Welcome to "Maximize
Mental Performance Naturally."
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I'm Doctor David DeRose,
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president of
Compass Health Consulting,
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and your guide on
this important journey
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to help you
improve your cognition.
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I'm sure you've thought of it
before. There are times when you
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wish you could
think more clearly,
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have more mental vitality,
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have a sharper memory, do
better in scholastic pursuits.
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All of those things
are conceivably possible.
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How do we do it?
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There are two basic game
plans in this presentation.
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The first is to avoid key
brain pitfalls, and the second
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is to enhance
overall brain function.
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We're going to look at natural,
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lifestyle-based strategies
that can help you do both.
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The good news is this:
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you don't have to
make a decision about
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avoiding problems with
your brain, or focusing on
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enhancing brain health.
It's actually the same program.
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If you've joined us before for
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LifeStart Seminars, it
will come as no surprise to you
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that the key
phrase, to help you focus
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on 9 elements that
can improve cognition,
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are the very
same ones that help us
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with a host of other problems.
It's that phrase,"LifeStart."
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If you're new to LifeStart, let
me just bring you up to speed.
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The "L" stands for
Liquids. We'll talk about how
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various beverages could have
a bearing on mental performance.
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"Interpersonal
Relationships" is the "I."
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"F" stands for Foods,
and "E" is for Exercise.
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"Start," the second
word in the LifeStart
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acronym. "S" for Sunlight, "T"
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for Temperance. Air is the "A,"
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"R" for Rest and then "T"
for Trust in Divine Power.
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We'll look at
some of these elements.
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We can't touch on all of them
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in this presentation, but we'll
see how these natural strategies
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can help you do both
things: avoid key brain pitfalls
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and improve
brain function overall.
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Let's begin with one
illustration of this.
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Looking at the mental
health area of depression,
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it is something that is sweeping
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the world,
sweeping the United States.
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It is a major cause of suicides.
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It is affecting
some 350 million people
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worldwide. If you
have a depressive tendency,
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you are not unique.
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Each year some 7
percent of US adults experience
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a major depressive disorder.
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It is something
that strikes people
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regardless of their age.
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Individuals in their
teen years, as many as
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1 in 30 of
them, have experienced
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a seriously debilitating
depressive disorder.
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The average age of
onset--that means the
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first time a
person has depression--
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is in their early
30s. You can see that
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depression is really
casting a giant shadow
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over folks in the
United States and worldwide.
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Why this is
important is depression, or
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even having lesser levels
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of mental health impairment,
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(could we say it that way--just
not functioning at the optimal
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mood?) could take a toll on your
memory. We've known about this
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for a number of
decades now, very conclusively.
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If you want to function
at your best cognitively,
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your mood has to
be at an even keel.
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You can't be depressed,
you can't be overly hyped-up.
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While we're
speaking about depression,
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let me mention to you
that the LifeStart paradigm,
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these 9 elements, are powerful
in dealing with depression.
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We'll touch on some of them.
If you want more information,
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one of the best
resources is Doctor Neil Nedley.
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He has a whole
lifestyle-based approach
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to dealing with depression.
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I've also got a
a couple of simpler
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presentations
that focus on enhancing
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brain health
that you can get right
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on the LifeStart Website.
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These resources
are there for you.
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If you want just
some free material
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to help you get a better
grip on the LifeStart acronym
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(how that works,
what it all means),
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simply log into
"lifestartseminars.com."
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You could pick up
our free e-book, dealing
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with the LifeStart approach.
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Let's move on
from that basic kind of
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overview of some of the
things that we need to look at,
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and look at how
LifeStart can help us
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with a host of things
that affect mental clarity.
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One of the areas
(if you look across the
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entire population in the
United States and beyond)
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that's robbing people of
cognitive function is stroke.
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It's true, we usually think
of stroke as something that
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occurs later in life.
It's true that stroke typically
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occurs in older individuals.
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By "older," I mean
that a stroke can happen
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at any age. There
are all kinds of causes
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of stroke. There
could be bleeding strokes,
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there can be strokes that occur
from blockage in blood vessels,
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which typically happen
after some time of living on a
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less than optimal lifestyle.
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Stroke is an important cause
of mental health deterioration.
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It is something that
LifeStart can help us with.
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We're going to also see how
LifeStart, this 9-step approach,
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can help us with high
blood pressure and diabetes.
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Let's just pause
for a little bit and
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speak about those conditions.
High blood pressure itself--
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those higher blood
pressure readings--
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can gradually take a
toll on mental performance.
