Ginkgo Biloba. Once again, American Family Physician does a nice review of a natural agent. I have used ginko in my office with good results for dementia, hearing loss and impotence. However, I usually consider ginko in anyone younger than 50 years of age ineffective enough to not be worth the money.. Gingko Bilboa – September 1, 2003 – American Family Physician.
Alzheimer's
Help Improve Memory and Concentration: What You Need to Know
Everyone wants their brains to function until 100. Protecting our brain is not a passive process; it takes work to help improve memory and concentration.
I have all but made it a mantra to describe the diabetic progression as the biggest fight that human physiology has. The process begins decades before a diagnosis of diabetes is even considered. It may begin subtly in many ways:
- Increased waist to hip ratio (the belly bulge)
- Menstrual problems
- Gallbladder surgery
- Elevated liver enzymes
- Elevated cholesterol and triglycerides
- Gout
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
- Sleep apnea
- High blood pressure
These are just a few of the many signs that creep up, usually not linked to prediabetes because many physicians are not aware of just how much prediabetes impacts the body. Over decades, these items start to rack up, and many patients are left with more and more medications. Ultimately, the diagnosis of diabetes is given unless the patient dies of a heart attack, stroke, cancer or Alzheimer’s before.
That pretty much sums it up.
By now, of course, regular readers have the list of things to avoid and things to have more of memorized. For those of you who don’t, it can be found here.
You’ll notice that I mentioned Alzheimer’s a paragraph or so ago. This is because Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are being considered a “type 3 diabetes” because the links between them are so strong and have been confirmed in numerous research studies.
This particular article takes the boundaries a little further.
Researchers looked at blood glucose levels in the “not diabetic range” of less than 110. They performed imaging of the brain and checked it again in 4 years. Specifically, they were looking at the hippocampal and amygdala regions–regions deemed very important for short term memory and emotions.
In four years, researchers found that those with blood sugar levels in the high end of normal had some not-so-good findings.
These patients had up to a 10% shrinkage (called atrophy) of the hippocampal and amygdalar regions of their brains. 10% in four years. Even those of us not good at math can figure out that these numbers don’t lead up to Jack Lalane-like longevity.
The bottom line is that we, as a society, cannot proceed along blissfully unaware of how much our prediabetic lifestyles are affecting us. We have to stand up and admit that none of this is good for us and that our heavily processed, dairy dependent, sedentary and industry-biased lifestyles are affecting every single aspect of our health. Medications are not and will never be the answer.
Personal responsibility for our health and our family’s health is the only savior. But this begins with admitting just how much every choice we make damages us.
So what will you change today to protect your brain?
OXIDATIVE STRESS AND INFLAMMATION LEAD TO MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION – (08-11-04)
No evidence for heritability of Parkinson disease in Swedish twins. I know when I speak in the community on neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, there is usually surprise and quite a bit of resistance when I describe them as diseases of lifestyle. However, the research is pointing more and more towards (sound familiar??) oxidative stress and inflammation leading to mitochondrial dysfunction. Ultimately the cells cannot keep up with the damage being done to themselves and they commit suicide (a process called apoptosis). Lose too many cells this way and you start losing function. No evidence for heritability of Parkinson disease in Swedish twins — Wirdefeldt et al. 63 (2): 305 — Neurology –
Improve Your Memory Without Memory Improvement Games
Looking for a quick trick to improve your memory? Maybe a supplement for memory or memory improvement games? The answer is both simpler but more involved.
If you meant to look for things you can do to maintain your memory as you get older but you just keep forgetting–this blog post is for you. (Just in case you’re already taking that stuff for memory but can’t remember the name….It’s ginkgo, and double the dose…)
Many seniors that I come across have concerns over memory loss as they age. Today’s senior demands high expectations from his or her body and brain. Luckily, preserving memory is a conscious decision because memory loss is clearly related to lifestyle. Make the right choices and you should always remember just where you left your keys.
