Category: Blog Posts

Telomeres and What That Means for Your Brain

Telomeres are natural protectors of our DNA, acting like caps at the ends of chromosomes so they don’t deteriorate or fuse with other chromosomes. The destruction or deformation of our chromosomes is what causes genetic problems at birth like Down’s syndrome and aging problems like cancer, osteoporosis, and dementia. Telomeres are much like the plastic tips at the ends of shoelaces – and much like those tips, they become chipped and expose the shoelace (DNA) depending how much wear-and-tear they withstand.

Keeping with this shoelace analogy, the less trauma these plastic tips endure, the longer they last and the longer the shoelaces remain intact. They also work better by being able to be threaded through the shoelace holes. When telomeres break down, the genes become less reliable in their functions, and their dysfunction is what is happening at the cellular level when we age. By the time we feel the effects of aging, our cells are far from what they used to be.

So how do we maintain telomeres and keep them from breaking down? In other words, how do we slow the effects of aging at the cellular level? One obvious to-do is to avoid stress; stress can cause damage at the cellular level, re-programming genetic material to behave in ways they’re not meant to. Another obvious to-do is to exercise, not the high-impact physical stress exercise (which can cause more damage), but gentle exercise like yoga or brisk walking that encourage deep breathing and can restore cells. Another major cell restoration factor is nutrition; feeding living cells with living food. The final component for protecting cells is by maintaining relationships that are healing and not stressful; social stability eventually leads to cell stability.

New Protein Culprit that Causes Dementia

What Alzheimer’s patients have in common is the presence of a “plaque” in their brains from amyloid proteins. This starchy protein can also be found in other organs, similarly causing disease and deterioration. Now a new study shows that amyloid isn’t the only rogue protein that can cause dementia. Tau protein has been found to also cause damage, but in a different way. While amyloid protein starts from the outer brain and works its way in, tau protein starts in the hippocampus and quickly affects learning and memory. Either way, when every brain cell serves an important function, any sort of damage is a deadly hit.

But aren’t proteins good? Don’t they build muscle and help the body grow and repair itself? Yes, that’s all true, but what’s wrong with amyloid and tau proteins is that they don’t behave the way proteins are supposed to. They don’t fold correctly, which means they disrupt the normal progression of cells, which eventually leads to the death of cells.

So how do we prevent proteins from misfolding? One way is to provide proper nutrition to the body so cells have the right ingredients to do what they’re supposed to do. Another is to avoid toxins, which can cause mutations that give the wrong instructions for cell growth

The Brain is Plastic

Ever hear someone say, “I can’t do yoga because I’m not flexible enough”? They have it backwards because the fact that  they’re not already flexible means practicing yoga can improve their flexibility.

It’s the same way with our brains. Ever hear people say, especially as they get older, “I can’t do that because I’m too old to learn”? Not knowing something already simply means the brain has not been stretched to know those facts, but stretching the brain will cause the brain to become familiar with something new.

That’s called building neural pathways, and it’s the process by which the brain grows new brain cells. It used to be believed that the brain doesn’t grow new cells after childhood, but that has since been proven false as individuals who have suffered brain trauma have been rehabilitated – which means new brain cells have been grown. The term used to describe this ability is “neuroplasticity” – “neuro” for nerves, “plastic” for molding.

But it is true that as brains get older, that process of building pathways requires more intention and effort. That’s why it feels like learning new things at an older age seems harder than at a younger age. That doesn’t mean all is lost, in fact, all the more reason to build new pathways because not doing so will really mean losing the ability to grow new brain cells. That’s why staving off dementia (the deterioration of the brain) truly does rely on taking full advantage of neuroplasticity.

The Value of Good Carbohydrates

With many recent health trends, carbohydrates have been demonized as bad for health. But let’s remember that carbohydrates are neither “good” nor “bad”, simply that there are different types that have different functions. Matching those functions to our nutritional and physical needs is what’s important, rather than cutting out carbohydrates completely.

Generally speaking, simple carbohydrates (such as castor sugar and white flour) are quite easy to break down and consequently do not provide long-term energy. However, because they are easy to break down, people who lead very active lifestyles can benefit from the quick bursts of energy. Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, are more difficult to break down and consequently provide longer-lasting energy. Most people who work long hours or who eat less frequently benefit from the slower-release aspect of complex carbohydrates.

