“Resistance training (RT) is the only non-pharmacological intervention known to consistently improve, and therefore offset age-related declines in skeletal muscle mass, strength, and power,” write the authors of a recent study published in the journal Sports Medicine.

But the researchers found that weightlifting and other forms of RT are not popular among our aging population, “likely due to numerous factors including time constraints, a high-perceived difficulty, and limited access to facilities and equipment.”

Benefits of Weight Training

Wayne L. Westcott, PhD, author of numerous strength-training and fitness books, estimated that inactive adults lose up to 8 percent of their muscle mass each decade.

He cited many benefits of weight training, including:

• sharper cognition
• diabetes prevention
• weight reduction
• improved physical performance
• better cardiovascular health
• reductions in pain...
  • in lower back
  • from arthritis

Research on Resistance Training

Research show gains in training capacity and competitive performance for runners, swimmers, cross-country skiers, and many other athletes following the addition of weightlifting to their programs.

Reduced Risk of Disease

A recent meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine provided “the strongest evidence to date that resistance training is associated with reduced risk of all-cause, cardiovascular disease, and cancer-specific mortality.”

Improved Longevity

In one recent study published by JAMA Network Open, an analysis of more than 115,000 people aged 65 and older showed that no matter how much aerobic exercise people did, it was strength training at least twice a week that lowered the risk of dying.

People who did strength training twice or more a week who also did 2.5 hours of aerobic exercise saw their risk of death during the eight-year study period drop by 30 percent.

Strength Training Tips

This advice isn’t just for competitors. Nearly anyone can improve their overall fitness—and potentially add healthy years to their life—by incorporating strength training into their exercise routines.

• Focus on Maintenance

  “Across the lifespan, declines in strength and power occur up to eight times faster than the loss of muscle mass, and are more strongly associated with functional impairments and risks of morbidity and mortality,” wrote the authors of the Sports Medicine study.

  “Strategies to maximize healthspan should therefore arguably focus more on improving or maintaining muscle strength and power than on increasing muscle mass.”

  Building big muscles needn’t be the goal.

• Include Aerobics

  Weight training can have significant effects on balance, endurance, and overall strength, particularly in combination with aerobic exercises such as:

  • walking
  • cycling
  • gentle running
  • swimming

• Start Small

  Working with light dumbbells can be very effective, and so can body-weight exercises such as planks and pushups.

  A small amount of resistance training can lead to major improvements with less time and effort than you might have thought.

• Consult Professionals

  Novices should check with a healthcare professional before beginning a weightlifting program.

  Virtually every gym, YMCA, municipal recreation center, senior center, or similar establishment will have someone on the staff who can help guide a weightlifting plan.

Cravings are something we all face. That desire for chocolate, macaroni and cheese, or fries can be hard to fight, but caving into cravings is directly linked to weight gain and obesity.

Many diet plans, pills, and programs claim their methods will not leave you hungry as you lose weight.

But for many Americans, hunger is not the issue. It’s their cravings that need to be managed.

Hunger vs. Cravings

So, how are cravings and hunger different?

Simply put, hunger comes from the body; cravings come from the brain.

What Causes Hunger?

Hunger is a sensation originating in the stomach. It is produced by a hormone that signals to the brain when the stomach is empty.

Once you’ve eaten, another hormone tells the brain you’ve eaten, and you no longer feel hungry.

What Causes Food Cravings?

Cravings, unlike hunger, begin in the brain.

Eating releases pleasure hormones, such as dopamine, into our blood system, much like sex, gambling, and drugs do.

Research shows that the mere sight or smell of barbecue chicken, hamburgers, and pizza trigger a release of dopamine. The amount of dopamine released directly correlated with the strength of a person’s desire to eat that food.

Our brains then associate food with that release of dopamine. Much like any drug addict, we begin to desire food as a means towards achieving that “high.”

How Can You Combat Cravings?

Because of the nature of cravings and their origins in the brain’s dopamine reward systems, caving into cravings will only make them worse.

Ignoring your cravings entirely, though, is almost impossible. The key is learning to manage cravings.

