What was I going to blog on today? Oh Yeah. . . brain fog, memory loss & cognitive decline!
-Yes, that WAS intentional. As if you didn’t know
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We all want to actively GROW our brain power, not just preserve it. And this series of articles will address that as well as the unfortunate other side: brain fog, cognitive decline and memory loss that may be the first signs of developing dementia.

To ensure we’re using the same terminology: Dementia is a generalized term for loss of cognitive functions: thinking, remembering, and reasoning. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common, most well-known, and most feared type of dementia.

The brain shrinkage that precedes a dementia diagnosis can begin many years earlier. This is one reason why prevention and early diagnosis are key. We’ll discuss both.

While there’s no cure for dementia, numerous studies suggest that early intervention and lifestyle changes can significantly reduce the risk of developing cognitive decline. In this blog series, we’ll explore various strategies to maintain brain health, starting with an overview of prevention techniques.

Neuroplasticity

“Neuroplasticity” is the brain’s remarkable ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. This adaptability is crucial for learning, memory, and recovery from brain injuries. Originally recognized in the adult brain in the 1960s, it wasn’t commonly understood by the general public until the 1990s.

As we age, promoting neuroplasticity becomes vital in preserving cognitive function and preventing mental decline.

Various studies highlight how activities that challenge the brain, like learning a new skill or engaging in complex tasks, can enhance neuroplasticity and cognitive resilience. These activities become more and more vital to our well-being as we age.

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and the Role of Exercise

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is a protein crucial for brain health. It supports the survival and growth of neurons and is essential for learning, memory, and cognitive resilience. High levels of BDNF are associated with improved cognitive function and protection against neurodegenerative diseases.

Exercise is one of the most effective ways to increase BDNF levels in the brain. Both aerobic exercises, like running or swimming, and resistance training can boost BDNF, supporting brain health and enhancing neuroplasticity. A meta-analysis published in Neuroscience documents numerous articles showing regular exercise led to significant increases in BDNF levels. The increase improves cognitive performance and protects against age-related decline.

Incorporating regular exercise into your routine is a powerful way to support overall brain health. The best evidence says we should all aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week. Add strength training exercises twice a week for the best results.

Good Nutrition

What we eat significantly impacts our brain health. A balanced diet rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals provides the brain with the necessary resources to function optimally. Foods like leafy greens, berries, nuts, soy, and fatty fish support cognitive health.

Research published in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society emphasizes the link between nutrition and brain function, highlighting the importance of a diet that supports brain health throughout life.

Appropriate Amounts of Sleep

Sleep plays a critical role in memory consolidation and brain detoxification. During sleep, the brain processes information from the day and clears out harmful waste products. Lack of sleep can impair cognitive function and increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine outlines how sleep quality and duration are crucial for maintaining cognitive performance and preventing decline.

Brain Exercises

Just like our bodies, our brains need regular exercise to stay fit. Engaging in mentally stimulating activities, such as puzzles, reading, or learning a new language, can strengthen cognitive abilities and promote neuroplasticity.

Studies suggest that consistent brain exercises can enhance cognitive reserve and delay the onset of dementia-related symptoms.

Preventing cognitive decline and memory loss is a multifaceted approach that involves nurturing the brain through neuroplasticity, proper nutrition, adequate sleep, regular mental challenges, and physical exercise. By incorporating these habits into our daily lives, we can empower ourselves to maintain cognitive health and reduce the risk of dementia.

I’ll go deeper into each of these aspects and how they can affect your future in the upcoming series.

The post Preventing Cognitive Decline and Memory Loss- An Overview  appeared first on Dr Leslie K. Empowered Wellness.

Dr. Ornish was the first to show that diet and lifestyle change can reverse heart disease. Caldwell Essylton and others have now replicated that.

Dr. Ornish was the first to show that early-stage prostate cancer could also be slowed through similar diet and lifestyle changes.

And Ornish showed that the same diet and lifestyle changes can affect telomeres, the ends of your DNA that unravel as you age.

But, here’s the kicker, as indicated by the article’s name, reversing early-stage Alzheimer’s requires “intensive” lifestyle change.

In fact, the bottom line could be interpreted as “the stricter the change, the better the result.”

The basics were a low-fat, whole-food, plant-based diet, low in refined carbohydrates and sweeteners with selected supplements added. The study also included moderate exercise, stress management techniques & support groups. These basic changes resulted in a moderate change in just 20 weeks.

20 weeks to do what no drug can!

And here’s the important news for you and your loved ones who are trying to avoid this devastating disease:

We know, without a doubt that it takes less effort to avoid a disease than it does to reverse it.

Put another way, you don’t have to make the “intensive” change Ornish’s test group did, but you DO have to do SOMETHING!

And the more you do, the higher your likelihood of preventing this disease. We know it’s universally the most dreaded issue in aging.

With that in mind, I’m considering creating a low-cost program to get you started. Likely, 4-6 sessions (over as many weeks). It would be complete with several simple tasty recipes. Likely, I’d add a cooking demo (in-person or online), and material on the other recommended changes too.

Interested? email me:

The post Significant Improvement in Early Stage Alzheimers’?! appeared first on Dr Leslie K. Empowered Wellness.