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Even if you're relatively young,
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and your blood
pressure is running high,
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this is something that
is deleterious for optimal
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cognitive performance. On
top of it , you don't want your
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blood pressure
running really high,
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because that's increasing your
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risk of stroke
and other problems.
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The medications that you
take for high blood pressure
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actually can take a
toll on mental performance.
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Now I know this seems like
a bitter irony. What do you do
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if you have high blood pressure?
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If you don't treat it,
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that's likely toput you
on a path that's going to rob
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you of cognitive function.
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If you do treat
it, the medications
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can impair mental performance.
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That's why one of our
resources that we have is
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"Reversing
Hypertension Naturally."
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We walk you through natural
therapies that can help you
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get off your
dependence on medication,
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or decrease your
dependence on those drugs, and
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still get your
blood pressure down.
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The very
principles that we'll be
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talking about in this
presentation can go a long way
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to helping you be
successful in that domain.
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I'll give you some of
the things from that 3-hour
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series on reversing
hypertension right now.
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You can put them
into practice right away.
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One other disease process that
we need to mention is diabetes.
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Diabetes also takes a
toll on mental performance.
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Of course, diabetes hits
people irrespective of age.
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There are
children, of course, with
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Type 1 Diabetes, the
classic juvenile-onset diabetes
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(that's the terminology
that we used to use).
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Now even Type 2
Diabetes, that we used to call
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adult-onset diabetes,
is knocking on the door
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of children 5,
6, 8 years of age.
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They are being
diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
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The problem is, diabetes
affects mental performance.
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As blood sugar goes up,
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that affects mental
processes. On top of that,
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hypoglycemia
(low blood sugars that
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often occur in the
context of diabetes treatment)
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can take long-term
tolls on mental performance.
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The bottom line is simple:
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you want to avoid avoid high
blood pressure and diabetes.
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You do this through lifestyle
therapies. LifeStart is the key.
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If that's not enough for you
to just take it and run with it,
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we also have
resources on diabetes for you.
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All these things we're trying to
put in your hand so you can have
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optimal quality of
life and longevity,
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and in this case,
maximize mental performance.
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Let's talk about some specific
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things you can do that
overlap across those categories.
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They will help you
with mental health as
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well as decrease
your risk of stroke.
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It will help you
with high blood pressure
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and diabetes.
Here's one of them:
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drink more water. This
has far reaching benefits.
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Let me give you an example.
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A 2004 study was
looking at individuals
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who had either had stroke
or a warning sign of stroke,
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called a transient ischemic
attack (often abbreviated TIA).
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These individuals
were compared with healthy
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people to see whether there
were any differences between the
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individuals who had evidence of
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brain blood vessel
blockage and those who didn't.
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What did they
find? They found that one
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of the primary
causes, or one of the primary
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linkages more
precisely, was with poor
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blood fluidity. They
did a number of measurements
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that showed that those who had
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less fluid blood (we
call it worse hemalrheology)
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had more problems
with mental health issues,
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actually being driven by stroke.
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We're not just
speaking about depression or
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other mental health diagnoses.
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We're speaking about
actually having a stroke or
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a warning sign
of it. It was linked
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to pour blood
fluidity, or poor hemalrheology.
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Some of you have heard
me speak on this topic.
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I have a series
called "Longevity Plus."
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Longevity Plus speaks about
the science of hemalrheology.
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If you've seen that
presentation, you know
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that one of the
things I advocate is drinking
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more water. Even if
you've never heard me talk
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about it before
you're hearing me right now.
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Drinking more
water is a powerful aid
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to improving
mental clarity through
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improving blood supply,
improving blood fluidity.
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It directly can
help mental clarity
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if your brain is kind of foggy.
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Drinking more water will
have a direct effect as well
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in decreasing
your risk of stroke.
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What about other relationships
between water drinking,
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this important fluid or liquid
("that's the 'L" in LifeStart).
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Is there
anything else that would
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indicate an
improvement in cognition?
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It's very interesting.
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If you just look at
a measurement called
00:11:13.64\00:11:16.34
plasma viscosity (this is a
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another indicator
of blood fluidity),
00:11:19.51\00:11:21.94
the better your
viscosity (in other words,
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the more like water
your blood is), the better
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your cognitive function. This
has actually been documented.
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Again, it's
just a message. Don't
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let yourself get dehydrated,
00:11:34.22\00:11:35.76
keep well hydrated by
drinking plenty of water.
