Every time I search the headlines, I see articles daily on improving memory and focus, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and early-onset dementia. It is a hot topic and should be. If you don’t have a sharp memory, every aspect of your life is impacted devastatingly. Our lifestyle habits can make a huge difference. One of the ways to improve memory and focus is with food, herbs, and supplements!
Improve Memory and Focus with a varied diet of brain-healthy foods!
The following foods below contain various elements for sharp memory and focus including healthy fats, antioxidants, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins B6 and B12, folate, choline, and Vitamin C. Make sure you eat a variety of different foods each week to get those needed brain elements.
Certain foods can help improve memory and focus. According to a source, some of the foods that preserve memory are Advacados, Almonds, Blueberries, Beans of different kinds, Brown Rice, Broccoli and Broccoli Sprouts, Dark Chocolate, Eggs, Fruit especially Blueberries, Nuts of different kinds, Green Tea, Red Cabbage, Salmon, Sunflower Seeds, and Pumpkin Seeds.
We buy our grass-fed beef from Sam’s Club or online. There is a huge difference in taste between beef that is raised in feed lots and beef raised on grass. We use it in dishes as stir frys to make it last for several days meals.
Eating wild-caught fish improves memory and focus!
Fish including healthy wild-caught salmon, trout, albacore tuna, herring, and sardines improve memory and focus because they contain omega-3 fatty acids in abundance. Lean red meats are also a good selection especially if they are grass-fed and grass-finished meat. Your brain is made up of 60% fat in the form of omega-3 fatty acids. Studies have shown the value of eating these fish in improving memory, focus, and brain health.
Do make sure your fish and tuna is wild-caught and NOT farm-raised. Try to buy fish that does not come from China.
Here is some information on the pros and cons of farm-raised fish, Is Farm-Raised Tilapia from China Dangerous to Eat? | Snopes.com, I have watched some of the videos and it makes you sick.
These next two quotes demonstrate the problems with farm-raised fish.
“In industrial farming, hundreds or thousands of animals are crammed together in small facilities, providing a perfect situation for the rapid spread of disease. And the same holds true for aquaculture. Salmon farms for instance are often plagued with sea lice –parasitic crustaceans that feed on fish skin and blood– which have been recorded on farms at concentrations 73 to 30,000 times higher than in the wild.”
“The disease impacts of aquaculture aren’t limited to the farms themselves. As the holding pens used are typically open-net pens, diseases can easily float into the surrounding water bodies and potentially infect wild species, which is particularly dangerous if they have not evolved immunity to them. For example, farms for non-native Atlantic salmon in Pacific Canada have been linked to the occurrence of 22 different salmon diseases, including ones that did not previously exist in the region. Similarly, the spread of sea lice from farms has been implicated in the mass death of juvenile wild salmon and the loss of entire salmon runs in the Vancouver Island area.”Rotten Fish: 5 reasons why farmed seafood is not as good for the planet as you might think – WELL, Magazine (wellmagazineasia.com)
Cut out foods that hurt our memory and focus! Junk foods hurt your brain and memory function!
A huge problem in the US is our diet of fast foods, junk foods, packaged foods, and sugar which makes us fat, and diabetic, and hurts our heart and brain function. Memory and brain health is dependent on a varied diet of healthy food choices. Only you can determine what goes into your mouth which in turn influences your overall health, brain health, and focus.
Improve Memory and Focus with Herbs, Mushrooms, and Supplements
If you go to your regular standard medical doctor, the doctor will either downplay or tell you herbs and mushrooms are a waste of your time. Many thousands of people use these products and know they do work. Quality in these products is extremely important to whether they work for you or not. Most of the drugs tried for dementia and Alzheimer’s do not work and have been shown of little value. If the drugs do work, they come with awful side effects for the majority of patients.
It is important to try and find out the cause of your brain symptoms including borrelia from tick disease, chemicals in the workplace, heavy metals such as lead and mercury, molds and toxins, chemotherapy, and medications that cause brain memory issues.
Why Are There No Really Effective Alzheimer’s Drugs? | The People’s Pharmacy (peoplespharmacy.com)
5 Medications to Avoid for People with Dementia (healthline.com)
FDA Approves Alzheimer’s Drug that Research Shows Does Not Work | Amos Institute Blog
Why Alzheimer’s drugs don’t work — Explained by new drug screening method (techlifebucket.com)
The Validity for using herbs to improve health including brain health and focus is below.
Herbs have been used since biblical times by every civilization since time began. Drug companies cannot patent herbs so they do not put money into double-blind studies that will not benefit them with profit. They profit from selling drugs. Historical use over thousands of years is important and valid. Drug companies cannot easily test herbs because they have hundreds of properties that also depend on how and where they are grown. Their value also depends on how they are grown, what soil they are grown in, how they are picked, when they are picked, and how they are dried. That is why testing these products is extremely important to their value for your health.
Why Herbs don’t work for everyone equally?
