health – Ralph with Coffee

Sports Injuries and How to Prevent Them

August 19, 2023 RalphLeave a comment

As we discussed in one of our previous blog posts, sports can help improve cognitive function. However, injuries from sports could lead to immobilization, which could aggravate cognitive impairment. Today, we will discuss what types of injuries are possible and how to prevent such injuries.

Sports Injury Types

Sprain vs. Strain: Sprain is an injury from over-stretching or tearing the ligaments. Strain is over-stretching or tearing muscles or tendons. Ligaments are connective tissues connecting bone to bone. Tendons are connective tissues connecting muscles to bones.
Swollen Muscles: also known as ‘strained muscle’ or ‘pulled muscle,’ are injuries from over-stretching or tearing muscles.
Bone Fractures: Fractures are broken bones. They are categorized as either open or closed, complete or incomplete. A closed fracture does not break the skin, while an open fracture does. An incomplete fracture leads to a crack in a bone but does not separate the bones.
Dislocations: an injury when a bone slips out of a joint.

How to Prevent Sports Injuries

Use proper skills/technique: Knowing how to play sports appropriately is the first step to preventing injuries.
Warm Up: Cold muscles are prone to injuries. Do light cardio exercises (around 10 minutes) or do stretches (each stretch lasting at least 20 seconds) before participating in sports.
Strengthen your core muscles: A strong core improves balance and stability, which may help prevent injuries.
Take breaks: Prolonged exercises will increase your risk of injuries. Make sure to take a cool-down break after your exercise. This should be twice as long as warming up before the exercise.
Wear protective sports gear: If your sports have protective gear, wear them. Make sure to wear proper shoes for the sports.

How to Treat Sports Injuries

If you do sustain an injury, do not worry! There are steps that you can take to treat them. One acronym you can remember is RICE:

R: Rest. Your body will need to focus on healing, and continuous physical activities may impede your healing process.
I: Ice your injury. Icing your injured area will help prevent swelling by decreasing the blood flow to the injured area and relieving pain. Apply ice for 15-20 minutes, with clothing wrapped around it to prevent frostbite.
C: Compress the injured area. Wrapping with an elastic bandage will help prevent fluid build-up in the injured area. It can also stabilize the injured area to prevent further damage and reduce pain. If you feel a tingling sensation and feel the blood is not flowing well into the area, you might want to loosen the bandage.
E: Elevate. Raising your injured area above your heart level will prevent fluid build-up around your injured area.

Conclusion

We explored different sports injuries you can sustain, ways to prevent such injuries, and steps you can take if you happen to have an injury. We hope that this will encourage you to have more physical activities, which will improve your cognitive function!

Disclaimer: please note that this is an informational blog post. If you have concerns about your health, please contact your physician!

Noise on Cognitive Health

June 17, 2023 RalphLeave a comment

Have you ever felt you could focus better and enter your flow state when working in a cafe? You may have noticed that it might be the background noise in the cafe that helped you stay focused. But have you also felt stressed by a loud background noise, like the drilling sound from a construction site nearby? Today, we will explore the impact of noise – especially those we are exposed to in urban areas – on our cognitive health!

What Are Noise Levels?

Noise levels are measured by decibels (dB). According to the US Centers for Disease, Control and Prevention (CDC), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend maintaining a noise level below 70 dB over 24 hours to prevent noise-induced hearing loss. Listening to loud music, going to concerts, or hearing sirens are some of the risky activities that could lead to hearing loss.

Just to get a sense of varying levels of dB, here are some examples. Your typical breathing sound is approximately 10 dB, a soft whisper is about 30 dB, and normal conversations have a sound level of 60 dB.

According to the CDC, at sound levels between 70 and 85 dB, you may feel annoyed, and above 85 dB, you may experience hearing loss after a prolonged exposure.

How Does Background Noise Affect Us?

