Keep Your Brain Young 3 TIPS FOR GOOD BRAIN HEALTH FROM HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
3. Stay connected. It’s not enough to focus on yourself. In order to maintain your long-term cognitive health, you should also focus on your connections with other people. According to Harvard Health Publishing, “Strong social ties have been associated with a lower risk of dementia, as well as lower blood pressure and longer life expectancy.” Make new friends, stay in touch with family members, and maintain positive relationships in your life. They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is certainly true when it comes to your brain health. Do what you can today to protect your mental functions tomorrow.
As we age, our bodies change, including our mental functions. Cognitive decline is one of the biggest fears of aging, but it’s not inevitable. Though we’re still learning new things about how our brains work, there’s a lot of scientific research that shows how to keep your brain young. If you want to keep your mind sharp throughout your lifetime, then follow this advice from Harvard Medical School. 1. Get a good workout. Exercising regularly helps all the muscles and organs in your body, even your brain! A good workout can lower your blood pressure and improve your cholesterol levels, which help your brain and your heart. Harvard Health Publishing,
a website of Harvard Medical School, also notes that “animals who exercise regularly increase the number of tiny blood vessels that bring oxygen-rich blood to the region of the brain that is responsible for thought.” 2. Pay attention to your mental health. Poor mental health can lead to impaired cognitive function. Chronic anxiety, depression, and exhaustion tend to cause low scores on cognitive function tests. But test scores aren’t necessarily a sign of future cognitive decline, and Harvard Health Publishing urges readers to maintain good mental health and get restful sleep, as they are “certainly important goals” for improving cognitive function and overall well-being.
LET’S TALK ABOUT GALVANIC CORROSION
A lot of metals won’t rust, which is great. Copper pipes can carry water, and your kid’s aluminum bike won’t rust over when they leave it out in the rain. However, rust is only one type of corrosion, and no metal is completely immune to all types. What is galvanic corrosion? The most common type of corrosion that we plumbers encounter is galvanic corrosion. Galvanic corrosion is an electrochemical process that occurs when two dissimilar metals come into electric contact with each other, which effectively fuses them together. Ever had a hose that just wouldn’t come loose, even with a wrench? You were probably dealing with the results of galvanic corrosion. Some garden hoses have aluminum fittings at each end. On the surface, this seems like a great idea since aluminum doesn’t rust, but remember: Rust is only one type of corrosion that destroys metals. Hose bibbs (faucets) are usually made from brass, which is safe to use in contact with copper because it’s an alloy of copper and zinc and is, therefore, not dissimilar. You can buy a garden hose with brass or even plastic connections and do just fine, but beware of aluminum! Combining certain metals with water leads to galvanic corrosion. Neither aluminum nor brass will corrode on their own in contact with water, but when they’re put together, you’re
in trouble. The aluminum acts as an anode, and the brass acts as a cathode, creating an electron flow every time the two metals are in contact with an electrolyte — or every time you run water through your hose. The aluminum will start to dissolve,
reform itself, and fuse to the brass. Just like that, your hose is stuck. If not addressed, it will eventually melt away, leaving you with a
hose that leaks like a sieve and still won’t come loose.
The moral of the story? Don’t put dissimilar metals in contact with each other — especially not in the presence of water! If you’re in the
market for a new hose, make sure to buy one with brass connections at each end, and check the metal on your sprayer, too! If you already have a hose with aluminum fittings, throw it away. And if you can’t get it loose to throw it away, give us a call.
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