By: Dani Kolsrud, Mental Health Rep.
“I thought I was doing just fine until I found the car keys I had been looking for in the refrigerator!” Have you felt, at any time, you could identify with this quote? Memory is, in a way, who we are. It is that core within our being, our very souls, that helps us make sense of feelings we have. Memory allows us to stay in touch with people dear to us that are far away; or even deceased. Like so many other fantastic functions our body performs on a regular basis, memory is something we take for granted. We start conversations about it when it fails us, but not when it serves us.
Throughout our lives and, indeed history, we have attempted to aid or enhance memory function with memory systems. Early Greek and Roman orators, in giving their often very lengthy speeches, had no visible aids to help them remember their thoughts or the sequence of their thoughts. No paper notes, no video screens, and no computer aids! Instead they used memory systems—using the process of association during their speeches to help them remember.
A very common memory system used were called “loci”, or places. This involved referring to the opening of the speech to the front door of their home, the second fact in the speech would incorporate thoughts of the foyer of their home, and so on. One of the first memory systems I recall was an aid taught by my piano teacher for remembering the treble clef lines on a musical staff: E, G, B, D, F. Every Good Boy Does Fine. A memory system works because it brings into association things you are already familiar with and implants them in a constructive way.
“Memory challenges,” although common in every stage of life, do get more pronounced and become a problem as we age. Seventy five percent of older adults complain about “memory challenges.” No problem today is more closely associated with “memory challenges” than Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Because our aging population is growing, the prediction is that the patient diagnosis for AD will triple in the next thirty years.
In studying memory loss and it’s unset in the form of challenges, there are some basic tenets worth looking at. The following list illuminates some of the basic factors that have been consistent in memory diagnosed illnesses:
- Blood flow
- Aging
- Inflammatory conditions
- Genetics
- Head Trauma
- Toxins
- Mental Health
- Immunity/Infection Issues
- Neurohormone Deficiencies
- Diabetes
- Sleep Disorders
View a full description of this list HERE.
This list merely calls attention to problems and/or situations that can be part of an individual’s health picture that have the potential to inhibit or affect the level of memory function.
There are different theories in the scientific world as to how research should be approached in searching for a cure for AD and other forms of memory deficiency. One theory is the emphasis should be focused more on the everyday things we can and should be doing to prevent our “memory challenges” from becoming memory losses.
Math games like sudoku, crossword puzzles, golf, juggling, dance, learning to play music, map reading in connection with GPS services, memorizing poetry, and yes, three-dimensional video games such as Super Mario 3D World are advocated! (But not the two-dimensional games such as Angry Birds!). Last but not least, exercise is advocated big time! Along with exercise comes stimulation—conversation, being with other people, finding activities such as chores, volunteering, or outreach efforts that necessitate thinking. Think of thinking as the brain doing push-ups!
One of the last segments I will share with you is about meditation. Meditation has the reputation for being a very effective form of stress relief. The brain works hard, stress patterns make it work harder, in a negative way. We think of meditation as a calming, soothing mechanism, and indeed it is, however, brain images have shown that meditating on a portion of Scripture actually activates the frontal cortex of the brain, which is positive, because this portion of the brain is the most thoughtful and realistically human part of the brain. Choosing a favorite Bible verse, sitting quietly, and repeating these words over and over for two to twenty minutes will, along with comfortable, regular breathing , wash positive waves throughout your brain. If a Bible verse doesn’t work for you, try a portion of some reading you found quietly profound.
St. Francis of Assisi gave us “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hate, let me sow love…” and this has become a mantra that definitely has brain soothing possibilities.
I have not mentioned medications. Are there medications that will cure or prevent memory loss? The answer is “no.” To date there are some medications being advocated as having the possibility of slowing down a memory loss diagnosis. The usage of these medications varies with doctors and their varying approaches. Although not placebos, sometimes these medications promote a more positive approach to the diagnosis and give the patient more acceptance and a willingness to try some of the efforts at achieving a more effective fight against their “memory challenges”.
Years ago, I read a book entitled “The Brain; The Last Frontier”. I am inclined to agree with this theory, as far as the world of science goes. However, I leave you with this passage from Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
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