It appears that depending on the noise level, we are affected differently. It appears that the quality of studies investigating the relationship between the exposure to a range of noise levels and cognitive function level generally has low quality. A 2022 systematic review study found that most of the studies on this topic were low-quality studies.

Having that said, there are some studies that indicate cognitive decline with exposure to the high noise level. A 2020 study has shown that an average increase of 10 dB increases the likelihood of cognitive decline and dementia.

In contrast, a 2022 experimental study showed at noise level less than 45 dB helped individuals to focus on their work. While a noise level of around 65 dB also helped with focus, it also increased stress.

A 2021 neuroimaging study using electroencephalography (EEG) explains that background noise affects stress, attention and mental load. Another 2019 EEG study showed that verbal/auditory attention decreases significantly when exposed to the noise levels above 90 dB. A 2013 study showed that children exposed to background noises may face challenges with learning, especially recalling verbal recalls.

Exposure to noise can increase stress hormone level, which may have negative consequences to cognitive health, too. Misophonia is a condition in which a person has increased irritability once hearing sounds like a chewing sound, is an example where noise can increase the stress level. Chronic stress can lead to a cognitive health decline.

What Can We Do About Background Noise?

Now that we have learned how exposure to noise affects our cognitive health, we will explore ways to reduce the noise level in our environment. The US CDC has a few recommendations:

Use earplugs or earmuffs: earplugs have many benefits when sleeping. There are different types that you can choose to fit your needs. There are proper steps to using earplugs.
Stay away from loud environments.
Use devices that measure sound level. Smartwatches and smartphones may have apps and other functions to measure the environmental sound level.

Summary

Today, we explore how exposure to noises can affect our cognitive health. We found noise levels below 45 dB may be helpful for focus, but prolonged exposure to sound levels above 65 dB may increase stress levels that may be harmful. We also found that we could use smartwatches or smartphones to measure the environmental noise level and use earplugs to reduce the exposure. We hope this blog has helped you understand how noise affects our cognitive health!

Cognitive Benefits of Walking in Nature

June 12, 2023 RalphLeave a comment

Have you felt a sense of calm and relaxation when you walk around a garden, a park, or a forest? Especially in urban areas, green spaces give a sense of peace in the middle of chaotic urban life. Today, we will explore the benefits of walking in nature.

Types of Nature

Let’s first go over what we mean when we talk about nature. Compared to rural or suburban regions, urban areas often lack access to nature, such as trees, grass, and shrubs. In order to increase access to nature, local governments promote building infrastructure that supports community access. The types of such structures include:

Green Street: a type of street with perennials, shrubs, and trees to capture rain/stormwater and pollutants
Green Space: an open space in an urban setting, such as parks, community gardens, and green roofs.

If you are interested in looking up how much green space your neighborhood has, you can look up the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, which captures the level of green space concentration in a region.

What Are the Benefits of Walking in Nature?

The National Institute on Aging cites a 2022 JAMA Network Open paper studying 13,000 middle-aged women between 2014 and 2016 by a team of researchers from Harvard University and Boston University who found that increasing residential space may be associated with cognitive benefits among middle-aged women. They found that women have higher scores on thinking speed, attention, and overall cognitive score, about 1.2 years younger.

Access to green space may benefit even those who are diagnosed with dementia. A 2020 mixed-review study suggests that there may be benefits for people with dementia to live in a community setting with access to green space and promote horticultural programs, such as green care farms and gardening. A 2018 UK study with 28 participants found that people with mid-late stage dementia experienced increasing mood improvement with increasing time spent in the garden up to 80 minutes.

More research could be funded to better understand the association between increased access to nature and cognitive health. A 2016 systematic review investigating the association between long-term green space exposure and cognition across the life course found a limited number of available studies, most of which were poor or fair quality. Perhaps this is a field that more researchers can investigate. Another 2019 study based on the Ginko Evaluation of Memory Study (GEMS) with 3048 participants found a moderate association between green space exposure and dementia progression among US adults aged over 75 years old.

