There are MANY reasons why someone might get a flu-like illness, even after they have been vaccinated against flu.

1. One reason is that some people can become ill from other respiratory viruses besides flu such as rhinoviruses, which are associated with the common cold, cause symptoms similar to flu, and also spread and cause illness during the flu season. The flu vaccine only protects against influenza viruses, not other viruses.
2. Another explanation is that it is possible to be exposed to influenza viruses, which cause the flu, shortly before getting vaccinated or during the two-week period after vaccination that it takes the body to develop immune protection. This exposure may result in a person becoming ill with flu before protection from the vaccine takes effect.
3. A third reason why some people may experience flu like symptoms despite getting vaccinated is that they may have been exposed to a flu virus that is very different from the viruses the vaccine is designed to protect against. The ability of a flu vaccine to protect a person depends largely on the similarity or “match” between the viruses selected to make the vaccine and those spreading and causing illness. There are many different flu viruses that spread and cause illness among people. For more information, see Influenza (Flu) Viruses.
4. The final explanation for experiencing flu-like symptoms after vaccination is that unfortunately, the flu vaccine doesn’t always provide adequate protection against the flu. This is more likely to occur among people that have weakened immune systems or people age 65 and older.

SO WHAT CAN YOU DO IN TRYING TO PREVENT FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS FROM HAPPENING, EVEN AFTER HAVING THE FLU VACCINE OR EVEN IF YOU DON’T GET THE VACCINE PERIOD?

Keep yourself warm DURING THE WINTER WEATHER

Wash both your hands often-keeping hands clean is so very important.

Manage Stress-which can decrease your immunity.

Travel safely

Be Smoke Free

GET VACCINATED for the FLU-FIRST PREVENTION STEP TO TAKE.

Handle food safely, including how you prepare it.

EAT HEALTHY AND BE ACTIVE

Watch the kids-at a high risk for injuries. Develop and reinforce rules about acceptable and safe behaviors, including electronic media.

Prevent injuries

Many of  these measures help prevent putting your immunity down and allowing you to be put at risk for picking up the FLU easier during the winter weather.

 CORRECT A COMMON MISCONCEPTION OF THE FLU SHOT

Can a flu shot give you the flu?

No, a flu shot cannot cause flu illness. Flu vaccines that are administered with a needle are currently made in two ways: the vaccine is made either with a) flu vaccine viruses that have been ‘inactivated’ and are therefore not infectious, or b) with no flu vaccine viruses at all (which is the case for recombinant influenza vaccine). The most common side effects from the influenza shot are soreness, redness, tenderness or swelling where the shot was given. Low-grade fever, headache and muscle aches also may occur.

“I wasn’t eating the right kinds of calories. I didn’t know about healthy carbs such as brown rice and lentils. Now I eat small meals throughout the day: oatmeal with cinnamon to start, fruit and yogurt as a snack, and vegetables or with chicken or tuna, and a healthy carb, like a yam, for lunch.”

Christine from Special Surgery in Manhattan this is dedicated to you.

