Did you ever walk into a room and say, "Gee I forgot what I came in here for?" @#$% happens! There are free online test you can easily take from your computer with the test results for you. The one below you take monthly. This is an easy way to monitor your progress. These tests are now available through Medicare at your doctor's office when you are sixty-five. Hugs,phyllis 05/06/1933 www.women70andover.com phyllisreh@aol.com
The website this is taken from is MEMTRAX.. go there and sign in. TAKE THE TEST!
Memory Maintenance Program
10 recommendations to help defer the onset of brain decline
It is important to lead a brain healthy lifestyle to help defer the onset of
brain decline, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. These top 10 recommendations as
developed by Dr. Ashford and his colleagues at the Stanford / Veterans Affairs
Aging Clinical Research Center.
- Maximize and continue
your education and mental exercise:
- Learn about your brain and how to care for it.
- Develop habits to maintain your brain.
- Take classes in subjects that interest you; education is associated with
decreased Alzheimer’s risk, learning a new language may be very good.
- Do mentally stimulating activities, including puzzles (like crossword
puzzles, sudoku, and most importantly also learn new things).
- Engage in a personalized brain training
program.
- Maximize and continue your physical
exercise:
- Have a regular exercise program.
- Physical exercise is best 10-30 minutes after each meal for 10-30 minutes, 3
times per day.
- Do both aerobic and strengthening exercises.
- Stretching improves flexibility.
- Maximize your social network and spiritual
interactions:
- Stay active with your friends.
- Get involved with your community.
- Continually monitor and improve your
diet:
- Take your vitamins daily.
- Take at the morning meals: Vitamin E 200 iu; Vitamin C 250 mg; Multi-vitamin
(with folate 400 mcg and no iron). For discussion, see: Willet WC, Stampfer MJ,
“What vitamins should I be taking, Doctor?” New England Journal of Medicine,
345, 1819 (2001).
- Check with your clinician yearly to be sure your homocysteine levels are not
high and you have no signs of or risk factors for B12 deficiency.
- Ask your doctor to make sure your B12 level is above 400. If diet doesn't
help, take oral supplement. If oral supplement doesn't work, get monthly B12
shots additionally.
- Maximize your vegetables.
- Increase your dietary intake of omega-3-fatty acids.
- OPTIMIZE Plant products and fish: Fruits - citrus, blue berries; Vegetables
- green, leafy; Fish - deep sea, finned, oily, at least 3x/week; Nuts -
especially almonds, and also dark chocolate.
- MINIMIZE other animal products: Red meat (no more than once per week); Dairy
(limit to low-fat); Poultry (limit eggs to 7 or fewer per week).
- Keep your Body Mass
Index (BMI) in the optimal range (19-25):
- If you don’t know your BMI, make a point of finding out.
- To optimize your BMI, control your food intake and exercise.
- Physically protect your brain:
- Wear your car seat belt.
- Wear a helmet when you are riding a bicycle or participating in any activity
where you might hit your head.
- Decrease your fall risk through physical exercise; improve your balance.
- Make your environment safe.
- Visit your clinician on a regular basis. Know
your body and your health risks:
- Decrease your risk of type II diabetes. Monitor your fasting blood sugar
yearly. If you have diabetes, make sure that your blood sugar is optimally
controlled.
- Consult your clinician about your joint and muscle pains (treat arthritis
with ibuprofen or indomethacin).
- Keep your hormones stable. Check with your clinician about your thyroid
hormone. Discuss sex-hormone replacement therapy with your clinician (such
therapy is not currently recommended for Alzheimer prevention, but may help
memory and mood).
- Optimize your cardiovascular health:
- Take your blood pressure regularly; be sure that the systolic pressure is
always less than 130, diastolic blood pressure is less than 85.
- Watch your cholesterol; if your cholesterol is elevated (above 200), talk to
your clinician about appropriate treatment. Consider “statin” medications and be
sure your cholesterol is fully controlled.
- If approved by your clinician: 1 enteric coated baby aspirin each day.
- Optimize your mental health:
- If you have difficulty getting to sleep, consider trying 3 - 6 milligrams of
melatonin at bedtime (consider different brands if not helpful at first).
- If you snore, consult your clinician about sleep apnea.
- Get treatment for depression if needed.
- Keep your stress level under control. While some stress is needed to
maintain motivation, severe stress is bad for health.
- Avoid excess alcohol use.
- Optimize your cognitive health:
- Have your memory screened regularly after 60 year of age.
- Be sure the people around you are not concerned about your memory.
- If you think that you have significant difficulty with your memory, talk to
your clinician about further evaluation and therapy.
- Engage in a variety of cognitive stimulation activities .
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