Herbs have many effects on the body including brain health. It is best to consult a herbal expert or naturopathic doctor in your path to better health. Herbs and drugs interact so is not wise to take them at the same time. Herbs can either reduce or strengthen the effects of drugs causing problems. Each person is individual in their reaction to herbs and their tolerance. Your dosage also depends on factors such as age, weight, health status, and your individual body needs. You will have to experiment with the dosage and is best to start with the dosage suggested on the bottle. Many times it takes a higher dosage to be effective for certain health issues. Again, a holistic doctor can help you to determine what dosage will be most beneficial.
Main Herbs and Mushrooms that work on brain function, memory, and focus below
Ginkgo- There have been studies on both sides for the effectiveness of Ginkgo. Many of these studies may not be using the most effective brand or dosage. To be effective, you must take it for some months to see improvement. Most of the studies are short-term term for only a few weeks which is insufficient. It depends also on the extent of damage to the brain, the form of dementia or Alzheimer’s, the stage of the disease, and other health factors how beneficial any treatment may be including drugs used on patients. I have witnessed in my own family how it can help slow down the progression and improve it. It does not take away the disease. We take Ginkgo because of our chronic tick disease complications and the effect tick disease has on memory and brain function. We also take Lion’s Mane, Sage, and several other supplements. We can say with our problems, they do work.
Ginkgo biloba Information | Mount Sinai – New York
12 Benefits of Ginkgo Biloba (Plus Side Effects & Dosage) (healthline.com)
Ginkgo Biloba – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf (nih.gov)
Lions Mane Mushrooms- Research studies on the effect of eating Lion’s Mane mushrooms are finding they have positive effects on brain health and memory. They show great promise in the fight against dementia and Alzheimer’s. We take this as a daily supplement and it has helped our memory
Neurohealth Properties of Hericium erinaceus Mycelia Enriched with Erinacines – PMC (nih.gov)
Latest Study Suggests Lion’s Mane Mushrooms May Boost Brain Health (healthline.com)
Lion’s mane mushrooms may help improve memory, boost brain cell growth (medicalnewstoday.com)
Lion’s Mane – Nootropics Expert
Lions Mane Mushroom, Stimulates and Improves Brain Function (superfoodevolution.com)
Mushrooms Magnify Memory by Boosting Nerve Growth – Neuroscience News
Mushrooms- Reishi, Cordyceps, Chaga, and Shiitake are additional mushrooms other than Lion’s Mane which support brain health. I use the mushroom powders in smoothies or in a mushroom-chocolate hot drink every day. They help with immune health and overall health. Mushrooms are used in Asia today and for centuries to support health and brain function.
“The best mushrooms for brain health contain higher percentages of glutathione and ergothioneine, the two most potent antioxidants that protect the brain. Ergothioneine, a naturally occurring amino acid, protects the body and brain against tissue and cell damage. It reduces oxidative stress and cognitive decline, preventing depression and other mental health problems. 5 Best Mushrooms for Brain Health | PureHealth Research
Glutathione (GSH) is a tripeptide containing glutamine, cysteine, and glycine. This super-potent antioxidant rummages and counteracts free radicals to protect your brain’s mitochondria from oxidative damage. Glutathione works as a recycling system, putting other antioxidants into reuse to improve your body’s detoxification process and support the brain’s optimal functioning.” 5 Best Mushrooms for Brain Health | PureHealth Research
Mushrooms may reduce risk of cognitive decline (nus.edu.sg)
Melissa or Lemon Balm
One of several herbs that are used to stimulate focus and memory. These herbs have been and are used today with multiple functions for health including brain and memory health. Lemon balm contains a compound known as rosmarinic acid that appears to have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.2 Antioxidants help prevent cell damage. Antimicrobials kill infection-causing organisms like bacteria and viruses.
Melissa officinalis – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Rosemary and Sage both have historical usage for memory, focus, and brain improvement.
Rosemary essential oil and rosemary Tea from the plant directly
- Rosemary is an effective cognitive stimulant to help improve memory and focus; prevents the breakdown of acetylcholine, a brain chemical important for thinking, concentration, and memory; contains a beneficial ingredient called carnosic acid, which can fight off damage by free radicals in the brain and improves concentration, performance, speed, and accuracy, and, to a lesser extent, their mood.
Sage Essential oil or sage tea from a fresh or dried plant.
The sage (Salvia) plant contains a host of terpenes and phenolics which interact with mechanisms pertinent to brain function and improve aspects of cognitive performance. Sage again has been used historically by many different native people for memory and other health benefits.
“Traditional medicine has long recommended common sage (Salvia officinalis), Spanish sage (Salvia lavandulaefolia) and Chinese sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza) to treat declining mental functions and memory loss associated with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers from the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Otago in New Zealand conducted clinical trials using the extract of Spanish sage. In vivo and participant studies using both rats and humans with Alzheimer’s were examined, and “in a study in healthy volunteers essential oil administration produced significant effects on cognition.” Participants in the study experienced a reduction in neuropsychiatric symptoms and an overall increase in mental attention. (1) This lends credence to the claim that sage benefits include its ability to help improve mental capacities associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.” Sage Benefits & Uses for Skin, Memory & More – Dr. Axe (draxe.com)
14 Benefits and Uses of Rosemary Essential Oil (healthline.com)
References:
11 Best Foods to Boost Your Brain and Memory (healthline.com)
Is Farm-Raised Tilapia from China Dangerous to Eat? | Snopes.com