The reverse is also true–make the wrong decisions and you’ll pay with in cognition and memory.
But let’s get something clear. Factors like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and prediabetes will all affect memory. But, as I’ve stated time and time again, if you use medication to artificially fix these numbers, you haven’t fixed anything.
Blood pressure and stroke. Insulin and diabetes. Cholesterol and heart attacks. We live in a society that believes that medications are the answer, and few doctors understand lifestyle changes enough to make solid recommendations.
This particular study really sums it all up and shows how little these medications do to protect what we hold dear.
Researchers looked to determine what factors led to greater cognitive loss up to 18 years later. They lumped these factors together and called them “metabolic abnormalities.” Here’s where it gets interesting…
- BMI
- Triglycerides ≥150 mg/dl OR lipid-lowering drugs
- Systolic blood pressure ≥130, diastolic ≥85 OR antihypertensive drugs
- glucose ≥ 100 mg/dl OR medications for diabetes
- HDL cholesterol <40 mg / dl for men and <50 mg / dl for women
I have emphasized the “OR” in the above for a very important reason. Basically, it didn’t matter whether you were on medication for high blood pressure, diabetes or cholesterol — you still had the same risks as if your numbers were too high an unmedicated.
When they looked at the results, those with elevated BMI and at least 2 of the other abnormalities noted above, this group experienced the fastest cognitive decline, even faster than an obese individual that did not have at least 2 other abnormalities.
So basically, the most fundamental of lab values, blood pressure, triglycerides (notice we did NOT say cholesterol), HDL and blood glucose were reflective of how the brain declined or not over time.
I’ve covered steps to protect your brain in a previous post that can be read here.
Overall, though, if you want to improve the way your brain is working and keep it that way, you’re going to have to play a very active role. There is not a single supplement or the most complex Sudoku game book that is going to hold the answer.
It will arguably take a lifetime of commitment to better health to protect your brain. And, if you happen to be coming into this information later in life, it is never too late to start.
So what have YOU done for your brain today (other than reading this blog post, of course…)
LOWER THE RISK OF AD, A CHRONIC DISEASE – (12-22-03)
Proneness to psychological distress associated with risk of Alzheimer’s
With an increasing realization that AD is a chronic disease of lifestyle, I am frequently coming across risk factors and physiological interventions to lower risk of AD. Ginko biloba, exercise (both mental and physical), folic acid/B12, aluminum toxicity, etc… are just a few of the items on the radar screen. The bottom line, however, is that AD is increasingly being looked at as preventable, or at least significantly lowering your risk.
Neurology — Abstracts: Wilson et al. 61 (11): 1479.
Dementia Research for a Cure – Forget About It
Alzheimer’s dementia is a continually growing concern and the money spent to find a “cure” is staggering. Unfortunately, a dementia cure remains elusive.
Some time ago, researchers determined that the brains of those who had died from Alzheimer’s dementia had higher levels of two types of proteins: neurofibullary tangles (NFT) and amyloid plaques (AP). Everything seems to have gone downhill from there.
It seems quite appearant to me that these proteins are the end result of a problem, not the problem itself. In other words, decades of abuse to the cells of the brain (specifically in the neocortex and hippocampal regions of the brain in AD sufferers) kills off brain cells. The resulting debris shows up as these NFT and AP proteins.
Since I am a relatively small and insignificant voice when it comes to how we spend research dollars in regards to neurodegenerative disorders, researchers have thrown tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars towards the goal of eradicating these pesky little proteins.
The thought was, that if we could destory these proteins by gearing up the immune system, then everything would be hunky dorey. As if a single compound could undo 30, 40 or 50 years of damage to the brain cells in a few short months.
