It is possible to consciously affect our brain wave patterns. Each brain
wave has a different frequency and communicates with different parts of the brain.
The external world has rhythms with each
sunrise and sunset. The brain picks up on the frequencies of light and sound
and then starts to pace with these patterns. Have you ever walked into a
restaurant and the music stirs a rhythm inside you causing a unconscious
tapping of your foot to the beat. This is a very similar process that takes
place with brain wave patterns.
There are five different types of brain wave patterns, each with
their own individual functions:
The slowest is the delta
wave- occurring while you sleep at half to four cycles per second. Slower paced
music or quiet time and dim lights help create this wave pattern.
The theta wave
is made predominantly from the middle brain and is the self-awareness frequency.
This pattern creates a more lucid or a meditative state at four to eight cycles
per second.
The alpha wave creates more of an awareness of the world and is predominantly from the right side of
the brain. This wave pattern has a frequency of about 9-14 cycles per second.
It tends to be the more creative and emotional side of the brain. The alpha
frequency can be elicited more by closing your eyes and taking deep
diaphragmatic breaths.
The beta wave production
is at 14-28 cycles per second and is predominantly left brain activity.
This is the frequency made most when you are focused on your work or
activities.
The gamma wave
integrates several parts of the nervous system and is high processing at about
25-100 cycles per second.
Brain waves are the bodies
electrical frequencies that are made by the brain nerve cells. The more these
brain cells are communicating at the same frequency our brain is in a better balance.
It is best for our overall health to get a good nights rest and start they day
in a low frequency delta. Ease into the theta and alpha states to prepare for a
active beta wave at work. At the end of the day start to slow down the activity
of the brain with less light and sound stimulation to prepare for rest.
Better Brain Tip
Imagine a piano recital that starts out with just a few notes and
a slow pace. Start adding more notes and then pick up the tempo playing faster
with more chords. As the tempo builds you can feel your brain pacing the tempo.
Now imagine the tempo begins to slow down to a series of simple chords ending
with holding a single note.
In your mind you can create this same affect on your brain wave activity.
Start designing your day with this pattern and it will reduce that fight or
flight response reducing tour stress on your health.
Most of the neurotransmitters in your body are made in the gut,
and if your gut health is not healthy, then your brain health is not healthy.
Trans fats, pesticides, and GMO’s which are a part of the average American diet,
affect our neurotransmitters. This diet is creating a bigger problem with
society’s mental health!
With over 10 million people in United States on anti-depressants,
we need to step back and take a look at
our thinking, our eating, and our actions. Start with your gut health today to
improve your overall brain health and body health.
Better Brain Tip:
1) Regularly eats foods that build a healthy gut flora and/or
supplement probiotics.
Cranial manipulation and treatment has been used for thousands of
years to treat numerous ailments. There are 22 bones that make up the skull
(Cranium). Manual treatment has a direct affect on the circulation around the
brain and influences the function of the nervous system. Everything from
Headaches, TMJ, sinus challenges and a multitude of neurological problems have
benefitted from cranial work.
Your skull is made up sutures, like zippers to your brain. As
these sutures ossify, or harden, it negatively affects your brain circulation.
On an MRI Cranial treatments show how specific areas of the nervous system as
well as the circulation of the brain are affected. With cranial work, you can
actually influence your blood supply to your brain. If you've ever had a brain
trauma or concussive force to the head, you may need cranial work or at least
an examination. Cranial manipulation has been shown to affect your overall brain
health which affects the health of your entire body.
Better Brain Tip:
1)If you have every had a brain injury or
concussive trauma see a cranial specialist to evaluate the skull and nervous
system.
2)A Spect scan or functional MRI evaluation should
be done sooner rather than later after a trauma to evaluate brain injury and
function.
Our mind is paced by light and sound and this affects brain wave activity.
Have you ever walked into a room with flashing lights and high frequency music. Often times it feels palpable in the chest seemingly changing your heart rate
and breathing pattern . Different frequencies of light and sounds have varying
affects on different parts of the brain as seen on functional MRI analysis.
During a non-violent, educational video game, you'relearning and creating using, the left and right brain, as well as the frontal
lobe for focus. While playing, or watching, a violent video game, your brain
begins to confuse fiction with reality, creating angrier and more agitated
behavior. Splitting up game time or taking a walk in nature can snap us back to
reality and calm your brain activity for better focus, better attitude, and
increased brain function.
Better Brain tip:
1) Stop all video game activity at least 1 hour before bedtime
2) Start to limit or eliminate violent video game activity
Almost every professional sports organization has a Chiropractor
on their team to enhance player performance and promote optimum recovery from
injuries. Hand, eye, and foot coordination is one of the most important skills
to develop for any athlete. Inches can be the difference between a home run and
a strike out in baseball. Dr. Sperry won the Nobel prize for his work showing
more than 90% of the brains messages are for coordinating the body and the
affects from gravity.
One of the most important parts of the brain function is
directing the messages from the brain to the body. This process is called
"Proprioception" and is one of those background physical processes
that make up your body's total IQ. Proprioceptors are specialized nerve endings
located in your muscles and joints that inform your brain about your body's
position in three-dimensional space.
You're able to write legibly because proprioceptors are sending
instantaneous data about the angles of the small joints of your fingers and
wrists as your pen moves across the page. You're able to run on the beach
because proprioceptors are continuously sending signals to your brain about the
changing shape of the uneven surface of the sand.
Without these specialized nerve endings, we'd never be able to
hit a baseball, throw a Frisbee, or drive a car. But proprioceptors can be
affected by posture and nerve stress. One person out for a stroll might trip
over a crack in the pavement and suffer a badly sprained ankle. Another person
might trip over the same crack, even badly turning over their ankle in the
process, and keep on walking without even a trace of a limp.
