Your Health Is Your Wealth: The Importance of Investing in Your Health
Your Health Is Your Wealth: The Importance of Investing in Your Health
The daily choices we make and the activities we engage in impact our quality of life. While health problems and expenses might be an expected norm with age, there are ways you can minimize or even avoid them altogether.
At The Brain & Performance Centre, we believe making more conscious decisions today will give you the health span you deserve. Learn the importance of investing in your health and nine ways to get started.
Note: Speak to your doctor before you pursue any lifestyle changes.
1. Consider the MIND Diet
Eating healthy has been a consistent mantra over the years, and for good reason—there is a connection between diet and disease. A healthy diet is the foundation for feeling good.
While there are numerous diet trends out there, there is one truly worth your time and investment—the MIND diet.
The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet is a blend of two highly effective diets:
- Mediterranean: Consists of a heart-healthy eating plan
- DASH: Aims to address hypertension or high blood pressure
Studies illustrate the MIND diet is “associated with reduced incidence of Alzheimer’s disease.”
Sticking to this diet that entails a variety of fruits and vegetables provides anti-inflammatory effects on the brain. This impact can strengthen brain cell structure and help regulate anxiety and mood.
2. Engage in Intermittent Fasting
We know—fasting doesn’t sound like the most exciting thing. But consider intermittent fasting. Not only can you achieve a healthy body composition, but you can also improve your brain health—all without strict dietary restrictions.
Intermittent fasting is a dietary lifestyle that comprises alternating periods of eating and fasting and limiting the number of hours you consume calories during the day/week.
This metabolic switching:
- “Promotes neuroplasticity and resistance of the brain to injury and disease”
- May “decrease the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in mice through changes to the gut microbiota”
3. Stay Educated on Fall Prevention Tactics
“Falls in older adults are a reasonably common occurrence.” Conditions that become prevalent as we age (e.g., muscle weakness, osteoporosis, and balance and gait problems) make us more susceptible to falls.
The key ingredient to prevention? Exercise. This entails:
- Strength training
- Cardio training
- Balance training
- Flexibility training
Other fall prevention tactics are just as important.
- Keep your home clear of clutter and trip hazards such as cords, books, shoes, etc.).
- Install grab bars in the bathroom and handrails in the hallways and stairways.
- Avoid wearing clothing that drags on the ground.
- Wear non-slip socks or shoes around the house.
- Take a pause after standing up and before beginning to walk.
4. Find Helpful Ways to Cope with Stress
Stress is inevitable, and the body and mind are biologically equipped to handle it. But sometimes, when the stress gets overwhelming, it can have adverse effects. ”Stress affects not only memory and many other brain functions, like mood and anxiety, but also promotes inflammation.”
Chronic stress can:
- Kill brain cells.
- Cause memory decline.
- Negatively impact mental health.
Whether you are grieving or dealing with a major change in your life, it’s essential to find healthy coping mechanisms for stress:
- Make time for physical activity: At The Brain & Performance Centre, we recommend 30 minutes of exercise three days a week at a minimum. Exercise benefits the brain by releasing endorphins, helping relieve pain, and improving mood. The key is to find an activity you enjoy—this will make exercise fun and feel less like a chore.
- Be conscientious about screen time. Experts say, “The goal isn’t to eliminate screens from your life; it’s to imbue the time you spend on screens with ‘intentionality.’” When used wisely and with purpose, technology offers worthy benefits. But misusing it can cause more harm than good. Thus, stay aware and focus on balancing screen time with other activities.
- Meditate. Not only is meditation a great activity to do instead of “doom scrolling” on your screen, but meditation may promote several benefits such as “reduction of cognitive decline” and “increase in quality of life.”
5. Focus on Body Composition Instead of Weight
A low number on the bathroom scale doesn’t necessarily mean all is well. Indeed, society’s obsession with the scale can lead to problems like declining muscle mass—a condition that will do more harm than good later in life.
So toss that unhealthy relationship with the bathroom scale. Instead, look at your overall body composition.
For example, The Brain & Performance Centre uses the seca scale to get a precise rundown of the meaning behind a person’s weight. This scale helps us develop an accurate and customized treatment plan—losing body fat, gaining muscle, or a combination of both.
Speak to your doctor to gain a comprehensive assessment of your body composition so you can make appropriate, personalized goals.
