Keeping your brain healthy involves habits that keep the rest of you healthy.

When I think of brain health, I think of the brain as an organ, in the same way we would think of liver health or kidney health. Brain health is determined by how the organ is functioning; how much blood flow, nutrients and oxygen it is getting; and how it is cleaning and filtering things like harmful proteins.

Mental health is the level of psychological well-being or an absence of mental illness. It is the state of someone who is "functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioral adjustment".

If you're like most Americans, you plan your future. When you take a job, you examine its benefit plan. When you buy a home, you consider its location and condition so that your investment is safe. Today, more and more Americans are protecting their most important asset—their brain. Are you?

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of your brain is interrupted or reduced, preventing brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients. Brain cells begin to die in minutes. A stroke is a medical emergency, and prompt treatment is crucial. Early action can reduce brain damage and other complications. The good news is that many fewer Americans die of stroke now than in the past. Effective treatments can also help prevent disability from stroke.

Once your healthcare provider knows you have cancer, the next step is to find out the grade of the cancer. The grade refers to how the cancer cells look when compared to normal brain cells. Grade is determined when a tissue sample (biopsy) & other tests are done on the cancer. Grade 1 & 2 tumours are low grade, & grade 3 & 4 tumours are high grade.

Here’s surprising fact: The most common brain tumors don’t actually start in the brain. Brain metastases, or metastatic brain tumors, spread to the brain from other parts of the body — most often from the lungs, breasts, skin, kidneys or colon.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges. The meninges are the three membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. Meningitis can occur when fluid surrounding the meninges becomes infected.

Hydrocephalus is a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the hollow places inside the brain. These hollow places are called ventricles. The buildup of CSF can put pressure on the brain. Treatments for hydrocephalus (hi-droh-SEF-eh-less) usually can lower the amount of CSF.