The difference between injury and non-injury is the level of proprioceptor
training, and this level usually is related to whether you're doing regular
exercise. Exercise trains your muscles and joints to adapt to varying kinds of
stresses (weight-bearing loads) throughout a variety of positions (the full
range of motion of those joints).However, if an ankle, shoulder, or the back
are injured it can disrupt the exact messages to and from the brain. This in
turn can affect hand, eye, and foot coordination.
As a result, trained proprioceptors can withstand a high degree
of stress (such as a sudden twisting of an ankle). The untrained ankle,
possibly the ankle of a person who hasn't done much walking, running, or bike
riding in the last five years, will be damaged by an unusual and unexpected
stress. The result is an ankle sprain of varying severity and possibly a broken
ankle.
Similarly, it is well known that older adults experience more
frequent falls than do younger adults. Part of the explanation involves
proprioception. Many older adults don't engage in regular exercise. Proprioceptive
function decreases, changes in level or surface aren't recognized quickly by
the person's feet and ankles, and the person falls.
It's easy to see that the effort to maintain an athletes
proprioceptive system is time well spent. This process is also extremely important for anyone that wants to
maintain a high level of mobility as you age. The fastest way to boost the
brain body connection is by maintaining the best alignment possible and doing
regular exercise. All kinds of exercise provide benefit, so the best exercises
are the ones that have some interest for you personally.
Better Brain Tip:
Athletes -Do regular coordination exercises or drills for your
desired sport
Non Athlete- balance on one foot with the opposite arm
outstretched in front of your body for 30 seconds / then switch leg and arm
sequence { this develops better brain balancing and proprioception}
The "All Star Break" just ended for Major League Baseball
last week. I had the honor of doing evaluations on the team at the last game before their time off and it was
apparent that they needed a rest from a long road schedule. The "All Star
Break " for most players is a great planned "time to revitalize"
and pause to prepare for the rest of a long season .
In any season there has to be a natural break or our body gets
out of rhythm. In nature there are rhythms and change that happen year after year.
Our daily rhythm is probably one of the most important cycles to get into
balance. Athletes have a rhythm to their training. If you ever go to a pregame
warm up no matter what sport, there is a specific process to getting prepared
for game time.
No matter how great an athlete is they all begin their pregame
activities with light stretches, jogging or calisthenics. In baseball, batting
practice or a pitcher warming up in the bull pen are all necessary to get the
nervous system in sync and body loosened up. To reach peak potential and avoid
injuries we need to adopt this same principle. Waking up rushed or not having
time to let the brain get engaged properly puts our bodies in a stressful fight
or flight. It's critical to reprioritize your day if you wake up in a stress
response.
If you really want long lasting health and vitality don't just
prioritize your schedule every day,
you must "schedule your priorities." This means getting
your mind and body prepared for each day. When you master your days, you can
master your week, when you master your week you will master your life! Look at your future calendar to schedule a" time to revitalize"
break .This should be done at least once each season to maintain optimum
health. Start looking at your life like a peak performer and begin your days
slow then build momentum and then close the day for better mental clarity and
less stress.
Better Brain tip:
·Write down all the ways that you feel you can
revitalize your body, mind and spirit.
·Schedule a time each season to get away and
design your life so you can listen to
your highest voice, see your highest
vision and trust your gut instinct.
Studies are now showing that a high IQ may be linked to how we
process information.
Here's the question: Is there a single way to predict whether
someone has a high IQ or not?
The answer: Maybe.
According to a new study
in the Journal Current Biology, high IQ is correlated with an ability to
process important information while ignoring the unimportant distractions.
In the movie "For the love of the game" Kevin Costner has to drown out all the
distractions as he attempts to pitch a no hit game for his farewell performance
in the big leagues. His strategy was to blur out all the visual and auditory
distractions by creating a focused strategy. He would say to himself "clear
the mechanism," and he would have a much clearer focus on the task at
hand. Having a strategy to regain your focus can increase your memory,
cognitive skills and reduce stress. Each level of the brain often overrides the
other based on prior experiences if you let it just remain on auto pilot.
Many scientists have suggested that high IQ is linked to
processing speed, or how quickly and accurately a person can understand
incoming information. This information can come from a wide range of sensory
inputs, including sounds, sights, and physical sensations. Responding to a tap
on your shoulder or computing a difficult math problem both rely on processing
speed, among other cognitive abilities. The problem in today's lifestyle is we
have more potential distractions from texts, cell phones, 24 hour world news
and the rapid pace of our world than ever before.
The University of Rochester had researchers conduct a study
searching to find what if the ability to ignore certain information is just as
important as the speed it takes to process it internally.
Researchers first set out the determine how quickly the study’s 53 participants processed different types of visual information.
A series of shapes passed across a screen, and participants were asked to
identify how the shapes had moved —
for example top-to-bottom or left-to-right. The shapes could be large or
small.
Counter intuitively, participants generally took longer to
process large shapes than small shapes. This phenomenon, called spatial
suppression, originates from a natural instinct to pay less attention to large
background movements —
like ignoring the lion on the horizon to focus on the lion in front of
you.
Each participant received a Suppression Index score (SI) based on
the difference between their response time to the small moving shape compared
to the large moving shape.
Participants also took a version of the Wechsler Adult
Intelligence Scale (WAIS), one of the most extensively studied IQ tests in
existence.
Analysis revealed a strong correlation between IQ score and SI
score — meaning
that people with higher IQs were better at processing small movements and worse
at processing large movements. Learning how to use all 4 levels of the brain
teaches you how to attain selective focus on what is most important.
This study’s findings make plenty of sense in real-world scenarios: most of the time,
the environment rewards a myopic focus. When you drive, it’s
the cars and pedestrians close by that command the bulk of your attention.
Events happening in the background such as buildings you pass, objects on
the side of the road, people moving on the sidewalk all become secondary.
The brain is complex and sometimes perplexing, so it’s always gratifying to see researchers begin to understand one of
its most important mysteries and how our focus can affect our intelligence
quotient.
