Bened Life - Brain Food

Neuralli Mood and Sleep: Questions Answered
When you're stressed out, sleep is often the first casualty. Yet, we need good quality sleep and enough of it. Without those precious Z’s, our mental health suffers. It’s a classic Catch-22 situation: You’re stressed so you don’t sleep, and then you grow more stressed because you aren’t sleeping. Sleep is a struggle for many of us and stress or burnout are often to blame.  As a firefighter and an EMT, I can tell you firsthand that no matter how hard I try to avoid bringing the stress from work... Read more...
Managing OFF Times In Parkinson's Disease
If you or a loved one is living with Parkinson’s disease (PD), you know that daily life can be permeated with uncertainties, including fluctuations in medication-related symptom control commonly known as OFF episodes. During these times, Parkinson’s motor and/or non-motor symptoms will return or worsen, leading to functional disability and a significant impact on quality of life. Generally, people define an OFF time as when their motor symptoms, like tremors or rigidity, re-emerge between medication doses. ON times are when symptoms are better controlled. Despite the attention paid to motor... Read more...
Exercise and Brain Health: Keeping Your Mind Fit
It may sound surprising, but physical exercise can go a long way to helping people maintain their cognitive health and brain volume as they age. Doctors have recommended regular exercise for cardiovascular health for a long time. But studies suggest that some forms of exercise may also help preserve your mental fitness, too.  The CDC recommends that most adults should aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week for best results. Incorporating muscle-strengthening activities two days a week is... Read more...
Eating a Balanced Diet for Brain Health
The right kind of healthy diet can affect a person’s brain at every stage of their life. For years, research primarily went towards the nutrients needed for developing brains in youth, but we now know that diet and your brain health are linked throughout life.  A lot of recent studies have delved into dietary approaches to stopping or slowing cognitive decline and improving brain function in people who may be facing that decline. It turns out that most of those foods benefit you at any point in your life, in... Read more...
How Does Memory Work?
Peak performance is not limited to our bodies. Our brains possess an incredible cognitive capacity to learn, grow, and drive us to our goals. Like many other consequences of the aging process, this capacity diminishes with age, especially our ability to hold on to new information and maintain optimal memory function.  Can we beat these effects of aging on the brain, especially preserving aspects of memory?  Clinical research says yes.  Studies suggest that the probiotics strains L. paracasei PS23™ and B. breve MCC1274™ in Neuralli Cognition+ can support cognitive health... Read more...
How to Recover from Burnout
Burnout can be brutal, lengthy, and difficult to recover from. It’s something over 75% of people have experienced, and over 25% feel burned out “very often” or “always” at work. But while it may be common, that doesn’t mean it’s not serious. Trying to push through burnout can be counterproductive at best, and harmful at worst.  So what does it mean to recover from burnout? And first - what is burnout, how do you recognize it, and who’s most likely to experience it? What is burnout? Burnout is a pervasive... Read more...
Autistic Burnout: Triggers, Signs, and Recovery
Autistic burnout, despite being a widely experienced phenomenon among both adult Autistics and Autistic children, is not widely documented or referenced in the medical world. There is no official diagnosis or treatment for Autistic burnout at the time this article was written. Research is also in its infancy on the topic, which can leave Autistic individuals and their families searching for answers.  I am hoping this article will provide knowledge about what Autistic burnout is and why it happens. This blog will also list three ways to begin addressing a... Read more...
Can Probiotics Benefit Brain Health?
For those of us who want to thrive in business and private life, maintaining cognitive performance and mental resilience as we age are major priorities. Research suggests that specific probiotic strains can influence brain function and overall cognitive health as the years pass. This interaction is possible because of the gut-brain axis - a bidirectional communication system between the brain and the central nervous system.   The probiotic strains B. breve MCC1274 and L. plantarum PS23 show the ability to support brain health and improve cognitive functions, including memory, in human... Read more...
Which Probiotics are Best for Parkinson's Disease?
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a well-known neurodegenerative disorder, the second most common behind Alzheimer's, affecting roughly 10 million people worldwide. While it doesn’t currently have a cure, several types of treatment exist. Are probiotics for Parkinson's patients effective? Research is promising. In recent years, researchers have begun to better understand the microbiota-gut-brain axis, the bidirectional influence between intestinal microbes and the brain. Although much research needs to be done to understand more details of this communication pathway,  emerging research in probiotics suggests that people with PD may benefit from a... Read more...
A Microbiome Researcher on Autism, Anxiety and Probiotics
Jack Gilbert, PhD, a microbiome scientist and father of an Autistic child explores research on Neuralli MP's PS 128, a probiotic strain clinically studied for reducing anxiety in autistic children. He explains how psychobiotics work through the gut-brain axis to potentially influence mental health and behavior. Dr. Gilbert emphasizes this research focuses on supporting well-being and emotional regulation, with clinical study evidence suggesting PS128 may help autistic children manage anxiety and stress-related behaviors. Dr. Gilbert is Director of the Microbiome and Metagenomics Center at UC San Diego. Disclosure: Neuralli MP... Read more...
How Sleep and Brain Health Are Connected
Whether you’re trying to stay on top of work, keeping track of friends and family goings-on, or simply doing your best to stay sharp as you get older, your cognitive health (your ability to think, learn, and remember well) is important. Many factors can affect your brain health, but one of the big ones is sleep. Brain health and sleep are deeply tied together. Your sleep hygiene, including getting enough hours of sleep, at the right times, with good sleep quality, is essential to your mental and physical health. It can... Read more...
A Microbiome Researcher on Parkinson’s and Probiotics
In this video, research scientist Jack Gilbert explores the connection between probiotics and Parkinson's disease, introducing the concept of psychobiotics - probiotics that may support brain health through the gut-brain axis.  He presents findings from a 2021 pilot study of PS128, the probiotic strain in Neuralli MP medical food, which showed promising results in 25 Parkinson's patients. He shares his personal connection to the research through his father's Parkinson's diagnosis and emphasizes that PS128 may serve as a valuable dietary management tool. Dr. Gilbert is Director of the Microbiome and... Read more...