Access to green space also appears to help young people, who may experience the benefit for a more extended period of their life. A 2017 systematic review of 12 articles studying the effect of green space and the mental well-being of children found that access to green space increases attention restoration, memory, self-discipline, and lower ADHD behaviors.

How Does Walking in Nature Help Cognitive Health?

One reason walking in nature helps with cognitive health could be because the vegetation in greenspaces can capture both air and water pollution. The greenspaces may help improve cognitive health by capturing air pollution, which reduces cognitive function levels.

Another reason that spending time in nature helps cognitive function is that it reduces the risk of depression. Studies have found that spending time in nature reduces the rate of depression. Having depression was also found to be a risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia.

There are a couple theories as to what might be happening to our minds when we walk in nature. The Attention-Restoration Theory (ART) hypothesizes that urban environments often have high levels of stimulation that lead to attention fatigue. Some suggested that being in the natural environment can alleviate attention fatigue. Another theory, the Stress Reduction Theory (SRT), hypothesizes that exposure to natural environments reduces physiological and psychological stress, leading to positive emotions.

Study results appear to support both theories. A 2022 EEG study with 63 participants found that walking in nature reduced amygdala activation after the walk in nature compared to walking in an urban environment. Another 2022 EEG study with 42 participants found that even walking while watching 6 1-minute videos of green urban spaces produced more calm, positive emotions.

How Can We Increase Access to Nature?

There could be ways to increase access to green spaces. Here are a few suggestions:

Create mini-forests. A Japanese graduate student, Akira Miyawaki, found ways to grow trees, shrubs, and other plants native to Japan and successfully grew them in small patches of urban land.
Use your building’s roof. Building a garden on your roof could help reduce energy use and create a space for the residents/office workers to rest.

Summary

In this post, we explored types of green space, how green space gives emotional and cognitive benefits, what could be mechanism that works, and how we can increase access to green space. If you have more ideas that you would like to share on how to increase green space, please comment below! We hope this post has helped you understand the importance of exposure to green space and building more of them.

Alcohol: Negative Cognitive Health Effect

June 10, 2023 RalphLeave a comment

Drinking alcohol is prevalent in most cultures. Some claim that liquor is a social lubricant, allowing people to bond. But many would also attest to feeling they couldn’t walk straight, talk without slurred speech, or remember what happened the day after drinking alcohol. In this post, we will explore the potential long-term adverse effects of drinking liquor.

Please note depending on where you live, there may be an age limit (e.g., 21 years old if you live in the United States) on when you can legally purchase and drink alcohol.

What are Alcoholic Drinks?

Liquor is an alcoholic drink often produced by distilling fermented grains, fruits, or vegetables. Common types of liquor include beer, wine, and hard liquor, such as whiskey.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends 1 or fewer drinks in a day for women and 2 or fewer drinks in a day for men. A “drink” standard drinking size in the United States contains 14 grams (0.6 ounces or 1.2 tablespoons). This is equivalent to:

12 ounces of 5% alcohol beer
8 ounces of 7% wine
1.5 ounces of 40%alcohol liquor.

The CDC defines binge drinking as drinking 4-5 or more drinks a day and heavy drinking as drinking 8-15 or more drinks per week. Binge drinking could lead to alcohol poisoning, a medical emergency from high blood alcohol levels because excessive drinking exceeds the body’s capacity to process alcohol.

Symptoms of alcohol intoxication include decreased judgment and control, slurred speech, reduced muscle coordination, vomiting, reduced consciousness and cognitive function, and coma.

What Are the Effects of Alcohol on Cognitive Health?

Heavy drinking was found to be associated with an increased risk of dementia. A 2018 longitudinal study in the United Kingdom following people’s alcohol consumption level for 23 years suggests that those who drank more than 14 drinks a week had an increased risk of dementia.

