RX For Better Brain Health

Posted September 27, 2007, 5:40 pm in Mental Health by Growing Bolder


When it comes to your brain, the old saying "use it or lose it" could actually be considered a prescription for health.

World-renowned clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist Roy Sugarman says exciting new research is unlocking the black box around your brain and uncovering steps you can take to boost brain power and vitality at any stage of life.

First step? Feed your brain.

"You want to feed it oxygen and good food. It's really proven now that if eat the right stuff and you exercise, the stuff that's also good for your heart and cardiovascular system, is good for your brain, too," Sugarman told the Growing Bolder Radio Show.

Like any good diet and exercise program, you've also got to cross-train your brain.

Sugarman says that means every day, you should seek out something that's really going to give your brain a workout.

"It's not good enough to just read a book or do the crossword. You want to look for novelty, challenging stuff, maybe reading two books at the same time and try not to get confused," he recommends.

And Sugarman says sometimes the best offense to keeping your brain sound is a good defense.

"Fifty-plus people are very fit and very good and they love to get on top of roofs of buildings and clean out the gutters and try to fix the TV aerial, and that gives us about 50 percent of the head injuries that we see in rehab. So, don't get on the roof. Get someone else to come on the roof for you," he says.

Most importantly, Sugarman says, if you want to stave off the bad stuff that comes with age, you need to stay friendly and engaged with people.

"You need to be part of a social scene, part of groups of people that look after you, and brain resource companies have been looking after this for years now and realizing that we have the kind of brain that does well with people. It doesn't do well when there are no people around, and we know a lot about the diseases that affect the brain and they're more aggressive if you're lonely."

So, what's his prescription? Get out there. Even if it's just to sit on a park bench, sit at the beach and see people.

Sugarman is also a big proponent of brain assessment tests. Click the play button below his photo on the right and find out why he says rather than being scared of the results, you should actually use the results to start making your brain healthier today.


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