Strategies For Difficulty With Words And Names

All of us may experience difficulty in finding words or remembering names every now and then, especially when we continue to age. Slower mental processing is not uncommon as aging continues to take its toll on the mind and memory.

Difficulty with words and names is evidenced in word-finding; specifically, in the interchanging of words and names, or verbalizing the interfering word instead of the intended word or name. These slips of the tongue or temporary memory lapses are examples of difficulty in word-finding. They may be embarrassing, and even stressful. The good news is that there are strategies for difficulty with words and names. Learn strategies to Make Your Brain Second To None, even as you age.


1. Slow down your speech. If need be, pause to screen out the interfering word. For example, you want to say "Clint Eastwood" but the interfering word may be "Cliff"; so take a pause when you come to the word, phrase, or name you are about to say to give yourself time to prevent verbalizing the interfering word or saying the interchanging word.

2. Listen to yourself (often times we are not paying attention to what we are saying) in order to identify the words, phrases, or names you may have difficulty in saying, and correct them instantly.

3. There is nothing wrong with self-correcting. Just continue to talk to maintain the flow of conversation.

4. Avoid behaviors that indicate your frustration, such as saying "Oops!" or snapping your fingers. Such behaviors will only draw attention to your problems in word finding.

5. Think ahead to identify the words or names you may have difficulty retrieving. For example when you are going to give a speech or to go to a social funtion, identify in advance a potentially elusive word, and find a synonym for it; try to remember the word through association so that you will avoid future word-finding problem.

Difficult with words and names can be overcome with the right strategies, although a little effort is required.

Your brain is still amazing despite the occasional setbacks in retrieving information and word-finding. Do keep your Brain Fit For Life.

Also, visit my web page: A Healthy Brain to get information and tips on keeping your brain healthy. Remember, use it or lose it.

Stephen Lau

The Human Brain Is Amazing - If You Have The Know-How!

You have an amazing mind! Your brain is made up of about 100 trillion brain cells. These nerve cells called neurons are responsible for releasing chemicals known as neurotransmitters. They are all inter-connected, and, as such, the more connections you have, the greater is your brain power. Yes, you do have an amazing brain!

Your brain is like a recorder, which records all information on a tape (your neurons). A good memory means your brain knows when to turn on and turn off the recorder. This is crucial. However, the "when" factor is no more than your basic memory skills, without which, you just turn on the recorder all the time. The problem is that you may have just too many tapes: when you want to look for a certain tape, you may have problems finding it right away - which is reflected in your forgetfulness, or inability to retrieve the desired information when needed.

When you are in your forties (the beginning of senility, whether you like it or not), it takes you longer to recall things. As you continue to age, you will take longer time to process new information. Things could get worse with time: you develop the common tip-of-the-tongue problem in remembering a common word, or a familiar name. Mental deterioration will continue if you live long enough: for example, you don't remember directions, or recall lists, among other daily annoyances and frustrations. Poor memory is associated with old age and the elderly.

You may not have dementia or Alzheimer's if your brain is still healthy. But you do want to avoid, or at least defer, for as long as you possibly can the occurence of the above-mentioned memory-lapse problems.

The good news is that you can maintain and retain your amazing brain power, if you have the know-how. You can Make Your Brain Second To None.

1. Memory has to do with your senses: sight, sound, smell, and touch. They are your memory skills, that is, tools for you to remember, store, and process information. Therefore, sharpen your senses to sharpen your mind. Protect and preserve your senses, for example, take care of your vision health.

2. Avoid emotional upheavals, such as depression or stress, which can adversely affect your brain power. Practice daily meditation to calm your nerves, and let your brain relax and rest. Meditation is a powerful tool to optimize your memory skills. Learn how to meditate from my web page: Meditation Techniques. All you need is patience and consistency.

3. Avoid pharmaceutical drugs wherever possible, especially over-the-counter ones, such as cold remedies and sleep aids. Drugs are dangerous chemicals that may damage your brain cells. Remember, brain cells, unlike other cells, do not regenerate, although you have trillions of them. Use natural herbs and home-made medicine, which are less toxic and have fewer side effects than chemicals.

4. Good nutrition enhances brain health. The rule of thumb is: What is good for the heart is also good for the brain. Eat a diet low in animal fat.

5. Try not to do too many things too quickly at the same time. This not only creates time stress but also disorients the mind.

Your brain is amazing. And you can keep it amazing for as long as you wish. If there is a will, there is a way.

Go to: Brain Fit For Life for more information.

Visit my web page: A Healthy Brain.

Stephen Lau

Forgetfulness or Dementia?

