Alzheimer’s Disease
Should Desperate Patients Have the Right To Try …
Most people empathize with the plight of desperate patients. Those who have exhausted all available treatments are willing to try almost anything. That is why Congress has passed the "right to try" bi…
No Study Support for Fish Oil Soothing Dry Eyes
Fish oil is one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. These compounds have anti-inflammatory activity, and doctors have hoped that fish oil supplements would prove useful against a wide range of…
Incredible Beet Health Benefits for Brain and Bl…
Red beets are known officially as Beta vulgaris rubra. Researchers generally refer to this vegetable as beetroot. Although this root vegetable is popular in Europe, it doesn't have a lot of fans in th…
Will Decaf Coffee Help You Keep Your Edge?
What is your biggest fear about aging? Many people worry about loss of independence, whether they imagine that due to lack of mobility or due to cognitive decline. As a result, many baby boomers and o…
How Dangerous Are Antipsychotic Medications for …
Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias are among the cruelest afflictions known to man. These conditions rob people of their memories, their personalities and their independence. Friends and famili…
Will Drinking Alcohol and Coffee Extend Your Lif…
Many people have considered a cup or two of coffee a necessary part of their morning ritual, even if a bit sinful. Ditto for a glass of wine or a cocktail at the end of the day. A new study suggests t…
Why Do Nursing Homes Dispense Risky Antipsychoti…
The Food and Drug Administration has long warned that administering antipsychotic drugs to people with dementia is dangerous. That practice can increase the risk of premature death. Previous studies s…
Will Curcumin Improve Cognitive Ability in Senio…
A component of curry seems to have cognitive benefits in older adults. Curcumin is a principal ingredient in turmeric, and turmeric gives curry its distinctive yellow color. A new study of 40 people b…
Which Berries Are Best for Your Brain?
Would you like to stay sharp as you grow older? Almost everyone would. Memory lapses can be extremely frustrating as well as embarrassing, particularly when they start to become more frequent. Experts…
No Good Evidence on Preventing Dementia
The prospect of dementia is just as frightening to many people as the possibility of a cancer diagnosis. With the population aging, increasing numbers of Americans will suffer from Alzheimer disease. …
Help Yourself to Leafy Greens for Better Brain P…
New analyses appear to show that nothing works to prevent dementia. Nonetheless, one promising study found that a daily serving of leafy greens might help (Morris et al, Neurology, online Dec. 20, 20…
What Will Doctors Do When Baby Boomers Retire?
Will you ever be able to afford to retire? According to the Pew Research Center, 10,000 baby boomers turned 65 today. Roughly the same number will turn 65 tomorrow and the day after that. In fact, it …
Get Magnesium Just Right to Prevent Dementia
Most people would like to find a way to prevent dementia, but the picture is complex. Lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet and sleep have all been suggested as possible paths to keeping our brains…
Can You Dream Away Dementia?
Any link between a dream and dementia sounds far-fetched, to be sure. Nonetheless, one possible interpretation of findings from a recent study is that people who dream more are less prone to dementia.…
What’s In Your Armpit: Aluminum or Magnesi…
When's the last time you looked at the ingredients in your antiperspirant? Most people never read labels. Be honest, now. Have you ever checked your antiperspirant label? We'll bet you a month's salar…
What Makes Turmeric So Wonderful?
A few years ago most Americans had never heard of turmeric. If they had, they thought of it as an exotic ingredient in curries and other Indian dishes. Now, turmeric and curcumin, one of its active in…
Is Highly Variable Blood Pressure a Red Flag?
Blood pressure does not remain constant. It changes throughout the day depending upon stress, physical activity and many other factors. But could highly variable blood pressure signal a problem? What …
Is Your Confusion Due to a Vitamin Deficiency?
As we grow older, our mental lapses bother us more and more. Could losing the car keys be the first sign of Alzheimer's disease? Is forgetting the PIN for the ATM an early warning flag for dementia? O…
Nordic Diet vs. Dementia
The Mediterranean diet gets all the headlines. It is supposed to be good for your heart, your brain and just about everything else that ails you. Ask almost any health professional about the healthies…
Will Olive Oil Protect Your Brain?
