3 Reasons Our Brains Are Amazing

We have not observed yet in the universe something as complex as the human brain. The brain is composed of 100 billions neurons, each neuron having from a thousand to ten thousands connections allowing it to interact in an incredibly rich network. The more scientists learn about the nervous system, the more they become amazed by it. Recently magnetic imagery has permitted breakthroughs in understanding the brain. Here are 3 of them.

1. Neuroplasticity: the brain never stops learning and evolving

Up to 1990, the medical community thought that neurons stopped growing after childhood. Nowadays, we know that neurons keep on growing at adult age and even in old age. They grow in a zone called “Subependymal” then migrate to the cerebral tissue. As importantly, these new neurons grow dendrites to be able to make connections with other neurons (synapses).

What make dendrites grow? 

Learning, thinking, taking action, stimulating the body, loving.

What make dendrites shrink and loose their ability to connect? 

Aging, stress, pollution, some diseases, and mainly inaction. Neurons die much faster if they are not used.

2. Our brains are fully functional

You may have heard before that we use only a little percentage of our brain capacity. From a neurological point of view this is a misunderstanding. According to Professor Bernard Mazoyer, our brain functions at 100% of its capacity. But only 1% of it is cognitive function meaning we are aware of it. Thinking, speaking, making decisions, taking action use only 1% of the brain’s energy and resources.  99% of the brain’s function is non-conscious. It deals with regulating body functions, assessing the environment, and re-wiring the neural network.

Our unconscious brain is so efficient that it allows us to interpret the meaning a smile within 2 hundredth of a second. When a close person smiles, you will almost immediately know if her smile is rigid, tired, happy, pleased, condescending, diplomatic or dreamy.

3. Brains interact with each other

Neuropsychologists have observed that when two lovers kissed, the two brains will synchronize. The synchronization of the pre-frontal cortex has strong positive effects: Diminution of blood cortisol levels (cortisol is secreted with stress), and increased antibodies indicating a stronger immune system. Researchers have also observed similar effects when lovers looked in each others eyes. That was also true, but to a lesser extent, with family members, friends or even therapists. At the opposite, an argument between two people has negative effects on the cardiovascular health and it decreases immunity. If the arguments are too regular, the health damages become cumulative.

6 advise to keep your brain in its best shape.

Neurologist Muchael Mezernich, who spent his life helping people with neurological diseases, gives these following advise:

> Never stop learning, throughout your life, new things and activities.

-         > Persevere when you learn something new as progress may be slow in the beginning.

-        > Avoid noise pollution.

-        > Be aware that medications can help, but only using your brain through exercises and    learning can offer protection.

-       > Know that hypertension, diabetes, and tabacco are enemies to neuroplasticity.

-       > Love foods that rich in anti-oxidants (fruits, vegetables, fish), physical activity, calmness, kindness, laughter and empathy. they all favors neuroplasticity.

Source: Patrice Van Eersel, Nouvelles Cles, n. 76, April-May 2012. 

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Go Easy On That Grande Latte!

The hard truth about Frappuccino, Mochas, and Lattes

I am not usually a party pooper, but someone has to push the warning button. Those fancy tall coffee beverages that have invaded coffee shops are bad for your health. There, I said it. Now, here is why and what you should do about it.

Let me first reassure coffee lovers. Drinking reasonable quantity of coffee is good for your health. In Harvard’s Dr. Frank Hu’s words, “There is certainly much more good news than bad news, in terms of coffee and health” (1). Therefore, the problem lies in what is added to the coffee.

More of everything

I enjoy reading and writing in coffee shops. One day, as I passively observed the commotion around me, 2 women settled at a table near by. Shortly after, a phone shaped device started vibrating on their table. The younger one quickly rose from her chair to go get the drinks, but apparently, she did not feel confident carrying the tray and asked one of the employees to help her with it. On top of the tray sat 2 large, imposing glasses filled to the full with a creamy chocolaty drink. Passed the initial kid like surge to taste it, I wondered how someone could drink half a liter of this mix in one go. A glass like this can have as much calories and sugar as there are in a bottle of regular coke. Many people thinking that they are just drinking a coffee with some milk and flavoring do not realize the high concentration of sugar they are consuming. Starbucks, which has popularized this type of beverages, has on its menu the ‘Double Chocolaty Frappuccino’ that comes with 500 calories and 98g of sugar (One liter of regular coke – about 34 ounces - contains 480 calories and 120g of sugar). A simple Latte is about 200 calories. A Cafe Mocha topped with whipped cream contains 330 calories with 15 g of fat and 44 g of sugar. These highly caloric and sweet beverages present another concern. They have the sometime explosive mix of coffee and milk, which can affect the quality of digestion.

Most of us are lactose intolerant

Many people have a hard time digesting milk due to lactose intolerance. They have a deficiency in the lactase enzyme, which is necessary to break down milk protein. This condition is common to all mammals. When the baby starts to transition from the mother’s milk to solid food his ability to digest milk naturally decreases. About 75% of humans have in adulthood some degree of lactase deficiency, the people in the south hemisphere presenting a higher deficiency than their northern counterparts (2). Therefore, drinking milk can disturb someone’s digestion and bowel transit without necessarily being aware of it. In addition, the combination coffee and milk seems to be even more challenging than milk alone, on the digestive tract, especially on the duodenum part. If science doesn’t motivate you to slowdown on that hazardous mix, maybe a cultural outlook on that matter will.

