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Maintaining
Memory
Just
about everyone over the age of forty is worried about their memory.
The news media has done a good job in the last ten years of raising
people's awareness of the ravages of Alzheimer's and other dementias
on individuals and their families. Jokes abound about "senior
moments", and often it's the joke-tellers themselves who
secretly fear that the joke is on them.
Is memory
loss an inevitable part of aging? Can something be done to prevent
it? Absolutely. Below are some tips to help maintain good memory
as you age.
Maintain
good health
The most important
first step is to maintain overall good health. Hypertension, or
high blood pressure, and other risk factors for cardiovascular
disease-such as diabetes mellitus, smoking, and high cholesterol-threaten
brain blood vessels as well. So see your doctor and get treatment
for high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol, if needed.
A prudent diet will go a long way to improving cholesterol levels
and assuring that you get adequate vitamins and minerals to preserve
overall brain function. This means a diet low enough in calories
to maintain your ideal body weight, which includes low fat (less
than 60 gm. per day, less than 20 gm. saturated fat), 2-4 servings
of fruit, three to five servings of vegetables, six servings of
bread or grain, and 3 servings of dairy per day, fish twice a
week, and red meat limited to once a week. If you need assistance
with a diet plan, ask for help from your doctor or a nutritionist.
Don't smoke!
Smoking contributes
to blood vessel damage in the brain.
Take an
aspirin a day...
If you are
at risk of cardiovascular and brain blood vessel disease, take
one aspirin a day, unless your stomach is sensitive or you have
a bleeding problem. The enteric-coated type is the safest. You
should also take a multivitamin with at least 400 mg of folate.
Use alcohol
in moderation
Alcohol in
moderation is best for your brain. There is some evidence that
moderate amounts of alcohol are beneficial for heart and vascular
health. This means no more than two drinks a day for men and one
for women; a drink means one beer, one glass of wine, or 1 oz.
of alcohol. Alcohol in excess of these amounts has a damaging
effect on the brain and memory.
Take note
of medication reactions
Many different
medications can have a harmful effect on memory and brain function.
So, if you experience any changes in your thinking and memory
abilities after you start on a new drug, be sure to ask your doctor
if the medication could be responsible.
Maintain
psychological health
Next, psychological
health is important to optimal brain function. Depression is a
common and treatable medical illness which can, in some cases,
look like dementia. Other psychological problems can produce apathy
and lack of motivation to engage in the intellectual stimulation
necessary to maintain good brain health. So see your doctor or
a therapist if mental and emotional problems trouble you.
Talk to
your doctor about vitamin/herbal supplements
Vitamin E
has been shown to prevent the decline of patients with Alzheimer's
Disease, and there is good reason to believe that its anti-oxidant
properties prevent brain aging. I take it myself in hopes that
it will help to preserve my own brain function. 400-800 IU per
day is the proper dose. Likewise, gingko biloba has been shown
to slow down the progression of dementia, and may work in adults
without dementia to improve cognitive function, although this
herbal supplement's efficacy is still being studied. The dose
is 120 mg/day. One potential side effect of gingko is increased
likelihood of bleeding, so you should talk to your doctor before
taking gingko and aspirin together.
Stimulate
your brain!
Probably most
importantly, you need to actively pursue stimulating your brain
throughout your older years. This should be fun and enjoyable,
too. All the senses should be stimulated:
- Hearing:
stimulate your hearing by listening to music and talking with
friends.
- Vision:
stimulate your vision by reading, enjoying art or new sights.
- Touch:
stimulate your touch sensation by working with your hands at
arts and crafts, or in the garden or workshop.
- Smell
and taste: stimulate your smell and taste sensations by spicing
your foods and appreciating the smells of nature.
- Motor
senses: stimulate your motor senses by physical activity.
"Brain push-ups"
like crossword puzzles and other mental challenges are excellent.
Entirely new activities are particularly stimulating, like taking
up a new musical instrument, engaging in an art activity you've
never tried before, or learning a new language. Albert Einstein
took up the violin late in life, and Winston Churchill took up painting.
So, go ahead, be adventurous! Do something you've always wanted
to do but have never taken the time for. You have nothing to lose,
and only pleasure, increased social interactions, a renewed sense
of achievement, and better brain function to gain!
Reference
Source 104
For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick
Prevention Resources".
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