Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive condition involving memory loss and reduction in thinking processes. The older you get, the greater the chance that you will get Alzheimers. If your parents had Alzheimers, you are more likely to get it as well. If you find yourself forgetting the odd thing here and there, don’t stress! It’s probably BECAUSE of stress that you are forgetting! Just two ways to help keep your brain in shape, although there are more.
EAT THE FAT!
According to the experts, there are several things you can do to keep your brain healthy. The first is EAT THE FAT! In the previous blog I wrote about the High Fat Conundrum I mentioned a quote that says 2/3 of the human brain is composed of fat. So, to keep a healthy brain and give yourself the best possible chance of avoiding Alzheimers, you have to eat FAT!
This includes the fat from from (pasture fed) meat and chicken. But I know that there are many people who have been so indoctrinated that ‘that’ kind of fat is bad for you, that you can’t bring yourself to even consider it, then at least eat more of the following fats: fatty fish such as salmon & pilchards, 
avocado pear, olive oil & coconut oil. That will at least increase your fat consumption and contribute to better concentration. In one survey, I read, Dr. John Growdon wrote, ” A neurology study found that people who ate fatty fish more than twice weekly lowered their risks for dementia and Alzheimer’s by 28% and 41%, respectively, compared with people who ate it less than once a month. Whether fish oil capsules will do the same is not yet known, though a study tracking this is under way. Meanwhile, replacing unhealthy fats with healthful fats won’t hurt your brain, and it should help your heart”. And I don’t think Growdon is a LCHF follower!
BRAIN GYMNASTICS
Keeping your brain active is another great way to assist in preventing Alzheimers. Information travels through our brains along neural pathways. The more familiar the information, the easier it travels and it’s simple to recall, which is why some people who have Alzheimers will remember their spouse’s face and name with no problem. Nerve cells along these pathways communicate with one another through intersections called synapses. When you learn something new, the efficiency of the synapses increases. As you gain more knowledge there’s more activity going on in your brain, with it trying to relate what you are learning to something you already know.
Take “centophobia” for example. You look at that word and you don’t know what it means, but you do know that it must be the ‘fear of something,’ because it has ‘phobia’ at the end and you are familiar with that. So now you just need to find out what the ‘cento’ stands for. The word centophobia is a fear of new ideas. Imagine a cent on the table and you will probably remember it. All that has happened is the synapses in your brain have grabbed what you know and then related something unfamiliar to something familiar. Brain gymnastics help keen the neural pathways and synapses flexible. This can only help prevent Alzheimers.
When we went to Italy a few years ago, Mike started trying to learn Italian. About a month after he began, I started. He put the first lesson on while I was with him. I was overwhelmed – “they’re going too fast!” I said, “I can’t keep up!” Mike was amazed. He was so familiar with the material, because he had been listening to it for a month. He had built new neural pathways and I had not. Everything was so unfamiliar. So hard to grasp – I was almost distressed! But now that I have listened to Talk Italian 20 times… I too have built new neural pathways and can say a few words fluently. I was a bit slack, but Mike got better by the day. Repetition helps. Learning a language as an adult must go a long way to dusting off the rusty old synapse nerves and getting them juiced up for longevity!
Any kind of learning helps, including memorising Bible verses. Here’s a couple to try and learn.
Psalm 62:1-2 “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Fortress, I will never be shaken.”
We are in His Grip!
God bless you!
Helga xx 🙂
Sources: http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/
http://www.alz.org/