Maintain Your Brain

by Nancy Fernandez Mills

I went to a fascinating seminar this week that featured four of the nation's most prominent researchers who are trying to solve the mystery of Alzheimer's Disease. "On the Brink of Discovery" was a mostly upbeat event, with doctors and scientists reporting on the tremendous progress they've made in their search for treatments and a cure for this disease.

But while the scientists toil in the labs, what can we do in the meantime to make sure we don't get Alzheimer's Disease or some other form of dementia? Scientists joke that the best prevention is to "choose your parents wisely," since genetics no doubt play a huge role here. But there are other things Baby Boomers can do to enhance their own brain health. There are no guarantees but there is hope!

The Alzheimer's Association is conducting their first public health campaign in history. It's called "Maintain Your Brain" and calls on all of us to stay mentally, physically and socially active and to eat a low fat diet that is rich in antioxidents. Learn to ballroom dance. Lift weights and take brisk walks. Join a bridge club. Love those blueberries! Eat more Indian food (there's new evidence that the spice curcumin or turmeric in Indian dishes helps keep brains healthy!)

If you want to know a little more about the Alzheimer's Association and what they are doing to create a world without Alzheimer's Disease, you can go to the home page of the Alzheimer's Association's Masschusetts Chapter and click on the Internet Interview. I recently interviewed a research physician, a family care expert and a family caregiver about state of the art care and prevention. Boomers need to learn about this now, so that we can take charge of our health and maintain our brains!