The brain is not a stagnant realm fed with a granted quota of intelligence and memory at birth. It is always in a state of flux. Exercising your brain in various ways accelerates its ability to perform better. It is in your hands to have a sharper take on situations and occurrences. Playing games that require brainstorming, solving quizzes, crosswords or playing chess makes you feel rejuvenated and tired at the same time; the reason being activated brain cells. A healthy brain will affect your life decisions positively and you probably will think rightly before you leap.

Tips to exercise those brain cells:

Meditate and calm your mind: Ten minutes of meditation each day can help you get over anxiety. When your mind is at peace you think out pros and cons with enhanced insight. This composure reflects in each of your actions. Meditation demands your brain to be quiet when it is accustomed to work; you therefore have greater control over it.
Music can improve your brain abilities: Music is the best antidote for a sloppy brain. Music excites the neurons healing a bruised memory. It gifts you with clarity of thought. Apart from listening to music one must try to play a musical instrument. Teaching yourself things puts your mind through a strict regimen of constructive activities.
Take out time to learn a new language: We are paralyzed the minute our brain gives up. Due to several external and internal reasons each one of us is likely to suffer from cognitive disorders on being subjected to extreme pressure or shock. Trying to learn a new language motivate your brain cells to have a wider vocabulary, which further restricts your chances of brain damage.  
Mental mathematics could better your intelligence: Calculators, computers and phones are ridding us of our ability to compute individual data. Computation and consolidation of data helps your mind to work faster with precision. So, you now know those lessons on mental mathematics in childhood were actually the key to a well rounded brain. 
Think of something novel: The more the number of neurons the merrier is your brain. Take pains to direct your mind on a novel track. Thinking beyond what is given and expected helps your brain grow new neurons. It builds up your creativity letting you discover more of your capabilities.

5 Tips To Help You Exercise Your Brain!

Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a type of neurological and developmental disorder. Children are the ones primarily affected by this type of disorder. Children suffering from autism usually face problems in communication or social interaction.

According to a report in 2014 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 1 in 59 children are suffering from ASD. However, according to the prediction of MIT researchers, by the year 2025, nearly one in two children will be diagnosed with ASD in the USA. The incidence and prevalence of ASD has been increasing phenomenally worldwide.

These increasing estimates cannot be ignored and there is a dire need for a solution to cure Autism. There are many treatments and therapies available in the field of medicine. However, to reach all communities that suffer from Autism, there is a need for a "solution" that can be easily accessible and help in limiting the symptoms of Autism.

This is where technology works brilliantly.

How does technology help in curing autism?

Using technology to cure or help in dealing with Autism is one of the most effective Argument and Alternative Communication (AAC) strategies. Let s explore how technology impacts the quality of life, development of social skills and relationships, and educational access of an autistic child.

Here are some of the ways one can use technology to help autistic children.

Apps for Autism Solution:

There are many apps out there on both Google Play Store and App Store, which help parents to deal with their autistic child. These apps are blessing for the parents of children with Autism. These apps help parents access scientifically proven Autism treatments that are already working and effective for healing Autism permanently. These apps directly deliver the solution to parents of children who are suffering from Autism. These apps mainly target two factors:  diagnosis  and  treatment .

With the help of these apps, parents of autistic children can easily access the diagnosis and treatment methods of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Most of such apps provide a survey about an autistic child. On completion of the survey, which hardly takes 1-3 minutes, parents receive results and information about Autism solutions. Parents can explore the provided solutions and choose the one that is best suited for the child.

Autism Success Stories at ALEXA:

Amazon Alexa has also proven to be a boon for parents dealing with Autistic kids. There are many Autism related stories on Alexa. One can listen to stories of other patients and learn how they cure the condition to help an autistic child. Listen Autism Success Stories for free by just downloading them from the Alexa Store on Amazon. These success stories will help an autistic child to learn the following skills:

Non-Verbal autistic children can learn to speak with these stories in 10 sessions or less

Seizure disorder can be cured without medications

Sensory processing issues will disappear

Gut issues will also disappear

These stories will help to establish a healthy immune system

Improve the cognitive abilities of the child

These stories will help a child to socialize with ease

Children will become independent with the help of these stories

Take Away:

These are some of the Alternative methods for treating Autism. These technologies are very effective and will help a person to take a step forward in curing and removing Autism symptoms from the child or loved ones. However, it is always advisable to personally consult a neurologist as every child is different.

Autism & Technology - What Should You Know?