• Indulge in Moderation

  A calorie-restriction study from Tufts University found that accepting cravings and keeping them in check is key to weight management.

  “Allowing yourself to have the foods you crave but doing so less frequently may be one of the most important keys to successful weight control,” said the study’s co-author Susan Roberts.

• Drink Water

  Drink some water, then wait a few minutes. The body can misinterpret signals. Your craving might actually be thirst.

• Exercise

  Studies have found that 15-minute walks were more effective at reducing cravings than sitting still.

• Take The Fruit Test

  Ask yourself if you’d want to eat a piece of whole fruit. If yes, then you’re hungry.

  If not, then you’ve identified your craving for what it is, which is the first step to curbing it!

• Avoid Impulse Buys

  Avoiding hunger can help you steer clear of trips to the convenience store, fast food restaurant, or vending machine where you’re likely to succumb to less-than-healthy options.

• Chew Gum

  Chewing gum when you feel a craving can help you avoid eating high-calorie, sugary snacks.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), also called hiatal hernia or acid reflux disease, is caused by stomach acid squirting up from the stomach into the food pipe (esophagus). This causes heartburn, reflux, or backup of acid into your throat or coughing and choking. It can get worse at night as gravity is no longer helping to keep food in your stomach. If you inhale the acid while asleep, it can also cause night sweats and worsen asthma or bronchitis. 

Having stomach acid is both necessary and normal. Your body needs to have proper nutrition, however, to make the mucous lining that protects the stomach. Instead of giving your stomach what it needs to heal, we sometimes make the mistake of turning off stomach acid to solve the problem.

The Problem with Acid Blockers

Though turning off stomach acid helps you feel better in the short term, acid blockers used for more than two months can be dangerous and addictive.

If overused, they can result in osteoporosis, poor nutrient absorption, and nutritional deficiencies. Acid blockers have also been shown to cause massive rebound acid secretion when you stop them. Wean off of them gradually.

Consider Plant-Based Digestive Enzymes

Most of the enzymes we need to digest the food we eat are naturally present in food. Enzymes are what a fruit or vegetable uses to ripen. Many years ago, food processors realized they could prolong the shelf life of food from days to years by destroying the enzymes in the food. Because of this, most enzymes have been eliminated from processed foods over the last few decades. This corresponds to the period of time in which we have seen a dramatic increase in degenerative diseases and indigestion.

When you can’t digest food properly, the acid starts to reflux up into your chest and you get burning in your solar plexus (just below the bottom of your ribs) and mid chest (called indigestion or “acid reflux”). Food should be past the stomach less than an hour after eating it. If you’re still tasting what you ate over an hour ago when you burp or have acid reflux, you’re not digesting properly and should take digestive enzymes.

Recommended Supplements

In addition to plant-based digestive enzymes, consider the following:

• For immediate heartburn relief, instead of plain calcium antacids, which can increase heart attack risk, try chewables that also contain magnesium and vitamins D and K to protect the heart. The mineral magnesium has a side benefit of easing constipation.
• Try licorice tablets before meals. Slippery elm and the herb marshmallow also support the stomach lining.
• Mastic gum, 1,000 milligrams twice a day for one to two months, can kill an H. Pylori indigestioncausing infection in the stomach and may help heal the stomach’s natural protective lining.
• Enteric-coated probiotics can promote healthy digestion and improve nutrient absorption.

Other Lifestyle Tips

• Avoid drinking cold drinks with meals. Cold temps inactivate digestive enzymes.
• Being overweight can aggravate daytime acid reflux. Maintain a normal weight. Losing even five to ten pounds can help.
• Don’t eat within two hours before bedtime and take a plant-based digestive enzyme an hour before bed. This will ensure your stomach is empty when you sleep.
• If certain foods cause indigestion, don’t eat them. Food allergies can be eliminated with NAET.

For Night-Time Reflux

• Take ¹⁄₂ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in 4 ounces of water at bedtime to neutralize the acid in your stomach (not for children under 16). If you have high blood pressure, use food-grade potassium bicarbonate.
• Sleep with your upper body elevated at least 6 to 8 inches.
• Taking 5 to 6 milligrams of melatonin at bedtime can decrease reflux.

