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Brain Health

As we age brain health was thought to decline, but not so. Not only can you improve your brain health into old age, you can reprogram your brain after illness.

You know what it feels like. We used to be as sharp as a whip, but now we have trouble remembering things, we lose words, we pause for long periods mid-sentence...(oops, did I say that out loud??)

It was thought until recently that brain function peaked, plateaued then declined inexcorably, as through age, the brain became increasingly rigid.

But guess what? That's wrong.

Our brains are plastic, as long as we treat them that way. That is, they don't have to go stiff, they just need exercise.

The concept of neuroplasticity was first considered by the early Greeks, but it really hadn't gained any serious currency until recently. Now the idea of neuroplasticity is setting the world's brain experts (yes, Virginia, it IS brain surgery) on fire.

The science is proving that the brain can continue to learn, rewire and adapt well into old age. We can use our thoughts alone to change behaviours dramatically. It really is a use it or lose it organ.

Dr. Norman Doidge has studied and documented a range of cases reflecting the remarkable recovery functions the brain is capable of. Neuroplasticity has been described as the most important breakthrough in understanding brain function in 400 years.

So what are some of these features of neuroplasticity?

  • Our thoughts can switch genes on and off which indicates free will can overtake both nature and nurture
  • Stroke patients have been able to overcome their limitations
  • Conditions like Obsessive compulsive disorders can be successfully treated by teaching new thought patterns to patients
  • A woman labeled retarded was able to cure her deficiencies using brain exercises and now teaches other how to as well.

    But no point waiting for desperate times. You can reprogram your brain now by applying one thing:

    Focussed Attention

    The brain is an adaptive organ, but it needs new material. If you haven't learned how to do anything new and challenging lately, do it now.

    If you thought maybe going back to school might be interesting, sign up.

    Do puzzles, crosswords, games of increasingly complexity.

    Your brain is like any other sort of muscle. It needs to be exercised and challenged. Otherwise, it will let you down.

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