Stem Cells and 10 Illnesses #5

Number 5 on my list falls in the same category with the neurodegenerative diseases. Alzheimer's is a disease that progresses by degrading and killing brain cells, which leads to memory loss, cognitive decline, and sometime behavior problems.

There is a lot of skepticism as to whether stem cells could help in this disease, but I feel there is potential here.

Protecting Your Brain Health

I have talked about brain health before, but I think it bears some more thoughts. With the increasing number of people developing Alzheimer's Disease, there are a few thing you can do to help protect your brain.

First is to literally protect your brain. Use a helmet when cycling, use seat belts, and use care when there is an increased risk of a fall, such as when you are on a ladder. We know that Alzheimer's is linked to previous head trauma, so protect your head. I cross country ski and I usually say it's just me and the trees, but I still wear a helmet. Those trees can give you a pretty nasty rap on the head!

Improving Your Memory

I get asked by many of my older patients if I think they are getting Alzheimers Disease. Usually it is because they have forgotten somethings. But the bottom line is that if they are asking the question, they don't have it.

Most of us have experienced times when we have forgotten something. Or have you ever been at work and you suddenly just can't seem to think any more, your brain is in a fog. Then it's time to clear it. One of the things that will help you improve your memory is simply by going for a walk. What this does is change your environment and also your thoughts. While you're walking, you may come up with a solution to whatever you were working on that you might not have thought of otherwise.

Brain Health

Researchers have shown that marriage helps keep your mind sharp. Now that's a new twist right. But what they found was that individuals who were single at midlife (age 50) and remained single were at greater risk to develop diseases such as Alzheimer's.

What the researchers believe is that by having a partner, you may be given social and mental challenges that stimulate the brain. I know someone out there is saying something like, boy, I'm really challenged alright. But be happy that you have that challenge and that it may delay or prevent the onset of dementia.

More on Fasting

A little more on fasting here. Fasting can help your bodies systems to take you toward disease prevention. One of the things that occurs during fasting for a couple of days is that your body begins to detoxify and get rid of the toxins that have built up within.

The other thing that occurs after fasting that researchers don't understand is that the seems to require fewer calories. They think this occurs because the cells are stressed just enough, not too much. This mild stress helps them produce proteins that are actually protective of more severe stress. This is a case of a little is good, but more is not better.

Research has also shown that reduced calories with intermittent fasting helps reduce the decline of cognitive function in diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. If you have ever fasted in an appropriate manner, you were probably aware of your own cognitive ability being sharpened.

Keep Your Brain Healthy

Want to know how to keep your brain functioning at it's highest and best level? I think we all want to go here. If you have had a relative or known someone who suffered from Alzheimer's Disease, then you have probably already wondered how you can keep your brain functioning at it's best.

I believe there are 5 things you can do to keep you brain functioning at it's very best. The first thing is to eat well. I have written a few things about brain foods. If you look in the key word list on this blog under Brain Food, you will find them. One of the things that I have found to be most helpful in clearing my thinking is to actually cleanse the body which in turn cleans out the bad chemicals from the brain as well. I just recently did a series on cleansing, but if you are interested in cleansing the mind, respond to this post and I will send you more information.

Just some simple basics that clog up your brain are things like sugar and flour. Better to look to foods with natural sugars and whole grains or nuts. Researchers describe brain food diets as those that include fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, fish and poultry.

There are some specific foods which help the brain. Berries, especially blueberries improve short term memory, help clear arteries and improve blood flow to the brain.

More on brain foods tomorrow.

Blueberry Brain Turn On

I've known for a long time that blueberries are rich in antioxidants and help boost the immune system. They are also a super food that can energize and turn on brain cells.

Blueberries actually help neuron signals be stronger, this is part of the problem in Alheimer's (the signals are weak). The chemical that is required to have strong neuron signals is potentiated by blueberries.

Blueberries can actually help your brain think more clearly.

Alzheimer's and Pomegranate Juice

While studies have shown that individuals with high blood pressure had twice the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, this wasn't enough for me to believe that pomegranate juice while it may decrease blood pressure, would have an effect on the development of Alzheimer's disease. In digging around a little more, I found that there has been some research in animal studies showing that when rats bred to develop Alzheimer's were given pomegranate juice, they developed less of the amyloid plaque which is associated with Alzheimer's and were able to perform mental tasks better.

This research tends to make me think that drinking pomegranate juice is not a bad thing, and if you have a history of Alzheimer's disease in your family, I would highly recommend it.