Tag Archives: the brain

February 26, 2016 · 12:02 am

How does the Act of Writing Affect the Brain? Infographic

Since the start of this blog in March of 2010, I have taken several courses in the brain and its function in the human body. I thought it would be interesting and might offer some clues on losing weight and being healthy. Well, it did. I am fascinated by this amazing little organ that weighs only three pounds but, literally, runs our entire body.

Since a lot of my readers are also fellow bloggers (writers) I thought you might be interested in this infographic on the brain.

If you find your appetite for brain information piqued, please check out my Page – Important facts about your brain (and exercise benefits)

Here are some further brain posts:

Fun WebMD Brain Quiz

Putting a nail in the brain games coffin

How seniors can bolster brain power

Early life exercise promotes healthy brain – Study

You can slow down brain drain

What are the best foods for your brain?

Late night snacking affects brain functioning

How to have a healthy brain and keep it

Heart health and brain health linked

Tufts on exercise and brain health

Some people with high blood pressure may have early brain damage

Are you keeping your brain in shape? – Tufts

10 ways to love your brain – Alzheimer’s Association

How to keep your brain young – Infographic

Those posts only reach back to August of 2015. There are plenty more, but you get the picture by now. If you want to read further on the subject, type b r a i n into the search box at the right and click on the links it give you.

Good thinking!

Tony

p.s. Remember, avoid cliches like the plague! Sorry, couldn’t resist that one.

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Filed under brain function, brain health

Tagged as brain health, frontal lobe, infographic, the brain, writing

October 12, 2015 · 4:32 am

The emotions of our most beloved animal friend: our dog.

I found this on the Learning from Dogs blog which I follow and enjoy reading very much. I thought my readers would enjoy it. There is nothing in it on losing weight or exercising, although I think the happiness I get from owning my dog contributes to my living longer.

As a dog owner and dog lover, I have a thought to share. In writing my blog I have taken a number of courses in human anatomy in general and the human brain in particular. I understand that our prefrontal lobes (above our eyes) are what separate us from the animal world. Our conscience and impulse control reside there. The prefrontal lobes are the last part of the brain to develop, often not until we reach adulthood, or age 25. (This explained to me a lot of my wild and dangerous activity as a youth, also why teenagers do such seemingly stupid things.) My understanding is that dogs don’t have prefrontal lobes, so they don’t have impulse control like humans. I don’t think they know ‘right from wrong.’

If we are cooking out and leave a steak on a table, walk away and the dog takes it, I don’t think the dog has done anything wrong. Understanding that the dog doesn’t know right from wrong, but simply sees food available and takes it, I don’t think the dog should be punished. It was just being a dog and following its nature. The human should have known better and not been careless about good food.

If you have taught the dog the ‘leave it’ command and told the dog to ‘leave it’ the dog will likely obey the command and not take the steak, but that is because it is obedient and following your order, not because it is choosing on its own to leave the steak because it belongs to you.

To read further on the brain, please check out my Page – Important Facts About Your Brain (and Exercise Benefits).

This is Gabi, my canine companion.

Tony

Learning from Dogs

Exploring the range of emotions felt and displayed by our dogs.

Like so many bloggers, I subscribe to the writings of many others. Indeed, it’s a rare day when I don’t read something that touches me, stirring up emotions across the whole range of feelings that we funny humans are capable of.

Such was the case with a recent essay published on Mother Nature Network. It was about dogs and whether they are capable of complex emotions. Better than that, MNN allow their essays to be republished elsewhere so long as they are fully and properly credited.

Thus, with great pleasure I republished the following essay written by Jaymi Heimbuch.

ooOOoo

Are dogs capable of complex emotions?

Exactly what emotions do dogs feel, and are they capable of all the same emotions as humans? (Photo: Pressmaster/Shutterstock)

Joy, fear, surprise, disgust, sadness. These are the basic emotions dogs feel…

View original post 980 more words

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Filed under dog emotions

Tagged as dog emotions, dogs, happiness, prefrontal lobes, the brain

August 15, 2015 · 7:36 am

The Amount of Coffee That Protects Against Dementia Precursor

Having posted on Alzheimer’s a few hours ago, I thought you should see this interesting post on coffee.

While we are on the subject, please be sure to check my Page – Important Facts About Your Brain (and Exercise Benefits)

Tony

Our Better Health

How coffee intake affects the chance of developing mild cognitive impairment.

Drinking one or two cups of coffee a day can protect the brain against a precursor to dementia, a new study finds.

More coffee, though, does not lead to a higher neuro-protective effect.

In fact, the study found that people who increased their consumption by a cup or two had twice the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

MCI is a common precursor to developing forms of dementia, like Alzheimer’s disease.

Symptoms of MCI include minor memory problems and slowed thinking and judgement.

The Italian study of 1,445 people also found that people not drinking coffee were at higher risk than those who drank moderate amounts.

The study’s authors write:

“These findings from the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging suggested that cognitively normal older individuals who never or rarely consumed coffee and those who increased their coffee consumption habits…

View original post 90 more words

How About 30 Insane Facts About Sleep? – Infographic

Regular readers know that I feel strongly about the benefits of a good night’s sleep. You can read the Page listed at the top How Important is a Good Night’s Sleep to learn more.

I stumbled upon this infographic somewhere and thought you might enjoy it.

Finally, here are a couple of facts on sleep from Dr. Mercola:

Recent studies show poor sleeping habits cause brain damage and even accelerate onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Sleep is necessary for maintaining metabolic homeostasis in your brain. Without sufficient sleep, neuron degeneration sets in—and catching up on sleep during weekends will not prevent this damage.