Tackling a Tough Problem Today for a Better Tomorrow

Happy November!  With the holiday season officially starting this month, many of us will be visiting friends and family whom we only see only a few times a year.  It’s times like these that underscore just how important a good memory can be.

For over 5 years Prevagen has been improving the lives of people across the country by sharpening their minds.  But did you know that apoaequorin, the powerful active ingredient in Prevagen, has more than 15 years of research behind it?

This research effort culminated in a landmark trial called the Madison Memory Study, which proved Prevagen effective in four measurable categories of cognitive function. We’re excited about this study, which was over two years in the making, for several reasons:

1. The study was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, the gold standard in testing.
2. Computers were used to determine whether activity in participants’ brains actually changed while taking Prevagen.
3. The study was large; over 218 people took part.
4. Participants in the study matched real world consumers; i.e. people over 40 with age-related memory concerns.  The average age of those in the study was 62 years old.

After seeing the results of this study, potential users can have confidence that Prevagen does help provide clearer thinking to the majority of people who try it.

Over the next four Jellyfish Times articles, we will cover each of the four categories of cognitive function that was tested in the trial and how these significant results translate to improving everyday life with the use of Prevagen.

Quincy Bioscience is committed to helping improve cognitive issues that come as a result of aging. Results from the Madison Memory Study have proven we are on the right track. Join us for the next four articles, to look at our real-life research and how it applies to your everyday life.

Here’s to a happy holiday season of making the keeping of many happy memories intact.

Dealing with the Bells and Whistles

The word technology is ubiquitous in today’s world, due primarily to the innovation that began as a result of World War II.

And as technology permeates our lives, we’re using our brains more, discovering new ways to make our lives easier, more pleasant and more productive. It’s been the name of the game since we emerged from the caves and began creating tools.

And now, a little over 100 years after we started creating machines to do what was  formerly handled by humans and animals, we’re confronted with a new chapter — one that has taken over quickly.

The advent of the computer has changed forever the way we live, bringing perks that have placed many fascinating things literally at our fingertips.

Many are evident in the new bells and whistles now being found in our phones, cars, games and homes. And being introduced to, and then learning how to make the most of what’s being offered, has opened new doors in our minds. To some, it’s overwhelming; to others, it’s a test to be aced.

Since these new gadgets are being perfected to make it easier to cope with and maximize the enjoyment of life — the challenges they bring are adding sizzle and opportunity.

We should never lose our desire to learn how to make use of new things, even if at first it seems daunting. If you take your Prevagen® regularly, while keeping other important aspects of your health in balance, you’ll have those fingers running over all those “magic buttons” in no time.  So have at it.

Attention Please!

One way to raise brain quality (and everyone wants a quality brain!) is to show attention, interest and curiosity of everything around you.

Paying attention is the essential to learning and enhancing intelligence. For example, if you pay attention when people are introduced to you, you’ll be more likely to remember the name of that someone who was cuter and/or smarter.

Or, you can boost your brain by playing action-based and strategy-heavy games, improving memory and concentration.

And don’t forget passion, a solid method of presenting your curious self. How many times have you heard a teacher say “If you don’t care about what you’re reading, seeing or hearing, you won’t remember!”

We know that physical exercise helps make us healthier, but did you know it also aids the brain directly?  Walking briskly for a half-hour or more stimulates a certain molecule, creating new neurons and synapses that underlie learning. This electrical activity may not raise IQ, but it’ll make you more knowledgeable.

Feeling tired after that walk? Take a nap. Analyses show that a short nap during mid-day not only restores brain power, it moves things you may be thinking about into a sort of permanent storage — like transferring data from stick to hard drive — and raising the retention factor.

And the capper?  Learn a second language. Mastering, say, French along with your native English, kicks your brain into hyper-drive, and keeps it there.  This step can go a long way to keep at bay the horrors of dementia.

"Pensez-vous vraiment ainsi?"  That’s what they tell us!

SOURCE:   Newsweek Magazine

Announcing the Better Memory Minute with Teri Barr

Here at Quincy Bioscience, we believe that an informed people is an empowered people. This is why we’re introducing an exciting new feature called the Better Memory Minute. In these 60-second segments, we will bring you the latest practical research in brain health, as well as tips to help you maintain a healthy brain.

Teri Barr, journalist and former TV anchor, will be the host of this new segment and we are lucky to work with her! Teri’s award-winning career has spanned over 2 decades, and now she is bringing her talents to the Quincy Bioscience team.