If you have been trying to lose weight or just want to live healthier to decrease the chance of suffering certain diseases or illnesses that have happened already in America to some people through poor diet and unhealthy habits, than you have come to the right blog.  Today’s article is on knowing what foods to avoid to prevent slowing your metabolism down.   For starters let’s discuss why foods in high sugar content are bad for you.  Understand how the body works.  If you buy and eat foods with the following, especially in large portions=starches, carbohydrates (CHOs), sugars, calories and even some fats depending on what is in the fat (THAT’S WHY YOU READ THE INGREDIENTS) you will cause through digestion a high peak in your blood glucose level.  Even though we see on the label a section called sugars you must understand that starches, CHOs, fats, including calories and sugars breakdown to further simple and complex sugars in the body as a ending result.  When we eat the food it gets into the stomach, the food than through digestive juices/acids cause break down the ingredients into complex or simple sugars which get transferred into the blood stream (fructose and glucose).  Glucose is the prime fuel for the body.  Fuel meaning giving energy to the body so we can function in doing our daily exercises (as simple as range of motion of extremities).  Remember when digestion takes place it utilizes the glucose it needs at that time throughout the body.  If you have a large meal or a small meal high in starch or carbohydrates or sugars or calories the body won’t need to utilize all the break down of these foods which is broken into simpler sugars which gets broken down in the stomach.  So you’ll have extra sugar in the blood.  If the human body was able to dispose of this extra sugar by getting it out of the body naturally we wouldn’t have any obesity.  So when we have bagels with cream cheese, or a Mc muffin or some fast processed food for breakfast than start work followed with going out to eat for lunch at a restaurant nearby work than stop off at a pizzeria to pick up dinner for a pizza with chicken wings and blue cheese dressing followed with ice cream we are dealing with high percentages of sugars (as the ending product from digestion=fat storage=weight gain).   How this works is first the body utilizes the sugar that it needs than the extra sugar still in the bloodstream when it reaches the liver fills up that organ with glucose (active sugar) that is transferred into glycogen (inactive sugar) but remember the liver is like a gas tank where it can only fill up with so much sugar and when it reaches full the sugar left in the blood stream has to go somewhere.  It goes to our fat tissue where it is absorbed=weight gain.  We have to be more disciplined in our eating habits.  Society needs to speak up or just not go to some of these fast food joints since ending line the food is not good for you.  Burger King just came out with a burger topped with fries (what the heck is this going to do for someone’s health).  America wake up to the restaurant industry and know to eat out 2 times or less a week or you will be at a high probability of  putting weight on.  When you eat 3 large meals a day these meals take 6 to 8 hours to digest.  The trick is when you are in body mass index range for your height still eat 6 small meals a day with vegetables/fruits and healthy fiber with one of the 6 meals a day being highest in protein with vegetables/fruit (being 50% of the meal on a 9″ plate, no larger and no second helpings).  The 5 other meals are smaller and low in calories (80-100), carbohydrates (10-12 grams), sugar (4 or less grams) and the protein (about 6 grams).  In between the meals if you feel hungry drink water or have a snack like celery or something similar to it.  What you cause is your sugar intake with your metabolism of the body to stay more at a steady rate (including your sugar level 80-110) if you eat 6 healthy small meals a day.  When you eat a donut, or processed cereal it will cause the sugar to spike up high and cause the metabolism to slow down (Ex. frosted flakes, grape nuts, and I could go on—again read what the ingredients are and what the products version of a serving is).  You feel tired an hour or two after a large meal of unhealthy/processed food or even a healthy but large meal.  Why do you have no problem in the AM with getting to work and getting started for the day?  Well with drinking coffee in AM it takes care of the fatigue due to the caffeine, so you may not realize the impact of how low your metabolism is.   Trust me, I was there once too.  I am still trying to lose but I am getting there.  So what the body actually does is this:  When glucose gets transferred into the bloodstream from the stomach, following the digestion process, and reaches the pancreas which senses the free floating glucose in the bloodstream it then releases insulin into the bloodstream.  Doing this the insulin now allows glucose to transfer into tissues and cells that need it at that time (fuel for energy of the cells and tissues to do their function) and if not needed we end up with extra glucose in the bloodstream.  When it reaches the liver and is sensed by the liver the liver stores it to the full maximal capacity that the organ can handle.  Keep in mind the liver is only so big, so when a individual has a large excess of glucose in the bloodstream from their meal that they just ate it only can store so much.  The liver actually converts the sugar from glucose (active sugar=active fuel) to glycogen (inactive sugar=non-active sugar).  Now if you still have extra glucose in the bloodstream after the liver does its storing the glucose has to go somewhere.  The extra sugar now gets stored into the human fat tissue=weight gain. Fat storage is simply putting weight gain on the person’s body.  If your sugar blood level isn’t kept between 80-110 throughout the day than your metabolism isn’t kept at a steady rate.  Eat 5 days or more a week with 6 small HEALTHY meals a day and treating yourself one or two days a week to treats (only one or two times each day of the one or two days your treating yourself).  In treating yourself 1 to 2 days with not as healthy foods you can do this ONLY if your body mass index is within normal range.  If not than you have to lose weight first. For if you still need to lose weight and you treat yourself to fattening foods or highier sugar content foods you will put your diet behind 3 days, which will prevent you from losing weight.  This is due to the food high in sugar as the ending result of digestion and you cause high fat storage with decreasing your metabolism.  The sacrifice for your body is worth it but during the weight loss period you will even shrink your stomach size naturally.  There are 4 food groups with each group having lean, leaner and the leanest type of foods in that group of the 4.  If you want to learn more about this than go to my website healthyusa.tsfl.com and peek at what we can offer you through Dr. Wayne Scott Anderson with his book “Dr A’s Habits of Health” and even foods to buy if you want them in the beginning of your diet loss which provides health bars to lunches and dinners to desserts of all kinds to all types of shakes/drinks and so much more foods (low in fat/calories/carbs).  Learn how to become healthier for yourself, even spreading the news to family or friends who may become interested and being a great mentor for your children in helping the next generation to be more healthy which would help our health care system to helping our health economy that includes insurance payments for bills at hospitals/doctor’s offices lessened.  Our society has become so unhealthy in diet causing so many increases in diseases/illnesses, including children, (Obesity, Diabetes II, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and more).  Take a look at facebook or UTube with pictures of people in America shopping at Walmart.  It may be funny to a slender individual but it is also outright scary with what’s happening to our country.  Our country has increased drastically in poor health habits that killed our economy with let alone what our health care system with insurance costs are for society.  We could, as a society, turn things around for the better regarding ourselves and others in our country for everyone’s health that would impact every American citizen of all ages in a positive way.  I hope I have impacted someone in this country in wanting to learn more about knowing how to become healthier with making a good change for our country as a diversified whole.  Society has a responsibility and impact on how things run in each of their respective countries but especially in America, since we live in a democracy.  Its common sense if we get better regarding our health overall it will put an impact on our health economy if we don’t our health care system will just get WORSE.  Do mom’s and dad’s want this for their children’s future or their children or even our own lives?  Society has to take a stand, don’t leave it up to our government but leave it up to our citizens in America’s homes with our schools (proper health teaching to the cafeteria food), our restaurant industry (get off of living with such processed and fast foods in our states and lastly our government to an extent.  What does any politician care really have as a top priority being health since their making high incomes to live life up (President Obama upon retirement will be the first President making 450,000 dollars a year).  I know I would be a happy camper too and I could go on with other politicians salaries but I started with the top.  So let’s make a move America and go for the healthier aspect of life.   Take a peek at no fee or charge, no prescription, no foods that you have to buy, no obligation, and no hacking, as well.  You make all the choices in what you want and when you want to stop.  No rip off or that you have to stay on our time frame, it’s all based on yours.  Again, you make all the choices and wouldn’t it be great if we could turn around back the way our health was, not so bad, that our insurance you pay a price that just keeps rising, and you have to go through so many hoops to see the type of doctor you want when onetime it was just a breeze.  Join me, and go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and just take a peek;)  Hope to hear from anyone who would like a doctor (Dr. Anderson) and free coach (myself) for guidance in making America a healthier country.  Please leave a comment; I would love to hear your opinion.