The brain, due to its many functions, requires a wide range of energy sources. As far as carbohydrates are concerned, although the brain could benefit from simple carbohydrates, the constant presence of simple carbohydrates will harm the rest of the body (Type II diabetes, anyone?). Complex carbohydrates are the safer type for the brain, thanks to its slow-release factor and lower risk factor to the rest of the body.

Some “good” carbohydrates for the brain are: white rice, potatoes, bananas, legumes, and pasta (made from durum wheat).

Twins Prove Exercise Helps Prevent Dementia

In a Finnish study, identical twins were compared against each other in the consequences of active vs. inactive lifestyles. As some people would expect, the more active twin had fewer health problems with increasing age. As some would be surprised, both twins had similar diets, which would suggest nutrition alone is not the turning factor of good health.

However, while nutrition is for the most part similar, the fact that the twins are so different in terms of their metabolic profile suggests that exercise is the key that unlocks their genetic “destiny”. It makes sense that if they’re eating roughly the same things (and the main difference is one exercises and the other doesn’t), how that food is processed through the bodies will be different in on than in the other. Therefore, it should be no surprise if the inactive twin has problems with insulin production or resistance, cholesterol levels, and higher body fat.

What may be surprising is that the brains end up being different also. The more active twin has substantial increased areas of grey matter, especially in areas that control motor skills and coordination. What’s interesting is that upon dementia onset, it’s not just memory that’s affected – many times it is physical abilities (such as fine motor skills and coordination) that suffer.

In other words, if only one aspect of life can be changed to prevent dementia, it might as well be exercise because there is a direct link to the prevention of deterioration in physical abilities. It’s possible that that direct link is the development of muscle memory – that is to say, we are often only concerned with mental memory (and afraid of losing it), when perhaps we should also be considering other forms of memory.

Why Learning Music Is Better Than Brain Games

The brain can be trained at any age – the question is how. Crystallized intelligence is when the brain remembers relatively unchangeable facts, such as geographical locations or properties and traits of objects and living things. Fluid intelligence is being able to use crystallized intelligence to solve problems or adapt to changing circumstances. Throughout the range and mix of crystallized and fluid intelligences’ is the ability to pay attention, especially to increasing number of “moving parts” of information according to the level of difficulty.

A great trend in brain training, to use these forms of intelligence appropriately and pay attention, is brain games that test and challenge memory. N-back and dual n-back games are the technical terms, better known as games such as Bejewelled Blitz or any of the games on Lumosity. The argument is that playing these games will strengthen the brain, and most likely the strengthening will help stave off dementia.

However, consider learning a musical instrument instead. Being able to play an instrument (well) requires a tremendous amount of brain effort. The mind has an incredible number of things to keep track: the eyes reading the sheet music, the hands and fingers moving independently of each other, keeping to the timing and rhythm, maintaining good sound – and if playing with others – being in sync with other instruments. No other activity requires such an intricate puzzle of constantly moving parts, especially in an artistic manner.

From a practical level, brain games are generally a solitary activity. There is not really much social interaction, which is why sometimes the attention level that is strengthened does not translate to real life. Learning an instrument can be much more practical, and it connects people to others who have the same interest.

How to Choose a Nursing Facility

Before placing a loved one in a nursing facility (or checking into one long-term yourself), make it a point to tour facilities with the following questions and observations in mind for an informed decision:

1. Are there activities that stimulate both mind and body?

If residents in a nursing facility do nothing but sit around all day, even the healthier ones will develop dementia in an environment of stagnation. Both physical and mental exercise keep the mind sharp and prevents dementia by delay. Ask for a schedule of activities, how instructors are selected, how much variety or change there is in the programming, and how much say residents have in the programme development.

2. How flexible is the in-and-out traffic?

Nursing facilities are meant to be homes, not prisons. If visitation hours are limited or inconvenient for family and friends, residents will have a difficult time adjusting to nursing home life. If residents are not allowed to leave, they will become depressed. Of course security should be a primary concern, but if the rules are so strict that residents do not enjoy living there, quality of life should not be killed for the sake of security.

