Summary
see also Alzheimer's,
Dementia
Mental acuity is a combination of the ability to
comprehend, concentrate, focus, and memorize. Many
refer to this as the sharpness of the mind. It is not
the same as IQ or intelligence that includes accumulated
learning. Memory, or the ability to recollect things
from the past, is itself a complex part of mental acuity.
Each of these functions is associated with different parts
of the most complex organ of the body, the brain.
Memory is associated with the temporal lobes, thought is
associated with the cortex and problem solving and judgment
the frontal lobes.
Diet, essential oils and supplements (see Suggested
Protocols tab above), and other activities can maintain and
improve mental acuity. The following from the Harvard
Medical School gives some basic hints on maintaining memory
and mental acuity.
1. Keep learning
A higher level of education is associated with better
mental functioning in old age. Experts think that advanced
education may help keep memory strong by getting a person
into the habit of being mentally active. Challenging your
brain with mental exercise is believed to activate processes
that help maintain individual brain cells and stimulate
communication among them. Many people have jobs that keep
them mentally active, but pursuing a hobby or learning a new
skill can function the same way. Read; join a book group;
play chess or bridge; write your life story; do crossword or
jigsaw puzzles; take a class; pursue music or art; design a
new garden layout. At work, propose or volunteer for a
project that involves a skill you don’t usually use.
Building and preserving brain connections is an ongoing
process, so make lifelong learning a priority.
2. Use all your senses
The more senses you use in learning something, the more
of your brain will be involved in retaining the memory. In
one study, adults were shown a series of emotionally neutral
images, each presented along with a smell. They were not
asked to remember what they saw. Later, they were shown a
set of images, this time without odors, and asked to
indicate which they’d seen before. They had excellent recall
for all odor-paired pictures, and especially for those
associated with pleasant smells. Brain imaging indicated
that the piriform cortex, the main odor-processing region of
the brain, became active when people saw objects originally
paired with odors, even though the smells were no longer
present and the subjects hadn’t tried to remember them. So
challenge all your senses as you venture into the
unfamiliar. For example, try to guess the ingredients as you
smell and taste a new restaurant dish. Give sculpting or
ceramics a try, noticing the feel and smell of the materials
you’re using.
3. Believe in yourself
Myths about aging can contribute to a failing memory.
Middle-aged and older learners do worse on memory tasks when
they’re exposed to negative stereotypes about aging and
memory, and better when the messages are positive about
memory preservation into old age. People who believe that
they are not in control of their memory function are less
likely to work at maintaining or improving their memory
skills and therefore are more likely to experience cognitive
decline. If you believe you can improve and you translate
that belief into practice, you have a better chance of
keeping your mind sharp.
4. Economize your brain use
If you don’t need to use mental energy remembering where
you laid your keys or the time of your granddaughter’s
birthday party, you’ll be better able to concentrate on
learning and remembering new and important things. Take
advantage of calendars and planners, maps, shopping lists,
file folders, and address books to keep routine information
accessible. Designate a place at home for your glasses,
purse, keys, and other items you use often. Remove clutter
from your office or home to minimize distractions, so you
can focus on new information that you want to remember.
5. Repeat what you want to know
When you want to remember something you’ve just heard,
read, or thought about, repeat it out loud or write it down.
That way, you reinforce the memory or connection. For
example, if you’ve just been told someone’s name, use it
when you speak with him or her: “So, John, where did you
meet Camille?” If you place one of your belongings somewhere
other than its usual spot, tell yourself out loud what
you’ve done. And don’t hesitate to ask for information to be
repeated.
6. Space it out
Repetition is most potent as a learning tool when it’s
properly timed. It’s best not to repeat something many times
in a short period, as if you were cramming for an exam.
Instead, re-study the essentials after increasingly longer
periods of time — once an hour, then every few hours, then
every day. Spacing out periods of study is particularly
valuable when you are trying to master complicated
information, such as the details of a new work assignment.
Research shows that spaced rehearsal improves recall not
only in healthy people but also in those with certain
physically based cognitive problems, such as those
associated with multiple sclerosis.
7. Make a mnemonic
This is a creative way to remember lists. Mnemonic
devices can take the form of acronyms (such as RICE to
remember first-aid advice for injured limbs: Rest, Ice,
Compression, and Elevation) or sentences (such as the
classic “Every good boy does fine” to remember the musical
notes E, G, B, D, and F on the lines of the treble clef).
