New Study Finds That Marijuana And Alcohol Age Brain

A new study by a celebrity doctor, has found that marijuana use and alcohol consumption accelerates brain aging by 0.6 years and 2.8 years respectively.
 
The study, which is thought to be the largest brain imaging study ever conducted, involved the analysis of no less than 62,454 SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) scans taken from more than 30,000 people. The people scanned were aged between nine months and 105 years.

Its aim was to determine the factors that contribute most to the brain again. One of the findings in addition to the effects of alcohol and marijuana use that the study made was that brain disorders such as schizophrenia, ADD and bipolar disorder contribute significantly to brain deterioration.

Dr. stated his belief that his findings on cannabis were particularly significant when put in the context of the global push to legalize the substance. He also added that it doesn’t appear to be as safe as the movement for it to be viewed as a harmless way to unwind would have you believe.

“Based on one of the largest brain imaging studies ever done, we can now track common disorders and behaviors that prematurely age the brain. Better treatment of these disorders can slow or even halt the process of brain aging. The cannabis abuse finding was especially important, as our culture is starting to see marijuana as an innocuous substance. This study should give us pause about it,” he added.

In the US alone, some eight states have legalized marijuana for recreational use,  while a further 22 states have laws that allow for marijuana use by providing limited access to it under certain conditions.

 A recent poll found that some 64% of Americans support the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, numbers that have never been seen before. The reason for this is believed to be the huge amount of researching pointing to marijuana being one of the least harmful drugs available. With that being said, this study appears to show that its effects on the brain might be more severe than previously thought.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/  

FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                        https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                              
FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com

Problem with arithmetic? Blame it on white matter

If you are not able to add or multiply quickly and accurately, that's not exactly your fault - it's the quality of the white matter in your brain that decides it. 

A study led by Bert De Smedt, a professor from University of Leuven in Belgium, has discovered that healthy 12-year-olds - who score well in addition and multiplication - have higher-quality white matter. 

But this correlation does not appear to apply to subtraction and division. 

Neural pathways are comparable to a bundle of cables. These cables are surrounded by an isolating sheath - myelin or 'white matter'. 

"The thicker the isolating sheath and the more cables there are, the more white matter. And the more white matter, the faster the signals are transferred," explained Bert de Smedt. 

In this study, the researchers asked 25 children to solve a series of different arithmetic operations while undergoing a brain scan. 

They then compared the quality of the children's white matter tracts with their arithmetic test performance. 

"We found that a better quality of the arcuate fasciculus anterior - a white matter tract that connects brain regions often used for arithmetic - corresponds to better performance in adding and multiplying, while there is no correlation for subtracting and dividing," they said. 

The arcuate fasciculus anterior (green) is a neural pathway connecting brain regions often used for arithmetic. 

'Grey' cells process information in the brain and are connected via neural pathways, the tracts through which signals are transferred. 

A possible explanation for this is that this white matter bundle is involved in rote memorisation, whereas when we subtract and divide, such memorisation plays less of a role. 

"When subtracting and dividing, we are more likely to use intermediary steps to calculate the solution, even as adults," added Bert de Smedt. 

These findings also add insight into the link between reading and arithmetic, said De Smedt. 

"Reading proficiency and arithmetic proficiency often go hand-in-hand. This also might explain why we often see arithmetic problems in children with dyslexia," stressed de Smedt. 

Next step would be to investigate how white matter tracts can be strengthened through extra arithmetic training. 

