You don’t need to be a senior citizen to have a senior moment… we’ve all had our own bouts with the memory mistress.

But if you want less of them, there are a few things you can do to keep yourself sharp and savvy.

For starters, make sure you’re getting enough magnesium. One new study out of China published in the journal Neuron found that magnesium improved memory in rats. And a study in 2004 found that magnesium could reverse that infamous middle-age memory loss.

As you get older, you’re more likely to suffer from a deficiency in this brain-boosting mineral. So to make sure you’re getting enough, be sure to eat plenty of nuts, especially almonds, as well as beans, artichokes, spinach, pumpkin seeds and buckwheat flour. Or you could pick up a supplement–they’re cheap and easy to find.

Like all good health, maintaining a good memory isn’t only about what you take–it’s also about what you do. We know that sleep is crucial to retaining knowledge, but now researchers think there’s something you can do while you’re awake as well: Nothing.

They call it “active rest,” but you and I might call it “zoning out.”

Researchers asked 16 subjects to identify the connections between two sets of pictures–like a beach ball and a surfer dude. Then, they told the participants to take a break.

It wasn’t an ideal break, because during that time the researchers used MRIs to peek into their brains. But they found that this wakeful rest caused the two areas of the brain associated with long-term memory storage to light up.

Those with the most activity in that part of the brain during rest did the best on memory tests afterwards, according to the study, which was also published in Neuron.

It was a small study, but feel free to use it as an excuse for a little downtime at the office. If anyone asks, be sure to tell them your brain is hard at work.

For more great brain boosters, visit the Health Sciences Institute’s website. Use the keyword “memory” to search the online library–you’ll find a lot of fantastic free advice.

The next time you show off those pearly whites for a photo, try saying “halibut” instead of “cheese.” The latest research finds that fish oil isn’t just terrific for your brain and your heart–it can also help your smile.

The Japanese study published in Nutrition found that people with the lowest levels of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA (that’s docosahexaenoic acid, if you like mouth-filling words) were 1.5 times more likely to have periodontal problems such as tooth decay and gum disease than those who got the most.

Makes perfect sense… since omega-3 fatty acids are among nature’s most powerful anti-inflammatories, and many dental diseases are caused by inflammation.

The benefits of these great omega-3 fatty acids don’t end in the mouth. Fish oil can also help your eyes, brain and heart, as well as lower cholesterol levels and relieve pain.

Forget two birds with one stone–this is a whole bucket of fish caught on one line.

If there’s anything fish oil can’t do, it’s freshen your breath–it’s still fish, after all. But you can take care of that with a drop or two of peppermint oil after your meal, or by using a fish oil supplement instead of eating filets.

Drug warning labels can seem like a minefield of fine print, funny symbols and archaic phrases… but a new movement aims to change that.

Since some studies have shown that up to half of all prescription drug users misread those labels, a group of researchers and designers is working on new wording and symbols that they say will be far easier for the average person to understand.

Personally, I’d rather see them change the meds, because let’s face it: the clearest warnings in the world won’t improve what’s inside those bottles.

Here’s another idea: Add a new label with a list of safe, effective non-drug alternatives. Put it right next to the list of side effects so people can see what they’re really risking, and easily compare the two.

But let’s get back to reality, because there’s not a chance Big Pharma and its friends in the FDA will ever let that happen. Instead, it looks like we’ll be seeing some light rephrasing combined with some redesigned symbols.

For example, the icon currently used to represent pregnant women looks something like an olive. Instead, the design team from Emory, Harvard and Louisiana State universities has created a silhouette of a pregnant woman. Makes a little more sense, right?

They also want to change vague phrases like “for external use only” to more easily understood instructions like “use only on the skin.”

Call me unimpressed and unconvinced. Sure, it might make things a little easier to understand. But many people don’t even bother to read the warnings on their meds in the first place. Others may have read them once… but stopped after a few refills–and may be completely unaware when a new warning is added.

And far too many people take whatever meds their prescription-happy doctors throw their way… no questions asked.

Now that’s how Big Pharma likes its customers: quiet and compliant.

Don’t wait for new labels to save you. Read your meds carefully and ask questions–ask your doctor, ask your pharmacist, and keep asking until you understand exactly what you’re putting into your body, how to use it, and what risks you’ll be facing.

And while you’re at it, you should ask about those alternatives too. Find your natural cure, and you can add a new and even simpler instruction to your prescription meds: Burn after reading.

It sure beats actually taking them!

The mainstream is finally starting to question the wisdom of giving mammograms to even young, healthy women. They’ve also smartened up enough to realize that women with a supposedly higher risk of breast cancer should avoid them even more since the radiation could actually further increase their risk.

That’s why I was appalled to find out that elderly women with severe dementia–women with a life expectancy of just 3.3 years–are being given mammograms. In fact, according to the results of a recent study, 18 percent of these women are undergoing these screenings. And for what?

Even if they do have breast cancer, there’s almost no chance it would develop into a life-threatening illness during their remaining time on earth. But if a lump is discovered, you can bet your co-pay that some unscrupulous surgeon will be pushing for surgery… turning those final years into a living hell.

But I know what’s really going on here. It’s a blatant money grab, plain and simple. According to the study published in the American Journal of Public Health, dementia patients are twice as likely to get these exams if they’re married and have a net worth of at least $100,000.

Perhaps that’s because poorer women are more likely to be on Medicare, which only pays back a fraction of the cost of a screening.

You’re not going to meet your Ferrari payments that way.

Wealthier women, on the other hand, are more likely to have better insurance… or families who will pay for the screenings out of their own pocket, very likely tricked into thinking they’re doing the right thing for their loved one.

And because they suffer from severe dementia, these women usually don’t have a chance to make their own decisions or to put a stop to this nonsense. Even if they tried, would anyone even listen?

There’s no denying–we’ve come a long way on these things over the past year. The mainstream is taking a big gulp and admitting that the advice they’ve given to women for years was dangerous and wrong.

But we’ve still got a long way to go–and a lot of women that still need our protection from this exploitation.