What the Italians have to say?

If Starbucks has contributed to make Espresso, Cappuccino and Latte, household names across the globe, it is important to remember that the country of the Espresso remains Italy. In this land where eating and drinking are closely interlaced with the culture, no one pour milk in their coffee after 12:00am. In fact, most Italians will only do it for breakfast, if they do it at all. Passed morning time, having milk with your coffee will be viewed as simply peculiar to sacrilegious depending on the hour of the day. I remember attending a conference in the city of Como, in the Lombardy region. Many of the attendees were coming from abroad and stayed at the same hotel of the event. In the evening, a dozen of us dinned at the hotel restaurant. At the end of a glorious meal the waiter asked us if we would like coffee. “One cappuccino, please” answered a young man on our table. Being in a four stars hotel, the waiter was well trained and professional. I could yet see in his eyes a look of disbelief bordering on indignation. So why Italians do not add milk to their coffee passed morning time? “It’s bad for digestion” most would reply. Italians like to eat good food and in generous quantities, so out of pragmatism, they simply choose to avoid the risky mix.

There you have it. Science and cultural wisdom do not encourage these fancy drinks that have became so popular in most coffee shops across Beirut. Nonetheless, I have a confession to make. I am an espresso drinker, a simple, ‘one-shot’, no milk espresso guy. Therefore, it is easy for me to unleash on these savory and luscious drinks. So let me tone down my accusation and end up with this advice that apply to most treats. Enjoy it but consume with moderation!

Moutassem H.

Ref.

1) www.webmd.com

2) Lactose intolerance / Wikipedia.

Are you a coffee drinker? American, Espresso, or Frappuccino? Leave a comment!

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Yoga to Better Manage Stress at Work

YOGA TO BETTER MANAGE STRESS AT WORK
One hour of Yoga session per week can bring marked improvements in feelings of clear-mindedness, composure, energy, and confidence. That’s what a study involving 48 employees (randomized into either a yoga or a wait-list control group) has showed. The employees who did practice one 60 minutes Yoga class per week did have, after 6 weeks of practice, a significant improvement in their well-being and their resilience to stress in the workplace.

One session per week is something we should be able to fit in our schedule, right?

Source : Hartfiel N, Havenhand J, Khalsa SB, Clarke G, Krayer A. The effectiveness of yoga for the improvement of well-being and resilience to stress in the workplace.
Scand J Work Environ Health. 2010 Apr 6

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Sleep Quality and Screens

The electronic glow from the TV, the computer screen, or the cell phone  affect the quality of sleep. It is advised to stop being exposed to screens at least one hour before going to bed. A survey involving 1508 participants aged 13 to 64 revealed that 95% of them were exposed to electronic glow in the last hour before they went to sleep: watching TV, checking emails on laptops, playing video games and texting on cell phones. 63% reported having poor sleep quality. Allison Harvey, a sleep specialist and professor at the University of California Berkeley, noted that exposure to light before sleep can disturb body rhythms and affect the normal release of the sleep promoting hormone melatonin.  “Falling asleep isn’t like flicking a switch. We don't put our heads on the pillow and fall off to sleep.” He then explained, “We take time to wind down at night. If we've got bright light conditions, we're not giving ourselves a chance to get off to sleep and stay asleep.” In addition to an electronic curfew, Harvey also recommends that people “try to stick to a fairly regular wake time, get bright light in the morning and dim light at night, exercise regularly and have a bedtime routine of 30 to 60 minutes when you're letting yourself wind down.”

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Teen Breast-Fed as Infants Have Stronger Muscles

A Spanish research conducted on 2,567 adolescents revealed that those who were breast fed as infants had stronger leg muscles and “explosive strength” than those who didn’t. The study showed that the teens who were breast fed as infants did better on a horizontal jump test which is an indication for stronger leg muscles. It was true for both male and females adolescents and independently of their fat mass or height. The researchers noted that that this benefit of breast feeding adds to many other benefits including protection against allergies, skin diseases, obesity and diabetes.
SOURCE: University of Granada, news release, Jan. 5, 2011

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Take Your Headset Out of the Drawers

The World Health Organisation (WHO) noted that using your mobile 30 minutes per day for 10 years, would increase by 40% the risk to get a benign brain cancer. That confirm what many studies had suggested: regular usage of mobile phones can be dangerous for our health. The WHO finally decided to make that statement following the review of hundreds or research paper on the subject. One major study – the interphone study – motivated the WHO to make that declaration. Further research is needed to see the possible consequence of mobile use on the short term. Until that, we, the users, are advised to use our headset.

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Identifying a Stroke

3 simple questions that can save a life
Symptoms of a stroke are sometime difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking these three simple questions :

Remember stroke start with the 3 letters STR:
S* Ask the individual to SMILE.
T* Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today.)
R* Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS

A stroke victim that can be diagnosed and treated within 3 hours could have the effect totally reversed.

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.


During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) ....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Jane went about enjoying herself the rest of the party.

Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Jane passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Jane would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

So remember the STR questions, you could save a life.

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