Better Brain tip
Next time you’re out in the world, pause for a moment and see
if you find yourself relying on a specific sense more than others.
Stop and look around to see first what feels most important to
pay attention to...then broaden your senses to also see a bigger picture of your
surroundings.
Both of these actions are
important to create a better balance between the 4 levels of the brain and
avoiding getting stuck in a sensory pattern.
Almost all brain dysfunction can be summarized into one of three
categories that I call the three Ts , "TRAUMA ,TOXICITY and THOUGHTS". You may
have seen some of my previous videos
when I told the story about how my wife Jeanine and I were in a horrific
helicopter crash. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and it is the main reason
I created the Better Brain Academy.
The synthesis of what I
learned in 30 years of practice along with the worldwide search to find the
best doctors, the best research, best treatments and remedies to create a
healthy brain and nervous system was the main reason for my wife's recovery
Any time there is a trauma to the brain and body it can
short-circuit the nervous system. It is very important to always make sure that
you do something to start to reset the nervous system and restore proper
function. Any stress can
trigger the fight or fight response that needs to stop within a short period of
time. There's a feedback loop that takes place from the brain to our body and
then back the brain. Healthy responses have to send messages to the cells from
the brain 100 % of the time for proper communication
It is critical to look at what energy and information is being
received to support the health and
healing for the best amount of communication from the brain. The brain can
actually affect the messages down the spinal tracks so your posture is very important in the
recovery after a trauma. Many of us have toxins that have been accumulating in
the body .A critical step in healing is to make sure that you are taking steps
to start to reduce that and eliminate toxins as much as possible .I will go
into the steps more in depth in future videos on how to reduce toxicity
It is also important to
really be aware of what we're thinking because it could be firing off this
feedback loop with negative feedback reducing your overall health. I want you
to have 100% of your brains message to
bring 100% of expression of life energy flowing to the body 100% of the time.
So start to THINK a little bit better and reduce TOXINS now to achieve a much
healthier life.
We all have the ability to transform our lives by understanding
how to use our "Three Powers."
In the Better Brain Academy we take
you through a three week process to tap into each of your powers. It takes 21
days to create a new habit pattern so we address all the three powers starting
first with your Elective power, then your connective power and finishing
the last week addressing your Reflective power.
Your Elective Power is the "power of you". Your ability
to find what truly drives you and link this with your values for more
fulfillment in life. Your Connective Power is how you create stronger lifelong
connections using your emotional brain. Your Reflective Power is tapping into
your Innate purpose and defining your highest mission in life.
For more information watch the introductory video below or visit
our website at www.betterbrainblueprint.com
This week the
focus is about getting in touch with our own innate senses. The word innate means inborn or natural. We all have innate skills, innate dreams
and desires that makes us each unique.
Our five senses are how we interact with the external world and actually create
the quality of our life. These senses also direct our internal drives and
motivation. We can all create an internal feeling that is enough to compel us
to travel great distances for our favorite food, to see something that is
majestic as a ocean sunset, or listen our favorite musician.
I would like to take a closer look at how to reduce the stresses
of daily life by using the sense of smell. Different smells can actually alter brainwave patterns because it is
the only sense that bypasses the gatekeeper of the brain( thalamus). The
universal smell for calming the brain is lavender .It has a direct effect on the brain and nervous system
reducing anxiety. If you have kids that are more hyperactive and they have a
hard time sleeping, use lavender on their pillow. When my grandkids come over
my wife will put it a little bit of lavender oil on their pillow and it's amazing
how they sleep much better.
We begin the digestive process with smelling our food first. With
our fast food society it is so easy to overeat because the sense of smell is
not stimulated. The brain triggers the digestive process with smell and begins
stimulating the release of digestive enzymes. Many times a meal has already
been devoured before the body can catch up so indigestion occurs. I challenge
to consciously tap into your senses this week at a greater level of mindful
awareness.
Better Brain Tip
Close your eyes for an entire meal and truly listen to sounds
around you and taste your food at a higher level. We all need to use our five
senses on a daily basis however many times we can be on auto pilot and don't
allow the body to digest the energy and information our food and environment is
providing. Slow down today and it will be easier get the brain in better balance and reduce stresses on your nervous
system.
Proper sleep is one of the most important factors for long term
brain health and function. Small adjustments to your sleeping area and daily
routine can go a long way toward ensuring you uninterrupted, restful sleep and
thereby better brain health. If you're even slightly sleep deprived, I
encourage you to implement some of these Better Brain tips tonight.
1) Maintain optimal
light exposure
Your pineal gland produces a hormone called melatonin in response
to the brightness of sun exposure in the day and complete darkness at night. If
you're in darkness all day long, your body can't appreciate the difference and
will not optimize melatonin production. I recommend getting at least 30 to 60
minutes of outdoor light exposure during the daytime in order to set your
master clock rhythm, in the morning if possible. More sunlight exposure is
required as you age.
2) Preparing for Rest
Once the sun sets, avoid bright light as much as possible to
assist your body in secreting melatonin, which helps you feel sleepy. Avoid
bright lights from computers, televisions, video games or e-books at least 1
hour before bed time. It can be helpful to sleep in complete darkness, or as
close to it as possible. If you need a bit of light to navigate down the hall
in the wee hours of the night, install a low-wattage yellow, orange, or red
light bulb. Light in these bandwidths does not shut down melatonin production
in the way that white and blue light does.
3) Prepare your Mind
for Sleep
A disturbance in sleep is always caused by something, be it
physical, mental or emotional, or all of the above. Anxiety and anger are two
mental states that are incompatible with sleep. Feeling overwhelmed with
responsibilities is another common sleep blocker. To identify the cause of your
wakefulness, analyze the thoughts that circle in your mind during the time you
lie awake, and look for themes. Regular meditation is one of the best ways to
regulate proper brain wave patterns that promote deep sleep.
