Brain Optimization For The Job You Want!

By Ninah Kessler, Brain Fitness Coach

Can an economic downturn be good? Can it help you to recreate your life at a higher level? It can if you have the right mindset. That’s why it’s so important to teach your brain to think positively. But we also have to take care of the machinery of the brain itself. We need brain fitness.

The experts used to think that we all had a limited number of neurons in our brain. Then in the 1990’s, the decade of the brain, neuroscientists discovered that we could develop new neurons and new neuronal connections at any age. If we want to succeed in this new millennium, it behooves us to strengthen our brains.

Without help, our brains reach their peak in our twenties and then start deteriorating. By our 40’s we can usually notice a difference. It’s really very similar to what happens to our bodies. On the cognitive level, names disappear and our brains slow down. Multitasking becomes more challenging. The technical term for this is age related cognitive decline. It’s normal, but it’s not nice.

The good news is that there are things that we can do to slow down and reverse this process.

I’d like to give you an analogy from the physical world. In the 2008 Summer Olympics Dara Torres beat out women half her age to bring home silver medals. How did she do that? It wasn’t luck or chance. She created a professional training team to supercharge her body. On the everyday level, if you want to create a functional aesthetically pleasing body, you have a better chance if you work with a professional trainer or at least take a class. If you are extremely motivated, you can create your own program, but most of us do not have this level of commitment.

The key to training our brains is to expose ourselves to new and novel stimulation, continually challenging ourselves to take it to a higher level. Now we can all do this on our own to a certain degree. Crossword puzzles and suduko are good, and Nintendo DS, bridge, golf and bananagrams are even better. Traveling is great, especially if you learn a language, and playing a new musical instrument is a great neuronal enhancer. And don’t forget to eat a healthy diet, get physical exercise and decrease stress.

But the experience is enhanced with the expertise of a brain fitness coach. It is brain science to know that there are many different abilities that need training – logic, memory, attention, processing speed and mental flexibility, to name a few. Creating a training program that compensates for your weaknesses and enhances your strengths is an art.

When you’re looking for a job, you need your brain to be at its best. You need mental flexibility to figure out where the jobs are and how to format your old job qualifications into skills sets that will take you where you want to be. You need auditory processing ability and processing speed to answer questions in an interview. The best way to get these skills is with a brain fitness coach. You can even increase your brain fitness even if you’re dyslexic, have adult ADHD or a brain injury. Those with cognitive challenges often benefit the most.

A brain fitness coach can help you with stress too. It’s so easy for our thoughts to take a negative direction especially when we are looking for a job. Do you really have the luxury of wasting long periods of time in an unnecessary funk?

At Sparks of Genius, we’ve been training people to get the most out of their brains since 2001 and we have been cited as a brain fitness leader in The Wall Street Journal. You can work with your own personalized fitness coach or be part of a group. One day brain fitness coaches will be as popular as life coaches or personal trainers. But for you, that day can be now.

Ninah Kessler, LCSW, Brain Fitness Coach. SparksofGenius.com 561-859-4060

TBI and Hypothyroid Connection

Thyroid problems may make you fat and moody
By Amy Price PhD

People who have sustained head or serious neck injuries can also damage the thyroid as well. Sometimes people who are diagnosed with whiplash later develop thyroid issues. Many of the symptoms of hypothyroid are the same as those as those for people who have dealt with a brain injury so they tend to be ignored. This is tragic because low thyroid levels can eventually lead to cognitive damage and even dementia. The thyroid can be damaged even if you are thin. It is not always true that people gain massive amounts of weight with this kind of condition just as it is not true that people with a past brain injury need to be constantly exhausted or depressed. The video above will tell you about symptoms and what you can do about this disorder

Your thyroid gland weighs less than an ounce and is located in the front of your neck just below the Adam’s apple. The thyroid acts as a feedback mechanism for your metabolism so when it is too slow or too fast this can upset a lot of body functions The thyroid gland takes iodine and converts it into thyroid hormones. Thyroid cells are the only cells in the body which can absorb iodine. These cells combine iodine and the amino acid tyrosine to make T3 and T4. T3 and T4 are then released into the blood stream and are transported throughout the body where they control metabolism (conversion of oxygen and calories to energy). Every cell in the body depends upon thyroid hormones for regulation of their metabolism.

