act
as an
information center for valid and effective anti-aging
medicine protocols. 6.
Establish a medical protocol review process in anti-aging medicine.
7.
Administer Board Certification programs for the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine.
8.
Develop funding in
A4M
for scientifically
sound and innovative research
anti-aging medicine and biomedical technology.
members
reside in
all fifty
states of the
United States and
four countries worldwide. Eighty-five percent of cians
and surgeons,
with
remaining
the
its
members
membership consisting
of
and individuals
in-
scientists, researchers, health care providers, educators,
terested in longevity science, brain fitness,
in forty-
are physi-
and wellness. Members include
health care decision-makers from the highest levels of academia and gov-
ernment, with
affiliations
from prestigious institutions such
University, Stanford University, the University of California, versity of Chicago, along with
Senate, the at
House
as
Harvard
and the Uni-
prominent members of the United States
of Representatives,
and administrators and researchers
the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Aging, and
the U.S. Department of Defense.
Because of the diversity of
its
membership,
A4M
is
making
a significant
impact on a wide range of medical arenas simultaneously. Shared accurate information about the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of agerelated diseases
is
permitting effective changes in the
way medicine
is
be-
3
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319
dim
Acetaminophen, 279
Alzheimer's disease,
Acetyl-1-carnitine (ALC), 41, 67, 194,
217
Acetylcholine, 58, 62, 76, 122, 193,
208-9, 215, 216
ACTH.
See
See
Amino
acids, 57, 76, 126,
stress and, 141, 165, 169, 171,
Adrenocorticotropic hormone
(ACTH),
Ampakine, 86, 220, 222 Ampalex, 86 220, 222 Amphetamines, 271
143, 161
206
,
7,
10-15, 52-55
Anacin, 107
hGH
Analgesics, 84, 220
and, 100-1, 102, 119
melatonin and, 128, 129 sleep and, 96, 98-99, 18-20, 128 1
stress and,
155-58, 179, 194
Albert, Marilyn,
20-21
See Acetyl-1-carnitine
(ALC)
Alcohol, 83, 84, 89, 171, 179,
Androgen, 72 Antagonic Stress, 222 Antiarrhythmics, 220 Antibiotics, 84, 157, 220 Anticonvulsants, 220 Antidepressants, 84, 220, 251, 254,
274 headaches and, 276, 277, 283
for brain trauma,
sleep and, 97, 104, 106, 108, 127
exercise
196, 238, 245, 251, 253,
Aluminum,
180
Amitriptyline, 271
Alzheimer's and, 193-94
ALC.
219-20, 249,
262, 274
Adrenaline, 143, 167, 178
Age/aging,
for, 86, 87, 193-94, 195, 206-13, 216-23
piracetam and, 66
Attention deficit disorder
(ADD)
Advil,
6, 41, 54, 59, 85,
185-225 depression vs., 260 166,
drugs
Adrenocorticotropic
hormone (ACTH)
ADD.
©use
84, 193, 197-99,
260
261, 266, 271
for
286 268 headaches, 278 as,
NDEX
322
hGH
Antihistamines, 129-30, 220, 279
in, 74, 102 mental disorders and, 258
Antihypertensives, 84, 220 Anti-inflammatories, 83, 84, 195,
sleep and, 97, 104, 125
206-7, 279
Brain Cooling Device, 9, 22, 24, 28
Antioxidants, 42, 88, 194, 203, 204,
205-6, 216, 221, 275 sex life and, 249, 251
Brainpower, 2-8, 10-15 Brain Resuscitation Device, 9, 21, 22
168
stress and, 144,
Brain waves, 98, 102-3, 122
compounds, 222
Brannon, Linda, 153
Anxiety, 273-76, 286
sleep and, 98, 104-8, 132
Aricept, 215 3,
89-90
Breathing, 26, 78,
Arginine, 76
Art,
284-86
Brain trauma, 9, 281,
Antiparkinsonian drugs, 220 Antistress
Brain food, 40, 42, 55-58, 90
172-80
stress and, 159,
Bronchodilators, 107
34, 35
Ascorbic acid, 62-63, 249-50
Buckwalter, Galen, 209
Aspirin, 132, 133, 171, 206, 207,
279
Bunching technique, 33
Associative learning/memory, 50, 54, 67, 69-70, 8
1
,
90
Asthana, Sanjay, 209 Attention, 146, 258, 285
memory
C-PAP, 108 Caffeine, 41, 84, 272-73, 274
and, 49, 50, 89
Attention deficit disorder (ADD),
depression and, 261, 269
headaches and, 278-79
268-73, 286
sleep and, 107, 125, 130
166-67, 171, 179
stress and,
Calcium, 83, 126, 129, 144, 171, 194,
216 Calcium channel blocker, 66-67 216, 278 Carbamazepine, 220
Bengtsson, Bengt-Ake, 75
Benson, Herbert, 154, 161, 172 Benton, David, 62
,
Bergner, Paul, 170 Berliner,
David, 246
Carbohydrates, 40, 55, 57, 60, 89, 196, 212, 263, 272
Berman, Allison, 35 Beta-amyloid, 191-93, 206 Beta blockers, 107, 278 Beta-carotene, 167-68, 205
sex
Brain, 9-1
1
,
2
1
,
See
39, 48, 66, 71
,
79,
239-41 50, 82
156, 163, 192, 231-32, electrical reactions in,
male
female, 228-31, 239-41, 242
vs.