4) Temperature affects
Brain Activity
Keep the temperature in your bedroom below 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Many people keep their homes too warm (particularly their bedrooms). Studies
show that the optimal room temperature for sleep is between 60 and 68 degrees
Fahrenheit.
Take a hot bath 90 to 120 minutes before bedtime. This raises
your core body temperature, and when you get out of the bath it abruptly drops,
signaling your body that you're ready for sleep.
5) Follow Natural Rhythms
There are natural rhythms in nature just as there are rhythms in
the body. Normally, your brain starts secreting melatonin between 9 pm and 10
pm. Staying up later than 10 pm can affect your ability to not only fall asleep
but stay in the important deep delta wave sleep pattern.
Going to bed and getting up at the same time each day helps keep
your sleep on track, but having a consistent pre-sleep routine or "sleep
ritual" is also important. For instance, if you read before heading to
bed, your body knows that reading at night signals it's time for sleep. I often
suggest listening to calming music, stretching, or doing relaxation exercises.
6 ) Be mindful of
electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in your bedroom
EMFs can disrupt your pineal gland and its melatonin production,
and may have other detrimental biological effects . Ideally, you should turn
off any wireless router while you are sleeping—after
all, you don't need the Internet when you sleep.
7) Avoid Alcohol, Caffeine, and other drugs,
including Nicotine
Two of the biggest sleep saboteurs are caffeine and alcohol, both
of which also increase anxiety. Caffeine's effects can last four to seven
hours. Tea and chocolate also contain caffeine. Alcohol can help you fall
asleep faster, but it makes sleep more fragmented and less restorative.
Nicotine in all its forms (cigarettes, e-cigs, chewing tobacco, pipe tobacco,
and smoking cessation patches) is also a stimulant, so lighting up too close to
bedtime can worsen insomnia. Many other drugs can also interfere with sleep.
8 ) Monitor your Sleep
Habits
I Use a Fitbit fitness tracker to help to get to bed on time, and
track which activities boost or hinder deep sleep. Many fitness trackers can
now track both daytime body movement and sleep, allowing you to get a better
picture of how much sleep you're actually getting. Newer fitness trackers can
even tell you which activities led to your best sleep and what factors resulted
in poor sleep.
Take action NOW to set up your
daily rituals and sleep will be a more natural process with very healthy
results.
The brain creates a tremendous amount of toxic waste through
normal daily thought processes. A key finding on MRI scans of Alzheimer’s
patients is the presence of altered proteins in the memory areas of the brain responsible
for short them storage. There’s no cure for Alzheimer's disease,
which makes prevention all the more important, and sleeping well appears to be
an important part of prevention.
Studies published in 2012 and 2013
revealed that your brain actually has a unique method of removing toxic waste
during deep delta sleep patterns This waste-removal system has been dubbed the
glymphatic system and operates in a way that is similar to your body's
lymphatic system, which is responsible for eliminating cellular waste products.
However, the lymphatic system does not include your brain. The
reason for this is that your brain is a closed system that is protected by the
blood-brain barrier to control what can go through and what cannot. The
glymphatic system gets into your brain by "piggybacking" on the blood
vessels in your brain. (The "g" in glymphatic is a nod to "glial
cells"—the
brain cells that manage this system.)
By pumping cerebral spinal fluid through your brain's tissues,
the glymphatic system flushes the waste from your brain back into your body's
circulatory system. From there, the waste eventually reaches your liver, where
it's ultimately eliminated.
The most important fact is that this system ramps up its activity
during sleep, thereby allowing your brain to clear out toxins, including
harmful proteins called amyloid-beta that create the buildup that has been
linked to Alzheimer's.
During sleep, the glymphatic system becomes 10 times more active
than during wakefulness. Simultaneously, your brain cells shrink by about 60
percent, allowing for greater efficiency of waste removal.
During the day, the constant brain activity causes your brain
cells to swell in size until they take up just over 85 percent of your brain's
volume, thereby disallowing effective waste removal during wakefulness.
More recently, researchers discovered that the blood-brain
barrier naturally tends to become more permeable with age, allowing more toxins
to enter. This combined with the reduced efficiency of the glymphatic system
shows that damage in both your brain and blood-brain barrier can start to
accumulate at an increased pace. This deterioration is thought to play a
significant role in the development of Alzheimer's.
Better Brain Tip
·Prepare your brain for better sleep with the
Walk-Breath-Twist (WBT) routine at the end of your workday
Poor sleep
habits can lead to serious health conditions .This is becoming a growing
problem in our country with nearly 40 percent of adults reporting that they
fall asleep unintentionally during the day ,and five percent report nodding off
while driving. Forty-five percent of teens also don't get enough sleep on
school nights and 25 percent report falling asleep in class at least once a
week.
Lack of sleep has serious health consequences that go far beyond
not feeling fully awake and refreshed during the day. There's a price to pay
both in the short term and long term as now a number of studies have linked
poor sleep or lack of sleep to an increased risk of Alzheimer's. One of the
reasons for this challenge has to do with the fact that your brain's waste
removal system only operates during deep sleep.
So how can you be sure you're getting the right amount of sleep
for you? The following Five signs indicate you probably need to address your sleep
habits because you're not getting enough time for the brain to recharge.
1.You're moody- Chronic insomnia is
associated with a greater risk for irritability, depression and anxiety. The
problem is even one night of insufficient sleep can have a dramatic impact on
your mood. According to Lauren Hale,17 editor-in-chief of the journal Sleep
Health:"If you're sleep deprived, you're more vulnerable to crankiness,
irritability, and challenges coping with stress."
2.Your work performance and productivity is inadequate
- Basic brain functions such as focus, logical reasoning, and even memory can
suffer when you're tired. Sleep has also been shown to boost creative
functioning and promote problem solving, both of which are valuable needs in
just about any profession.
