Hey. Since last year I've been suffering from short memory. I've been taking tablets (omega3 and Himalaya mentat) but what is the reason for me having short memory? It is affecting me because I am a student and sometimes I do not have the money to continuously buy tablets! I don't mind buying them but can I at least know the reasons why this is happening?

Dr. Saul PereiraPsychologist46yrs exp

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You are indeed wasting time and money on tablets that will hardly impact memory. I suspect that the adolescent issues with regard to hormones may be affecting your ability to concentrate and remember. When the hormones play up, it lasts for a period of close to two years and during that time you could be influenced by three signs directly impacted by the chemical: you will tend to become aggressive and rebellious, you will become sexually active, and you will have acne and pimple problems. The hormonal imbalances may not only impact your memory because of the chemical but also bring some distractions that come with it. But you may work on the following even if the hormones kick in: Daily exercise of at least half an hour is a must. Even if you go to a gym, ask for aerobic and/or callisthenic exercises with whatever else you are doing. A healthy body harbors a healthy mind. With regard to memory, it is very important that your brain and body is ideally rested to be able to recall whatever is required, rather comfortably. Puzzles pose problems to the brain that help it to use new pathways and neurons, which give the brain considerable exercise. It taxes the left brain to use logic to solve the myriad possibilities which other activities do not stimulate. Crosswords are excellent for vocabulary learning and use. Jigsaws and Rubik cube stimulate different permutations to finally settle on the most likely one. Picture completion and anagrams help approach problem-solving from several angles. Do Sudoku, and memory co-relation activities and skills. Have a good night?s sleep, have a good breakfast of more proteins, meditate often, remain free of stress, eat a lot of fiber (whole grains, fruits and vegetables), nuts, avocado, eat dark chocolate, consume less of fat and use olive oil instead, do Yoga meditation exercises, etc. You need to check out if you are stronger visual or auditory. The visual is a better mode than the auditory. However, if you combine the two modes, you will get the best concentration. Have a special place of learning, which should be well lit, with soft painted walls, well-ventilated, with no distractions. When you get bored, study by writing. If you repeat learning, at least, five to seven times, you will apparently remember for a longer time. Sit comfortably but do not slouch. The reading material should be of a fairly large print. Study at small intervals of about 40 minutes and then take a break or change the subject. Short-term memory is a faculty of the left brain, and long-term memory is a feature of the right brain. When people are stressed, they tend to favor the right brain and abandon the left brain, where short-term memory resides. So, it is really very simple: deal with the stress and activate left brain functions. Here are a few suggestions to activate left brain function: shut your left nostril and breathe, move your eyes from right to left and vice versa for at least half a minute at a time, and do callisthenic exercises with some form of counting, regularly. There is a new exercise called Super Brain Yoga, which is done by holding the right earlobe with your left thumb and index finger, and the left earlobe with your right hand?s thumb and index finger. In this position, you must squat down and rise up and do this for five minutes every day. There is some memory enhancing techniques and study methods that your teacher will be able to guide you with. If your home life is full of distractions and stress, it is likely to affect your memory, adversely. In that case, I suggest that the family goes for counseling too. The following foods do help too: Blueberries, walnuts, turmeric, Spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, acorn squash, green tea, oily fish, boiled egg, turkey, apples, oatmeal, leafy greens, lentils, pumpkin seeds, avocado, cinnamon, thyme, sunflower seeds, and red wine. Avoid sugar and junk food. You may also include these noted foods that are good for your brain health: Brain-Friendly Foods MIND stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. But the MIND approach ?specifically includes foods and nutrients that medical literature and data show to be good for the brain, such as berries,? says Martha Clare Morris, ScD, director of nutrition and nutritional epidemiology at Rush University Medical Center. You eat things from these 10 food groups: ? Green leafy vegetables (like spinach and salad greens): At least six servings a week ? Other vegetables: At least one a day ? Nuts: Five servings a week ? Berries: Two or more servings a week ? Beans: At least three servings a week ? Whole grains: Three or more servings a day ? Fish: Once a week ? Poultry (like chicken or turkey): Two times a week ? Olive oil: Use it as your main cooking oil. ? Wine: One glass a day You avoid: ? Red meat: Less than four servings a week ? Butter and margarine: Less than a tablespoon daily ? Cheese: Less than one serving a week ? Pastries and sweets: Less than five servings a week ? Fried or fast food: Less than one serving a week 

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Dr. Sushil Kumar S VPsychiatrist13yrs exp

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Age related memory loss As everyone gets older it becomes more difficult to remember things, especially if one is getting over 60 years of age. This is because like other parts of the body, the brain also changes with age. How? Here?s how. Parts of the brain that handle cognitive functions, learning, memory, and planning shrink with age. Neurons (nerve cells) in the brain stop communicating efficiently. This is of course a gradual process. Arteries narrow with age and new blood vessels stop forming, so less blood reaches the brain thus slowing down its activity. Plaques may form that block communication between the neurons. Inflammation in the brain increases. Damage by free radicals increase as the brain ages. However, recent studies have indicated that the aging brain actually improves in certain areas such as vocabulary and other verbal forms. Another interesting finding is that the brain continues to develop new neurons even late in life. So essential communications can still be maintained through these neurons. Mild cognitive impairment Other common causes of memory loss include ? Depression: Some people with depression may have slowed down thinking and mental abilities. Other symptoms could be ? Low mood most of the time, irritability Insomnia Poor appetite Difficulty with affection Loss of interest in life, poor motivation, sadness, guilt Tiredness Medication: Certain medication too could cause memory loss or forgetfulness. This condition however improves once the medication is stopped. Anti-anxiety drugs ? Alprazolam, diazepam, temazepam, chlordiazepoxide, etc. Cholesterol lowering drugs (Statins) ? Atorvastatin, lovastatin, fluvastatin, etc. Antiseizure drugs ? Acetazolamide, carbamazepine, ezogabine, gabapentin, etc. Antidepressants ? Amitriptyline, clomipramine, doxepin, imipramine, etc. Painkillers ? Fentanyl, hydrocodone, morphine, oxycodone, etc. Hypertension drugs ? Beta blockers such as atenolol, carvedilol, metoprolol, propranolol, etc. Sleeping aids ? Eszopiclone, zaleplon, etc. Dopamine agonists to treat Parkinson?s disease, certain pituitary tumors, and sometimes restless legs syndrome. Antihistamines ? Brompheniramine, carbinoxamine, chlorpheniramine, clemastine, etc. Incontinence drugs ? Oxybutynin (Oxytrol), darifenacin, etc. Medical conditions: Certain medical conditions can directly affect the way brain functions. Some of these conditions are ? Stress and anxiety Underactive thyroid, in which the thyroid gland does not produce sufficient hormones Subarachnoid haemorrhage, that is, bleeding in the brain Vitamin B1 or thiamine deficiency Transient global amnesia in which there is a sudden episode of memory loss that cannot be recalled afterwards Brain tumour Alcohol misuse Dementia and the various types of dementia Dementia is perhaps the most severe of the memory problems that affects your daily life. It usually occurs in people who are over 65 years of age. Dementia is actually not a disease but a syndrome that consists of loss of functions involving memory, thinking speed and reasoning. Symptoms of dementia include ? Forgetting recent events Difficulty remembering names and places Asking questions repetitively Becoming confused in unfamiliar environments Difficulty planning and organizing Difficulty in verbal skills Changes in personality and mood Depression Dementia can be caused by all the above mentioned causes plus 60 different illness, but the primary and most common cause is the Alzheimer?s disease which account for 50 to 60 percent of dementia cases. I hope this helps.  

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