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

ps- those interested in recipes are free to view my blog-

http://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/

for info about knee replacement, you can view my blog-

http://Knee replacement-stick club.blogspot.com/

for crochet designs

http://My Crochet Creations.blogspot.com

Diet Cola/ Sweet poison? A true story

>            SWEET POISON...
>
>  A MUST READ TO THE END!
>
> In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick She had
> stomach spasms and she was having a hard time getting around.
> Walking was a major chore. It took everything she had just to get
> out of bed; she was in so much pain.
>
> By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue and muscle biopsies
> and was on 24 various prescription medications. The doctors could
> not determine what was wrong with her. She was in so much pain, and
> so sick she just knew she was dying.
>
> She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc., in her
> oldest daughter's name, and made sure that her younger children were
> to be taken care of.
>
> She also wanted her last hooray, so she planned a trip to Florida
> (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd.
>
> On March 19, I called her to ask how her most recent tests went, and
> she said they didn't find anything on the test, but they believe she
> had MS.
>
> I recalled an article a friend of mine e-mailed to me and I asked my
> sister if she drank diet soda? She told me that she did. As a matter
of fact, she was getting ready to crack one open that moment.
>
> I told her not to open it, and to stop drinking the diet soda! I e-
> mailed her an article my friend, a lawyer, had sent. My sister
> called me within 32 hours after our phone conversation and told me
> she had stopped drinking the diet soda AND she could walk! The
> muscle spasms went away. She said she didn't feel 100% but, she sure
> felt a lot better.
>
> She told me she was going to her doctor with this article and would
> call me when she got home.
>
> Well, she called me, and said her doctor was amazed! He is going to
> call all of his MS patients to find out if they consumed artificial
> sweeteners of any kind. In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the
> Aspartame in the diet soda.. and literally dying a slow and
> miserable death.
>
> When she got to Florida March 22, all she had to take was one pill,
> and that was a pill for the Aspartame poisoning! She is well on her
> way to a complete recovery. And she is walking! No wheelchair! This
> article saved her life.
>
> If it says 'SUGAR FREE' on the label; DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!
>
> I have spent several days lecturing at the WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL
> CONFERENCE on 'ASPARTAME,' marketed as'Nutra Sweet,' 'Equal,' and> 'Spoonful.'
>
 In the keynote address by the EPA, it was announced that in the
> United States in 2001 there is an epidemic of multiple sclerosis and
> systemic lupus.. It was difficult to determine exactly what toxin
> was causing this to be rampant. I stood up and said that I was there
> to lecture on exactly that subject.
>
> I will explain why Aspartame is so dangerous: When the temperature
> of this sweetener exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in
> ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in
> turn causes metabolic acidosis. Formic acid is the poison found in
> the sting of fire ants. The methanol toxicity mimics, among other
> conditions, multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus.
>
> Many people were being diagnosed in error. Although multiple
> sclerosis is not a death sentence, Methanol toxicity is!
>
> Systemic lupus has become almost as rampant as multiple sclerosis,
> especially with Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi drinkers.
>
> The victim usually does not know that the Aspartame is the culprit.
> He or she continues its use; irritating the lupus to such a degree
> that it may become a life-threatening condition. We have seen
> patients with systemic lupus become asymptotic, once taken off diet
> sodas.

 In cases of those diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, most of the
> symptoms disappear. We've seen many cases where vision loss re-
> turned and hearing loss improved markedly.
>
> This also applies to cases of tinnitus and fibromyalgia. During a
> lecture, I said, 'If you are using ASPARTAME (Nutra Sweet, Equal,
> Spoonful, etc) and you suffer from fibromyalgia symptoms, spasms,
> shooting, pains, numbness in your legs,
> Cramps,
> Vertigo,
> Dizziness,
> Headaches,
> Tinnitus,
> Joint pain,
> Unexplainable depression, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, blurred
> vision, or memory loss you probably have ASPARTAME poisoning!'
> People were jumping up during the lecture saying,'I have some of
> these symptoms. Is it reversible?'
>
> Yes!
> Yes!
> Yes!
> STOP drinking diet sodas and be alert for Aspartame on food labels!
> Many products are fortified with it! This is a serious problem. Dr.
> Espart (one of my speakers) remarked that so many people seem to be
> symptomatic for MS and during his recent visit to a hospice; a nurse
> stated that six of her friends, who were heavy Diet Coke addicts,
> had all been diagnosed with MS. This is beyond coincidence!

Diet soda is NOT a diet product! It is a chemically altered,
> multiple SODIUM (salt) and ASPARTAME containing product that
> actually makes you crave carbohydrates.
>
> It is far more likely to make you GAIN weight!
>
> These products also contain formaldehyde, which stores in the fat
> cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. Formaldehyde is an
> absolute toxin and is used primarily to preserve 'tissue specimens.'
>
> Many products we use every day contain this chemical but we SHOULD
> NOT store it IN our body!
>
>A doctor has said  that once free of the 'diet
> products' and with no significant increase in exercise; his patients
> lost an average of 19 pounds over a trial period.
>
> Aspartame is especially dangerous for diabetics. We found that some
> physicians, who believed that they had a patient with retinopathy,
> in fact, had symptoms caused by Aspartame. The Aspartame drives the
> blood sugar out of control. Thus diabetics may suffer acute memory
> loss due to the fact that aspartic acid and phenylalanine are
> NEUROTOXIC when taken without the other amino acids necessary for a
> good balance.
>
> Treating diabetes is all about BALANCE. Especially with diabetics,
> the Aspartame passes the blood/brain barrier and it then
> deteriorates the neurons of the brain; causing various levels of
> brain damage, Seizures, Depression, Manic depression, Panic attacks,
> Uncontrollable anger and rage.

 Consumption of Aspartame causes these same symptoms in non-diabetics
> as well. Documentation and observation also reveal that thousands of
> children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD have had complete turnarounds
> in their behavior when these chemicals have been removed from their
> diet.
>
> So called 'behavior modification prescription drugs' (Ritalin and
> others) are no longer needed.Truth be told, they were never NEEDED
> in the first place!
>
> Most of these children were being 'poisoned' on a daily basis with
> the very foods that were 'better for them than sugar.'
>
> It is also suspected that the Aspartame in thousands of pallets of
> diet Coke and diet Pepsi consumed by men and women fighting in the
> Gulf War, may be partially to blame for the well-known Gulf War
> Syndrome.
>
> Dr. warns that it can cause birth defects, i.e. mental
> retardation, if taken at the time of conception and during early
> pregnancy. Children are especially at risk for neurological
> disorders and should NEVER be given artificial sweeteners..
>
> There are many different case histories to relate of children
> suffering grand mal seizures and other neurological disturbances
> talking about a plague of neurological diseases directly caused by
> the use of this deadly poison.'