plasticity of, 11, 15,
tumors
of,
52
281
Brain cells, 53, 82, 84, 144-45, 156, 179,
and, 251, 252
stress and, 141, 165,
Endorphins Biofeedback, dreaming and, 124 Birth control pills, 261, 280 Body, mind linked to, 1, 174, 227 Bono, Edward de, 27 Booth, Alan, 233 Boron, 59, 60, 90 Beta-endorphins.
life
sleep and, 97, 125, 126, 127
216
Alzheimer's and, 193-94, 212, 214 Brain chemistry, 50, 51, 57, 84,
193-94, 231-32, 273-74, 277
166
Carnitine, 60
Carvacrol, 216
Chamomile,
126, 127
Chinese gung
fu, 2,
174
Chocolate, 249, 251, 263, 276, 280 Cholesterol, 168, 203 Choline, 58, 60, 76, 90, 171, 216, 249, 251
Cholinergic system, 76, 85-86, 216 Cholinesterase inhibitors, 193, 215
Circadian rhythms, 98, 106, 119, 128 Citicoline, 58, 60,
86-87
Clonidine, 67, 68, 90, 107
Codeine, 220
Coenzyme QlO, Cognex,
87,
171
215
"Cognitive cocktail," 41-42
INDEX
323
prolactin and, 243
Cognitive exercise, 159, 175, 180 Colgan, Michael, 244 Computers, 7
Desipramine, 271
Concentration, 2-6, 57, 84, 89, 174,
Details, 20, 36,
stress and,
212, 242, 268, 270
ADD
45-93
Dexedrine, 271
Dextroamphetamine, 271 DHA. See Docosahexaenoic acid
and, 268
brain trauma and, 285,
146
286
(DHA)
muscles and, 26 sleep apnea and, 108
DHEA. See Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
stress and, 146, 161
Diapid, 244
vasopressin and, 244
Diazepam, 220
sleep and, 96, 118
Congeners, 277 Copper, 171 Coren, Stanley,
Diet, 89, 132, 154, 203, 234, 238,
250-52, 254, 274-76 1
Alzheimer's and, 195-96, 21 1-12, 221
16
Corticosteroids, 143, 220
stress and, 159,
164-72, 179, 180
107, 262, 271
Corticosterone, 72
Diet
Cortisol, 82, 143, 145, 157, 161, 166,
Dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE), 130 Diphenhydramine, 220
173,
245
pills,
sleep and, 102
Discipline, 6, 55, 139, 174
sugar and, 275
Disease, vitamins and,
269
Cottman, Carl, 39 Creativity, 2,
3, 6,
214
17, 19, 27, 29, 35,
Crick, Francis, 122-23 Critical thinking,
60—63
DL-phenylalanine, (DLPA), 219, 263,
Cortisone, 107, 143, 167
DMAE. See Dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), 264 Donepezil, 193, 215, 222 Dopamine, 74, 249
27
Crook, Thomas, 58 Cross-training, 158 Crystal, Billy, 5
Dream
Culture, 16
Dreaming, 98, 102-3, 120-24
diary, 38
memory
Cylert, 271
of, 54,
122, 124
problem solving and, 104 vasopressin and, 244 Drinks, 89, 125, 274 Dabbs, James, 233 Deanol, 67 Decision making, 26, 28, 29, 103, 146
Drugs,
1
107, 261
195, 206-13,
15,
Decongestants, 107
Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), 42, 69, 71-74, 90, 111, 141, 244-45, 253 Alzheimer's and, 210-11 Dementia, 83, 86, 189, 199-200, 202, 204, 205, 210 Dendrites, 36, 68, 85 DeNiro, Robert, 5 Deprenyl, 206, 249, 251 Depression, 61, 108, 109, 170, 258-68, 286 ADD vs., 268-73 brain trauma and, 285 exercise and, 161
8,
Alzheimer's and, 86, 87, 193-94, for
memory,
216-23
49, 64-68, 83,
86-88
Medications Drug testing, 138, 151-52 Dustman, Robert, 77 See also
Edison,
Thomas, 4
Eicosanoids, 264 Eldepryl, 206,
249