Gone is the sunny warmth of summer. Breezes carry a chill that provokes a gloomy feeling in you. What gives? You may have seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

SAD is a depression that typically occurs during the winter, when there’s less sunlight.

“SAD is one of the most common types of depression,” says Amy Rothenberg, ND, a naturopathic doctor in Enfield, CT. “It’s both very preventable and treatable, and responds well to natural-medicine approaches. And the earlier you seek care, the better.”

Symptoms of SAD

Start by knowing what to expect with SAD.

• Depression

  You may feel a general sadness and be fatigued and easily agitated.

  Hopelessness may creep in and, at the worst, despair and suicidal thoughts.

• Loss of Focus and Energy

  Other symptoms include low energy and less interest in things you usually enjoy. Maybe it’s hard for you to concentrate.

• Changes to Sleeping Patterns

  You might also have trouble sleeping, or you may sleep too much.

• Food Cravings

  You may crave and eat more simple carbohydrates and sweets, and gain weight.

• Physical Aches and Pains

  Some people get headaches and muscle and joint pain.

Be sure to discuss your symptoms with your healthcare provider, in case they’re due to something else.

What Causes SAD?

• Hormonal Imbalance

  SAD “occurs more often in females between puberty and menopause, telling us it has something to do with the sex hormones,” says Alfred Lewy, MD, psychiatrist and a SAD specialist, in Portland, OR.

• Vitamin D Deficiency

  “You’re also more susceptible if you live far from the equator, and there’s a history of depression with yourself and/or within your family," Lewy continues. "Or, maybe you’ve got too little vitamin D, which your body makes with the help of the sun.”

Preventing or Treating SAD

“It’s both very preventable and treatable, and responds well to natural-medicine approaches," says Rothenberg. "And the earlier you seek care, the better.”

Adjust your Body Clock

During the longer nights of winter, you naturally produce more melatonin, the best biomarker for your 24-hour body clock. Come morning, sunlight helps you wake up. When those rays hit the retina, they activate cells there to tell the brain’s hypothalamus to stop the pineal gland from producing melatonin. But what if you have to get up before dawn? Winter’s short days may disrupt your body clock, leading to SAD.

• Face the Morning Sun

  To shift your body clock earlier, face the morning sun, but without looking at it. “You’re safe getting about 20 minutes without sunscreen,” says Dr. Rothenberg.

• Try Light Therapy

  Also helpful (and evidence-based) is a medical-grade light-therapy box. Light from its cool fluorescent tubes is diffused by a clear Plexiglas cover that blocks any (minimal) harmful ultraviolet rays.

  “Right when you wake up, for 30 minutes to two hours a day, sit in front of the light box at the distance recommended by its manufacturer, usually within two feet, to get 2,000–10,000 lux [a measure of illumination]. But don’t stare directly into the light,” says Dr. Lewy. “If you’re among the small percentage whose body clocks need more light in the evening, use the box then, instead, ending one hour before bedtime.”
  
  
  
  If you take medications that make you sensitive to sunlight or have certain eye conditions, you may need to avoid this treatment. 

• Supplement with Melatonin

  You can also shift your body clock with melatonin. “A low dose (0.3–0.5 milligrams) presents a more precise time signal,” says Dr. Lewy. “If that amount doesn’t make you sleepy, you can take it earlier than bedtime, otherwise right before sleep.”

Other Remedies for SAD

• Vitamin D

  Dr. Rothenberg cautions that too much vitamin D can cause toxicity. In addition to getting the vitamin from the sun and a supplement, it’s found in cod, salmon, sardines, herring, and other fatty, coldwater fish.

• B-Complex Vitamins and Omegas

  “A diet high in B vitamins and omega-3 essential fatty acids also helps with SAD,” she says. “So does St. John’s wort, 500–1,000 milligrams a day.”

• Lifestyle Changes

  She adds exercise, a good night’s sleep, and the company of others to the list.

