National Public Health Week

Dear Readers, We have many challenges ahead on our path to creating the healthiest nation. One thing we have learned in the past 20 years of celebrating National Public Health Week: the public health community can overcome even the most daunting obstacles. Take a moment to remember some of the greatest public health accomplishments of the 20th century. We all have a role to play in creating the healthiest nation. Take one first step today: Join the NPHW 20th Anniversary Campaign In the spirit of NPHW, help APHA continue the great work of the public health community. We’ll share the latest research and best practices. We’ll advocate for policies that improve the health of all people and all communities. Please consider a gift of $20. If we all give a little think of the impact we can make! Share the Healthiest Nation Infographic Help people understand the challenge of creating the healthiest nation. Sign the healthiest nation pledge When we come together, we are strong enough to drive the change necessary to create the healthiest nation. Be an inspiration Show us what you are doing to create the healthiest nation. Enter the “We Can Do Better” contest, and you could win $100. Thank you for everything you do. Together, we can become the healthiest nation in one generation! Sincerely, Torrey Wasserman Development Manager President Obama photo by Pete Souza, courtesy of Ethan Bloch/Flickr  President Clinton photo by Lauren Gerson, courtesy of LBJ Foundation/Flickr  “Public health is the foundation for a brighter tomorrow.” - President Barak Obama 2015 NPHW Proclamation “Every day thousands of individuals across our country are working… to build a safer, healthier future for all our people.” - President William Clinton 1995 NPHW Proclamation

The number one way to improve your memory

The number one way to improve your memory www.behealthconscious.webs.com

• by Piper Weiss, Shine Staff, on Wed Oct 20, 2010 5:55pm PDT

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(Image by Think Stock Photo)

Memory loss is the single biggest fearfor Americans over the age of 55. And it’s understandable: over 4 million currently suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and those numbers are expected to quadruple by 2050, according to the Alzheimer's Foundation. That may be why products promising to improve your brain function are flooding the market. Sudoku and crossword puzzles are said to improve memory association skills, though critics believe only when put to task by those puzzles. Ginkgo infused soft drinks line the grocery aisle, ever since the root was suggested to combat dementia (it doesn't). Even celery has been looselylinked to mental acuity. But the truth is there’s not enough hard evidence that any of these things really work.

In fact, there’s only one practice that’s been proven, without question, to preserve your memory: exercise. "Aerobic activities tend to show larger effects than non-aerobic activities," University of Pittsburgh psychologist Kirk Erickson tells Yahoo.

Working up a sweat helps your mind stay fit better than any crossword puzzle--unless you're doing that crossword on a treadmill.

[Related: 18 memory tricks you need to know]

[Photos: First photographs of 'ghosts']

The good news is that you don’t need to run a marathon. Just walking six miles a week can ward off memory disorders caused by aging, according to Erickson's research published this month in the medical journalNeurology. "It appears that if people start exercising their memory may improve and if you continue to exercise, that might delay, or offset, the age-related decline in memory," he explains.

And you don't need to lift any heavy barbells either. Erickson and his team monitored 300 senior adults over a period of 13 years, and found that those who walked between 6 and 9 miles a week—whether to work or with the dog--had half the brain deterioration of those who didn’t. "Exercise seems to enhance some of the more fundamental properties of our brain," Erickson explains. "It increases the growth of new cells and improves cellular processes associated with learning and memory." To put it simply, walking keeps your gray matter from shrinking. And the more matter, the more mind.

Another study published earlier this year suggests exercise can actually help your brain grow. A moderate workout may generate new brain cells. And not just any brain cells, but cells that specifically help to distinguish between memories, so each recollection stands out. It’s the kind of function you rely on every day, says Tim Bussey, one of the authors of the Cambridge University study. "[These cells help with] remembering which car parking space you have used on two different days in the previous week." 

But exercise isn't the only way to keep tabs on your parking spot. There are some supplemental practices that doctors recommend in addition to a regular walk-a-thon. Diets rich in Omega fatty acids are instrumental in keeping your brain from aging. Two servings of salmon a week, provides ingredients that support brain tissue and enhance nerve cell function. Balancing fish with the other elements of a Mediterranean diet, like fruits and vegetables, has been found to lower the chances of cognitive decline. When it comes to memory retrieval, self-testing can be beneficial. In other words, pausing between paragraphs of an article and asking yourself to paraphrase the information, or repeat a fact. It can't hurt if that article is written in another language. Bilingualism, says one new study, helps ward off Alzheimer’s for up to four years. But it doesn't prevent the disease altogether. Your best bet: Walk it off. 

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Related: study, memory, exercise, brain, alzheimers