Friday, January 16, 2015

Review of Lumosity Brian Games and Brain Training


In this day and age of mental shortcuts and gadgets that do everything for us it is important to keep the brain fit. Studies have shown that regular mental exercise greatly reduces the risk of age related brain deterioration such as Alzheimer's disease and because of this a large market has surfaced to offer "brain training". Brain Age on the Nintendo DS was one of the early modern brain exercising video games but things have come a long way since then. Lumosity is a new web oriented series of brain training games that target specific areas of cognitive tasks.

Lumosity has taken scientifically tried and true exercises and has developed them into genuinely fun games. One plays 5 games a day which comes out to 15 minutes a day, 3 to 5 times a week. Just this short amount of time dedicated to keeping your brain sharp will have definite results. You get better and better at the games and they get harder and harder. New games are always being developed which is good because after a while I found I could master some of the games. Having new ones to try keeps you on your toes and encourages the brain to work better. My favorite game so far is the penguin maze game which pits you against a computer operated penguin to reach the end of the maze first, each time the maze getting longer and the other penguin getting faster.

Mental arithmetic has always been a challenge for me but I can wholeheartedly say that since playing the Lumosity games for a few months now I can much more easily calculate tips and everyday mental math.

Lumosity shows you how your brain compares with others of your age group and what areas you excel in and those you need to exercise more. A very detailed personalized program is developed for you with lots of eye pleasing graphs and easy to read results. This sleek design definitely makes it fun to keep coming back and I personally never struggled to keep it up every week.

Lumosity is available on computers, tablets, and smart phones so it is easy to access wherever you are. Certain games are available for free but for full access to all the games and training programs (which I recommend) is priced at $14.95 a month or $6.95 a month if you do a whole year. Family packages and lifetime memberships are also available. Try the free games first then decide for yourself.

Pros :
  •          Loaded with fun interactive brain training games
  •          Personalized and sleek design
  •          Keeps your mind sharp
  •          Fairly priced
  •         Better and more fun than similar products
  •         Multiplatform so you can train anywhere! 
  •     You can skip games that you might find boring.




Cons :
  • Sometimes the games have failed to start with certain browsers and this impairs your score for that session. It can be irritating to have to restart the game to correct this.
  • Some of the games are tedious. 
Check it out at www.lumosity.com

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Tropical Traditions Coconut Concentrate

Coconut products are becoming more and more popular because of their delicious flavor and health benefits. Tropical Traditions Coconut Concentrate is an organic coconut cream that has a very rich taste and a variety of uses. It is made of 100 per cent coconut unlike many commercial tinned brands which often add water and additives to prevent the coconut oil from separating from the water.

Very addictive and with an ultra-creamy taste, this concoction can be mixed with water or juice, added to curries, ice cream, soups, and it can be eaten on its own spread on toast. Slightly sweet I find it very hard to put down and often go back to it many times in an evening for just another spoonful. Anything you can use butter for save frying foods you can use this coconut cream, baking included. My favorite way to use it is in my morning coffee as a creamer. It is so creamy no milk needs to be added and it adds a subtle coconut tinge. I once found myself choking on the creamy delicacy because of overdoing it on too many slices of toast, it dried my mouth out in a similar way to peanut butter so best to have with a glass of milk if had on dry toast or crackers!

Coconuts are full of healthy fats that the body can use easily as a good clean energy. Weight loss effects, heart health, anti bacterial, antifungal, and improved brain function are all well documented benefits of the humble coconut.

Pros:
·         Delicious taste
·         Wide variety of uses
·         Great non-dairy substitute for butter
·         One jar goes far
      Effective dieting

  Cons:
·         Some may consider it a bit pricey but in my opinion worth it as is the best coconut cream I have been able to find.


Where to buy:
 Tropical Traditions has an awesome online store front.
The Ionlife Zapper Z4e is a small battery powered little black box which sends specific frequencies to two copper rods that the user holds in their hands to rid the body of parasites, prevent inflammation, stave off sickness and infection and more. Zappers like these were first brought about by Dr Hulda Clark, who theorized that almost all of the illnesses and weaknesses we encounter in our daily lives stem from parasitic organisms poisoning us.

According to the Ionlife website the average adult has 2-3 pounds of parasites in their body and as I am sure as many of those who have suffered with these wriggly worms know that they are easily taken care of with a pill from the pharmacist, but I prefer as I'm sure many of you do to fix the problem without nuking my gut. This device can be used as a routine preventative medicine.
Someone in my house was coming down with the flu and we were feeling the beginnings of the virus. After using the zapper each day we manage to fight off the illness. The zapper is a great tool that can be used to keep the body healthy by nipping problems in the bud.

There are three different frequencies on the Zapper Z4e: 30Hz, 2.5Hz, and 15 Hz. You must zap at least three times in one session in order to ensure that all the parasites die along with the eggs and viruses that they leave behind when they perish. Any of the three settings will be effective for treatment but they also have other varied uses if you want to delve deeper into it. A mild to surprisingly strong tingling sensation may pulse into your hands, I felt the sensation to be quite relaxing. You zap for seven minutes and then you rest for 20 minutes and repeat twice. Make sure you drink plenty of water while using the Zapper.

Many people, myself included, who use this product may feel the effects of a Herxheimer reaction (the process in which the toxins produced from the dying parasites cause the body to feel depleted). I used the zapper to eliminate a severe infection in my jaw. Although the zapper was effective in combatting the infection, I had to stop using it because of the severity of the Herxheimer effect. Hydrating properly can minimize the severity of the tiredness but I found myself feeling quite exhausted despite hydrating properly. My advice on this is if you have a heavy infection and are sensitive to a Herxheimer reaction then you may want to consider something else or use it sparingly.

There is a much higher quality of build in this zapping model than others I have found on the market that tend to fall apart more easily. The copper is smooth and shiny and has no sharp edges.
Tip: Soak two paper towels in water with sea salt added in and wrap them around the copper rods to increase conductivity. 


Pros:     
  •   High quality, fairly priced zapper
  •   Amazing tool to fight off infections before they develop further
  •  Parasitic cleanser
  • Can be used daily
  • Can be used for meditation
Cons:
  •   For those sensitive to a Herxheimer effect, the zapper can be quite draining.
Where to buy:
Online