  “Even if you don’t have SAD,” Dr. Rothenberg says, “you can benefit from these healthful choices that only improve your overall well-being, no matter what the season.”

Modern-day living takes a daily toll on bodies that tend to be overworked, undernourished, and sleep-deprived.

It’s no secret that our collective immunity is depleted—the evidence is all around us in the rising incidence of cancer, diabetes, and various immune disorders ranging from AIDS to chronic fatigue. Who would have thought that an antidote to exhausted immunity could come in the form of some idiosyncratic fungi?

About Medicinal Mushrooms

The History of Medicinal Mushrooms

Hugely popular and widely respected for centuries in the East, these immune boosters are finally gaining recognition and respect among Western practitioners. Why? Not only is their reputation backed up by thousands of years of successful use, but today’s modern research supports many of the early findings about the potency of mushrooms.

The roots, so to speak, of medicinal mushrooms are deep and exotic, reaching back at least 10,000 years, often through imperial China, but also encompassing ancient Egyptian and Aztec civilizations.

Why Are They Effective?

Think about your garden-variety mushroom growing on the forest floor. It occupies a unique space in a carefully balanced ecosystem—somewhere between the living and the dying. “In nature, fungi are the great recyclers,” says Georges M. Halpern, MD, author of Medicinal Mushrooms.

“Some scientists believe that the ability of fungi to break down organic matter is linked to the antidisease properties of fungi. Fungi live in a hostile environment amongst decay on the harshest layer of the ecosystem. There they encounter disease-causing pathogens far more frequently than other life forms. To survive, fungi must have proactive, healthy immune systems. Some scientists believe that the antipathogenic properties in mushrooms are precisely what make them valuable to the human immune system.”

Support for The Immune System

The main purpose of our body’s immune system is to separate the good from the bad and the ugly. A properly functioning system recognizes what belongs and what doesn’t, in the form of viruses, toxins, and bacteria (also known as antigens). Anything hostile encounters an onslaught of white blood cells, which hopefully destroy the invader.

Problems come in one of two forms: an underactive immune system, which can leave the body vulnerable to cancer, AIDS, flu, colds, and a host of other infections an overactive system, which can lead to autoimmune disorders, such as asthma, diabetes, and allergies, where the immune system attacks its own body.

Brilliantly adaptable, medicinal mushrooms (available in capsule or powder form) seem to be able to either boost or soothe the immune system, depending on the individual circumstances.

In Preventive Healthcare

Fortunately, today there’s a growing emphasis on preventive healthcare—that is, boosting your immune system to halt disease before it happens. Not so fortunately, evidence of weakened or unbalanced systems is all around us: One in three Americans will face cancer in his or her life; 40 million Americans have heart disease; seasonal allergy sufferers number in the millions.

Immune disorders such as chronic fatigue, diabetes, and irritable bowel syndrome affect increasing numbers. We all know the drill, but it doesn’t hurt to say it again: Eat healthy foods, exercise, get plenty of sleep, and keep stress levels as low as possible. Oh, and throw a few shiitakes into that stir-fry or supplement routine.

With a foot firmly planted in the worlds of both food and medicine, mushrooms offer up a perfect combination of culinary prowess and medicinal potency.

Supplements vs Food

Are medicinal and culinary mushrooms interchangeable? Will cooking your shiitakes be as effective as taking a supplement when it comes to upping your immunity quotient? Not exactly, although all mushrooms in any form offer health benefits.

However, unlike their above-ground equivalents, medicinal mushrooms, whether capsules or powders, generally use the mycelium—the more potent part of the fungi that grows underground.

Our Top Four Medicinal Mushrooms

• Cordyceps sinensis

  A recognized superstar in the mushroom field, cordyceps grows under sci-fi circumstances—it germinates within a certain type of caterpillar found in the heights of the Himalayas (and other such lofty elevations), taking over and eventually killing its host.