00:11:35.79\00:11:39.73
That's one of the ways
that LifeStart contributes
00:11:39.76\00:11:43.70
to this whole area of
maximizing mental performance.
00:11:43.73\00:11:49.64
Let me give you one
other bonus. I share it in my
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series on Longevity Plus.
I'll tell you right here--
00:11:52.44\00:11:56.88
there's another aspect
to the LifeStart paradigm
00:11:56.91\00:12:01.65
that many people
miss. It's that last "T." It
00:12:01.68\00:12:04.29
has to do with
Trust in Divine Power.
00:12:04.32\00:12:06.45
It has to do with
relationships with other people,
00:12:06.49\00:12:09.19
trusting relationships
with other people, and
00:12:09.22\00:12:11.89
with a power beyond yourself.
Think about it this way--
00:12:11.93\00:12:16.23
one other things we all have,
00:12:16.26\00:12:18.87
that many of us can
share with other people,
00:12:18.90\00:12:21.10
is our own blood. Did
you know that donating blood
00:12:21.14\00:12:25.37
actually has been shown
(for many people) to improve
00:12:25.41\00:12:29.44
mental clarity?
It's a fascinating topic
00:12:29.48\00:12:33.31
Donating blood
for many Americans
00:12:33.35\00:12:36.85
actually will
help with cognition.
00:12:36.89\00:12:39.89
We need to move on and
just highlight one other
00:12:39.92\00:12:43.26
area that has to do
with liquids, because it
00:12:43.29\00:12:45.26
also interfaces with
another LifeStart element.
00:12:45.29\00:12:48.26
That would be the
"T" in LifeStart, the
00:12:48.30\00:12:51.27
first "T" in the word "Start."
00:12:51.30\00:12:54.77
There's Sunlight,
then there's Temperance,
00:12:54.80\00:12:58.44
then there's that last "T" we
were just speaking about, Trust.
00:12:58.47\00:13:01.61
The first "T"
stands for Temperance.
00:13:01.64\00:13:04.51
That means avoiding things
completely that are harmful
00:13:04.55\00:13:07.75
and using things that
are good in moderation.
00:13:07.78\00:13:09.85
One of the beverages, as
far as mental performance, that
00:13:09.88\00:13:13.05
actually is
surprisingly not your friend,
00:13:13.09\00:13:15.39
is caffeine. I know
some of you are saying, "Now
00:13:15.42\00:13:17.63
wait a minute, Dr.
DeRose, you're going too far.
00:13:17.66\00:13:19.76
Caffeine helps
me perform better."
00:13:19.79\00:13:21.46
It is true, if
you're really tired,
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something that
ramps up the stress
00:13:24.67\00:13:26.70
hormones (that's
how caffeine works--
00:13:26.74\00:13:28.70
it ramps up
your stress hormones)
00:13:28.74\00:13:30.17
will improve
your mental clarity.
00:13:30.21\00:13:32.31
There's no question about that.
00:13:32.34\00:13:34.18
Caffeine has problems with it
that actually impair cognition,
00:13:34.21\00:13:38.05
impair optimal
brain performance.
00:13:38.08\00:13:40.12
For example, you'll be
more likely to make mistakes--
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that's right,
make more mistakes--
00:13:43.89\00:13:46.55
if you're using caffeine.
This was shown in classic
00:13:46.59\00:13:48.72
research years ago
when they looked at typists.
00:13:48.76\00:13:50.96
Those typists could type faster
under the influence of caffeine,
00:13:50.99\00:13:55.43
but they made more errors.
00:13:55.46\00:13:58.00
Caffeine has
other problems as well.
00:13:58.03\00:13:59.90
Caffeine is a
stimulant, and because of that,
00:13:59.93\00:14:03.00
it actually can
increase what we call
00:14:03.04\00:14:06.17
sleep latency, or
length in sleep latency.
00:14:06.21\00:14:09.21
That means it can make it
more difficult to fall asleep.
00:14:09.24\00:14:11.55
The LifeStart paradigm
00:14:11.58\00:14:14.48
includes the letter
"R," which stands for Rest.
00:14:14.52\00:14:17.29
Rest is very important
for optimal brain functioning.
00:14:17.32\00:14:20.52
It is critical for memory.
00:14:20.56\00:14:22.99
I know I'm taking a little
bit of an aside from Liquids.
00:14:23.02\00:14:26.49
What I'm trying to
help you see is how
00:14:26.53\00:14:28.63
all of these
things interrelate. These
00:14:28.66\00:14:30.67
9 LifeStart
elements can help you
00:14:30.70\00:14:33.97
maximize mental performance.