Loss and grief are two unfortunate partners where the latter follows the former. While the type of grief or the nature of the loss may differ from person to person, there are five distinct stages of loss and grieloss and grief are two unfortunate partners where the latter follows the former. While the type of grief or the nature of the loss may differ from person to person, there are five distinct stages of loss and grief that all people universally go through, when faced with such a situation. Here are the five stages of this process and the different ways in which one can cope with each stage.

Denial and isolation:

In this phase, the patient usually ends up blocking out the words as well as the thoughts and reactions that surround this sad event, which can lead to a numbing action of the brain. While we all do this in some measure during such situations, some people take it especially hard by acting as if nothing has happened at all. If this phase does not come to pass within a short frame of time, then psychological and medical intervention may be required.

Anger:

When a person begins to acknowledge the loss, there is a sense of unfairness which can lead to frustration and anger that is basically the way the person may be dealing with the re-emergence of the pain and the fact that it is here to stay. Therapy and sedation may be required if this frustration and repeated spells of tantrums carries on for a prolonged period. Do not hesitate to talk things out rather than flaring up at this point, as the unchangeable has already happened.

Bargaining:

In this phase, desperation enters the mind of the patient where a lot of'what ifs' come up. The patient begins to question what if things had been done differently and other such aspects. If not dealt with in an engaging manner and with empathy, this phase can lead back to anger and frustration.

Depression:

Private mourning of the loss and regret to do with the practical aspects like loneliness and the cost of the loss can strike at this stage. Here, the patient must be made aware of rights as well as the people around him or her who can help out to prevent this depression from becoming a full-fledged condition.

Acceptance:

In this final stage, the patient becomes more accepting of this new reality. Yet, even this must be taken up cautiously as a grief stricken heart may lead to a variety of mental ailments in the long run.

The way to deal with these stages is with therapy and proper guidance where the patient is allowed to channel all the thoughts and anger before accepting the situation. Do not hesitate to ask for counselling and embrace the changes in your life without regret, guilt and depression. F that all people universally go through, when faced with such a situation. Here are the five stages of this process and the different ways in which one can cope with each stage.

Denial and isolation: 

In this phase, the patient usually ends up blocking out the words as well as the thoughts and reactions that surround this sad event, which can lead to a numbing action of the brain. While we all do this in some measure during such situations, some people take it especially hard by acting as if nothing has happened at all. If this phase does not come to pass within a short frame of time, then psychological and medical intervention may be required.

Anger:

When a person begins to acknowledge the loss, there is a sense of unfairness which can lead to frustration and anger that is basically the way the person may be dealing with the re-emergence of the pain and the fact that it is here to stay. Therapy and sedation may be required if this frustration and repeated spells of tantrums carries on for a prolonged period. Do not hesitate to talk things out rather than flaring up at this point, as the unchangeable has already happened.

Bargaining:

In this phase, desperation enters the mind of the patient where a lot of'what ifs' come up. The patient begins to question what if things had been done differently and other such aspects. If not dealt with in an engaging manner and with empathy, this phase can lead back to anger and frustration.

Depression: 

Private mourning of the loss and regret to do with the practical aspects like loneliness and the cost of the loss can strike at this stage. Here, the patient must be made aware of rights as well as the people around him or her who can help out to prevent this depression from becoming a full-fledged condition.

Acceptance:

In this final stage, the patient becomes more accepting of this new reality. Yet, even this must be taken up cautiously as a grief stricken heart may lead to a variety of mental ailments in the long run.

The way to deal with these stages is with therapy and proper guidance where the patient is allowed to channel all the thoughts and anger before accepting the situation. Do not hesitate to ask for counselling and embrace the changes in your life without regret, guilt and depression.

Coping with Grief and Loss: The Five Stages

Drinking too much alcohol has its effects and these are manifested morning after, called as a hangover. Although it affects different people differently, anxiety, dizziness, headache, sensitivity, fatigue and accelerated heart beat are common symptoms.

Here are 5 easy ways to get rid of hangover-

1) Hydrate: Since alcohol causes dehydration, it becomes imperative to drink lots of water to rehydrate your body. It dilutes the toxins left in your body. You can also add electrolyte replenishing sports drinks. Avoid Tea/Coffee or other dehydrating beverages.

2) Go Lemons: Lemons help in reducing effects such as dizziness, muscle pain, sensitivity to light and sound. It also rebalances the body by controlling the blood sugar level and adjusting the pH level. Add Honey helps counter the side effects too.

3) Have Tomato Juice:  Tomato Juice contains fructose, a type of sugar that supplements elimination of alcohol from the body quickly. Tomato is rich in mineral, vitamins and enzymes that help the body in recovering.

