( Natural News ) The thyroid is an important gland that is responsible for a lot of functions in the body. If it is over- or under-functioning, you might experience symptoms, such as brain fog, a slower metabolism, fatigue, and even depression. Here are some tonics and teas that you can brew up to improve thyroid health : Dandelion – Dandelions have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties which help calm the autoimmune flares and balance out the immune system. To make dandelion tea, you need two teaspoons of dried dandelion root and leaves. Then, steep it with fresh lemon zest in a tea infuser for 15 to 20 minutes. Add half a teaspoon of raw honey, stir, and drink. Siberian ginseng – As an adaptogenic herb, Siberian ginseng can help the body handle stress better, like the stress caused by a thyroid problem. Additionally, it can help reduce inflammation commonly found in thyroid problems. The dried root of this herb can be brewed and paired with orange peel or zest. Siberian ginseng requires a longer cooking time, about two to three hours, to extract the herbal benefits. Chaga – Chaga provides liver and lymph cleansing benefits. It also removes toxins and nourishes the detox system, which is beneficial for a thyroid-sluggish body. It also has mind-clearing benefits which can clear away thyroid brain fog. Chaga can be mixed in a smoothie or be made into a matcha-like tea drink. Ashwagandha – This herb can help the body cope better with stress, anxiety, and other chronic health conditions. Moreover, it can help improve the production of thyroid hormone. You can take ashwagandha by mixing it with warm coconut or almond milk. Turmeric – Turmeric is a nourishing food for thyroid health because of its active ingredient, curcumin. It provides anti-inflammatory properties […]

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In 47 CE, Scribonius Largus, court physician to the Roman emperor Claudius, described in his Compositiones a method for treating chronic migraines: place torpedo fish on the scalps of patients to ease their pain with electric shocks. Largus was on the right path; our brains are comprised of electrical signals that influence how brain cells communicate with each other and in turn affect cognitive processes such as memory, emotion and attention. The science of brain stimulation —altering electrical signals in the brain—has, needless to say, changed in the past 2,000 years. Today we have a handful of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) devices that deliver constant, low current to specific regions of the brain through electrodes on the scalp, for users ranging from online video-gamers to professional athletes and people with depression. Yet cognitive neuroscientists are still working to understand just how much we can influence brain signals and improve cognition with these techniques. Brain stimulation by tDCS is non-invasive and inexpensive. Some scientists think it increases the likelihood that neurons will fire, altering neural connections and potentially improving the cognitive skills associated with specific brain regions. Neural networks associated with attention control can be targeted to improve focus in people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Or people who have a hard time remembering shopping lists and phone numbers might like to target brain areas associated with short-term (also known as working) memory in order to enhance this cognitive process. However, the effects of tDCS are inconclusive across a wide body of peer-reviewed studies, particularly after a single session. In fact, some experts question whether enough electrical stimulation from the technique is passing through the scalp into the brain to alter connections between brain cells at all. Notably, the neuroscientist György Buzsáki at New York University presented research […]

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Anchovy toast Experts call the stomach your "second brain" for a reason: There’s a little world of neurons hanging out in there, ready to fire off feel-good messages straight to your head. Get them going with eat-the-rainbow meals designed to energize, calm, or boost your mood. MARCUS NILSSON This salad will prep you for anything. It’s teeming with wild shrimp (low in cals, big in protein and iron to get you pumped), crunchy apples (for an all-natural sugar rush), and spicy peppers (loaded with capsaicins, compounds that stimulate the release of endorphins—the same chemicals that create a runner’s high!). MARCUS NILSSON There are mind-blowing numbers of avo toast on insta. But if you’re after mind-sharpening, crown that crusty bread with anchovies. Yep, anchovies. These savory swimmers (boasting umami-rich flavor) are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which can fuel your mind and enhance a positive mood. Top it off with multihued carrots—the more colors, the greater the range of vitamins—to get your fill of memory-improving flavonoids. MARCUS NILSSON Brownies. The word alone conjures good moods. Chocolate itself decreases cortisol levels, but this batch eclipses the classic. One: it’s baked with sweet potatoes, which contain muscle-relaxing potassium and fiber, so you feel full faster. Two: Black beans are high in magnesium, which regulates the nervous system to help tame anxiety. This article originally appeared in the May 2018 issue of Women’s Health. For more great ideas, pick up a copy on newsstands now!

