February 9th, 2010 by Dr. Mercola
There are lifestyle changes you can adopt which may reduce your chance of developing dementia by as much as 20 percent. A panel of independent experts evaluated more than 70 research papers and articles to come up with this series of tips for reducing your risk.
Exercise
What is good for the heart is good for the brain. Exercise can have a beneficial effect at any age to help protect against dementia. There is also growing evidence that regular exercise promotes cell and tissue repair mechanisms including growth of new cells in the brain.
Avoid Obesity
Being seriously overweight is a risk factor for developing dementia. Obesity is associated with Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure -- all known risk factors.
Bring Down High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure increases your chance of dementia by causing damage to your brain. This may happen as a result of a stroke, or because of microvascular disease, a condition which slows the flow of blood through your body, thereby damaging cells and nerves in your brain.
Don’t Smoke
As well as raising the risk of vascular disease -- a risk factor for dementia -- smoking can result in low oxygen levels in your brain, which in turn can promote the production of the protein found in brain plaques.
Follow a Mediterranean Diet
Several recent studies have highlighted the potential for this diet to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's Disease. Further long term research is needed to confirm the effects of eating this way.
Be Socially Active
Some evidence suggests that an active social life throughout life can be protective, with both the social ties one enjoys with others and non-physical leisure time deemed important.
Brain Training
There is some evidence that intensive brain training can improve reasoning and problem solving.
February 9th, 2010 by Dr. Mercola
In the latest blow to the controversial multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ordered a new label be put on the drug, warning that the risk of developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare but deadly brain infection, increases as more Tysabri infusions are received.
Natalizumab (Tysabri) first received FDA approval in November 2004, only to be pulled from the market three months later after several patients in clinical trials developed PML.
In June 2006, the FDA allowed the drug back on the market, but with strict conditions. According to those revised guidelines, Tysabri can only be administered by approved doctors at sites that register and comply with a patient-safety program. The new action was based on reports of 31 confirmed cases of PML as of Jan. 21, 2010.
February 9th, 2010 by Dr. Mercola
The toughest part of the day is the often those frantic early evening hours when there are mouths to feed, homework to do, and cranky kids to handle. The trick is to streamline your to-do’s so you can feel calmer and focus on what counts. Here’s how:
1) Ease Into the Evening
Instead of walking in the door after work or errands and immediately launching into another chore, allow time and space to downshift into evening mode. Creating a calming ambiance, by turning off the TV and playing soothing classical, jazz, or instrumental music, can instantly reset the emotional tone of the house.
2) Create a Dinner System
Rushing to get dinner on the table is a major source of evening mayhem, but a little bit of preplanning can help you power through with a minimum of stress. Use weekends to chart out your nightly dinners, grocery shop, and even preassemble parts of a meal when possible.
3) Keep the Kids Busy
All the shortcuts in the world won’t help if you’re constantly being interrupted, so a little creativity may be needed to get the kids out from underfoot. Make the time you cook be about you and let your older kids know that you are there only to be asked a very important question. For younger children, it might be necessary to involve them in the meal preparation or to put on an appropriate DVD.
4) Plan Homework Time
After the kids have had a healthy snack and 30 minutes down-time after school, they should begin their homework so that it is completed before dinner.
5) Share the Work ... and a Break
Dividing tasks between you and your partner can make family time more serene for both of you. Be flexible with this. If your partner is stressed when walking in the house, offer a later-in-the-evening task, such as washing dishes or packing lunches for the next day.
February 9th, 2010 by Dr. Mercola
Attractive women may gain the competitive edge by letting their temper flare more, research suggests.
Researchers found women who rated themselves as pretty displayed a war-like streak when fighting battles to get their own way. They interviewed more than 150 female students to gauge their temperament and how they handled conflict.
The study found that the women who believed they were good looking were more likely to respond angrily in disputes. Attractive women also had higher expectations of what they deserved.
When the researchers examined the findings further, they found the results were also true when the attractiveness was judged by other people, rather than the women themselves. And so did hair color, with blondes rated as more attractive than brunettes and redheads.
February 9th, 2010 by Dr. Mercola
The dental health benefits of omega-3 fats may include anti-bacterial effects, extending the benefits beyond inflammation.
Omega-3 fats were found to have strong anti-bacterial activity against a range of oral pathogens. EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), as well as their fatty acid ethyl esters, could inhibit the growth of oral pathogens, including Streptococcus mutans, Candida albicans, and Porphyromonas ginigivalis.
A study found that the fatty acids showed 50 percent inhibitory activity for concentrations ranging from 1 to 10 micrograms per milliliter.