There’s no denying that as we age chronologically, our body ages right along with us. But research is showing that you can increase your chances of maintaining a healthy brain well into your old age if you add these “smart” foods to your daily eating regimen.

Blueberries.

“Brainberries” is what Steven Pratt, MD, author of Superfoods Rx: Fourteen Foods Proven to Change Your Life, calls these tasty fruits. Pratt, who is also on staff at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, Calif., says that in animal studies researchers have found that blueberries help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Studies have also shown that diets rich in blueberries significantly improved both the learning capacity and motor skills of aging rats, making them mentally equivalent to much younger rats. Ann Kulze, MD, author of Dr. Ann’s 10-Step Diet: A Simple Plan for Permanent Weight Loss & Lifelong Vitality, recommends adding at least 1 cup of blueberries a day in any form — fresh, frozen, or freeze-dried.

Wild salmon.

Deep-water fish, such as salmon, are rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids, which are essential for brain function, says Kulze. Both she and Pratt recommend wild salmon for its “cleanliness” and the fact that it is in plentiful supply. Omega-3s also contain anti-inflammatory substances. Other oily fish that provide the benefits of omega-3s are sardines and herring, says Kulze; she recommends a 4-ounce serving, two to three times a week.

Nuts and seeds.

Nuts and seeds are good sources of vitamin E, says Pratt, explaining that higher levels of vitamin E correspond with less cognitive decline as you get older. Add an ounce a day of walnuts, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, filberts, almonds, cashews, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seed, and unhydrogenated nut butters such as peanut butter, almond butter, and tahini. Raw or roasted doesn’t matter, although if you’re on a sodium-restricted diet, buy unsalted nuts.

