Brain Hacks

Acupuncture, a form of treatment in traditional Chinese medicine, is the process of inserting slender needles slightly under the skin at various points of the body in order to balance the flow of energy (chi) throughout the body. Traditionally, chi was believed to be blocked in ill people and acupuncture helped get it moving again. Whether you believe in the literal existence of chi or not, acupuncture can nonetheless help keep your brain healthy. Researchers have found that acupuncture can benefit people who are experiencing depression, anxiety, and other brain problems, including insomnia. Some researchers believe that your brain releases feel-good neurotransmitters in reaction to the needles, although there isn’t complete agreement on how acupuncture works. One study showed that people treated with acupuncture had less anxiety and a better memory afterward, as compared to a control group that didn’t undergo acupuncture. For mood disorders, acupuncture can work immediately, unlike prescription drugs or talk therapy. It has few side effects (except for that pesky needles-hurt-going-in part). Acupuncture also shows promise as an aid for alcohol- and other drug-dependency issues, although re- search into this area is preliminary and ongoing. Acupuncture is one of those treatments where the adage “Don’t try this at home!” applies. Instead, seek out a licensed acupuncturist (licensing varies from state to state).

A related practice, acupressure, uses firm touch rather than needles to stimulate the flow of chi throughout the body. It has not been studied as much as acupuncture, but it can be a good place to start if you don’t like the idea of people poking needles into you.

. . . this is your brain on drugs. Now don’t roll your eyes. We know you’ve heard this before, but it bears repeating. Use of illicit drugs like heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine is very hard on your brain. Not only do addiction and drug tolerance make you crave the drug in ever-increasing quantities, they create potential legal, social, and personal safety issues. But the worst risk is how long-term il- licit drug use alters your brain. It impairs your cognition, making it harder for you to think. You will have a harder time making decisions, understanding situations, or knowing what to do. Your memory is affected and you will have more trouble controlling your behavior. And that’s even when you’re not taking the drug—you can’t reverse this damage to your brain once it’s done. And when you’re under the influence, all of these problems are magnified. If you don’t use illicit drugs now, don’t start. If you do use these drugs, the good news is you can keep your brain problems from getting worse by getting help and quitting now.

Studies have shown that eating apples may help prevent stroke. The active ingredient in apple pulp is pectin, a soluble form of fiber that helps reduce “bad” cholesterol by keeping it in the intestinal tract until it is eliminated. European studies indicate that apple pectin can help to eliminate lead, mercury, and other toxic heavy metals from the human body (heavy metals are believed to affect cognition and behavior). Quercetin, a polyphenol found in apples, is believed to help repair damage from free radicals. And apples also help your brain produce the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, important to muscle control and for promoting REM sleep.

It’s important to thoroughly wash apples and to avoid eating the seeds, which can be poisonous. Do eat the peel—that’s where most of the nutrition resides. (But choose organic so you’re not eating pesticides!) All apples provide nutrients, but eating a variety of apple types is the best way to ensure you’re getting as many nutrients as possible.

It turns out that those people who are always advising you to smile are right— smiling makes you feel better and improves your mood. (The truth of this matter does not negate the fact that anyone who tells you to smile is an annoying jerk. We fully agree, although we know that since we just told you to smile, that means we’re the annoying jerks . . .) 

A Penn State study showed that people who smiled were perceived as more lik- able, more polite, and even more competent than those who did not. Other studies have shown that when you smile, you fool your brain into thinking you’re happy. This is true even if your smile is fake. Your brain stops thinking so many Eeyore thoughts and you are more likely to perceive the positives in the world around you. One researcher suggests that smiling can even help protect your brain from stress. So put on a happy face! 

Vitamin B1, also called thiamine, is a potent antioxidant—which you probably remember as the thing that fights damaging free radicals. Thiamine helps the body use carbohydrates effectively, so it’s essential to metabolism—in fact, it is used to treat problems with metabolism. A serious deficiency in vitamin B1 can even result in dementia! Brain problems associated with vitamin B1 deficiency include confusion, memory loss, and mood changes such as apathy. Some evidence supports the belief that thiamine can help increase energy and improve learning. People who drink a lot of alcohol have a high risk of B1 deficiency. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for adults is 1.1 milligrams per day for women and 1.2 milligrams per day for men. Researchers don’t have enough information on adverse effects to set a UL (upper limit). You can find vitamin B1 in yeast, meat, nuts, beans, and in cereal grains like oats and rice.

For a while there everyone was doing crosswords to stave off Alzheimer’s, but cur- rent research says they don’t help with overall cognition or memory. They’re fun, so feel free to continue, but to really boost your brain, you should solve real-world problems. For example, instead of just writing down your grocery list, create a mental picture of the grocery store and organize your list according to what aisle you’ll start with and which you’ll end with. Or you could alphabetize all the groceries or memorize the list or something similar. The point is to do something that wakes up your brain. The problem is that many of the activities we do throughout the day are repetitive—we drive to the same grocery store to buy the same foods to cook in the same recipes. So by engaging your brain more, you’ll help boost cognition. 

