Things That are Good for the Brain

Very few of us earn a living from brawn any longer.

We need rational power, emotional power, creativity, and inspiration.

In any case, these are the powers that also give us the most enjoyment from life. We are social beings and being social is what gave rise, according to scientists, the limbic and neo cortex brains that set us apart from animals about 100,000 years ago. Beta and alpha waves power the left and right hemispheres of the neo cortex.

The brain has energy. The energy has waves powered by chemicals. The various hertz levels of the waves determine whether our brain is in overdrive, balanced, or in need of stimulus.

We tend to have a sense of how our brains are working and use consumption to alter the brain waves which changes our states of mind as we often call them.  Beta waves are energized by Dopamine but the by product is adrenaline.

We enjoy coffee in the morning because the caffeine stimulates the Beta waves we need for rational and logical thinking and the feeling of being on top of our situation. We like alcohol often to slow down the over active Beta waves of stress so that we can get into a socializing state.

The alpha waves stimulate the right side of the brain that is most responsible for the external body stimulations and their interpretation by the brain. They mediate our conscious sensual experiences. They regulate the rate of sensory information coming at us.

Too much incoming unregulated stimulus can throw us into an “emotional” state. Death or betrayal are two stimulus we know that can take us out of the rational and into the emotional states, but there are many events in between.

The Beta wave state is like living in a vital active city and the Alpha wave state is like being in the beautiful countryside with the constant physical sensations of hearing birds singing, feeling the warm sunshine and the sounds of a babbling brook.

We enjoy chocolate because it has a soothing affect on the emotional limbic brain. Over eating also has a soothing affect of the limbic brain which is fueled by the Alpha waves. Marijuana also drops us into the settling alpha wave states where we revel in the sensual stimulus.

So manipulating these waves seems to be important to us. There are positive acts we can perform that stabilize the brain on a daily basis and eliminate some of the strong manipulations which frequently have bad and often long term side affects

Exercise both anaerobic and aerobic is critical to stabilize Beta waves. Even a half hour every other day will contribute. Foods that stimulate dopamine are broccoli, carrots, egg whites, salmon, pomegranate juice, spinach, and raw almonds. Teas can stimulate dopamine like green tea along with herbs spices and foods such as flax seed, garlic, and onion.

When dopamine is stimulated you are on top of the world and tend to be very social and in control. When dopamine is not positive, you tend to get involved in personal absorption with food, TV, hobbies, and so forth. Positive dopamine is socializing and negative is isolating.

Lack of alpha activity can create the inability to process our sensations. It can also lead to forgetfulness, difficulty with deadlines, inability to maintain a schedule, or having increased anxiety or stress.

When alpha waves are deficient, there is not enough mental speed to connect your thoughts and sensations together. Acetylcholine is the chemical that powers alpha waves. People who talk and think fast are demonstrating how acetylcholine works.

Exercise is also crucial for alpha support. Foods that support alpha wave balance are avocado, cucumber, zucchini, lettuce, nuts, milk products, eggs, luncheon meats, beef, olive oil and salad dressings. Yes a lot of fat based foods. They deliver a choline boost to our brains .

Water is of course a no brainer. Meditation is the practice of allowing our brains to synchronize. Giving the brains a rest by unplugging everything allows the waves to move into a balanced peaceful state.

Getting better brain balance is a good reason to fill our diet with supportive foods and therefore remove foods that are not helping us.

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Learn more about your brain from an acknowledged expert, Patt Lind-Kyle who wrote Heal the Brain Rewire the Mind.  Only about $11 used from Amazon.

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