Cory Quirino's Inside Out

Keeping the Brain Young

EATING anti-oxidants will protect your brain from rapid aging and disease.Considered the best defense against oxygen free radicals (highly active and damaging substances produced by disease, pollution, etc.), anti-oxidants can neutralize and disrupt free radical damage.

Bruce Ames of the University of California at Berkeley said the DNA of a single cell was attacked 10,000 times every day by a free radical.Imagine trillions of cells and you can figure out how the body is constantly being destroyed.With the help of anti-oxidants, your internal police force, 99 percent of free radical damage is repaired.

Nutrition firstDr. Denham Harman, professor emeritus, University of Nebraska, was able to demonstrate since the '50s that the brain's health and longevity were boosted by a healthy diet (including vitamins/minerals) during a woman's pregnancy. Research has also shown that a specific vitamin regimen can raise IQ scores of school children.

Middle-aged and elderly people can also benefit greatly from vitamin supplement, improving mental faculties and preventing intellectual deterioration, depression and dementia.So why aren't people making it a daily practice to take vitamins?

One reason is cost, and the other the mistaken notion that the brain is not adversely affected if the body is not suffering from severe malnutrition.It's time to correct this impression. Researchers believe the brain suffers from "subtle deficiencies" that leave it secretly impoverished long before any physical signs of conventional malnutrition appear.

IQ-boosting pillsDr. David Benton, a British psychologist, says vitamins can raise the non-verbal IQ scores of children (non-verbal intelligence is indicative of brain potential).For brain health, consume the following every day: 100 micrograms folic acid, 12 mg B6, 50 mg niacin, 50 mg pantothenic acid, 4 mg thiamin, 5 mg riboflavin, 500 mg vitamin C, 70 i.u. vitamin E, 200 micrograms chromium, 7 mg zinc, 70 mg choline, 50 mg bioflavonoids.

No need to get overwhelmed. The advice is to take any good quality daily vitamin/mineral supplement.Forever youngThe undisputed truth is out: "Older people with high blood levels of certain vitamins and anti-oxidants have better intellectual vitality." To protect your brain from aging, here is a recommended regimen:Folic acid-400 micrograms daily. The brain can't function at its best if you are deficient in this B vitamin.

Note: If you are often depressed or suffering from memory loss, you may be lacking in this vitamin. The nutrient can also prevent strokes and Alzheimer's disease. People with health problems will need 1 mg daily.B6-10-50 mg daily. A lack can cause fatigue, irritability, anger, memory loss.B12-3,000 micrograms. A lack can cause dementia, depression, disorientation.Thiamin-50 mg daily. Insufficient amount can affect brain function. Severe deficiency leads to brain damage.Niacin-125 mg daily. Considered the universal memory pill, it helps protect normal brain functions.Vitamin E-400-500 iu's daily in its natural form (D-Alphatocopherol), but not to be taken with blood thinners like Coumadin. It prevents the hardening of brain blood vessels.

Note: Now used in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Many experts prefer natural Vitamin E but the synthetic form is also a potent anti-oxidant.Vitamin C-500-1,000 mg. Needed for optimal brain functioning, it is a strong anti-oxidant that prevents free radical damage in the brain.Selenium-200 micrograms daily. A lack can affect the mood and reduce anxiety.Lipoic Acid-10-50 mg/day. The brain protector is considered the anti-oxidant's anti-oxidant.Co Enzyme Q10-30 mg/day. The brain rejuvenator is also called "the cellular spark plug."Ginkgo biloba-120-240 mg/day. The powerful anti-oxidant increases blood circulation to the brain.PS or Phosphatidylserine-300 mg/day. It is a brain energizer.Choline-500 mg.