Oils, blends & products
recommended:
Mental acuity
Oils & Blends:
Citrus Bliss, Elevation, lemon, lemongrass,
peppermint
Essential oils based
products: Life Long Vitality supplements
Also consider:
clary sage, frankincense, lemon, rosemary, vetiver,
white fir
Memory
Oils & Blends:
cypress, frankincense, geranium, lemon, marjoram, myrrh
Essential oils based
products: Life Long Vitality supplements
Also consider:
clove, lavender, rosemary
Suggested protocols:
• For
long term memory improvement and protection consistently use
of the Life Long supplements. Some recommend 2 drops
of frankincense under the tongue daily.
• For
improved mental acuity and memory during periods of study
and required concentration diffuse peppermint or a selected
oil.
• For
immediate clarity and alertness rub 2-3 drops of peppermint
or a selected oil on temples. Rub oils in palms of
hands and cup and inhale.
Experiences and Testimonials of others
Submissions
directly to
EverythingEssential.me.
Our thanks to:
Tenesa
tenesa.rasussen@att.net
Tenesa
- I had a scope procedure done,
which included anesthesia. They said
not to drive for 24 hours, but I had an
urgent rehearsal about 45 minutes away the
next morning. So, I drove, but soon
realized it was a very scary experience.
Afterward, I was very shaky, dizzy, mentally
foggy, and terrified to drive home.
After meditating for a moment, I remembered
I had all my oils with me! So, after
consulting the Modern Essentials book, I
made a blend of frankincense, peppermint,
lemongrass, and white fir, and applied it to
my temples, forehead, and base of the skull.
In seconds, the fog cleared, my brain woke
up, the dizziness disappeared, and I was
able to be alert, safely driving home. White
Fir has become my new, favorite brain and
breathing oil.
Holly - Is there something to apply or
diffuse while studying for memory and clarity?
Pat and April – Peppermint alone or
rosemary with lemongrass and oooh, lemongrass with
peppermint makes a really yummy blend!
Jan - I highly recommend the Lifelong
Wellness pack for memory. One of so many things it does is
it increases circulation. Better circulation, more oxygen to
the brain - more oxygen to the brain, better brain function
–better brain function - better memory.
Rob - There have been tests done, where
in a group of students studying the same material were
divided in half. One half was exposed to the
peppermint aroma while studying the other not. Those
that were exposed to the peppermint recalled information
better and had higher scores.
Also, vetiver and lemon have both been shown in studies
to increase mental awareness, and help with mental acuity.
Less mentioned, but more effective for some are clary sage,
rosemary and citrus oils or blends. These can be used as
singles or blended.
What Science & Research are saying
Summarized from the Japan Society
for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry (JSBA)
Essential Oil of Lavender Inhibited the Decreased
Attention during a Long-Term Task in Humans
Kuniyoshi SHIMIZU, Mayumi GYOKUSEN, Shingo KITAMURA,
Takahiro KAWABE, Tomoaki KOZAKI, Keita ISHIBASHI, Ryusuke
IZUMI, Wataru MIZUNOYA, Koichiro OHNUKI, and Ryuichiro KONDO
This study examined the effects of odors on sustained
attention during a vigilance task. Two essential oils
(lavender and eucalyptus) and two materials (l-menthol and
linalyl acetate) were compared with a control. The increase
in reaction time was significantly lower with lavender than
with the control. The results suggest that the
administration of lavender helped to maintain sustained
attention during the long-term task. Key words: natural
volatile; attention; vigilance; Lavendula angustifolia
(lavender); essential oil We examined the effects of odors
on sustained attention during a vigilance task and
established an experimental system.
The term ‘vigilance’ refers to the state of remaining
alert and detecting infrequent and unpredictable stimulus
events over a prolonged period of time. The most notable
vigilance effect that occurs in the laboratory is a decrease
in signal detection after 20–30 min of continuous work, and
tasks with high difficulty shorten that decrease after as
little as 5 min. A decline in vigilance could result
in fatal accidents in certain situations. Since serious
industrial mishaps in manufacturing and aviation or marine
accidents are often attributed to human error, there is a
vital need to maintain a high level of vigilance.
This study evidently shows that lavender, a common, pure,
botanically volatile substance, helped restrain the decrease
of vigilance. We believe that these simple and
practical testing methods will be beneficial for evaluating
the function of odors, and we plan to further improve these
methods. This study was supported by Kyushu University
Interdisciplinary Programs in Education and Projects in
Research Development.