00:14:34.00\00:14:36.81
Right now is a great
place to talk about sleep.
00:14:36.84\00:14:39.44
You cannot encode and
retain memories in your brain
00:14:39.47\00:14:45.75
unless you're
getting adequate sleep.
00:14:45.78\00:14:47.45
You may be a skeptic.
00:14:47.48\00:14:50.05
The research has
shown it. I hate to tell you
00:14:50.09\00:14:53.09
that, for a number of years,
00:14:53.12\00:14:55.16
I've proven this
in my own experience.
00:14:55.19\00:14:57.23
As a driven
college student, I was
00:14:57.26\00:14:59.83
cutting myself
drastically short on sleep.
00:14:59.86\00:15:02.26
I could do
remarkably well on my tests.
00:15:02.30\00:15:05.17
I could get high grades. You
00:15:05.20\00:15:06.90
probably gathered that
since I became a physician.
00:15:06.94\00:15:09.37
The amazing thing
was, a week or two after
00:15:09.40\00:15:13.84
those exams that
I had crammed for,
00:15:13.88\00:15:16.38
I could hardly
remember anything.
00:15:16.41\00:15:18.68
I didn't allow adequate time
00:15:18.71\00:15:22.08
for my brain to
put those memories
00:15:22.12\00:15:25.79
into long-term storage. Here's
where we're going with this:
00:15:25.82\00:15:29.89
caffeine, because it
interferes with sleep,
00:15:29.92\00:15:33.09
is a potential
problem. I'm concerned about it
00:15:33.13\00:15:36.16
for more than that reason.
00:15:36.20\00:15:37.67
I'm concerned
about why we use caffeine
00:15:37.70\00:15:40.07
so much as a population.
00:15:40.10\00:15:42.07
It is because we're cutting
ourselves short on sleep.
00:15:42.10\00:15:44.71
The very need for
caffeine is often indicating
00:15:44.74\00:15:48.41
that you are putting yourself
at a cognitive disadvantage.
00:15:48.44\00:15:51.61
You're trying compensate for it
with caffeine, but it's really,
00:15:51.65\00:15:54.98
really, not ideal at all.
00:15:55.02\00:15:57.45
Some of you may realize,
too, that there's an intimate
00:15:57.49\00:15:59.82
connection between
caffeine and nicotine use.
00:15:59.85\00:16:02.32
We know that
tobacco smoking is another
00:16:02.36\00:16:05.56
cognitive health robber. It is a
00:16:05.59\00:16:07.50
risk factor for
Alzheimer's disease.
00:16:07.56\00:16:09.73
By the way, both
caffeine and nicotine
00:16:09.76\00:16:13.07
have
vaso-stimulatory properties.
00:16:13.10\00:16:16.30
What this means
is, you take some
00:16:16.34\00:16:18.24
caffeine in (in
the case of caffeine),
00:16:18.27\00:16:20.38
and it causes your blood vessels
to constrict. That can actually
00:16:20.41\00:16:24.35
decrease blood
flow to the brain.
00:16:24.38\00:16:26.48
Although caffeine is
ramping up stress hormones
00:16:26.51\00:16:29.45
may make you feel stimulated,
00:16:29.48\00:16:32.05
it's got some downsides
that really do not optimize
00:16:32.09\00:16:36.46
cognitive performance.
00:16:36.49\00:16:39.69
Let me move on now to
talk about some of the
00:16:39.73\00:16:42.43
other LifeStart elements.
00:16:42.46\00:16:43.83
You're probably wondering
about Foods. Do dietary choices
00:16:43.87\00:16:46.84
have a bearing on mental health?
The answer is an overwhelming
00:16:46.87\00:16:49.94
yes. No question at all
about it. A fascinating study
00:16:49.97\00:16:54.14
actually
released at the American
00:16:54.18\00:16:57.01
Heart Association meetings
00:16:57.05\00:16:58.85
looked it over
1,000 healthy individuals
00:16:58.88\00:17:02.38
who had never been diagnosed
00:17:02.42\00:17:04.49
with cardiovascular
disease. No heart disease
00:17:04.52\00:17:07.09
in these individuals.
00:17:07.12\00:17:08.49
What was so fascinating to me
is they were looking at memory.
00:17:08.52\00:17:11.29
Specifically, what they
were looking at, is a connection
00:17:11.33\00:17:15.66
between food choices and memory.
00:17:15.70\00:17:18.77
What these researchers found,
00:17:18.80\00:17:20.87
these UC San Diego researchers,
00:17:20.90\00:17:24.77
was something
amazing. Trans fats--
00:17:24.81\00:17:28.34
the individuals that ate more
of those trans-fats did worse
00:17:28.38\00:17:32.98
on memory tests. Most have
you know the trans fats are
00:17:33.01\00:17:37.55
found in partially hydrogenated
00:17:37.59\00:17:40.72
vegetable oils,
those common ingredients of
00:17:40.76\00:17:44.39
yesteryear. I say "
of yesteryear" because
00:17:44.43\00:17:46.39
most companies
are phasing those out.
00:17:46.43\00:17:48.63
Even government organizations
are trying to help us get
00:17:48.66\00:17:52.10
rid of these from the American
diet, they are so deleterious.
00:17:52.13\00:17:56.07
Trans fat
consumption--if you see
00:17:56.10\00:17:58.61
partially
hydrogenated vegetable oil,
00:17:58.64\00:18:00.81
you want to steer clear
of it if you're interested in
00:18:00.84\00:18:03.75
maximizing
cognitive performance.
00:18:03.78\00:18:06.41
The good news is
there are some fats that are
00:18:06.45\00:18:09.08
actually
beneficial for the brain.
00:18:09.12\00:18:10.92
They can decrease
your risk of stroke
00:18:10.95\00:18:13.02
(remember, we
talked about that).
00:18:13.05\00:18:14.46
This same type of fat
can lower blood pressure.
00:18:14.49\00:18:18.43
This same type of fat
00:18:18.46\00:18:20.66
can decrease your
risk of depression.
00:18:20.70\00:18:23.67
What are we talking about? We're
talking about the omega-3 fats
00:18:23.70\00:18:28.10
This is a form of
so-called polyunsaturated fat.
00:18:28.14\00:18:31.97
It is a fat that is very
liquid at room temperature.
00:18:32.01\00:18:35.54
Think about it. It may sound
like a stupid question, but
00:18:35.58\00:18:40.08
what temperature do
you live at usually?
00:18:40.12\00:18:42.58
Room temperature, right?
00:18:42.62\00:18:44.69
Here's the point
I'm trying to make: your
00:18:44.72\00:18:48.02
nerve cells, the
membranes of your nerve cells,
00:18:48.06\00:18:52.43
are at room
temperature, 98.6 degrees.
00:18:52.46\00:18:55.36
That's a little bit
warmer than room temperature.
00:18:55.40\00:18:57.50
Those nerve cells, if
their membranes are made up of
00:18:57.53\00:19:02.64
polyunsaturated fats
(omega-3 fats, for example,
00:19:02.67\00:19:07.44
and in particular omega-3
fats), they are more fluid.
00:19:07.48\00:19:12.15
The brain messengers, known as
neurotransmitters, work better.
00:19:12.18\00:19:16.75
This is in contradistinction
00:19:16.79\00:19:19.09
to diet that is
high in trans fats
00:19:19.12\00:19:21.86
or saturated
fats, the animal fats.
00:19:21.89\00:19:25.19
Those fats are more
rigid. When you look at butter--
00:19:25.23\00:19:29.26
what is butter at room
temperature? It's solid,
00:19:29.30\00:19:31.27
it's largely saturated fat.
00:19:31.30\00:19:32.70
What are trans-fats
at room temperature?
00:19:32.73\00:19:35.04
They're largely solid.
00:19:35.07\00:19:36.40
They make the
membranes more rigid.
00:19:36.44\00:19:39.54
Membranes don't work as
well when they're rigid.
00:19:39.57\00:19:42.78
If you want to
improve cognitive function,
00:19:42.81\00:19:45.51
you want to focus on
plant sources of nutrition,
00:19:45.55\00:19:48.55
on plant fats. You want
to avoid the animal fats,
00:19:48.58\00:19:51.59
you want to avoid the partially-
hydrogenated vegetable oils.
00:19:51.62\00:19:56.02
It will decrease
your risk of stroke.
00:19:56.06\00:19:58.09
It will decrease your
likelihood of depression.
00:19:58.13\00:20:01.30
You say, "Okay Doctor
DeRose, you've convinced me.
00:20:01.33\00:20:04.40
I'm going right to the fish
market to get that omega-3 fat."
00:20:04.43\00:20:07.97
Let me tell you the good news,
00:20:08.00\00:20:09.34
especially for those of
you who are not fish lovers.
00:20:09.37\00:20:11.64
Also, for those of you
concerned about the environment.
00:20:11.67\00:20:14.21
If you haven't heard-- there's
not enough fish in the world
00:20:14.24\00:20:17.65
for us to get
enough omega-3 fats as
00:20:17.68\00:20:20.18
a world
population by eating fish.
00:20:20.22\00:20:22.08
We need to get it from the
same place the fish got it.
00:20:22.12\00:20:25.82
Fish don't make omega-3 fat.
00:20:25.85\00:20:27.69
From where do they get
it? They get it from plants.
00:20:27.72\00:20:30.39
Plants are the only thing
in nature that actually make
00:20:30.43\00:20:33.50
omega-3 fat. Choose rich sources
00:20:33.53\00:20:36.67
of omega-3 fat
from plant sources,
00:20:36.70\00:20:38.83
like flax seeds and
one other great source--
00:20:38.87\00:20:43.74
walnuts. I had someone
point it out and say, "You know,
00:20:43.77\00:20:47.11
walnuts look like a brain."
Did you ever notice that?
00:20:47.14\00:20:50.11
They're really good
for your brain health
00:20:50.15\00:20:52.81
because they are a
rich source of omega-3 fats.
00:20:52.85\00:20:57.89
We need to hasten on to some of
those other LifeStart elements.
00:20:57.92\00:21:01.86
We've talked about fat,
we've talked about liquids,
00:21:01.89\00:21:05.36
we've talked about
things that impact temperance
00:21:05.39\00:21:08.73
and trust. I want to tell you
just a little bit more because
00:21:08.76\00:21:12.37
it's about a very
interesting relationship,
00:21:12.40\00:21:15.40
often lost on many people.
00:21:15.44\00:21:18.01
It's the
relationship between stress
00:21:18.04\00:21:23.71
and cognitive performance.
00:21:23.75\00:21:25.85
This brings us back to
this discussion about caffeine.
00:21:25.88\00:21:30.19
Remember, caffeine works
by ramping up stress hormones.
00:21:30.22\00:21:33.49
Is stress good or bad
for cognitive performance?
00:21:33.52\00:21:37.23
Just like the scenario
with caffeine, if you're
00:21:37.26\00:21:40.56
fatigued, if
you're drowsy, if you're
00:21:40.60\00:21:44.80
about to fall asleep, you're
00:21:44.83\00:21:46.94
not going to have very
good cognitive functioning.
00:21:46.97\00:21:49.07
It's true that
stress will arouse you.
00:21:49.10\00:21:53.17
It will improve
your level of alertness.
00:21:53.21\00:21:55.54
It will have some
cognitive benefits.
00:21:55.58\00:21:57.45
Again, I'm not saying you
can never use caffeine, it will
00:21:57.48\00:22:01.02
never do anything good for you.
00:22:01.05\00:22:02.52
I personally, just
just for the record, if
00:22:02.55\00:22:05.75
I've said
anything that is confusing,
00:22:05.79\00:22:08.49
I do not use caffeine at all.
00:22:08.52\00:22:10.56
I just think it is
not worth the cost.
00:22:10.59\00:22:13.70
I can improve my
cognitive function
00:22:13.73\00:22:15.40
in other ways. If I'm
tired, I can go for a walk
00:22:15.43\00:22:17.87
and wake myself up. I can
take a cool shower. Better yet,
00:22:17.90\00:22:21.67
if I'm that tired, I
probably need to go to sleep.
00:22:21.70\00:22:26.94
Here's where I'm
going with stress:
00:22:26.98\00:22:29.24
is stress
beneficial or deleterious
00:22:29.28\00:22:31.81
for mental performance?
00:22:31.85\00:22:33.48
Yes, it can have
some short term benefits.
00:22:33.52\00:22:36.52
If we're ramping up our stress
00:22:36.55\00:22:38.55
hormones (you've
probably seen this before),
00:22:38.59\00:22:40.39
you get all
stressed-out and cannot engage
00:22:40.42\00:22:43.43
in higher-level
metal processing).
00:22:43.46\00:22:46.19
I know it as a writer.
If I'm trying to write,
00:22:46.23\00:22:51.07
and I'm so focused on
the deadline looming over me,
00:22:51.10\00:22:54.30
it just shuts me down
I have to just say, "Hey,
00:22:54.34\00:22:58.47
I'm gonna write as
much as I can. I know
00:22:58.51\00:23:00.64
I've got a limited
time." If I get all stressed out
00:23:00.68\00:23:04.05
about a deadline or
other things going on,
00:23:04.08\00:23:07.05
forget it. Forget it! I
even knew this as a student.
