As a first responder, I’ve attended many emergency situations, including car wrecks, submerged vehicles and house fires. Our team of firefighters and emergency medical technicians prepare to meet all kinds of emergencies so we know what to do and can respond quickly when we arrive on the scene. Being prepared can mean the difference between life and death. 

 

In a similar way, our brains face a battle situation and all kinds of emergencies everyday. We need to prepare for that. What resources do we need to be knowledgeable about and use to fight this battle?

 

Epigenetics is the study of how our behaviours affect our genetic expression. What we eat, where we live, how we react, when we sleep, if we exercise can trigger changes in our DNA that can turn genes on or off. 

 

Epigenetics has identified the eight laws of health that are represented by STRENGTH: Sunlight, Temperance, Rest, Exercise, Nutrition, Good air, Trust in God, and Hydration. Good health is dependent upon adequate amounts of high quality inputs in each of these areas. Choosing a lifestyle that incorporates these principles will support optimal health. The bottom line is, we need to make wise lifestyle decisions because these decisions can affect our DNA.

 

People say, “I’m genetically predisposed to this disease. My mother had it, my grandmother had it, and now I have it. There’s nothing I can do about it.” There is something you can do. Do what they weren’t doing. Don’t do what they were doing.

 

The lifestyle principles represented by STRENGTH are the weapons we’ve been given to use in meeting the challenges of life. Learning how to use these weapons can improve your mental health and support optimal brain function so you can successfully overcome the challenges of life.

 

Sunlight

Here’s a problem for people in the northern hemisphere: It’s harder to get enough sunlight exposure on the skin to produce enough vitamin D and that can affect how the brain functions.

 

In a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vitamin D expert Michael Holick said, “Vitamin D deficiency is now recognized as a pandemic. The major cause of vitamin D deficiency is the lack of appreciation that sun exposure in moderation is the major source of vitamin D for most humans.”¹

 

Were people created to work in offices or factories or sit inside and play computer games? God created human beings to work outside. Being outside all day gives you enough vitamin D.

 

A lady came to me to find out what foods were high in calcium because her doctor had told her she had to avoid them. She had high blood calcium. I looked at her lab results and saw her vitamin D level was 7. Why was her calcium high? She didn’t have enough vitamin D to pull it out of the blood and put it in the bone. 

 

A University of Manchester study found that people with lower vitamin D levels had slower cognitive processing speed. Vitamin D deficiencies increase the brain’s degenerative processes also. And studies have found that those deficient in vitamin D are more likely to have cognitive impairment. People wonder why they can’t think clearly. Vitamin D deficiency is a major health concern.

 

Image via Unsplash.

 

If you don’t know your vitamin D level, go get it checked. Plenty of physicians say that it needs to be at least 50 ng/ml to do the minimum and many doctors want to see levels of between 80 and 100 ng/ml. Find out what your vitamin D is. It’s very important for brain function.

 

Sunlight is also important for serotonin production. Serotonin helps regulate mood and social behaviour, appetite and digestion, sleep, memory and depression. Symptoms of serotonin deficiency include poor memory, low mood, difficulty sleeping, low self-esteem, anxiety, and aggression.

 

As the sunlight comes into your eyes, it stimulates the pineal gland to convert the tryptophan from the flax seed you ate at breakfast into serotonin. You need flax seed. You need sunshine to come into your eyes. A lot of people always wear sunglasses when they’re outside. That’s going to mess this conversion process up.

 

There’s a country in Africa whose army got Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). They had implemented a new uniform policy, requiring personnel to wear sunglasses. When they realized what had happened, they took the sunglasses away and the soldiers didn’t have SAD anymore.

 

 

Temperance

Temperance goes beyond saying no to alcohol, drugs and tobacco. Other things like music and media also affect brain function.

 

My dad once tried to figure out how to get more milk out of the cows and he experimented with music. When Dad played Elvis, we got less milk. The cows didn’t do too well on country music, either. What worked the best was elevator music – classical music. It calmed the cows and we got more milk. Music can make a difference in how well your brain works.

 

Be careful what you watch on TV. Gaming also has a huge effect on how the brain works. Social media is affecting so many of our youth and adults with depression and lowered brain function. 

 

 

Rest

When we’re tired, our brain works harder and accomplishes less. It’s more difficult to strain out the unimportant information from what needs our attention.

 

It’s important to get seven hours of sleep each night, but no more than nine hours because more than nine hours of sleep is linked to earlier death. Aside from needed rest, sleep provides the brain with time to sort and store information in long-term memory.

 

Image via Unsplash.

 

If we don’t get enough sleep we can’t deal with Satan’s distractions as well. With adequate sleep, it’s easier to make better decisions and resist temptations.

 

 

Exercise

The World Health Organization (WHO) is asking every physician in the world to prescribe exercise because they could save four million lives per year. And exercise is important to brain health, too.

 

Physical activity is the best medicine to maintain brain health over your lifetime. And it comes with no side effects and no expense. Exercise improves the structure, function and connectivity of your brain. It increases blood flow, encourages growth of new neurons and brings nourishment to the brain. 

