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How to Reduce Memory Loss Due to Aging

How to Reduce Memory Loss Due to Aging

With our aging comes wisdom, but also an increasing loss of memory. There are however a number of things we can do to substantially slow the rate of memory loss and keep our brains healthy. All of us know elderly people who suffer from memory loss.

The causes of loss of memory are many, but may include disease, depression, emotional trauma and genetic causes, We are going to focus on what is considered the most prevelant cause of memory loss, namely aging.

On average even a healthy person can expect to lose about 1% of his nerve cells (including brain cells) each year starting in our twenties. So an average seventy-five year old could expect to function with only about one-half of the memory functioning that he enjoyed in his younger years.

But there are many steps we can take to help slow the rate at which we lose our memory as the years pass. In this article we will focus on only a few of the most crucial ones. For our purposes, we shall assume that no neuropsychological issues exist and that we are speaking about an otherwise healthy person, whose memory loss is the result solely of his getting older.

There exist quite a few changes we can choose to make to our lifestyle and our diet which may help the performance of our memory. Amongst these are lessening our alcohol consumption, avoiding cigarettes, and adding to our diet foods rich in protein, fiber, vitamins and especially antioxidants (including vegetables and fruits), as the latter can help with the functioning of the brain.

Some other recommended dietary improvements are switching from red meats to fish rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, and staying away from foods containing chemicals like MSG and preservatives. Also reducing the stress you deal with in your daily life can help to reduce the rate of memory loss. Of course, participating in an exercise program or a daily regime of yoga can significantly lower stress.

Most people error in not taking nutritional and herbal supplements designed to improve the health and functioning of their brain. We will briefly mention a few here. Vinpocetine and Ginkgo biloba are blood vessel dilators that permit more oxygen to reach the brain. Two vitamins that are useful are Vitamin B and thiamine, being antioxidants that can help protect brain cells from the damage caused by free radicals. Other supplements to consider in order to reduce the rate of memory loss caused by our aging are phosphatidylserine and acetylcarnitine, both of which have been employed with patients suffering with Alzheimer's disease with some success. In addition, the herbal supplements bacopa from India and the Korean ginseng apparently can improve the functioning of the brain, and in particular one’s memory.

There are several mental activities that can help us retain our memory as the years pass. An active brain is more likely to fight off the ravages of age. Engaging in a new mental activity, such as learning to play a new instrument, studying a foreign language and taking flying lessons, are just a few examples. Making a conscious effort to remember particular things, like people’s names or birthdates, may seem trivial but when engaged in regularly often helps to keep the brain active and sharp. Also there are various memory techniques available that can aid with specific things you may wish to be able to easily recall later, including repetition, mnemonics (these are mental games designed to aid in memorization, such as the invented name Roy G. Biv where each letter is the first letter of one of the primary colors) and simply writing the words you wish to be able to recall on a piece of paper and then repeating them orally a few times.

The bottom line is that if one makes the decision to lead a life that is active and engaged, both physically and mentally, is prudent in selecting the foods that will be the basis of one’s diet, complements those with appropriate nutritional and herbal supplements, and foresakes habits like drinking and smoking, the rate at which our brains lose their ability to remember things can be slowed to a great degree.

You may wish to check out the //www.clearer-thinking.com website. The web site discusses memory enhancement, stress reduction and how to increase concentration by employing a product known as ThinkStraight|, which is a supplement containing natural ingredients designed to maximize the overall health of the brain.
By Michael Rupkalvis
Published: 3/24/2007

Create Date : 02 พฤศจิกายน 2550

Last Update : 2 พฤศจิกายน 2550 13:04:26 น.

2 comments

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จริงหรอเปล่าที่ supplementary :think straight
ช่วย improve cognitive function

โดย: ms IP: 61.19.124.106 วันที่: 31 ธันวาคม 2550 เวลา:5:53:16 น.

นี่ก็ไม่รู้นะคะ..เพราะไม่เคยลอง..คงต้องลองค้นต่อว่ามีงานวิจัยไหนมาสนับสนุนรึเปล่า...

โดย: murmur (murmur072

) วันที่: 31 ธันวาคม 2550 เวลา:13:06:46 น.