Get this checked by your doctor. It takes a simple blood test and oral medication. This disorder can show up years after an injury so be aware.


Symptoms of a slow thryroid include

•Fatigue, Depression

•Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight, or loss of appetite

•Coarse, dry hair, thinning hair or outer portion of eybrows thinning out

•Dry, rough pale skin,

•Cold and heat intolerance  (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like those around you)

•Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches, weakness

•Constipation

•Depression, Irritability

•Memory loss, lack of focus, reduced coordination

•Abnormal menstrual cycles, decreased interest in sex

Inflammation, Alzheimers, NSAIDS and Balance

Image from Harvard.edu

By Amy Price PhD

There is some information on the internet declaring Alzheimers is more common in people who take NSAIDS. I have watched people do things like take vicodin instead of an antiinflammatory or discontinue baby aspirin therapy suggested by a cardiologist to deal with sticky platelets. Some will not take an antiinflammatory because bone fractures don't heal as well if one is simultaneously taking this class of medication.

Getting drug addicted,setting up the CNS for chronic pain sensitivity by not treating inflammation,or letting excess platelet aggregation continue doesn't help cognition either and in may ultimately set you up for the very condition you are trying to avoid.

There is research reporting specific use of antiinflammatory agents may reduce Alzheimers. It could be chronic pain and inflammation that aggravate loss of cognition rather than the NSAIDS taken to alleviate the symptoms.

There are many cardiac patients who took part in a Canadian study 25 years ago. They were encouraged to take a baby aspirin, vitamin C, and calcium buffered with vitamins K and D rather than be placed on beta blockers and more heavy duty cardiac meds. For many of these individuals this regimen solved the problem.

Drug addiction doesn't always come from illegal street drugs. There are multitudes who became addicted just trying to stop the long term pain. These drugs work by altering nerve and brain messengers and overtime this leads to imbalance in the way the brain works.
As for the bones? Studies show that in eostrogen deficient or aged persons aspirin use may protect bone density. Research also shows fracture healing can be slowed by antiinflammatory use but this effect is temporary and if you stop taking them the fracture will heal at a normal rate.

In conclusion it is all about balance...

A Pill For Memory? Piracetam Revisited

By Amy Price PhD

One significant problem in traumatic brain injury is that secondary cell death occurs when the injured cells block the path for the other cells to get oxygen. One product that is used extensively in other countries but not the USA is Piracetam. It is interesting that research in pub med is showing promise for efficacy in human trials. There have been rat, rabbit, and fruit fly trials available for years but there is a lot that can differ between these and seeing actual human benefit.

I used this product to good effect many years ago without side effects and am encouraged to see studies supporting its effectiveness. The alternatives available to many people with TBI as far as psychotropic meds to restore some measure of function are concerned can sometimes have unexpected reactions or be of no effect.

Piracetam has been shown to alter the physical properties of the plasma membrane by increasing its fluidity and by protecting the cell against hypoxia. It increases red cell deformability and normalizes aggregation of hyperactive platelets according to Winnicka K, Tomasiak M, Bielawska A (2005) They are saying treatment with piracetam improves learning, memory, brain metabolism, and capacity by the interaction of this molecule with the membrane phospholipids to restore membrane fluidity . The draft below is from smart publications

The positive therapeutic effects of piracetam on cognitive (memory, attention, executive functions) and motor (coordination) functions as well as the speed of cognitive and motor performance were demonstrated in a study done by Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2008 for adolescents who sustained TBI's.