4) Eat Banana:  excessive drinking makes you lose lots of potassium. Having bananas replenishes potassium quickly and also restores other electrolytes. Bananas calm the stomach and boost your energy levels.

5) Have Toast &amp; Egg: Having few slices of toast with an egg can help in more ways than one. The carbohydrates in toast reverse the depletion. Carbon in the burnt part of the toast acts like a filter by removing impurities. Egg provides cysteine that breaks alcohol down and reduces toxins in the body.

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Overcome Hangovers - 5 Best Ways

Depression is more than just feeling low or down. It is a serious illness that is caused by various changes in the brain chemistry. There are a lot of factors that cause depression, which range from genetics to change in hormone level, stress, grief, medical conditions and other life circumstances. All these can lead to depression and that is something which does not go away on its own. However, there are a few efficient ways through which patients can deal with depression. These are as follows:

Exercise: Taking a brisk walk for fifteen to twenty minutes every day can be very healthy, not only for your body,  but also for your mental health as well. Dancing, jogging, cycling and yoga are alternatives as well. Although, people who are depressed might not feel like doing any of those things, but one should try to do them anyway. Once a person gets into the exercising routine, they will start noticing the change in their mood. Deep breathing, yoga exercises and meditation can also help people feel better and less depressed.
Anti-depressants: Three brain chemicals that are responsible for handling your mood are norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine. During depression, the brain circuits that make use of these chemicals stop working properly. In this case, antidepressants can be very useful. These tweak the chemicals that run through the brain and help improve your overall mood.
Psychotherapy: It is a method through which therapists find out a person s everyday stressors. This therapy is a powerful treatment for depression. Combining psychotherapy with medications can be even better and more effective. This also makes the symptoms easier to take. When a person talks about his feelings and problems with a stranger, it can help him or her release certain amount of stress.
Social support: Talking to a friend or attending group therapies has proven to be beneficial. However, it is important that the person you talk to is someone who you will feel comfortable around. Therefore, it could be someone you know or someone who empathises with you. This is possible either with your close ones or group therapies where the people you talk with, have been going through the same problem you have.
Meditation: Calmness and meditation can help you channelize your positive energy and thoughts over the negative ones. It can help a person see new perspective, develop forgiveness and compassion. Much like exercise, meditating briefly can help you gain immediate effects. It helps a person get over depression. This happens over time. One might not be successful in releasing their stress at once. It is a process that takes time.
The treatment that you get for your depression will depend on the kind of depression that you have. Some might get psychotherapy while others might get antidepressants or for some, exercise could be enough. 

Depression - 5 Ways to Deal With It!

Firstly, what you need to realise is that Alzheimer s is not dementia and the main point you need to remember about the difference between the two is that the former is a disease while the latter is a syndrome. Alzheimer s is a neurodegenerative disease, it breaks down the cognitive functions of the brain and reduces a person s ability to function properly. It s one of the foremost reasons for untimely senility in middle-aged to old-aged persons.

It can be a scary time for the patient themselves as well as for friends and family alike but fear not, there are ways to reduce the chances of suffering from this painful predicament. Here are a few easy hacks to keep in mind to stave off the risk of Alzheimer s:

Fix your diet: Cut down on saturated fats and construct a diet combining lots of healthy vitamin and mineral rich foods, fruits and vegetables. Vitamin E is essential as well as vitamin B12 which can also be taken in the form of supplements. Vitamin E can be found in foods like spinach and even nuts. Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago has, after a lot of research, developed the MIND and DASH diets. The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet collates portions of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet to create the perfect combination that has been shown to reduce the risk of Alzheimer s by 53 percent.
Exercise mental and physical: A sedentary lifestyle is one of the major causes of Alzheimer s because it leads to slower brain activity and an overall unhealthy lifestyle. To break out of this you need to regularly exercise and not just physical exercises but also mental exercises such as solving mental maths and crosswords and reading books and newspapers. There are a lot of apps concerning games that help boost brain activity on the market that can help as well. Physical exercise can include swimming, brisk walking, joking and even gardening.
Reduce stress: Stress proves to be a huge issue for the brain contributing to its damage by putting a lot of pressure on it. Try to relax more by improving your sleep cycle, resting as and when required, and not overworking yourself.
Aromatherapy: Essential oils have been shown to work wonders, by reducing stress and relaxing the mind. Lavender, rosemary, lemon and even orange are some great options you can try out. These oils can help rejuvenate damaged brain and nerve cells.
Meditation: Studies have shown that regular meditation helps boost grey matter in the brain, and along with yoga, keeps the minds and bodies of middle-aged people active and better focused contributing to the overall health of the brain.

Life Hacks! How To Beat Alzheimer's

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