High on the wish list (probably highest, actually) of a new patient coming into WholeHealth Chicago for \u201cwellness\u201d is not just \u201clongevity\u201d but \u201clongevity plus \u2018brains\/wit\/wisdom\u2019\u201d a la Betty White, Norman Lear, George Burns, late Chicago actor Mike Nussbaum.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So let\u2019s talk \u201cbrain\u201d and say you\u2019re in one of these four situations: 1. There\u2019s dementia in your family and you\u2019re definitely worried about this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. There\u2019s no dementia in your family but you have been experiencing some symptoms that are either so mild no one notices a\/k\/a Subjective Cognitive Impairment (\u201cWhy are my keys in the refrigerator?\u201d) or symptoms that might be interfering with your life a\/k\/a Mild Cognitive Impairment;<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. You have neither of the above but simply want your brain to function at its maximum potential for your entire (and hopefully, long, long) life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For everyone listed above, 1 through 3, for your brain to function at its best, let\u2019s review first a simple test to differentiate \u201csimple forgetfulness\u201d from \u201cpossible early mild dementia\u201d. By the way, most patients are just forgetful. Being \u201cmindful\u201d cures a lot of what seems like early dementia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it\u2019s really worth knowing that you might be worrying about nothing at all. Here\u2019s the Self Administered Gerocognitive Examination, SAGE <\/a> for short. It will take you about 15 minutes and you take it by yourself, without any help from another. Once you\u2019ve completed the test, print it out and take it to your primary care physician for scoring. If everything is fine, she\u2019ll just place it in your chart and suggest repeating it in a year or two. If not, she\u2019ll likely refer you to a neurologist for additional testing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Regular physical exercise. <\/strong>Yes, I know, you hear this all the time, but the data showing that exercise prevents dementia is getting more and more compelling. The very important Swedish study<\/a> got a lot of people moving. It showed that highly fit middle aged women were 90% less likely to get dementia in their later decades <\/strong>than deconditioned or even moderately fit women. 90%?! That should be sufficient for you to at least buy an elliptical and guiltily look at it. Also very useful for memory enhancement and prevention of dementia were t\u2019ai chi <\/strong>and Taekwondo<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Chronic stress from any source definitely increases your dementia risks. <\/strong>Make your life decisions based on how you answer, \u201cWill the result of this choice increase or decrease my stress level?\u201d Planning to get engaged to a heroin addict you\u2019re sure you can change? (Sounds like that might increase your stress).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. If you\u2019ve read the words \u201cGoing keto”, that\u2019s how you\u2019ll be eating.<\/strong> Your liver starts making specific chemicals called \u2018ketones\u2019 from stored fats when it\u2019s running low on carbs. Blood levels of ketones increase, a condition called \u201cketosis\u201d, your brain function improves. There are two steps to produce more ketones. First, switch to a low carbohydrate, high fiber diet. Second, go \u2018NPO\u2019 (that\u2019s \u2018nothing by mouth except water) 12 hours every day. Finish your dinner by 7 PM and hold off breakfast until 7 AM or later. In addition, because gluten and dairy add unnecessary inflammation, try at least to reduce them. Keep your saturated fats low by using meat as a condiment rather than as a main course. Familiarize yourself with the Glycemic Index<\/a> and try to keep your food selections below 35; increase \u201cgood\u201d fats, by eating more fish, using olive oil and other healthy fats.This is low inflammation eating. Consider a cheeseburger, fries and a Coke after a late night movie as the worst possible things to eat, your \u201cBerfooda Triangle,\u201d and take it from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Practice good sleep hygiene:<\/strong> dark room (or sleep mask), quiet environment, go to bed before midnight. Oh, since just about everyone after age 45 wakes up sometime between 1 AM and 3 AM, don\u2019t agonize over it. Go empty your bladder, get back into bed and meditate. Morning will come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Make a conscious effort to reduce inflammation in your body. <\/strong>Interestingly, some people can sense when they\u2019re inflamed with symptoms like fatigue, general achiness, skin eruptions, brain fog, and digestive problems. Your doctor can measure your inflammation with an hsCRP test. If your hsCRP is elevated you (and your doctor) will need to play detective to find the sources. The big villains of inflammation are dietary, leaky gut syndrome<\/a>, chronic infections (like Lyme, mold, chronic viruses <herpes, Epstein-Barr>, poor oral hygiene, chronic sinusitis), auto-immune disease (like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, Hashimoto\u2019s).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Get your hearing checked<\/strong> (untreated hearing loss=diminished brain function=increased dementia risks) and your teeth regularly cleaned. Floss every day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. Keep your hormones (thyroid, adrenal, sex hormones) at healthy levels.<\/strong> You may have to apply pressure to your doctor for cooperation on this but \u201cborderline hypothyroid\u201d is not \u201cnormal\u201d. For women, long term sex hormone replacement (starting at the onset of menopause) definitely reduced dementia risks.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8. Keep your exposure to chemicals very low.<\/strong> If you\u2019re not buying organic, wash fruit and veggies thoroughly. Read labels: if you can\u2019t pronounce it, don\u2019t eat it. Challenge the necessity of any drugs you\u2019re prescribed. Over 3\/4th of Americans over age 50 are taking one or more prescription drugs, most of the drugs are being used to treat the consequences of unhealthful lifestyle choices.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n 9. Challenge your brain endlessly.<\/strong> Read more books (and check your smartphone less); take some evening courses; create art or write a journal; garden; learn something new, like a foreign language; prepare exotic new dishes you\u2019ve never tried before even if you live alone; watch less TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10. Travel more! <\/strong>I wrote about this recently with a study showing how travel actually slows down aging<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 11. \u201cHeal Your Gut, Save Your Brain\u201d<\/strong>, by Partha Nandi, M.D., a Board Certified Gastroenterologist, has just been published by Mayo Clinic Press<\/a> and reviews the fascinating new research being uncovered between your gut microbiome and your susceptibility to Alzheimer\u2019s, Parkinson\u2019s and strokes. Testing your microbiome, healing your leaky gut, reducing your inflammation can dramatically reduce your susceptibility to these devastating illnesses.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schedule an appointment with any WholeHealth Chicago<\/a> Practitioner to discuss these concerns. Likely your first Functional Medicine Test will be a Comprehensive Stool Digestive Analysis with Microbiome (bacteria\/candida\/parasites), and your first \u201cproject\u201d will be our Gut Restoration Protocol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll learn nutritional tricks to eat for a healthy microbiome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nutritional supplements for a healthy brain (called \u2018nootropics\u2019) a list that will change periodically as new research comes out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nLifestyle Brain Protectors:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Suggestions: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Currently, I am using: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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