Health Blog


…light the corners of my mind…

This long weekend I visited my grandmother in Quebec. Her birthday is coming up later this month and she’ll be 96! Just imagine how different the world was when she was born in 1916!

One of the things that has always amazed me about my Grandma is her astonishing ability to remember people. She will remember their faces from way back when. She will remember their full names, often including the middle name! She will remember who is related to whom. She will remember how she knows them and so many other details of events that included those people. And the numbers of names that I hear her speak of amazes me.

In this day of electronic devices that store names, important dates, phone numbers, email addresses, and so forth, I often feel like my brain is no longer stored in my head, particularly when it comes to remembering things like this. In fact, I don’t even think I can recall my sister’s home phone number without pulling out my iPhone. Sad.

My grandmother is as sharp as a tack and I do believe that part of the reason why is that she has always made it a point to remember things, especially when it comes to the people around her.

The common saying, “Use it or lose it,” is true of so many things, including memory. My Grandma has inspired me to exercise my memory; to stretch my memory daily to recall facts that might otherwise require me to grab my phone.

Other things that are helpful to keep your brain healthy include getting enough essential fatty acids (EFAs), emphasizing the omega 3s from fatty fish, flax seed oil, chia seeds, and nuts and other seeds. Sufficient sleep, exercise, meditation, proper nutrition, some herbals, and acupuncture have been shown to strengthen the brain as well.

The other piece of my grandmother’s amazing memory is that she has always made the people around her feel important because they are important to her. Just one of the valuable lessons I have learned from my incredible Grandma. Something I won’t forget!

Comments (2)

  1. Thanks for honouring grandma. Another very important piece of reserach information is that the brain’s ability to function and maintain memory is built upon amount of “use” while you are younger. Therefore, exercising the brain absolutely is essential now, so that retention and resilience of the brain last longer.
    Marcia Carr (RN,BN,MS,GNC(C),NCA)Clinical Nurse SpecialistFraser Health – Medicine Program

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