Reprogramming Balance

It’s no fun getting old and unwell. There’s not much we can do about the ‘getting older’ bit. We haven’t figured out how to slow or stop time yet, although the Geeks in the Lab tell me they are working on it. But we can do something about the ‘unwell’ bit.

We are fortunate to live at a time when neuroscience offers us knowledge and technologies that can keep us young at heart, in mind and in body. There are new treatments and discoveries being made every day that push back the unwanted effects of aging. Some of these treatments are inexpensive and are well within our grasp or the grasp of a loved one who is ‘knocking on a bit’, as my 93-year old mother would say. We have the means to age gracefully, painlessly, joyfully.

I frequently work with Seniors who ask me to help them improve such things as their memory, their mood, their pain, their mental sharpness, the ability to recognize people’s faces, to improve their balance, to feel less fearful and insecure, and to maintain their independence.

Take balance, for example.

We never really consider how amazing it is that we can stand upright or walk until we become “wobbly on me pins”, as one 68-year old put it to me. Balance is the product of a vast number of interconnected control systems that include the inner ear, the stomach, our leg and body muscles, and most importantly our brain.

Charles had heard of Brain Reprogramming and Applied Neuroplasticity and wanted to see if it would help him feel more sure of himself when he was walking and navigating tight spaces. I taught him how to use tDCS, transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and focus it on the part of his brain involved in body movement and sensation while he practiced a number of balancing exercises, like standing on one leg for as long as possible and walking blindfolded in a straight line. This ‘drove traffic’ through the area affected by the disequilibrium and gave the relevant portion of his brain more ‘plasticity’, which you might think of as a boost of extra intelligence. The exercises and the tDCS montages soon rehabilitated his balance and he found he was much more confident and less wobbly when walking.

Sound Familiar?
Change your brain ~ Change your life