{"id":3085,"date":"2014-09-19T06:30:56","date_gmt":"2014-09-19T06:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/2014\/09\/19\/dr-vinod-nundloll\/"},"modified":"2018-06-18T12:59:14","modified_gmt":"2018-06-18T08:59:14","slug":"dr-vinod-nundloll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/dr-vinod-nundloll\/","title":{"rendered":"Prevention of Dementia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Preparing for a healthy old age<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Last week we published an article on Alzheimer\u2019s disease in the context of Alzheimer\u2019s Day. Alzheimer\u2019s disease, which is becoming of increasing concern to health service providers all over the world, is the extreme form of dementia, which affects the elderly. There is no known treatment, but there are a number of practical and relatively easy measures which one can take to prevent its earlier onset and severity. The following is a contribution by Dr Vinod Nundloll on this important issue. <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Most of us start worrying about dementia after retirement, and that may be too little, too late. Experts say that if you really want to ward off dementia, you need to start taking care of your brain in your 30s and 40s, or even earlier.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018More and more research is suggesting that lifestyle is very important to your brain’s health,\u2019 says Dr Paul Nussbaum, a neuro-psychologist and an adjunct associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. \u2018If you want to live a long, healthy life, then many of us need to start as early as we can.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

So what can you do to beef up your brain – and possibly ward off dementia? Nussbaum, who recently gave a speech on the topic for the Winter Park (Fla.) Health Foundation, offers 20 tips that may help.<\/span><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Join clubs<\/em> or organizations that need volunteers. If you start volunteering now, you won’t feel lost and unneeded after you retire.<\/span><\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Develop a hobby<\/em> or two. Hobbies help you develop a robust brain because you’re trying something new and complex. <\/span><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Practise writing with<\/em> your non-dominant hand several minutes everyday. This will exercise the opposite side of your brain and fire up those neurons.<\/span><\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Take dance<\/em> lessons. In a study of nearly 500 people, dancing was the only regular physical activity associated with a significant decrease in the incidence of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. The people who danced three or four times a week showed 76 percent less incidence of dementia than those who danced only once a week or not at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Need a hobby? Start gardening<\/em>. Researchers in New Zealand found that, of 1,000 people, those who gardened regularly were less likely to suffer from dementia! Not only does gardening reduce stress, but gardeners use their brains to plan gardens; they use visual and spatial reasoning to lay out a garden.<\/span><\/p>\n

6.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Walking daily<\/em> can reduce the risk of dementia because cardiovascular health is important to maintain blood flow to the brain. Or… buy a pedometer and walk 10,000 steps a day.<\/span><\/p>\n

7.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Read and write daily<\/em>. Reading stimulates a wide variety of brain areas that process and store information. Likewise, writing (not copying) stimulates many areas of the brain as well. <\/span><\/p>\n

8.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Start knitting<\/em>. Using both hands works both sides of your brain. And it’s a stress reducer.<\/span><\/p>\n

9.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Learn a new language<\/em>. Whether it’s a foreign language or sign language, you are working your brain by making it go back and forth between one language and the other. A researcher in England found that being bilingual seemed to delay symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease for four years. And some research suggests that the earlier a child learns sign language, the higher his IQ – and people with high IQs are less likely to have dementia. So start them early.<\/span><\/p>\n

10.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Play board games<\/em> such as Scrabble and Monopoly. Not only are you taxing your brain, you’re socializing too. Playing solo games, such as solitaire or online computer brain games can be helpful, but Nussbaum prefers games that encourage you to socialize too. <\/span><\/p>\n

11.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Take classes<\/em> throughout your lifetime. Learning produces structural and chemical changes in the brain, and education appears to help people live longer. Brain researchers have found that people with advanced degrees live longer – and if they do have Alzheimer’s, it often becomes apparent only in the very later stages of the disease.<\/span><\/p>\n

12.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Listen to classical<\/em> music. A growing volume of research suggests that music may hardwire the brain, building links between the two hemispheres. Any kind of music may work, but there’s some research that shows positive effects for classical music, though researchers don’t understand why.<\/span><\/p>\n

13.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Learn a musical instrument<\/em>. It may be harder than it was when you were a kid, but you’ll be developing a dormant part of your brain.<\/span><\/p>\n

14.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Travel<\/em>. When you travel (whether it’s to a distant vacation spot or on a different route across town), you’re forcing your brain to navigate a new and complex environment. A study of London taxi drivers found experienced drivers had larger brains because they have to store lots of information about locations and how to navigate there.<\/span><\/p>\n

15.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pray<\/em>. Daily prayer appears to help your immune system. And people who attend a formal worship service regularly live longer and report happier, healthier lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

16.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Learn to meditate<\/em>. It’s important for your brain that you learn to shut out the stresses of everyday life. <\/span><\/p>\n

17.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Get enough sleep<\/em>. Studies have shown a link between interrupted sleep and dementia.<\/span><\/p>\n

18.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Eat more foods containing Omega-3 fatty acids<\/em>: Salmon, sardines, tuna, ocean trout, mackerel or herring, plus walnuts (which are higher in omega-3s than salmon) and flaxseed. Flaxseed oil, cod liver oil and walnut oil are good sources too. <\/span><\/p>\n

19.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Eat more fruits and vegetables<\/em>. Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables mop up some of the damage caused by free radicals, one of the leading killers of brain cells.<\/span><\/p>\n

20.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Eat at least one meal a day with family and friends<\/em>. You’ll slow down, socialize, and research shows you’ll eat healthier food than if you ate alone or on the go.<\/span><\/p>\n

Doing all the 20 things listed above will not leave you with enough time to fit in dementia as well!<\/span><\/p>\n

— Dr Vinod Nundloll – Consulant Anesthetist<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

* Published in print edition on 19 September 2014<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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