It can not be stressed enough how important it is to keep your mind sharp. Not only can it benefit your health in numerous ways, but it can also lead to higher levels of happiness in your life.

What can you expect to gain from improving your brain’s plasticity?

Here are just a few things you will experience when your mind is in tip top shape:

• Increased motivation and focus
• Accomplish more tasks
• Greater amount of creative ideas and concepts
• Find more sources of inspiration
• Improved memory
• Overall happier life experiences

I would like to share a few of the most beneficial ways I have found to keep my mind sharp, and don’t worry- they are incredibly simple.

1. Learn a new skill.
Expanding our knowledge and learning new things has more benefits than merely improving our self-esteem and check-marking goals. Society For Science explains why this is true:

“As we learn something new, cells that send and receive information about the task become more and more efficient. It takes less effort for them to signal the next cell about what’s going on. In a sense, the neurons become wired together.”   Continue reading →

That rectangular electronic device that goes with you everywhere and helps you manage in your day-to-day life might just be causing cancer.

Cell phones and Radiation:

More than 90% of American adults use cell phones, but very little is actually known about their safety. The researchers from the National Toxicology Program (NTP) studied the link between cancer and chronic exposure to the types of radiation emitted from cell phones and other electronic devices.

The study reviewed an unprecedented number of rodents who were subjected to electromagnetic radiation starting in utero.

It has presented evidence that this exposure is linked to the formation of rare cancers in at least two cell types, in the brain and hearts of rats.

Why It Was Done:

This animal study was designed primarily to answer questions about cancer risks humans might experience when they use cell phones and other similar electronic devices.  The findings shocked some scientists who had been closely tracking the study. Continue reading →

Have you got an upcoming event marked in your calendar with a red circle of fear? Anxiety makes appearances in everybody’s lives at some point, but this feeling of worry or anxiety should subside once the event has passed. For some, this stress remains, or worse, manifests itself in other situations further down the line.

Anxiety, as you’re probably aware, is a stress response which involves a sense of fear or dread, coupled with apprehension. With this comes a heightened state of arousal, which prepares your body for a fight or flight response, necessary to keep you out of harm’s way.

It does this by triggering a flood of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that help you respond in an emergency situation but aren’t so useful when you’re about to give a presentation.

Chronic Anxiety

When anxiety becomes chronic, which is unfortunately the case for an estimated 40 million Americans, it can increase your risk for a number of mental and physical health problems further down the line.

Being in an anxious state for prolonged periods of time could actually cause your brain to become wired for it, triggering anxiety in situations that make you feel even only slightly uncomfortable. Continue reading →

Taking a bath is one of the most healing things that I do on a regular basis. Not only is the warm water soothing my soul but I like to mix different ingredients into my bath in order to heal my body and mind.

You can use essential oils, bath salts, lemon, herbs, apple cider vinegar, baking soda, and many other ingredients to help heal your body. Think of your bathtub like a tea cup and you can understand why having the best mix of ingredients can be key in having a great experience.

Here are some fun recipes you can try if you are trying to heal something specific in your life:

Cold and Flu Bath: If you are fighting a cold then this mixture is great to help soothe those nasty muscle aches. Use Epsom salt, marjoram, mustard seed powder, ginger root, thyme leaves, and pine needles.

Apple Cider Vinegar Bath: This is a great detox bath that can help with sunburns, itchy skin, and sore muscles.

The vinegar is a great ingredient for pulling toxins out of your skin while also killing bad bacteria. It has also been known to help kill the unwanted fungus.

Sunburn Bath: If you are trying to heal a sunburn try using apple cider vinegar, or throw some black tea into your bath to soothe the burning.

Baking Soda Bath: Baking soda is a great detoxifier that also eliminates acids. This natural alkalizer can help with eczema, hives, insect bites, itchy skin, sunburns, chicken pox, allergic reactions, poison ivy, and fungal infections. Use one pound of baking soda per bath. Continue reading →

Scientists may have just found an ingredient in cannabis that could help people with Alzheimer’s.

Over 5 million people in the US and around 850,000 in the UK suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. This is a severe condition where a person struggles with memory loss.

Currently, people suffering from this disease are put on symptom management medicines such as Aricept, Exelon, Razadyne, or Namenda. This will help deal with the memory loss while the caretakers have to find a way to help the patient deal with the frustration, confusion, anxiety, and depression that can come with having Alzheimers.

According to a recent study, cannabis may be a useful alternative to the current drugs being prescribed. The research found that one of the major toxins of the disease known as amyloid beta was reduced in patients that used cannabis.

This specific toxin can build up in the brain and cause plaque deposits which lead to inflammation and memory loss. THC or tetrahydrocannabinol which is found in cannabis can help reduce inflammation which may allow the cells to survive. Continue reading →

As of late, neuroscientists have warned people of the biological hazards of keeping a secret. While they may seem innocent and harmless, withholding things from others, especially your close loved ones, has the power to compromise your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

Of course, secrets to a minor degree are normal, and even natural. However, when secrets become an obstacle to your daily life and relationships, it is of the utmost importance that you confront the root emotional cause of this stressor.

Why Secrets Compromise Your Health

According to psychiatrist and author of the “Anatomy of a Secret Life,” keeping secrets or living a secret life, sparks and fosters deeply problematic inner dialogues and conflict.

Dangerously, when left professionally undiagnosed or unattended to, secrets can provoke anxiety and chronic worrying. Continue reading →