 

People who regularly perform aerobic exercise have higher scores on neuropsychological tests that measure functions such as attention, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, working memory, declarative memory, spatial memory and information processing speed.²

 

Have you ever tried to think of something and you just can’t remember it? Your brain’s a little slow in processing. Try exercise to increase that processing speed.

 

 

Nutrition

The nutrients you get from the food you eat is like fuel you put in your car to make it run. What is the fuel you’re putting in your brain?

 

The brain is the organ and instrument of the mind, and it is the control center for  the whole body. In order for the other parts of the system to be healthy, the brain must be healthy. And in order for the brain to be healthy, the blood must be pure. We can keep the blood pure by adopting healthy lifestyle habits. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

 

God cares about our mental and physical health. Did you know that the Bible addresses what we should eat? You can’t afford to put the wrong fuel into your body because it will affect your brain. It will affect how you think and also your ability to discern God’s will for you. Our brain doesn’t ever rest. It is always on and it requires premium fuel. Twinkies and doughnuts do not qualify as premium fuel. You might say, “I’m a plant-based vegan.” Plant-based can do Fruit Loops and Oreos. But they’re not whole foods.

 

In the South, there was always dessert for dinner and for supper, sometimes even for breakfast. Grandmothers were the best pie makers, the best cake makers. We ate so much dessert when I was a kid. It was just part of our lifestyle. But refined foods cause inflammation, which is a huge problem these days. And studies have shown that a diet high in refined sugars leads to impaired brain function.

 

Think of those big, old steam engines that pulled the trains many years ago. What would happen if the fireman didn’t put coal in the hopper, but put toilet paper or newspapers instead? A steam engine would have trouble pulling freight if it had poor fuel to burn. The fuel that you put in you determines how well you run. What’s the difference between “empty calories” and “nutrient-dense food”? It makes a huge difference which you put in.

 

A lady came to me who was 400 pounds. She had diabetes, some cardiac issues and she wanted to lose weight. So I encouraged her to take a rest from solid food and instead of eating, to drink  16 ounces of freshly made fruit or vegetable juice at breakfast, dinner and supper. But I wasn’t sure that would be enough for her. So I said, “If you need another glassful, go ahead.” She came in the next day and said, “Walt, do I have to drink all three of those?” I said, “No. You can drink two if you want to, at breakfast and dinner and that could be it.” The next day she came in and said, “That works!” 

 

Why did it work for her? The juice  was nutrient-dense. It wasn’t empty calories, like what’s in Fruit Loops, doughnuts, pizza, chips and soft drinks. 

 

Here’s good fuel for the brain:

 

• Avocados – maybe the best brain food
• Beets
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Celery
• Green, leafy vegetables
• Rosemary
• Turmeric
• Potatoes
• Asparagus
• Walnuts 

 

Good air

Air pollution negatively affects brain health. It increases brain inflammation and slows nerve conduction speed. Air pollution reduces the ability of the brain to plan and remember. It also increases behavioural problems and crime rates.

 

Adequate oxygen improves the brain’s ability to function, gives clarity to the mind, improves concentration, improves the ability to learn, promotes restful sleep and produces a sense of well-being by increasing serotonin levels. It’s important to breathe deeply of clean, fresh air.

 

 

Trust in God

There’s a move in the US to display signs that say, “In God We Trust.” It’s in schools, on police cars and fire trucks. But most importantly, it needs to be written in our hearts. Do you trust God?

 

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5

 

 

If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee. Exodus 15:26 

 

God’s promise here is conditional. If you do these four things, He will not put these diseases on you. Did you know that the eight laws of health (STRENGTH) are in the Bible? The STRENGTH principles of health are referred to in the “statutes.”

 

In life, there are controllables and non-controllables. Things you can’t control include stressors. Give your stress to God. Tell Him, “God, I can’t handle this. Will you please take it?” Then when Satan comes to you tempting you to stress over something, you can say, “That’s not mine.”

 

The things that you can control, take God’s hand and do them. Give the non-controllables to God and leave them with Him. Trust Him. This is huge. So many sicknesses are a result of worrying over non-controllables. It doesn’t mean you quit praying about them. But you quit trying to control the outcome.

 

 

Image via Unsplash.

 

Hydration

The brain is sensitive to dehydration. When you’re dehydrated, it’s more difficult to keep your attention focused; short term memory and long-term memory recall are also impaired. Even mild dehydration may affect your mood, energy levels and your ability to concentrate. As little as a 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory and cause you trouble with basic math.

 

Adequate hydration is important because there must be enough water available to carry vital elements, oxygen and hormones to all parts of the body, including the brain. Water in the blood is the train car that carries nutrients to the body.

 

We’ve got to have enough water. It’s critical. We should be drinking around eight glasses (two litres or quarts) a day.

 

Does life sometimes feel like it’s full of conflict and you’re caught in the middle? In fact, the Bible tells us that we are at the center of a war between God and Satan. Are you strengthening yourself for that war? You’ve got to be ready. 

 

 

If you want to stand on God’s side and be strong enough to handle life’s challenges and the devil’s temptations, you need your brain to be healthy and working efficiently. Apply these eight laws of health that God has given us. Science has proven them. They’re powerful. 

 

Walt Cross is an emergency responder and health educator.