Brain Hacks

According to Daniel G. Amen, MD, author of the classic book Making a Good Brain Great, every thought releases brain chemicals. Positive, happy, hopeful, optimistic, and joyful thoughts produce yummy chemicals that create a sense of well-being and help your brain function at peak capacity; unhappy, miserable, negative, and dark thoughts have the opposite effect, effectively slowing down your brain and even creating depression. If you tend to focus on what can go wrong, or what is wrong, or how unhappy you are, or how someone hurt you, these negative thoughts can dim your brain’s capacity to function. They sap the brain of its positive forcefulness. Dr. Amen suggests writing out negative thoughts to dispel their power over your brain.

The leaves of the ginkgo tree contain chemicals that can be used to treat memory and cognitive problems. In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers confirmed that people who take ginkgo extract for mild to severe dementia may see improvement in their abilities to remember and to inter- act socially. You can buy ginkgo biloba in both extract and capsule form. Buy a quality product and read the label. Look for products marked “24/6,” an indication that the product contains 24 percent flavone glycosides and 6 percent terpenes, the chemicals that do the good work. Plan to take it for at least eight weeks before expecting improvement to show.

Ginkgo may interfere with antidepressant MAO-inhibitor drugs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) such as phenelzine sulfate (Nardil) and tranylcypromine (Parnate). If you’re on heart medication and want to take ginkgo, consult your doctor first. And be sure to stick to the recommended dose. 

A recent study by Carnegie Mellon University showed that feeling close to others, particularly through the sense of touch (such as from a hug), helps protect against stress-related diseases. People who had a high sense of connection had more hugs and less conflict, and when faced with exposure to an infection they developed less severe symptoms. People who felt less socially connected suffered more physically. Researchers in Sweden found that even in high-stress occupations, stress- related illnesses could be reduced by social connectedness. And researchers at UCLA have shown that the stress-reducing effects of such connectedness occur whether you give the love or get it. 

In addition to protecting against illness, hugs boost your happiness. Physical contact with someone you care about reduces anxiety levels, lowers cortisol (the stress hormone), and encourages the brain to produce oxytocin and dopamine, feel-good neurotransmitters that help lift your mood. Researchers have even concluded that the optimum hug is at least twenty seconds long. Researchers have also found that hugging your pet has similar effects, so even if you live alone, you can get your daily dose of hugging from Fido. 

Glucose, a form of sugar, powers every action in your body. Your brain needs it to function—in fact, it uses up half of the sugar energy your body produces. Without enough sugar, your brain gets lethargic and slows down. But scientists are finding out that too much sugar in your diet also causes brain trouble in the form of reduced cognitive function. Eat too many candy bars and you won’t think as well. Too much sugar makes you forgetful and less able to learn things. It can also make you prone to anxiety and depression. The key is to eat sugar in moderation. The typical American diet is packed with sugar, much of it hidden (it’s in everything from ketchup to salad dressing to pasta sauce). Nutrition experts agree that Americans need to cut back on sugar consumption. 

Sugars are simple carbohydrates that the body uses as a source of energy. During digestion, all carbohydrates break down into sugar, or blood glucose. Some sugars occur naturally, such as in dairy products (as lactose) and fruits (as fructose). Other sugars are added for taste. Most foods containing added sugars provide calories but little in the way of essential nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It’s better to eat fruit, which in addition to fructose has healthy substances such as vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, folic acid, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and fiber, just to name a few. Most fruits have no fat, and all are cholesterol free.

There is no current recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for sugar, but experts recommend that about 55 to 60 percent of total calories in your diet should come from carbohydrates, with less than 10 percent coming from simple sugars like lactose and fructose. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar per day for women and 9 teaspoons for men. 

