Dementia
Show 1412: Beyond Amyloid: The Science That Coul…
This week, we look at the new pharmaceuticals that the FDA has approved for treating Alzheimer disease. Although they are effective at removing amyloid plaques from the brain, they don’t seem to hel…
Will a Mediterranean Diet Benefit Your Brain?
The Mediterranean diet has earned a reputation for promoting heart health, as we discuss below. A Harvard study suggested it might also be good for the brain, especially for people with type 2 diabete…
Microbes on the Mind: How the Brain Microbiome A…
Everyone is aware that we have a microbiome within our digestive tract. It’s a whole ecological system unto itself containing bacteria, viruses and fungi. For decades, medical students learned that …
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…
Cannabis: New Way to Calm Patients with Alzheime…
Alzheimer's disease is one of the cruelest conditions we know of. First, it robs you of your memories. It also makes it hard to think clearly. Balancing a checkbook, for example, can become a nightmar…
Can a Mediterranean-Style Diet Protect Your Brai…
How can you protect cognitive function as you age? Several studies suggest that a Mediterranean-style diet plan can help. What does that entail? Lots of veggies, fruits and whole grains like farro, no…
New Research Confirms Link | Herpes Virus Infect…
Could Alzheimer disease (AD) be caused in part by a viral infection? Such an association seems bizarre and yet the evidence is accumulating that certain strains of herpes virus infections and Alzheime…
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. This can sometimes cause additional health problems. Often they rely on pills such…
Incredible Beet Health Benefits for Brain and Bl…
Red beets are known officially as Beta vulgaris rubra. Researchers generally refer to this vegetable as beetroot. Although this root vegetable is popular in Europe, it doesn't have a lot of fans in th…
Show 1402: How You Can Protect Your Precious Eye…
This week, Joe and Terry Graedon welcome your calls about how you can protect your precious eyesight. Have you been struggling with dry eyes or diagnosed with glaucoma? You can share your experience o…
Can Low Blood Pressure Raise Dementia Risk in Ol…
Many physicians believe that a good blood pressure (BP) is right around 120/80, regardless of age. Some aggressively prescribe several blood pressure medicines to achieve that goal. There is, however,…
Show 1400: Exposing Blind Spots: Unmasking the M…
This week, our guest calls attention to beliefs and practices in medicine that are based on dogma rather than data. Why don’t doctors or researchers question these blind spots? You’ll hear about s…
Which Berries Are Best for Your Brain?
Would you like to stay sharp as you grow older? Almost everyone would. Memory lapses can be extremely frustrating as well as embarrassing, particularly when they start to become more frequent. Experts…
What’s the Connection Between Viral Infections…
Drug companies, the Alzheimer’s Association and the FDA have placed almost all their chips on the beta-amyloid theory of Alzheimer’s disease. Billions have been spent on anti-amyloid drugs such as…
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? Evidence increasingly points in that direction. Analyses show that follow…
Could Fat from Fish Be Good for Your Brain?
The old wives used to claim that fish is brain food. Little by little, scientists are catching up to this idea. The popularity of fish oil has varied over the years, but several studies suggest benefi…
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…
Will Benzodiazepine Use Increase Your Risk for A…
Americans love benzodiazepines (aka benzos). These anti-anxiety agents are used as all-purpose psych drugs. Millions of people take benzos to calm jittery nerves, ease anxiety and overcome insomnia. T…
New Blood Tests for Alzheimer Disease
Detecting Alzheimer disease is complicated. There are no simple tests. Doctors can perform cognitive function evaluations and order brain imaging. To date, though, definitive diagnosis relies on autop…
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…
Show 1374: Marvelous Medicinal Mushrooms (Archiv…
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…
Sauna Bathing and Its Health Benefits
Finnish researchers have been studying the health benefits of sauna bathing for years. A study published several years ago in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings reviewed the evidence for cardiovascular and o…
Staying Fit Helps the Brain as Well as the Body
Most people know that staying fit is a great way to maintain health. People who are physically active are less likely to suffer cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks or strokes (Advances in Ex…
Healthy Lifestyle Changes Can Help Hold Off Deme…
Boomers are worried about dementia. Many have witnessed their parents suffering from Alzheimer disease or other neurodegenerative disorders. Not only do the individuals fade away in a cloud of not-rem…
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…
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 …
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…
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…
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…
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…