We interviewed Teri about her career and why she’s happy to join us!

QB: Why did you get started in journalism?

TB: I started my venture in journalism by working in radio while I was still in high school. I was hooked by knowing –telling a story—could lead to getting information or help in the hands of someone who needed it.

QB: What led you to this project with Quincy Bioscience?

TB: I did two different pieces on Prevagen, while working at a Madison TV station. I’m typically pretty positive but also skeptical when someone pitches a “too good to be true” type of story idea. But after talking with Mark Underwood and other Quincy employees, along with my own research, it became a positive story about a local man hoping to make a difference for those dealing with memory loss or brain health concerns.

QB: Tell us about your award-winning career.

TB: There are so many great memories spanning my career—like community work with members of the Green Bay Packers, who then went to two Super Bowls. We traveled with them to every game for those two years- FUN! One other highlight was meeting and interviewing country star Toby Keith!

QB: What do you hope the Better Memory Minute will do for people?

TB: I hope the Better Memory Minute puts the latest research and news about brain health in the hands of those who need the information. It is important to realize there is new science on this topic every day, but since television news barely scrapes the surface of the information, I will be proud to share it with you on a regular basis. It also brings hope to a fearful issue and gives us something positive when it comes to the fight against memory loss. It is too important and I am excited to deliver this important message.

Brain Buffing

Experts say that exercises to improve memory don’t go far enough. It may be better than watching grass grow, but where’s the payoff?

Without background knowledge on a subject, no amount of memorization will unveil to you the basic causes of World War I, the significance of Michelangelo’s David or why your car won’t start.

To better understand and retain what we see and hear, we must be able to meld thoughts into ideas and skills. It could land you a job, help hold the one you have or just make life more fascinating.

If you want Muscle Beach mental prowess, and see connections others miss, this is for you.

Simply making an effort to not just memorize, but actually understand information, can have a profound impact on our lives. Take IQ for example. Long thought unchangeable after childhood, because of the brain’s neuroplasticity, IQ’s can be raised — not by a little, but a lot. Just think:  Moving someone’s IQ from 110 to 130 would take them from average to gifted.

Short term memory may be the lever that raises overall intelligence. Studies show that if short-term memory improves, so does the ability to reason, and to solve problems independently of existing knowledge.

Cared for properly, brain neurons will perform well into a person’s 7^th decade — interconnecting motor with cognitive skills — keeping the mind in top form. As a self test, learn to knit, learn to like classical music, or take up the tango.

At the same time, take your Prevagen®, toss a little turmeric on your food, and munch on dark chocolate.

SOURCE: Newsweek Magazine

Empathy

What is the meaning of empathy, really?  And is the brain involved?

Empathy is a noun describing the action of understanding. It means being aware of, being sensitive to, and/or experiencing through someone else, their feelings and thoughts. And it may not occur openly; empathy can be communicated silently or experienced from within.

It’s been described as ‘seeing through someone else’s eyes’, or ‘standing in someone else’s shoes’. Having the ability to empathize is to share the emotions of others — to feel what other people feel.

It’s regarded by many as the foundation of moral behavior. But some are skeptical.  Isn’t “feeling” someone’s pain just a flight of the imagination?

No. Empathy is real, and has a neurological basis. And the same parts of the brain that process both good and bad experiences are the same ones in action when we observe others who are happy or in pain.

When the brain and our physical beings are working together in this way, those parts of the brain associated with theory of mind kick in, and we take on the perspective of another person.

This mind mechanism — and the ability to keep our own emotions in check may be of crucial importance for showing concern, compassion, or joy.

If we carry with us the mind-driven ability to care, and share the feelings of others at some emotional level, we’re fortunate for the experience. Imagining ourselves in someone else’s position aids in our overall brain function— and makes us a better person.

If you haven’t done it lately, try it out sometime.

Command Performance

As we know, keeping our brains strong and supple is as important as having our other parts properly tuned. And since our brains can’t do push-ups or ride an elliptical, we need special exercises for improving brain performance.

First, find a physical space for these activities – when your attention and focus are up for grabs (e.g., when not operating a lathe or a car.) These times might include waiting through a commercial break, being transported somewhere, or just zoning.

