Preserving Brain Health In A Toxic Age

Learn how to reduce the impact of environmental toxins on brain development, functioning, and health. The human brain is a marvelously complex organ that has evolved great new capabilities over the past 250,000 years. During most of that period, daily life was vastly different from our lives today. Exercise was not optional - one literally had to run for one’s life, livelihood, and sustenance. The Stone Age diet was not a fad, but the only food available. Periods of fasting arose from food scarcity, and hence the earliest keto-diet was commonplace. Life changed greatly with the advent of agriculture and industry. Diseases that were previously unknown or uncommon began to surface as by-products of civilization’s advance. Changes in our ways of living have altered the nature of illness as well as its diagnosis and treatment. From the 1970s to the present, tens of thousands of chemicals with applications in all aspects of our lives have grown more than 40-fold. Exposure to these new substances has impacted many aspects of our health, especially the delicate parts of the brain and nervous system. In parallel with the changes in our environment, we have seen the growth of brain disorders including Alzheimer’s Disease and autism in previously unimaginable ways. Here, Arnold Eiser elucidates some features of diseases affecting the nervous system that are increasing in incidence with a focus on those disorders that appear related to environmental toxins that modern life has introduced. He takes readers behind the scenes of the science itself to discover the human stories involved in the discovery and management of these illnesses. Offering insights from a variety of scientific disciplines, Eiser clearly and succinctly illustrates the impact of toxins on our brains and how we might better protect ourselves from negative outcomes. With interviews from leading authorities in the field of neuroscience, environmental toxicology, integrative medicine, neurology, immunology, geriatrics, and microbiology (re the gut microbiome), this book offers a robust understanding of the complex threats to our brains, and the healthy brain’s dependence upon many other systems within our bodies. This is a voyage of discovery into the science, history, and human struggle regarding disorders challenging the brain as well as their possible prevention.

Library Journal, Starred Review Keep your brain healthy as you age by practicing proper maintenance and learning to identify problems as they arise. Have you ever spent 10 minutes looking for your reading glasses, and they were on the top of your head? Or, have you walked into a room and forgotten why you went there? Most people, even younger ones, have had these experiences but when should such instances be something of concern? What are the normal signs of aging? Is there anything you can do to maintain your brain health as you age? Brain Health as You Age provides useful, achievable actions you can take to reduce your risk of brain function decline, accurate information about identifying problems, and real solutions. The authors offer useful anecdotes and scientifically validated information -- important tools in separating myth from reality. The authors separate fact from fiction to ensure that recommendations are evidence-based, practical, useful, achievable, and measurable. Written by a world-renowned cognitive specialist, an extraordinary house call physician, and an award-winning author on eldercare issues, this book addresses both normal and abnormal decline and best practices for addressing both. Brain health, cognitive impairment, and mood disorders are serious issues. This book is an accessible starting point for understanding healthy brain aging and when to seek help. It’s never too soon to start preventing cognitive decline, or understanding it once it’s begun, and this book offers the perfect entry point for readers young and old.

While gray hair and wrinkles may be unwelcome if inevitable signs of the passing years, the memory loss, intellectual impairment, and mood swings that come with an aging brain can be truly devastating. According to bestselling author and anti-aging expert Dr. Eric Braverman, getting older does not have to mean becoming forgetful, clueless, or depressed—quite the opposite, in fact. Distilling his 35 years of research and clinical experience into an easy-to-follow protocol, Dr. Braverman explains how men and women can actually build new brain cells, becoming younger and smarter as they age. Readers will learn what to eat to stay focused, when to exercise to sharpen their memory, and how to organize their lifestyle to improve problem-solving skills—and discover the revolutionary hormone therapies and medications available to treat cognitive decline. Having helped thousands take control of their hormones to maintain the physical and sexual vitality of their twenties and thirties, Dr. Braverman now presents Younger Brain, Sharper Mind, a simple plan to help them protect and enhance youth's most prized possession: a vigorous, capable mind.

