Natural Mood Boosters For a Better Mental Attitude

The mood is a feeling that you currently have and can change several times a day. Mood swings can occur for long hours or shorter minutes. Each person experiences is low because it is a natural occurrence in humans, and our mood is influenced by many factors including diet, lifestyle, genes and environment that are in. However, there are people who have more frequent episodes of low mood than others. It can also become chronic and cause for concern. There are drugs that are prescribed to elevate mood, but they have side effects that may produce more harm than good. To be sure, try using natural mood envelopes to enhance your mental disposition.

One of the natural mood boosters that are used is fish oil. This can be found in various types of fish like tuna, salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies and trout. You can also purchase a food supplement containing pure fish oil. Studies have shown that fish oil rich in omega-3 fatty acids which include eicosapentaenoic acid, more commonly known as EPA. It 'important to make our brain functions optimally. The human body naturally produces EPA, which makes it important for us to get from other sources. If our brain has no source of this fatty acid, it will use other available fatty acids in our body which leads us to be depressed.

Plants are also used as a natural mood booster. One of these is called St. John's Wort and was found to be effective as the commercial drug known as Prozac. The plant is made into supplements that can be adopted more easily by people diagnosed to have mild depression. But if you are taking other medications, you should not take this supplement without the advice of a doctor. You can interact with them and produce some harmful effects on the body. There are also some conditions that can be worsened by taking the supplement.

Engage in some form of exercise is also one of the natural mood booster you can do. It requires no special equipment to do simple exercises and do not need to take anything. Increasing physical activity releases the so-called happy hormones that make you feel good. It 'also great for combating stress is a cause of low mood.

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Brain Fitness Just As Important As Physical Fitness

by Abdullah Salim

As individuals age, there is increased concern over cognitive decline. Research has long proven that mental capacity and processing does decelerate with age, and according to some studies the human brain actually stops growing during an individual's early twenties, after which it gradually contracts. However, scientists agree that it is never too late to begin exercising the brain and that these workouts can make a significant difference.

Brain plasticity, also called neuroplasticity, is a term that implies that a healthy brain is never inert and will likely respond to stimulus. A study conducted by researchers at the Mayo Clinic examined more than 480 healthy adults aged 65 and over, and concluded that with regular cognitive training the subjects improved their auditory processing speed by more than 130 percent. Auditory processing speed is directly related to memory function and attention span. Several entertainment and educational companies now offer brain workout programs aimed to improve neuroplasticity, strengthen neural pathways, and stimulate the generation of new brain cells.

The battle between brains and brawn is nearly as old as time itself. Conventional thought has had it that individuals must choose one over the other. However, compelling research published by Dr. Patricia Boyle in the November 2009 issue of Archives of Neurology suggests that the two may be linked. Boyle and her colleagues tested the strength of nearly 1000 adults with an average age of 80. Over four years the team found that subjects who ranked within the top 10 percent of muscular strength were less likely to suffer from cognitive decline. Furthermore, the study found that the subjects who were stronger experienced fewer instances of mental deterioration overall.

Another group of researchers, led by Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin, examined brain scans of Tibetan monks to determine the impact of regular meditation on neurological fitness. Davidson and his team found that these experts in meditation demonstrated increased activity in the areas of the brain that control emotion and attention span. The monks were able to maintain a constant level of mental control and refrain from reacting to disrupting external stimuli. Moreover, when the monks approached meditation with a specific goal in mind, such as compassion or empathy, that emotion would permeate the entire mind and thereby increase the instance of random acts of kindness toward others.

Overall, the consensus among experts is that brain fitness is the same as physical fitness. A little is better than none. According to Dr. Henry Mahncke, a leading researcher in the field, "Sustaining physical fitness, good nutrition, a vibrant social life, plus brain fitness will enable successful aging."
There is certainly sufficient evidence to suggest that brain function is closely related to physical fitness, especially as the brain ages. In order to maintain healthy cognition into middle age and beyond it is important to balance physical wellness - including regular exercise, a nutritious diet, and sufficient rest - with a regimen of mental exercise.

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Importance of Stress Management in Your Life

In the past decade, the news headlines have definitely made it clear that the need for stress management should be one of the top agendas in modern day society. The rages alone such as Road Rage and the trends of violent acts in life today prove a lot of it well.

Living today is a lot tougher than it was even in the days of the great depression. It’s been coming out in many ways such as all time occurrences of stomach and intestinal ulcers. Others find sleep disorders and wind up zombies during their busy days. Insomnia is growing in leaps and bounds.

Today stress management is important in everyone’s lives. It’s necessary for long happy lives with less trouble that will come about. There are many ways to deal with stress ranging from the dealing with the causes of stress to simply burning off its effects.

A good place to start in planning your own stress management would be finding the roots of your stress. It can come from physical exertion and mental strain as well. We all have these things in our everyday life. Its effects on our overall being can vary dramatically from others experiences. For that reason your needs in stress management may indeed differ from theirs as well.