This week, a good friend from high school died of Alzheimer’s disease at just 67 years old. 

Unfortunately, no meds can appreciably change that process once diagnosed. And it’s doubtful there ever will be. (Some other time, I’ll address why I’m 99.99% positive about that opinion.) My friend didn’t learn soon enough how to prevent these devastating consequences. I visited her in October when I was back ‘home’ and it was truly heartbreaking. But the same needn’t be true for any of us. Science shows us that we have a lot more control over it than we think. Having just seen how heartbreaking that was for her family, I’ve recommitted my efforts to help you understand the role of diet and lifestyle and the simple steps to making a profound difference in your and your family’s future.

There is a simple analogy to help you understand the interaction between diet, lifestyle, and genetics.

Experts worldwide agree and statistics corroborate this fact. Genetics essentially load the gun but environment (diet & lifestyle) pulls the trigger.

This is true for almost every disease. Even if you inherit ALL the genes for many diseases (heart disease and cancer included), those genes are much less likely to be turned on if you adopt the appropriate diet and lifestyle.

The diet I refer to here is essentially an anti-inflammatory diet. 

Today, I want to cover the essentials of that diet. 

Michael Pollan, Journalist and Author stated it plainly, “Eat (real) food, mostly plants, not too much.”

Let’s break it down:

The most inflammatory products are “food-like” products or “ultra-processed foods.”

I recently found that there is a succinct accepted definition of “ultra-processed foods”. An ultra-processed food is a “packaged product that includes ingredients not normally found in a typical kitchen.”

When we’re discerning pro-inflammatory products, we may need to narrow this definition to say “any packaged product that contains ingredients not normally found in the kitchens of traditional cultures or modern cultures before 1900.” 

I look at this date because corn oil, safflower oil, white flour, and white rice found their way into modern kitchens around that time. It is also the timeframe when companies began mass-producing and packing fried products thus increasing the quantity we eat. 

It was after this time that the chemicals found in modern ultra-processed foods were introduced(preservatives, additives, dough conditioners, etc.). This multiplies the problem.

Another way of looking at this is simply eating a whole food (mostly plant-based) diet: fruits, vegetables, beans, and (whole unprocessed or minimally processed) grains is healthiest. Note that inherent in that definition are also legumes, mushrooms, and nuts. 

I want to cite a couple of things most people don’t know about the value of whole plant foods:

• Eating mostly plants feeds the good guy bugs of our gut microbiome what they need to produce butyrate and numerous other highly anti-inflammatory nutrients that are then circulated throughout our systems. 

These organisms also produce many of our hormones & neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin & acetylcholine.

Whole plant foods have several advantages over animal-based products and processed foods.

• One thing is that they are calorie-poor and nutritionally rich so they fill you up without a lot of calories. This helps keep you satiated for longer periods and gives you all the fiber you need for good gut health. 

• A point of reference: paleontologists have found significant evidence that the diet of ancient humans contained about 100-200 grams of fiber daily. Today, only a small portion of Americans meet even the minimum requirement of 30 gms/day.
• In addition, the omega-3 fats in plants favor the production of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins.
• Furthermore, saturated fats found predominantly in meats (including poultry and fish) favor prostaglandin production which is more pro-inflammatory and thus pain-producing. 

I could cite numerous other reasons to not consume a lot of animal products but I’ll also save that for another article.

• Minimally processed grains like ground whole grain flour, pastas and more do not appear to be unhealthy if they make up only a small portion of your diet. If you’re allergic, that’s different. And I DO refer ONLY to organically grown grains here as other grains are grown with excessive amounts of pesticides that affect your gut microbiome and your overall health. 

• I draw the same conclusion about small amounts of animal foods. I base this conclusion on the fact that most of our Blue Zone cultures eat small amounts of animal products. I suggest the way to mimic their intake is to reduce meat to a condiment-sized portion (up to 1.5 ounces daily). Another alternative is to eat 4-6 oz. of meat 1-2 times/week. 

• Plant foods are also referred to among food chemists as alkaline ash producing. Simply, that means that after the digestive process is complete, you’re left with proteins and minerals that are slightly alkaline. An alkaline system favors better kidney & lung function. It also helps your bones retain the right mix of osteoclasts (bone-producing cells) and osteoblasts (bone-remodeling cells) leading to a decreased likelihood of developing osteoporosis.

• By decreasing chronic inflammation through an anti-inflammatory diet, you decrease the likelihood that you’ll need anti-inflammatory medications for day-in and day-out discomforts as well.

However, sometimes the addition of a natural anti-inflammatory is warranted either to hasten the process or because of injury.

Enz-Flame, a powdered orange-flavored drink supplement, by DaVinci Labs is one such product that I recommend.

It contains DMG (dimethyl glycerate), Curcumin, Boswelia (frankincense), ginger, quercetin, proteolytic enzymes and more. These products decrease inflammation but do it in a way that is far safer then NSAIDs or prescription COX-2 inhibitors. 

On the rare occasion that I find I need something more than my normal diet because of an injury, this product is my personal go-to.

This blog naturally leads into recommended products for natural pain relief, which I’ll cover next. 

(references for information in this article are available upon request

To order Enz-Flame or sign up for an account on my store, go here:

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