2 Weeks To A Younger Brain: An Innovative Program for a Better Memory and Sharper Mind

by Gary Small, Gigi Vorgan

Misplacing your keys, forgetting someone’s name at a party, or coming home from the market without the most important item — these are just some of the many common memory slips we all experience from time to time. But such cognitive lapses don’t just plague middle-agers and seniors; UCLA studies indicate that forgetfulness begins much earlier in life. Scientists can detect subtle changes in the brain that coincide with mental decline by the time we reach age 40, and our findings show that people as young as 20 already have memory problems.

Dr. Gary Small and Gigi Vorgan’s 2 Weeks To A Younger Brain translates the latest brain science into practical strategies and exercises that yield quick and long- lasting benefits. It will not only improve your memory, but will also strengthen your physical health by reducing your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. The latest research confirms that there is a lot we can do to boost our memory and keep our brains young. After three decades of helping thousands of patients improve their memory and mental acuity, Dr. Small and Gorgan are convinced that our daily lifestyle habits are directly linked to our brain health. This book will show that it only takes two weeks to form new habits that bolster cognitive abilities and help stave off, or even reverse, brain aging.

If you commit only 14 days to 2 Weeks To A Younger Brain, you will reap noticeable results. During that brief period, you will have learned the secrets to keeping your brain young for the rest of your life.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Psychology, Health, Science

301 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 14, 2015

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basic ,serviceable information on how to improve brain function and ge real health. Easy to read and simple to do.

[Rena Hereti Lyons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most people of my age, old age dementia and senility worry me as I have seen the devastating effect this has on all those around who have to deal with it. This was what prompted me to order this book.
This was more an analysis on how the brain works and what the latest research shows, than a practical manual on how to train your brain. It gave some tips on how to remember things, though basically in regards on how to remember where you left your keys, spectacles etc., the advice is simply to find one place to always place them and make a habit of it. Most of the advice is just plain common sense and only after one has gone through one third of the book do the actual training exercises begin.
Most of these at 69 I have been doing for sometime like Sudoku, Crossword Puzzles, Jigsaw Puzzles, Scrabble and other word games. One or two old games are suggested like the tray with objects and naming them afterwards as well as looking at pictures and trying later to remember details. Once you get into the habit of observation this is quite easy.
The exercises get progressively more difficult and the helpful suggestions more predictable, like
more sleep, healthier life-style choices, staying sociable, learning new things like a new language,
staying active and exercising regularly.
Admittedly, I did get a couple of tips, which I try to practice regularly hoping to stave off senility and I must try to get back into meditating, something I have not done in years. I think it probably clears the brain the cleanest way, of all the useless information we feed it everyday.

[William Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn't bad per se, but it wasn't anything that I hadn't read before. It is an amalgamation of all of the brain science that I had heard over the years of paying attention to things. Exercise, de-stressing, and other things that can affect your brain and how it operates is covered between the covers of this volume. It gives little tips, talks about games that you can play and other such things. It reminds me of that one DS Game wherein you play memory games and stuff. If it had some kind of computer program to go along with it, it might be better, but as it is, you do it once, and won't be challenged anymore.

Aside from those issues I had with it, it is written for the layperson, so it is technically pop-sci or pop-psych. So it is good for a beginner or someone new to brain science, but if you are a cognitive neuroscientist, or someone that knows a little bit about the brain, you might not learn anything new. At the end of the book is a program to follow for improving your brain health. It goes by days and it is pretty well documented. However, I never have the patience to follow stuff like that.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very affirming book which is full of good ideas. Best of all it actually has a plan to improve areas that could be of concern as we age. Now I know that habits I have used over 78 years have served me well and have some new areas to work on.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

some clever ways of extending my memory. I still remember several of the unmatched words and the stories I made up to remember the 8-10 words. Interesting suggestion for remembering phone numbers. Includes 2 week to a younger brain program with morning physical fitness and brain training, afternoon stress management and brain training followed by evening physical fitness and brain training for each of the 14 days. Also included suggested nutritional menu for breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner. Some suggested websites for more free brain-building games, puzzles. I will check those out during the next several months of apparent lock down as we lower the curve for this Pandemic. Then comes very extensive 57 page bibliography followed by 15 page index. Enjoyed the book very much. Now to see if my brain is younger. Did I remember enough of Small's suggestions.