Dealing with the sources of stress is best when possible. Often these are the things we dwell and over worry about. Among them are finances, family planning, balancing work/home, and often dealing with others over expectations. A good place to start in stress management is to focus on what your limitations are. While it may seem at times you can move mountains; don’t forget after the move you will need a lot of rest.

Setting boundaries on others expectations can help take the worry down, and at the same time you will see that productive outcomes can be seen early on. Sometimes you have to say no. Keep things that directly affect you, your home and job in mind when considering things outside of these. Sometimes better focus in these areas and work balancing can help you deal with outside stresses better even to the extent of prevention. This can be one of the most important aspects of stress management.

An important part of stress management is relaxation. It’s a necessity along with good exercise and diet. The three work together for the best physical fitness and definitely for peace of mind in life. If you don’t have all three in your life, now is a great time to start. You will feel better, and find that life goes along a lot better.

Beyond fixing the stress sources, you can find many resources in the area of stress management. Among the many sources to look for are self-help, physical fitness, alternative medicine, improved communication skills, and even the local gym. Yelling somewhere away from everything and even acupuncture aren’t unheard of either as effective methods of stress management.

A good place to begin looking is where you are right now. You will find a better understanding of stress, and no doubt invaluable information about stress management. It’s definitely worth a careful look.

In the end, the sooner you find great stress management, the better you will enjoy life. It will bring your hopes up giving you new vigor you never knew before. It may take a little work to get to, however its worth what it takes to get there with better stress management.

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The Risk Factors Associated with Strokes

by Larry Vestal

According to the American stroke Association high blood pressure is the leading cause of stroke and the most important controllable risk factor for stroke. Cigarette smoking is also an important risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Nicotine and carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke damage the cardiovascular system, especially the arterial lining. Diabetes is in itself an independent risk factor for a stroke. Many people who have diabetes also have high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and are overweight. This increases your chances of having a stroke even more. Poor diet is also another risk factor for heart disease. Diets high in sodium make for an increase in blood pressure. Diets with excessive calories can contribute to obesity and provide no real nutritional benefits. Did anyone say "Fast-food"? On the other end of the spectrum, it is suggested that a diet containing five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day may reduce the risk factor. Physical inactivity is also a risk factor for heart attacks and strokes. Being inactive, obese or both can increase the risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol diabetes heart disease and stroke.

Education is the Cure 

Unfortunately heart disease and it's realated problems will end the lives of more people than all other diseases combined. The reason for this is that the majority of people are still unaware of how to avoid it. Most of the public recognizes that the risk for heart disease increases with bad cholesterol or LDL cholesterol. Other factors include diabetes, obesity and a poor diet increase the risk factors for heart disease. Another important fact with regard to the disease is that the earlier the intervention that one takes with regard to heart disease the better chance an individual has of overcoming it. The Framingham study, the largest study to date on heart disease tells us that the average LDL cholesterol of all people who have a heart attack is only 150. What is important to recognize with regard to this is that LDL cholesterol is made up of many particles and it is those particles that carry the most risk for heart disease. The real threat comes from when cholesterol oxidizes. Oxidize cholesterol magnifies its ability to maim and destroy. The key to prevention of heart disease is educating oneself with regard to the risk factors personally involved, knowing the right diet for the individual, knowing the right exercise and what supplements if any to take.

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Heart Disease Increase in the Young

by Larry Vestal

It was reported in the news recently that strokes are increasing in the young. The percentage of young people between the age of 22 and 45 who had a stroke in 2005 is up 7.3% from 1993 to 1994 when it was only 4.5%. What really seems to be distressing about this,is that many of those who sought medical attention were misdiagnosed. One young 18-year-old who was experiencing numbness in his arm was diagnosed as being intoxicated. The truth of the matter, he was having a stroke. Unfortunately strokes in the young are not as uncommon as once thought.

Heart Disease Begins in Childhood
We now know that heart disease begins in childhood and unfortunately in many Americans it is well advanced by the age of 30. Many aggressive kinds of heart disease occur in individuals who have a total Cholesterol under 200. Autopsies done on soldiers killed in the Korean war revealed that 3 quarters of them had significant atherosclerosis in the arteries of their heart. A Study done on Vietnam casualties revealed much the same but the atherosclerosis was not as severe. You would hope that this study was showing that people were taking better care of themselves.

However another study was done in the 1990's on young people killed by homicide. The findings were depressing. 80 percent of the young people who were of the average age 26 had significant atherosclerotic lesions in their coronary arteries. Recent studies showed that 10 to 30 percent of boys and girls already have coronary arteries that are covered in foam cells. Foam cells are the cells that began the formation of plaque. By age thirty-five 20 to 50% of the surface area of the artery is covered with these foam cells. So what are the risk factors we need to be aware of? What is behind the increase in strokes among the young? Some of the possible reasons for the increase in strokes among young adults are risk factors such as diabetes, obesity, and coronary heart disease. This would suggest that the younger population is not taking care of themselves with regard to their eating habits and lifestyles. An increase in obesity correlates with the higher chances of developing diabetes and heart disease. Of course, diabetes and heart disease are major risk factors for strokes.

What are the risk factors associated with strokes? Find out in the next article.

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