A 2019 systematic scoping review conducted on articles published between 2000 and 2017 suggests that heavy alcohol use was associated with changes in brain structures, cognitive impairments, and increased risk of dementia. A 2023 systematic review in Europe also found a similar effect: moderate to high alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment, memory loss, and risk of dementia.

Another study conducted in 2019 with 785 individuals from the Jackson Heart Sleep Study suggests that evening drinking alcohol can impair sleep quality, which may lead to a high likelihood of memory impairment and other cognitive functions.

Other effects of drinking alcohol include:

Liver disease: fatty liver, cirrhosis, hepatitis, fibrosis, and liver cancer
Heart disease: arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart), hypertension, stroke
Muscle loss: muscle waste (reduced muscle tissue)
Depression & Anxiety: higher likelihood of depression & anxiety
Obesity: increased likelihood of weight gain

Are There Benefits of Drinking Alcohol?

A moderate amount of drinking (1-2 drinks) was associated with a lower risk of dementia. Some studies suggest light drinking (drinking low alcohol content) can help with rehydration after a workout, but some studies produced evidence suggesting that it may impair muscle recovery.

In the early 2000s, discoveries were made that resveratrol, a chemical found in red wine, has an antioxidant property that may have an anti-aging effect in mice. However, the researchers also found that you would have to consume about 1000 bottles of wine in order to find a similar effect in humans.

Summary

We explored the effects of alcohol on our mind, body, and overall health. Drinking above the recommended amount of alcohol (1-2 drinks) was associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline. We hope this post has helped you learn some of the consequences of excessive drinking and help you have a healthy drinking life. Please drink (if you are legally allowed to) responsibly!

If you have an alcohol disorder or any other health concerns related to alcohol, please contact your physician or the SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration).

Coffee: Cognitive Health Effects

June 9, 2023 RalphLeave a comment

Have you ever had a sip of a coffee in the morning and felt a jolt of energy that immediately woke you up? Have you wondered if there could be any lasting effects of drinking coffee? Today, we will explore the cognitive effects of drinking coffee.

How is Coffee Made?

Coffee is made from seeds of Coffea arabica in either its raw, roasted, whole, or grounded form. While there are 70 species of coffee, only 3 are cultivated (Coffea arabica, Coffea canephora, and Coffea liberica).

Most coffees are made from roasted coffee. Raw coffee beans are added to loaders and then into a rotating drum heated to around 240 degrees. Most coffee is roasted to 3 levels: light, medium, and dark roast.

Once the coffee beans are roasted, they are grounded in various levels to suit the brewing method. Some of the most common brewing methods include pour-over, drip coffeemakers, French press, cold brew, and espresso. If you want to learn more about different brewing methods, you can explore a few recommendations, such as this one from Starbucks and another from Blue Bottle.

What’s In the Coffee?

One of the key characteristics of coffee is its bitter taste. The coffee’s bitter taste is from the extracted coffee’s chlorogenic acid (CGA), the coffee’s main phenolic acid compound, broken down during roasting. The broken-down organic compound also contributes toward the browning of the coffee beans.

A 2021 study reports that CGA may lower blood cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein. It also has antioxidant, antibacterial, and DNA protection effects because of its ability to neutralize free radicals that damage DNA and other cell structures. A 2020 study showed that CGA in coffee showed a protective effect against cognitive impairment and prevented the build-up of amyloid beta plaques in mice that were induced to have Alzheimer’s disease.

Of course, caffeine is also one of the main components of the coffee. Caffeine affects changes in the blood level of norepinephrine, dopamine, acetylcholine, serotonin, glutamate, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Caffeine works by blocking adenosine receptors in phosphodiesterase enzymes in skeletal muscles and adipose tissues. This increases the breakdown of fats in the body, giving more muscle energy. This inhibition also increases the concentration of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), which may increase epinephrine and dopamine. It also allows the heart and lungs to work faster.