Its efficacy is documented in cognitive disorders and dementia, vertigo, cortical myoclonus, dyslexia, and sickle cell anemia according to Winblad B (2005).

The results of a meta-analysis Waegemans T, Wilsher CR, Danniau A, Ferris SH, Kurz A, Winblad B. (2002) demonstrate a difference between those individuals treated with piracetam and those given placebo, both as significant odds ratio and as a favourable number needed to treat. While there may be problems in meta-analyses and the interpretation of the statistical results, the results of this analysis provide compelling evidence for the global efficacy of piracetam in a diverse group of older subjects with cognitive impairment.

This post does not in any way constitute any medical advice or recommendation. These posts are educational only to share with others some of the direction research is taking. Any medical information gained online should be supported and endorsed by your own doctor.

References:

[The consequences of closed traumatic brain injury and piracetam efficacy in their treatment in adolescents]
Zavadenko NN, Guzilova LS.
Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2008;108(3):43-8. Russian.
PMID: 18427539 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Related Articles

Piracetam--an old drug with novel properties?
Winnicka K, Tomasiak M, Bielawska A.
Acta Pol Pharm. 2005 Sep-Oct;62(5):405-9. Review.
PMID: 16459490 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Related Articles

Piracetam: a review of pharmacological properties and clinical uses.
Winblad B.
CNS Drug Rev. 2005 Summer;11(2):169-82. Review.
PMID: 16007238 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Related Articles

Clinical efficacy of piracetam in cognitive impairment: a meta-analysis.
Waegemans T, Wilsher CR, Danniau A, Ferris SH, Kurz A, Winblad B.
Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2002;13(4):217-24.
PMID: 12006732 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Related Articles

Dyslexia FMRI implicates Cerebellum

Dyslexic individuals seem to struggle with pattern learning. Reading is like pattern learning on steroids. Recent research compares a group of adult dyslexics with a control group of normal readers in the learning of a simple sequencing task. Participants pressed one of four buttons that corresponded to a visual stimuli that appeared in a predictable pattern during an fMRI scan. Previous studies had found that dyslexics are worse at learning this simple sequence and the researchers were interested in the differences in brain activity between the two groups.

The study found that there was a notable difference in brain activity between dyslexics and non-dyslexics. Significantly the cerebellum was more active in the dyslexics than it was in the non-dyslexics.

Research suggests that the cerebellum plays a key role in learning by comparing what the brain expects to happen with what actually happens. As the subjects learn the sequence, the difference between expected and actual results diminishes and the work load on the cerebellum reduces. In the non-dyslexic brains, the cerebellum is more efficient at this process so sequence learning and the corresponding drop off in cerebellum activity occurs sooner.

It is of interest that expert learners such as chess champions and experts at logic games can play with a lot less cognitive loading, thus freeing up other processing resources for memory, attention and learning. Even for experts this takes hours of practise. Perhaps a focus on effective categorization and efficient filtering rather than endless attention and working memory games could produce skills that would transfer to new areas of learning.

Gain Ground by Building Brain Potential

By Amy Price PhD

Of the 1.4 million who sustain a TBI each year in the United States: 50,000
die; 235,000 are hospitalized; and 1.1 million are treated and released from an
emergency department. The number of people with TBI who are not seen in an
emergency department or who receive no care is unknown.

Major causes of TBI are: Falls (28%); Motor vehicle-traffic crashes
(20%); Struck by/against events (19%); and Assaults (11%). TBI costs the USA
approximately 60 billion dollars per year in care and lost productivity (Statistics supplied by BIAA)

Helmets are often proposed as a cure all. The problem is according to the statistical breakdown above over 50% of related injuries would occur from non helmet activities. Better immediate care and follow up would lessen the severity of impairment for a large proportion of survivors

TBI can cause a wide range of functional changes affecting thinking, language, learning, emotions, behavior, and/or sensation. It can also cause epilepsy and increase the risk for conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other brain disorders that become more prevalent with age.

