Posts Tagged ‘exercise’
January 22, 2012 | 
Author A group of older adults was recently studied to see if if their risk of progressing into mild cognitive impairment (MCI) was lowered by exercising on a cybercycle versus a traditional stationary bike. MCI, which can precede Alzheimer’s is a state of cognitive decline more serious than normal aging, but not so advanced that it impedes daily activities. A cybercycle is a stationary bike equipped with a virtual-reality screen. This screen enables the rider to “navigate” through situations, and “interact” with other bikers. The researchers found that the riders who rode the cybercyles lowered their risk of progressing into MCI by 23% compared to the traditional stationary riders. The virtual screens enabled participants to exercise their brains and bodies, with the bonus of boosting their cognition scores….. Time Magazine January, 30, 2012
Multiple studies have shown that keeping physically active reduces the risk of cognitive decline. Exercise improves blood flow to the brain, along with improved blood flow to vital organs and muscles. A simple 30 minute walk could lower the risk of cognitive decline. It was also shown that as the activity levels increased, the rate of cognitive decline decreased. So the minimum recommendation of 30 minutes of physical activity, five days a week, is not only good for your waistline, but for your brain.
A study conducted at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden studied migraine patients and determined that exercise can prevent migraines, in some cases as well as drugs or relaxation techniques.
Lead study author Emma Varkey and colleagues evaluated 91 migraine sufferers over the course of three months, splitting the participants into thirds: the first group was asked to exercise for 40 minutes three times each week. The second group performed relaxation techniques and the final third were prescribed topiramate. The study, which is published in the current issue of Cephalalgia, found that patients in all three groups had reduced migraines, and that exercise was just as effective in preventing migraines as the medication and the relaxation techniques. The researchers followed up with the patients at three and six months after the treatment ended.
Dr. Robert Duarte, director of the Pain Center at The North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in Manhasset, New York agrees: “Exercise is another form of relaxation and is well known to cause a release in endorphins, the body’s own pain-reducing substances. Migraine patients should be strongly advised to introduce an exercise program as part of their migraine prevention program.”
All patients should be encouraged to see a primary medical doctor before starting an exercise program.
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Tags: endorphins, exercise, Headache, migraine, relaxation, topiramate | 
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A study recently published in the journal Neurology indicated that vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, and obesity may cause the brain to age faster than it should. It was found that people with these risk factors had significantly smaller brains and had decreased brain function later in life. Study author Dr. Charles DeCarli stated that “Vascular risk factors affect our brain’s and our ability to think even in middle life and we need to focus on treating these things if we are going to have a healthy mind and body,” and added that exercise and a healthy diet are crucial to maintaining brain function. It is also very important to get diseases such as hypertension and diabetes treated because leaving them untreated can be detrimental to brain health. For the study, researchers examined 1,352 people from the Framingham Offspring Study. Participants received body mass index measurements, blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes tests, as well as brain MRI scans. The study found that people with several vascular risk factors had brains which aged up to ten years faster than they would in a healthy individual. The study author asserted that he hoped identifying and understanding how these risk factors play a role in aging the brain would cause people at risk to seek treatment earlier. “People need to understand what they are setting themselves up for later in life. Anything that actually compromises cardiovascular health has the potential for comprising their brain health,” said Dr. Maria Carrillo, a senior director at the Alzheimer’s Association. By being active and eating healthier as early as possible, people can help to reduce their risk for brain function decline later in life.
A recent article by Deepak Chopra, M.D. and Alexander Tsiaras examined the effects of stress on the brain and provided several tips for dealing with stress effectively. Humans respond to stress with a powerful fight-or-flight reaction. Hormones are released in the body, causing the heart to pump faster resulting in a surge of energy. For most of human history, this emergency response was beneficial, enabling people to survive immediate physical threats, such as being attacked by a wild animal. But today, the stress in most people’s lives is caused by the psychological pressures of modern life. Daily challenges like a long commute or a difficult boss can activate stress hormones, and because these stressors don’t go away, the hormones don’t shut off. Instead of helping people survive, today the stress response can actually cause sickness. Chronic stress can harm the body in many ways. The stress hormone cortisol, has been linked to an increase in visceral fat around the organs. The accumulation of this type of fat is dangerous, since these fat cells actively secrete hormones which can disrupt the liver, pancreas and brain, causing problems such as insulin resistance, inflammation and metabolic syndrome. Chronic exposure to other stress hormones may also weaken the immune system, change the structure of some chromosomes, and damage the brain. Studies on mice have shown that chronic exposure to stress hormones can alter the physical structure of the brain in ways which effect memory, learning, and mood. Prolonged exposure to stress hormones caused dendrites, branch-like structures on nerve cells that send and receive signals, to shrink resulting in difficulties relaying signals across nerve cells. A study in 2011 also showed that rats with dendrites damaged by long term exposure to stress hormones had higher anxiety levels. Studies have also shown that exposure to stress hormones leads to general increases in the size of the hippocampus and decreases in the size of the amygdala, which is believed to be associated with increases in fear and general anxiety. Fortunately there are several ways to deal with stress and reduce its effect on the body and brain. Not everyone is equally vulnerable to stress, but once you determine what triggers your personal fight or flight response, the following tips can help you deal with stress.
1. Resolve the stressful situation if possible: Not every source of stress is within your control but it is important to resolve all the stressors which are.
2. Spend time with loved ones and cultivate healthy relationships: Research shows that socializing has many mental health benefits and can prevent negative feelings linked with stress.
3. Do an activity you enjoy: Adding an extra activity which you truly like can help you deal with other more demanding tasks.
4. Try relaxation techniques: Practices such as yoga, tai chi, and meditation can lead to increased feelings of calm and focus, which take your mind off of outside stresses.
5. Exercise regularly: Staying active can help you relax and is shown to aid in turning off the stress response responsible for stress hormone secretion.
6. Get enough sleep: Those who get enough sleep and feel well rested are more capable of calmly dealing with stressful situations.
7. Eat a healthy diet: Fruits, vegetables, and low-fat protein provide the body with the nutrients it needs to effectively deal with stress.
8. Appreciate the good things: Focusing on the positive rather than the negative has shown to be an effective technique for lowering stress hormone levels in the body.
9. Laugh: Research has suggested that laughing has a stress alleviating effect on the body, reducing heart rate, respiratory rate, and muscle tension.
Seek professional counseling: If you feel that you are at risk for serious health problems due to stress, a trained professional can help you learn to deal with stress more effectively.
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I try and encourage people to exercise 15 or 20 minutes (at least) daily, on average. Walking, treadmill, bike, etc., even in 10 min. chunks of time, are the usual. While some people get ‘exercise-induced’ headaches, the majority may benefit from exercise. Even if headaches are not decreased, the benefits of 20 minutes of daily exercise are well-known. The trick is fitting it into your schedule and lifestyle.
