BETTER HEARING, LONGER HEALTHSPAN

Long ago, Apple entered the HealthSpan market by including an expanding array of sensors into their flagship wearables device: the iWatch. By turning AirPods into starter hearing aids and softening the stigma of wearing hearing aids, people can hear better while outwardly appearing to be listening to their favorite playlist. This feature will be available this fall in a software update for AirPod Pros.

Here's some background from The Atlantic.

“Hearing loss is arguably the single largest risk factor for cognitive decline and dementia,” says Frank Lin, the director of the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.

Click HERE for the complete article 

Lin and his colleagues have foundthat mild hearing loss doubles the risk of dementia, and moderate loss triples it. In this context, a hearing aid can look almost like a miracle device for slowing aging: In that same study, Lin also found that among older adults at increased risk for cognitive decline, participants who wore a hearing aid for three years experienced about 50 percent less cognitive loss than the control group.

Click HERE for Apple Hearing Health

NOURISH BRAIN NEURONS FOR BETTER MEMORY

 Ever walk into a room and forget what you were intending to get?  This started happening more often (up to 3 times daily) until Dr. Le, my neurologist, recommended B-12, B-6 Folic Acid for its role in nourishing neurons in the brain and nervous system and improving memory. So this would be a perfect add-in if you have a loved one dealing with memory issues.  But don't take my word for it, check out the research.

From WebMD

"Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that helps the body create DNA, nourishes the brain and nervous system. It occurs naturally in meat, fish, and dairy products.  A lack of B12 can put you at higher risk for a specific type of anemia that makes you feel weak and tired."

Brain Health

"Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient for the neurons in the brain. Brain atrophy, which refers to the loss of neurons in the brain, is associated with memory loss and dementia.

In one randomized trial, older adults with early-stage dementia who were given vitamin B12 supplements to lower their blood homocysteine levels demonstrated a slower rate of cognitive and clinical decline.

Another study found that low B12 levels, even within the normal range, contribute to poor memory performance.  More studies are needed before researchers can be certain of the impact of B12 supplementation on memory loss and dementia." 

Reduced Risk of Macular Degeneration

Supplementing with vitamin B12 is believed to lower homocysteine in the bloodstream, which may help prevent age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that can cause blindness in older adults. In one study of 5,000 women age 40 and up, those who took supplements of vitamins B12, B6, and folic acid had 34% fewer cases of macular degeneration after seven years than a placebo group. Their risk of severe degeneration was 41% lower.

Vitamin B complex and cognition Memory 

FROM THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY INFORMATION   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1123448/#B11

• Conclusions:  There is evidence that folate deficiency may contribute to the cognitive impairment of the ageing brain, sometimes leading to reversible dementia but also increasing the risk of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia, perhaps by methylation related processes or by homocysteine mediated vascular or neurotoxic mechanisms.

• One reason for the apparently high incidence of folate deficiency in elderly people is that folate concentrations in serum and cerebrospinal fluid fall and plasma homocysteine rises with age, perhaps contributing to the ageing process.
• In a case-control study of 164 patients with Alzheimer's disease, cognitive decline was significantly associated with raised plasma homocysteine and lowered serum folate (and vitamin B-12) concentrations.
• In a prospective community based study of 370 healthy elderly Swedish subjects, folate or vitamin B-12 deficiency doubled the risk of subsequently developing Alzheimer's disease.  Recently the much larger and longer Farmlingham community based study confirmed that a raised plasma homocysteine concentration doubled the risk of developing Alzheimer's and non-Alzheimer's dementia.
• The selective effects of folate deficiency on episodic memory were suspected to be related to encoding and retrieval mechanisms. Wahlin et al extended their studies of the same populations to include a wider range of cognitive functions—spatial orientation, visuospatial functioning, perceptual motor speed, attention, short term memory, and verbal fluency. They found an overall effect of folate status on cognitive function, whereas the overall effect of vitamin B-12 status did not approach statistical significance, although it added to the effects of reduced folate status. In particular, there were specific effects on visuospatial functioning, cognitive shift and flexibility, attention, working memory, and phonemic search, but only marginal effects on spatial orientation, primary memory, and category fluency. The pattern of cognitive dysfunction is claimed to resemble that in normal aging—that is, impairment in tasks that involve little structure, are unfamiliar, speeded, and attention demanding and involve complex processing of information.
• Snowden et al studied prospectively 30 elderly nuns from the same environmental and nutritional background. They died at the mean age of 91 (range 78 to 101) years, and half had neuropathological lesions of Alzheimer's disease. Of 18 nutritional factors examined, only serum folate was significantly negatively correlated with atrophy of the neocortex, especially in the 15 nuns with Alzheimer's disease but also in those with minimal atherosclerosis and no infarcts.
• Unusually, folic acid in the form of methylfolate is present in cerebrospinal fluid in humans in concentrations three times greater than in serum.  The active transport mechanism for methylfolate across the blood-brain barrier strictly limits the entry of the vitamin, perhaps for reasons concerned with the excitatory (convulsant) properties of folic acid.

