There is a fast difference between the brain and the mind!
Where the brain is the physical neurological centre of the body, the mind is much more than that. It is an invisible network consisting of all the neurons in the brain, the colon and the heart as well as the aspects of consiousness and energy found in every cell of the body.
There are many factors that negatively affect the brain: stress, negative emotions, exposure to environmental factors, bad diet and the lack of specific nutrients can all take a toll on your brain. All these stressors can impact your brain’s functioning and when that happens, most people think that it is “just growing older”. Of course one’s ability to think, focus, concentrate and remember names and other facts, can naturally begin to decline around the age of 40.and even in healthy young adults in their 20s and 30s.
Myelin
Memory lapses happen: they’re due to a common brain-wiring problem that starts in middle age. Myelin is like the rubber that covers electrical wires. If the rubber wears down and the wires become exposed, they fray and become damaged. Once this happens, they don’t conduct electricity as well.
The same thing happens with myelin in your brain. Myelin protects your nerves, so messages can travel along them without getting corrupted, scrambled, or diverted along the way. But the problem is, myelin starts to wear out as you get older.
As myelin deteriorates, nerve fibres begin to fray. These frayed nerves don’t transmit messages as well. As a result, one becomes more and more forgetful.
Anxiety
If you suffer from anxiety, regularly consume traditionally fermented foods, which are naturally rich in beneficial bacteria. Pasteurized versions will not have the same benefits, as the pasteurisation process destroys many, if not all of the naturally-occurring probiotics. So you will need to seek out traditionally fermented, unpasteurized foods like fermented vegetables, or make them yourself.
- If you do not eat these types of foods regularly, then a high-quality probiotic supplement can help fill in the gap and give your gut the healthy bacteria it needs. This is the first part of the equation.
- optimizing your gut floraby avoiding the many factors that can throw your bacteria equilibrium way off balance, such as eating sugar, refined grains like bread, and other processed foods or taking antibiotics.
- your diet should also include a high-quality source of animal-based omega-3 fats, like krill oil. The omega-3 fats EPA and DHA play an important role in your emotionalwell-being, and research has shown a dramatic 20 per cent reduction in anxiety when taking omega-3 oils.
Neurotransmitters
The body produces fewer neurotransmitters as you age. They are brain chemicals needed to promote memory, enhance learning, and calm your mind so you can concentrate. They’re the fuel your brain needs to run. If the brain cells aren’t receiving messages due to worn-out myelin, it is not going to make enough neurotransmitters.
Inflammation
The brain’s working memory is vulnerable to a little-known threat: inflammation. Just as inflammation can run amok in the joints or other parts of the body, it can run amok in the brain. And the trigger is often foods, toxins, allergens, or even stress. The excess inflammatory chemicals go into overdrive and kill off perfectly healthy neurons, or brain cells.
Free radicals
Free radicals are unstable molecules that react with oxygen in your body. It’s as if they rust out your brain. Over time, this build-up of brain rust damages your cells. It can also cause dangerous amyloid plaques to form in your brain.
Even worse, the brain is also exposed to heavy metals and toxins like lead, mercury, aluminium, arsenic, pesticides, and others that poison the brain and speed up mental decline. And studies show the damage from these toxins begins years before one notices any symptoms.
Three important factors to consider
But these changes are not unavoidable as one grows older. Researchers tell us a decline in brain function is not necessarily an inevitable part of growing older: there is much one can do to help promote optimal brain function as you age.
Three factors play a powerful role in maintaining sharp mental function, even as you age:
- Exercising regularly: physical exercise is important for the flow of oxygen to the brain. Exercising the brain is essential for maintaining optimal function: learning and using new skills, adopting new and varied daily routines, and engaging in creative activities stimulate brain activity and new neural connections. In addition to the creation of new neurons, including those that release the calming neurotransmitter GABA, exercise boosts levels of potent brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which may help buffer some of the effects of stress.
- Giving attention to your emotional and mental stress: you must learn how to relax and allow your body to return to a healthy balance. When this happens, healthy brain chemicals can function optimally. Remember that stress is usually the result of fear. Learn to trust your Creator who loves you and wants to care for you.
- Fine-tuning your diet: it is worth the while to follow a diet that avoids as much poisons and negative foods as possible. Some of the best foods for promoting optimal brain function: Fish, berries,eggs and dairy; certain nuts: walnuts; almonds: hazelnuts; vitamin E; filtered water; phosphatidylserine (PS); choline; omega-3 oils DHA and EPA; antioxidants.