It is no wonder that your brain, just like any other machine or equipment, requires regular maintenance to guarantee optimal performance throughout the years. When it comes to your mental health, it’s really a “use it or lose it” deal. We reside in an extremely competitive world where our mental faculties are our most critical asset. This is why it’s really important to stay mentally sharp, even if you are not on the job. Not to mention, staying mentally sharp will help steer clear from brain-related diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Here are some ways that you can keep yourself mentally sharp even when you are not working:

Get moving

Researchers are beginning to believe that frequent aerobic exercise could be the single most significant thing that can be done for the long-term health of the brain. With regular aerobic exercise, your brain is getting fitter as well. For mental health, strive for no less than half an hour of physical exercise every other day.

Get enough sleep

When you don't get enough sleep, a new study found that proteins develop on synapses, probably making it difficult to think as well as learn new things. Moreover, constantly sleeping inadequately is related to cognitive decrease during senior years, even though the connection might not be causal. Get enough sleep not just for your brain but for your overall health as well.

Learn something new

Whether it’s learning a musical instrument or mastering a different foreign language, learning new things and working beyond your comfort zone requires numerous parts of your brain. Experts say that even simple things like trying a whole new driving route while you’re away doing errands can help create new neurological pathways. That’s right, new experiences can help you stay mentally sharp.

Tease your brain

Whether you're doing crossword puzzles, Sudokus and even video games, brain teasers in fact keep the brain fit and healthy. While this is never established, deficiency of education is often a strong forecaster of cognitive decline. Treat these brain teasers as your mental sit-ups that keep your mind sharp and fit. Again, the key here is to try something new, something that can help stimulate your brain. The more challenging the brain teasers are, the better for your mind’s health.
Even when you are not working, this doesn’t mean that you should just stop exercising your brain.

What if this doesn't work?

Alternatively, you can consider trying a "nootropic product." A nootropic product is a supplement that is meant to improve focus, mood, productivity and more. There are a variety of supplements on the market, but we personally recommend Addy Focus, the #1 selling nootropic product on the market. Addy Focus helps tens of thousands individuals each day with their focus, memory, and more, and to learn more information, feel free to read our Addy Focus review.

According to a new study, most hospitalized Americans aren't asked if they take supplements or vitamins.

"If clinicians are unaware of possible drug-[dietary supplement] reactions, they may unknowingly provide a treatment plan or prescribe medications that could have an adverse reaction or interactions with the dietary supplement," said study author Dr. Paula Gardiner.

She is the assistant director of Boston Medical Center's integrative medicine and health care disparities.

"Dietary supplements also affect physiological processes in the body and could have an impact on medical procedures like surgery, chemotherapy, blood work and many other treatments or procedures," she added in a medical center news release.

It is estimated that nearly 40 million Americans, or roughly 18% of adults take vitamins or dietary supplements on a daily basis. The study, looked at 558 hospital patients, more than half of whom used dietary supplements.

Of those 333, only 36% had their use of supplements documented in their paperwork at admission to the hospital. Only around 18% told their health care provider about use of supplements as well. The idea situation would require patients to disclose supplementation use, and have their supplementation recorded in their medical documentation.

"Research has shown that some of the reasons patients do not disclose [dietary supplement] use is because they either don't know that physicians need the information, or sometimes there's a fear of being judged by a clinician," Gardiner said.

Doctors need to establish a formalized approach to documentation to help prevent adverse reactions from dietary supplement-prescription medication interactions, Gardiner concluded.

SOURCE: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-hospital-patients-supplements.html

Researchers have long been searching for something natural that could help obese adults slim down. As the market and demand for weight loss has become a multi-billion dollar industry, researchers have looked at coffee, nuts, a pumpkin-like fruit called garcinia cambogia, and even dandelions. 

Now researchers have found the potential for a real natural weight loss aid in a plant called Chinese Thunder God Vine, a plant extract that has led to a dramatic 45% decrease in overweight mice.

In a paper published last thursday, Omut Ozcan, an endocrinoligist at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School suggests that Chinese thunder god vine extract works by activating a hormone known as leptin, that signals to the body that it has enough fuel and energy. Humans who lack leptin experience uncontrollable food cravings and often eat 2-3x what they need to eat.

"During the last two decades, there has been an enormous amount of effort to treat obesity by breaking down leptin resistance, but these efforts have failed. The message from this study is that there is still hope for making leptin work," Ozcan said in a statement.

In his study, Ozcan found that mice given thunder god vine extract (named Celastrol in the study) decreased their food intake up to 80%, compared to no change in the placebo group. By the end of the study (3 weeks), mice given Celsatrol had lost half of their body weight. Researchers also noted that the rats had postive benefits such as improved cholesterol levels and improved liver functions.

While no negative effects were found in the study, the researchers noted that more human studies need to be conducted before definitive proof is available.

"Celastrol is found in the roots of the thunder god vine in small amounts, but the plant's roots and flowers have many other compounds," Ozcan said. "As a result, it could be dangerous for humans."

Source

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