** Some studies suggest that folate deficiency affects the nervous system only at certain not very well defined critically low concentrations of folic acid or high concentrations of homocysteine.

• Other data, especially in relation to some cognitive impairments in otherwise healthy elderly people in the community, suggest more of a continuum, with folate levels related to performance even within the “normal range.” This raises questions about the optimum nutritional environment for the healthy brain, which may not be closely related to arbitrary blood levels.
• further clinical trials in precisely defined clinical categories are needed, but they should be long term (at least six months to one year) as the impact of folate is slow and cumulative over many months, perhaps because blood-brain barrier mechanisms limit entry to the brain. Small doses over the long term may be preferable to larger doses in the short or long term, not least because of risks to the nervous system, especially in vitamin B-12 deficiency and epilepsy.  It is not clear which folate formulation is preferable: folic acid, folinic acid, or perhaps methylfolate (the transport form across the blood-brain barrier).

*****The best way forward may be to undertake large scale community based studies of folate supplementation or food fortification to explore the preventive potential of the vitamin for mood and cognitive disorders. Such studies are being designed or undertaken for the possible prophylaxis of vascular disease and could be adapted to address the question of preventing or reducing depression and dementia, including vascular dementia, while taking into account the special requirements of the nervous system.

From the National Institutes of Health on B-12 

"Vitamin B12 is required for the development, myelination, and function of the central nervous system; healthy red blood cell formation; and DNA synthesis."

Similarly, supplementation with vitamin B12 alone or with other B vitamins does not appear to decrease the risk or slow the progression of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease in older adults. A Cochrane Review evaluated the effects of vitamin and mineral supplements on cognitive function and dementia in people with mild cognitive impairment. Taking these B vitamins for 6 to 24 months had no apparent effect on episodic memory, executive function, speed of processing, or quality of life, although one study found a slower rate of brain atrophy over 2 years."

Here's Mayo Clinic on B-12

"Left untreated, a vitamin B-12 deficiency can lead to anemia, fatigue, muscle weakness, intestinal problems, nerve damage and mood disturbances.  Research on the use of vitamin B-12 for specific activities and conditions shows:

• Heart and blood vessel disease. Studies show that the combination of these vitamins doesn't seem to reduce the risk or severity of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
• Dementia. Vitamin B-12 deficiency is associated with dementia and low cognitive function, but it's not clear whether vitamin B-12 supplements might help prevent or treat dementia."

Slowing the Aging Process

 Mitochondrial clues to slow aging.

Nominated for discussion at an upcoming Tai Chi Salon.

HOW TO AGE WELL STARTING IN YOUR 20'S

 INDEPENDENT LIVING

Most teenagers aspire to be on their own, to live a completely independent life. 

 

"The essence of Independent living is the freedom to make decisions about your own life and to participate fully in your community.”     -- John Evans

 

Most teenagers aspire to be on their own, to live a completely independent life. And we want to have that freedom throughout our lifetime. As adults we loathe the thought of ever going back to having someone else make decisions for us.

So here is a great way to hold on to the freedom of making your own decisions to 120&Beyond.  Imagine your 120th birthday party skiing on the slopes of Mammoth Mountain or Park City.

Click HERE for: IT'S NEVER TO EARLY (or too late) TO THINK ABOUT BONE HEALTH

Photo Credit: NY Times

CREATE A PERSONAL WORK OUT PLAN 

FOR EACH STAGE OF LIFE.

Click HERE for: HOW TO AGE WELL: STARTING IN YOUR 20'S

Includes:

"Exercise for Younger Skin.Exercise not only helps keep the inside of your body healthy, it also appears to slow and even reverse the effects of aging on your most visible organ — the skin. --Tara Parker-Pope

 Click HERE for: YOUNGER SKIN THROUGH EXERCISE

Click HERE for: A NEUROLOGIST'S TIPS TO PROTECT YOUR MEMORY

Click HERE for: SMALL CHANGES IN EATING HABITS CAN LOWER YOUR RISKS FOR MANY DISEASES

On my reading list:

Click HERE for: HREE STEPS TO AGE EXUBERANTLY

 

NATURE BASED GUIDED IMAGERY

Nature Based Guided Imagery reduces anxiety, increases positive pshchological health and wellbeing, enhances vitality, happiness, positive mood and self esteem. See the two research studies cited below. 

 

This is the first of a collection of Relaxation experiences.  Come back often.

 

PROCEDURE: Find a comfortable quiet place (in or out of doors). Listening with headphones is recommended but not required. 