Emotional disorders, 257-58 Emotions, 36, 47, 84, 112, 124, 146, 155, 227-55, 276 Alzheimer's and, 188 brain trauma and, 285
Empirin, 107
324
INDEX
Endorphins, 74, 163, 173, 267
Genetic engineering,
Energy,
Geula, Changis, 192
56, 102, 103, 143, 144, 168,
6,
Ginkgo
179 Engel, Peter, 212
Environment, 197-99, 276
Ginseng, 67, 169-70, 171, 179, 180 Glial cells, 52
Ergotamine, 278, 283 ERT. See Hormone/estrogen
Glucagon, 145 Glucocorticoids, 72, 82, 143, 157,
replacement therapy (ERT) Estrogen, 69, 71-72, 85-86, 90,
194 Glucose, 41, 42, 56, 60, 76, 82, 194, 209, 263, 275
236-39, 243, 250, 254, 260 Alzheimer's and, 207-10, 221
sex
stress and, 144,
and, 242
SDNand,
168
Glutamate, 194 Glutathione, 76
231
and, 250, 251, 252
life
biloba, 67, 171, 194, 217,
219
Epinephrine, 143, 145
LHRH
8
Goal-setting, 175
Gold, Paul, 55-56
sleep and, 110-11, 119
Goldberg, Whoopi, 5
Excedrin, 107
Gottschalk, Louis, 104
GPI-1046, 223 Grant, William, 195-96, 211
Greenough, William GTS-21, 213
Faith, 6 Farrell, Peter,
163
Fats, 55, 56, 60, 84, 90, 196,
T.,
39
211-12,
250-52 Fatty acids, 56, 83, 264-65, 269, 273
Habits, 37, 50
153
Feist, Jess,
Feverfew, 279
Hallowell, Edward, 271
Fight-or-flight, 90, 143-44, Fish, 212, 264, 265,
Fluoride,
Focus,
275
Hassles Scale, 153
273
Hayflick, Leonard, 14, 52
222
2, 4, 6,
memory
19, 174,
Headaches, 276-82, 283-84, 286 brain trauma and, 285
242
and, 89, 90
migraine, 277, 278, 279, 281, 282,
283
Folic acid, 41-42, 60, 261
Food, 261-65, 249-52 brain, 40, 42, 55-58,
tension, 278, 279, 282,
Herbs, 126-27, 133, 216, 279
headaches and, 276, 280, 282 sleep and, 125-26
Food
additives,
284
Hearing, 228, 241, 242
90
depression and, 265—66
274
stress and, 159,
169-70
Frye, Cheryl, 72
Hertoghe, Thierry, 68, 69, 208 hGH. See Human growth hormone
GABA. See Gamma-aminobutyric (GABA)
Hobson, Allan, 122 Holmes, Thomas, 152 Hormone therapy 68-76 Hormone/estrogen replacement
Ford, Harrison, 4
(hGH)
acid
therapy, (ERT), 70-71, 85-86,
Gable, Dan, 2
111, 207-10, 243,
Galanthamine, 222
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), 127, 274 Gardner, Howard, 15-17 Garlic, 55, 60, 88,
Gates,
Genes,
Bill,
7,
5
187,
209
90
Hormones,
254
26, 42, 90, 168
breathing and, 89-90 depression and, 260 emotions and, 227-52 growth. See Human growth hormone
(hGH)
INDEX
headaches and, 276, 280 sex,
Karate,
284-85
174,
1,
Kava, 126, 127, 274
249
"love," 246,
325
Kawas, Claudia, 209 Khalsa, Dharma, 166
228-41
sleep and, 98-102, 107, 110-12,
Killer
119, 128
T
103
cells,
Klatz, Ronald, 7, 9
hormones
stress. See Stress
Kobasa, Suzanne, 147-48, 149
"youth," 141
Horse balm, 216
Howe,
123
Elias,
Human growth hormone (hGH),
69,
LaBerge, Stephen, 104, 124
74-76, 90, 145, 193
Language/linguistic ability, 16, 71, 201,
sleep and, 100-2, 112, 119
Huperzine A,
242 Lavender
216
87,
Hydrocortisone, 143, 220
126, 127
oil,
Lavie, Peretz, 96,
Hypericum, 265, 266
97
Lawrence, Ron, 23, 40, 141, 265 Lazarus, Richard, 152, 153 Learning, 23-26, 36, 48, 50, 51, 56, 82,
aging and, 54
Ibuprofen, 83, 84, 206, 277
IGF-
1
.