In a 2022 cross-sectional study, theobromine and theophylline in coffee were associated with increased cognitive function, but the authors claim that more research is needed to strengthen their results. A 2017 mice study showed that theobromine and theophylline did not have a protective effect against cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease-modeled mice.

What are the Cognitive Effects of Coffee?

A 2013 paper reviewed articles published between 1990 and 2002 and found coffee is associated with a reduction in the incidence of diabetes and liver disease. The authors also found coffee appears to have protective effects against Parkinson’s disease and osteoporosis. This study appears to be supported by a 2020 neuroimaging study that showed that whole coffee cherry extract administration to older adults can lead to structures of neurons involved in decision-making, attention, and memory.

What part of coffee might be contributing to this improvement in cognitive function? A 2018 Japanese study suggested that roasting coffee beans is a crucial part of its role in reducing beta-amyloid plaque in humans. A 2013 study suggested that it is not caffeine but something in the coffee that contributes to neuroprotective effects. For example, a 2018 study found that phenylindanes prevent the build-up of beta-amyloid and tau build-ups for those at risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

If you prefer to drink tea instead of coffee, you may still benefit from similar chemicals in tea that have similar effects. A 2005 study showed that age was positively associated with tea consumption but negatively associated with coffee preference. Teas also have flavonoids, which appear to have a beneficial effect on cognitive health.

Summary

This post explored coffee’s components and how those affect our cognitive health. We hope this post has helped you understand coffee’s effects on your health. If you have a favorite way of drinking your coffee, please feel free to share it in the comment section!

Cognitive Benefits of Computer Games

June 5, 2023 RalphLeave a comment

I am sure you have heard many parental figures scolding their children for playing too many video/computer games. But have you considered there could be cognitive benefits to playing computer games? In this post, we will explore online-based simulation programs like computer games or electronic cognitive simulations to see the benefits of playing them.

What Are Online Cognitive Stimulation Programs?

Cognitive stimulation therapy is a non-medical treatment involving group activities to stimulate memory and language use for older adults at risk of cognitive decline. Several studies have found cognitive stimulation therapy effective in improving the quality of life for older adults with mild-to-moderate dementia. It can also improve language function, but limited evidence shows that it can improve memory or a sense of orientation. Online cognitive stimulation programs became more available during COVID-19 for older adults with difficulty walking.

One example of such clinical cognitive stimulation therapy adopted into the online platform is virtual cognitive stimulation therapy, which is conducted over a video conference platform, using similar interactive activities such as group songs, comparing images of faces, and bingo for individuals with dementia and their caregiver from countries such as Brazil, India, and Ireland. A 2022 study indicates that while there is an advantage to using virtual cognitive stimulation therapy compared to in-person cognitive stimulation therapy, it may not be as effective as in-person cognitive stimulation therapy. A 2017 study found that a computerized cognitive stimulation program for older adults with mild cognitive impairment did not improve cognitive or psychosocial functions.

What about computer games for cognitive improvement?

What about computer games for cognitive improvement? A 2020 study conducted a randomized trial on 3-month use of AquaSnap, a cognitive training videogame developed to improve cognitive function from MyCQ. It involves using attention, working memory, episodic memory, executive function, and processing speed. The study found improvement in cognitive functions over time. A 2018 study evaluating the effect of playing a football video game among women has found improved cognitive performance and lower cortisol levels. However, we should be careful not to say that this improvement is because of the game’s impact on brain changes. A 2014 study cautions attributing better performance on cognitive tests to neurophysiological changes may be difficult because behavioral effects may have similar effects on cognitive performance. A 2018 study found that depending on the computer game we play, we may experience different influences on cognitive function levels and physiological stress levels.

So Is Playing a Computer Game Helpful to Improve Our Cognitive Function Level?

Through our exploration of the literature on the effects of computer games on cognitive function, we found evidence for both arguments that it may or may not improve cognitive function levels. We also found literature that suggests improvement in cognitive performance may depend on the type of computer game. We will leave you with a qualitative study conducted in 2010 looking at the effect of playing Nintendo Wii on two elderly women who have mild cognitive impairment. The authors also cite previous studies, so please check them out!

