Brain to Body Communication- Making your Body Smarter!

When you think of your body does the word "smart." come to mind? For example, we walk to the corner store without giving a single thought to the complex mechanics involved in getting there and back. But behind the scenes there's plenty going on and your body's "IQ" has a lot to do with your success in accomplishing everyday tasks.

One of the most important parts of the brain function is directing the messages to and 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 smart or less than that. It all depends on how well-trained they are. 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).

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 5 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 your body's IQ is time very well spent. The fastest way to boost this skill set is by doing regular exercise. All kinds of exercise provide benefit, so the best exercises are the ones that have some interest for you personally. Optimally, a person is doing both strength training and cardiovascular exercise. As always, the key to long-term health and wellness is consistency.

Better Brain Tip:

Start a walking routine that varies in speed and elevation to stimulate better brain body coordination

Wong JD, et al: Can proprioceptive training improve motor learning? J Neurophysiol 2012 Sep 12 [Epub ahead of print]

Ferreira ML, et al: Physical activity improves strength, balance and endurance in adults aged 40-65 years: a systematic review. J Physiother 58(3):145-156, 2012

Howe TE, et al: Exercise for improving balance in older people. Cochrane Database Syst Rev  2011 Nov 9(11):CD004963.

Neuroplasticity: Can the Brain Rewire Itself?

Scientists in the past once believed that when a person reaches adulthood, their cognitive abilities became fixed and that injury to the brain was permanent. But beginning in the early twentieth century, that theory has been contested by evidence suggesting that the brain’s abilities are in fact malleable and plastic.

According to this principle and term; Neuroplasticity, the brain is constantly changing in response to various stimuli and experiences. New behaviors, new habits, new learning’s, and even environmental changes or physical injuries may all stimulate the brain to create a new pathway or reorganize existing ones. This appears to be fundamentally altering how information is processed and used in the future.

I am a big fan of the online brain training company called Lumosity. This technology teaches the brain how to create stronger neural connections to keep the brain healthy. The premise is nerves that fire together are wired together .In a recent blog

Neuroplasticity was explained in relation to habit patterns and brain size and function.

Lumosity information:

Mapping changes in taxi drivers’ brains

One of the most dramatic and early examples of Neuroplasticity comes from a 2000 brain scan study on London taxi drivers (Maguire et al., 2000). In order to earn a license, London taxi drivers typically spend about two years learning to navigate the city’s serpentine streets. The study’s researchers wondered what mark this long, rigorous period of training had left on taxi drivers’ brains.

Under the scrutiny of functional MRI scans, 16 male taxi drivers were revealed to have larger hippocampuses than a control group of 50 healthy males. And the longer the time spent as a taxi driver, the larger the hippocampus tended to be. As a brain area involved in memory and navigation, the hippocampus seemed to have changed in response to the taxi drivers’ experiences.

Most instances of Neuroplasticity-based changes in the brain are much more subtle. But in recent decades, it’s cases like that of the London taxi drivers that have inspired members of the scientific community to pursue the next logical step in research: rather than passively waiting to see how the brain might respond to circumstances, is it possible to direct that capacity for change, targeting improvements in specific abilities?

The Science of Cognitive Training:

The science of cognitive training seeks to answer the above mentioned question. In 2013 alone, 30 cognitive training studies were registered on the government database ClinicalTrials.gov. Lumosity scientists, with the help of outside collaborators, contribute to this research effort: so far, 7 peer reviewed studies have been published using Lumosity as a cognitive training tool for diverse populations, including healthy adults, cancer survivors, elderly people, and children with a genetic disorder.

Better Brain Tip:

·       Don't get stuck in a rut, do something different every day!

·       Sign up for Lumosity's free brain training program and take a test drive

·       Take a different route to work so you have to Think about your  directions.

·       Prepare and Eat a different vegetable than you are used to eating regularly

·       Perform a different Movement or exercise to challenge new nerve pathways  and muscles 

Can our Mind Reprogram our Genes?

