Every year on July 22, World Brain Day is celebrated. aif.ru answered popular questions about the head Head of the Department of Medical Rehabilitation of Patients of the Federal Center for Brain and Neurotechnologies of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, neurologist Natalia Glotova.
Galina Sheikina, aif.ru: Is it possible to boost brain function by taking vitamins? There are plenty of such “profile” drugs in pharmacies.
Natalia Glotova: – It is impossible to isolate this or that vitamin specifically. It is absolutely certain that the lack of almost every vitamin that exists in nature negatively affects well-being.
There are vitamins and microelements that contribute to the development of the brain in early childhood – for example, iodine, B vitamins. And in adults, with chronic stress, the body’s reserves of B vitamins and the trace element magnesium are depleted.
But perhaps the best vitamin for the brain is a lifestyle that includes avoiding bad habits, drinking stimulant drinks, and junk food. Your life should include regular aerobic exercise, daily cognitive gymnastics and learning something new. This can be regular reading of several pages a day, memorizing poetry, learning foreign languages, drawing, stimulating the brain through the senses: sight, hearing.
Of course, nutrition also has an extremely important impact on brain health in both children and adults. Very well stimulate the brain 1-2 cups of quality coffee a day, dark chocolate. There are foods that contain a large amount of neurotransmitters and have a beneficial effect on the emotional background – for example, sweet chocolate, bananas, cheese.
— Does the brain age as fast as the body? Older people often say that “the head is not the same anymore.”
– Of course – the brain is programmed to age, like all other systems of the body. The brain needs the right regime – periods of rest, combined with everyday learning of something new. The more we give correct information, the more we force ourselves to perform various actions, the more new connections are formed in the brain, the less vulnerable it is to various diseases and natural aging.
With age, the number of functioning brain cells inevitably decreases, which manifests itself in a decrease in mental processes such as memory, attention, decision-making speed, and a decrease in motor activity. And, of course, we should not forget about such a common disease as dementia, which leads to a decrease in mental functions and social activity.
Does alcohol kill brain cells?
– Large doses of alcohol, alcohol abuse cause irreversible destruction of the brain with a subsequent change in personality!
– Are there shock and at the same time safe means, how to make the brain work as efficiently as possible when there is a “blockage” at work?
– The most important thing is to observe the regime of work and rest (sleep – at least 7 hours a day). It is also important to observe the diet and take fifteen-minute breaks to “reboot”. There are drugs in the world that stimulate the brain, but they should be prescribed exclusively by neurologists, based on the individual characteristics of a person.
Smile, put your hands up, name yourself
And World Brain Day is a great occasion to remind you how a non-medical person can recognize a stroke.
“In translation, “stroke” literally means “hit,” explains Natalia Glotova. – A fairly simple method for recognizing an ailment by a non-physician is connected with this.
The first sign of the letter “U” is a smile. Ask the person to smile. With a stroke, a person cannot smile – the corner of the mouth on the affected side is lowered.
The next is “D”, that is, movement. In a person affected by a stroke, there is a violation of movement, awkwardness appears in one half of the body. Ask him to stretch his arms forward in front of him – the affected arm will certainly lag behind the healthy one, and walking will be difficult due to the paretic leg.
Further “A” – articulation, speech impairment. Speech is slurred, slurred, or completely absent.
“R” – the decision to seek medical help. It is important to remember that help must be urgently sought within 3.5 hours after the onset of a stroke – this is the time when you can partially or completely restore blood circulation (the so-called “therapeutic window”). This rule applies only to ischemic types of strokes.
It is worth knowing that the symptoms of a formidable disease can also be visual impairment (double vision), dizziness, sudden impairment of consciousness, memory, difficulty swallowing. The main feature of all signs is their sudden onset against a background of relative well-being or the detection of symptoms immediately after sleep.
Source: aif.ru
