Search Results for: blog nine tips for brain health

Top Tips for a Lasting Marriage from Those Who Know.

Want to learn some secrets to a lasting marriage from a couple who know what they are talking about? Then read on. Despite experiencing good and bad times, and life’s ups and downs, Bill and Muriel McGee this week celebrated 60 years of married life. This achievement earned them congratulatory cards from Queen Elizabeth 2nd and the Governor General of Australia, as well as a bouquet of flowers from our local politician Jo Gash. So to what do Bill and Muriel attribute their long and lasting marriage? 1. ‘You have to share.’ 2. ‘It’s all about give and take.’ 3. … Continue reading →

Baby Blog Month in Review: July 2008

Two of my three children are summer babies. That is, they were born in the summer and had their first months surrounded by sunshine streaming in the windows, the sound of birds chirping, and days spent wearing nothing but a diaper and a “onsie.” I made sure that they had Fourth of July outfits ready, even though one of them arrived a week after the holiday. I guess he just wasn’t interested in the parade. Do you have a summer baby, too? We had a lot of new information to share this past month, such as recall notices and new … Continue reading →

Baby Blog Month in Review: June 2008

June was my first official month posting for the Baby Blog. It has been a great experience. I love learning new things about babies and sharing it with friends. Of course, I could use your help. Whether you are a first-time mom or an experienced mom of a large family, I want to hear from you. Please share your advice, your questions and your comments. On which topics would you like to see more blogs? Meanwhile, take a look at all of the articles we had in June. June 2nd Introducing Babies to Birds Perhaps it is the fact that … Continue reading →

Nine Ways To Protect Your Brain

Our brains change as we age. They get smaller. They slow down. If you want to help keep your brain up to speed, try these nine tips to help protect your brain. Keep trying new things. Your brain LOVES novelty. New experiences stimulate the production of dopamine, a chemical your brain uses in learning and memory. Doing new things can help build up brain mass (counteract that shrinkage) and increase processing speed (combat that slowing down). If your life lacks novelty, the dopamine producing areas of your brain can shrink. Practice a skill or hobby. Playing an instrument, solving crossword … Continue reading →

The Let’s Talk Pregnancy Blog Top Ten: Prenatal Eating Tips

This quick list will help you to make sure you get optimum nutrition during your pregnancy with ease. As long as you remember these ten simple things, you should have no trouble maintaining a healthy pregnancy, barring any unforeseen complications such as preeclampsia, etc. Along with your prenatal supplements, there are certain things that your baby will need to get from you while in utero. You could even print out this list and tape it to your refrigerator for a quick reference before snacking. Without further ado, here are the top ten tips to prenatal eating: TEN: If you don’t … Continue reading →

Nine Tips for Brain Health

Your brain is one of the most important organs in your body! If you want to keep your brain healthy and sharp, try these tips for brain health. Stay mentally active. Take a class at the local college, learn a new skill or language, or play Scrabble. Crossword puzzles and Sudoku are great games to keep your thinker nice and sharp. Your brain needs challenges to keep functioning at its peak. Get enough sleep. If you aren’t sleeping enough, you’ll feel less alert. If you aren’t sleeping well over a long period of time, your brain function can be impaired. … Continue reading →

What is Phenylketonuria?

If you read the labels on your foods… and you’re a diet soda drinker (like I am), you may have noticed a little warning: PHENYLKETONURICS: CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE. I always figured it was some sort of food allergy, mainly because the warning comes in the same place I usually see warnings about wheat, milk, egg, soy, and tree nut warnings. Phenylketonuria (also called PKU) is an inherited disorder where a person can’t process one of the amino acids found in many foods: phenylalanine or “phe”. Because the body can’t process phe, it builds up in the body. In infants and children, … Continue reading →

Age and Wisdom

There’s tons of research out there about how the ability to learn and remember declines as we age. Researchers are now starting to look at what our brains gain as we age: wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to make sense of information and experiences. It’s not so much learning new things as making connections between old ones. Knowledge is important to wisdom, but it isn’t the only thing involved; other important factors include good judgment, insight, diverse life experiences, and empathy. Take a person who knows a lot, has seen a lot, and has done a lot… and you’ve probably … Continue reading →

“Momnesia” Is Not Just in Your Head

When my first daughter was born, I wrote a check for fourteen hundred dollars. The problem was that the amount due was fourteen dollars. The company very kindly called me, and to my embarrassment I found myself saying, “I’m sorry, I just had a baby.” While I’m sure I made the office bulletin board of loopy customers, it turns out that there’s something to this loopyness that we moms get after we have babies. Personally, I’ve always blamed the sleep deprivation. I am one of those people that needs at least a solid nine hours of sleep per night. I … Continue reading →

High Blood Pressure Linked to Dementia

Did you really need ANOTHER reason to take care of your high blood pressure? Here’s one for you — high blood pressure has been linked to dementia by research from Columbia University Medical Center in New York. Researchers tracked more than nine hundred elderly people in New York starting in 1992. The average age of the study participants was seventy-six. None of the participants had any form of cognitive impairment (dementia) when the study began. Participants were examined every eighteen months for more than four years. Approximately one third of study participants developed mild cognitive impairment during the course of … Continue reading →