This issue examines what is a healthy aging brain and covers preventive measures for succesful cognitive aging. Topics covered include: A road map to healthy aging brain; Cardiovascular risk factors, cerebrovascular disease burden and healthy aging brain; Healthy aging brain: Impact of head injury, alcohol and environmental toxins; Healthy aging brain: What has sleep go to do with it?; Endocrine aspects of healthy aging brain; Healthy aging brain: Role of exercise and physically active lifestyle; Healthy aging brain: Role of nutrition and nutritional supplements; Healthy aging brain: Role of cognitive reserve, cognitive stimulation and cognitive exercises; Healthy aging brain: Impact of positive and negative emotions; Dementia risk predictor. Are we there yet?; Potential future neuroprotective therapies for neurodegenerative disorders and stroke; Healthy aging brain: Importance of promoting resilience and creativity.

A popular claim in recent years is that a person only uses 10% of their brain, and while this is not remotely true, it is accurate that the human brain contains massive untapped capabilities. Brains remain the most magnificent biological machines, and the latest neurobiological research on nutrition, sleep, music and exercise aims to help people keep theirs in top shape. The human mind is more than just electrochemical signals--it's a fountain of consciousness, transcending physicality. This work, backed by decades of experience, includes the latest neuroscience research and vignettes based on the author's actual patients. Containing "mental hacks" to explain how to overcome mental limitations, it explores how simple changes like breaking bad habits, having a better work-life balance, and more could help the human mind go from being just "fine-tuned" to being enlightened and limitless. With these hacks, a designer brain is just around the corner.

When you’re living with a loved one who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease you must be able to survive one emotional upheaval after another. What is most important during this difficult time is that you not only survive the physical demands placed on you as the primary caregiver, but that you learn to cope effectively with the emotional turmoil and preserve the quality of your own life in the process. Caregivers have been known to put their own lives on hold and become entirely devoted to caregiving—making this difficult role even harder, and often compromising their own health. This needn’t happen. The caregivers you will meet in this book, with whom you have much in common, have learned how to deal with the frustration, anger, and grief that come naturally to any person in this role. Through their poignant stories and personal experiences you will find the strength that you need to care for your loved one while remaining emotionally committed as the mutuality of your partnership fades. Loving and nurturing while letting go is the paradox of Alzheimer’s caregiving. You can learn from the caregivers in this book what you need to do to create a satisfying life that meshes with your role as caregiver. You will ultimately be able to make the right decisions and minimize the chaos that can overwhelm you. Within are the tools you need to manage the stressors of your changing and challenging world.

Your brain could be suffering without your knowledge. Most likely your brain is suffering at this very moment and you have no way of knowing or finding out, until you start to notice irreversible signs of decline. Our current diet is leading to all kinds of health problems: obesity, cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, with increasing evidence that it also triggers Alzheimer’s disease, now seen by some researchers as another form of diabetes, an issue addressed in this book. What can we do? Awareness campaigns for healthy diets have achieved limited success. Many continue to follow fad diets, but most do it for aesthetic reasons or health problems. Some popular diets like the Mediterranean and DASH diets are specifically focused on preventing cardiovascular disease and hypertension. And what about the brain? We have left it to the mercy of our bad eating habits, preservatives in processed foods, excess sugar and fat, and environmental contaminants. All this happens because our brain does not complain – it does not have pain receptors – so we are not aware of its suffering and deterioration until it is too late. It is time to take care of our brain and prevent it from failing before the rest of our body by following a healthy diet that maintains its health and proper functioning. In "The MIND Diet, Nutrition to Help Prevent Alzheimer's Disease,” you will discover what Alzheimer’s is and its causes and symptoms, among other topics, including a nutritional strategy for your daily life – all with a simple and direct style, addressed to the general public. As an easy-to-follow diet based on the latest scientific studies, the MIND diet can improve your overall health and dramatically reduce your risk of getting Alzheimer's disease.

Nutrition is an environmental factor modulating physiology throughout life and especially brain function. Nutrients in the brain can either fuel brain cells, contribute to tissue architecture, or initiate signaling pathways through their derivatives. Nutrients ultimately participate in brain development, cognitive and emotional behaviors, and can influence the susceptibility to develop brain pathologies. This book is a selection of current research on the impact of diet on brain function. Chapters include the role of lipids and glucose on the brain, nutrition and autophagy, and consequences of enteral feeding on brain-gut interactions. Taken together, this book targets all scientists, clinicians, teachers, and students eager to learn more about the impact of nutrition on brain function.