See Insulin-like
growth factor
associative, 54,
boron and, 60
(IGF-1) Imagination,
estrogen and, 208, 209
2, 3,
intelligence and, 16
6
perceptual, 104
Imipramine, 220, 271
REM
Imitrex,
278
Immune
system, 103, 207
Leathwood,
68-70
119, 128, 170
275 growth factor
LHRH.
(IGF-1),
"Intellectual profile," 16
9-43
hormone hormone (LHRH)
Luteinizing
1
7
19,
127-28, 242, 261, 269,
276, 280, 281 Listening, 29, 33-34, 268, 272
exercise and. See Mental/brain exercise,- Physical exercise See Food,-
hormones and.
See
Life span,
Light,
of,
balm, 126, 127
Life Events Scale, 152 1
208
types
126
Peter,
releasing
Insulin, 145,
in,
79-80
Levodopa, 107, 220
Insomnia, 98-99, 103, 104-12, 118,
studies
and,
15
Levi-Montalcini, Rita, 85
Inositol, 171
food and.
1
Lecithin, 58, 216, 249, 251
Lemon
Innovation, 20
Intelligence,
memory
sleep and,
168
stress and, 144, 167,
sleep and, 103-4
sensory
Information (capturing), 37, 29-35, 50,
Insulin-like
67
1
Imagery, 175-76, 181
54,
214
83, 84,
I.Q., 10, 15
See
Nutrients
Hormones
10-21
Lithium, 84 Little,
Tony, 88
Logic, 15, 16, 19, 58, 285
Lombardi, Vince,
1
39
Long-term memory, 23, 49-50, 53, 69,
15-21
75, 83, 103
Intuitive thinking, 27, 38
Long-term potentiation (LTP), 51 Lorimer, Jim, 51 LTP. See Long-term potentiation (LTP)
hormone releasing hormone (LHRH), 242, 252
Luteinizing Jessel,
David, 240
Jet lag, 96-97, 105, 128, 129
Jordan, Michael,
4, 5,
149
Lykken, David, 247, 248 Lynch, Gary, 220
326
INDEX
Magnesium,
59, 60, 90, 141, 144, 166,
Memory
Manganese, 171
Map
reading, 13, 37, 231, 242
Martial
Math
37, 115, 240, 242 Mayeaux, Richard, 209
for brain
6, 7, 8
trauma and, 286
for headaches, 278, 279,
memory
and, 84
Drugs
Meditation, 41, 159, 173, 174-75, 181,
245
Memorization, 20
Memory,
Alzheimer's
in,
DHEAand,
71-74, 111
186, 210, 211
sleep and, 98, 105, 107,
84, 89, 212,
49, 50, 75 ,83,
268
associative, 50, 69-70, 81,
categories
education and, 21, 48, estrogen and, 208, 209 and, 56
81-82, 90
49-51
stress and,
159
Merzenich, Michael, 1-12 Methocarbamol, 220 Methylphenidate, 271, 286 Midler, Bette,
3,
4
257-87 ADD and, 268-73 anxiety and, 273-74 6,
174,
1,
227
Miracles, 6
Moir, Anne, 240
Long-term memory neurotransmitters and, 52 numbers and, 33 physical exercise and, 76-79, 88, 90 poisons for, 82—85
Motrin, 206
practice and, 51
Mullan, Michael, 206
See
sensory, 54,
36-41,
13, 20,
Monosodium glutamate (MSG),
learning and, 25, 50
long-term.
112
Super Powers of, 3, 4-8 Minerals, 59-60, 85, 90, 141, 180, 197-98, 222, 274
hormones and, 68-76 13, 38,
222
linked to body,
147
explicit (flashbulb),
of,
49, 214,
Mind, 3-4,
drugs and, 49, 83, 84, 86-88
improving,
10,
Metronidazole, 220
90
25-26
of,
1
Mental agility program, 21-42 Mental deterioration, 14 Mental disorders, 6, 36, 257-58 insomnia and, 109-10
1
2, 5, 6, 16, 36,
aging and, 52-55, 54
kinds
49, 64-68, 88
response time, 53, 54 Men, 153, 228-41, 242-54
Mental/brain exercise,
Melatonin, 98-99, 119, 126, 127-28, 129
fats
pills,"
Memory
exercise and, 160, 161
283-84
sleep and, 127-30, 133 See also
45-93
loss, 8,
tip-of-the-tongue, 53, 54, 81-82
"Memory
159, 161
arts, 2,
ability/calculating, 16, 29, 32-33,
Medications,
"working," 49-50, 54, 61
writing and, 47, 81, 90
167, 171
79-80
Morrison, Ann, 209
MSG.
