Memory Loss: Is It Scaring The Daylights Out Of You?

We are all scared to pieces at the thought of developing dementia, Alzheimer’s or anything that smacks of memory loss.  I read everything that I can find that offers support and encouragement, because I am not ready to have anything shut down.

 

Jean Carper, author of “100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s and Age Related Memory Loss,” outlined some tips from her book, in an article written for USA Weekend (September 17-19, 2010).  The thing that I found most encouraging is that none of the tips said anything about taking more medications, except for being sure that you were getting enough Vitamin D.  She stressed that Alzheimer’s is not entirely genetic and not entirely unpreventable.  There are certain lifestyle changes that you can make to help ward off unwelcomed memory loss.  Researchers are finding that there are simple things that you can do to improve your odds of delaying or thwarting memory loss.

 

It’s okay to drink coffee.  Isn’t it great!  After years of listening to dire predictions about our coffee consumption, scientists are now telling us that caffeine is not such a bad thing after all.  Drinking 3-5 cups of coffee a day is actually good for you.  They may be talking about reducing dementia causing amyloids in the brain or adding more antioxidants to your system but who cares.  If you like coffee, you like coffee.

 

Floss your teeth.  You are probably already doing this but if you’re not, now would be a good time to start.  The health of your teeth and gums can help predict dementia. 

 

Use your brain.  She says that working on the computer doing online research can stimulate your brain even more than reading a book, so get in there and do some research.  Reading is still good though, and those crossword puzzles, and learning something new.

 

Grow new brain cells.  Thousands of brain cells are born every day.  I was excited about that, I kind of though that at our age we were just trying to hold our own.  The trick, she says, is keeping them alive!  Researchers suggest 30 minutes of aerobic exercise (get out there and walk), mental activity, eating salmon and other fatty fish, avoid obesity, avoid stress, avoid sleep deprivation, avoid heavy drinking and get enough Vitamin B.

 

Drink apple juice.  We grew up hearing about what an apple a day can do, so this one surely isn’t a stretch.  Apparent a couple of apples or drinking 2-3 glasses of apple juice a day can increase the production of the memory chemical acetycholine.

 

Protect your head.  This one makes sense.  Blows to the head, even mild ones in early life, increase the chance of dementia years later.  Wear a seatbelt, wear a helmet, fall-proof your house and be careful.

 

Meditate.  People who meditate regularly have less cognitive decline and brain shrinkage as they age.  Even 12 minutes a day can improve cognitive thinking.  The easy way is to find a meditation tape that you love and try to chill out for a few minutes every day.

 

Take vitamin D:  you are probably already doing this because Calcium and vitamin D are high on the list of things that you need to be doing for your bones, so do it for your brain too.

 

Fill your brain:  Live life to the max.  Fill your brain with life experiences, education, mentally demanding leisure activities and socialize.  All of these things work together and help your brain stand up to the plaques and tangles that might be trying to snarl things up.

 

Avoid infections.  Take care of yourself.  Infections seem to trigger excessive ‘gunk’ that kills brain cells.  Take appropriate vaccines, antibiotics and antiviral agents.

 

You are most likely doing many of these things already so give yourself a hand.  Join me for a cup of coffee, sign up for a yoga class, and learn something new today.