Even healthy aging is often accompanied by benign changes in the brain, which result in forgetfulness. But is it benign forgetfulness, or the onset of dementia?

Truly, older people without dementia may develop and experience changes in mental ability that may look like early symptoms of dementia or Alzheimer's. But how can you tell one from the other?

Forgetfulness can be explained by a decline in connectedness between brain cells. This gradual and slow decline is responsible for a reduction in mental processing speed, especially if the brain is not used regularly.

As you age, a certain degree of mental slowing is unavoidable. However, the good news is that the speed of the slowing down can be reduced. For example, you may have difficulty in remembering certain vocabulary as you age. This is only natural. As you age, you know more words, but the dilemma is that you may not be able to have access to your good stock of vocabulary due to the temporary inability to make the right connection between brain cells, or the slowing down of the mental processing.

The crucial question is: Why does the slowing down of the mental processing vary greatly with individuals? In other words, some are more prone to forgetfulness than others. Another question is: Can anything be done to slow down the process of decline?

Research has indicated that a good memory, irrespective of age, has to do with a good strategy of remembering. In other words, an older individual has the same capability of remembering things as that of a younger person, if they are given the correct way of remembering things. That is to say, it has to do with how you remember. You can learn how to remember well in spite of your age.

The moral lessons here are:

1. Do not panic if you have occasional memory lapse. This may not be dementia or Alzheimer's (even if it is, there is little you can do). Do not become obsessed and distressed with your forgetfulness, and there is no need to worry yourself to death.

2. As you continue to age, expect a little more effort to recall. If you do not remember a word instantly, at least pride yourself that it is better to know more and not being able to recall it instantly, than to know less and be able to remember it right away.

3. You can always compensate for slower processing by developing new techniques to help you remember.

Your forgetfulness is probably not dementia.

Harness your Brain's Unlimited Power.

Visit my web page: A Healthy Brain.

Stephen Lau

Stress Management Through The Mind

Some people can conquer stress, while others cannot. Some researchers have attributed this to the psychological and physical makeup. Essentially, those who do not easily succumb to stress demonstrate not only strong commitment to themselves but also staunch belief that change is challenging but unavoidable in life. As a result, they show adaptability and flexibility, which contribute to enhanced physical and mental health. In other words, stress management is all in the mind.

Your brain is the hardware of your whole being. Your brain is responsible for your stress. It is all in your mind. You are what you think, and you become what you think. Therefore, manage your stress through you mind. You control your own thinking, and your brain creates your own world: how you live your life, and how happy you are. And you are responsible for how you feel - even the stresses in life.

This is what happens when stress occurs. You have a thought (usually a negative one) about the stressful event or situation. Your thought sends electrical signals to your brain, which releases chemicals, and you become aware of your own thinking. No matter what you think, your thought is real to you, and must be treated as real. The goal is not to discard that thought or to distract yourself from that thought, but to change your perception of that thought.

To be able to change that thought, you must be aware of your body's reactions to the chemicals released by your brain as that thought occurs. For example, notice how your muscles tense up when you are distressed.

The next step is to talk back to that negative thought. Change your thought, and do not believe it. Learn how to train your mind to change your thought, and accordingly change your feeling about that thought. Reinforce your changed feeling by talking back to that thought which gives you the stress. Always use positive affirmations.

Next time, when you are confronted by a stressful situation, think "STOP!" Take a deep breath. Do some mental reflection, such as asking yourself why you think you are distressed. Acknowledge any feeling of anxiety, and become aware of the subtle changes in your physical body. Talk back to any negative thought responsible for creating the stress. The final step is to take appropriate action. Make a list of possible solutions to the problem. If it requires tackling the problem immediately, take the action at once: procrastination only aggravates the situation. But defer taking action if you are able to deal with it more effectively later on. Relax, such as taking a deep meditation, or doing something enjoyable to calm yourself.

Use your mind to manage your daily stress.

Visit my websites: The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

Stephen Lau

Arthritis May Not Be What You Think It Is

Arthritis may not be what you think it is: just swollen cartilage and painful joint.

Arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system is attacking itself. It is more than inflammation of joints: it affects other organs, such as glands of the eyes and mouth, linings of the heart and lungs. In its initial stages, the patient may have difficulty in climbing stairs and lifting heavy objects. Even if pain is experienced, the pain is usually mild, or occurs only in the morning or at night. The pain may be intermittent, giving the illusion that there is nothing too seriously wrong. However, without proper treatment, the disease will continue to progress in the body with disabling joint deformity pain, affecting surrounding ligaments and tendons, robbing them of tone and flexibility. The ultimate result is disability.

