TOPIC
8: Brain
Fitness 
"It
is absolutely crucial to have my mind functioning.
My creativity functioning.. I want to paint as I grow
older than 100.. and I want to enjoy life." Joan
Arnold is 70 years old. Painting is her passion. Her
96 year old mother, Magda, is close by, exercising
her brain, playing scrabble. Both are living younger,
longer, because not only are they taking care of
their bodies, they are paying special attention to
their minds.
Both women are patients of Dr. Dharma Khalsa, an
American trained doctor, living a Sikk lifestyle. He's
written a book called "Brain Longevity." In it he says
we have to stop treating our brain as if it were a
computer.
Dr.
Khalsa says, "I think the first thing to recognize
is that your brain is flesh and blood like the rest of
the body. Like the rest of your body, it needs the
proper nutrition, exercise, and some type of stress
reduction." He continues by saying, "I think the most
important thing is to manage stress. Stress has
been shown to release a chemical in the brain
called cortisol which is known as the killer
chemical and this goes to the brain and it actually
kills memory cells. It turns the memory center of
your brain into a toxic dump."
Joan and Magda are doing exactly what Dr, Khalsa
recommends to achieve what he calls brain fitness.
They
eat a low fat, fruits and vegetables diet. They
get plenty of physical exercise, mental and spiritual
exercise. Both meditate to relieve stress, and take
certain vitamin supplements that Dr. Khalsa says
enhance brain function. Magda says she feels
almost half her age, "I would say something like
50.. that's great.. it's ridiculous, Ijust don't feel any
older."
Like mother, like daughter. Joan says, "I am not
going to lie down and get old. I think that old age is
a cultural thing. We get to thinking we're supposed
to act like this.. feel like this and look like this.. and I
said, "No!"
