Superb news for those of us who utilise our employers liberal access to the Internet to the max. All in the name of work related research of course.

Research by a team at the University of California reports brain power boosts from Internet usage, especially among people at middle age and upwards. The research has indicated that web surfing stimulates the brain in areas of ‘controlled decision making’ and ‘complex reasoning’.

So now there’s no need to flash your sudoku book in public to show how clever you are. You can just surf the web on your iphone instead.

Lead researcher Professor Gary Small said: "The study results are encouraging, that emerging computerised technologies may have physiological effects and potential benefits for middle-aged and older adults.

"Internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function."

As much as we love this concept - especially with the amount of time we seem to spend on the web these days - don’t forget that there are many other things you can do to improve and maintain mental health.

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We have had a few emails this week with people having a laugh at the brain exercise from the last post.

It can be a bit of a giggle trying to do things with a wrong hand but it is exactly the type of stimulus your brain needs to keep it fit. Just as with your body - if you don’t exercise it it will not perform to its potential.

If you’re really keen to sharpen your memory you need to challenge your mind. You could do this radically and take up a new hobby such as playing a musical instrument or learning a new language.

Alternatively you could just buy yourself a monthly logic problems book and work through that in your spare time. My personal favourites though are playing chess and scrabble - there’s nothing like a bit of competitive edge to add to the exercise.

Whatever you choose doesn’t matter - as long as you can maintain and enjoy it. Exercise your brain regularly and your mind will be fitter, stronger, and more resistant to mental illness.

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If you don’t really feel like drinking coffee by the boat load to boost your memory why not try a herbal supplement instead?

It’s fairly common knowledge that memory can be affected by diet so why not supplement your efforts too. We have several natural memory boost products available at TrooHealthCare.com.

MemoRise is just one of our herbal remedies to assist with cognitive functioning and memory improvement, even reducing symptoms of dementia in Alzheimer’s Disease.

That’s not to say you should forget about the dietary aspect of it to. Herbal remedies are merely an extra tool which you can add to your health armoury.

And while you’re at it why not try a little brain exercise too - it might just make you laugh this one.

If you want to improve the wiring in your brain try using the ‘wrong hand’ to do an everyday task several times a day. Your brain knows you are using the wrong hand and the confusion of mastering a new task with that wrong hand stimulates your brain. A brilliant but simple brain exercise -  just don’t try shaping some wood with your new power saw this way. Ouch!

Technorati Tags: memorise,memory loss,memory boost products,alzheimers,mental health,brain,herbal supplement,herbal remedies

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Did you know that if you drink caffeinated drinks, you’ll get a short term memory boost in your ability to concentrate?

Even better news if you’re a coffee lover is that there may be long term memory benefits also. At the faculty of Medicine in Lisbon, Portugal, researchers found that elderly people who drank 3 or 4 cups of coffee a day were less likely to experience memory loss than those who drank 1 cup per day or less.

Just remember that too much caffeine is actually bad for you so don’t go over the top - stick to 3-4 cups and no more.

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Do you remember the last movie you watched, or the last book that you read? Are names that you would usually remember just on the tip of your tongue unable to release themselves. Do you know where your keys are?

Before you start panicking don’t worry - we are all prone to the odd bout of forgetfulness. It’s not necessarily a sign that something is wrong - it’s just really really annoying most of the time. Arrrrrggggghhhh where’s my bl**dy keys???

The problems come when the scenarios above are the norm. Ageing is the main culprit of this. As we get older there are changes in the way the brain stores and retains information, often resulting in it being more difficult to recall facts. Memory problems can also stem from various medical problems, and obviously mental diseases such as Alzheimers too.

The biggest problem with memory loss is that it is almost impossible for anyone to determine the seriousness of their own problem. If you or someone you know has had a significant downturn in memory over a 6 month period then it is time to see a doctor. You should also include being unable to follow instruction (such as a recipe) on your list of symptoms to look out for.

If you want to find out more on memory loss there are many good articles on familydoctor.org.

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In a study by researchers in Kings College London it has been found that nicotine can actually be good for the brain. But before you go lighting up a fag or slapping on the patches, be warned that the small health benefits would be far outweighed by the risks in most people.

Tests done on rats have found that nicoitne can improve their learning, memory and performance on cognitive tasks by up to 15 per cent. It is hoped that pharmeceutical companies can use the findings to produce new drugs to combat and prevent brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Obviously there will be problems to be addressed in the production of such drugs. The fact that nicotine is so addictive means that techniques will have to be developed to administer such treatments without the patients becoming reliant on it.  According to Professor Stoneman from the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College,  it may not even be possible to totally prevent addiction. Nevertheless  “this is a promising stage in the years of research”.

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A study published in the Lancet Neurology journal has found that blood pressure drugs reduce dementia by 13%. In a trial of elderly patients with high blood pressure, the development of dementia symptoms was compared between those patients who were being treated for blood pressure and those that weren’t .  The study turned out to be so conclusive that it was stopped early after the benefits of treatment in terms of reducing strokes and heart disease were so obvious it became unethical to deny them to everyone.

The reasons why high blood pressure might increase the risk of dementia are not fully understood, with the theory that it can starve the brain of bloodflow and the oxygen it carries being the most popular. Patients suffering this restricted bloodflow are often described as having “vascular dementia”, and account for approximately a quarter of dementia patients.

Other types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, have no obvious link to bloodflow, but some experts think that blood pressure may still be somehow contributory in some cases.

The Alzheimer’s Society have illustrated their concerns with the link by stressing the need to try to prevent the disease.

Its own unpublished research suggested that vascular dementia was six times more likely to develop in people who had high blood pressure in their 40s and 50s.

If “best practice” in blood pressure treatment was applied to the UK population, it said, with every case detected and treated appropriately, this would save 15,000 lives a year.

Professor Clive Ballard, its director of research, said: “Only half of people over 65 receive effective treatment, yet we know treatment works.”

One thing is for sure - the list of reasons to have regular blood pressure and cholesterol checks as you get older grows by the day. Make sure you don’t overlook yours as part of your personal health care.

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A study has revealed that people with depression are 34% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.  The researchers statistically accounted for factors including obesity, lack of physical activity and smoking, while  they also found that the more serious the symptoms, the higher the risk of diabetes.

The study, led by Dr. Sherita Hill Golden of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, tracked an ethnically diverse group of about 5,000 men and women between ages 45 to 84 for about three years.

These results suggest a much closer relationship to the two diseases than previously realised. It has long been known that diabetes can lead to depression but is only now coming to light that the chain of events can be reversed.

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Pharmaceutical companies Wyeth and Elan Corp have put out the results of a study on their Alzheimer’s drug known as bapineuzumab. The experimental Alzheimer’s drug was tested on patients in the study with mixed results, although there was good enough news to suggest that at least some sufferers could be helped.

In their study half were given the experimental drug for Alzheimer’s, a mental health disease with over 25 million sufferers around the world, while the other half were given a placebo.

In some of the patients, there was no benefit seen to taking the drug.  In others though, the study revealed that cognitive function improved drastically in patients.

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