Fiber improves your digestion, reduces your risk of colon cancer, and can help you lose weight by making you feel full. And fiber contributes to brain health. Scientists in Great Britain found that for every 7 grams of fiber you include in your diet each day, your risk of a stroke goes down 7 percent. That’s a pretty big benefit! Unfortunately, many people don’t consume enough fiber. Adding it to your diet may be easier than you think. Here are some tips that can help you get started:  

• Look at the fiber content on the Nutrition Facts label on packaged foods. Good sources of fiber have at least 2.5 grams of fiber per serving.

• Substitute higher-fiber foods, such as whole-grain breads, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and fruits and vegetables, for lower-fiber foods such as white bread, white rice, candy, and chips.

• Eat more raw vegetables and fresh fruits, and include the skins when appropriate.

• Plan to eat high-fiber foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole- grain starches, at every meal.

• Start your day with a high-fiber breakfast cereal, such as bran cereal or oat meal. Look for cereals that contain at least 5 grams of fiber per serving. Add fresh fruit for an extra fiber boost.

• Eat a variety of high-fiber foods to ensure you get a mix of both soluble and insoluble fiber—both types are important to your health.

• Use snacks to increase your fiber intake by eating high-fiber foods, such as dried fruits, popcorn, and whole-wheat crackers. 

• Try to eat legumes, or dried beans, at least two to three times per week. Add them to salads, soups, casseroles, or spaghetti sauce.

• Eat whole fruits more often than juice. Most of the fiber in fruit is found in the skin and pulp, which are removed when juicing.

The way your immune system repels infection naturally causes inflammation. In fact, inflammation is a sign your immune system is working right; it repels pesky bacterial invaders. Inflammation is also a sign that your body is working to repair itself after an injury. But not all inflammation is a sign of good health and healing. Many researchers believe a type of unhelpful inflammation occurs in some chronic diseases, including diseases of the brain such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and depression. In the case of chronic diseases, instead of occurring briefly to deal with a one-time event, inflammation itself is believed to be chronic. It creates a cycle of damaging health cells, with that damage triggering more inflammation and more damage to cells.

Many trials of drug interventions to calm chronic inflammation have proved disappointing. Researchers theorize that the later such interventions happen, the harder it is for them to succeed. Catching chronic inflammation early, before it does significant damage, seems key to protecting the brain. For example, one study showed that taking NSAIDs with late-stage Alzheimer’s actually created greater cognitive decline, whereas taking NSAIDs before signs of serious cognitive decline occurred seemed to slow cognitive decline. Although researchers don’t have a clear understanding of the role of chronic inflammation in such diseases, reducing chronic inflammation probably helps reduce the likelihood that you’ll suffer these diseases. The same steps that help you keep your brain healthy also help protect you against chronic inflammation. These preventive measures include not smoking, not drinking excessively, eating lots of fruits and vegetables, and using healthy oils when you cook. In addition, the Mayo Clinic suggests that herbal supplementation with cat’s claw, devil’s claw, mangosteen, or milk thistle may have promise in reducing chronic inflammation. 

Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, promotes brain health. Your brain uses niacin, along with other B vitamins, to break down carbohydrates into energy. Although rare, a niacin deficiency can cause memory loss, confusion, and depression. Niacin increases good cholesterol and decreases bad cholesterol and triglycerides, which helps prevent strokes. Niacin supplements are even used to treat some types of schizophrenia, and niacin is being studied as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s, although, so far, results have been mixed.

Dietary sources of vitamin B3 include whole-grain foods, fortified cereal, lean meat, fish, poultry, peanuts, brewer’s yeast, yogurt, and sunflower seeds.

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for niacin is 14 milligrams per day for women and 16 milligrams per day for men. Because it’s water soluble, your body will get rid of extra amounts. Even so, don’t overdo it! Niacin has a UL (upper limit) set at 35 milligrams per day for adults over eighteen.

Once upon a time, people believed that you use only 10 percent of your brain, that when you were born you had all the brain cells you were ever going to have, and that some people are left-brained and some people are right-brained. (Do you still believe that one? Lots of people do. But it’s not true.) 

Our understanding of the brain is always changing. So it might be that some of the brain hacks we’ve noted in this book will someday prove to be untrue, or that new research might cast doubt on previous conclusions. What’s a brain-centric person to do? The answer is that the more brain-supporting things you do, the better. That way, if it turns out that one brain hack isn’t effective (maybe blueberries aren’t the super food we think they are), you’ll still have benefited because you’ve also exercised, volunteered, and eaten your carotenoids. In other words, the more you do to help keep your brain healthy, the better.