Next week marks the 20th anniversary of Brain Awareness Week.
From March 16 – 22nd, close to 100 countries will be hosting various events across the globe geared towards increasing the public awareness and benefits of brain research. It’s a worldwide celebration of the brain because yes, the brain matters! During Brain Awareness Week 2015 many people will be taking part in lectures or workshops, viewing informational exhibits and participating in various games, including the infamous brain bee, all in an effort to increase their understanding of the brain and how it works.
You can find out if activities are being offered in your area by viewing the world calendar.
Brain Awareness week was started in 1996 by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives (DABI), under the umbrella of the Dana Foundation, which promotes the important role we all have in managing our brain’s health. The human brain is arguably the most powerful organ in the body, controlling the majority of our daily functions, and it’s estimated that just 30% of aging is genetically programmed. The rest is based on what is occurring in your inner and outer environment, both being factors that are well within your control.
Image Credit http://www.dana.org/BAW/
The Dana Foundation website is a gateway to information about the brain and research that provides in-depth material in an easy to read format that explains how we can optimize our brain health by incorporating a few simple things into our daily life. The payback to doing so is huge, with brain research showing that by making a few changes to our lifestyle we can significantly reduce our risk of many brain diseases and disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, stroke and diabetes, just to name a few.
To save you some time, I have put together a brief summary of just a few of the great resources that can be found on the website to help you find information that is most relevant to you.
Read on how you can keep your brain young and healthy no matter what your age, allowing you to live your life to its fullest.
Tips for Keeping Your Brain Young and Healthy:
Staying Sharp provides you with a wealth of information that not only helps you in understanding how the brain works but also in knowing how you can maximize its health and function. Resources available here include:
1) Videos of various interview panels with medical experts covering off such topics as memory loss, how the brain changes as we age and depression.
2) A variety of booklets including ones on memory and aging, late life brain disorders and learning as you age.
3) Puzzles that stimulate and challenge the brain.
4) For those who prefer watching over reading, you may want to check out the 29 minute Staying Sharp video.
For a detailed overview of over 25 common brain diseases and disorders (i.e. addiction, brain injury, ALS, depression, headaches, etc.), the Brain Web provides you with links to many of the best health resources out there, providing you with detailed descriptions, treatment options, support for caregivers and/or family and answers to frequently asked questions.
For children, there are great resources including games, recipes, quizzes as well as information on how the body works. All of these and more can be found here.
Information and resources are plentiful for seniors, providing an array of information on many health and wellness topics such as arthritis as well a link where you access information on over 1,200 selected drugs.
This is just a teaser of the many resources that are accessible on the website where you can also find information on the latest research that could potentially lead to cures for many common brain diseases and disorders that exist today.
As a traumatic brain injury survivor I have made quite a few changes to my lifestyle to optimize the health of my brain and I look forward to what future research may uncover. I will be sharing details on a change that I made last year that has made a huge difference in an upcoming newsletter. If you are not already signed up to receive my newsletters you can do so now here. It’s something that I feel everyone can benefit from, not just other survivors, and this has been backed up by testimonials.
When it comes to brain injuries I am also strong advocate for prevention, given over 80% are preventable, and I list prevention tips on the resources page of my website as well as in a previous blog that you may also want to review as a refresher.
It’s my hope that the information I have shared has piqued your interest in wanting to understand more about the brain and you now feel more equipped with ways you can role model living a brain healthy life for those all around you.
While attending a planned event during Brain Awareness Week is a good starting point, I realize events may not be scheduled in your area or you may not be able to attend the ones that are. Regardless if you are able to attend an event or not, I would encourage you you to make it regular habit to stay informed throughout the year on the latest research on how you can keep your brain healthy.
By doing so you will be well on your way to fully understanding the importance of putting your health first when it comes to your brain!
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Hello Denise, I just wanted to tell you that I had depression very bad back in 2003. I could not talk or walk for four days. The depression was with me for four weeks. I have had a neighbor that had severe tourettes syndrome. My daughter has had three cases of psychosis and to this day I still lobby for over all improvement within Mental Health across Canada and for that matter the world. Improvement and steady upgrading for psychiatrists, psychologists and many mental health care professionals. Canada Day 2014, Outstanding Innovation award on Parliament Hill given Emily Morris from the University of British Columbia for proving that there truly is a Stigma that Health Professionals unfortunately carry, let alone much of the public. I have very much insight Denise in mental health. We are slowly evolving together as a society, as these people are very intelligent survivors.
Normally I don’t learn post on blogs, however I wish to say that this write-up very forced me to check out and do it!
Your writing style has been surprised me. Thanks, very nice article.