Survivors report the areas they most need help are: Improving memory and problem solving; Managing stress and emotional upsets; Controlling one's temper; and improving social and employment skills.
A mind is a terrible thing to lose...if you have sustained a head injury all is
not lost help is available .The links above in blue contain help and information.

We are often asked how do I find a good treating professional? Ask your local brain injury association. Word of mouth is good. Check with healthcare facilities, neighbors and friends. Find a professional who will work with you or your family member to get results rather than just tell you to learn to adjust to the problem.

Many individuals have run out of health care options. They ask what can be done at home. The Wall Street Journal has an excellent article about how people can be pro-active in retraining their brains. There is continuing research going on in this area. If you have a strategy or treatment that you have found helpful please let us know.

Here is a place where you can try brain games for free. This site is monitored by scientists from Stanford university who are collecting brain function data for a mega study.

Jig saw puzzles can help with spatial function. You can try these free from a simple six piece
puzzle to a 247 piece challenger. Crossword puzzles can help with language and reasoning

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. - Albert Einstein

Fibromyalgia Pain and Cognition

By Amy Price PhD

Photo courtesy of (Earthopod, 2009 )depicting pain areas in fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia (FMS) comes from three words, the Latin term for fibrous tissue (fibro) and the Greek ones for muscle (myo) and pain (algia). Another way of saying this is muscle knots tied by painful ropes. This condition is not amenable to the medical model so clinicians fell back on the old standby “It’s all in your head” implying the problem is generated by emotional instability rather than specific biological origins.


Fibromyalgia was tagged a syndrome (Fibromyalgia, com, 2008). Patients got mad. They refused to be stonewalled by ignorance or marginalized. Instead they formed strong lobby groups and started campaigning for funding and action (Fibromyalgia network, 2008). This resulted in research getting funded, better treatment options and social change. (CRISP lists 695 NIH funded projects since 2000)


Researchers are finding that FMS could be a disorder of the central processing system resulting in neuroendocrinal and neurotransmitter dysregulation (Bennett, 2008). The FMS patient experiences pain amplification because their pain sensors are slow to recognize pain but the pain they feel spreads across a wider area, lasts longer and is more severe than in a person without FMS ( Staud et al, 2008). Increasingly scientific studies demonstrate physiological abnormalities in the FMS patient including increased levels of substance P in the spinal cord (Helle et al ,1998), low levels of blood flow to the thalamus region of the brain (Kwiatek et, 2000), HPA axis hypo function (McBeth et al, 2007) low levels of serotonin and tryptophan plus abnormalities in cytokine function (Crofford, 1998). Abnormalities like these spell pain. This leads to losses in sleep quality, cognition and coordination, and to increased drug use susceptibility.


New research strengthened by the advent of physical evidence such as SPECT, PET, FMRI and QEEG is confirming fibromyalgia is a biological problem that may cause psychological distress rather than a psychosomatic hysteria pioneered by women as appears to be insinuated by Mcdermid et al, (2008)

New hope may come for some FMS sufferers in the discovery of the brain’s ability to regenerate dendrites a process known as neuroplasticity (Toates, 2006). It is possible that targeted brain and body training may alleviate the severity of chronic pain and cognitive dysfunction associated with FMS (Leurding et al, 2008)


Leurding et al (2008) demonstrates that in fibromyalgia both white and grey brain matter is compromised. Brain imaging studies in FMS patients point to alterations in regional cerebral blood flow (Mountz et al., 1995), in cerebral processing of sensory and nociceptive stimuli (Gracely et al., 2002; Cook et al., 2004) also in dopamine response to pain (Wood et al., 2007). Leurding (ibid) used these imaging studies as a foundation for neuropsychological tests to show that the changed state of brain matter leads to “brain fog” rather than psycho-social maladaption, drug induced confusion, or loss of sleep as primary factors.