3.You're gaining weight - The risk of developing insulin resistance or
type 2 diabetes increases due to
poor sleep habits or lack of sleep . Sleep exerts a specific effect on glucose metabolism, and lack of
sleep also decreases levels of the fat regulating hormone leptin while
increasing the hunger hormone ghrelin. The resulting increase in hunger and
appetite can easily lead to overeating and weight gain.
4.Signs of sleep deprivation are showing on your
face- You can usually tell when someone hasn't slept well by how they look. A
recent Swedish study looked at facial cues showing sleep deprivation, finding
that people readily identified as having hanging eyelids, red swollen eyes,
dark under-eye circles, pale skin, more wrinkles, and more droopy corners of
the mouth as tell-tale signs of a poor night's sleep.
5.You're drowsy during the day and catch yourself
nodding off- Daytime sleepiness is a clear sign that you didn't get enough
sleep the night before. So, if you're constantly yawning, and consuming excess
coffee to keep yourself going, you need to get to bed earlier.
Sleep Is NOT a
Luxury, It's an Essential for Good Health
**As noted in a recent issue of Time Magazine
"Sleep, the experts are recognizing, is the only time the
brain has to catch its breath. If it doesn't, it may drown in its own
biological debris... [Sleep researcher Dr. Sigrid] Veasey is learning that
brain cells that don't get their needed break every night are like overworked
employees on consecutive double shifts–eventually,
they collapse.
Better Brain Tip
1)Get your body in a natural rhythm by going to
sleep and waking up at the same time for one week. See how you feel and adjust
the time appropriately for better sleep patterns.
2)Make sure you have a good mattress and pillow
while avoiding sleeping on your stomach.
Our brain is a memory organ and understanding "how it
remembers" can increase your overall health. There are key insights
according to the latest brain research that are extremely valuable to
understand. The most significant findings contributing to memory loss is the
lack of daily health rituals and not making learning new things a priority.
Here are two key research findings to keep in mind next time you
learn something new.
1. The process of learning creates new connections in the brain
Your brain works like an electrical circuit and when you learn
something new, stronger connections form between neurons in your brain. Just as
when electrical current travels through a circuit in your home, the same thing
happens from one group of nerve cells to another. The stronger the electrical
signal is initially the stronger the connection is between the neurons.
If you have a daily habit patterns you’ve
felt the effects of a strong memory connections. Getting in your car, turning the key in the ignition,
backing out of your driveway and driving to work can all happen without you
even thinking about it. This unconscious behavior happens automatically as a
result of brain circuitry that’s been strengthened through daily repetition.
Studies show that the best way to create a healthier brain is to learn
something new daily. Remember that habit patterns and daily rituals are only
good if they support your overall health and vitality.
2. Overlapping connections
are the best way for effective long term learning.
Just as awareness and conscious attention plays a role in
learning, so does the quantity of the connections made between neurons. A single isolated fact may be
very be tough to remember, but you can increase your memory by linking it to
familiar information in your brain.
When I teach memory technique classes it is often astounding to
the group how learning a simple strategy can magnify their learning curve.
Whether it be remembering names ,lists, numbers etc,it is always better to link
new knowledge to a previous memory. A sequencing of thoughts is similar to
overlapping shingles on a roof which creates better recall.
For example: If you want to remember a grocery list ,predetermine
specific places in different rooms of your home and then visualize items on
your list.
Pick 5 places in each room starting on the left and move from
place to place clockwise:
Room 1 could be your kitchen and item # 1 visualize eggs cooking
on the stove
#2 you smell bread baking in the oven
#3 milk in the refrigerator
#4 cleaning apples in the
sink
#5 dishwashing soap in dishwasher.
Having five specific places that are predetermined makes it
easier to visualize your items at each designated spot. You will be more likely
to remember new information when you’ve formed connections across multiple neural
systems. You’ll also have a much stronger network of
connections for recalling this information later.
Understanding how brain research proves that learning creates new
connections and these connections are stronger if you link it to previous
memories gives a clearer strategy to create a Better Brain. Try applying this
awareness the next time you want to learn a new fact, remember a list or even
someone's name.
Better Brain Tip
1)Use as many senses as possible to create new
memory patterns.(seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting and feeling)
2)Instead of making a grocery list use this
technique to strengthen your brain. For more memory techniques go to previous
Better Brain Blueprint memory video blog click here
Abnormal bacteria in the gut is a factor behind inflammation,
food cravings, obesity, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune diseases, Alzheimer's and
many of the other chronic diseases seen today. When your gut bacteria (flora)
is unhealthy a leaky gut syndrome can develop causing food particules to leach into your
bloodstream where they can trigger allergic and inflammatory responses.
An abnormal gut environment can also lead to long term depression
and other emotional and physical problems, because your gut bacteria provide a
significant source of your amino acids, vitamins and other important compounds.
Three major ones are ATP, tryptophan and serotonin.
The chronic use of broad spectrum antibiotics has also created
abnormal gut flora leading to long term health problems. Many inflammatory
illnesses that affect brain health can be prevented by getting a healthier gut.
What's the Smartest Decision?
Our natural biology was accustomed to a diet filled with mainly
wild plants and animals, berries,
nuts, and roots, which were significantly higher in nutrients than our
foods today. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors consumed nearly 100 grams of fiber
every day, compared to the 8-15 grams now consumed in the average Western diet.
The foods we
eat can be our medicine or our poison .The processed foods found lining grocery
store shelves are not the foods we were designed to eat. Ninety percent of the
average American diet is fake food out of a box, can, jar, or tube.
Most of the foods the body reacts to are genetically modified and
chemically different then even the last 10-20 years. The most common culprits
being soy, gluten from hybridized wheat, corn, sugar, and highly pasteurized
dairy, for example. These modern foods are foreign to your body, so it’s common to have problematic reactions, including inflammatory and
autoimmune responses, which can lead to allergies, cardiovascular disease,
cancer, and the list goes on and on.
