Mind and Modernity

An article in the Los Angeles Times today really got my attention. I am a supporter of “Lifestyle Medicine” and I saw this article that discussed how air pollution, Western Diet and digital screens may influence how are brains work. Do you think? To me, that is obvious. It seems researchers are exploring how all kinds of 21st century conveniences are changing the way our brains work. For better and for worse. Environmental pollutants — such as car emissions, as well as pesticides among people in farming communities — could also be affecting brain health, some studies suggest. But researchers’ understanding of how they do so, and how significant the effects, is incomplete.  Exposure builds up over decades, these pollutants might contribute to cognitive decline as more and more of us live longer. What I do know is that STRESS is one of the biggest ways we can damage our brain and risk early cognitive decline. The stress hormone, cortisol, tends to suppress the brain’s ability to engage in systematic thought.