http://www.care2.com/greenliving/do-you-suffer-from-memory-loss.html
Do You Suffer From Memory Loss?
Since its inception as a field of rational scientific study, medicine has accepted the degeneration of brain function in elderly people as a natural occurrence. This deterioration was thoroughly documented with “hard” findings–as we age, our brains shrink, grow lighter, and lose millions of neurons every year.
We have our full complement of neurons by age 2, and by age 30, the number starts to decline. The loss of any single brain cell is permanent, since neurons do not regenerate. On the basis of this well-known fact, brain decline seemed to be scientifically valid; sadly but inevitably, to grow old must lead to memory loss, decreased reasoning ability, impaired intelligence, and related symptoms.
These time-honored assumptions, however, have now been shown to be wrong. Careful study of healthy elderly people – as opposed to the sick, hospitalized ones whom medicine habitually studies–has revealed that 80 percent of healthy Americans, barring psychological distress (such as loneliness, depression, or lack of outside stimulation), suffer no significant memory loss as they age.
The ability to retain new information can decline, which is why old people forget phone numbers, names, and the reason for walking into a room; but the ability to remember past events, called long-term memory, actually improves.
In tests where 70-year-olds were matched with 20-year-olds, the older people performed better than the younger in this area of memory. After they practiced the other kind of memory–called short-term memory–for a few minutes every day, the older group could almost match the younger subjects, who were at their prime of mental functioning.
The secret, as with almost every other “natural” decline in old age, depends on habits of mind, not the circuitry in the nervous system.
Adapted from Quantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine, by Deepak Chopra (Bantam Books, 1990).
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13 comments
add your comment »The nerb that helped restore my short term memory: Ginko Biloba. Back in 03' could not even remember my kids names, if if they were next to me, really tick me off, so I consumed this herb witout missing a single day, in 3 mos. memory was attained.
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What was I gonna say..
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Uuuh ~ What was I going to comment ~ I forgot LOL
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As far as I have understood from the above article keeping my memory in good condition is a question of "habits of mind" and not (or barely) a medical one.
I'm 60 now and I've never worried about mine. I think one of the reasons is my writing, which implies going back in memory, reconstructing the day, looking forward in time, in other words a creative activity of my brains and my heart, since my memories are not only factual, but emotional as well, the last ones stimulated by painting and music. Combining the two makes me look at me and makes me independent of others. My memories were me then, are me now. I evolve through them.
Thinking about myself in the world is a very basic, continuous activity of my whole intellectual and emotional system and if every now and then I would forgot something (I can't remember I ever did) even then I wouldn't worry about it, because my experience in life (my memory database) gives my the ability to make overall connections, unexpected associations a younger person can't make yet.
As long as I stay curious I'll keep a vivid mind. Curiosity, maybe that's the secret
Fré van Limpt, Hoorn, The Netherlands
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We just get better the older we get! It's good to see in print that, which we all know: memory loss is linked to attitude or 'habit of mind' as Deepak Chopra calls it. I knew that, didn't you? If you are an active person mentally all your life, you will retain this function, barring accident
or injury, and even then your fightback from whatever may be less futile than doctors lead so many people to believe. Nothing against doctors, but mainstream medicine is still ignorant about our nutritional needs, never mind our brains. Most doctors know little or nothing about this subject and how it really affects everything, but they are very willing to prescribe drugs, especially as most medical
schools are funded directly or indirectly by Big Pharma. Why is it not a requirement for doctors to really study this subject, to learn about the most basic element in a human being's life? Strange, me thinks. In every sphere now, it seems we are on our own, if you want real help. It's that, or trust the pill-pushers. For anyone interested in a very active 81 year-old lady, you can check out her website on: http://www.doctorsaredangerous.com
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Five yrs. ago I sufferted a brain injury. Lost all memory, slowly I regained memory. My past memories was very sharp, talked to Dad about long ago stuff, he didn't remember. Ginko Biloba really helped. Another useful book, www.ultrabrain.com
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I was injured in a rear end collision in 2003 knocked unconscious, had not a clue what was wrong with me Doctors ran all the test they could, so I began studying for my self. Then about a year later after being just out of the human loop I found out Traumatic Brain Injury. All the symptoms were there. So I was still young at heart and had to find my way back to normal existence so I began to push and push and not give up and not give in. The frontal cortex had been damaged so I had lost my good sense of cognitive reasoning --- when I knew that was my problem I began building STOP and YIELD signs in my brain. Now it is 2009 about 6 years since the accident I function OK with the things I know I can do. I still have a good sense of working through complex problems that is a sign of cognitive reasoning at work. But what I do not have and may never have is the speed to negotiate in dialog with others.
Therefore I can say as one that has recovered JUST TAKE YOUR TIME and go ONE STEP AT A TIME.
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An excellent recent book on the brain and what adversly affects its growth is "The New Brain."
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Hi, I am 65 years old, retired, and I have serious hormone deficiencies. aA year and a half ago, I had a pituitary that was trying to get ovaries to produce estrogen, which had been removed. Consequently, my adrenals were underproducing, my thyroid was low, I had a zero level of estrogen. also, my growth hormone was 10% of normal. I started taking oral estrogen, which I know a lot of people object to, but I do not object to it at all. In fact within hours after starting a very low dose of estrogen, I felt better. I also take HGH injections which help with the fatigue. I am being treated by an endocrinologist whom I trust very much.
I have also experienced depression in the past five years. Dr Choprah mentions that depression can be a contributing factor to memory loss.
When I was younger, I was vibrant, life of the party type, interested in many different activities. I was always considered what we called "flaky" back then.
I do work a few hours a week, and it gets me out with people. I also help my neighbors, in their 80's, with some of their daily activities.
I enjoy being with people, but I get anxious & claustrophobic around crowds. And I enjoy being of service to others.
I do have some memory loss, mostly in finding the right word that I want to say.
I guess my question is, should I be concerned about these moments of memory loss?
I might add that my depression was brought on by life experiences, or at least if it were there all along, it was greatly exacerba
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Perhaps Deepak Chopra could give us some practical tips to fire the neurons that quicken the memory.
I can suggest also taking interest in art especially paintings...visual art can help draw interest and passion that might be missing
Dr. Runhild Roeder
runhildroeder.com
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