Dementia
Hypertension Heresy: Are We Overtreating High Bl…
Prepare for whiplash. What I am about to share with you will confuse you and make your doctor quite anxious. But I feel obligated to share data on high blood pressure that are seemingly contradictory.…
Can Lithium in Water Supply Prevent Dementia?
The chances are good that you are exposed to some lithium almost every day of your life. That's because this natural element is plentiful in nature. It is found in rocks and soil all over the earth. T…
Vitamin B12 Deficiency Can Cause Cognitive Probl…
As people grow older, they may begin to have difficulty with memory or complex cognitive tasks. The family might chalk the problem up to encroaching dementia due to aging. In some cases, though, cogni…
Does Prevagen Help to Improve Memory?
The Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General filed a consumer protection complaint against the maker of Prevagen in January, 2017. They charged the marketers of Prevagen with making…
Smartphone App Helps Researchers Diagnose Fronto…
Frontotemporal dementia occurs when the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain atrophy and can no longer function properly. Behavior may change, with personality changes indicating a lack of empathy …
Is It Possible to Prevent Alzheimer’s Dise…
The descent into dementia is horrific. It can creep up gradually, robbing people of their personalities as well as their memories. Friends, family and co-workers have a hard time dealing with the forg…
Could a Daily Multivitamin Help You Stay Sharp?
A common multivitamin may provide some protection against cognitive decline as we age. Findings from the COSMOS study were published last year in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. This year th…
Could BCG, a 100-Year-Old Vaccine, Protect You F…
Two studies published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (Feb. 19-20, 2024) report that a 100-year-old TB vaccination may reduce the likelihood of developing dementia. Have you ever heard of Baci…
Conflicting Results from Anti-Alzheimer’s Trea…
The Alzheimer's Association estimates that nearly 7 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease (AD)..."About 1 in 9 people age 65 and older (10.7%) has Alzheimer's." It is a crisis! That's why effecti…
Show 1374: Marvelous Medicinal Mushrooms
This week, we talk with 4th-generation herbalist, research scientist and mycologist, Dr. Christopher Hobbs. He extolls the benefits of mushrooms not only as nutritious foods, but also as important com…
Could Exercise Save Your Brain?
There are a couple of health problems that everyone dreads. A diagnosis of cancer is most unwelcome. Neurological conditions run a close second, though. If a doctor diagnoses Parkinson's disease or AL…
Should You Be Taking Vitamin Supplements?
Vitamins were among the most exciting discoveries of the early 20th century. Since then, however, doctors have been expressing a lot of skepticism about the value of taking vitamin supplements. Last y…
Are My Medications Causing Me Memory Problems?
Most people assume that if they begin to have memory problems, it is either "natural" aging or bad luck. If a relative had Alzheimer's disease, forgetfulness and dementia are blamed on genetic factors…
Show 1368: Why Overcoming Loneliness Is Crucial …
In this week’s interview, Dr. Robert Waldinger of Harvard University explains why overcoming loneliness is essential for our health. His research, summarized in The Good Life, shows that close relat…
Is Hormone Therapy Safe for Menopausal Women?
For the last 30 years, experts have warned women that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) posed a risk for both breast cancer and cardiovascular disease. That's because investigators published the first…
How to Eat to Maintain Your Brain
If you are an older person who wants to maintain your brain, you should be very careful about what you eat. You may feel that lifestyle changes after age 65 couldn't make much difference for your heal…
Personalized Approach Can Lower Risk for Dementi…
Alzheimer disease and other types of dementia are among the most common and feared conditions of older people. According to the CDC, nearly six million American currently suffer from on of these disor…
Show 1364: Staying Sharp Through Better Hearing
This week’s interviews focus on the benefits of better hearing. Dr. Frank Lin describes the results of the ACHIEVE study, in which some participants got a very significant delay in the onset of cogn…
Can a Mediterranean-Style Diet Protect Your Brai…
How can you protect cognitive function as you age? In countries like Spain and Greece, people who follow a traditional Mediterranean diet appear less likely to develop dementia. New research from Euro…
Will Your Diet Help You Avoid Dementia?
