Your brain health and mental function plays a crucial role in your general health and wellness. Mental illness and cognitive decline are some of the most common factors associated with ageing – but they do not have to be an inevitability.
Protecting your brain health is easy when you follow a naturally healthy lifestyle. At its foundation, building positive daily habits that strengthen your brain health can only benefit you in the long term. Here are some of the best…
1. Get Your Omega 3’s To Protect Brain Function
Anyone looking to preserve and maintain good mental function should consider adding Omega 3’s into their diet. Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) derived from fish oil have neuroprotective benefits as they are found in abundance within the cell membranes of brain cells. They also play an important role in preserving cell membrane health and facilitating communication between brain cells.
Studies also show that when animals are fed diets without Omega-3 fatty acids, the DHA in their brains decrease, as they tend to experience deficits in learning and memory. Older adults with lower levels of DHA in their blood have also been associated with smaller brain size – a sign of accelerated brain aging.
Many people don’t get enough EPA and DHA in their diet and while the body can make these from another omega-3 called alpha linolenic acid (ALA) it’s important to supplement.
Vegetarian sources of ALA include walnuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds. However, humans can’t efficiently convert ALA to EPA and DHA – estimates report that less than 10% of the ALA amount you consume is converted to EPA or DHA. Taking a fish oil (or flaxseed) supplement may therefore help to benefit your brain health if you don’t eat much fish in general.
2. Meditate Daily For Good Emotional Health
There are countless studies suggesting that meditation can boost your brain health. One review study suggests that the benefits are as powerful as antidepressants for treating depression.
Meditation is an active form of brain training that can help you to increase your awareness. It helps to reduce social anxiety, boost the self-control regions of the brain and is very effective at helping people to recover from various types of addiction.
Meditation may also lead to volume changes within the brain. A study at Harvard found that mindfulness meditation changes the structure of the brain. Eight weeks of mindfulness based stress reduction techniques (MBSR) was found to increase cortical thickness in the hippocampus – the area governing learning and memory.
Meditation was also found to decrease brain cell volume in the amygdala – areas responsible for fear, anxiety and stress. This indicates that meditation doesn’t just change the brain – it changes subjective perception and feelings too.
3. Stay Hydrated
Your brain is made up of about 75% water. It consists of around 100 billion neurons, with anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 synapses for each neuron. The brain consists of at least 60% fat. Being hydrated affects your mental function. Dehydration can impair short-term memory function and long-term memory recall.
For good brain health, it’s essential that you are drinking enough water each day. For best results, you should be drinking at least 6-8 glasses of filtered water daily to keep your body and brain in best health.
4. Take Lithium
Lithium has a calming and mood stabilising effect on the brain. It’s often used to treat depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Lithium acts on the central nervous system to strengthen nerve cell connections in the brain regions – regulating moods, thoughts and behaviour.
Studies show that Lithium can significantly reduce suicide risk and may prevent manic and depressive episodes. Lithium is a healthy alternative to anti-depressants. Lithium Orotate is an organic “carrier” transporting natural lithium where it needs to be delivered – reaching the blood cells of the brain.
When Organic Lithium is combined with Orotate it’s reported to be much more effective than the chemical form of inorganic lithium – and it has NO reported side effects.
5. Remember To Socialise
Socialising has many important benefits for brain health. As more of us are becoming more connected online via social media, we are disconnecting from real communication. More of us are living alone and becoming more isolated than ever.
Yet interacting with others can boost your sense of wellbeing and even decrease feelings of depression. Research shows that building social connections is one of the best ways to improve your moods. Along with better mental health, socialising can also lower your risk of dementia.
People who connect with others are shown to perform better on memory tests and with cognitive skills. In the long-term, people who have active social lives also tend to be less likely to develop dementia.
If you’re lonely, why not call a friend and go for a coffee or a walk in the park? Anything that gets you socialising a little every day can benefit your mental health in the long run.
6. Take Curcumin
Curcumin is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that shows great potential as a natural antidepressant. Studies show it is as effective for treating depression as Prozac, that inhibits serotonin reuptake. It’s believed that Curcumin works by increasing two neurotransmitters: seratonin and dopamine, both linked to depression.
Curcumin can also impact depression by reducing brain inflammation. Along with compelling evidence that depression is a disease caused by chronic inflammation, it all supports the notion that Curcumin is a powerful addition to support good brain health. You can read more about Curcumin’s amazing brain benefits here.
Recommended Reading For Good Brain Health
 Alzheimer’s Disease Rehabilitation in 30 Days – Learn how to improve your Alzheimer’s Disease, Senility, Dementia or other brain condition by using natural health methods. Inside is a 30 Day Rehabilitation Plan which when followed correctly, can improve the symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s and ultimately improve brain health. Available from Good Health Naturally. |
Recommended Examples
 BrainPower™ – Liposomal Curcumin/Resveratrol delivers concentrated nutrients to the body through liposomal technology. Curcumin and resveratrol encapsulated in a highly-absorbable liposomal delivery system mimic nutrient delivery in the body’s natural form.
Out of the 100 components in the turmeric plant, curcumin is the most powerful compound that has been isolated. With extensive research to back its historical use, curcumin has proven application for Alzheimer’s disease, and more. Take resveratrol alongside highly potent curcumin in BrainPower™, and the benefits are compounded. Resveratrol may also help to protect the brain, lower blood pressure, improve insulin sensitivity, relieve joint pain, and lengthen lifespan. Available from Good Health Naturally. |
 The Krill Miracle™ – Contains high strength DHA/EPA from Krill Oil. Supports anti-inflammatory processes, helps to maintain normal cholesterol lipids. Krill Source with Food Grade Approval.Made using Superba™ Krill Oil which is one of the few products made of marine oils, which has food grade approval throughout the whole supply chain, from harvesting to finished product. Available from Good Health Naturally. |
 Lithium Balance™ – Supports healthy brain chemical responses, balanced moods and is 100% natural, safe and effective. The trace mineral organic lithium, paired with organic orotate, creates a safe potential mood stabilizer and possible healthy alternative to anti-depressants, which many professionals have used naturally for many years.
Lithium Balance is 100% natural and completely safe to use. It does not lower your energy level and has no harmful side effects.Available from Good Health Naturally. |