6. Stick to a Consistent Sleep Schedule
Since the sleep hormone melatonin naturally decreases with age, it’s vital to set up healthy sleeping habits. This entails turning off all electronics an hour before bedtime and getting in bed at the same time each night. Doing so will promote natural circadian rhythms and maintain cognitive health.
7. Engage in Games
Investing in your health doesn’t have to be boring—it can include games!
That’s right, playing brain games is a fun and active way to train your brain. Researchers report “the effectiveness of cognitive intervention in maintaining cognitive health over the long-term.”
The brain functions similarly to muscles building muscle fibers after exercise—it promotes new neurons and neuronal connections after participating in games.
8. Listen to More Music
When was the last time you truly listened to music? What kinds of images and memories did it elicit?
Music offers far more advantages than helping you get through a grueling drive or setting the tone for a party. The best part is these benefits are backed by research.
Studies illustrate music can:
- Improve “cognitive function in people living with dementia, as well as quality of life after the intervention and long-term depression.”
- Reduce “measures of anxiety in a population of residential care patients with dementia.”
- Provide “better sleep quality” for “adults who listened to 45 minutes of music before going to sleep.
9. Find a Research-Backed HBOT Programme
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a treatment in which the patient breathes 100% pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. The Brain & Performance Centre’s luxury, state-of-the art hyperbaric oxygen therapy suites are the largest and most advance in Dubai and the surrounding region.
Several studies illustrate the potential of HBOT in improving cognitive, physical, and psychological performance when administered in a specific protocol. The Brain & Performance Centre’s HBOT protocol fluctuates oxygen levels during each hyperbaric session. This system increases oxygen levels in the body up to 20 times higher than normal and boosts your brain’s ability to heal.
The unique medical programme at The Brain & Performance Centre consists of a treatment programme that include this same research-backed HBOT protocol along with cognitive training, dietary coaching, and physical performance training in a physician-designed programme tailored to each client’s needs.
This holistic approach gives each patient the personalized care they deserve for their unique health conditions. Our clients have optimized their athletic performance with HBOT and have found relief from debilitating medical conditions such as stroke and traumatic brain injury.
Invest in Your Health at The Brain & Performance Centre
The Brain & Performance Centre stands by a holistic treatment programme that targets all areas discussed above. A series of independent clinical trials illustrate how our programme helps treat the symptoms of different health conditions.
Rehabilitation Options, Including Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), for Stroke Patients
Strokes are “a leading cause of serious long-term disability”. Given that “87% of all strokes are ischemic” or caused by artery or vein blockage, it makes sense that most patients suffer long-term functional impairments.
These impairments can range from paralysis, speech difficulties, and sensory issues to a host of other cognitive dysfunctions. Additionally, many stroke patients have had a stroke before—“nearly 1 in 4” survivors have suffered at least one stroke previously.
Rest assured, multiple rehabilitation options are available for stroke patients, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). We dive into the key details below.
Remember that each person’s medical condition and background are entirely unique. Thus, speaking with a physician about treatment options is essential to getting back to optimal health.
What Are the 3 Common Stroke Relief Options?
Stroke relief generally entails working with a diverse medical team of physicians, nurses, and therapists. This support team may recommend one or more of the following options:
1. Speech therapy:
Stroke patients can experience speech challenges, ranging from slurred world to significant difficulties with oral communication or understanding people (aphasia). This is due to damage to the “left side of the brain that controls speech and language.” Cases like this often merit speech therapy.
Patients work with speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to relearn techniques such as:
- Controlling mouth and throat muscles to speak more clearly and adequately swallow
- Participating in cognitive language exercises to restore communication and comprehension skills
Research illustrates early speech intervention with aphasia patients “had a massive increase in their ability to communicate at 12 and 26 weeks after their stroke.” Patients could speak better and exhibited less difficulty finding and using the right words.
2. Physical therapy:
A physical therapist (PT) engages patients in movement exercises to help them reacquire motor skills. PTs generally help stroke patients relearn activities such as walking, sitting, standing, and switching from one movement to another.
Medical experts believe consistent PT lowers “risks of hospital readmission within a month after discharge” because it helps patients:
- Restore movement and accomplish tasks
- Plan for the next step of post-acute care (e.g., patient rehab facility, skilled nursing facility, or home care assistance)
3. Occupational therapy:
Occupational therapists help patients carry out everyday activities. They aim to help stroke patients live as independently as they can. OTs work with post-stroke patients to assess how the stroke has affected their lifestyle.
