When we were babies, our brains were like sponges; soaking up everything around us, growing and making connections. Our skin was soft and supple. The healthier foods we ate back then encouraged production of collagen for that soft baby skin, and encouraged the constant electrical connections the brain needed to make in order to learn and understand everything that was being absorbed. The fact that we went on to learn to walk proves that the brain was absorbing and learning not only from our surroundings but what our bodies were telling us. Back then, our brains listened to our bodies and attempted to give it what it needed, like activity. We start school and continue to keep our brains active. However, when school is finished and we work all day, the brain may not be as active as it was while we were in school. Active learning throughout your life is one of the best ways to keep your cognitive functions sharp. I would be a professional student if I could. I love to learn new things.
As we age, the activity in our brain slows down naturally; and during the sunset years of our lives, mental faculties can become seriously impaired. We need to take steps to assure that our brains stay active. As we get older, hormones that give our brain its ability to make connections and our skin its suppleness, decrease naturally. We need to take steps to replenish these hormones. Excessive stress may also cause malfunctions in the brains chemistry. Hormonal imbalances also age the skin and interfere with brain function.
Keeping a positive attitude will help to keep brain functioning at its optimum. Positive thinking can reduce stress and therefore, keep your skin looking younger. My mother was a very unhappy woman. It didn't matter what anyone did, she was never happy, and I've never seen one little woman with as many wrinkles as she had. She also died at a relatively young age; having lost most of her cognitive abilities and her health.
Studies have proven that if you keep a close connection with friends and family your mental faculties are stronger and you will actually look and feel younger. The reasons for this are explained by psychoneuroimmunology, which is the way our emotions affect our health and appearance.
A healthy diet is necessary to keep your brain functioning at optimum. Blueberries have been proven to improve short-term memory and have a high amount of antioxidants for aging skin care. Eat a lot of fruits and dark green leafy vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, which help your skin appear younger and help your body repair and repel toxins. Antioxidants can even help prevent some diseases. It is also known that a lack of certain vitamins can cause diseases. Some experts believe that certain toxins can make autism worse; and some vitamins and minerals can make autism better.
Since I have a son who has Asperger's Disorder I can honestly say that his vitamin regime improved his mental and emotional functioning a great deal. I realize that the American Medical Association has not completely backed this treatment, but for all of us who have experienced the improvements in our loved ones, we don't need any proof from them. We all need to begin to realize how important it is to eat healthy and avoid toxins in our environment. For the sake of our future brain functions, our health and the appearance of our skin, we need to keep all toxins out of our system.
Many doctors are now accepting and even encouraging the position that supplements, including supplements not in the regular vitamin range, are able to help us heal and stay healthy.
There is no realistic way we can remove all stress from our lives; in fact, a certain amount of stress is good for us, as long as we are able to deal with that stress in an emotionally healthy way. It is important to remember that excessive stress will age our skin and can even cause diseases. I have personally been stressed to the point that I was spitting up blood. It took quite a while, but I have learned to deal with stress in a more appropriate way; and I can report that I have been in good health ever since.
If we are worrying excessively, we need to immediately get some guidance to deal with the stress before it has an opportunity to affect our health. The brain releases stress hormones to help us manage our stress. When we become excessively stressed or for longer periods of time, the hormones build up and can cause damage to nerve cells. Also, excessive stress hormones can cause depression, which will also age your skin.
If I can learn to be a positive, upbeat person, anyone can. I had to learn how to make myself exercise regularly, eat healthy and handle stress appropriately (I'm still working on the exercising regularly.) It was a long process for me, but my health was definitely worth it. I'm happy, active and healthy; and my skin is still relatively youthful.
The connection between the brain and our health is still being studied, but it is clear that there is a very strong connection. We already know that stress and disease can destroy our skin. We all want to be able to retain our cognitive functions and have youthful skin as we age and there are some very basic things we can do to help make that happen. Be positive, handle stress well, eat healthy, keep learning and stay active.
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