1. Brain health is central to all health and success in life. When your brain works right, you are happier, healthier (because you make better decisions), wealthier (again because you make better decisions), and more successful in everything you do.
2. When your brain is troubled, for whatever reason, you are likely to be sadder, sicker, poorer, and less successful.
3. You are not stuck with the brain you have. You can make it better, even if you have been bad to it—and I can prove it. This has been the most exciting lesson of my professional life, and it is one of the main topics in this book.
4. To save your brain, you have to get your mind right. Too many people give themselves excuses to stay sick. I call them the “little lies” that keep them fat, depressed, and feeble-minded. Here are the most common justifications I’ve heard over the years, along with my responses to patients.
5. You are in a war for the health of your brain. Just about every- where you go, you are offered toxic food that will kill you early. The real “weapons of mass destruction” are highly processed, pesticide- sprayed, high-glycemic, low-fiber food-like substances in plastic containers. Such fare is destroying the health of America: Two-thirds of us are overweight or obese; 50 percent are diabetic or prediabetic; and 60 percent are hypertensive or prehypertensive—all conditions that damage the brain. In addition, news channels repeatedly pour toxic images into our minds, stoking our fear that disaster is every- where and constantly exposing our brains to stress chemicals that can damage our brains’ memory centers.
Memory Rescue is based on a simple idea: The best way to sharpen your memory, reverse brain aging, and prevent AD is to eliminate, prevent, or treat all of the risk factors that steal your mind, represented by the mnemonic (a memory device) BRIGHT MINDS.
B – Blood flow: hypertension or prehypertension, stroke, cardiovascular disease, cholesterol problems, erectile dysfunction, infrequent exercise (less than twice a week)
R – Retirement/Aging: risk increases with age (over 50); lack of new learning—when you stop learning, your brain starts dying
I – Inflammation: gum disease, high homocysteine or C- reactive protein (CRP) levels in your blood, low omega-3 fatty acids
G – Genetics: a family member with Alzheimer’s disease, any other form of dementia, or Parkinson’s disease; having the e4 version of the APOE gene
H – Head Trauma: a history of head injuries with or without loss of consciousness; playing contact sports, even without a concussion
T – Toxins: alcohol or drug abuse, exposure to toxins in the environment (mold, pollution) or personal products, cancer chemotherapy, etc.
M – Mental Health: chronic stress, depression, attention deficit disorder/ attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia I – Immunity/Infection Issues: chronic fatigue syndrome; autoimmune issues, such as rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis; untreated infections, such as Lyme disease, syphilis, or herpes
N – Neurohormone Deficiencies: low levels of thyroid, testosterone (males and females), estrogen and progesterone (females), DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone); high cortisol levels
D – Diabesity: diabetes, prediabetes, and obesity
S – Sleep Issues: chronic insomnia and sleep apnea
For three decades, my staff and I have been at war, too, seeking to restore the mental health and brain health of thousands of people who’ve come to Amen Clinics. Just a few years ago, my staff and I began referring to those patients who took up the fight themselves as brain warriors.
I’ll tell you how to become a brain warrior and a memory rescuer, too. That’s because one of the most important symptoms of an unhealthy brain is memory problems. Once your memory starts to slip, everything in your life becomes harder, including your health, relationships, work, and finances. Such problems can even strip you of your independence. Let me be clear: I love my children very much, but I never want to live with them. I never want to be a burden to them, and I would prefer they not make decisions for me. I don’t want them taking my driver’s license from me or deciding what I’ll wear and eat. If that is true for you, too, it means you need to think about your brain now, not 20 years from now. The truly exciting news is that you can start to change your brain and memory, beginning today.
