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Page 16 | Abby's Magazine - www.AbbysHealthAndNutrition.com GETTING SMARTER ALL THE TIME Everyone wants to be smarter. And you can actually become smarter, by using natural brain enhancers as the core of your own brain enhancement program. They work well on their own and even better when combined, and will work best when you implement the nine other guidelines suggested below. These guidelines for your brain enhancement program are all solidly supported by human clinical research. • Avoid emotional stress. Prolonged emotional stress kills brain cells and can shrink the hippocampus, the brain's main zone for initiating new memories. Yoga and other calming practices can be helpful, but for emotional stress that is dragging on for more than a few weeks the best antidote is to eliminate its source. • Meditate. Meditation is a powerful tool for reducing stress and anxiety, and for spiritual centering, whatever your particular spiritual orientation. It will also help you get more in touch with your body and this in turn will encourage you to become more consciously motivated to make positive changes for you health. • Avoid toxic chemicals. "Lifestyle" toxins such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption place a toxic load on the brain (and body). Toxins in the air, water, and food supply further add to the toxic burden. Think total toxic load and how to get it to zero. Check regularly to make sure your home, workplace, school, and other places where you spend time are free of toxic materials. • Perfect your diet. The mainstream food supply can be treacherous. Purchase organically certified foods as much as possible. Such foods as Alaskan sockeye salmon, free- range organic chicken, grass-fed meats, sardines packed in water, organically grown blueberries and other berries, pure cocoa powder, and extra virgin olive oil are especially good "brain foods" and are just as good for the entire body. • Get mental exercise. The brain is a clear example of "use it or lose it." Synapses that aren't used tend to fade away ("atrophy"). Synapses that are sufficiently stimulated produce new synapses that reinforce the particular function. Therefore focus on reinforcing those skills and other activities that are positive for you. • Get physical exercise. This helps increase blood flow to the brain, which enhances the positive stem cell and growth factor activity that help maintain brain plasticity. Lack of exercise is linked to brain decline; moderate to heavy exercise lowers the risk of decline. Work with professionals to develop an exercise program that is realistic for your age. Aerobic and weight resistance exercise both contribute to maintaining and improving brain health. For the elderly, and for any age, Tai Chi or related "meditative movement" can be very helpful. • Stay socially engaged. Loneliness is a confirmed risk factor for cognitive loss and other health problems. Maintain friendships and other social relationships with people who are positive forces in your life and do not cause you to feel stressed.