This email is sent to those who subscribe to DISA NEWS, the news letter from the Dementia Improvement Support Association of Japan.
We distribute the new letter on the 4th of each month to all the subscribers for delivering valuable information, aiming to achieve zero dementia patients in the world.
Contents
〇 To all of those suffering the Typhoon No.19
〇 Fear of “smartphone dementia” or “digital dementia”
〇 Stop multitasking, and let your mind drift
〇 Brain fatigue
〇 To all of those suffering the Typhoon No.19
We would like to offer our condolences to those affected by the damage of the Typhoon No.19.
The typhoon caused huge damages in many areas, with flood and blackout still going on in some parts.
We offer sincere prayers for those suffering from the damage, strongly hoping for rapid recovery.
The Typhoon No.19 (Hagibis, named by the Philippines, meaning “speed” in Tagalog) reached Japan on October 12
after arising in east in the Pacific Ocean off the Mariana Islands on 3:00 of October 6.
Many areas in Kanto, Koshin and Tohoku region had severe damages by the record breaking rainfall,
such as 942.5mm in 24 hours and exceeding 1,000mm from the beginning in Hakone, Kanagawa.
As of 11:00 of October 22, 82 people were killed, 11 are missing, 376 are severely injured and 32 have minor injuries.
Such abrupt changes can be the risk for those who have cognitive dysfunction to suffer boost of the progress.
Family members and others are expected to deal with it with good understanding of the symptoms.
Do not hesitate to contact us if you should need us for your worries or troubles.
〇 Fear of “smartphone dementia” or “digital dementia”
WHO decided to include “gaming disorder”, a pattern of gaming behavior characterized by impaired control over gaming
that disrupt daily activities, in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD),
the statistical standard covering names and symptoms of various diseases.
“Gaming disorder” was defined as a mental problem similar to “gambling disorder” in the context of growing concerns on gaming addiction by widespread use of smartphones.
The revised ICD will come into force on January 2022, under an expectation to help the study of therapy or survey of the patient population.
One day, a Japanese man in his 60’s who has just retired his job in a major company noticed he has a symptom like early onset dementia.
He forgets a family member’s name, or a TV program that he watched a night before.
At a counseling he was found to be addicted to the internet, searching something or watching movies by smartphone almost all day long.
He didn’t have his brain recovered enough from the weariness and finally began to show depression symptoms.
A neurosurgeon says despite the intelligence and openness to modern technology,
this man’s brain couldn’t deal with the information such as texts and movies endlessly coming from his smartphone, and caused “brain weariness”.
It slides into “brain overwork” or “brain overflow”, potentially responsible for onset of dementia.
Actually, an “overworked” brain showed a tendency of having poor bloodstream in the frontal robe.
The frontal robe is responsible for thinking, motivation, feelings, personality, reason and so on.
Declined blood flow makes those functions inert, which triggers not only forgetfulness but impairment of controlling one’s feelings.
In addition to the brain weariness,
hearing loss is also caused by smartphones and said to responsible for onset of dementia.
On February 2, 2019, WHO announced to have develop a mechanism to avoid the risk for hearing loss in partnership with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU),
stressing about a half of young people is now at risk of hearing loss due to use of smartphones or portable audio players.
〇 Stop multitasking, and let your mind drift
Despite the supports by many caregiving professionals in Japan to recommendation of multi-tasking as a preventive activity for dementia, it imposes substantial stress to the brain.
The brain can be easily strained by viewing multiple websites at a time or writing while listening to the music.
Keeping yourself concentrated on multiple things is so difficult that focusing on just one thing at one time produces better result.
In fact, multi-tasking of the brain is not really a parallel processing but switching one task to another, which accumulate more fatigue.
Against your good intention to keep the brain fresh, this habit can unknowingly make your head more tired and overworking.
Sometimes you may need to put your digital devices away, and enjoy the feel of the nature and let your mind drift, quitting doing something all the time.
