Monday, August 23, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
TIPS TO COMBAT DEMENTIA
HOW TO AVOID IT
To help ward off dementia.
Timing is everything. It's also important when it comes to taking care of your brain. Yet most of us start worrying about dementia after retirement - and that may be too little, too late. Experts say that if you really want to ward off dementia, you need to start taking care of your brain in your 30s and or earlier.
"More and more research is suggesting that lifestyle is very important to your brain's health," says Dr Paul Nussbaum, a neuro-psychologist and an adjunct associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine "If you want to live a long, healthy life, then many of us need to start as early as we can.
"So what can you do to beef up your brain – and possibly ward off dementia?”
Dr Nussbaum, who recently gave a speech on the topic for the Winter Park (Fla. USA) Health Foundation, offers 20 tips that may help to ward off dementia.
1. *Join clubs or organizations that need volunteers*. If you start volunteering now, you won't feel lost and unneeded after you retire.
2. *Develop a hobby or two*. Hobbies help you develop a robust brain because you're trying something new and complex.
3. *Practice writing with your non-dominant hand several minutes everyday*. This will exercise the opposite side of your brain and fire up those neurons.
4. *Take dance lessons*. In a study of nearly 500 people, dancing was the only regular physical activity associated with a significant decrease in the incidence of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. The people who danced three or four times a week showed 76% less incidence of dementia than those who danced only once a week or not at all.
5. Need a hobby? *Start gardening*. Researchers in New Zealand found that, of 1,000 people, those who gardened regularly were less likely to suffer from dementia. Not only does gardening reduce stress, but gardeners use their brains to plan garden they use visual and spatial reasoning to lay out a garden.
6. *Buy a pedometer and walk 10,000 steps a day*. Walking daily can reduce the risk of dementia because cardio vascular health is important to maintain blood flow to the brain.
7. *Read and write daily*. Reading stimulates a wide variety of brain areas that process and store information. Likewise, writing (not copying) stimulates many areas of the brain as well.
8. *Start knitting*. Using both hands works both sides of your brain. And it's a stress reducer.
9. *Learn a new language*. Whether it's a foreign language or sign language, you are working your brain by making it go back and forth between one language and the other.
A researcher in England found that being bilingual seemed to delay symptoms of Alzheimer's disease for four years. (And some research suggests that the earlier a child learns sign language, the higher his IQ - and people with high IQs are less likely to have dementia. So start them early.)
10. *Play board games such as Scrabble and Monopoly*. Not only are you taxing your brain, you're socializing too. (Playing solo games, such as solitaire or online computer brain games can be helpful, but Dr Nussbaum prefers games that encourage you to socialize too.) *MAHJONG IS GOOD
11. *Take classes throughout your lifetime*. Learning produces structural and chemical changes in the brain, and education appears to help people live longer. Brain researchers have found that people with advanced degrees live longer - and if they do have Alzheimer's, it often becomes apparent only in the very later stages of the disease.
12. *Listen to classical music*. A growing volume of research suggests that music may hardwire the brain, building links between the two hemispheres.
Any kind of music may work, but there's some research that shows positive effects
for classical music, though researchers don't understand why.
13. *Learn a musical instrument*. It may be harder than it was when you were a kid, but you'll be developing a dormant part of your brain.
14. *TRAVEL*. When you travel (whether it's to a distant vacation spot or on a different route across town), you're forcing your brain to navigate a new and complex environment. A study of London taxi drivers found experienced drivers had larger brains because they have to store lots of information about locations and how to navigate there.
15. *Pray*. Daily prayer appears to help your immune system. And people who attend a formal worship service regularly live longer and report happier, healthier lives.
16. *Learn to meditate*. It's important for your brain that you learn to shut out the stresses of everyday life.
17. *Get enough sleep*. Studies have shown a link between interrupted sleep and dementia.
18. *Eat more foods containing Omega-3 fatty acids*. Salmon, sardines, tuna, ocean trout, mackerel or herring, plus walnuts (which are higher in Omega 3s than salmon) and flaxseed. Flaxseed oil, cod liver oil and walnut oil are good sources too.
19. *Eat more fruits and vegetables*. Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables mop up some of the damage caused by free radicals, one of the leading killers of brain cells.
20. *Eat at least one meal a day with family and friends*. You'll slow down, socialize, and research shows you'll eat healthier food than if you ate alone or on the go.
To help ward off dementia.
Timing is everything. It's also important when it comes to taking care of your brain. Yet most of us start worrying about dementia after retirement - and that may be too little, too late. Experts say that if you really want to ward off dementia, you need to start taking care of your brain in your 30s and or earlier.
"More and more research is suggesting that lifestyle is very important to your brain's health," says Dr Paul Nussbaum, a neuro-psychologist and an adjunct associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine "If you want to live a long, healthy life, then many of us need to start as early as we can.