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by Sabrina Stierwalt, PhD: Popular media is full of suggestions on how to improve our brain health and cognition. But can we really boost our intelligence? The ‘selfish brain’ theory of evolution describes our brains as taking the energy it needs, typically in the form of glucose, before doling out what remains to the rest of the body. In other words, the brain selfishly prioritizes its own needs which are comparably high. A recent study from the University of Cambridge put this theory to the test by challenging elite rowers to perform a memory task and a physical rowing task, first separately and then at the same time. Performance in both the memory-related and the physical tasks decreased when the students attempted to accomplish them simultaneously, but their rowing suffered far more than their ability to recall words for the memory task. On average, the participants showed a 30% greater drop in their physical strength than in their cognitive abilities , suggesting the brain does in fact take what it needs first when resources become scarce. Although the selfish brain theory has been proposed as a possible origin for physical issues like obesity, it may also push back against the idea that we are stuck with an innate level of intelligence. If we can count on our brains to demand our body’s limited resources, can we also count on them to continue to improve even once we’re done growing in adulthood? A common brain myth is that we only use 10% of our brain . I have certainly heard this statistic and a study from only a few years ago showed that as many as 65% of Americans believe it to be true. However, neurologists at the Mayo Clinic note that throughout the course of the day, we use […]

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Herbs and spices have been used for thousands of years for their medicinal properties and healing powers. Chinese medicine relies heavily on natural ingredients for health and vitality—with good reason. Herbs and spices are commonly used to add flavor to food, but many people don’t realize that adding these tiny touches of flavor also boosts the nutritional value of your favorite dishes. Certain herbs and spices have been researched and proven effective in their inflammation-reducing, cancer-preventing, immune-boosting, and anti-aging properties. These ten little powerhouses of healthy goodness may already be sitting in your pantry or your fridge, so start spicing up your food for better health! 1. Turmeric Turmeric contains a powerful compound called curcumin, which has incredible anti-inflammatory and chemopreventive properties, according to studies. It has shown positive results in improving symptoms of several types of chronic diseases, including cancer, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, and autoimmune diseases. (1) Curcumin is so effective that it is even sold as capsules for supplementation. Thousands of studies were conducted to determine the health benefits of curcumin with the same results— curcumin has powerful anti-inflammatory effects. It reduces oxidative stress and fights cancer. (2) 2. Oregano Oregano is a popular herb used in Mediterranean and Italian cuisine. In the US, it is primarily used as pizza seasoning in its dried form. Oregano is full of important nutrients , including vitamins A, C, E, and K, as well as fiber, folate, iron, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Even though it’s packed with vitamins, oregano’s potency can be attributed to its anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. Oregano possesses two antimicrobial phytochemicals called carvacrol and thymol . Oregano essential oil has been researched extensively for its antimicrobial effects and is proven effective against many kinds of bacteria, including E. coli , S. aureus , […]

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( Natural News ) “You are what you eat” might be an overused phrase, but there’s quite a bit of truth to it, particularly when it comes to your brain. According to a paper published in the journal Physiology , the signals from your gut to your brain have a strong influence on your behaviors and emotions, especially during threatening events . Your gut and brain constantly communicate with one another through your vagus nerve. This nerve makes its way throughout your chest and abdomen, controlling and monitoring not only your digestion but also your hormone levels, immune function, heart rate and blood pressure. This nerve forms part of a protective system that can help you make decisions by compelling you to slow down and evaluate a particular situation before proceeding or even avoid it entirely. It essentially connects your brain with your gastrointestinal tract, which covers a big surface area and is laden with sensors. To put it in perspective, the GI tract is more than 100 times bigger than your skin’s total surface, and it sends more signals up to your brain than any other of your organs. As you can imagine, this makes your gut tremendously powerful. A poor diet can throw off the protective signals that come from the vagus nerve that encourage you to be cautious. This can change your behavior and your mood. As a matter of fact, the connection is so strong that recent studies have found that traumatic brain injuries can damage an individual’s gut in addition to their brain. Moreover, it appears to be a two-way street, with gut irregularities impacting brain inflammation following traumatic brain injuries . Support our mission and protect your health: Organic Seeds of Life combines Red Raspberry Seed Power, Black Cumin Seed Power and Red […]

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( Natural News ) Believe it or not but pain can actually be a friend. It tells us something is wrong and that we should avoid it, like getting too close to the bonfire and hurting ourselves. It tells us to be careful when slicing vegetables, because we can hurt our fingers if we don’t watch out. Neuroscientists from the University of Pennsylvania concluded in a new research that animals suppress chronic pain when they are hungry , in an attempt to look for food and survive. The study zeroed in on 300 brain cells that prioritize the need for food to quell hunger, than the need to get over chronic pain. Amber L. Alhadeff, one of the researchers admitted that his team did not expect that hunger could influence the feeling of pain. But he realized it made sense. Animals must get nutrients from food first before they can even think of overcoming pain from injury. Curious about how hunger may interact with the sensation of pain, the researchers observed how mice that hadn’t eaten for 24 hours still responded to acute pain. But unlike their well-fed counterparts, hungry mice ignored pain caused by inflammation. Long-term pain from inflammation is thought to involve neural circuits in the brain. The researchers also discovered that hungry mice did not steer away from the place that brought them inflammatory pain . This made researchers wonder what part of the brain was behind the hunger-pain connection. They experimented on gouti-related protein (AgRP) neurons, which are believed to trigger hunger. They found out that mice responded less to chronic pain while retaining their reactions to severe pain. The researchers dug deeper and discovered that stimulating only a few hundred AgRP neurons markedly suppressed inflammatory pain. J. Nicholas Betley, assistant biology professor at the […]

