Brain Hacks

A recent study showed that London black-cab drivers—who must navigate thou- sands of streets and bring tourists to thousands of landmarks—have structural differences in their brains related to spatial memory as compared to a control group of bus drivers. The bus drivers follow a set, preplanned route, whereas the cabbies rely on their brains and their memory (no GPS!) to get from place to place. 

But you don’t have to be a London cab driver to strengthen your spatial memory. You can stimulate it by driving or walking in a new city using maps rather than GPS. You’ll also build up your problem-solving and decision-making skills. If you don’t travel much, try taking a new route at home in order to achieve a similar benefit. 

Formaldehyde is used in the manufacture of a wide number of household products, including plywood, particle board, paneling, counter tops, flooring, and carpeting. While it serves useful functions, overexposure to it can create big problems for your brain. A study in the International Journal of Anatomy and Physiology re- ported issues from formaldehyde poisoning range from headaches to brain cancer.

Household products that include formaldehyde often send it out as fumes, resulting in chronic respiratory problems. Millions of Americans are affected. If you live in a newly built tract home, condominium, townhouse, or mobile home, you risk greater exposure because these places tend to use more products known to contain formaldehyde. If you suffer from unexplained respiratory problems, headaches, or other mysterious symptoms, you could be the victim of formaldehyde exposure. To reduce your risk, air out items known to contain high levels of formaldehyde, such as new furniture and carpeting, before bringing them into your home.

In addition to choosing complex carbs over simple sugars, you should make sure that at least some of these complex carbs are from whole grains. Your body digests whole grains more slowly than refined grains, which provides your body with a steady stream of glucose, something that helps keep your brain running smoothly. 

Whole-grain foods supply vitamin E and B vitamins such as folic acid as well as minerals like magnesium, iron, and zinc. Whole grains (like whole wheat) are rich in fiber and higher in other important nutrients. In fact, eating plenty of whole-grain breads, bran cereals, and other whole-grain foods can easily provide half of your fiber needs for an entire day. Avoid refined grains, such as white bread and white rice. “Whole grain” describes the entire edible part of any grain, including wheat, corn, oats, and rice. Refined grains go through a milling process in which parts of the grain are removed. In refined grains, many of the essential nutrients are lost in processing. Some nutrients are added back in, or the product is enriched, but this usually does not include all of the nutrients that were lost. To make sure you eat more whole-grain foods rather than refined grains, look for words such as whole grain, whole wheat, rye, bulgur, brown rice, oatmeal, whole oats, pearl barley, and whole-grain corn as one of the first listed ingredients on a food label.

In the late 1960’s, Harvard cardiologist Herbert Benson, MD, discovered that relaxation methods could counterbalance both the psychological and physiological changes caused by the body’s fight-or-flight response. He called this the “relaxation response.” Benson’s tests showed that people who simply sat quietly for ten or fifteen minutes with their minds focused on a single word, idea, or thought could markedly change their physiology. These subjects decreased their metabolism, slowed their heart and respiratory rates, and exhibited brain waves of the alpha-theta pattern, which indicates deep relaxation (but not sleep). Benson showed that the relaxation response, no matter how it was achieved, caused bodily transformations. It caused heart rate, breathing rate, muscle tension, and oxygen consumption to fall below resting levels; it encouraged decreases in blood pres- sure; and it helped the waking brain shift into the slower patterns associated with reverie and daydreaming. These slightly altered states of consciousness promote healing in the same way sleep does. If you focus your mind and relax, you, too, can achieve these results.

Medical professionals specially trained in natural medicine, called naturopaths, are fully licensed MDs who generally recommend natural approaches to the treatment of health problems, rather than relying on invasive procedures or pharmaceutical options. They’re especially helpful in approaching the body holistically, seeing the connections between brain health and the health of the rest of you. To find a natur- opath in your area, visit the website of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (www.naturopathic.org). Naturopathic doctors’ fees can range from $35 to $175 for an initial consultation, but you can expect naturopathic practitioners to spend considerably more time with you than other MDs, especially those who work for HMOs. And naturopathic doctors typically offer the same level of professionalism as do regular MDs.

Face it. We all have so much information coming at us that it’s a wonder we remember any of it! But this simple trick will help you move information from your short-term (working) memory into your long-term memory: think about the information for at least eight seconds. You can’t assume that because something flashed across your mind, you’ll remember it. If a piece of information doesn’t go into your long-term storage banks, you won’t remember it. Researchers have found that it takes at least eight seconds for something new to get stored in our long-term memories, where we can retrieve it. So, concentrate on new information, repeat it a few times, then quiz yourself.

Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is key to a healthy diet and a healthy brain. Different types of fruits and vegetables are rich in different essential nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber—not to mention micro nutrients. Eating a variety of foods ensures a greater intake of these essential nutrients. Aim to try different types throughout the week. One tip: make sure the food on your plate includes lots of different colors. If everything’s white or beige—potato, rice, chicken—that’s a recipe for disaster. Another tip: each week, pick up a new fruit or vegetable at the grocery store or farmers’ market and try it in a variety of dishes. Don’t keep relying on the same five or six old favorites. 

Whether you choose fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or juice, your brain will benefit. But remember that juices and canned fruits do not provide as much fiber as the other types, so it is best to eat the whole fruit or vegetable more often. Eat at least two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day. 

Being multilingual has many benefits for your brain. Learning a foreign language is mentally challenging because it requires the thoughtful assimilation of new information and a strong memory. Your brain benefits when you struggle with those verbs, pore over grammatical structure, force yourself to practice speaking the tar- get language at every opportunity, and stick with it even when it seems futile. The minute it feels like your brain is stretching, you’re already succeeding. Once you’ve learned a new language, reward yourself with a vacation to a country where it is spoken. Not only can you practice speaking the new language, but you can learn more about the country’s culture. Your brain will thank you.

One important way to stimulate your brain and get it working hard is to push your- self out of your comfort zone. This can mean learning new skills and information, meeting new people, and making great memories. You could:  

• Travel somewhere you’ve never been 

• Go to a meeting of an organization you don’t know much about 

• Say hello to people in your neighborhood 

• Go on a dating site 

• Try food you’ve never tasted before  

Any one of these things-and lots of others-will stimulate your brain and keep it active and happy. 

Practitioners of yoga, transcendental meditation, and Buddhism all know that being mindful contributes to having a happier, less stressful life. Mindfulness is often practiced in association with meditation, where one is mindful of one’s breathing and one’s thoughts. More generally, the practice of mindfulness helps train the mind to avoid negative patterns and thought processes, vicious circles of failure, low self-esteem, and even the perception of chronic pain as an intensely negative experience. The brain is a complex and amazing organ, and mindfulness can teach you to harness your mind’s power, integrate your mind and body, and feed your hungry spirit. The key is not to spend too much time regretting the past or worrying about the future. Instead, focus intently on what you are doing in the present moment.