  Jump-Start Endurance and Vitality

  Regarded with awe in China for centuries, cordyceps is considered to be one of the safest of all such herbal remedies, renowned for imparting vitality and increasing stamina. It's traditionally used as a tonic for the heart, lungs, and kidneys.

  Modern Use and Studies

  Modern practitioners use cordyceps to treat a range of illnesses from cancer and liver disease to anemia and sexual dysfunction.

  Studies have shown that, in combination with a healthy diet and exercise, it can lower cholesterol by increasing levels of HDL (healthy) cholesterol, which in turn reduces levels of LDL (lousy) cholesterol. A Chinese study conducted on nearly 300 patients over a period of eight weeks resulted in an overall drop in cholesterol levels of 17 percent.

  Studies have also determined that cordyceps boosts T-cells and natural killer cells. Additional trials are looking at the effects of cordyceps on diabetes, chronic fatigue, and hepatitis B, a disease that affects approximately 400 million worldwide.

  • Tip: When choosing Cordyceps sinensis at your natural products store, look for Cordyceps Cs-4, a potent, safe form of this supplement.

• Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)

  Another highly regarded Chinese favorite, reishi is often called the king of herbal medicines, outranking even ginseng in herbal potency. Still, its influence tends to be subtle, nudging the immune system toward health rather than overstimulating it.

  A Key to Long Life

  The “terpenoids” in reishi give it anti-inflammatory properties (and a bitter taste), and its powerful antioxidants fight the damaging effects of free radicals on delicate tissues.

  The overall effect—a fungus with a whiff of immortality.

  Modern Use and Studies

  Reishi is used to lower blood pressure and treat diabetes and chronic fatigue, as well as stress. Like cordyceps, it may also help lower cholesterol.

  This powerful tonic builds stamina and energy, prevents tumors from growing (in China, traditional uses include breast and prostate cancer prevention), and helps detoxify the liver. Its antihistamine qualities have made it a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment for asthma.

  While the Fountain of Youth remains as elusive today as it was 500 years ago, recent studies indicate that reishi may even have a positive effect on aging skin and protect against skin cancer.

  • Tip: Take vitamin C with reishi to increase absorption.

• Shiitake (Lentinula edodes)

  Second in culinary popularity to the common button mushroom, shiitakes grow on dead and dying hardwoods in China, Japan, and eastern Asia.

  T-Cell Booster and More

  Shiitake mushrooms appeared on the medical scene in the 1960s when Japanese researchers discovered several regions in the country where cancer was virtually unknown. The common denominator: a diet rich in shiitakes.

  Even within the fungi family, shiitake is a nutritional powerhouse, boasting all of the essential amino acids and high amounts of B vitamins.

  Modern Use and Studies

  A substance extracted from shiitakes forms the basis of lentinan, one of the most prescribed cancer treatments in the world (although it’s not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration). One-year survival rates in gastric cancer patients who received lentinan increased by 49 percent, according to one published study.

  This drug boosts production of T-cells, which also has led to subsequent testing of lentinan for treatment of HIV (which destroys T-cells). Shiitake mushrooms also contain vitamins, minerals, and proteins that lower cholesterol, and they produce antibodies that may be effective for treating hepatitis B.

  • Tip: If you’re cavity prone, consider taking a medicinal shiitake supplement—shiitake appears to fight the bacteria that causes tooth decay.

• Maitake (Grifola frondosa)

  Highly valued for their potent medicinal properties as well as their delicious taste, maitake mushrooms grow in temperate forests ranging from Japan to eastern North America, where their clustered ruffles sprout beneath oaks, beeches, and other dead hardwoods.

  Anticancer and Pro-Immunity

  Among the most widely studied of all medicinal mushrooms, particularly for cancer prevention and its effects on high blood pressure, maitake has a long tradition of increasing stamina and boosting immunity.

  Modern Use and Studies

  Current studies are examining the effects of maitake on various forms of cancer, including bladder and prostate. Other research shows that maitake inhibits production of D-galactosamine in the gut, which is related to liver toxicity.