Disclaimer: This web post is for information purposes. If you have medical needs, please contact your primary care physician.

Benefits of Walking

May 30, 2023 RalphLeave a comment

During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, most of us would admit to gaining a pound or two because of staying at home and restrictions on going to the gym. But did you realize that just taking a walk around your neighborhood can have a beneficial effect on your health? This post will describe the health effects of simple walking.

What is Walking?

Walking is a type of cardiovascular activity that increases blood flow and reduces blood pressure. With increased blood flow, oxygen and hormones like endorphins can circulate throughout the body.

Walking is different from standing still. A 2020 study comparing quasi-static standing and walking found that while standing increases the likelihood of lower leg swelling and muscle fatigue, walking did not.

Walking is different from running. A 2006 study investigating the physiological and kinematic difference between the two forms of location found the key difference is that of the timing of each phase of locomotion.

The appropriate walking pace is a metabolic equivalent (MET) of 3.0 – 6.0, or 2.5 – 4.2 mph.

How Do You Walk?

Before the walk: before you set out to walk, a few steps of preparation can make your walk more enjoyable.

Plan your route. Before you head out, planning ahead of time where you want to visit will make your walk more rewarding. If you want to walk without a plan, remember that disappointments are part of the process! Keep walking, and you will find the enjoyable journey of walking. Also, make sure that the neighborhood is safe. If you have a reward at the end of your trip, such as ice cream at the end of the walk, it will make your journey more rewarding! Sidewalks are generally recommended; if there is a school, a public park, or even a shopping mall nearby, give them a try!
Protect yourself. Make sure to wear sunscreen and sunglasses if it is hot outside. Bringing a small backpack to pack your sanitary items and water bottle can be helpful!
Wear your gear. Wear comfortable shoes wear. If it is hot outside, wearing shoes has a soft cushion and ventilation can be helpful! If it is cold outside, make sure to wear something that will help you prevent from slipping. Wear a smartwatch that can track your walk progress if you’d like.
Stretch. Before you head out, stretching can help you prevent injuries such as falls and slipping.

During the walk: Mayo Clinic outlines simple tips on how to walk effectively:

Keep your head up. Look forward, not towards the ground.
Keep your neck, shoulders, and back relaxed, not stiff.
Tighten your stomach muscle slightly to keep your back straight.
Start each step rolling from hill to toe.

After the walk, rehydrate or have a light snack, such as a banana, to refuel. Write about any thoughts that you had during your walk.

What are the Benefits of Walking?

Improving Cognitive Level & Mood

Walking, in general, is more beneficial than not walking. However, walking outdoors is recommended compared to walking indoors. An ECG study conducted in 2018 showed that walking outdoors instead of indoors has a higher likelihood and more extended period of “meditative state.” In 2020, another study compared physical exercise with walking in nature and found that walking in nature lowered cortisol (stress hormone) levels and improved mood.

Preventative Effect

Studies have found protective effects of walking by reducing the risk of diabetes, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. The 2018 Physical Activity Guideline for Americans recommends walking at least 150-300 minutes(2.5h-5h)/week. Walking can help improve body weight, teeth cavities, and diabetes by lowering cravings for sweet things like chocolate. It can even influence the gene expressions related to obesity to reduce the likelihood of obesity, according to a 2006 study. American Cancer Society found that women who walked> 7 hours per week had a 14% lower risk of breast cancer than those who walked < 3 hours per week. Another study showed that those who walked 20 minutes daily for at least 5 days a week had 43% lower sick days.

Summary

Walking is a simple activity that many people can engage in. There are a few steps that you can take to make this experience more efficient and pleasurable. It is one of the examples where you can find significant health effects with gradual effort. Try taking a walk today!

Disclaimer: This web post is for information purposes. If you have medical needs, please contact your primary care physician.