All Stories Tagged With: "brain"
Radiation Risk: Are Some Cellphones More Dangerous than Others?
Last month, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization, declared cellphone radiation “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” The scientific evidence linking cellphone use to brain cancer isn’t conclusive, the agency said, but there is some evidence that brain cancer rates are higher among people with the highest levels of cellphone exposure, and cellphone users should take precautions until more is known.
Can Changing Your Diet Decrease Your Risk of Alzheimer’s?
A healthy diet isn’t just good for your body — it’s good for your brain and may help to ward off Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests. But changes in diet may not help protect those who are already experiencing problems with memory, the researchers said. The study measured levels of biomarkers associated with Alzheimer’s disease, including certain proteins found in spinal fluid.
Exercise Helps to Protect the Brain
Older people who regularly exercise at moderate to intense levels may have a 40% lower risk of developing brain damage linked to ischemic strokes, certain kinds of dementia and mobility problems. New research published Wednesday in the journalNeurology says the MRIs of people who exercised at higher levels were significantly less likely to show silent brain infarcts — caused by blocked arteries that interrupt blood flow and are markers for strokes — than people who exercised lightly.
WHO Says this Common Device is in the Same Category as Lead, Engine Exhaust, and Chloroform
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently found cell phone use to be in the same cancer-causing category as lead, engine exhaust, and chloroform. Up until Tuesday, May 31, the organization tried to make it clear to consumers that no adverse health effects had been established. Despite these claims, a team of 31 scientists from 14 different countries reviewed many studies and made the decision that cell phone use could in fact cause cancer.
Internal Bacteria May Alter Brain Chemistry
The role of gut bacteria in the body may extend beyond the stomach and intestines all the way to the brain, a new study in mice suggests. The results show disrupting the normal gut flora of the mice leads to changes in the animals’ behavior, making them less timid and more adventurous, as well as leading to changes in their brain chemistry. Although it’s not clear if the same thing happens in humans, the findings may explain why some gastrointestinal diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome, are often associated with disorders that can affect behavior, including depression and anxiety.
How Cursive Writing Affects Brain Development
Outside of the United States, cursive writing is taught before children learn how to print. Although many of us neglect our cursive writing skills, except to sign a document now and again, due to the advent of computer technology; however, cursive writing is both more efficient and more natural when mastered before print. Because children are developing their fine motor skills, cursive writing allows them to gradually improve their eye-hand coordination versus straight lines that strain students.
Brain Foods That Help You Concentrate
There’s no denying that as we age chronologically, our body ages right along with us. The good news is that you can increase your chances of maintaining a healthy brain — if you add “smart” foods and beverages to your diet. There’s no magic bullet to boost IQ or make you smarter — but certain substances, like caffeine, can energize and help you focus and concentrate. Found in coffee, chocolate, energy drinks, and some medications, caffeine gives you that unmistakable wake-up buzz — though the effects are short term.
Less-Than-Optimal Sleep May ‘Age’ the Brain
For middle-aged adults, sleeping less than six or more than eight hours a night is associated with a decline in brain function, British researchers contend. The magnitude of that mental decline is equal to being four to seven years older, the researchers said. “There is an expectation in today’s 24-hour-a-day society that people should be able to fit more into their lives,” said study author Jane Ferrie, a senior research fellow in the department of epidemiology and public health at University College London Medical School.
Follow Your Emotions — It’s Good for You
If your life is running on autopilot, there is new cause to break away and get in touch with your emotions. “We’re so distracted by technology, there’s a growing hunger for a renewed connection with ourselves and what’s happening in the moment,” says Daniel Goleman, whose 1995 best seller, Emotional Intelligence, popularized the idea that there are other kinds of intelligence not measured by standard IQ tests.
Powerful Demonstrations of How Magnets Can Affect Your Brain
Magnetic fields can improve your memory and even control your behavior and sense of morality. This video shows just how strongly they can affect your brain.
Childhood Music Lessons May Provide Lifelong Boost in Brain Functioning
Those childhood music lessons could pay off decades later – even for those who no longer play an instrument – by keeping the mind sharper as people age, according to a preliminary study published by the American Psychological Association. The study recruited 70 healthy adults age 60 to 83 who were divided into groups based on their levels of musical experience. The musicians performed better on several cognitive tests than individuals who had never studied an instrument or learned how to read music.
Do Cellphones Cause Brain Cancer?
On Jan. 21, 1993, the television talk-show host Larry King featured an unexpected guest on his program. It was the evening after Inauguration Day in Washington, and the television audience tuned in expecting political commentary. But King turned, instead, to a young man from Florida, David Reynard, who had filed a tort claim against the cellphone manufacturer NEC and the carrier GTE Mobilnet, claiming that radiation from their phones caused or accelerated the growth of a brain tumor in his wife.
Consume this Vital Nutrient for Brain Protection from Alcohol
Alcohol-induced damage is extremely prevalent in western society. With the consumption of excess alcohol comes numerous health problems including weight gain, digestive problems, cardiovascular problems, heart problems, various cancers and much more.