Patients offered cognitive rehabilitation tools may improve mental function when these tools are offered before significant white and grey matter dysfunction appears. Neuroplasticity can still be of benefit after damage occurs but progress is slower (Saczynski, 2004)
Brain areas responsible for proprioception damaged in fibromyalgia may be modified by body awareness training according to a pilot study carried out by (Kendall et al, 2000). Targeted body awareness physiotherapy programs led to patient improvement in pain levels and functional capacity even when patients were retested eighteen months after treatment (Kendall et al 2000).
Kendall et al (2000) were dismissive of positive effects realized by stress reduction, hypnosis or neurofeedback training but other researchers such as Meuler et al, 2001 found these treatments were beneficial. FMS is not one size fits all (Bennett, 2006).


A trial of cognitive rehabilitation synergised with neurofeedback and cognitive rehabilitation is underway to determine how combining passive and active therapy can multiply positive effects. Participants will be tested at timely increments and their ongoing level of progress studied.


Another option is to decrease pain to restore function. This is where regenerative medicine can help with therapies like adult stem cell treatment and prolotherapy. Another option is a treatment called IMS where overly sensitized nerve points are reset using a medical system similar to acupuncture.



Bennett, R. (2006) Understanding Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia: A Review of Recent Discoveries Oregon Health Sciences University, National Fibromyalgia Association. A non-profit 501 (C)(3) organization 2121 S. Towne Centre, Suite 300, Anaheim, CA 92806 714.921.0150 Copyright ©1997-2008 National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA) http://www.fmaware.org/site/PageServer?pagename=fibromyalgia_science (accessed 12/01/2008

Buckelew S, Conway R, Parker J, Deuser W, Read J,
Witty T,. Hewett J, Minor M, Johnson J, Van Male L, McIntosh M, Nigh M, and Kay D, Biofeedback/Relaxation Training and Exercise Interventions for Fibromyalgia:A Prospective Trial Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, School of Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia. Submitted for publication June 16, 1997; accepted in revised form October 13, 1997.
1998 by the American College of Rheumatology.

Cook DB, Lange G, Ciccone DS, Liu WC, Steffener J, Natelson BH.Functional imaging of pain in patients with primary fibromyalgia.J Rheumatol 2004; 31: 364–78.

CRISP http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/crisp_lib.query (accessed dec 04, 2008)

CROFFORD LJ. Neuroendocrine abnormalities in fibromyalgia and related disorders.American Journal of the Medical Sciences 1998;315(6):359-66. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0680, USA

Fibromyalgia.com http://www.fibromyalgia.com/ (accessed Dec 01,2008)

Fibromyalgia Network, P.O. Box 31750, Tucson, AZ 85751 (800) 853-2929. http://www.fmnetnews.com/about-philosophy.php (accessed Dec 04,2008)

Gracely RH, Petzke F, Wolf JM, Clauw DJ. Functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence of augmented pain processing in fibromyalgia. Arthritis Rheum 2002; 46: 1333–43.

Helle H,, Førre R , Kåss E, Terenius L (Jan 1988). "Elevated CSF levels of substance P and high incidence of Raynaud phenomenon in patients with fibromyalgia: new features for diagnosis". Pain 32 (1): 21–6. doi:10.1016/0304-3959(88)90019-X

Kendall S, Sog¨ ren, B Gerdle B, and Gustav K, Henriksson, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine,
Faculty of Health Sciences, Linko¨ping, and Pain and Rehabilitation Centre, University Hospital Linko¨ping, Sweden; and Kerstin
Brolin-Magnusson, Fysioteket, Billdal, Sweden.Submitted for publication January 20, 2000; accepted in revised form June 17, 2000.
© 2000 by the American College of Rheumatology.