"So what can you do to beef up your brain – and possibly ward off dementia?”
Dr Nussbaum, who recently gave a speech on the topic for the Winter Park (Fla. USA) Health Foundation, offers 20 tips that may help to ward off dementia.
1. *Join clubs or organizations that need volunteers*. If you start volunteering now, you won't feel lost and unneeded after you retire.
2. *Develop a hobby or two*. Hobbies help you develop a robust brain because you're trying something new and complex.
3. *Practice writing with your non-dominant hand several minutes everyday*. This will exercise the opposite side of your brain and fire up those neurons.
4. *Take dance lessons*. In a study of nearly 500 people, dancing was the only regular physical activity associated with a significant decrease in the incidence of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. The people who danced three or four times a week showed 76% less incidence of dementia than those who danced only once a week or not at all.
5. Need a hobby? *Start gardening*. Researchers in New Zealand found that, of 1,000 people, those who gardened regularly were less likely to suffer from dementia. Not only does gardening reduce stress, but gardeners use their brains to plan garden they use visual and spatial reasoning to lay out a garden.
6. *Buy a pedometer and walk 10,000 steps a day*. Walking daily can reduce the risk of dementia because cardio vascular health is important to maintain blood flow to the brain.
7. *Read and write daily*. Reading stimulates a wide variety of brain areas that process and store information. Likewise, writing (not copying) stimulates many areas of the brain as well.
8. *Start knitting*. Using both hands works both sides of your brain. And it's a stress reducer.
9. *Learn a new language*. Whether it's a foreign language or sign language, you are working your brain by making it go back and forth between one language and the other.
A researcher in England found that being bilingual seemed to delay symptoms of Alzheimer's disease for four years. (And some research suggests that the earlier a child learns sign language, the higher his IQ - and people with high IQs are less likely to have dementia. So start them early.)
10. *Play board games such as Scrabble and Monopoly*. Not only are you taxing your brain, you're socializing too. (Playing solo games, such as solitaire or online computer brain games can be helpful, but Dr Nussbaum prefers games that encourage you to socialize too.) *MAHJONG IS GOOD
11. *Take classes throughout your lifetime*. Learning produces structural and chemical changes in the brain, and education appears to help people live longer. Brain researchers have found that people with advanced degrees live longer - and if they do have Alzheimer's, it often becomes apparent only in the very later stages of the disease.
12. *Listen to classical music*. A growing volume of research suggests that music may hardwire the brain, building links between the two hemispheres.
Any kind of music may work, but there's some research that shows positive effects
for classical music, though researchers don't understand why.
13. *Learn a musical instrument*. It may be harder than it was when you were a kid, but you'll be developing a dormant part of your brain.
14. *TRAVEL*. When you travel (whether it's to a distant vacation spot or on a different route across town), you're forcing your brain to navigate a new and complex environment. A study of London taxi drivers found experienced drivers had larger brains because they have to store lots of information about locations and how to navigate there.
15. *Pray*. Daily prayer appears to help your immune system. And people who attend a formal worship service regularly live longer and report happier, healthier lives.
16. *Learn to meditate*. It's important for your brain that you learn to shut out the stresses of everyday life.
17. *Get enough sleep*. Studies have shown a link between interrupted sleep and dementia.
18. *Eat more foods containing Omega-3 fatty acids*. Salmon, sardines, tuna, ocean trout, mackerel or herring, plus walnuts (which are higher in Omega 3s than salmon) and flaxseed. Flaxseed oil, cod liver oil and walnut oil are good sources too.
19. *Eat more fruits and vegetables*. Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables mop up some of the damage caused by free radicals, one of the leading killers of brain cells.
20. *Eat at least one meal a day with family and friends*. You'll slow down, socialize, and research shows you'll eat healthier food than if you ate alone or on the go.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
This man deserves the Nobel Prize in the 'Common Sense' category
Hi, I just received an email from a friend and I find it quite interesting. So since it stated to pass around therefore I post it in my blog and I like to say I hold no responsibility to the content. Happy reading.
and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around.
That is totally stupid.
I don't have any connection to Africa,
Scotland , England , Ireland , or the Netherlands
The same applies to 99 percent of all the black Americans as regards to Africa .
'They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English.
I can't even talk the way these people talk:
Why you ain't,
Where you is,
What he drive,
Where he stay,
Where he work,
Who you be...
And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk.
And then I heard the father talk.
Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads.
You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your
mouth.
In fact you will never get any kind of job making a decent
living.
People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an
Education,
and now we've got these knuckleheads walking around.
The lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal.
These people are not parenting.
They are buying things for kids.
$500 sneakers for what?
And they won't spend $200
for Hooked on Phonics.
I am talking about these people who cry when their son
is standing there in an orange suit.
Where were you when he was 2?