There are more than 100 types of arthritis, and among them osteoarthritis is the most common. Arthritis affects more than one percent of the adult population in the United States.

Arthritis is more than just joint pain: it is a systemic disease, that is, involving the whole system of the body. Arthritis is not localized. As such, the disease is a reflection of the general health conditions of the patient. An individual suffering with arthritic conditions most probably has other chronic conditions, such as digestive disorder, constipation, fatigue, nutritional deficiencies, or insomnia, among others. In other words, poor diet, improper digestion, unhealthy lifestyle, mental and physical stress, insufficient rest are aggravating factors contributing to a toxic body, resulting in arthritis.

Therefore, treating arthritis requires a holistic approach, not just nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosterioids, and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Drug therapy only suppresses the arthritic symptoms. If the underlying health issues are not fully addressed, symptoms will show elsewhere in the body in the form of other diseases.

Remember, arthritis is not just a pain disease: it is a systemic disease.

Arthritis Free In One Month shows you how to cure your arthritis naturally.

Also, visit my websites: Are You Healthy? and The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

Stephen Lau

All About Stephen Lau

Why You Should Avoid Processed Foods

Food choice holds the key to health longevity. Always eat naturally. Always eat whole foods. Your food choice should be based on nutrients, not availability or convenience. Processed foods offer you nothing except convenience.

There are many reasons why you should avoid processed foods:

1. Processed foods are dead foods, devoid of nutrients. For example, bleached flour lacks nutrients, and it contains unnatural products.

2. Processed foods are often loaded with salt, and high levels of salt lead to high blood pressure. Remember, the salt in processed foods is not natural sea salt, but chemicals that contain brain-toxic aluminum.

3. Processed foods often require high level of processing, which not only removes anti-cancer agents that may be present in the food, but also produces cancer-causing heterocylic amines during high-heat processing. In other words, processed foods provide an environment promoting cancer growth.

4. During food processing, fiber is degraded, if not totally removed. Fiber is beneficial to the removal of pollutants and toxins from the body.

5. During food processing, unnatural toxic amino acids are formed, and they may adversely affect the production of DNA.

6. Processed foods are often loaded with trans-fatty acids and other oxidized fats that damage the arteries, and thus affecting heart health as well as brain health due to clogged arteries. In addition, neurotoxic chemicals are one of the causes of dementia and Parkinson's disease.

7. Simple sugars are often added to most processed foods. The high levels of simple sugars affect mental alertness when blood glucose levels drop. In addition, artificial sweeteners not only affect the absorption of amino acids by the brain, but also cause toxicity and hyperactivity in children.

Most food items in the supermarket that come in a box or carton are processed foods. In grocery shopping, read the food labels before any purchase. If they contain chemicals or terms unfamiliar to you, they are additives, colorings, and taste enhancers. If the main ingredients contain more than five items, you can forget about that food item - it is processed!

To live long, you need wisdom in food choice. Visit my website: The Seven Pillars of Wisdom for more information on healthy living.

Also, visit my web page: Health Longevity.


Stephen Lau

All About Stephen Lau

The Benefits of Flexibility Stretching

You should do flexibility stretching whether or not you are preparing for sports or other vigorous activities. Stretching exercises should be a daily regimen for anybody who wants to live a healthy life.

The benefits of flexibility stretching are overwhelming in terms of health and wellness:

1. Flexibility plays a critical role in physical movement and physical performance of an individual. Firstly, it improves neuromuscular coordination by shortening the time of transmission of brain-to-muscle messages. Secondly, with flexibility, there is less tissue resistance, and hence less energy to complete range of movement (ROM).

2. Flexibility stretching can avoid accidents, falls, and injuries. With less muscular and tissue resistance, and improved body balance, there is a reduced chance of falling or getting injuries during movements.

3. Flexibility exercises improve resting muscle tension to provide better awareness and postural balance - an essential component of correct breathing. How to breathe right is critical to healthy living.

4. Flexibility fitness enhances the quality of the protective lubricant for joint movement. Better range of movement (ROM) provides more blood supply and nutrients to the lubricant, the decline of which leads to degeneration of joint structures and hence arthritic conditions.

5. Flexibility stretching increases lumbar and pelvic movements through elongating the hamstrings, hip flexors, gluteals, and lumbar muscles. The elongation can alleviate lower back pain.

Flexibility stretching is a great asset to health and fitness. The amount of flexibility required depends on the activity level of an individual. However, excessive range of movement (ROM) without adequate muscle strength may be detrimental in that it increases the effect of degenerative disease and reduces the protective reflexes designed to avoid excessive movement.

Do flexibility stretching exercises appropriately and live long!

Stephen Lau

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom