Friday, November 14, 2014

Empowerment Essential #4: Improving Brain Function

In 20 years working as an oncologist and running cancer support groups, I have learned that most people who have been given a cancer diagnosis wish for two main things:
1.     They want to be cured of their cancer (or they want to live for many, many  years with a great quality of life), and
2.     They want to feel better. They want the awful feelings of stress and fear to settle down so they can enjoy their lives.

I am heartened and grateful for many wonderful not-for-profit organizations who support thousands of people in achieving their goals by providing them with the information and teaching them crucial life skills for the cancer journey. The first three of these “Empowerment Essentials” are

#1 – Getting the best care from the medical system
#2 – Empowering your body with loving habits like exercise and diet.
#3 – Working with difficult feelings, settling stress levels and reframing distressing thoughts

Information is power

When I first began my practice in the mid-1990s my cancer patients often shook with nervousness the first time they met me.  These days those who are recently diagnosed often nod at me as I explain their diagnosis and treatment – because they understand what is happening, often with access to great people and resources that support them in their journey.  

I’ve noticed the second wave of empowerment over the last decade. People hear the message about exercise and healthy diet through multiple media before they get to me. It makes me smile because in most cases it will increase their chance of cure and longevity - and they will feel better when they make these loving lifestyle choices.

A new goal: Improving brain function

Though my patients going through treatment have identified “brain fog” (problems with memory and concentration) as a major issue for as long as I’ve been practicing, more recently people on the cancer journey have started asking for help.  So I am now hearing another goal: “I just want to be able to think clearly again”.

Fortunately, we’re in the midst of another revolution in empowerment based on neuroscience and scientifically-proven techniques which help people think and function more effectively.  Your brain will continue to change and set down new neural connections throughout your lifetime.  You can actually choose which brain pathways (feelings and abilities) you want to nurture.  My hope in writing this article is to offer some practical advice using a few techniques that can help your brain function much better.

I’ve referred to the first three Empowerment Essentials above because you’ll need to draw on these same skills to maximize how well your brain works. Here are some specifics for brain care:

1.     Getting the best care from the medical system includes drawing on the expertise of different specialists.  Ask your oncologist or nurse directly “Is there someone in the medical system who can help me learn some ways to think more clearly?” Or if you’re suffering from excessive fatigue ask if someone can help you with ways to manage your energy levels.  Perhaps an Occupational therapist or Physiotherapist could help you problem-solve ways to manage tasks and fatigue. They may also teach your exercises to increase your physical stamina.
2.     Talk to your family doctor about any issues relating to changes in your thinking/memory.  There are many possible correctable causes to symptoms of fatigue and fuzzy thinking. 
3.     See a nutritionist! They can assess if you’re getting enough of your B-vitamins (key chemicals used by the brain) or whether you need to take a multi-vitamin. Science is also showing that flavenoids (found in berries and other foods) can sometimes help clear the ‘foggy feeling’.
4.     Loving your body through exercise is absolutely critical to improving brain function.   During a moderate 30 minute workout a hormone in your brain called Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor is released which primes the brain to learn and remember better afterwards. It also appears weight training is a key component to increasing brain blood flow and overall function.  One of my 79-year-old prostate cancer patients, who was still running a flower business when he began hormone treatment, started pumping iron with a much younger group. He noticed that on the days he worked out, he was mentally much crisper at work – like he was able to push oxygen up into his brain. 
5.     Decreasing stress and anxiety is key to maximum mental performance. Working with an expert like a psychologist or taking a course like mindfulness-based stress reduction will prime your brain to use the higher level thinking, and bypass the primitive stress-brain pathways.  When our stress levels are lower, we actually grow new brain cells in the hippocampus which is the part of the brain responsible for creating new memories.

Meditation is the new ‘Exercise’

Practicing meditation or some other relaxation technique in which you work to slow down some of the mental chatter is a critical skill in improving your brain function.  A daily practice resets our baseline stress level (what I call our stress-o-meter) to a lower level.  Our brains are better able to focus on what is in front of us when we practice meditation.  Even in this moment your brain is simultaneously processing more than a dozen inputs (sights, sounds, feelings in your body, thoughts…). When the stress-o-meter is on low, it’s as if the dials from all these inputs is set at a lower level – which allows you to focus more easily on the one thing you rest your attention on.

The power of “Taking in the Good”

Dr. Rick Hanson, author of Buddha’s Brain and Hardwiring Happiness, points to our evolutionary biology to explain the ‘negativity bias’. We are primed to learn from and remember negative experiences while the positive states (peace, confidence, gratitude) usually bypass our memory systems. We ruminate on our difficulties and forget to allow ourselves to experience the good.  Learning the skill of “taking in the good” is very important for two reasons. Firstly, we can train our brains to experience more of the positive emotions and we’ll feel better.  Secondly, when feel happier our brains also function better – we literally see much more of what’s happening around us, and our inherent creativity is primed to go.

The simplest explanation of how to ‘Take in the Good’ is to stay with positive feelings when they arise in your attention for at 10-20 seconds at least six times a day. For example, if you notice a feeling of gratitude (“oh, I love my grandchild so much”) then stay with the heart-felt feeling.  Let it sink into your psyche and spirit.  Hold it there and let your body absorb that wonderful feeling for at least a dozen seconds. You are literally setting down new connections in your brain that will make it easier to re-experience those same feelings the next time you are primed to feel grateful. 

You can also practice this technique by generating the emotional state without the external cue.  As an example when you write down simple things (seeing sunshine, or sipping a hot cup of tea on a cold morning) in a gratitude journal every night for a few weeks, your perception of the world will change – you will be more grateful – and your brain will work better.

Neuroscience is a burgeoning field and new information is constantly arising to help you become an expert in your own brain care. Learn and practice the techniques and habits that make most sense to you.  Your brain will continue to grow and change with time – and you can make a huge difference in how you think and function. That’s one fact worth remembering.


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