By Clara and Justin Hamel
“What did I walk in here for?”
“Who was I getting ready to call?”
“What was I just about to say?”
Most of us are familiar with these momentary lapses in memory. We laugh them off, blame them on getting older, or chalk them up to our busy schedules and the many things we’re juggling each day. For some, however, these experiences can ignite concern, especially if we’ve watched a parent or grandparent face memory challenges. It’s natural to wonder what these moments mean, and occasional forgetfulness is a common part of everyday life and doesn’t necessarily signal something more serious. At the same time, these moments can serve as gentle reminders to be intentional about caring for our brains.
The human brain is one of the most complex structures in the known universe. This little, three-pound structure, composed of fat and protein, contains roughly 86 billion neurons, all connected by hundreds of miles of nerve fibers. These nerve fibers and cells generate electrochemical signals that control involuntary breathing, problem solving, movement, memory, emotions and countless other bodily functions. The human brain is the command and control center for the entire body.
If the brain serves such a vital role in every action we take, every thought we have and every memory we form, why don’t we make its care a top priority? After all, if your knee starts giving out going up the stairs, you have it looked at. If your tooth is causing pain you go to the dentist. Yet, when our thinking slows down, when the word we want sits just out of reach or when we begin to consistently forget why we went into the kitchen, we make a joke about getting older. We chalk it up to the inevitable consequence of age.
We treat every other organ as something that responds to conditions. Fatty liver? Change your diet. Heart issues? Exercise more and eat healthier. So, why do we expect the brain to be the one organ that’s unaffected by the way we live? The brain follows the same rules as the rest of you. It needs fuel, oxygen, rest and also the right signals at the right time. When it doesn’t get those things, it doesn’t fail dramatically. It just does less. It runs quieter and gets slower under stress, the same as a car with a clogged filter. It still drives, but not as fast.
Two things can be true at once. Forgetting why you walked into the kitchen is almost never an emergency, but it may be a clue that something could be negatively affecting your brain.
It is time to start paying attention to these subtle signals and to be proactive in how we care for our brains. The consequences of ignoring brain health are becoming increasingly clear as neurological diseases continue to rise. Neurodegenerative diseases collectively affect nearly 9 million Americans over the age of 65. Projections indicate that Alzheimer’s disease alone will affect more than 13 million people by 2060. Parkinson’s disease is one of the fastest-growing neurological disorders in the United States, currently affecting about 1.1 million people, with approximately 90,000 new cases diagnosed each year.
Over the next several weeks, we will discuss key factors that influence brain health, including fuel, oxygen, inflammation and wiring.
*Dr. Justin Hamel and Clara Hamel have a combined over 30 years of experience in health fields. Reach them at 1° Performance & Longevity, located at 46 N. Central Park Plz., Suite 101, in Jacksonville, on Facebook or by phone at 217-243-6358.