Avocados.

Avocados are almost as good as blueberries in promoting brain health, says Pratt. “I don’t think the avocado gets its due,” agrees Kulze. True, the avocado is a fatty fruit, but, says Kulze, it’s a monounsaturated fat, which contributes to healthy blood flow. “And healthy blood flow means a healthy brain,” she says. Avocados also lower blood pressure, says Pratt, and as hypertension is a risk factor for the decline in cognitive abilities, a lower blood pressure should promote brain health. Avocados are high in calories, however, so Kulze suggests adding just 1/4 to 1/2 of an avocado to one daily meal as a side dish.

Whole grains.

Whole grains, such as oatmeal, whole-grain breads, and brown rice can reduce the risk for heart disease. “Every organ in the body is dependent on blood flow,” says Pratt. “If you promote cardiovascular health, you’re promoting good flow to the organ system, which includes the brain.” While wheat germ is not technically a whole grain, it also goes on Kulze’s “superfoods” list because in addition to fiber, it has vitamin E and some omega-3s. Kulze suggests 1/2 cup of whole-grain cereal, 1 slice of bread two-thee times day, or 2 tablespoons of wheat germ a day.

Beans.

Beans are “under-recognized” and “economical,” says Kulze. They also stabilize glucose (blood sugar) levels. The brain is dependent on glucose for fuel, Kulze explains, and since it can’t store the glucose, it relies on a steady stream of energy — which beans can provide. Any beans will do, says Kulze, but she is especially partial to lentils and black beans and recommends 1/2 cup every day.

Pomegranate juice.

Pomegranate juice (you can eat the fruit itself but with its many tiny seeds, it’s not nearly as convenient) offers potent antioxidant benefits, says Kulze, which protect the brain from the damage of free radicals. “Probably no part of the body is more sensitive to the damage from free radicals as the brain,” says board-certified neurologist David Perlmutter, MD, author of The Better Brain Book. Citrus fruits and colorful vegetables are also high on Perlmutter’s list of “brainy” foods because of their antioxidant properties — “the more colorful the better,” he says. Because pomegranate juice has added sugar (to counteract its natural tartness), you don’t want to go overboard, says Kulze; she recommends approximately 2 ounces a day, diluted with spring water or seltzer.

Freshly brewed tea.

Two to three cups a day of freshly brewed tea — hot or iced — contains a modest amount of caffeine which, when used “judiciously,” says Kulze — can boost brain power by enhancing memory, focus, and mood. Tea also has potent antioxidants, especially the class known as catechines, which promotes healthy blood flow. Bottled or powdered teas don’t do the trick, however, says Kulze. “It has to be freshly brewed.” Tea bags do count, however.

Dark chocolate.

Let’s end with the good stuff and my favorite desert. Dark chocolate has powerful antioxidant properties, contains several natural stimulants, including caffeine, which enhance focus and concentration, and stimulates the production of endorphins, which helps improve mood. One-half ounce to 1 ounce a day will provide all the benefits you need, says Kulze. This is one “superfood” where more is not better. “You have to do this one in moderation,” says Kulze.

Lastly the prevention of diseases that can impact all organs including our brain.  With obesity comes the risk of heart disease, diabetes II, that can lead into further problems down the road with other systems of the human body.  To get on prevention check if your body mass index is in the range it should be and if your not sure check online BMI where it is for free.  If you need assistance with a good diet plan but more importantly knowing how to get in a regular routine of living a healthy life through diet, habits, balancing rest with exercise than you have come to the right site.  For no fee, no donation, no hacking go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and take a peek at what we offer which is at such a reasonable price.  We provide more of a reachable goal for you with having Dr. Anderson through access of his book “Dr. A’s healthy habits” with a personal coach and the foods to eat while your dieting.  If you have any questions or set backs and need to converse with someone that’s what your personal coach is there for; we provide support.  Take a peek go to healthusa.tsfl.com and you may just like what you see.  Join me and so many others in attempting to reach the goal of getting back in the right weight for our height.  I hope to hear from you.

“The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office.”

Christine from Special Surgery in Manhattan I have an article dedicated to you this Friday since today is Part 2 and tomorrow is Part 3.