Answer this…

• How much control do we have over our own lives?
• Are we really controlled by our genes like some modern scientists and authors want us to believe?
• Just how much power do we have to shape our lives and those of others?

Contrary to what many people are being led to believe, a lot of the emphasis placed on genes determining human behavior is nothing but theory and doctrine. Go back in history to 1990; a huge, international research program began the human genome project. Its main goal was to map out all human genes and their interactions using computer software and then to convert that knowledge into (profitable) “benefits” for mankind, such as finding cures for the most horrible diseases.

The hype was everywhere in the scientific community and they sure made it sound promising for wiping out diseases and spent a lot of taxpayers’ money on it, but was the whole project used for good? Personally, I don’t think so!

In essence, what this central dogma says is that since it is proteins that carry out the essential life-processes inside our cells, and their functions can only do what our genes say (this is what was believed in the medical establishment) then we humans are nothing more than the expression of our genes.

This outdated theory is still being taught in medical schools and universities all over the world today. Fortunately for all conscious people, this disempowering belief has been proven to be false.

There is an innate intelligence at play in life that we can’t even begin to understand. According to this new science called Epigenetic's there is an interplay of forces between living beings and their environments. Plenty of highly intelligent biologists have proven beyond a doubt that the genes do not determine human outcomes – it is our responses to our environment that actually determine the expression of our genes.

 Genes can be activated and de-activated by signals from the environment through our senses . The consciousness of the cell is inside the cell’s membrane. Each and every cell in our body has a type of consciousness. Genes change their expression depending on what is happening outside our cells and even outside our bodies.

What Does This Mean For Our Health ?

We are free to make conscious decisions that impact our lives and those of others. We are not robots carrying out the commands of our genes. Our beliefs, diet, thoughts and movement can change our biology. We have the power to heal ourselves, increase our feelings of self-worth and improve our emotional state. Every aspect of our lives can be improved with the right intention.

The worst thing we can do as thinking and feeling human beings is to lose touch with our deep internal messages and positive emotions and let fear and anger take over our lives. The part of the brain called the limbic system regulates messages throughout the body that affect how we feel. When we allow ourselves to be taken over by negative thinking we are putting ourselves in a mental-biological state of the fight or flight response.

In order to grow positively in life we need to express positive emotions such as love, compassion, and joy .It is critical to feed our innate thoughts to conquer our fears and limiting beliefs to improve our own lives. When we change our beliefs and consciously control our emotional states we change our lives.

Better Brain tips:

Get in touch with the emotions you are feeling throughout the week. Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle.

On the left capture all the emotions you feel throughout the week ( left brain)

On the right side write down all the emotions you want to feel ( right brain )

Outcome: Determine what triggers each response and strengthen positive emotions and address negative emotions

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Keep a Journal for Better Brain Health

Studies show that our brains tend to process over 60 thousand different thoughts every 24 hours. The problem is we tend to keep thinking the same thoughts over and over, day after day. Keeping a journal aids in the process of getting the thoughts out of our head and onto paper. This process can be a very healthy and rewarding habit.

  

Of all the things I have done in my life, I would pick journaling as my most favorite and productive success habit. This is the 35th year a row that I have kept a separate journal to look back at and relive all of life's experiences and lessons from the prior year. What I have found over time is that even my biggest trials and tribulations were a catalyst to move me to even a better future. In the midst of sometimes insurmountable odds I would journal, after writing down the event I was able to see clearer a better direction that I would have never even thought of at the time.

   

It is basic human nature for our brain to continue to grow and experience more of life. Many times in the daily duties of work, finances, raising a family, chores, and life's duties we can feel as though we're all on a tread mill. Every year I re-read my entire journal and reflect on the lessons learned, celebrations has, and accomplishments completed. Often it is humbling how many experiences I had forgot about but the impact of these moments is instantly remembered by the journal entry. I believe that if you want to create a successful life journaling can give your brain the ability to focus on what you truly want and have already accomplished.

