Neuroscience and Wellness vs Brain Health
Over the past number of years, I have tried to convince companies that brain health was critical to a wellness program’s success. Even though I understood how a healthy brain would function better – I wasn’t sure how to explain this process in value terms. It wasn’t until after I received a certificate in neuroscience and wellness did I finally connect the dots. No wonder I couldn’t explain brain health within a corporate wellness program – I didn’t understand it either.
My brain health programs were a perfect fit for corporate wellness. They met the benchmarks of a successful program. Even though they were inclusive of the needs of brain/body – they still didn’t erase the difficulties surfacing with employee engagement and definable outcomes.
Then some ‘aha’ moments occurred. First, brain health is very different than neuroscience and wellness. (This is why I thought it would fit within corporate wellness). Physical exercise, mental stimulation, nutrition, socialization, sleep and stress reduction – are practices that can cause new brain cells (neurogenesis), new pathways in the brain (neuroplasticity), give the brain the nutritional components it requires, and develop the understanding of how stress is such a threat to brain function. When you achieve optimum brain health – your brain functions on a higher level: you think faster and remember more. This is an amazing out come. However, there are some buts:
You have to be motivated to live brain healthy. All of the changes the brain makes take time. You have to repeatedly live brain healthy.
You might be diligent about your lifestyle but what happens when your environment is difficult – or even toxic? The brain adapts to the environment – good or bad.
Let’s move on to neuroscience and wellness. This is actually a broader perspective. Brain health is definitely a part of wellness, but there are many other influences that impact our brain, health and wellness. There is a new field, health neuroscience, that encompasses the multidimensional and dynamic relationships that are determinants, markers, and consequences of health and wellness. Dr. Sarah McKay has developed a model that examines how health neuroscience-approaches conceptualize the brain as a target organ that is affected by and affects health states by way of ‘Bottom Up’ ‘Top Down’ and ‘Outside In’ determinants of health and wellbeing.
Bottom-Up: elements are the biological or physiological determinants of brain health and includes genes, hormones, the immune system, nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle choices.
Outside-In: elements include social and environmental factors, stress, life events, education, current circumstances, and family background.
Top-Down: elements include thoughts, emotions, mindset, and belief systems.
Dr. Sarah McKay, Neuroscience Academy
“Health neuroscience aims for a clearer understanding of how the brain links genetic, biological, psychological, behavioral, social, spiritual and environmental factors with physical health (including vulnerability to and resilience against clinical illnesses).” Dr. Sarah McKay
Can you now see how health neuroscience really is inclusive of our wholeness – mind, body and spirit? We will take a journey through the health neuroscience landscape and learn how there are so many moving parts that affect how we think, feel, and live. Without going into deep science we will look at how our brain is wired; how we think and make decisions; how we feel, through feelings, emotions and moods; setting goals and discovering the role of motivation; the neuroscience of habits and how we can elicit changes; a review on how a healthy brain fits within this model; the brain on stress and the neurobiology of meditation and mindfulness; the value of connection and purpose; the mind-body connection and how placebos might be more effective than previously believed; and, where does our aging brain fit within this array of information.
Hopefully this information will provide some ‘aha’ moments along the way. Whether you are in the workforce navigating a wellness program, or you are at home trying to make changes in your life, this review of how neuroscience affects health and wellness and ultimately how our
brain functions, should be an eye-opener. Knowledge is only power if we use it to move us forward. This is going to be a fantastic ride!
Dr. Sarah McKay, The Neuroscience Academy