For those who have difficulties dressing, cooking, or bathing, the OT will find solutions to help carry out these activities of daily living to the best of their ability. These statistics outline the importance of OT in the recovery process.
- One study of Medicare claims data found that “Rehabilitation services including physical therapy and occupational therapy play important roles in promoting functional recovery and preventing deconditioning during acute hospitalizations.” However, “Only 61% of patients with ischemic stroke received both physical therapy and occupational therapy services in the acute setting.”
One study notes that patients who participated in OT programmes focused on impairment and basic living activities “progressed to more advanced activities over time (e.g., less bed mobility, more home management).”
The Groundbreaking Therapeutic Approach of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
An up-and-coming therapy for long-term stroke recovery that has shown promise in clinical research is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT).
HBOT has clear indications of brain-cell rehabilitation in patients suffering from post-stroke disabilities.
HBOT and its apparent benefits for post-stroke patients were studied and reviewed in an article published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One:
- The participants were exposed to a unique protocol, including daily HBOT sessions over two months. All the patients showed improved neurological functioning, indicating “that HBOT can lead to significant neurological improvements in post stroke patients even at chronic late stages.”
- Noticeable recovery included “regained speech (almost fluent) and reading capabilities.” Even in patients with less dramatic results, everyday tasks like bathing and dressing became possible unaided by the end of the treatment period.
- Patients were further assessed using brain metabolism imaging (SPECT scans) to examine brain activity during the HBOT treatment. “The SPECT after HBOT demonstrated the disappearance of the perfusion lesions.”
- The study indicated a link between oxygen and stroke—“increasing the plasma oxygen concentration with hyperbaric oxygenation is a potent means of delivering to the brain sufficient oxygen for tissue repair.”
Not only did the study determine significant improvements in patients treated with HBOT, it crucially found that the progression occurred in patients even many months after the stroke event.
The study’s objective was to “evaluate the effects of HBOT started in the late-chronic phase after the acute stroke.” All the patients experienced strokes between six and 36 months prior to the HBOT treatment.
The Brain & Performance Centre: The Road to a Better Life
Backed by over a decade of research, The Brain & Performance Centre can include HBOT, along with cognitive training, dietary coaching, and physical performance training to help you recover even long after a stroke.
The programme aims to offer patients a customized, coordinated, and multidisciplinary health plan to address their specific goals. As the aging process affects every person differently, each plan is individualized based on a patient’s post-stroke recovery needs.
Here’s how our process works:
- Assessment: Our dedicated team will conduct a thorough assessment to gain a holistic understanding of your health and craft a personalized health plan.
- Treatment: Under the supervision of our medical staff, the treatment plan will entail a variety of health programmes that are meant to get you on the road to recovery.
- Analysis: We will track data on how your treatment plan is progressing and make the necessary adjustments along the way.
- Follow-up: Upon conclusion of the treatment, our team will continue to follow up on your progress via a wearable device. This will allow us to send you reports on your health and performance.
Watch Hussain’s Inspiring Recovery Story:
A true inspiration and a shining example of strength and determination. After experiencing a stroke, he embarked on his recovery journey at the Brain & Performance Centre, embracing every challenge with remarkable courage.
Is The Brain & Performance Centre Right for You?
If you’ve been experiencing cognitive or physical challenges since your stroke, The Brain & Performance Centre may be able to help. We have treated thousands of patients suffering from various conditions, enhancing their quality of life.
We encourage you to speak with one of our licensed medical staff to see if it’s right for you, as each person’s body, medical history, and circumstances differ. Our staff will take the time to understand your health history, symptoms, and goals. This process will help us determine whether The Brain & Performance Centre protocol is a good fit.
How Long Does It Take to See Results?
Improving physical and cognitive performance does not happen overnight. The Brain & Performance Centre requires time and careful compliance to achieve success.
HBOT sessions take approximately two hours daily, five days a week, for 8-12 weeks. However, this timeline may vary across patients. Our clients see members of The Brain & Performance Centre healthcare team for additional therapies or coaching (e.g., cognitive training, dietary coaching, and physical performance training) multiple times each week.
Learn More about Post-Stroke Recovery
If you need help finding a stroke recovery plan, contact The Brain & Performance Centre. Our diverse team of medical professionals is experienced in crafting customized treatment plans that have brought significant and fulfilling results for our patients. Improving your quality of life begins here.