The "entertainment" was a speaker who is in a profession that is so new there are only a handful of practitioners world-wide. She is Alice Jacobs, Ed.D., MS, and Director and founder of a company called Brain Gain (tm). And to quote from her brochure: "Brain Gain (tm) was founded by educational physiologist Alice Jacobs...a pioneer in the field of learning and brain health."
You all know what an MRI is, but an FMRI has been developed that can actually see into the brain and see what's happening. The F stands for Functioning. It can show the "neuro-architecture" of the brain. Interesting word, isn't it.
The brain has two hemispheres with different functions. The left side is the logic side. Scientists and mathematicians work on this side. The right side is called the global brain. The arts, feelings, intuition function here.
After explaining some about what this science is about, she gave us a little left brain exercise. Name the Seven Dwarves. (Try it) I can usually get five or six, but seven only if I have a *lot* of time. Today I got six, but one of the women at the table got all seven.
Dr. Jacobs talked about Alzheimers and various dementias. There are 70+ types of dementia identified. Isn't that incredible? Is Alzheimers genetic? Maybe. Early onset at age 30 to 40, probably. But even if a family member has Alzheimers, there is no reason to believe that anyone else in the family will have it. They just don't know the odds. But they're working on it.
If genetic, they're working on finding the alleles (pair of genes situated on the same site on paired chromosomes) that may be responsible. Oh, to be 20 again and just getting into the medical profession!!
Another left brain test: Think of as many four letter words pertaining to South America, within a three minute period. Remember four letter words only. I came up with four words, but I sort of cheated because I wrote cafe instead of coffee. The same woman who named all the Dwarves also came up with 10 or 12 words. All four letters.
Then came a right brain exercise. There were six line drawings, incomplete, to fill in however we wanted. Then we compared our drawings with people at other tables. Interesting how many of us "right brained" people came up with similar drawings. I can't reproduce the the "partials" here, so just take my word for it that it was definitely a right brain exercise.
Dr. Jacobs said that what's good for the heart is good for the brain. Especially diet and exercise. She mentioned that walnuts are an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids, and that almonds are rich in calcium, which women need. Fish, of course, and especially salmon, are a prime source of the omega 3 fatty acids. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and would you believe? butter and whole milk are brain food? Of course, certain carbohydrates are necessary to convert to glucose, which the brain needs. Whole grains. Forget the white bread. Go for dark.
If you want any more information about Brain Gain: Promoting Cognitive Vitality, go to www.braingain.info. Seminars can be arranged in gyms, spas, HMO groups, and all kinds of organizations. Dr. Jacobs' organization is located in Granite Bay, CA, and the phone number is 916-791-7640. You can also e-mail her at [email protected].
For more information on Sapientagogy: The Art and Science of Teaching Seniors, see Learning in Adulthood (2nd Edition) by Sharon B. Merriam and Rosemary Caffarella. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, Inc., 1999, pp. 212-219.
I didn't lose it after all. It showed up on the screen when I was logging off. Thank you, my kindly computer elves!
Shalom