It is our inherent nature and intuitive desire to stretch ourselves in all areas of life as humans. We all want to learn and expand our mental capacities and create more connection with what is most innately important to each of us. Whatever our individual values are they will be reflected in our own unique expression. Capturing our thoughts, dreams, and desires along with our fears, and frustrations can be the best mirror to success.

   

If you are someone that has never tried journaling before just remember it's YOUR journal and there are no wrong or right ways.

Here are some of the ways that I approach journaling for SUCCESS:

1.  Make it a habit . Keep your journal by your bedside so that it is near you. I like journaling best at night to capture my day or week. Many times I have an inspiration in the middle of the night that I record

2.  Journal at least once a week to be able to have better clarity of your life experiences

3.  At the beginning of your journal have a separate goal and your values page so when you open your journal you can read what's most important first and add to your goal list

4.  Simplify your goals down into three categories

a.     Be goals. Things you want to become!

b.     Have goals. Things you want to have!

c.     Do goals. Things you want to do!

5.  Create a phrase or code of conduct of how you will live your life.

6.  Make it a powerful affirmation and read it every time you open your journal

7.  When journaling make entry's based upon what's most important to you (Family, Financial, Friends, Fun, Career, Travel, Spiritual, Physical Contribution, ect)

8.  Take your Journal with you when you travel. Sometimes the most insightful entry's come when you're out of your normal routine

9.  Reread your entire journal each season and definitely at the end of the year. Looking back always gives a great reflection on the future you want to create.

SMART learning lesson:

Buy a Journal and keep it by your bed. Write your goals down at beginning of journal and look at every day for one week to create a healthy habit.

Lower YOUR Risk of Alzheimer's

Prevention

Now more than ever before, many of our aging population are concerned about developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD).  No wonder, current estimates indicate that the numbers of Alzheimer’s cases will more than quadruple over the next 50 years. These statistics can be disheartening if the same path is followed. However, new research provides hope that we will soon be able to delay the onset of AD and perhaps even avoid it altogether.

As a preventive health-care specialist I strive to remain current with cutting-edge research-and to share this information with our community of patients. This month’s Better Brain Blueprint workshop on 9/23/2014 will teach proactive ways to create a healthier brain.

What Causes Alzheimer’s?

Researchers don’t know exactly what causes AD. Most scientists agree that a genetic component exists that can be lessened by lifestyle choices

Depending on who you talk to AD can be magnified from ;

Everything from chemical reactions in the body from diet and medication to social interaction, lack of exercise and even to Viruses or bacteria play a role.

The good news, however, is that many experts feel that Alzheimer’s is-at least in part- a disease of oxidative stress. (Oxidative stress refers to the activity of “unstable molecules called free radicals. Because free radicals are missing electrons they “steal” them from nearby molecules, causing a destructive chain reaction.) Why is this good news? Its good news because oxidative stress may be prevented by maintaining a healthy lifestyle .

Get Moving

A report highlighted at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting suggests that exercise may ward off AD. The Brain needs good oxygenation to stay healthy .Regular and consistent movement brings vital nutrients to the brain. Although experts stress that the AD/exercise link is not yet proven, what do you have to lose? Exercise will only improve your health.

Enough “E”?

Alzheimer patients have lower levels of vitamin E in their blood and cerebral spinal fluid than individuals without the disease.. One placebo-controlled study tracked 341 patients with Alzheimer’s for two years. Subjects who took vitamin E experienced a slower progression of memory loss. Scientists are currently looking at whether vitamin E will prevent the onset of the disease altogether.  In the meantime, because vitamin E supplementation may also stave off cardiovascular disease, it’s worth trying the minimum recommended doses are 400 IU per day.

“C” Straight

Vitamin C, a potent antioxidant, may also avert Alzheimer’s disease. Subjects who took vitamin C supplements had “a lower prevalence of more severe cognitive impairment”. It’s abundant in foods like, kiwi, tomato, strawberry, broccoli, and asparagus-and is also available in supplement form.

“B” Smart

Research suggests that AD patients have higher blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine and adequate levels of vitamin B6 and folic acid decrease homocysteine.