00:23:07.08\00:23:11.02
When I was in medical school, if
00:23:11.05\00:23:13.22
I looked at all the
stuff I had to learn,
00:23:13.25\00:23:15.09
I'd say, "Oh, my my.
00:23:15.12\00:23:16.19
How can I ever
learn all that stuff?"
00:23:16.22\00:23:18.16
What would happen?
I'd get so stressed out, I
00:23:18.19\00:23:20.03
couldn't learn
anything. I just had to say,
00:23:20.06\00:23:21.70
"Hey, I've got
an hour right now.
00:23:21.73\00:23:24.10
I'm going to study what I can,
00:23:24.13\00:23:25.50
and I'm not going to
get all worried about it."
00:23:25.53\00:23:27.47
Stress control is very
important when it comes
00:23:27.50\00:23:30.04
to optimal
cognitive performance.
00:23:30.07\00:23:32.94
While we're speaking about
all these important things,
00:23:32.97\00:23:36.01
I promised you
something, and before
00:23:36.04\00:23:37.68
we go further
on the stress path,
00:23:37.71\00:23:39.41
I want to tie-in
something else that's
00:23:39.45\00:23:41.15
related to stress, and
that is high blood pressure.
00:23:41.18\00:23:43.55
High blood
pressure, in and of itself,
00:23:43.59\00:23:46.76
just with stress, you can
00:23:46.79\00:23:48.92
ramp up that blood
pressure significantly.
00:23:48.96\00:23:50.96
In fact, I was just talking
with someone the other day.
00:23:50.99\00:23:53.33
They couldn't
understand why their blood
00:23:53.36\00:23:54.96
pressure had gone up. It was up
00:23:55.00\00:23:56.30
over 200. They
were on medication.
00:23:56.33\00:23:58.23
Their blood pressure
didn't run that high.
00:23:58.27\00:24:00.04
It turned out they
were under a lot of
00:24:00.07\00:24:02.04
stress that particular
day. Just calming down
00:24:02.07\00:24:05.47
when they were
in doctor's office
00:24:05.51\00:24:06.84
(they'd rushed off to
see the doctor, rightly so)
00:24:06.88\00:24:09.31
with a blood pressure of 210
systolic and over 100 diastolic.
00:24:09.34\00:24:13.25
That is very high.
00:24:13.28\00:24:14.52
The doctor just had the
person sit down and just relax.
00:24:14.55\00:24:18.45
That blood pressure came down 30
or 40 points, just by relaxing.
00:24:18.49\00:24:22.66
There's another
connection I wanted to make.
00:24:22.69\00:24:24.43
I promised you that I'd tell you
00:24:24.46\00:24:25.93
something about
high blood pressure
00:24:25.96\00:24:27.76
and diet without
having to rush off
00:24:27.83\00:24:30.73
and get my series on "Reversing
Hypertension Naturally."
00:24:30.77\00:24:34.07
Here's the bonus
point I want to give you.
00:24:34.10\00:24:36.94
Those same omega-3 fats we've
been talking about that help
00:24:36.97\00:24:39.57
with depression,
decrease stress risk.
00:24:39.61\00:24:41.51
They actually decrease your risk
of having high blood pressure.
00:24:41.54\00:24:47.52
Research shows that when
you choose more plant fats,
00:24:47.55\00:24:50.49
they are actually protective
of blood pressure problems.
00:24:50.52\00:24:55.26
Optimize your intake of good
sources of fat. It will help
00:24:55.29\00:25:00.40
your blood pressure
as well. There's that
00:25:00.43\00:25:02.93
bonus insight I
wanted to share with you.
00:25:02.96\00:25:05.50
It ties in with stress as well.
00:25:05.53\00:25:07.17
If you want your
blood pressure to be more
00:25:07.20\00:25:08.87
stable in the face of stress,
00:25:08.90\00:25:10.51
choose other healthy
lifestyle practices as well.
00:25:10.54\00:25:13.61
Now back to stress. We
want you to have some tools to
00:25:13.64\00:25:17.55
control stress so you can
optimize your brain functioning.
00:25:17.58\00:25:20.38
I was just looking
at a very interesting
00:25:20.42\00:25:22.78
medical research
study the other day.
00:25:22.82\00:25:24.95
They were
inducing stress in people,
00:25:24.99\00:25:27.49
then measuring certain outcomes.