See Monosodium (MSG)
Muscle
short-term. See Short-term
68, 90,
274, 280
relaxants, 220,
glutamate
279
memory
sleep and, 103, 115
smell and, 79-80, 90
sound and, 79 spatial, 54, 68, 69,
stress and, tests of,
Naps,
70
82-83, 85, 88, 146, 147
45-46, 53, 87
vasopressin and, 244 verbal, 16, 25, 57-58, 60, 69, 70, 83,
96, 113, 131-32, 133
Naylor, Cecile, 240
Nerve growth factor, (NGF), 85-86, 223 Nervous system, 17, 85, 143
71,
Neural connections, 36, 39, 48, 52
115 visualization and, 81
vitamins
6,
Narcolepsy, 112-13
for,
60-63
vocalization and, 81, 90
Neurons,
11, 39, 71, 144, 194, 208,
211, 212, 264, 285
Neuropeptide
Y, 141,
166
INDEX
Neurotransmitters, 52, 76, 168, 169, 173, 251,
327
Personality, 47, 61, 190, 284,
286
Perspective, 19-20
274
depression and, 260
Petruzzello, Steven, 162
NGF
Phenobarbital, 220
and, 85
Phenylethylamine (PEA), 246, 249, 280 Pheromones, 245-46
nicotine and, 212 nutrition and, 166,
249
Neurotrophic, 86
Phosphatidylcholine, 171
Nicklaus, Jack, 123, 130
Phosphatidylserine (PS), 58-59, 60, 90,
Nicotine, 107, 130, 212-13
171
Nimodipine, 66-67, 90 Nitrites, 280
Physical comfort, 26
Nitrone, 87-88
Physical exercise, 39-40, 76-79, 160,
Phosphorus, 144
245, 281
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), 83, 84,
206-7
Norepinephrine, 143, 219 NSAIDs. See Nonsteroidal
Breathing
estrogen and, 238, 251 guidelines for moderate, 161
memory anti-
inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
and, 88, 90
sleep and, 119, 120 stress and, 157, 158,
159-64, 180-81
testosterone and, 234, 251
Null, Gary, 261 6, 9,
See
depression and, 261, 266-68, 269
Nootropics, 65, 87, 90, 222 Noradrenaline, 143, 193
Nutrients,
breathing and.
41-42, 58, 60-63, 76,
86-88, 203
walking 268
as,
160, 161, 164, 173, 267,
anxiety and, 274
Physical fitness,
depression and, 261-64, 269
Physostigmine, 216
stress and, 159.
166-71, 180
96
4,
Phytoestrogens, 238, 250 Picasso, Pablo, 35
Piracetam, 65-66, 90
Oils, 56, 60, 90, 126, 127,
264
Omega-3, 264, 269, 273 Omega-6, 264
PMR. See Progressive muscle (PMR) Positive thinking,
relaxation
27
Potassium, 144, 203, 274
Other-handedness, 37
"Power naps," 96, 131-32, 133 Prednisone, 220 Pregnenolone, 41, 42, 74
Overweight/obesity, 108, 167
Presley, Priscilla, 4
Oral contraceptives, 107 Ornithine, 76
DHEA
and, 245
estrogen and, 209, 237 exercise and, 76, 90
Oxytocin, 243
Problem solving,
13, 16, 19,
268
sleep and, 103, 104
thinking style and, 26, 28, 29
Procedural learning/memory, 25, 36, 50, 51
Progesterone, 107, 111, 237-38, 243 Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), Pacino, Al, 5
176
279 Paired-associates, 54, 69-70 Panex, 169-70 Panic, 90 Pasta, 57, 60, 90 PEA. See Phenylethylamine (PEA)
Prolactin, 243,
Pemoline, 271
PS. See Phosphatidylserine (PS)
Peptides, 50
Psychological disorders, 106, 108, 114
Perceptual learning, 17, 51, 75, 104, 242
Psychological Skills Training, 175
Painkillers, 83, 163,
253
Propanolol, 220 Protein, 55, 57, 85, 144, 165, 166, 169,
212, 263, 272 sleep and, 97, 125
Prozac, 261-63
8
1
328
INDEX
Pyridoxine, 261
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD),
67
Pyritynol,
1
19,
261
220 Combination/Encoding Insight, 19-20 Selective Comparison Insight, 20 Selective comprehension, 29, 30-31 Sedatives,
Selective
Quinidine, 107, 220
Selective estrogen-receptor modulators
(SERM), 71 Rahe, Richard, 152
Selegiline, 193, 206,
Raloxifene, 71
Selenium, 171, 274
Rapid eye movement (REM) 102, 103-4, 121, 152
sleep, 98,
217
Self-knowledge, 17 Self-monitoring thinking, 27
acetylcholine and, 122
Selye, Hans, 140-41, 142, 144, 145
age and,
Sensory memory, 54, 79-80 Sensory variations, 232, 241, 242
1
1
hGHand,
MSLT
112
and,
1
1
SERM.
