Brain Fitness - It's All In Your Mind

Frozen in mid-sentence, you forget a name. With your pen poised over a check, you cannot recall the date. You’ve gone into the kitchen, but you can no longer remember what for. And where is that damned cell phone? Are you one of the worried well? Many of us are anxious to live a long life, but fearful of our potential for the humiliation and debilitation of dementia. What to do? Should you try a computer game? Magnesium tablets? A week at an expensive brain training center? Brain fitness is the new buzzword and wealthy aging baby boomers are eager to buy a healthier brain.

- Bonnie Adler

Here are a few examples: Biocybernaut’s Alpha Brain Wave Training To Reverse Brain Aging. Trainings led by Dr. James V. Hardt, Founder and President of Biocybernaut, are $24,998 per person, which includes the 7-Day Premium Double Training package. How about a $10,000 week at California’s Cal-a-Vie Spa with Dr. Cynthia Green teaching the science of memory improvement and brain fitness.

NO MAGIC BULLET

There is no pill that exists, no tactical brain exercise, no magic herb or single cure for forgetfulness or its dreaded daft cousin, dementia. The causes of memory loss are so varied and complex that there is no one size fits all cure. And even though research is ongoing, the problem is getting ever more significant because dementia is a disease of old age, and a great percentage of the population, the baby-boomers, are aging and living longer than ever before.

WHAT IS NORMAL?

First of all, it is important to distinguish between what is normal and what is not.

It is normal to forget the names of people in your life, especially if you can recall certain traits of the person, hair color, the context in which you know them, where they live, etc.

It is not normal to fail to recall the person once the name is mentioned and facts about them are supplied for further recall.

It is normal to misplace your keys or cell phone, but it is not normal to repeatedly place them in odd places like the refrigerator or oven.

It is normal to need reminders about appointments or what day it is. It’s not normal to forget how to find your way home.

MIND OVER MATTER–THE BRAIN IS ALWAYS CHANGING