The other day I was listening to an interview on National Public Radio with Dean Oshler who has just written a book called From Square One: A Meditation, with Digressions, on Crosswords. During the interview I was surprised to hear Mr. Oshler challenge the widely held belief that regularly doing crossword puzzles is good for your brain fitness and can help stave off Alzheimer’s disease. Oshler’s problem with crossword solving is twofold: first, he believes the clinical data showing an advantage for puzzlers is both weak and only observational (”[The researcher] never said that there was a cause-and-effect relationship. He said there was a correlation. Maybe it just so happens that people who are mentally fit have a tendency to want to do crosswords in the first place”); second, we need variety in our mental exercise (”[Crosswords are] kind of the same activity over and over again. But the Alzheimer’s […]
Original post by admin and weightlossopinions.com
Last time, I wrote about Ginkgo biloba being ineffective for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, which may have led you to wonder what actually can prevent it? In your Internet search, you might have been drawn in by the headline at CNN: “Five ways to keep Alzheimer’s away.” Unfortunately, that article, as with many similar ones that abound on the Internet, is long on hype and short on hard evidence. The article is so misleading, in fact, that before I tell you what’s really known about preventing Alzheimer’s I’d like to briefly puncture that particular hot air balloon.The CNN list of five ways to prevent Alzheimer’s begins with antioxidants, and in particular, vitamins A, C and E. They quote a psychiatrist who claims that “There are studies that suggest antioxidants might prevent dementia.” Yes, but those studies are seriously flawed and by no means definitive. […]
Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com
In March, I wrote a piece with the intentionally wishy-washy title “Ginkgo biloba may or may not help prevent memory loss,” - which was based on the inconclusive results of a small pilot study that had garnered widespread media attention with numerous articles claiming either that ginkgo might, or might not, work in preventing dementia depending on how you viewed the preliminary data (it was a glass half-empty or half-full type of thing). I also noted that although the jury was still out on whether ginkgo worked or not, “[T]he good news is that the jury might bring in a verdict … when the results of The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine’s much larger study are reported.” Well, the jury’s returned and the verdict is now clear: Ginkgo doesn’t prevent Alzheimer’s.
That’s the conclusion of the largest and longest independent (not industry-sponsored) clinical trial, called the Ginkgo […]
Original post by ginac and weightlossopinions.com
Add Web searching to the list of mental activities like crossword puzzles that are thought to keep the aging mind engaged and healthy. Why? Take a look at the pictures below of two functional MRI (fMRI) brain scans. The one on the left shows brain activity while reading a book, while the one on the right shows brain activity while doing an Internet search. The differences are obvious and dramatic and the implication is that Web searching can be good for your mental health.
UCLA Newsroom - http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/srp-view.aspx?id=34812
At least that’s the conclusion of researchers at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior who studied 24 volunteers between the ages of 55 and 76. According to their press release, “[T]he study results are encouraging, that emerging computerized technologies may have physiological effects and potential benefits for middle-aged and older adults,” said principal investigator Dr. […]
Original post by natalieb and weightlossopinions.com
November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and today, November 12, 2007 is National Memory Screening Day, which is a collaborative effort spearheaded by the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America to promote early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and related illnesses, and to encourage appropriate intervention. When, in 1983, President Ronald Reagan first designated November as National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, fewer than two million American’s had the disease. Now that number has climbed to over five million and by 2050 there could be as many as 16 million people with Alzheimer’s.
According to an article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper, “By 2050, more than a million Americans will be 100 years or older,” said Paul Solomon, a researcher and professor of psychology and neuroscience at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. “A person 65 or older has a 10 percent risk for developing Alzheimer’s. If you live to 85, your risk […]
Original post by admin and weightlossopinions.com