Does homocysteine cause Alzheimer’s or does AD raise homocysteine levels? Experts aren’t sure, but keeping homocysteine in check also wards off heart disease and may help reduce effects of Alzheimer’s, so it’s worth a shot!

Brain Foods

Fruits and vegetables contain disease-fighting antioxidant substances called phytochemicals. Researchers believe that some of these chemicals may curb the risk of AD. For example, one analysis looked at rats fed extracts of strawberry and spinach. Both extracts significantly retarded age-related mental decline. Diets rich in broccoli and green tea appear to lower the risk of AD.Potent antioxidants include grape seed extract, flavonoids, selenium, carotenes and vitamins A and E.

Helpful Herbs

The herb Gingko biloba is often touted as an AD prevention tool and research supports this claim. It’s important to check with your Wellness Doctor before taking Gingko biloba or any other dietary supplement. Gingko biloba has blood-thinning properties and may be dangerous for some people.

Dump the Drugs

Several drugs, including calcium channel-blockers, diuretics, alcohol and nicotine are associated with memory loss. And, new drug-related hazards are discovered nearly every day. So play it safe-steer clear of any unnecessary medications by maintaining a fit lifestyle. Review ALL of the medications that you are taking along with any supplements to look for possible contraindications.

Stay informed!

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ADHD and the choice to Be Mindful or Medicated?

The purpose of the Better Brain Blueprint is to educate and enlighten our community of better solutions towards health and wellness. We want to inform on ways to create a healthier future and better brain function without the regular use of prescription drugs for treatment of treatable 

Dis-Ease.

Every year more and more brain altering drugs are prescribed for the treatment of mental illness. The question I ask myself is "what are the chemical, physical, mental, emotional, social and environmental triggers that are causing the escalation of mental disorders?"

This is a very complex question to an even more complex set of problems with no single answer. The one thing I do know is throwing more drugs at the problem is NOT working.

We are at a critical period in history and must address these issues of humanity that will define the health and well being of our children and their children.

Now that ADD/ADHD is the most common psychiatric disorder in children and adults, affecting between 5-10% of the population, non-drug therapies are in increasingly high demand. A promising study published last year showed that mindfulness training was as effective as stimulant drugs for enhancing cognitive control and reducing the predominant symptoms of ADD/ADHD in a group of adults.

WHAT IS MINDFULNESS TRAINING?

Simply stated, mindfulness training is learning how to monitor one’s thoughts and feelings without judgment, and practice returning to the moment and renewing concentration when the mind wanders.

According to a recent article in the New York Times:

A large study published last year showed that while most young people benefit from ADD/ADHD medication the first year of use, beneficial effects subside by the third year, if not sooner.

“There are no long-term, lasting benefits from taking A.D.H.D. medications,” said James M. Swanson, a psychologist at the University of California, Irvine, and an author of the [recent] study. “But mindfulness seems to be training the same areas of the brain that have reduced activity in A.D.H.D.”

“That’s why mindfulness might be so important,” he added. “It seems to get at the causes.”

 Is it possible to see healthy changes with Mindfulness Training as compared to medication in treating mental disorders?

In a clinical setting the use of neuro-feedback to build mindfulness is gaining popularity and acceptance as a more validated form of current research. My approach is always to come from a non drug therapy first and to use all the resources available to create better brain function. I highly recommend looking at "The Brain Fit Life" as a resource to use within your own home. The Brain Fit program allows you to enjoy 24/7 access to scientifically backed online brain games created by world renowned psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen. His non-drug approach to treatment of mental illness is ground breaking and highly effective. Dr. Amen’s guided imagery recordings help to build mindfulness and improve emotional control, stress resilience, memory, and more.

Better Brain Tip:

If  you or someone you know has attention deficit focusing problems, take the ADHD test online at the Amen Clinics and consider enrolling in the brain fit for life program.