00:25:27.52\00:25:29.72
Would you believe how
they were inducing stress?
00:25:29.76\00:25:32.43
They were actually
having them watch videos
00:25:32.46\00:25:36.30
that were stressful.
Interesting, isn't it?
00:25:36.33\00:25:39.70
Do you know that
much of what people watch
00:25:39.73\00:25:43.41
on the Internet, much of
what they watch on television,
00:25:43.44\00:25:46.88
much of the viewing
fare that they consume,
00:25:46.91\00:25:50.11
is actually
stress inducing? It ramps
00:25:50.15\00:25:53.31
stress hormones up. Think
about that very carefully,
00:25:53.35\00:25:56.35
what you put in your mind.
00:25:56.38\00:25:58.02
The good news is
simply this: no matter what
00:25:58.05\00:26:01.29
is causing stress in
your life, you can make some
00:26:01.32\00:26:05.39
lifestyle choices that can help
your brain deal with stress,
00:26:05.43\00:26:09.70
thus improving mental clarity
and cognitive performance.
00:26:09.73\00:26:13.17
How do you do? It it
actually brings us back to food.
00:26:13.20\00:26:16.60
The food choices we engage in,
00:26:16.64\00:26:19.81
and the practice of temperance
(eating at the right times
00:26:19.84\00:26:23.71
and not at the
wrong times), actually
00:26:23.75\00:26:26.01
can give you some powerful
00:26:26.05\00:26:27.65
boost to mental
performance. Here's the secret:
00:26:27.68\00:26:30.82
there are two
compounds that are used
00:26:30.85\00:26:32.75
to make many neurotransmitters,
tryptophan and tyrosine.
00:26:32.79\00:26:37.49
These two compounds
are called amino acids.
00:26:37.53\00:26:40.30
The tryptophan is
used to make serotonin,
00:26:40.33\00:26:42.90
which is a
brain-calming chemical.
00:26:42.93\00:26:45.47
It helps deal with
depression, for example.
00:26:45.50\00:26:48.00
The tyrosine is
used to build other
00:26:48.04\00:26:51.61
brain
transmitters, like dopamine.
00:26:51.64\00:26:55.11
Why are these so important?
00:26:55.14\00:26:56.78
Both tryptophan and tyrosine,
and the neurotransmitters
00:26:56.81\00:26:59.45
that are made from them,
00:26:59.48\00:27:00.75
can help you deal more
effectively with stress.
00:27:00.78\00:27:03.45
How do you get more tryptophan
and tyrosine to your brain?
00:27:03.49\00:27:07.16
You do it by doing things
like eating a good breakfast.
00:27:07.19\00:27:10.76
What a good
breakfast looks like, when
00:27:10.79\00:27:12.79
it comes to these
neurotransmitters,
00:27:12.83\00:27:14.63
is eating a
carbohydrate-rich diet--
00:27:14.66\00:27:17.73
eating lots of
fruits, whole grains.
00:27:17.77\00:27:21.24
Do you get the picture? Shy away
00:27:21.27\00:27:23.87
from those
heavy protein choices,
00:27:23.91\00:27:26.04
and you will find that
you get more tryptophan
00:27:26.07\00:27:29.08
and tyrosine to the brain.
00:27:29.11\00:27:31.65
Our time has just
about slipped away from us.
00:27:31.68\00:27:33.88
I think you've got the picture.
00:27:33.92\00:27:35.82
LifeStart is
something that offers you help
00:27:35.85\00:27:39.02
in improving
cognitive performance.
00:27:39.05\00:27:41.06
If you haven't
resonated with some of
00:27:41.09\00:27:42.76
the material we've shared,
00:27:42.79\00:27:44.09
you can dive into it more
through our free study guides.
00:27:44.13\00:27:47.03
They're available at
lifestartseminars.com.
00:27:47.10\00:27:50.53
You can also get
personalized help.
00:27:50.57\00:27:52.60
We have coaching
opportunities for you
00:27:52.63\00:27:54.74
at lifestartseminars.com.
Want more good news? There's
00:27:54.77\00:27:59.54
all kinds a free resources
that you can take advantage of.
00:27:59.57\00:28:02.81
I'm doctor David DeRose.
00:28:02.84\00:28:04.48
Hopefully, the
material we've shared with you
00:28:04.51\00:28:06.45
will help you optimize
your cognitive performances.
00:28:06.48\00:28:09.48
All you've got to do is
take hold of it and go forward.
00:28:09.52\00:28:24.50