Where were you when he was 12?
Where were you when he was 18 and how come you
didn't know that he had a pistol?
And where is the father?
Or who is his father?
People putting their clothes on backward:
Isn't that a sign of something gone wrong?
People with their hats on backward, pants down around the crack,
isn't that a sign of something?
Isn't it a sign of something when she has her dress all the way up
and got all type of needles
[piercing] going through her body?
What part of Africa did this come from??
We are not Africans.
Those people are not Africans;
they don't know a thing about Africa ......
I say this all of the time.
It would be like white people saying they are European-American.
That is totally stupid.
I was born here, and so were my parents and grand parents and, very likely my great
grandparents..
I don't have any connection to Africa,
no more than white Americans have to Germany ,
Scotland , England , Ireland , or the Netherlands
The same applies to 99 percent of all the black Americans as regards to Africa .
So stop, already! ! !
With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap .........
and all of them are in jail.
Brown or black versus the Board of Education is no longer the white person's problem.
We have got to take the neighborhood back.
People used to be ashamed.
Today a woman has eight children with eight different 'husbands' --
or men or whatever you call them now.
We have millionaire football players who cannot read.
We have million-dollar basketball players who can't write two paragraphs.
We, as black folks have to do a better job.
Someone working at Wal-Mart with seven kids, you are hurting us.
We have to start holding each other to a higher standard.
We cannot blame the white people any longer.'
Dr. William Henry 'Bill' Cosby, Jr., Ed.D.
WELL SAID, BILL
It's NOT
about color...It's about behavior!!!
PASS THIS ON AROUND THE WORLD!!!!!!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Poems
Don’t walk a lonely Mile
Like a toddler learning to walk
Tiny feet reaching out ahead.
Like a child learning to talk,
Sounds he made from his bed.
This child one day will run,
This child one day will orate.
Yet it all began as one
Tiny step or sound that made his great.
I have journeys long and far,
Used any form of means,
From my legs to a fast sports car,
What in the world did I glean?
I aimed for my destination all the time,
I focused so strongly on it.
When I reached it, I felt sublime,
Thinking that was it.
I have not journeyed the way I should,
I missed every turn and nook.
If only I once more could
Make these journeys again and take a good look.
I would see the beauty of the hills,
I would feel the warmth of morning sun.
Find meaning in every bird and their bills,
Never again wanting to end the run.
Life is all about the journey,
Never really about destinations.
You may think this is funny
Then you missed all the fascination!
Have you ever paused to peek at a flower?
Hold your breath to absorb its smell?
Have you step out into the morning shower?
Listen to its patter on steel roof like bells?
Did you ever look close at a rainbow
Wonder where the colours come from?
God gives you such a show
After such a roaring storm.
Do you reach out to touch
Bowing grains turning yellow?
In the darkness hold a torch
For others to follow?
When you journey in the darkest night,
All alone, everything out of sight,
Hoping for someone to give you a light,
Enjoy it, it is still alright.
Enjoy each journey of your life.
The destination is not the end.
End one and you start a new strife
A new destination, that’s the trend.
If you enjoy each journey you take,
Failure to reach the end is OK.
Enjoy your journey for heaven sake,
Tomorrow is yet another day.
Never travel alone if you can,
Hold out your hand to a friend.
Solitude may now be the trend,
You’ll still be alone when the journey ends.
The journey takes a mighty long time,
Reaching the destination is but a moment.
If you sense not the things sublime,
You lose the meaning of involvement.
Share each journey with many,
Spare time on the way to tarry,
Forget the burden you have to carry
Have fun and be merry.
The end comes before you know,
Yet you still want the journey to grow!
Find one with friends again tomorrow,
Life’s full of journeys for you to follow!
By:
Victor Chew
10 June 2010
Like a toddler learning to walk
Tiny feet reaching out ahead.
Like a child learning to talk,
Sounds he made from his bed.
This child one day will run,
This child one day will orate.
Yet it all began as one
Tiny step or sound that made his great.
I have journeys long and far,
Used any form of means,
From my legs to a fast sports car,
What in the world did I glean?
I aimed for my destination all the time,
I focused so strongly on it.
When I reached it, I felt sublime,
Thinking that was it.
I have not journeyed the way I should,
I missed every turn and nook.
If only I once more could
Make these journeys again and take a good look.
I would see the beauty of the hills,
I would feel the warmth of morning sun.
Find meaning in every bird and their bills,
Never again wanting to end the run.
Life is all about the journey,
Never really about destinations.
You may think this is funny
Then you missed all the fascination!
Have you ever paused to peek at a flower?
Hold your breath to absorb its smell?
Have you step out into the morning shower?
Listen to its patter on steel roof like bells?
Did you ever look close at a rainbow
Wonder where the colours come from?
God gives you such a show
After such a roaring storm.