Our research advisor Prof. Mori says “those who often let the minds drift are less likely to have dementia”.
〇 Brain fatigue
Brain fatigue is the state where both body and mind are negatively affected by accumulated fatigue in the brain.
It has similar symptoms to early manifestation of dementia, such as decline of memory, concentration, working capacity, understanding and judging speed, or change of personality.
· How does brain overwork arise?
There are three steps in the information process by the brain: input, organizing and output.
Too much input beyond the capability makes the whole process stuck, and the brain is trapped in a state with some dysfunctions, that is called brain overwork.
· What is the relationship between smartphones and brain’s processing capability?
1. Input
Most information comes through the eyes.
Unlike a book, which simply shows texts, a smartphone has complex information such as lights or colors of the screen, movies for advertisement etc., making a user to choose a link.
That is why the brain’s processing capacity easily hits the limit.
2. Organizing
Endless inflow of information exceeding the organizing limit clutters the brain.
Your head eventually becomes like a hoarding house.
3. Output
Consequently, you become unable to find and pick up the information you want, and then you can’t recall characters or names, or fall into speechless in a conversation, not knowing what to say.
※ Checklist for Brain Fatigue
1. Rarely sleep well
2. Became forgetful in the past few years
3. Often get irritated
4. Feel less motivation or interest
5. Became inefficient in job or domestic duties
If you have 3 or more symptoms applicable, there’s a probability of Brain Fatigue.
· Recover the brain and avoid the risk for dementia
1. Relax and do nothing!
Take time for doing nothing, and the brain will be reorganized and recover from the weariness.
Let your mind drift and prevent your head to be like a hoarding house.
2. Get simple rhythmic exercise!
Get some simple or rhythmic exercise, such as washing dishes or stepping in a room, and a neurotransmitter serotonin will be secreted and ameliorate brain weariness.
· Caution! How smartphones cause brain weariness
1. Is it a purposeful use?
Using a smartphone without any purpose, just because of being at a loose end means letting a digital device take your time to relax away.
It makes your brain tired.
2. Stop using a smartphone while doing something else
Quit using a smartphone in a bathroom or on a street while walking.
Doing something while doing another stresses your brain.
Especially, use with TV or PC can damage your nerve cells, because it is too stressful with explosively increased information inflow.
Smartphones are essential in modern life, but don’t be dependent, and find a way to get along with it.
〇 Press coverage by a Pulitzer Center special correspondent
In July, a special Pulitzer Center correspondent from the United States visited our association.
The coverage is distributed all over the world.
Please look at this page.
→ https://bit.ly/2NGyaYF
Our association has conducted physiological researches to prove cognitive functions can be recovered, as well as offering a wide range of awareness campaigns.
One particular approach is providing a reishi supplement for continual ingestion to ameliorate dementia’s peripheral symptoms and stop microcirculation’s decline responsible for dementia and lifestyle-related diseases.
Some customers who had peripheral symptoms as violent behaviors are reported to become gentle and peaceful after taking Kouka.
Another person, who had been suffering from depression, began to go out and perform farm chores, and still another recovered well enough to go overseas to meet an old friend.
We also have a very positive feedback from a person whose mother had been suffering from auditory and visual hallucinations, saying that those symptoms disappeared and now she and her family have peaceful days.
Smiles in families are our joy and drive.
Our hope in 2019 is to see a community achieve zero dementia by recovering cognitive functions.
We believe taking reishi in proper manner is crucial for normalizing microcirculation, which highly contributes to the recovery.
We hope this information reaches as many people as possible to stop tragedies such as caregiver murders or fatal accidents by the elderly.
We deliver further information at the official website, so please check it out.
We distribute valuable information on the 4th of each month to the world for reducing suffer of dementia. We welcome your feedback.
You can purchase the high quality reishi supplement Kouka effective for improving cognitive functions at Dis Shop.
