Dear Healthy Friend,

Need a concentration boost? Meditate on it. A new study finds that meditation could actually help you focus... And sustain that focus, even when you're forced to engage in the most mind-numbing tasks. If that sounds a little (or a lot) like your job, focus on this new study - because help may be a mantra away...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

P.S: Animal studies suggest that resveratrol can prevent the initiation of cancer and can inhibit the promotion and progression of cancer... Dr Wright tells us what his recommended dose is...

The best way to improve concentration
Ed Martin
Editor, House Calls

Researchers assigned 30 subjects to a three-month meditation retreat and 30 more to get the same retreat later on... But that second set also served as a control group while they waited.

The subjects performed concentration tests at the beginning, middle and end of the first retreat. They were dull tests, like watching a series of lines and keeping track of long ones and short ones.

Unless you work in quality control at a toothpick factory, it's not exactly a practical test. But it did help show who could focus and who couldn't - and those who meditated were much better at it than those who were waiting for their course to begin.

And the more they meditated, the better their focus.

The only catch here is that it's not a one-shot deal. The study found that if you want to keep enjoying those extra powers of concentration, you have to keep meditating.

And that's not always cheap.

In this case, the subjects needed three free months on the calendar and $5,300 (that's about
R39 000) for the retreat. During the retreat, they had to live without phones, televisions, computers and even books, and meditated for five hours a day (I have no idea what they did with the rest of their time).

But meditation doesn't have to involve that kind of cost or commitment. You could probably find a weekly class locally, for a lot less money. You might even be able to teach yourself meditation for free by checking out some library books.

It's a great idea in any case, because other studies have found that mediation may help reduce stress and anxiety, improve memory and reverse memory loss, boost cognition and even lower your risk for Alzheimer's disease.

And as an added bonus, you might even find some inner peace.

For more on how to boost your brain power click here!

Recommendations for resveratrol

Q: What's the recommended dosage for resveratrol supplements? All I've seen is recommendations for "high" doses.

Dr. Wright: Various estimates seem to agree that 200-300mg of resveratrol daily are the minimum needed for a 68kg human to have a chance of the same longevity effect found in experiments so far. (Keep in mind that there's no absolute proof that resveratrol will have the same effects in humans as in laboratory and animal experiments with non-human species.) However, in my opinion - based on what we know so far about how resveratrol works - it is likely to offer the same benefits to humans. And since it appears quite harmless, I recommend it and even use it myself. (But, granted, that's still not proof!) Until recently, higher doses were hard to find, prices were high and taking 200-300mg daily was a stretch. But since news about resveratrol's benefits have spread, doses are going up and prices are going down relatively quickly.