3
progesterone and,
1
vasopressin and, 244
252 depression and, 260, 261-63
Redux, 262 Rehearsal, mental, 50, 83, 88
Relaxation, 159, 163, 172-78, 179, 180
headaches and, 277, 278, 279 Sex hormones, 1 10-12, 228-41, 252,
253-54
Religion, 6 sleep. See
(REM)
Rapid eye movement
Sex
life,
Repetition, 50, 51, 174
231
Sherwin, Barbara, 69, 70, 237 Short-term memory, 14, 23, 49-50, 69,
Restless leg syndrome, 106, 109
Retrospect/prospect game, 158-59,
75, 81,
179-80
drugs
Riboflavin, 60, 169
Sleep, 6,
for,
228 64-68
95-135
depression and, 261
Richardson, Dot, 21, 121
headaches and, 282 insomnia and, 98-99, 104-12 narcolepsy and, 112-13
Roberta, 39
Ritalin, 271, 272,
249-52, 253, 276
Sexually dimorphic nucleus (SDN),
sleep
Reserpine, 107
Rikli,
Selective estrogen-receptor
Serotonin, 57, 60, 125, 126, 193, 251,
Reading, 29-31, 37, 38
REM
See
modulators (SERM)
1
286
Roberts, Eugene, 72
Rosemary, 216
paradoxical, 10
Routines, 90
stress and,
152
Sleep apnea, 104, 106, 107-8 Sleep debt, 113-15, 116, 117 overeating and, 125
SAD. See Seasonal (SAD) St. -John's- wort,
Sleep diary/log, 110, 132
affective disorder
Sleep hygiene, 130, 133
265, 266, 269
Salt, 166, 171, 179,
Sleeping
pills,
127-30, 220
"Smart drug," 42
196
Sapolsky, Robert, 157, 194
"Smart foods," 49
Scanning, 29-30
Smell/odor, 79-80, 90, 241, 246, 276,
280
Schaie, K. Warner, 13, 14
Smith, Carlyle, 103
Scheibel, Arnold, 36
Smith, David
Schreiner-Engle, Patricia, 235
Schwarzenegger, Arnold,
5,
51, 147,
SDN. See Sexually dimorphic (SDN)
247
nucleus
C, 80
Smith, Katy, 262
Smoking, 250, 251, 253, 283 insomnia and, 106, 130
INDEX
329
18-19
Snoring, 108
Talents, quiz on,
Snowdon, David, 201, 202, 204
Tau, 193
Somatostatin, 193
TBI. See Traumatic brain injury (TBI) Tea, 41, 42, 126, 127
Sound, 79 Spatial
memory,
54, 60, 68, 69,
Spatial skills, 13, 37,
242
Spielberg, Steven,
4
Steinfeld, Jake,
3,
3, 4,
70
237, 254
38, 79, 130, 155
and, 245 and, 242
prolactin and, 243
Sternberg, Robert, 17, 19
hormone
DHEA LHRH
progesterone and, 243
Stern, Yaakov, 213
Steroid
Testosterone, 69, 72, 90, 210, 233-36,
precursor, 42
SDNand,
231
and, 251, 252, 253
Stevens, Charles, 48
sex
Stevenson, Robert Lewis, 123
sleep and, 110, 111, 119
Streep, Meryl, 5
137-83, 253 chronic, 179-81
Stress, 6, 41,
acute
vs.