Scientists have found evidence that extra-virgin olive oil can fight inflammation. Now they believe that it might help protect your brain against cognitive decline or even Alzheimer disease. Epidemiol…
Why You Should Care About Rising Deaths from Alz…
Americans have been getting mixed messages about Alzheimer's disease. Two years ago, headlines proclaimed an: "optimistic trend of declining population dementia risk in high-income countries over the …
To Think Better, Get Your Exercise!
We are often asked about the best way to prevent dementia. Our answer disappoints some people and pleases others: Exercise appears to benefit the brain. Research published this week provides data that…
Popular Supplements Failed to Prevent Dementia
Vitamin E and selenium do not appear to help prevent dementia. Many people may be disappointed in these results from a clinical trial of these popular supplements. But is there reason to remain hopefu…
Was Amitriptyline a Factor in Wife’s Demen…
Americans are justifiably concerned about Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Aging baby boomers are hitting the age where they could be vulnerable to cognitive decline. Anticholinergic …
What Is the Link Between Blood Pressure and Deme…
When scientists try to figure out who is predisposed to dementia, they often finger hypertension. There appears to be a link between midlife high blood pressure and dementia (Deckers et al, Internatio…
Are Super Snoozers at Risk for Dementia?
Sleep is crucial for healthy brain function. Too little sleep can make it much harder for people to think clearly the following day. People who sleep less than six hours nightly have impaired judgment…
Can Sweating in the Sauna Help Your Brain?
Isn't it wonderful when an experience that delights you turns out to be good for you as well? Finnish researchers have found that sweating in a sauna, a relaxing and sociable experience for most Fin…
Can Regular Sauna Baths Protect your Brain and Y…
Most Americans think of sauna baths as a somewhat strange Nordic tradition. Why would a bunch of people sit naked in a hot little room with heated stones? Some health clubs do provide saunas. American…
Will High Blood Pressure Protect Older Brains fr…
When a dog bites a man it doesn't make news. When a man bites a dog it makes headlines. They have a name for this kind of anomaly: Unsurprisingly, it is a "man-bites-dog" story. The following health s…
Did Popular PM Pain Reliever Trigger Memory Loss…
One of the most popular sectors in the OTC pharmacy biz during the last decade has been "PM" pain relievers. Drug companies take a popular brand like Advil, Aleve, Bayer, Excedrin, Motrin, Tylenol and…
Did Lowering Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Help…
Public health officials have been warning people for years that high cholesterol and high blood pressure are bad for the brain. The fear is that hypertension and elevated LDL cholesterol will lead to …
Can You Fight Alzheimer Disease with Yogurt?
There is new evidence of the link between the gut and the brain. A pilot study conducted in Iran found that eating probiotic-rich yogurt helped people with Alzheimer disease improve their scores on st…
How Did Levaquin Improve Dementia Symptoms?
About half of all nursing home residents, an estimated 5 million people or so, have dementia. They have difficulty organizing their thoughts and managing their day-to-day activities. Often, they may n…
Save Money on Fall Special to Spice Up Your Heal…
Do you love spices and culinary herbs as much as we do? Humans have treasured spices for thousands of years. Our ancestors used garlic, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, rosemary and nutmeg to season food.…
Who Needs Vitamin D and Why?
As people grow older, their ability to absorb nutrients may drop. In addition, many elderly people don't spend much time out in the sunshine. Even if they do, their skin may not make vitamin D efficie…
How to Prevent Alzheimer Disease
Alzheimer disease is one of the cruelest conditions that afflict mankind. It robs people of their personalities, their memories and ultimately their ability to perform the simplest functions. It can b…
How to Delay Dementia with Acupuncture
Could acupuncture delay dementia? To find out, Chinese researchers did a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing acupuncture and medical treatment for mild cognitive impairment with fo…
How to Stay Smart with Computer Brain Training
Many seniors hope that doing crossword or Sudoku puzzles or using brain training programs on the computer will keep their minds functioning well and prevent dementia. Using the Computer to Bolster the…
Will Medical Marijuana Ease Pain and Prevent Dem…
Two of our most complicated and challenging health problems are nerve pain and dementia. The drugs we have are often woefully inadequate. That's why it is so intriguing to learn that ingredients in me…
Marijuana and Alzheimer’s Disease: Can THC…
Chemicals in marijuana may help protect brain cells from the inflammation that often leads to Alzheimer's disease. This flies in the face of conventional wisdom that marijuana smokers are forgetful an…