 

A. Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight and your head at the "balancing point" requiring the least amount of muscle power. Start the video: allow your eyes to close (or watch the video and allow your eyes to close at your discretion). Follow the relaxation breathing activity. Follow the muscle relaxation activiey. 

 

B. As an alternative: listen to the sound track lying flat in a comfortable place. 

 

 

HISTORY: Just prior to a science test I would be asked by my students to "walk" them through a 5 minute guided imagery and relaxation exercise so their test performance would increase. I'd previously given them the data from peer reviewed research like this one: 

 

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10778243/ Today there is a greater need for anxiety and stress reduction thrdough Nature Based Guided Imagery. This peer reviewed study provides the data that illuminates the benefits of this activity. 

 

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6176042/ Here is a quote Jessica Nguyen and Eric Brymer's research in the National Institutes of Health Library of Medicine: 

 

Nature and Anxiety Research indicates that nature can facilitate various positive psychological health and wellbeing outcomes (Wheeler et al., 2012; Carrus et al., 2017; Fabjanski and Brymer, 2017; Lawton et al., 2017; Panno et al., 2017; Yeh et al., 2017; Schweitzer et al., 2018). For example, experiences in nature have been shown to enhance vitality (Ryan et al., 2010), happiness (Capaldi et al., 2014), mood and self-esteem (Barton et al., 2011), and reduce stress (Kaplan, 1995).

# 3: IS AN EARLY DINNER BETTER FOR A LONGER HEALTHSPAN?

 Click HERE for the ANSWER FROM JOHNS HOPKINS**

I’ll be 75 in a few days. 

But today, I’m planning my 100th birthday party.  You are all invited to join us for a week of skiing. As for the years inbetween, as my basketball Coach Bogdanoff would say: 

“Position is everything.”

Doing the math gives me 25 years to plan the festivities. (Scroll down for the details.)

In the meantime, I’m following a few simple “best practices” to position myself for a longer health span to make that dream come true.

Using my own science based metric, “each day your dinner is taken early (4-6pm) adds an extra day to your health span.

Which brings us back to the latest research at Johns Hopkins....

The Executive Summary:

“Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers studied 20 healthy volunteers by giving them a meal at a traditional hour (6 p.m.) or a meal at a later time of the day (10 p.m.). They found that when people ate later, they had higher spikes in blood sugar, slower fat breakdown and even increases in the stress hormone cortisol, believed to be a factor in promoting weight gain. When they looked more closely at different responses to the late meal, they found that people who normally went to bed early — so-called "early birds" — experienced an even bigger impact from eating late.”

**Footnote:    All the resources used in my blogs are highly vetted to bring to readers the most reliable information.

THREE QUESTIONS: WHAT MEN LIVE BY AND OTHER PARABLES Contributed by Virginia

OUR COMMUNITY

Salon Discussion #1 Contributed by Virginia

The first discussion question we will discuss last: Why did Virginia bring to us this parable?  I bet the answer can be found by clicking HERE

THE THREE QUESTIONS

What Men Live by and other parables.

by Leo Tolstoy

It once occurred to a certain king, that if he always knew the right time to begin everything; if he knew who were the right people to listen to, and whom to avoid, and, above all, if he always knew what was the most important thing to do, he would never fail in anything he might undertake.

And this thought having occurred to him, he had it proclaimed throughout his kingdom that he would give a great reward to any one who would teach him what was the right time for every action, and who were the most necessary people, and how he might know what was the most important thing to do.

And learned men came to the King, but they all answered his questions differently.

In reply to the first question, some said that to know the right time for every action, one must draw up in advance, a table of days, months and years, and must live strictly according to it. Only thus, said they, could everything be done at its proper time. Others declared that it was impossible to decide beforehand the right time for every action; but that, not letting oneself be absorbed in idle pastimes, one should always attend to all that was going on, and then do what was most needful. Others, again, said that however attentive the King might be to what was going on, it was impossible for one man to decide correctly the right time for every action, but that he should have a Council of Wise Men, who would help him to fix the proper time for everything.

But then again others said there were some things which could not wait to be laid before a Council, but about which one had at once to decide whether to undertake them or not. But in order to decide that, one must know beforehand what was going to happen. It is only magicians who know that; and, therefore, in order to know the right time for every action, one must consult magicians.

Equally various were the answers to the second question. Some said, the people the King most needed were his councilors; others, the priests; others, the doctors; while some said the warriors were the most necessary.

To the third question, as to what was the most important occupation: some replied that the most important thing in the world was science. Others said it was skill in warfare; and others, again, that it was religious worship. All the answers being different, the King agreed with none of them, and gave the reward to none. 

But still wishing to find the right answers to his questions, he decided to consult a hermit, widely renowned for his wisdom.