The folks at Harvard did a study that showed that eating nuts can lead to increased life span. That’s at least in part because nuts are good for your brain. Nuts are high in fat but they contain minerals, fiber, and nice amounts of protein, along with omega-3 fatty acids. Studies show they can improve cognitive performance and slow decline. Nuts are high in calories, and so they should be eaten in moderation; think of a serving as a tablespoon or two. Look for nuts that are unsalted; it’s not important whether they are roasted or raw, although dry roasting is preferable to oil roasting. Nuts are great sprinkled on foods high in vitamin C, such as fruit and vegetables, because the vitamin C increases the body’s absorption of the iron in nuts. 

The four best nuts for brain health:  

• Walnuts 

• Almonds 

• Hazelnuts 

• Peanuts 

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps your brain communicate with your body. Low serotonin levels are associated with mood problems like anxiety and depression. On the other hand, too much serotonin causes nausea and diarrhea. 

Your body creates serotonin from the tryptophan you get from food. (The first step is for the body to convert tryptophan to 5-HTP [5-hydroxytryptophan], which is then converted to serotonin.) Thus, the more tryptophan you eat, the more serotonin your brain will create. Serotonin itself won’t cross the blood-brain barrier, so taking serotonin itself, such as in a supplement, doesn’t help. 

Foods that provide tryptophan (and thereby stimulate production of 5-HTP) include white-meat turkey, ground beef, cottage cheese, chicken thighs, pumpkin seeds, milk, and almonds. You may remember from Thanksgiving that too much tryptophan from the turkey will make you tired, so as with everything, moderation is key. You can also stimulate production of serotonin in your brain by breathing deeply and by getting a massage. 

If you have hypertension or are at risk for it, reducing your blood pressure will help your brain. High blood pressure increases the risk of cognitive decline, because high blood pressure reduces blood flow to the brain. This causes changes in your brain, which can be anything from mild confusion to severe memory loss. High blood pressure can also create the conditions, such as blood clots and weakening of the arteries, that cause stroke. Protect your brain by keeping your blood pressure numbers in check. Here are some steps to take:

• First, find out if you have hypertension or are at risk. Many people don’t realize they have high blood pressure.

• Eat right and exercise. 

• Reduce stress. 

• Eliminate sodium. 

• Keep tabs on your blood pressure at home. 

• Use prescription medications to lower blood pressure if needed. 

According to Daniel G. Amen, MD, author of Making a Good Brain Great, placebos (inert substances with no physiological effects or medicinal properties) are astonishingly effective. He noted that 150 years ago, doctors relied more on their relationship with their patients and the administration of placebos to treat illnesses. Many patients improved, based on how much they trusted their doctors and how much they believed that they would get well. 

Recent studies have shown that the placebo effect works for diseases such as depression, anxiety, and Parkinson’s (although not for cancer or Alzheimer’s). One researcher theorizes that expectations influence how well placebos work. For example, Parkinson’s results from the lack of dopamine in the brain. And our brains produce dopamine in response to expectations. The takeaway? Your mind may be able to help you think yourself well! 

Pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, nestle in the core of the pumpkin encased in a white-yellow husk. These super seeds contain a number of minerals, such as zinc, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, and phosphorus, along with proteins, monounsaturated fat, and the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids—all of which aid the brain in different ways. They also contain the amino acid glutamate, which helps the brain produce the antianxiety chemical GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). Pumpkin seeds help improve memory and focus. You can use pumpkin seeds as a garnish, add them to granola, or roast them and eat them by the handful. If you’re not a huge fan of the seeds, pumpkin seed oil has many similar benefits. 

You probably think the best time to tap into your creativity—to solve a problem or produce a work of art—is when you’re sharpest and most alert. But research says that’s not true. In fact, people are generally more creative when they’re tired (not exhausted, just tired). When you’re tired, your brain is not as vigilant about filtering out background information—thoughts and stimulus that it normally wouldn’t at- tend to. But creative work requires connecting different ideas together or thinking in new ways, which is more likely to happen when you’re tired. Creativity also re- quires imagination, which the thinking frontal lobe tends to suppress—except when it’s tired. Looking for new insights? Tackle them just before bedtime.