One of every four Americans now has type 2 diabetes or
pre-diabetes and is a precursor to Alzheimer's disease.
Americans have shunned fats for the last 40 years after being
told they cause heart disease, when the real culprit is sugar. The epidemic of
brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple
sclerosis, and the like are evidence of what happens when your brain is starved
of beneficial fats while being bombarded with toxic insults over time. Your
brain is made up of fat, so it’s no surprise that low-fat diets have been linked
to depression and suicidal or homicidal behavior.
We have outsourced the making of our food to corporations that
have cut corners, added chemicals, and altered the genetic makeup of what we
eat. What the average American eats is not food anymore but rather “edible manufactured
products.” Our
children pay the heaviest price, becoming biochemically enslaved to sugar.
This is not an exaggeration as studies have shown sugar to be
eight times as addictive as cocaine. Would it be okay if the government began
marketing and subsidizing cocaine? Of course not, but that’s
exactly what they’re doing with sugar with their subsidization of
the corn and fructose industry and manipulative marketing campaigns.
Beneficial bacteria in the gut also play an enormous role in your
genetic expression—continuously
helping flip genes off and on as you need them. Your genetic expression is 50
to 80 percent controlled by how you eat, think and move, and your genes change
daily—if not
hourly.
Better Brain Tip
It is critical to make SMARTER choices about what you eat.
The question I often ask my patients is…?
Would you feed your dog what you eat on a daily basis. Most
people role their eyes and say;
“Of course not, that would make them
sick!”
Well, WAKE UP and listen to your own answer. We are getting
sicker and sicker year after year as a society
Start removing one food a week that you KNOW is not healthy.
After a few weeks when you start to feel better it will be even
easier to keep removing the TOXIC foods that are affecting you and your family.
Measuring brain wave patterns is a way to determine what mental
state of the brain is presently active. The root of all our thoughts, emotions
and behaviors is the communication between neurons within our brains.
Brainwaves are electrical pulses produced by masses of neurons
communicating with each other. They are measured and detected by using sensors
placed on the scalp and then divided into bandwidth frequencies to describe
their function and area of the brain that is active.
Brainwaves are best thought of as a continuous spectrum of
consciousness; Delta being slow, loud and functional - to Gamma being fast,
subtle, and complex. A good way to describe this activity is to think of
brainwaves as musical notes - the low frequency waves like a deeply penetrating
drum beat, while the higher frequency brainwaves are like a subtle high pitched
flute.
Our brainwaves change according to what we’re
doing and feeling. When slower brainwaves are dominant we can feel tired, slow,
sluggish, or dreamy. The higher frequencies are dominant when we feel wired, or
hyper-alert.
The description below is only a global way to better understand
this concept. In common practice this analysis is far more complex, and
brainwaves reflect different aspects when they occur in different locations in
the brain.
Brainwave speed is measured in Hertz (cycles per second) and they
are dived into bands delineating slow, moderate, and fast waves.
Delta waves(.5-3Hz)
Delta brainwaves are the slowest but loudest brainwaves (low
frequency and deeply penetrating, like a drum beat). They are generated in
deepest meditation and dreamless sleep. Delta waves suspend external awareness
and are the source of empathy. Healing and regeneration are stimulated in this
state, and that is why deep restorative sleep is so essential to the healing
process.
Theta waves (4-8 HZ)
Theta brainwaves occur most often in sleep but are also dominant
in the deep meditation. It acts as our gateway to learning and memory. In
theta, our senses are withdrawn from the external world and focused on signals
originating from within. It is that twilight state which we normally only
experience fleetingly as we wake or drift off to sleep. In theta we are in a
dream; vivid imagery, intuition and information beyond our normal conscious
awareness. It’s where we hold our ‘stuff’, our fears, troubled history, and nightmares.
Alpha waves (8-12HZ)
Alpha brainwaves are present during quietly flowing thoughts, but
not quite meditation. Alpha is ‘the
power of now’, being here, in the present. Alpha is the
resting state for the brain. Alpha waves aid overall mental coordination,
calmness, alertness, mind/body integration and learning. The brain typically
creates more alpha waves on right side of brain.
Beta waves (12-38 HZ )
Beta brainwaves dominate our normal waking state of consciousness
when attention is directed towards cognitive tasks and the outside world. Beta
is a ‘fast’ activity, present when we are alert, attentive, engaged in problem
solving, judgment, decision making, and engaged in focused mental activity.
Continual high frequency processing beta waves are not a very
efficient way to run the brain, as it takes a tremendous amount of energy. The
left side of the brain produces more beta wave activity.
Gamma waves (38-42 HZ)
Gamma brainwaves are the fastest of brain waves (high frequency,
like a flute), and relate to simultaneous processing of information from
different brain areas. It passes information rapidly, and as the most subtle of
the brainwave frequencies, the mind has to be quiet to access it.
Gamma was traditionally dismissed as 'spare brain noise' until
researchers discovered it was highly active when in states of universal love,
altruism, and the ‘higher
virtues’. Gamma rhythms modulate perception and
consciousness, disappearing under anesthesia. Gamma is also above the frequency
of neuronal firing, so how it is generated remains a mystery. The presence of
Gamma relates to expanded consciousness and spiritual enlightenment.
WHAT BRAINWAVES MEAN TO YOU
Our brainwave profile and our daily experience of the world are
inseparable. When our brainwaves are out
of balance, there will be corresponding problems in our emotional, mental and
physical health.
Over-arousal in certain brain areas is linked with anxiety disorders,
sleep problems, nightmares, impulsive behavior, anger/aggression, agitated
depression, chronic nerve pain and spasticity. Under-arousal in certain brain
areas leads to some types of depression, attention deficit, chronic pain and
insomnia. A combination of under-arousal and over-arousal is seen in cases of
anxiety, depression and ADHD.