The hermit lived in a wood which he never quitted, and he received none but common folk. So the King put on simple clothes, and before reaching the hermit's cell dismounted from his horse, and, leaving his bodyguard behind, went on alone. When the King approached, the hermit was digging the ground in front of his hut. Seeing the King, he greeted him and went on digging. The hermit was frail and weak, and each time he stuck his spade into the ground and turned a little earth, he breathed heavily.

The King went up to him and said: "I have come to you, wise hermit, to ask you to answer three questions: How can I learn to do the right thing at the right time? Who are the people I most need, and to whom should I, therefore, pay more attention than to the rest? And, what affairs are the most important and need my first attention?"

The hermit listened to the King, but answered nothing. He just spat on his hand and recommenced digging.

"You are tired," said the King, "let me take the spade and work awhile for you."

"Thanks!" said the hermit, and, giving the spade to the King, he sat down on the ground.

When he had dug two beds, the King stopped and repeated his questions. The hermit again gave no answer, but rose, stretched out his hand for the spade, and said, "Now rest awhile--and let me work a bit." But the King did not give him the spade, and continued to dig. One hour passed, and another. The sun began to sink behind the trees, and the King at last stuck the spade into the ground, and said, "I came to you, wise man, for an answer to my questions. If you can give me none, tell me so, and I will return home."

"Here comes some one running," said the hermit, "let us see who it is."

The King turned round, and saw a bearded man come running out of the wood. The man held his hands pressed against his stomach, and blood was flowing from under them. When he reached the King, he fell fainting on the ground moaning feebly. The King and the hermit unfastened the man's clothing. There was a large wound in his stomach. The King washed it as best he could, and bandaged it with his handkerchief and with a towel the hermit had. Again and again the King washed and rebandaged the wound. At last the man revived and asked for something to drink. The King brought fresh water and gave it to him. Meanwhile the sun had set, and it had become cool. So the King, with the hermit's help, carried the wounded man into the hut and laid him on the bed. Lying on the bed the man closed his eyes and was quiet; but the King was so tired with his walk and with the work he had done, that he crouched down on the threshold, and also fell asleep--so soundly that he slept all through the short summer night. When he awoke in the morning, it was long before he could remember where he was, or who was the strange bearded man lying on the bed and gazing intently at him with shining eyes.

"Forgive me!" said the bearded man in a weak voice, when he saw that the King was awake and was looking at him. "I do not know you, and have nothing to forgive you for," said the King.

"You do not know me, but I know you. I am that enemy of yours who swore to revenge himself on you, because you executed his brother and seized his property. I knew you had gone alone to see the hermit, and I resolved to kill you on your way back. But the day passed and you did not return. So I came out from my ambush to find you, and I came upon your bodyguard, and they recognized me, and wounded me. I escaped from them, but should have bled to death had you not dressed my wound. I wished to kill you, and you have saved my life. Now, if I live, and if you wish it, I will serve you as your most faithful slave, and will bid my sons do the same. Forgive me!"

The King was very glad to have made peace with his enemy so easily, and to have gained him for a friend, and he not only forgave him, but said he would send his servants and his own physician to attend him, and promised to restore his property.

Having taken leave of the wounded man, the King went out into the porch and looked around for the hermit. Before going away he wished once more to beg an answer to the questions he had put. The hermit was outside, on his knees, sowing seeds in the beds that had been dug the day before.  The King approached him, and said, "For the last time, I pray you to answer my questions, wise man."

"You have already been answered!" said the hermit still crouching on his thin legs, and looking up at the King, who stood before him.

"How answered? What do you mean?" asked the King.

"Do you not see," replied the hermit. "If you had not pitied my weakness yesterday, and had not dug these beds for me, but had gone your way, that man would have attacked you, and you would have repented of not having stayed with me. So the most important time was when you were digging the beds; and I was the most important man; and to do me good was your most important business. Afterwards, when that man ran to us, the most important time was when you were attending to him, for if you had not bound up his wounds he would have died without having made peace with you. So he was the most important man, and what you did for him was your most important business. 

Remember then: there is only one time that is important -- and that is now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power.

The most necessary man is he with whom you are, for no man knows whether he will ever have dealings with any one else.

And the most important thing to do is, to do good, because for that purpose alone was man sent into this life!"

HOW THIS PARABLE CONNECTS TO WHO WE ARE

Your thoughts here....

Recommendations from our Community

1. How Do You Live by Genzaburō Yoshino.

Click HERE for a short description.

 It is such an important book Hayao Miyazaki, Japan's greatest director, came out of retirement to make this animated film for his grandson, as his way of saying:

 "Grandpa is moving onto the next world soon but he is leaving behind this film".

Coming soon, but on Polychronos time (non linear). 

What film will you leave behind?

Click HERE for a short description of the upcoming film.