  Animal experiments in Japan suggest that maitake may have a double-whammy effect on diabetes, simultaneously increasing the production of insulin while keeping glucose levels under control. Maitake may even slow the production of lipids—that is, fat—which has an overall positive effect on lowering cholesterol.

  • Tip: Most mushrooms lower blood sugar, which is good news for people with diabetes, but not so good for those with low blood sugar. Check with your physician before taking maitake if you suspect your blood sugar levels are low.

With colds, flu, and COVID kicking up this time of year, we all want to know how to bolster our immune systems and what to do at the first tickle of trouble. Here are some first-line herbs and supplements to consider keeping on hand.

Managing Cold & Flu Season

First things first: If you feel an infection coming on, the old standbys matter most:

• plenty of rest interspersed with gentle movement
• ample fluids (especially hot fluids including tea, broth, or soup)
• good hygiene, to prevent spreading the infection to others

You may also consider testing to find out if you’re positive for COVID or the flu.

When to Seek Medical Attention

While most people experience day-to-day respiratory infections without needing medical care, nothing—including herbs, vaccines, or pharmaceuticals—guarantees an illness outcome. Every body is unique. If you’re at high risk for serious outcomes, talk with your healthcare provider.

If you experience potentially life-threatening symptoms, including the following, seek immediate medical attention:

• Difficulty Breathing
• Shortness of Breath
• Lips or Face Turning Blue
• Chest Pains or Pressure
• Fainting or Sudden Dizziness or Weakness
• Confusion
• Difficulty Speaking
• Uncontrolled Bleeding
• Severe or Persistent Vomiting or Diarrhea

Supplements for Cold & Flu

• Elderberry

  Both traditional use and scientific evidence supports this berry’s ability to reduce the severity of viral infections. Viruses hijack your cells and reprogram them to make more viruses, which allows the virus to spread more virulently. Elderberry works at least in part by binding to cell receptor sites to block viruses, including the common cold, flu, and non-COVID coronavirus species.

  This herb has a long history of use for infection, particularly bacterial infections and sepsis (a life-threatening state that warrants immediate medical care). It has many immune actions including mobilizing white blood cells to fight infections more aggressively and modulating and reducing inflammation as well as helping the body clear infectious debris in the lymphatic system. Though herbalists most often think of echinacea as an immune mobilizer at the first sign of infection, it also offers benefits for prevention.

• Echinacea

  A 2022 study tested the preventive benefits of 2,400 milligrams of echinacea extract along with additional acute support versus a control group with no treatment. The echinacea group fared better against viruses, including COVID.

  One review of 231 studies concluded that people were 55 percent more likely to experience a cold when taking a placebo versus echinacea. An early study on ginger and echinacea in combination suggested benefits at COVID infection onset (described below).

  Herbalists prefer high doses of fresh echinacea tincture—ideally the root or a mix of the root with aerial parts—taken every waking hour or two from the first tickle of an infection until it passes. Echinacea extract numbs the tongue, doesn’t taste great, may cause a flareup of autoimmune disease, and occasionally causes allergies in people who react to other daisy family plants.

• Ginger

  One of the most recognized home remedies worldwide for everyday infections, ginger shows promise with COVID.

  In an Iranian clinical trial early in the pandemic of 100 suspected COVID-19 outpatients, those taking a combination of ginger and echinacea had greater improvement in coughing, shortness of breath, and muscle pain compared to the group that took hydroxychloroquine. Two percent of the herb group required hospitalization compared to 6 percent in the drug group—which was not statistically significant.

  Ginger has anti-inflammatory, sweat-inducing, fever-breaking, blood-thinning, and antiviral activity. The fresh-grated or juiced ginger root in tea, broth, syrup, or juice may be more effective than dried root for viral infections. It’s popular in tea alongside fresh lemon and honey and also blends well with elderberry and hibiscus, cinnamon, or thyme.

• Resveratrol

  Several studies support the likelihood of this phytochemical to assist in various stages of COVID-19. It’s found in red grapes but more typically extracted from Japanese knotweed roots. It’s also known as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, blood-thinning, immune-regulatory, and antimicrobial herb popular in anti-aging, pain, cognition, diabetes, chronic and acute Lyme, cardiovascular, and other protocols.

