Nothing signifies independence quite as much as a set of car keys. Sure, as the years went on, you gradually started to take the ability to drive for granted. But if you’re creeping up on your senior years, it’s something you need to start thinking about again…

Many factors can raise your risk of heart disease: family history of heart problems, obesity and diabetes. And researchers believe that if you lose a loved one, the grief you feel can also put your cardiovascular system at risk.

Do you often feel drained of energy in the morning… or late afternoon… and don’t know why? Sounds like you could be a victim of energy theft. There are several culprits that could be zapping your energy, and they run the gamut from physical to emotional.

A recent review of 200 papers and clinical trials on depression found it’s not “brain chemistry” or some other unproven theory that was closely associated with depression. The authors discovered what really “fans the flames” of depression, and it “feeds on the heat.”

Sometimes, managing your risk of dementia feels like a full-time job. You have to overhaul your diet, exercise daily, play brain games, learn new skills — all in the hopes you’ll dodge dementia in your senior years. Frankly, it can get exhausting. But this, I could do…

If better fuel helps your body burn fat more efficiently, could it be that better fuel also helps your body’s most fuel-hungry organ—the brain—operate better? It definitely appears so, but that’s not all…

Most people consider it lucky if someone lives a good long life and is “with it” right until the end. But it may be that people live longer because they have a healthy brain and good cognitive function.

There are four tasty seasonings that if you are not using regularly, you might want to start. Because not only will they add some flavor to your favorite foods, science shows they may help your brain grow stronger connections to help it work better.

There are the usual Alzheimer’s warning signs, and then there are the unusual ones… like falling a lot, losing your ability to detect sarcasm, picking up risky habits. But a lot of people don’t know about the the first sense that goes when you’re in a downward spiral of cognitive decline.

Keep your body healthy with a good diet and plenty of exercise and you should live a good long life. But that should be just a part of your plan… There’s something else you can do to ensure quality of life well into your golden years—and you have everything you need to start right now.

Chronic stress isn’t difficult to recognize: we feel overwhelmed and anxious; wired and exhausted at the same time, and our brain just doesn’t seem to function as well. Each additional task weighs on us. No wonder it’s called “Holiday Madness.”

Conditions like Parkinson’s that hamper the brain can have devastating consequences. But there are nutrients and other natural substances that often may help alleviate some of these difficulties. Here are the most valuable substances and how to use them to nurture your brain.