3. How is aggressive behaviour managed?

When people with dementia struggle with communication, it can deceptively come out as aggression and violence. Therapeutic or counseling work to find the underlying cause may be all it takes to fix the problem, but some nursing homes will use medication as a default treatment. Although medication can be a good thing, if it is prescribed inappropriately or excessively, it harms the patients’ ability to cope and live in harmony with society. Ask about available counselors and non-medication courses of treatment.

If just these three issues are explored thoroughly, residential life will not be such a shock or cause more unintended problems. If a facility is unwilling to provide answers or room for negotiation in these areas, it is probably not a patient-centric organization. If a facility is willing to work with residents and residents’ families for the well-being of a resident, the experience will be much more enjoyable and may even relieve the stress of dementia.

Why Volunteering Helps In Later Years

Many people wait until a family member is diagnosed with dementia to think about volunteering in care facilities. The goal is usually to better understand dementia, as well as learn how to better care for their family member who has dementia. The problem with this is that it becomes a situation of “too little, too late”.

For many people, especially if they have never had any dealings with dementia-related experiences, by the time a family member is diagnosed with dementia, it is probably already in an advanced stage. Therefore, time has already run out for learning how to take care of someone with dementia because learnt or not, the patient needs caring immediately. This usually comes with great stress because the carer feels inadequate and frustrated, especially if there are other life issues simultaneously causing stress (work, raising children, mortgage, etc.). Resources are tapped out, which means volunteering is the last thing that will come to fruition.

While no one in the family has been diagnosed with dementia, while career demands are not crushing, while children’s needs do not take over life – these are all optimal times to volunteer in dementia care facilities. One great personal benefit is that it is “practice” for if and when a dementia diagnosis turns up in the future. Two other great benefits are to society: care facilities are often overwhelmed and understaffed, which means volunteerism is in tremendous need, and many of the patients in care facilities are there because they don’t have family members who can provide round-the-clock care, which means volunteers become much-needed surrogate family.

Legislation in Dementia

Dementia is often categorized as a part of aging, which means the financial costs associated with dementia care are not protected as “essential” or “necessary”. Care facilities are often bound by law to charge fees that they know are higher than the patient’s family can afford, yet they must cover high costs themselves that can only be lowered by legislation. While hospitals may receive tax breaks, private care facilities receive no “cushion”, thus denying care to too many people who desperately need professional care.

Even the elderly who have family members to look after them require help to cover some of their basic living needs: getting dressed, bathed, fed, etc. But it’s unfair and unreasonable to expect family members to address all these needs simply because they are younger or have some sort of blood connection – these two conditions, after all, have no bearing on whether they’re qualified to administer medical treatment. Imagine how much more difficult life would be for the elderly who have dementia and no family members to care for them.

Adding insult to injury, people with dementia are “clearly” at the end of their lives, which means they no longer have the time or ability to earn the money they need to pay for their very necessary care. Adding more insult, the “end” of their lives could stretch on for years, perhaps even decades – dementia, after all, is not a terminal disease.

Although the legal system essentially punishes the elderly for having dementia, it does have room for change and improvement. But the change requires people to commit to raising awareness of a system that is dysfunctional. Exposing the limits of a flawed system, then fighting to end the punishment of the elderly will eventually lead to people with dementia being a protected class in the eyes of the law. This can be done by supporting legal campaigns by organizations that support the care of dementia, whether through sharing on social media or directly writing to elected officials with a call for change.

Become Involved in Research

Perhaps the real tragedy in dementia is that it is regarded as a natural part of aging. Therefore, it does not receive the attention of medical researchers and research funds the way “more important” diseases such a cancers receive. This is a shame because many more people suffer from types of preventable and treatable dementia or dementia-seeming symptoms than the big scary diseases that strike unexpectedly. It’s simply a misunderstanding when old age is involved, as if it can neglected because it’s a “natural” part of aging.

Consider donating money to organizations that study the causes of dementia or otherwise understanding how dementia works. Another popular way to raise funds is to participate in community athletic events, asking for sponsorships to raise awareness for dementia research. Hosting cultural events or activities is also a fun way to raise funds that can go towards research.

Other ways of being involved in research is volunteering as test subjects in clinical trials. This is available for all parts of dementia-related issues, whether as patients, carers, former carers, or relatives of patients. There is an infinite number of ways to be involved in research, and it is well worth the effort to take advantage of such opportunities because the sooner dementia is defeated, the more likely it may not be an issue to be dealt with personally.