A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, olive oil and fish is good for the heart. Might it also be good for the brain? Analyses show that following a diet loaded with plants might help some of…
Reduce Your Risk of Dementia with Physical Activ…
Older people who would like to stay sharp can take one simple step: keep moving! Research from Rush University Medical Center suggests that physical activity can reduce elders' risk of dementia ( Neu…
Show 1362: Lowdown on New Medicines for Treating…
This week’s radio show is the second of a two-part series on new medicines for treating obesity. This episode features Dr. Robert Lustig, neuroendocrinologist and anti-obesity crusader. He discusses…
The Miracle of Metformin Against Diabetes, Cance…
One of the cheapest and most effective medicines for controlling blood sugar has been around for decades. In truth, though, herbalists were using goat's rue (French lilac) for hundreds of years before…
Is a Rapid Heart Rate a Risk for Dementia?
There are lots of things that put people at higher risk for cognitive decline and dementia. Traumatic brain injury puts veterans at increased risk of dementia. Boxing and blows to the head can also in…
Calculating the Burden of Dementia in Dollars an…
Dementia takes a devastating toll on people’s ability to organize, learn or even manage ordinary activities of daily life. It often places a huge strain on family members, both physically and emotio…
Show 1359: Is the Food on Your Plate Real or Fak…
This week’s radio show features two of the country’s leading nutritional epidemiologists, Dr. Walter Willett of Harvard and Dr. Barry Popkin of the University of North Carolina. They discuss some …
How to Delay Dementia with a Mediterranean-Style…
Could a Mediterranean-style diet help preserve cognitive function in older individuals? Studies from around the world suggest that people following such a regimen may be able to delay dementia. Based …
Can Raising the Head of the Bed Beat Insomnia?
Most of us have had at least a few nights with insomnia. Too many people have trouble with chronic sleeping problems. Often they rely on pills such as benzodiazepines to put them to sleep. Could they …
Adult Education Courses Help Seniors Reduce thei…
There is a popular saying “Use it or lose it!” Does it apply to your brain? A new study of approximately 280,000 volunteers in the UK Biobank suggests that it does. People who participate frequent…
Shingles Vaccines Against Dementia & Flu Sh…
Viral infections cause a lot of mischief! One need look no further than COVID-19 to verify that there can be long-lasting complications after such illnesses. The neuroscience community has long ignore…
Will Sleeping Pill with Diphenhydramine Lead to …
Do you ever forget the names of people you should remember? What about dates like birthdays or anniversaries? How about pass codes? Is it just a benign "senior moment," or something more insidious? Me…
How to Stay Healthy with a Mediterranean Diet
Would you like to be able to improve your health by what you put on your plate? Health professionals and patients alike may doubt that diet can be as powerful as pills. When it comes to important bene…
Could Research in Mice Change How We Look at Alz…
A study in mice suggests that the usual way neuroscientists look at Alzheimer disease might be wrong. What's more, recent research suggests that a supplement available without a prescription might off…
Can You See Alzheimer Disease with Retina Scan?
Technology allows for non-invasive imaging of the retina. Now, such a retina scan may allow eye doctors to diagnose Alzheimer disease (see below). If doctors could diagnose neurological dysfunction ea…
Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Risk of Alzheimer…
Most vitamins must come from our food (or supplements) because we don't make them ourselves. Vitamin D is an exception, because our skin makes the precursor to this hormone when we expose ourselves to…
Show 1326: Think Different About Alzheimer Disea…
For decades researchers have told us that beta amyloid accumulation in the brain causes Alzheimer disease (AD). The FDA has recently approved two new drugs, Aduhelm and Leqembi, based on this theory. …
Show 1341: Lessons Learned from Long Illness
You may not have thought much about long illness, but chances are you know someone who is suffering with one. The CDC estimates that some chronic condition afflicts as many as one in six American adul…
Do Blueberries Help Older People with Memory?
Could blueberries help improve blood pressure and cognitive function in older people? Researchers have been considering this question for years. The latest study suggests that wild blueberries may imp…
How Can You Stop PM Sleeping Pills?
People with insomnia are caught between two hard rocks. On the one hand, they are told that lack of sleep can lead to all sorts of health problems including high blood pressure, forgetfulness, diabete…
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Improves Memory in Mi…
An edible mushroom, called Lion’s Mane for its unusual appearance, has a reputation for improving heart health, modulating the immune system, easing depression and fighting cancer. In China, folklor…