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• Exercise — Dr. Charles Kim, M.D., assistant professor of rehabilitation medicine and anesthesiology and a medical acupuncturist at the the New York University Langone Medical Center says that working out produces natural painkillers like endorphins. They raise our threshold of pain and work with brain receptors to change how we perceive pain.
• Fish oil — A study showed that after 75 days, more than half of the patients with neck or back pain who took 1,200 milligrams of fish oil a day with eicosapentaenoic and decosahexanoic acid stopped taking painkillers. Order all natural fish oil here.
• Turmeric — Researchers who combined turmeric with Devil’s claw and bromelain on patients found that that the mixture relieved pain from osteoarthritis. The patients took two 650-milligram capsules twice or thrice a day. All natural turmeric available online here.
• Resveratrol in red wine, grapes and berries — Researchers reported that the substance regulates pain on the cellular level.

( Natural News ) So you’ve become a regular at the gym, turned vegan, and done almost everything in your power to stay physically healthy. What about staying mentally fit as well? Mental health is just as important as physical health. Mental fitness protects us from depression, dementia, Alzheimer’s , and other diseases. Neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Mosconi, director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medical College , New York claims we can prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia through healthier food and lifestyle choices. In her new book Brain Food: How to Eat Smart and Sharpen your Mind , Mosconi says that while genetics plays a key role in causing dementia, lifestyle factors, like diet, are just as crucial. Maintain your sugar levels — Our brain depends mainly on glucose (sugar) and needs 62 grams of glucose daily. Before you grab that extra-large pizza though, Mosconi says our brains’ ‘sugar gates’ open when it needs sugar, but shuts down once it’s had enough. Excess glucose can’t enter the “sugar gate.” Instead, it leads to high blood sugar levels and weight gain. Know how your nutrients interact — Nutrients in your body should interact withe each other. Make sure you get a balance of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and vitamin B. Have plant-based meals — Our vegetarian ancestors knew it all along. Plant-based foods are the best. In fact, 98 percent of those who live long, healthy and dementia-free lives are vegans. Choose organic food well — You can also save on costs by choosing fruits that are in season. You can also opt for wild fish over the farmed variety, since the former tends to have less pollutants and pesticides. Always eat breakfast — Breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day, because the brain needs an […]

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( Natural News ) In 2015, at least 47 million people worldwide had dementia, a memory problem that often greatly affects an individual’s ability to accomplish daily tasks. While the most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, other forms exist as well. Unlike other diseases that can be treated, there is no cure for dementia. However, learning about its risk factors is one way to prevent it. According to a study, older adults who have slower walking speeds could have a higher risk of developing dementia than those with faster walking speeds. A team of researchers from the U.K. analyzed the relationship among changes in walking speed, changes in the ability to think and make decisions, and dementia. The results of the study were published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society . For the study, the researchers reviewed data from the “English Longitudinal Study of Aging” which contained information from adults aged 60 and older who lived in England. The researchers relied on information gathered from 2002 to 2015 and they assessed participants’ walking speed on two occasions: From 2002 to 2003; and in 2004 to 2005. The participants were observed once again to determine whether or not they developed dementia following the tests from 2006 to 2015. The researchers then compared the patients who had developed dementia with those who had not. (Related: Go for a brisk walk every day to protect your brain .) The researchers found out that out of the almost 4,000 older adults they observed, the ones with a slower walking speed had a higher chance of developing dementia. Additionally, individuals who experienced a faster decrease in walking speed in a two-year period were also at greater risk for dementia. Support our mission and protect your health: Organic Seeds of Life […]

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( Natural News ) For some time now, mothers have been made aware of the dangers of Bisphenol A (BPA) , a chemical used in many types of containers, including baby bottles. BPA is used to harden plastics, prevent contamination of foods, and stop cans from rusting. In recent years, several studies have confirmed that BPA affects endocrine function (hormonal balance) in animals and humans, and new moms have been warned to avoid baby bottles that contain this chemical and to take other steps like not boiling polycarbonate bottles or heating them in the microwave. BPA has been linked to both male and female infertility, early puberty, hormonal breast and prostrate cancers, and metabolic disorders like polycystic ovary syndrome. Now, a shocking new study has found that by the time a baby is born it may be way too late to start actively avoiding BPA. The Scientist recently reported that the findings of the study – conducted by a research team from the University of Calgary – were presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in Chicago, Illinois, in March. After determining in 2015 that BPA causes hyperactivity and alters brain development in zebrafish, the study’s lead author, Deborah Kurrasch, and her team decided to investigate its effects on pregnant mammals. Pregnant mice were fed differing dosages of BPA over a period of time, and the effects recorded. The Scientist reported on the findings: [T]he researchers observed that even when animals were exposed to low levels of the chemical—10 or 20 times below the recommended daily intake for humans—their offspring displayed significantly accelerated early neuron development. BPA exposure increased the number, size, and the rate of proliferation of neurons in the pups’ brains, but also reduced the “stemness,” or self-renewal capability, of cells, pushing them toward a […]

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