As far as I am concerned, we have the answer to neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s dementia. It’s called prevention, and we have loads of research data to back it up. These protective factors include, but are not limited to:
- Exercise
- Continuing to challenge your brain
- An anti-diabetic lifestyle
- High intakes of polyphenols found in coffee, tea, cocoa and dark chocolate
Combining all of these factors can have a massive impact on the development of dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions. While any single research study on prevention may be able to be downplayed and belittled, the combined weight of the research can no longer be ignored.
This is a lifestyle-mediated disease and “treatment” will likely never be possible.
But we live in a society that doesn’t care about prevention. We want to throw more and more money at a cure rather than educating the general public about how to prevent dementia. Heck–first we even have to let the public know you CAN prevent it!
So, the news that Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, is halting any current efforts to treat Alzheimer’s dementia using drugs targeted at these abnormal proteins seems like a good idea to me.
But the money that has been wasted already sickens me. This is money that you yourself may have donated to a walk, climb, run or crawl to cure Alzheimer’s and ended up in the pockets of the big drug companies via grants awarded for ongoing research.
So what have you done lately to protect YOUR brain?
Neurodegeneration: Dementia Support Starts Here
Alzheimer’s and Parkinsons are fearsome. The neurodegeneration robs you of your mind and body. Prevention is possible, but dementia support has to start NOW.
I know that I’ve covered the mitochondria before since it is, after all, everyone’s favorite organelle. But it never hurts to review (besides, if you ever get on Jeopardy you can say, “Alex, I’ll take cellular organelles for $500, please” with confidence).
Think way back to your high school biology class and the anatomy of a cell. To the mitochondria. The little “powerhouse of the cell.” That little organelle within the cell that helps to generate energy for a cell. And the “energy currency” for every cell is adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. There are some billion or so reactions that occur in our body EVERY SECOND, and each one of these requires a molecule of ATP to get the job done.
Some tissues, like fat, use very little energy.
Others, like the heart, our muscles and our brain, use much more.
At rest, the nervous system, which includes our brain, is the greatest utilizer of ATP in the body. Once we start moving, the muscles take over and have the greatest need.
Poor lifestyle choices that lead to exposure to toxic chemicals, stress and processed foods begin to damage these precious little ATP-producing buggers. Luckily, a lifestyle devoid of stress with minimal toxic exposure and lots of fruits, veggies and spices can protect our mitochondria.
However, if the brain cells lose too many of their own mitochondria through this damaging process, ultimately the remaining mitochondria can no longer keep up with the energy needs of the cell and the cell begins a process called apoptosis, or cell suicide.
If you can envision the solid Scottish accent of Scotty from Star Trek calling up to the bridge saying, “Captain, we can hold ‘er together anymore,” than you get an idea of what begins to happen (except Captain Kirk always seems to figure out the problem and save the USS Enterprise—not so much for our brains at this point…).
Left unchecked, this loss of neurons over the course of years can lead to other neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.
If you would like to protect your brain and have it last at least as long as your body, then you need to begin NOW to protect it. Ways to protect your brain from dementia and neurodegeneration have been covered in previous posts and can be read here.
This particular review looks at this process of damage to our mitochondria and the subsequent neurodegeneration that occurs. I thought I’d throw it in just in case you thought that I really had no idea what I am talking about (especially since your neurologist has mentioned that we don’t know what causes the brain to break down).
If you have a family history of a neurodegenerative disorder, what changes have you made NOW to protect your brain?
IMPORTANT ROLE OF OXIDATIVE STRESS IN THE ONSET OF ALZHEIMER – (01-09-06)
Early melatonin supplementation alleviates oxidative stress in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease
Yet another wonderful article delineating the importance of the role of oxidative stress in the onset of Alzheimer’s. This mouse study found melatonin to be very protective, but mainly when giving early. The problem with that approach in humans is that most clinicians have not embraced the oxidative stress/mitochondrial dysfunction model of AD and probably won’t for several decades.
That means that, despite knowing that melatonin may help prevent AD in the children of AD patients, they won’t get the news until it is too late. Let’s just hope the info gets out in time for THEIR children to protect themselves.