Brain health

Information and ideas about good brain health and its link to good mental health

Our mind (consciousness) depends upon our organic brain - the most complex organization of cells and tissues known in all of nature. We now know that there are some very specific factors which influence the health of our brain, and thus the quality of our mind. In many cases we can take specific actions to improve and even optimize our brain health. That is the subject of this website section - actions you can take to lay a great foundation for your good mental health!

Brain health page directory

This website section is very new, so appended to pages listed here which are still under development is a very brief summary of its current status.

• Summary of Recommendations - practical suggestions for improving and optimizing your brain health. (minimally developed)
• General principles of brain health - major lessons from current studies and experience. (minimally developed)
• Food and nutrition - principles and prototype recipes. (somewhat developed)
  • Glycemic index and the digestible carbohydrates - rate of carbohydrate digestion, and why it matters
  • Core foods list - the foods that should form the fundamentals of your "healthy brain" diet (somewhat developed)
  • Food notes - a notebook of interesting and valuable information about important foods(somewhat developed)
  • Recipes - prototype recipes, showing how to prepare especially healthy foods.
• Sleep - what sleep does and how to get it to work for you.(undeveloped)
• Exercise - why it matters, what it does, and how to do it for life.(undeveloped)
• Environmental threats - risks and their management.(undeveloped)

Recent developments in the Brain Health section

2007.11.12

Glycemic index and the digestible carbohydrates article page substantially developed.

Food notes page started, and first significant content added. This page needs significant further work.

Core foods page started, and first significant content added. This page also needs significant further work.

2007.11.11

Food and nutrition page significantly updated.

Principles page expanded; references and notes added.

Recommendations page ("procedural" section) expanded.

Glycemic index and the digestible carbohydrates article page started.

Core foods article page started.

2007.11.08

Pages have been reorganized, and their relationship simplified.

2007.11.07

This new website section is essentially present only in outline, at this time. Basic pages which will hold core content are now in place - but are mostly all empty.

What's next for the Brain health section

Next to appear in this section will be:

• Continued work on Glycemic index and the digestible carbohydrates, with development of why it matters to some people in psychotherapy, and to all individuals wishing to optimize their physical health.
• A few example recipes for foods which, while delicious and practical, have excellent, or at least significantly improved glycemic index and/or nutritional characteristics.
• Continued development of the Core foods page, and the Food notes page.
  • Tea, in Food notes, needs further development as to latest research on benefits.
  • All Core foods need to be covered on the Food notes page
• Exercise: A very simple plan for what to do and how...and why!

What to expect, in general

A practical emphasis

I want to offer here information of the most practical sort. This means specific ideas for action, based on what we actually know, as much as is reasonably possible. The goal will always be to offer "evidence-based" recommendations for improving and optimizing your brain health.

Bottom-up developmental process

When I have something which I expect is immediately useful, I'll rush to make it available here. Initially, its relationship to the other content here and in the rest of the website may not be fully clarified. That will come in time. Making use of the information will always be top priority, and the first step is to make the information accessible here.

Expect evolutionary change

What you see here today will be improved, and likely elaborated, tomorrow - it will reflect a natural evolutionary process of development. The subject is complex, and our twin challenges are (a) to respect that complexity, while (b) presenting what's most important in simple enough terms that it may be easily understood and used. This goal will have to be approached in increments, over time.