KWIATEK R, BARNDEN L, TEDMAN R, JARRETT R, CHEW J, ROWE C, and PILE K REGIONAL CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW IN FIBROMYALGIA,Single-Photon–Emission Computed Tomography Evidence of Reduction in the Pontine Tegmentum and Thalami ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Vol. 43, No. 12, December 2000, pp 2823–2833© 2000, American College of Rheumatology

McBeth J, Silman AJ, Gupta A, Chiu YH, Ray D, Morriss R, Dickens C, King Y, Macfarlane GJ. (2007). "Moderation of psychosocial risk factors through dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal stress axis in the onset of chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain: findings of a population-based prospective cohort study.". Arthritis Rheum. 2007 Jan;56(1):360-71.. 56 (1): 360-71

MCDERMID A. J. (1) ; ROLLMAN G. B. (1) ; MCCAIN G. A. (2) ; Author(s) Affiliation(s) (2008) Generalized hypervigilance in fibromyalgia : evidence of perceptual amplificationAuthor(s) (1) Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C2, CANADA(2) Division of Rheumatology, University Hospital, London, Ontario, N6A 5A5, CANADA, Publisher, Elsevier, Amsterdam, PAYS-BAS (1975) (Revue) Published 2008 http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=3210987 (accessed 12/01/2008)

Mountz JM, Bradley LA, Modell JG, Alexander RW, Triana-Alexander M,Aaron LA, et al. Fibromyalgia in women. Abnormalities of regional cerebral blood flow in the thalamus and the caudate nucleus are associated with low pain threshold levels. Arthritis Rheum 1995; 38: 926–38.

Mueller H, Donaldson C, Nelson N, Layman M, Treatment of Fibromyalgia Incorporating EEG-Driven Stimulation: A Clinical Outcomes Study JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Vol. 57(7), 933–952 (2001) © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Saczynski, J., Margrett, J., Willis, S. “Older Adults' Strategic Behavior: Effects of Individual versus Collaborative Cognitive Training.” Educational Gerontology. 2004 Aug; 30(7): 587-610.
Staud R, Craggs J, Perlstein W, Robinson M, Price D, Brain activity associated with slow temporal summation of C-fiber evoked pain in fibromyalgia patients and healthy controls a Department of Medicine, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, United States Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, United States Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, United States Received 22 May 2007; received in revised form 13 December 2007; accepted 2 February 2008
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Toates, F. (2006) Biological Psychology, Pearson Education, Harlow. UK

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Memory Help

In MVA involving injury memory deficits can become an issue. Pain and lack of sleep contribute to this as do many of the medications prescribed to make it go away. There is anxiety and grief over financial loss or changed status. This compounds the issue. Each year more money is spent on pet food than for treatment to restore survivors of mild traumatic brain injury. Eighty percent of individuals diagnosed with mild brain injury have needs pertaining to the injury that are not presently met by current legislation. Treatment is described as too little, too late.

It was once thought that if there was no improvement in cognitive status in the first six months following an injury further progress would be minimal. Advances in science show this is no longer an absolute. Progress is possible.Every year Traumatic Brain Injury causes 20 times more disabilities than AIDS, Breast Cancer, Spinal Cord Injuries, and Multiple Sclerosis combined. Traumatic Brain Injuries have claimed more lives than all U.S. wars combined since 1977. Approximately 1.5 million Americans sustain a Traumatic Brain Injury each year. Traumatic Brain Injury is the number one cause of both death and disability in children and young adults.

WHAT IT DOES & HOW IT WORKS

Do you need help fixing your broken brain? Even if you don’t this article contains great strategies for improving memory skills and coping with life.
Want help with your memory? Let us look together at where the problem might be so we can suggest solutions. Information is first filtered through the senses (seeing, hearing, touching, smelling) or sensory memory. The sensory input combines with what we already know as the brain attempts to classify the information before it is encoded into our memories. Before it can be encoded accurately we have to pay attention or attend to it. The brain has only a few seconds of what is called working memory to encode material. When the information is needed we call on it to come out. This process is called retrieval.

