health

by Nina Sun Behind Clouds by Melina Meza One of the worst fears I think we all share about getting older is of developing dementia. Just recently I had a long phone conversation with a woman who is trying to deal with a mother in the early stages of Alzheimer�s Disease, and it was just so sad. I had some advice for her, but no solutions, of course. Then I heard a news piece on NPR �Brains Sweep Themselves Clean of Toxins During Sleep�   that gave me  glimmer of hope. For a very long time, scientists have been trying to figure out the purpose of sleep. Now, a recent study � Sleep Drives Metabolite Clearance from the Adult Brain �  by University of Rochester researchers that was published in Science Magazine proposed a fascinating new theory about sleep. The researchers discovered that while you are asleep, your brain clears out harmful toxins! During sleep there is a dramatic increase in  flow of cerebrospinal fluid in your brain, and this washes away the toxic waste ...