More Info

Better Brain Solutions and STRESS

Understanding how the brain and nervous system work in response to stressful situations may be the key to better health. Certain action steps may have a direct result of improved functioning of your central nerve system, which directly improves the functioning of all your other body systems.

A structural or postural alignment problem can cause an effect  called a "facilitated segment." This is a section of your spinal cord that is being bombarded by too many nerve signals. These nerve signals arrive at the wrong times and in too great a quantity. Stress Headaches ,physical pain and other diseases and disorders can develop as a result of a facilitated segment.

Stress makes facilitated segments (and their effects) worse. By bringing awareness to your overall posture and aligning your spine this helps to reduce and resolve these irritated segments of your spinal cord. As a result, the stresses in your life have less physiological impact. You become better able to interact with people and situations, and become better able to manage stress.

We live in stressful times. The economy is tough, global conflicts rage, severe weather events are affecting people in every corner of the globe, and our numerous technological devices don't seem to be making things any easier. Of course, this is nothing new. Every generation thinks theirs is the best of times and the worst of times. But the result is that people everywhere have high levels of stress.

Sometimes we use our higher brain and create stress that is good for the body. Mechanical stress, such as exercise, causes your muscles and bones to become stronger and your nerve system to become smarter. Taking on a new assignment at work or taking a challenging class in school may be stressful, but the effort involved in achieving a successful result will cause you to grow and develop in ways that you might not have imagined.

After all, the great philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche famously said "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!"

Chronic, ongoing physical and mental stress, the kind that affects us every day, is not good for us. Chronic stress causes real psychological and physical problems. People undergoing chronic stress may develop anxiety, which if not managed effectively may lead to depression.

Extreme stress may lead to a variety of systemic disorders and diseases, including arthritis, inflammatory conditions such as Crohn's disease, gastrointestinal problems such as peptic ulcer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and even heart attacks and stroke.

As we are all subject to numerous stresses every day, both personal and work-related, it's very important for us to develop strategies that will be successful in helping us manage ongoing stresses.

The most important method for managing stress is to attempt to focus your point-of-view, your frame of reference, on the present moment. Our minds are constantly in motion, constantly at work creating new thoughts and new scenarios regarding some potentially stressful situation, or rehashing old conversations, old conflicts, and old problems. Many times focusing on problems that we have no influence or control over yet we stress ourselves out.

The result is that we're almost never at peace. When we try to sit down and relax for a bit, it's never too long before our minds start bringing up the exact things we'd like to be able to forget or ignore, at least for a little while. Most of us can't flip a metaphorical switch and shut off our incessant stream of mostly negative self-talk. But we can learn to remind ourselves to return to the present, to come back to this moment, the one that's happening now.

The best way to do this is to ask yourself this question; what I'm thinking about right now?"

If you can see that what's happening now is that you're sitting in a chair reading the newspaper, you have a good chance of being able to let go of what your mind is talking to you about. Say to yourself, "I'm right here, right now, and none of that other stuff is actually happening right now."

This will help you create some distance from your self-talk, and the self-talk may even recede into the background for a while. The feeling of calm you might then experience is one you can build on. The more you practice returning to the moment, the more power you gain in being able to manage the stress in your life.

Better Brain TIP OF THE WEEK:

Practice the mindfulness technique of being %100 present at least 3 times in a day

Suggestions-be in tune with all of your senses

·       While eating focus only on smelling, tasting and chewing each bite in silence

·       Sit quiet with your eyes closed and tune into listening to the sounds around you

·       Go out in nature and look at all the colors and movement of life

·       Sit at your desk or work station and feel the stress points in your body then make a postural correction to feel more comfortable

References:

Bener A, et al: Association between psychological distress and gastrointestinal symptoms in diabetes mellitus. World J Diabetes 3(6):123-129, 2012

van Dijk, AE, et al: The association between prenatal psychosocial stress and blood pressure in the child at age 5-7 years. PLoS One 7(8):e43548, 2012

Pereira VH, et al: Stressed brain, diseased heart: A review on the pathophysiologic mechanisms of neurocardiology. Int