life
vasopressin and, 244 Thiamine, 60, 168-69, 171 Thinking, 26-28
alarm reaction and, 144
ALCfor,
Alzheimer's and, 194
alcohol and, 83
DHEA
brain trauma and, 285
and, 245
141-42
eustress and,
41
breathing and, 89
exercise and, 157, 158, 159-64
creativity and,
learning and, 82
deterioration
LHRH
developing styles
and, 242
memory
and, 82-83, 85, 88, 146, 147
165-72
nutrition and,
27
in,
1
3
of,
28
drugs that impair, 220 estrogen and, 210
occupations and, 140
hCH
quiz on, 181-82
neurotransmitters and, 52
scales for,
152-54
signs of, 150, 152,
and, 75
stress and,
153-54
training
in,
146 1
3
sleep and, 96, 105
Thinking
testosterone and, 234, 251
Thyroid, 68, 107, 143 Thyrotropic hormone (TTH), 143
triggers for,
1
80
Stress diseases, 144, 147, 148, 153, 160 Stress
hormones, 72, 143, 156-59, 173,
194
268
Thyroxine, 143 Tranquilizers,
220
Traumatic brain injury (TBI), 281,
284-86
exercise and, 161, 162 Stress Inoculation Training, 175
Strokes,
disease,
9,
52, 156, 199-205, 221
Sturgis, Jodi,
72
Sugar, 40, 55-56, 60, 90, 275
anxiety and, 274-76
depression and, 261, 263, 269 Sumitriptan, 278
Tryptophan, 57, 126, 127, 252 depression and, 262-63, 269 TTH. See Thyrotropic hormone
(TTH) Tubman, Harriet, 123 Type A behavior, 246 Tyrosine, 76, 169, 171, 249, 251
Synapses, 11, 26, 52, 64
ampakine and, 220 estrogen and, 208-9 Synder, Solomon, 223
Valerian root, 126, 127
Synergy,
Vasopressin, 143, 244
1
Verbal learning/memory, 16, 25, 57-58, 60, 69, 70, 83, 115
Verbal Tacrine, 193, 215, 222 Tai chi breathing, 78, 161
skills,
exercises
173
15, 71, 240, 241,
for,
13,
242
38
Visual learning/memory, 25, 60, 242
INDEX
330
Visual sense, 232, 240, 242
Willis, Sherry, 13
54 Visualization, 81, 82-83, 88 Vitamin A, 167-68, 171, 180,203,
Women,
Visual-spatial response,
205 Vitamin B complex, 41, 49, 60-62, 76, 90, 129
228-54
39, 62,
Alzheimer's
depression
DHEA
in,
in,
186, 208-10, 221 259-60, 261, 267
71-74
and,
exercise and, 160, 161
depression and, 261, 262
headaches
168-69, 171, 180
stress and, 144,
sugar and, 275
memory
in,
in,
280, 282
49, 82
sleep and, 98, 105, 110-11, 112
Vitamin C, 62, 63, 88, 90, 203, 249-50, 251
stress in, 153 See also Estrogen,-
headaches and, 277 180
E, 144, 166, 168, 171, 180,
277 Alzheimer's and, 203, 205, 206, 217 Vitamins, 41, 49, 60-63, 76
Woods,
Word Word Word
Tiger,
5-6
association, 32, 54, 81,
167-71, 180
90
games, 37 recall,
84
Writing, 47, 81
sleep and, 129 stress and, 144, 159, 165,
Hormone/estrogen
replacement therapy (ERT)
stress and, 144, 166, 168, 171,
Vitamin
Winfrey, Oprah, 5
,
90, 201
,
214
Wurtman, Judith, 262 Wurtman, Richard, 57, 262
Vocabulary, 14, 16, 242
enhancing your, 29, 31-32 Yager,
Don,
21, 121
Yankner, Bruce A., 192-93
Water
(as drink),
84-85, 89, 97,
Yoga, 173-74, 177
197-98, 199, 277 Weider, Ben, 151 Weil, Andrew, 126, 262
Wellbutrin, 249
Williams, Robin, 5
Zinc, 59, 60, 90, 171, 198, 199, 234,
251
^©©QJJY
Robert Dr.
Goldman
M. Goldman, M.D., DO., Ph.D.
has spearheaded the development of numerous international
medical organizations and corporations.
man
^y?^©^
TTK11
A
physician and surgeon, Dr. Gold-
received medical degrees from Midwestern University, the Chicago Col-
lege of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery, and Central
Sciences University School of Medicine.
drogenic
anabolic
steroid
perieures L'Avenir (Belgium),
biochemistry
He
has also received Ph.D.s in an-
from the
Institute
D'Etudes Su-
Honolulu University (U.S.A.), and Akademie Fur
Internationale Kulturund Wissenschaftsforderung
Goldman
American Health
Accademia (Germany). Dr.
has an Affiliate appointment to Harvard University's Philosophy of
Education Research Center, Graduate School of Education, and State University's
Department of
Internal Medicine.