[Gökhan Can · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gary Small gündemi takip eden bir psikiyatr. 2015'te yayınlanmış bu kitabında yayin tarihinden önceki özellikle son10 yılı kapsayan güncel araştırmalar ve makalelerden bolca örnekler ve güncel bilgiler içeriyor. Klinik uygulamasından "2 haftada daha genç beyin" çalışmalarını kitabin son bölümünde görebilirsiniz. 40 yaş sonrası el altında tutulabilecek ve zaman zaman bölümler halinde bakilabilecek beyin sağlığı için küçük bir referans kitabi.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t decide between a 1 or a 2 star for this book. I gave it a 2 because I guess it’s good information if you’ve never ever read any health book or have zero knowledge on improving health period. But the real life examples it gave involving people were over the top and ridiculous, and the information far too simplistic to be realistic in use.

[Franz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information based on up-to-date research. Written to be easily understood.

[Milton Louie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exercises for the brain and body. Advise on staying healthy. B

[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew most of this information already but well presented.

[Pavel V]

Good!

[Metin Tiryaki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Daha çok kişisel gelişim tadında bir kitap. 20 li yaşlar için faydalı olabilir ama bilinen çoğu şeyin tekrarı. Sağlıklı beslenme, uyku, sporun faydalarını anlatıyor, bilmeyen kaldıysa…

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most people in their mid-40s, memory & reasoning skills decline by more than 3% per decade. By the mid-60s, that aging process accelerates to greater than 7% each decade. UCLA research shows that when 1 identical twin lives a healthier lifestyle (exercise, eats healthy, & doesn't smoke), that twin has better memory abilities, higher scores on neuropsychological test, & a larger brain.

Recent studies indicate that when we listen to music we enjoy, it improves both our mood & our memory. Music activates the brain's dopamine reward system as well as its emotional control center, the amygdala. A 10-minute conversation increases mental acuity. Stress, anxiety, & fear can aggravate a variety of physical illnesses, including asthma, heart disease, ulcerative colitis, & hypertension.

Advances in medical technology have extended the average life expectancy in the US & other developed countries from 46 years for one born in 1900 to 78 years for one born today. Many scientists now estimate that the average human life span may eventually approach 120 years. Unless memories have special meaning to us, our brains seldom store them for more than a brief time. Some recall all details of past experience.

Scientific evidence suggest that chronic elevations of stress hormones damage brain cells, impair memory, increase the risk for Alzheimer's disease, & shorten life expectancy. People who suffer from excess stress are more likely to develop heart disease, high blood pressure, & diabetes. Elevated blood pressure can lead to small strokes in the brain & people with diabetes are 2 times likely to get Alzheimer's disease.

When people get stressed out, they often become distracted & don't focus their attention on learning new information. Those distractions also make it difficult to retrieve past memories. Chronic stress can have even more profound effects not just on memory but on the risk of developing dementia. Anxious people are more likely to smoke & have high blood pressure-2 more explanations for why anxiety is linked to stoke.

@ least 1.7 million traumatic brain injuries occur every year. Studies found that a traumatic brain injury early in life increases the risk for dementia in later life from 2 fold to 4 fold when compared to the general population.

Drinking 1 to 3 cups of coffee a day has been linked to a 65% lower risk for developing Alzheimer's & Parkinson's disease. A cup brewed cup of coffee contains 100 to 200 milligrams of caffeine compared to only about 40 milligrams in a cup of tea. Light drinkers have about a 30% lower risk for dementia when compared to alcohol abstainers or those who drink to excess.

Less stress & less cortisol can lower our risk for Alzheimer's, heart disease, & diabetes-all conditions that threaten our mind health. When we are more connected to others, we feel better & actually live longer, Researchers @ Harvard University found that spending time with family & friends increases the # of years we can expect to live.

Humor helps the brain stay young by lowering stress. Laughing also blunts hunger stimuli & helps people control emotional eating, which can lead to weight gain.

Untreated, high cholesterol, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, & other age-related medical illnesses can threaten brain health through cerebrovascular damage or injury to the brain's supporting blood vessels. leading to TIAs/stokes Valium & other anti-anxiety drugs do calm people down & help them with insomnia, these meds can accumulate in the body & impair memory-especially older individuals.

Sunlight & milk products provide vitamin D, but many people spend too much time indoors & are deficient in this vitamin. Low vitamin D levels are associated with cognitive decline.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of ran the gamut of things to do to take care of not just your mind but your entire body. But I did like how there was an actual 2 week program at the end of the book. Yet to try it, but we shall see. Good advice, but no huge surprises. And the anecdotal stories were a bit cheesy.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read most of this information before. I enjoyed some of the variety of brain games that were introduced. The part I was really looking forward to, the daily brain training, actually seemed pretty lame. Too bad. I'm glad this was a library book and I didn't waste my money on it.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting research and an easy read with some techniques to help one's memory.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has the steps to a younger brain. It was fun to read with examples and suggestions of ways to improve your brain.