From Harvard Medical School
Harvard Health Publications, www.health.havard.edu
The more senses you use in learning something, the more
of your brain will be involved in retaining the memory. In
one study, adults were shown a series of emotionally neutral
images, each presented along with a smell. They were not
asked to remember what they saw. Later, they were shown a
set of images, this time without odors, and asked to
indicate which they’d seen before. They had excellent recall
for all odor-paired pictures, and especially for those
associated with pleasant smells. Brain imaging indicated
that the piriform cortex, the main odor-processing region of
the brain, became active when people saw objects originally
paired with odors, even though the smells were no longer
present and the subjects hadn’t tried to remember them. So
challenge all your senses as you venture into the
unfamiliar. For example, try to guess the ingredients as you
smell and taste a new restaurant dish. Give sculpting or
ceramics a try, noticing the feel and smell of the materials
you’re using.
Summary from www.About.com on
stress and cortisol.
Cortisol is an important hormone in the body, secreted by
the adrenal glands and involved in the following functions
and more:
· Proper glucose metabolism
· Regulation of blood pressure
· Insulin release for blood sugar maintenance
· Immune function
· Inflammatory response
Normally, it’s present in the body at higher levels in
the morning, and at its lowest at night. Although stress
isn’t the only reason that cortisol is secreted into the
bloodstream, it has been termed “the stress hormone” because
it’s also secreted in higher levels during the body’s ‘fight
or flight’ response to stress, and is responsible for
several stress-related changes in the body. Small increases
of cortisol have some positive effects:
· A quick burst of energy for survival reasons
· Heightened memory functions
· A burst of increased immunity
· Lower sensitivity to pain
· Helps maintain homeostasis in the body
While cortisol is an important and helpful part of the
body’s response to stress, it’s important that the body’s
relaxation response to be activated so the body’s functions
can return to normal following a stressful event.
Unfortunately, in our current high-stress culture, the
body���s stress response is activated so often that the body
doesn’t always have a chance to return to normal, resulting
in a state of chronic stress.
Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the
bloodstream (like those associated with chronic stress) have
been shown to have negative effects, such as:
· Impaired cognitive performance
· Suppressed thyroid function
· Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
· Decreased bone density
· Decrease in muscle tissue
· Higher blood pressure
· Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body,
slowed wound healing, and other health consequences
· Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a
greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in
other areas of the body. Some of the health problems
associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks,
strokes, the development of , higher levels of “bad”
cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol
(HDL), which can lead to other health problems!
The following research is reported in Psychiatry Research
(www.psy-journal.com)
scientifically confirming the benefit of lavender and
rosemary essential oils in reducing stress and related
health problems.
Smelling lavender and rosemary increases free radical
scavenging activity and decreases cortisol level in saliva.
Atsumi T, Tonosaki K. Department of Oral Physiology, Meikai University, School
of Dentistry, 1-1, Keyaki-dai, Sakado-shi, Saitama 350-0283,
Japan. tosi@dent.meikai.ac.jp
Free radicals/reactive oxygen species are related to many
biological phenomena such as inflammation, aging, and
carcinogenesis. The body possesses various antioxidative
systems (free radical scavenging activity, FRSA) for
preventing oxidative stress, and saliva contains such
activity. In the present study, we measured the total
salivary FRSA induced after the smelling of lavender and
rosemary essential oils that are widely used in
aromatherapy. Various physiologically active substances in
saliva such as cortisol, secretory IgA, and alpha-amylase
activity were found to be correlated with aroma-induced
FRSA. The subjects (22 healthy volunteers) sniffed aroma for
5 min, and each subject's saliva was collected immediately.
FRSA was measured using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl. The
FRSA values were increased by stimulation with low
concentrations (1000 times dilution) of lavender or by
high-concentrations (10 times dilution) of rosemary. In
contrast, both lavender and rosemary stimulations decreased
cortisol levels. A significant inverse correlation was
observed between the FRSA values and the cortisol levels
with each concentration of rosemary stimulation. No
significant changes were noted in sIgA or alpha-amylase.
These findings clarify that lavender and rosemary enhance
FRSA and decrease the stress hormone, cortisol, which
protects the body from oxidative stress.
Ready, Set, Grow
