Brain Health

I am not a subscriber to HBO and had therefore never watched the epic and highly celebrated series Game of Thrones. I was aware of its existence, but only after listening to one of my patients exclaim about it, did I decide to watch it. He told me that it would be violent, have a … Game of Thrones & Donuts

Is diet related to dementia? For a long time, researchers have known two things: (i) poor dietary habits increase the risk of getting heart disease, and (ii) having heart disease increases the risks of dementia (1). The next question followed naturally: Does poor diet itself increase the risk of dementia? Researchers now say, Yes (2, … Brain Tip #3: Eat Smart, Decrease Dementia

We humans are living longer. That’s the good news. The bad? After we turn 65, dementia rates double every five years in developed countries. And in developing ones, dementia rates double every seven years. (1)  The conclusion seems unavoidable. The longer we live, the more likely we are to suffer dementia. All the more reason … Brain Tip #2: Socialize More, Improve Cognitive Performance

Want to improve your chances of avoiding mild cognitive decline as you age? Or even of getting Alzheimer’s?  Researchers have identified several things we can do. Among them, is this strong recommendation: Get off your couch. And get active.           This is not new advice. Those of us 55 and older have heard this for many years. … Brain Tip #1:  Use your Body, Benefit your Mind

This piece is about one of the virtues of having a Mindfulness practice. It is an effective way to gain mental flexibility. When I was younger I heard stories of older people being on the ground with the inability to get themselves off the floor. I remember thinking how odd that must be…just get up…right? … Mindfulness and Mental Flexibility

We have all hear it. We all know that added sugars and syrups fuel obesity, trigger excess insulin secretion and boost inflammation, elevate triglycerides and cause cardio woes. But as our ole friends Drs. Oz and Roizen explain, they can also increase our risk for mental health. Roizen and Oz drew our attention to a … Hey Sweetie…

Brains don’t like negative stress, so says the authors of a study, which was reported in the December 2014, edition of Psychology and Aging. The authors expected to find an association between so called cognitive decline and everyday memory problems being exacerbated by stress. One hundred and twelve people were studied in a subsample of … Our Brain on Stress

As reported in the December 2014 journal Psychology and Aging, over 500 non-demented seniors participated in the so-called Berlin Aging Study. The subjects were 70-100 years old and were measured for memory performance 4 times over the course of 6 years. The researchers were measuring the complaints of the seniors about their memory verses their … Good News For the Very Old Agers

We are all familiar with the experience of having our mind wander. We’re reading a book, and realize we’ve read the same page 5 times without any recollection of what we just read. Or when we are driving and realize we are way off course, but were so lost in thought we had no idea … The Wandering Mind

In Part 1 of Healthy Brain Aging, I shared material from Glenn Smith, Ph.D. of the University of Florida, who wrote the lead article in the May-June 2016 issue of American Psychologist. His article entitled, Healthy Cognitive Aging and Dementia Prevention will continue to be the basis of the Part 3 in this series. In … Healthy Brain Aging—Part 3