HIY - intelectual test *

Our intelectual health is the health of the brain. In Western medicine we are only coming up with medication for brain diseases but in the Chinese medicine focus, memory and other issues of the intelect have had treatments for millenia.

In Chinese theory, the brain is not a primary organ - one of the 12 "officials" that "make, move and store energy" in the body. So as a secondary organ it belongs to a domain of one of the "primary" organs. In Chinese medicine we say that "Heart opens to the brain" and that means that a healthy brain is a consequence of a healthy heart.

In performing your "intelectual test" you want to pay attention to:

• how is my memory in the short and long segment? Can I easily retreive information I need or do I struggle with words, names, dates or locations?...

• what is my learning ability like? This one fades faster then other markers of brain performance but even in our 60s we should be able to memorize things and repeat the information with reasonable accuracy.

• how is my focus? Can I hold it for several hours and keep at one task I am trying to complete?

• how much clarity is in my thinking? Am I able to solve problems without writting everything down? Can I visulize things in my mind?

Here is a 10 step scale to measure your intelectual health:

10 - I suffer from amnezia and can not focus at all
9 - my memory is poor and I find it hard to focus
8 - my mind is always foggy and I am not sure of the things I remember
7 - my long term and short term memory are okay but it is hard to memorize new things
6 - my memory is good but I struggle with focus
5 - I sometimes struggle to remember a word or a term
4 - my memory and focus are normal
3 - I can complete difficult crossword puzzles
2 - I can make music, paint or do other creative activities

1 - I can play blind chess or visulize in my mind how complex machines operate

0 - I solve difficult math equations in my mind

In this scale we see memory and / or focus issues above level 5 and progress into abilities that are (for the most part) an issue of practice and possibly above average inteligence. In case you feel you could achieve the 1 or 2 score if only you were smarter, you can assign one of these scores to yourself.