POSITIVE STRATEGIES FOR A VARIETY OF SITUATIONS

Retrieval can be enhanced by rehearsal. The most common kind of rehearsal is saying something like a phone number over and over until it sticks in the brain. This is a problem for a person with memory deficits as by the time they get to the last number they forget what it is! In this case there is an unorthodox but useful strategy called chunking, instead of remembering numbers digit by digit such as 301 5700 think of three hundred one, fifty seven hundred. There are other solutions, write information down while repeating it to your self or ask someone else to write it for you. This is most useful when someone is giving you directions. The next step is to read the information back to who ever you got it from and ask them if your version is correct. This is also good for reinforcing understanding in conversation as sometimes what someone says to us is different to what we heard them say or is not what they meant.

To deal with problems of losing things here is some help. Pick places where you are comfortable storing things like keys, licenses etc. Make it a habit to always put them back in those places only. Write down where these places are and put it somewhere you will see it everyday in case you forget. When you go to a store only take something that can be attached to your body, forget about the purse that could be left in the shopping cart or car keys you carry in your hands.
When the memory is less than stellar even a parking lot can seem like a hopeless maze. Most cell phones have voice recorders on them as do many other devices. Record where you parked the car, for example the car is at exit c parking lot level three, third car down. Pay attention to which store you enter and what is close to the door, for example Macy’s, men’s shoes. This way if you get lost you can ask someone where these landmarks are and find your way.

Here is another strategy A piece of paper/card with a grid (kids math jotter paper with the little blocks) with place for a couple of stores names around the periphery or a land marks/monument, a McDonalds or a gas station and make an X in the block of the area where you best estimate your car is. A good place to put ID, credit card, money, parking lot stubs is in a 'fanny pack'. If you can not remember how to get somewhere or get home buy a turn by turn GPS or phone a non judgmental friend.

There are many kinds of memory, visual auditory episodic, semantic, conceptual and more. This is good news because it means that you can use another kind of memory to enhance which ever kind is not working for you right now.

Here are some useful strategies. To remember an event think about what else you did, where it happened, the conditions around the event, ask your self how you felt that day, who was with you even what you did afterwards. Anyone of these can release a cue to help you remember.
To remember Peoples' names, think about where you first met the person or go through the alphabet mentally, sometimes it helps to recall their significant others’ names or occupation. Just one piece of information can trigger the missing link. If all else fails ask them for a business card and read it or ask how they spell their names.

Learning something?-To remember something you need to learn, teach it to someone else, read your notes on tape and play them as you walk or at the gym, create a mind map or make the information into a story. Trouble finding words, look up a word that means the same in a good dictionary usually the synonyms will be displayed and your missing word will show up. A good dictionary can also show you how to pronounce words you have forgotten how to say. Forget how to spell it and spell check is not bright enough to figure it out? Break the word into syllables and spell the part you can figure out, from here spell check may pick it up or you may remember the whole word.

In the kitchen-For kitchen memories….don’t leave the room or be otherwise distracted when you have a pot on the stove. The same people that distracted you will remind you over and over about how you forgot something again! Do one thing at a time until your memory is healed, your ability to multitask will usually return. Buy appliances that turn off automatically, this may be expensive initially however it is cheaper than a house fire! Discipline yourself to use timers.
Often individuals forget steps of a process/task. In this case it is useful to lay everything out ahead of time. Think through what steps you need to take to complete a process/task. If this is difficult get someone to help you and write it down or record it for yourself.

For schedules…got an appointment write it down, put it on the computer, in the day timer or on a PDA. Another method is to call your telephone answering service and leave your self messages as they come up. Alternately make a list and number it for priorities then cross them off when you are finished. Too busy to prioritize…you are too busy! Make changes or you will get buried.
I Hope this helps some, nobody remembers everything so don’t beat yourself up. Keep working at it slowly and surely the more you use your brain the better it will get.