Since a good deal of brain damage occurs before symptoms of Parkinson's disease appear, it’s vital to come up with a test that can identify the disease in the earliest stages. Existing lab tests have proven unreliable and even brain scans don't provide a definitive diagnosis of this independence-robbing disease. But all that may be [...]
The latest clue in the search for new, more effective ways to treat Alzheimer’s disease happened by accident. Scientists were studying people being treated for inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and discovered that when these patients took drugs called TNF inhibitors, the risk for Alzheimer’s disease decreases significantly. What does the research mean for the [...]
If there’s one thing we’re all losing sleep over in our golden years, it’s memory loss. Because chances are, your life is being directly impacted. Maybe it’s a family member… your spouse… your neighbor… or even yourself. Even worse? Memory loss doesn’t just show up overnight. Instead, it can creep up on you or a [...]
For many of us, the ability to smell the world around us is something we take for granted. If there’s something cooking in the oven, we delight in the delicious odors wafting from the kitchen. On a spring day, flowering plants release a pleasing odiferous palate we savor every time we inhale. But the act [...]
Cell-damaging free radicals in the brain are considered a consequence of Alzheimer’s. But in breakthrough new research, scientists now believe that free radicals, far from being a result of the disease, are a warning that an Alzheimer’s diagnosis lies ahead. A warning that we should heed and try to change. Free radicals are produced as [...]
Every wintertime people in cold weather climates take a “polar bear plunge” into an iced-over lake or river. Some might call it a test of physical strength while others might say it’s crazy. But this tradition is more than a wintertime fad. Medical researchers are discovering that cold-water dips can indeed provide substantial health benefits. [...]
Cannabis has been used medicinally for over 2000 years and about half the states in the U.S. allow physicians to prescribe it in select medical conditions, Alzheimer's being one of them. Decades of lab research provides evidence of its value, but the use of medical cannabis remains controversial because it contains the cannabinoid THC, the [...]
Research this year confirms studies from the past decade that show small amounts of a certain mineral can lower your risk for Alzheimer’s disease. This trace mineral is sometimes found in tap water, and, in larger amounts, it has also been used to treat bipolar affective disorder and depression. Let’s look at the studies demonstrating [...]
Frequent readers of this newsletter know I caution against antibiotic overuse. Sadly, it’s common for doctors to prescribe antibiotics even when they’re not 100 percent sure the patient has a bacterial infection. Indeed, research has shown that antibiotic use can result in a host of harmful side effects, including the spread of drug-resistant infections.1 In [...]
As we emerge from this era of pandemic isolation, researchers have taken a closer look at the health repercussions of loneliness in older adults. The news is sobering. A brand-new study has revealed the detrimental health effects of isolation and the resulting loneliness on your health, especially your memory. Researchers discovered triple the risk of [...]