Ways to keep your brain sharp as a tack despite the brain shrinking as we grow older

–  Get plenty of aerobic exercise, at least 20 minutes every other day,” said Professor Klemm who is the author the book Memory Power 101.

People who stay physically fit tend to stay mentally sharp and hold their cognitive abilities well into their seventies and eighties. A 2012 study of 691 seniors in the journal Neurology found that seniors who reported high levels of physical activity at age 70 had less brain shrinkage at age 73 than seniors who reported less physical activity. Exercise may decrease memory loss by improving blood flow to the brain.

–  Brain Exercise

Train your attentiveness and focus. The most common mental problem with aging is distractibility, which inevitably interferes with memory. An example is when you open the refrigerator door and suddenly realize you forgot what you went to the fridge for,” said Klemm. He recommends challenging your brain with games like chess or Sudoku. Dr. Gandy recommends puzzles and memory training.

– Learn a New Skill

Some research shows that learning a new language or learning to play a musical instrument may help prevent memory loss and improve cognitive abilities. A 2011 study published in the journal Neuropsychology found that people who had instrumental musical training retained their memory and had less cognitive decline with age. The study included 70 seniors between age 60 and 83. The study found that the more years of musical training a person had, the better their cognitive performance was with age.

–   Be More Sociable

Klemm and Gandy agree that social engagement is important in preventing memory loss. “Social engagement, along with physical and mental stimulation, all release substances in the brain that strengthen nerve connections called synapses,” said Gandy. A 2012 study published in the journal Neuropsychology followed 952 seniors for 12 years to see if social engagement protected seniors from memory loss and decline in communication skills. They concluded that being socially active reduced these declines and that seniors who showed declines tended to become less socially engaged.

–  Get Your Antioxidants

Antioxidant vitamins may benefit memory by blocking free radicals that contribute to cell aging. Over the years, some large studies have found that antioxidant vitamins C and E may protect against cognitive decline. Gandy said that vitamins could help but cautions that they only help in cases of vitamin deficiency. You can also get plenty of antioxidants naturally in your diet. “They’re in any dark-colored fruit, berry, or vegetable. Also, take vitamin D3 and resveratrol pills,” advised Klemm.

–  Learn to Meditate

Stress and anxiety may decrease memory and cognitive ability, so take steps to reduce these negatives. “Take up meditation, yoga, or another type of mind-body exercise that reduces stress,” said Klemm. A 2010 study in the journal Consciousness and Cognition found that just four days of meditation training could significantly reduce anxiety and improve memory and cognition. In the study, 24 volunteers took meditation training and 25 listened to a recorded book. Both groups had improved mood, but the meditation group also had better memory, less stress, and clearer thinking.  Check out Part 3 on foods for the brain tomorrow on Wednesday.

“No matter what your brain status or age, there is much we can do to significantly improve brain functions and slow brain aging.”

Dr. Larry McCleary  (Former Acting Chief, Pediatric Neurosurgery, Denver Children’s Hospital Author of The Brain Trust Program)

First let us look at the functions the brain has in its operations:

–  Memory

Memory is probably the easiest of the cognitive domains to understand. Memory is the process through which new information about our world is encoded, stored and later retrieved by our brain cells. The ability to remember new facts and new ways of doing things is not only key to our ability to maintain independent lives, our memories are what individualizes each and everyone of us. Our personal memories of past experiences and of family and friends are valuable treasures. Sadly, these treasures are often lost or become tarnished as we age and in tragic cases, with the onset of dementia. For this reason alone, it is necessary that we continue to exercise and activate the neural networks that form our memories. It is also important that we continue to find new strategies and tools to help us form new memories.

–  Focus

We live in a world of instant communication and sometimes the demands of work and family can become unbearable and seemingly never-ending. When we become mentally fatigued or over burdened we can lose our ability to prioritize, our ability to identify important information and our ability to stay on task. At home, at the office and at school, we are constantly pulled in multiple directions at the same time and losing focus and concentration can result in us failing to meet our obligations. In addition to providing our brains with the rest and relaxation it needs to operate at its best, it is also important that we engage in brain exercises that can improve our ‘mental endurance’, focus and concentration.

