Brain Health Initiative
The Brain Health Initiative, Inc. (BHI), a 501(c)(3) global non-profit, uses a cutting-edge approach to protecting brain health, promoting brain performance, and preventing and fighting brain illness across the lifespan. The BHI is on a mission to build brain-healthy communities, cultures that promote brain-healthy lifestyles, foster protective factors, and address risk factors, thereby improving brain health and optimizing brain performance outcomes while addressing disparities at the individual, family, and community level. BHI is activating the next generation of brain health advocates and is a leader in brain health engagement, research, innovation, and education.
Achieving optimal brain health is about reducing risk factors, keeping our minds active, and getting the very best out of our brains when we are young and developing and as we mature into adulthood and age.
A healthy brain is crucial
to our overall well-being.
Brain health includes not only the physiological, electrical, and metabolic health of the brain as an organ, but also the dynamic interaction between the brain, mind, body, and environment.
The brain’s performance is responsible for everything a person thinks, says, feels, and does, as well as the brain’s amazing ability to interact with other bodily organs, control all body functions (e.g., regulating heartbeat and breathing), and interact with the outer world through senses, perceptions, and movement.
Concentrating
Remembering
Communicating
Learning
Movement
Relationships
Maintaining a clear, active mind
Engaging with the outer world
AN OPTIMALLY PERFORMING BRAIN EXPERIENCES
•Increased focus and attention
•Resilience to stress and anxiety
•Improved sleep quality
•Heightened sense of satisfaction and joy
•Increased cognitive and physical performance
•Increased focus and attention •Resilience to stress and anxiety •Improved sleep quality •Heightened sense of satisfaction and joy •Increased cognitive and physical performance
For the first time, thanks to advances in public health, modern medicine, and neuroscience, we can use the words PREVENTION and brain illness in the same sentence.
Taking preventative steps to keep our brains healthy, resilient, and performing optimally across the lifespan (beginning as early in life as possible), can have significant impacts on our health, life achievement, and fighting brain illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, and dementia.
Although many of us believe that maintaining a healthy and high-performing brain sounds essential, we don’t know what that means or what to do.
The Lancet International Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care estimates that over 40 percent of brain illnesses, including dementia cases globally, could be prevented by addressing modifiable risk factors. The World Health Organization also has published guidelines on risk reduction for brain illness.
Brain health is more than an absence of neurological and mental health symptoms.
It is also about daily performance and living a lifestyle supported by science that helps to promote brain resilience and facilitates physical, cognitive, and emotional health and wellbeing.
The BHI is committed to creating brain-healthy communities that promote and protect brain health, optimize brain performance, and fight brain illness for all ages.
— One aspect of our multi-level approach is to increase brain health protective factors and address risk factors through community outreach and awareness-building efforts, education and training resources, collaboration, and engagement.
These activities contribute to a community that is knowledgeable and empowered to take control of their brain health and to increase brain health outcomes, at the individual and community level.
This approach has been successful in leading to large scale population improvement in other chronic health conditions, such as heart health, diabetes prevention and support, early detection of cancer, issues around obesity, smoking cessation, etc.
At least one in five individuals in the United States are diagnosed with a brain illness. However, research shows that 11.8 million more Americans report having unmet (brain health) needs.
— This large unmet need is driven, in part, by a national brain health workforce shortage and by the general public’s lack of awareness about how to promote and protect their brain health and the health of those they care for and about.
Reports before the COVID-19 pandemic estimated that an additional 250,000 mental health providers are needed to sufficiently meet the increasing demand for brain health and illness services.
The need for brain health support through prevention, self-care, and professional support is increasing.
Preliminary data show that one out of three individuals in the United States is currently reporting symptoms of depression or anxiety.