ALTERING YOUR
BRAINWAVES
By rule of thumb, any process that changes your perception
changes your brainwaves.
Unfortunately in today's hectic world many use only chemical
interventions such as medications or recreational drugs to alter brain
function; however brainwave training is also very effective.
Over the long term, traditional eastern methods (such as
meditation and yoga) train your brainwaves into balance. Taking regular time in
nature also has an amazing ability to regulate brain wave patterns
With technology brainwave entrainment (light- sound therapy) has
also become an easy, low-cost method to temporarily alter your brainwave state.
If you are trying to solve a particular difficulty or fine-tune your brainwave
function, state-of-the-art brain training methods like neuro-feedback deliver
targeted, quick, and lasting results.
Our brain is a memory organ that is paced by light and sound. Knowing
this allows us to consciously set the stage for increasing our memory, reducing
stress, improving sleep and making healthier decisions.
Brainwave entrainment refers to the brain's electrical response
to rhythmic waves of sensory stimulation, such as pulses of sound or light.
When the brain is given a stimulus, through the ears, eyes or other senses, it
emits an electrical charge in response creating a wave pattern.
These electrical responses travel throughout the brain to become
what you "see and hear." This activity can be measured using
sensitive electrodes attached to the scalp.
When the brain is presented with a rhythmic stimulus, such as a
drum beat for example, the rhythm is reproduced in the brain in the form of
these electrical impulses. If the rhythm becomes fast and consistent enough, it
can start to resemble the natural internal rhythms of the brain, called brain
waves.
When this happens, the brain responds by synchronizing its own
electric cycles to the same rhythm. This is commonly called the Frequency
Following Response (or FFR):
FFR can be useful because brainwaves are very much related to
mental state. For example, a four Hz brainwave is associated with sleep, so a
four Hz sound pattern would help reproduce the sleep state in your brain. The
same concept can be applied to many other mental states, including
concentration, relaxation and meditation.
What is Entrainment?
Entrainment is a principle of physics. It is defined as the
synchronization of two or more rhythmic cycles. The principles of entrainment
appear in chemistry, neurology, biology, pharmacology, medicine, astronomy and
more.
The brain can be trained by choosing different frequencies of
light and sound. In fact, the brain is affected by any kind of rhythmic
stimuli. Clicks, drum beats, light flickers, and even physical vibrations or
electric pulses have all been proven to effectively entrain the brain. However,
to have a significant effect on one's mental state, the stimuli must be
configured correctly and precisely timed.
The entrainment of brain waves is very important in establishing
healthy rhythms. Making conscious decisions to allow the brain to wake up
properly and prepare for rest will make a huge difference in establishing a
healthier brain long term. Listening to lower frequency sounds late at night
will prepare the body for rest. The antithesis would be to listen the faster
upbeat rhythmic music to stimulate more creativity and physical movement during
productive time of the day.
Better Brain tip
1)Wake up each day with meditation to regulate
brain wave activity.
2)Prepare for sleep by reducing light and high
intensity sounds ( avoid the news at night)
References:
Huang, T. L., & Charyton, C. (2008). A
comprehensive review of the psychological effects of brainwave entrainment.
Altern Ther Health Med, 14(5), 38-50.
Toman J. Flicker potentials and the
alpha rhythm in man. J Neurophysiol. 1941;4(1):51-61.
Nystrรถm SH. Effects of photic stimulation on neuronal
activity and subjective experience in man. Acta Neurol Scand.
1966;42(5):505-514.
Moruzzi G, Magoun HW. Brain stem
reticular formation and activation of the EEG. 1949. J Neuropsychiatry Clin
Neurosci. 1995;7(2):251-267.
The motto of the World Breastfeeding Organization this year is
"save one million babies
by breastfeeding". The emphasis is focused on the importance of enhancing
brain health and immunity by breastfeeding during the newborn’s
first hour of life.
Breastfeeding in the first hour, according to a study published
in the journal Pediatrics, could save 41 percent of newborns who would
otherwise die in their first month of life.
Breastfeeding right away increases the likelihood that babies
will continue to breastfeed, and also gives them colostrum, a mother’s first milk. Colostrum, often called the “perfect food for every newborn,” is rich in
antibodies and essential nutrients.
Mothers also benefit greatly from early breastfeeding through
improved lactation and less blood loss. The first hour after birth should be a
sacred time between a mother and baby, so they’re able to bond
naturally. One of the best ways to do this is by placing the newborn on the
mother’s chest, skin-to-skin. During this time, babies
actually feel less pain and it’s not uncommon for the baby to intuitively latch
on to feed.
Campaigns like this one are greatly needed to counteract
widespread infant formula ads that often make it seem like bottle-feeding is
superior to breastfeeding. Unfortunately, in the developing world, the average
family does believe that bottle-feeding is better for babies than breast milk.
Of course, this is completely false. Breastfeeding is the
smartest choice ,the least expensive and most effective way to improve the
health of both yourself and your baby. It offers your child lifelong health
benefits for brain development and a stronger immune system.
Breast milk boosts your child’s immune system
naturally, promoting greater resilience against most common childhood illnesses
and diseases. Many mothers who breastfed their babies have reported that their
children were completely free of illness for the first several years, and have
maintained unusually good health even as they’ve grown
older.
Several studies have also shown that breastfeeding can improve
your child’s IQ, with breastfed children scoring an average
of three to five points higher than formula-fed babies. The reason for this is
that breast milk contains long-chain fatty acids, including animal based omega
3 fats like DHA and AA, which appear to
support brain development.
These nutrients have recently been added to some infant formulas
sold in the United States, however the DHA added to formula is inferior to that
in breast milk, as it may be highly oxidized. Meanwhile, breast milk contains
other important fat constituents beyond DHA and AA that your baby simply won't
get from formula.
Encouraging breastfeeding and initiating skin-to-skin contact
shortly after birth can make a huge difference in the future health of your
child. It can also improve your own experience with parenting, since
breastfeeding stimulates the release of the oxytocin hormone, which is known to
promote maternal behavior.