American Academy of Sports Physicians and icine
and Anti-Aging Medicine.
a
He
a
Board Diplomat
He cofounded and
Board of Life Resuscitation Technologies, which
is
a
serves as
Oklahoma
Fellow of the in
Sports
Med-
Chairman of the
biomedical research com-
pany with over 100 medical patents under development resuscitation,
is
in
the areas of brain
trauma and emergency medicine, and organ transplant and
blood preservation technologies.
He
has overseen cooperative research agree-
33
1
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
332
ment development programs as the
in
conjunction with such prominent institutions
American National Red Cross, NASA, the Department of Defense, and
the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
As an inventor, Dr. Goldman was awarded the "Gold Medal
for Science"
(1993), the "Grand Prize for Medicine" (1994), the "Humanitarian Award"
(1995), and the "Business
New
Invention
Development Award" (1996) from the
International
Products Exposition competing against hundreds of inventors
from around the world.
A lete oj
black belt in karate, Chinese weapons expert, and world champion ath-
with over 20 world strength records, he has been
Some
World Records.
of his past records were 13,500 consecutive situps
321 consecutive handstand pushups. Dr. in
Goldman was an All-College
four sports, a three-time winner of the
voted Athlete of the Year
Champions Award.
listed in the Business Book
in
JFK
and
athlete
Physical Fitness Award, was
1981 and 1982, and was the recipient of the 1983
1980 he was inducted into the World Hall of Fame of
In
1995 was awarded the Healthy American Fitness
Physical Fitness, and in
Leader Award from the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and U.S.
Chamber
Dr.
of
Goldman
Commerce.
mission overseeing sports medicine committees
and serves
as a Special
in
over 160 nations since 1985
Adviser to the President's Council on Physical Fitness
and Sports. Aside from the numerous books he has authored, he has lished over
national
200
articles,
also pub-
and has appeared on hundreds of national and
inter-
media presentations.
He founded dent),
Com-
has served as Chairman of the International Medical
the National
American Academy
Academy
of Sport
Medicine (International
Presi-
of Anti-Aging Medicine (Chairman of the Board),
and High Technology Research
Institute.
expanding the
and academic pursuits
are
founded, the Institute
Museum
His main hobbies aside from sports fine art collection of the
of Chicago,
and
museum he
visiting an average of
twenty
countries annually to promote brain research and sports medicine programs.
Ronald Klatz, M.D., D.O. Dr. Klatz
is
a
graduate of Florida Technological University and the College of
Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery in
in
Des Moines, Iowa. He
is
board-certified
both family practice and sports medicine and, along with Dr. Goldman,
cofounder of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.
He
is
is
the au-
ABOUT THE AUTHORS thor of Grow Young with
333
HGH (HarperCollins), Stopping the Clock (Keats),
merous other books. Dr. Klatz served
as
Senior Medical Editor for Longevity
magazine and as a contributing editor to The Archives oj Gerontology and
He
serves as President of the
and nu-
Geriatrics.
American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and
dedicates significant time to the organization and promotion of anti-aging
medical concepts and seeking treatment protocols for the diseases of aging.
Lisa Berber Lisa Berger
is
a professional writer
whose books include The
(with Dr. Robert Rosen), Under Observation-. tal
Lije Inside the
McLean
(with Dr. Alexander Vuckovic), and Dying Well (with Dr.
lives in
Washington,
DC.
Healthy Company Psychiatric HospiIra
Byock). She
DR. who
ROBERT GOLDMAN also holds a doctorate
cofounder with
Academy
Locker
Dr.
Academy
LISA
BERGER
Psychiatric Hospital (with
Death
the Clock. They both
Under Observation:
Dr. Ira
American
of Sports Medicine. Dr. Gold-
include The Healthy
Dying Well (with
is
which has more than two
Klatz are also the coauthors of
Illinois.
whose books
of the
He
more than thirty-seven countries,
Room and Stopping
Chicago,
Rosen),
in
and surgeon
steroid biochemistry.
of Anti-Aging Medicine,
of the National
man and
in
a physician
RONALD KLATZ
DR.
thousand members and
is
Dr.
is
live in
a professional writer
Company
Life
in the
(with Dr. Robert
Inside
the
McLean
Alexander Vuckovic), and
Byock). She lives
in
Washington, D.C.
JACKET PHOTOGRAPH BY GUY LE BAUBE/TONY STONE JACKET DESIGN BY ARCHIE FERGUSON Printed in the U.S.A.
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I
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lat-
on exercise alone are worth the
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—Robert
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CODIRECTOR, PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION RESEARCH CENTER, HARVARD UNIVERSITY
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ISBN 0-385-48864-5
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