  A 2022 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on 105 outpatients ages 45 and older with mild COVID-19 found that those taking two 500 milligram capsules of trans-resveratrol twice daily for 7 to 15 days had 2 percent hospitalization versus 6 percent in the placebo group.

  Herbal clinicians anecdotally report that resveratrol supplementation during COVID-19 resolution seems to relieve or reduce fatigue in the later stages of infection and post-infection.

• More Options

  Additional herbs and supplements worth considering include:

  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin D
  • Quercetin
  • Zinc
  • Turmeric
  • Nigella
  • Black Cumin
  • Black Seed
  • Tulsi
  • Ashwagandha
  • Raw Garlic
  • Fire Cider
  • Traditional Chinese Medicine Formulas
  • N-acetylcysteine (NAC)

Because COVID-19 is relatively new and research takes time and funding, only a handful of clinical trials have been conducted thus far, mostly on traditional Asian medicine formulas. However, more herbal clinical trials for COVID-19 are in progress.

You’ve just read something about healthy brains, but can’t remember where? Join the ranks of overstressed and distracted citizens whose heads are on overload, to the point where memory is... well... a distant memory.

Bigger isn’t always better, but when it comes to our brain cells, who wouldn’t want to trade up a size? Or boost the overall health of our trusty gray matter?

Don’t skimp on diet, exercise, or sleep—the trifecta of brain health. The typical Mediterranean diet emphasizes fruits and veggies (antioxidants), olive oil and fish (essential fatty acids), and grains (B vitamins)—good for hearts as well as brains. And exercise can even reverse “age-related brain shrinkage,” according to Neal D. Barnard, MD, author of Power Foods for the Brain.

Supplements for Brain Health

We can’t always get what we need from food.

As added insurance, these supplements can help your brain cells make better connections, use glucose (its main food) more effectively, and fight free radicals―out-of-control molecules that attack the crucially important fat in our brain cells, contributing to dementia-related diseases.

• B Vitamins (Metabolizers)

  Our brains feed off glucose, and a team of B vitamins helps us use that food to best advantage. As protein breaks down in our bodies, it produces homocysteine. Vitamins B6, B12, and folate regulate this amino acid, too much of which can lead to impaired memory.

• Vitamins C, D and E (Antioxidants)

  Antioxidant powerhouses, vitamins C and E fight free radicals and protect brain cells (and others) from the oxidative damage they cause. Low levels of vitamin D are associated with cognitive decline and free-radical damage.

• Multivitamin/Mineral

  A three-year study of more than 2,200 older people determined that taking a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement may ward off cognitive decline. Taking a multivitamin supplement for three years translated to a 60 percent slowing of cognitive decline, or a pause of about 1.8 years. People with significant heart disease saw even more benefits..

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Communicators)

  What’s good for the heart is good for the brain. Polyunsaturated fats from veggies (safflower, soybean) and fish (salmon, tuna), along with monounsaturated fats (olives, nuts) are crucial for brain health. Unsaturated fatty acids help make and direct neurotransmitters that keep our cells communicating. DHA, a polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid, accounts for half our brain’s fatty acids, and low levels have been linked to memory loss. Fish oil supplements are an excellent source.

• Garlic

  The most commonly tested form of garlic, aged garlic extract, has been shown to help reduce levels of homocysteine. Studies have shown that garlic can help protect against dementia, high blood pressure and cholesterol, and cell damage, while helping to improve learning and memory.

• CoQ10 (Converter)

  Another powerful antioxidant, this enzyme helps transform food into energy, and works in nearly every cell in the body.

• Ginkgo Biloba and Curcumin (Brain Food)

  Both antioxidants, ginkgo shields neurons from oxidation and may improve blood flow. More oxygen means better memory and mental dexterity. A chemical in turmeric―curcumin―is being hotly studied: it makes new brain cells, boosts memory, and may target amyloid plaques, a tangle of proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease. It has been shown to be useful post stroke for improving brain function.