It is also important that we exercise this cognitive domain to find new strategies to overcome specific challenges such as ADD/ADHD. You need to provide your brain with the best and newest brain fitness tools that will improve your concentration and strengthen your mental endurance. Which can be done through games and exercises that will engage your brain and sharpen your focus and teach you new ways to stop wasting time. With stronger concentration skills, improved attention to detail, and sharper focus you can expect to live life with less confusion, less stress and a greater feeling of mental clarity. Strengthening your focus is a surefire way to improve your performance at work or at school.

–  Word Skills

Language is the highly evolved human skill that enables us to effectively communicate our thoughts and emotions with the rest of the world. Language is what allows us to grow as people, to share ideas with others and to form the social bonds that bring true value and meaning to our lives. And the fabulous fact about our word skills and capacity for language is that we can continue to improve these skills over the course of our lives.

Unfortunately, on the other side of the coin is fact that our spoken and written word skills can degrade over time with out practice. I’m sure we can all remember a time during conversation when we found ourselves dumbfounded and embarrassed as we struggled to find a word stuck on the tip of our tongue. Or maybe we can remember a time when we mis-used or mis-spelled a fancy word in an important email. As we grow, it is important that we continue to expand our vocabulary, improve our language comprehension skills and find new ways to make our words mean more to the people in our lives.

You can do this through fun and effective brain fitness games and tools to help them continue to grow their capacity for language. Improving word-skills with brain fitness games and exercises is a sure fire way to increase your verbal communication confidence and reduce social anxiety.

 –  Coordination

From the moment we wake up in the morning until we fall asleep at night, we humans are constantly on the move! And for most of us, our ability to make purposeful, timely and accurate movements is often taken for granted as we go about our day. But the truth is that our ability to perform the seemingly infinite number of goal directed movements we make is the result of our brain precisely detecting sensory information from the world around us and integrating it with our internal motivations to accurately execute the appropriate motor commands that tell our muscles how to move.

Unfortunately, as we age, this process becomes more difficult and moving about the world can become more challenging than it once was before. For most of us, our senses tend to dull, our reaction times become a bit slower and seemingly simple motor tasks such as writing, driving our car and moving about to enjoy the things we love to do can become more difficult. For this reason, it is important that we not only exercise our muscles to maintain strength and flexibility to stay mobile, but that we also exercise the areas of our brain that are involved in coordinating our movements.

You need to provide yourself with fun and challenging brain fitness tools that will help  improve your sensory perception, manual dexterity, spatial awareness and precision of movement. By doing you can continue to make the most of your independent lifestyle.

– Critical Thinking

Critical thought can also be referred to as our brain’s ‘executive function’. And as such, we can think of our critical thinking skills, as the analysis tools used by the CEO of our brain.

Critical thinking skills are the tools we use to objectively analyze information, recognize patterns, follow logical rules, strategize, and solve problems. It is also the brain function that provides us with the ability to form the complex chronological and spatial plans we use to navigate our lives. Everyday we use our critical thinking skills to objectively analyze the world we live and thrive as individuals.

Along with Language, higher order critical thinking skills are what separate us humans from the rest of the Animal Kingdom. And anatomically speaking, the parts of our brain that allows us to think critically reside in the most highly evolved parts of our brain, the frontal and temporal lobes of the cortex. Sadly, it is most often our critical thinking skills that decline with age-related dementia. Our critical thinking skills also need to be fostered at an early age and throughout our lives in order for our brains to operate at their best.

Fortunately, research investigating the phenomenon of neuroplasticity has taught us that we can actually change the way our brains are wired. By engaging in intellectually stimulating activities and by taking on cognitive challenges we actually have the ability to strengthen our critical thinking skills and improve our executive function. But if we want to enhance our critical thinking skills globally, it is important that we exercise our executive functions individually and as a whole. For example, it is important to engage in a variety of different brain exercise designed to improve deductive reasoning, logical reasoning, pattern recognition skill, strategic decision-making skill and the efficiency of our brain’s ability to process information.

By taking a ‘whole- body approach’ and incorporating brain fitness into your daily routines you will be making the lifestyle changes needed to sharpen your minds and reduce your risk of dementia.

Since the human brain peaks in size at about age 20 and then starts to shrink, you might think that by age 70 or 80, you’d be lucky to remember your name. The good news is that memory loss is not inevitable. “There are examples of people who have lived to 123 years of age who died with completely intact memories and no evidence of neuropathology,” said Sam Gandy, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Cognitive Health at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.