Once these interlude intervals are identified, here are five ideas you might consider, or which may remind you of those you can invent on your own:

• During commercial breaks, think of as many major league baseball or NFL teams as you can, plus their mascot names.
• In your head try naming all 50 states; then go back and provide their capital cities.
• Instead of singing in the shower, go through the alphabet and try coming up with three words that begin with a, then b, and so on.
• You’re a passenger on a train, car, bus or plane: Imagine looking down at yourself in your surroundings as if you were observing everything from about 50 feet above where you’re sitting.
• Try reciting the alphabet backwards.

And if you’re really out to challenge yourself, learn, then recite from memory the CBS Radio Announcer’s Test; check online for list, rules and method.

Giving these or your own inventions a try will not only be fun, you’ll be giving your brain a boost.  Just remember to keep it up.

Walking the Walk

Did you know that how fast you walk and the strength of your hand grip might shed light on your odds of developing dementia?  That’s what medical researchers are saying; that there’s a link between walking speed, general strength, and mental health.

These conclusions were reached after testing 2,400 men and women in their sixties for over a decade. The trials centered on walking speed, hand grip strength and cognitive function.

Those who had trouble keeping up or to “put ‘er there” with some degree of authority were 1.5 times more likely to develop dementia or suffer a stroke than those who passed muster.

In publishing their findings, it was noted that these basic tests can be easily given by a person’s regular physician. Doing so would help curb this decline — especially where coming-of-age Boomers are concerned.

At the same time, there’s a general trend placing emphasis on how frail a person might test out in late middle age, and how this condition might impact them another twenty years down the road.

As discoveries mount, a map is being formed. And new insights and questions are being raised on how physical activity and overall strength could project the possibility of dementia later on.

Meanwhile, experts advise that we not wait around for more answers. If not already in the groove, we should learn to ‘Walk the Walk’ while embracing a healthy and balanced diet, proper weight, and lifestyle.

And if you see some new faces along your route, be sure to stop, say hello, and with a little firmness, shake hands.

Swing Time

The effect of mood swings, the act of not being able to control your frame of mind, is a serious proposition, and may require the help of a medical professional. But for most of us, finding ways to encourage your brain to pick up on good thoughts is a relatively easy task — a healthy move that enables you to relax, and push whatever is troubling you literally out of your conscious mind.

Here are a few of those ways:

Exercise is a natural. Depending on age and the general health condition, regular exercise is not only an overall body toner and boost to your cardiovascular system, the increased blood flow that comes from it is itself a mood elevator.

Another is sleep. However, some will say the tough part where sleep is concerned is remaining relaxed and set to slumber. If the sandman isn’t helping, don’t toss and turn. Get up, and attempt other ways to calm your inner beast. When the yawns increase, give sleep another try.

Refrain from drinking or eating things that give you a buzz, especially during those last hours of the day before bedtime. Instead go for something warm, nurturing or caffeine-free — like bananas, whole grains and caffeine-free tea.

If you feel you’re suffering from mood swings that require medical help, make an appointment to see your doctor. But if you’re among the majority, thinking good thoughts while you work out, then sleeping well and consuming more mellowing foods may be all you need.

That and your daily Prevagen® to help you on your journey.

How Technology Can Improve Brain Function, Part II

Earlier we introduced this two-parter about keeping your brain on its toes by taking it to the ‘gym’ on a regular basis. And one of those ways was taking advantage of some of the fascinating new outlets being offered by our constantly changing technology.

So here are more recipes for preparing nutritious mental meals.

Consider adding one of several phone apps, including Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima. It’s a teaching tool that features a bunch of unlockable mini-games you can practice before recording, keeping track of results. There’s also a profile feature that let’s you compare scores with others. Another is Wiki Hunt.

Compatible with iPhone, Pad or Pod, this memory improvement app challenges you to travel among

Wikipedia articles via related links. Similar to the film game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon — instead of naming actors, you’re stimulating your brain by linking information and facts.

There are also several web sites to contemplate. One that’s not only fun but challenging is www.brainmetrix.com, an educational site designed to help achieve optimum cranial fitness. Brain Metrix lets you test not only memory, but reflexes and mental creativity.

Taking part in these offerings makes better use of your time, and helps your mind process information more quickly and efficiently. And while skeptics question the reality of multi-tasking, indulging in these games can improve your organizational, concentration and focusing skills.

Becoming a student of these high-tech offerings might not make you the smartest person in the room, but sticking with it, along your daily dose of Prevagen®, could get you close!