Do you reach out to touch
Bowing grains turning yellow?
In the darkness hold a torch
For others to follow?
When you journey in the darkest night,
All alone, everything out of sight,
Hoping for someone to give you a light,
Enjoy it, it is still alright.
Enjoy each journey of your life.
The destination is not the end.
End one and you start a new strife
A new destination, that’s the trend.
If you enjoy each journey you take,
Failure to reach the end is OK.
Enjoy your journey for heaven sake,
Tomorrow is yet another day.
Never travel alone if you can,
Hold out your hand to a friend.
Solitude may now be the trend,
You’ll still be alone when the journey ends.
The journey takes a mighty long time,
Reaching the destination is but a moment.
If you sense not the things sublime,
You lose the meaning of involvement.
Share each journey with many,
Spare time on the way to tarry,
Forget the burden you have to carry
Have fun and be merry.
The end comes before you know,
Yet you still want the journey to grow!
Find one with friends again tomorrow,
Life’s full of journeys for you to follow!
By:
Victor Chew
10 June 2010
Poems
Hi,
A friend of mine has given me some poems which I find them very meaningful and like to take this opportunity to share with all of you too.
An Old Man sitting Alone on a Boat
Like sagging Rain Trees beside the still waters
Gaunt and mighty, arched over the road,
An old man sits, he’s somebody’s father;
All alone in an empty boat.
The wind blew pass in gentle gust,
The lake rippled in silence unheard by many,
The old man’s heart is gripped in rust,
All worn, too old to be merry.
As birds sing among the mighty branches,
Noisy as can be,
The old man hears but misses the chances,
To record what joyous sounds can be.
The sun in golden beams darts through,
Shining for all to see.
The old man sees but not true
He missed the scene, only saw a bee!
The smell of freshness fills the air,
Each plant its fragrance gives,
The old man breathes that which is fair,
Yet he rejoices not but remains in grief.
As the sun fades in last evening light,
Darkness will soon engulf and begins the night,
The old man sat, about to lose the fight
He sees yet nothing is in sight!
By:
Victor Chew
10 June 2010
A friend of mine has given me some poems which I find them very meaningful and like to take this opportunity to share with all of you too.
An Old Man sitting Alone on a Boat
Like sagging Rain Trees beside the still waters
Gaunt and mighty, arched over the road,
An old man sits, he’s somebody’s father;
All alone in an empty boat.
The wind blew pass in gentle gust,
The lake rippled in silence unheard by many,
The old man’s heart is gripped in rust,
All worn, too old to be merry.
As birds sing among the mighty branches,
Noisy as can be,
The old man hears but misses the chances,
To record what joyous sounds can be.
The sun in golden beams darts through,
Shining for all to see.
The old man sees but not true
He missed the scene, only saw a bee!
The smell of freshness fills the air,
Each plant its fragrance gives,
The old man breathes that which is fair,
Yet he rejoices not but remains in grief.
As the sun fades in last evening light,
Darkness will soon engulf and begins the night,
The old man sat, about to lose the fight
He sees yet nothing is in sight!
By:
Victor Chew
10 June 2010
Monday, August 10, 2009
NOTHING COMPARED TO MOTHER'S LOVE
Last night, I managed to meet up with some long lost friends. It was great that I met up with them. I just could not take my eyes away from a child laying in a pram.
This child is an adopted child when he was abandon by his parents since birth.
At 6 months he was very ill and he was rushed to hospital whereby on the way to clinic he stopped breathing for about approx: 3-5minutes (as quoted) but he had a strong will power to survive.
He is now 7 years of age but due to that incident, he had brain damaged whereby he cannot lift his head, he cannot walk or talk and he is blind too. In other words, he is not a normal kid.
His mother, left her job to take care of him. Imagine his mother needs to feed him, bathe him and carry him.
It makes me wonder, how many of us really appreciate our parents?
Just take a minute, close your eyes and think do you really appreciate what your parents have done for you?
Get up from your chair NOW and go tell your parents that you love them. Start NOW and be good to them. Gold cannot compare to the LOVE they have given us.
This child is an adopted child when he was abandon by his parents since birth.
At 6 months he was very ill and he was rushed to hospital whereby on the way to clinic he stopped breathing for about approx: 3-5minutes (as quoted) but he had a strong will power to survive.
He is now 7 years of age but due to that incident, he had brain damaged whereby he cannot lift his head, he cannot walk or talk and he is blind too. In other words, he is not a normal kid.
His mother, left her job to take care of him. Imagine his mother needs to feed him, bathe him and carry him.
It makes me wonder, how many of us really appreciate our parents?
Just take a minute, close your eyes and think do you really appreciate what your parents have done for you?
Get up from your chair NOW and go tell your parents that you love them. Start NOW and be good to them. Gold cannot compare to the LOVE they have given us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)