REMEDIES
Michael Dworkin, P.D., M.S. Erika Dworkin, Dip. C.N. (Pend.)
Nutritional Supplements to Improve Memory & General Brain Function
Most people have brain damage and don’t know it. Anyone over age 40 needs to be concerned about this issue. ~ Russell L. Blaylock, MD, Neurosurgeon
An estimated 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s in their lifetime. The disease commonly begins after age 60, and risk rises with age. Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death in Americans overall, and the 5th among those over 64.
www.medi-
cineworld.org; Life Extension Magazine, (March/April 2013)
Have you been experiencing memory loss, especially the kind
caused by aging? Do you ever misplace items you use every day, forget names or recent or past events, or have difficulty learning new material? Memory loss may start suddenly or come on slowly, and may be permanent or temporary. If yours is mild-to-moderate, you may be able to slow or even reverse it with nutritional supplements and lifestyle changes.
How the Brain Remembers
The area of the brain that is involved in the memory process depends on the type of memory and the type of information it contains. For example: (1) the pre-frontal cortex temporarily stores and processes short-term memories (information that will be needed in the next several seconds or minutes); and (2) the hippocampus orchestrates the processes related to long-term memories (the hippo- campus, surrounding cortical structures, and neural pathways con- necting these structures to the cortex are all involved in the memory of facts and events).
Memory Loss: Definitions & Causes
While the entire subject of memory loss goes far beyond the scope of this article, this discussion aims to remove some of the mystery and fear around it. Everyone occasionally experiences forgetfulness. Mild memory loss tends to increase with age and is generally no cause for concern. However, there is a difference between mild memory loss due to normal aging, and progressive or extreme memory loss.
A person can lose either short- or long-term memory, and one type of loss does not necessarily accompany the other. Short-term memory loss is quite common and often results from brain artery blockage. The numerous causes include prescription drugs (e.g. statin drugs to lower cholesterol), excess stress (especially over time), substance abuse, pain, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Dementia, a group of symptoms caused by gradual death of
brain cells, is a “loss of mental ability severe enough to interfere with normal activities of daily living, lasting more than six months, not present since birth, and not associated with a loss or alteration
34 Natural Nutmeg May 2013
of consciousness.” The loss of cognitive abilities that occurs with dementia leads to impairments in memory, reasoning, planning, and behavior/social skills. While most people with dementia are elderly, it is not an inevitable part of aging; rather, it is caused by specific brain diseases. Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common cause of demen- tia, arises from the degeneration and death of both brain cells and the connections between them in the cerebral cortex. The brain becomes clogged with neurofibrillary tangles (twisted masses of pro- tein fibers inside nerve cells) and senile plaques (composed of parts of neurons surrounding a group of sticky proteins called amyloid beta deposits). A slow, chronic starvation of the brain as we age may be a key trigger of a biochemical process that causes some forms of AD. One study, published in Neuron by Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, found that the brain’s failure to get enough glu- cose launches a process that ultimately produces amyloid beta. The study’s author indicated that improving blood flow and increasing delivery of glucose to the brain, especially with vasodilators (e.g., ginkgo biloba, L-arginine), might prevent or treat AD, and people may be able to prevent dementia if they “start early enough.”
The Natural Approach
Below are just a few of the supplements that have been shown in human clinical or lab studies to support brain and memory func- tion:
Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALC)
The amino acid acetyl-L-carnitine supports mental acuity by preserving the powerhouses of brain cells (mitochondria), improving blood flow, protecting against toxins, and assisting with the trans- port of fatty acids (e.g., DHA) between cells. One 1998 clinical trial conducted at Stanford University School of Medicine found that this nutrient slows the progression of AD in subjects in their early 60s. Another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutri- tion (2008) established that ALC can reduce fatigue and boost men- tal function in people over age 70. Combining ALC with Coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinol) enhances ALC’s activity.
Curcumin/Turmeric
As noted in the Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology, cur- cumin (from turmeric), an ancient Indian herb, has been used to treat dementia and TBI. It also has a potential role in the prevention and treatment of AD since it combats inflammation, decreases amy- loid beta plaques, delays degradation of neurons, chelates metals, and is a powerful antioxidant.
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