Dr. Mike Roizen Gives Advice On Your Sense of Smell and Adapting to Stress

It was an ordinary day.  Reading an article in my morning newspaper about enhancing your sense of smell -- and protecting your health.  Article began with....Wake up and smell the roses - or lavender, or any of a bouquet of scents!  A new study shows that a decline in or loss of your sense of smell can be linked to inflammation and any of 139 medical conditions, from Alzheimer's disease to depression, sexual dysfunction, restless leg syndrome and Zika/Guillain-Barre syndrome.  But other studies show that providing yourself with an enriched exposure to various odors can help protect your memory and actually encourage you to be more physically active and adventurous.  It can also show the progression of dementia.  Researchers from University of California, Irvine found that when folks ages 60 to 85 were exposed to a different pleasing smell (rose, orange, eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint, rosemary and lavender) for two hours a night for a week, their memory, language skills and emotional well-being improved 226%.  Another study found that being exposed to four scents twice a day for five months boosted verbal skills and reduced depression.  That's because when your brain registers an aroma, it affects your blood pressure, emotions and memory.  Using aromatherapy for a couple of hours a night may raise your spirits, sharpen your wits, and make the room smell great.  But talk to your doctor first if you have allergies, asthma, are pregnant or have high blood pressure.  For information on how to give it a try, check out Dr. Mike's favorite site for aromatherapy, aeroscena.com.  And explore these articles:  "Essential Oils for Instant Focus" and "Top 13 Essential Oils and How They Can Benefit Your Health" at iHerb.com/blog.  A second article that was posted by Dr. Roizen is titled "How are you Adapting to Stress?"  Began with...folks are feeling a lot of stress these days.  Learning how to adapt to it so it doesn't trigger anxiety, chronic fatigue and inflammation associated with heart disease, cancer and dementia, has never been more important.  Well, here's the good news.   It's adaptogens to the rescue!  According to the Cleveland Clinic, adaptogens are plants and mushrooms that are consumed in foods and beverages or as tinctures (liquid from concentrated herbs soaked in alcohol) that help you respond to stress, anxiety, and fatigue and promote your overall well-being.  Foods that provide adaptogens include cordyceps and reishi mushrooms.  Introduce them slowly into your diet, observing how you react.  Some common adaptogens herbs and roots that are used as tinctures as well as teas and in pill form include ashwanandha, ginseng (both American and Asian), eleuthero, rhodiola, reishi, Tulsi ("holy basil"), curcumin  (found in turmeric) and schisandra.  Ashwagandha regulates metabolism and calms how your brain reacts to stress.  American ginseng soothes inflammation and may reset dopamine levels.  Asian ginseng improves performance under stress. Other adaptogens offer a range of benefits, including relief from depression and fatigue and modulation of your immune system.  Always check with your doctor about possible interactions with medications you take or chronic conditions you may have (especially autoimmune ones) and ask about safe dosing.  Discover other stress busters, like your posse, a sense of purpose, meditation and 11 other techniques in the free newsletter at LongevityPlaybook.com.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.