Additionally, if you need to go back to work but want to continue
breastfeeding, look into the possibility of pumping or expressing your milk,
and remember most states have laws to support breastfeeding mothers.
As a precautionary note, please do your research in formula is an
option you choose. Do not give your baby soy-milk or soy-based baby formula, as
they are grossly deficient in nutrients, usually derived from genetically
modified crops and are high in chemicals that cross the blood brain barrier and
can affect brain development. Choose right, choose smart, and choose health.
Better Brain tip
1)It is important to remember that what you eat
becomes your milk and will affect your newborn. Choose a healthy diet full of
nutrient rich foods avoid over processed foods and those high in “additional”
ingredients and sugar.
2)Eat as clean as possible by avoiding GMO foods, high
fructose, hydrogenated oils, corn syrup and artificial sweeteners.
"We all have higher innate senses that when discovered have
an amazing ability to unlock
our brilliance inside of each of us".
Dr Bob Graykowski
For over the last 30 years
I have been teaching and sharing my mission and message, and there is one thing
I have seen in almost every person I have had the privilege to care for in my
office. Every human being has an innate desire to empower the most important
areas of their life. They have an internal drive to do something that is
meaningful to them, an inspiring mission that they can dedicate their lives to
with passion.
Many have a desire to
awaken their mental power and intellect. Others have a desire to make a
difference at a higher level of service in their career. Most desire financial
independence and wealth. Almost everyone has a desire to have more love and
intimacy in their family dynamic. Instinctively they all have a true burning
desire to go out and have an influence on the world so they can be a leader in
society. Innately we all have a
desire for finding a fountain of youth or have an attraction and sense
of awe for the beauty of nature.
I have said for many decades that any area of your life that you
don’t consistently empower is an area that will undergo a level of breakdown.
Unfortunately in today's busy lifestyle it is easy to get caught up in reacting
to life as opposed to having a proactive vision for your future.
As an adult no one is required to get you up every morning, to
empower your life and to fulfill these areas - that’s
up to you. So if you are not empowering all areas of your life you will be over
powered in one or more area and suffer a breakdown eventually .People will take
command of you and you will have to subordinate to their demands instead of
going after your dreams.
There are simple strategies, principles and activities that you
can do on a daily basis that can empower these areas. As part of the Better
Brain Academy, I am going to show you
how to do that; how to wake up your highest mental awareness, how to be
inspired and go after your dreams, how to actively learn more effectively and
expand your mind, how to make a difference in your life and how to inspire your
personal relationships.
There is no reason to have other people run you; it’s
time you run you. When you consistently listen to your inner voice and see your
highest vision you will be able to trust that your innate feelings are guiding
you to discover your greatest brilliance. Nothing is more profound then tapping
into discovering your highest innate senses. When you take time out of each day
to trust your innate guidance you have begun the journey to master your life.
Better Brain Tip
Watch the in8 senses video and take 20 minutes every day for the
next week to tap into your highest senses
Write down each date what was your highest vision, what that
inner voice was saying and how it made you feel.
The emotional brain (Limbic system) tends to ultimately control
our actions. Every human being has a protective territory that fluctuates
according to their own unique Values, Emotions, Rules and Beliefs (V.E.R.B).
Arguments and emotional
upset happen in a relationship when there is a conflict between each other's
core values, threshold rules or personal beliefs. This can happen between
parents and children, husband and wife, employer and employee or even between
countries.
Any perceptions that are not in alignment have a higher potential
to cause arguments.To evaluate this consciously, many times the root cause
comes down to the need for more space, time, energy or matter. When you're in
conflict just ask yourself am I giving too much or too little space,time
,energy or matter here .When you find out which one it is and provide its needs
the argument usually stops.
It's surprisingly
simple
Did you know we store a running checklist in our mind of all
interactions in a relationship. The brain will keep a complete log of every
exchange from the time you met. Conflict arises when there is a rule break
regarding each other's values and beliefs.
When there's a confrontation these emotions can lead to a fight
or flight response. If you are wired to fight screaming or physical abuse may
occur. If you are wired more for flight you may just leave and never resolve
the true issue. Remember what they think is just what they think. It may or may
not be accurate but emotional upset can continue to build creating more fire
for a future argument.
In the process of
evaluating the root cause, sometimes they think they've given you a lot of
attention (time) and wants the same back. Sometimes they feel they were there
for you (space )and suddenly you're not available. Sometimes they bought you a
gift or gave you something (matter) and expect you to reciprocate. Sometimes
they listen to your challenges (energy) and now they want you to listen to their
concerns also.
These may seem like small things but perceptions or imbalance
have the power to close the heart and create long term mental stress. In the
heat of an argument sometimes all a person wants is to be left alone .If you
leave them to themselves for 10 minutes they can come back and hug you and want
to be with you .
It is important to give them SPACE when they need it and you'll
get loved in return. Sometimes they want you in their space and when you're
willing to just stop and be with them the problem disappears
The process of being present is more powerful than hours of
inpatient half attention. A proACTIVE way to reduce the intensity and
occurrence of arguments is to be more in tune with and strive to meet your
partners VALUES, EMOTIONS, RULES and BELIEFS (V.E.R.B).
Better Brain Tips
Be proACTIVE and have the VERB discussion regarding your
relationship
1) Share your values regarding the source of conflict in a
relaxed setting.
Question- Values
What's most important to you regarding _________?
2) Share your emotions that you are feeling regarding conflict.
Question -Emotions
How do you feel when _________?
3) Understand each other's rules and possible rule breaks.
Question- Rules
What would happen if ________?
4) Understand each other's global and personal beliefs .
Questions- Beliefs
What do you believe about________?
Why do you believe ___________?
In the end sometimes it may be best to agree to disagree to
reduce conflict.