Best taken in the form of lecithin, it is the architect of the brain's memory. Taken before a child's birth, it is powerful enough to guard brain health till old age.(Consult your physician first before taking these regimens.)Love and light!Source: "The Miracle Brain" by: Jean Carper.

http://www.inq7.net/lif/2004/jul/20/lif_23-1.htm

posted by Misteryo Philippines Network (MPN) @ 7:46 PM 0 comments

Listening to your Inner Voice

IT CAN get noisy inside our heads - very noisy. Growing up, we heard many voices in our minds - mother, father, teacher, priest, best friend ...

And all this time we listened to their beliefs, ways, judgment and feelings on countless issues - from chewing our food properly to attending church service to displaying behavior expected by society.

Each figure that mattered in our lives had a face, a body, and voice. The voices helped us form our own opinions, pass judgment, speak with conviction.Finding our own voice.

With all the voices talking to us and competing for our attention, which one should we really listen to?
Complex as it may seem, only one voice should prevail in the end -our own.To erase past recordings of other voices in our heads, we have to:
1. Tell the voices to keep silent.
2. Sit in a quiet corner and meditate.
3. Allow the real person to emerge, not the one dictated by, formed, and created by authority figures.
4. Let our own voice speak.A checklistTo find out if you are heeding your own true inner voice called your higher self, here's a checklist.

Choose the best and most honest answer.(Lifted from "The Path To Love" by Deepak Chopra, MD, here's another way to help you get in touch with your self.)1. I decided to go it alone on something that mattered to me.
2. I had a great new idea.
3. I came up with a way to solve a situation, out of nowhere.
4. I said, "I love you."
5. I got something off my chest I'd wanted to say for a while.
6. I swallowed my pride and admitted I was wrong.
7. I supported someone who was in doubt or wanted to make a difficult change.
8. Despite the evening news, I feel that life is good.
9. I didn't blame anyone.
10. I didn't complain.
11. I searched deep inside.
12. I made someone feel better about himself than he did before.
13. I saw something good in someone who made a bad impression before.
14. I trusted and it worked out.
15. My faith in God was justified.
16. I had a moment of insight.
17. I forgave myself or I was kind to myself.
18. I was tempted to jump to conclusion but didn't.
19. I was at peace.Give yourself a point for each statement chosen.0-5 pointsYour life is based on other values and not the spiritual.

However, your inner self is ruled by routine. Creativity and sensitivity don't rank high with you. Looking deep inside yourself isn't an easy task for you. You may describe yourself as an atheist or a skeptic.6-15 points.

You believe in God but don't have a strong link to a spiritual life. Money and success are not your greatest goals. You are safe in the middle ground but worry about your future.

Passion is not your asset.16-19 pointsYou are attuned to the spirit and follow your star wherever it might lead you. Your belief in God is based on your own personal experience. To you, love is a great force and you believe in its miraculous powers.

InterpretationIf you scored high in terms of your own sense of spirituality, you also scored low on fear, guilt and anger. The voices that tell you "this is what you better do or else" are recordings from the past.You have the power to choose what voice to heed, and the more often you listen to your true, higher self, the better.

You can decide what voice to obey - the one that holds you back in fear of failure or pain or the one that allows you to face life with hope and courage.Samples of negative voices"Don't do it, otherwise you will suffer the consequences.""If you jump you will hurt yourself.""It's good to go on a food or alcohol binge.""Even if it breaks you, do it.""Go ahead, pursue it till you're blue in the face.""Go for it - never mind who gets hurt in the process."

Practice listeningThe best way to practice the art of listening to the right voice is while you are in front of a buffet table. Stand before every dish. Stay for a few seconds.

Does a voice tell you to dump heaps of food on your plate or to go for moderate servings? Does it accept the food or reject it?
Remember, it's not the food calling to you - it's your inner voice communicating with the food.

The next test is after consuming the food. If you feel guilty, you listened to the wrong voice. But it's not too late. Avert any harmful effects by exercising. Hit the gym!Love and light!

http://www.inq7.net/lif/2004/jul/06/lif_23-1.htm

posted by Misteryo Philippines Network (MPN) @ 7:18 PM 0 comments