Beyond Guarding Against Dementia

10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

When Age’s Brain-Changes Come Knocking

A woman guarding in a red dress.

This is Dr. Amy Friday. She’s a psychologist, specializing in geropsychology and neuropsychological assessments.

In other words, she helps people optimize their aging experience, particularly in the context of brain changes as we get older.

What does she want us to know?

First: be not afraid

Ominous first words, but the fact is, there’s a lot to find scary about the prospect of memory loss, dementia, and death.

However, as she points out:

  • Death will come for us all sooner or later, barring technology as yet unknown
  • Dementia can be avoided, or at least stalled, or at least worked around
  • Memory loss, as per the above, can be avoided/stalled/managed

We’ve written a little on these topics too:

Managing Your Mortality

…or if the death is not yours:

Bereavement & Managing Grief

As for avoiding dementia, the below-linked feature is about Alzheimer’s in particular (which accounts for more than half of all cases of dementia), but the advice goes for most of the other kinds too:

How To Reduce Your Alzheimer’s Risk

And finally, about memory loss specifically:

How To Boost Your Memory Immediately (Without Supplements)

this one is especially about cementing into one’s brain the kinds of memories that people most fear losing with age. People don’t worry about forgetting their PIN codes; they worry about forgetting their cherished memories with loved ones. So, if that’s important to you, do consider checking out this one!

What is that about managing or working around the symptoms?

If we’re missing a limb, we (usually) get a prosthetic, and/or learn how to operate without that limb.

If we’re missing sight or hearing, partially or fully, there are disability aids for those kinds of things too (glasses are a disability aid! Something being very common does not make it not a disability; you literally have less of an ability—in this case, the ability to see), and/or we learn how to operate with our different (or missing) sense.

Dr. Friday makes the case for this being the same with memory loss, dementia, and other age-related symptoms (reduced focus, increased mental fatigue, etc):

❝We are all screwed up. Here’s my flavor … what’s yours? This is a favorite saying of mine, because we ARE all screwed up in one way or another, and when we acknowledge it we can feel closer in our screwed-up-edness.

We are all experiencing “normal aging,” so that tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon that starts in our thirties and slowly gets worse is REAL. But what if you’re having more problems than normal aging? Is it time to throw in the towel and hide? I’m hoping that there is a group of people who say HELL NO to that idea.

Let’s use lessons from research and clinical practice to help all of us work around our weaknesses, and capitalize on our strengths.  ❞

~ Dr. Amy Friday

Examples of this might include:

  • Writing down the things most important to you (a short list of information and/or statements that you feel define you and what matters most to you), so that you can read it later
  • Making sure you have support (partner, family, friends, etc) who are on the same page about this topic—and thus will actually support you and advocate for you, instead of arguing about what is in your best interest without consulting you.
  • Labelling stuff around the house, so that you get less confused about what is what and where it is
  • Having a named go-to advocate that you can call / ask to be called, if you are in trouble somewhere and need help that you can rely on
  • Getting a specialized, simpler bank account; hiring an accountant if relevant and practicable.

The thing is, we all want to keep control. Sometimes we can do that! Sometimes we can’t, and if we’re going to lose some aspect of control, it’ll generally go a lot better if we do it on our own terms, so that we ourselves can look out for future-us in our planning.

Want to know more?

You might enjoy her blog, which includes also links to her many videos on the topic, including such items as:

For the rest, see:

This Beautiful Brain | The Science Of Brain Health

Enjoy!

Don’t Forget…

Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

Recommended

  • Steps For Keeping Your Feet A Healthy Foundation
  • HRT Side Effects & Troubleshooting
    Dr. Heather Hirsch demystifies menopause, offering insights into HRT’s benefits, potential side effects, and personalized treatment adjustments.

Learn to Age Gracefully

Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:

  • Inheritance – by Dr. Sharon Moalem

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    We know genes make a big difference to a lot about us, but how much? And, the genes we have, we’re stuck with, right?

    Dr. Sharon Moalem shines a bright light into some of the often-shadowier nooks and crannies of our genetics, covering such topics as:

    • How much can (and can’t) be predicted from our parents’ genes—even when it comes to genetic traits that both parents have, and Gregor Mendel himself would (incorrectly) think obvious
    • How even something so seemingly simple and clear as genetic sex, very definitely isn’t
    • How traumatic life events can cause epigenetic changes that will scar us for generations to come
    • How we can use our genetic information to look after our health much better
    • How our life choices can work with, or overcome, the hand we got dealt in terms of genes

    The style of the book is conversational, down to how there’s a lot of “I” and “you” in here, and the casual style belies the heavy, sharp, up-to-date science contained within.

    Bottom line: if you’d like insight into the weird and wonderful nuances of genetics as found in this real, messy, perfectly chaotic world, this book is an excellent choice.

    Click here to check out Inheritance, and learn more about yours!

    Share This Post

  • Sensitive – by Jenn Granneman and Andre Sólo

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    This book is written for what is called the “Highly Sensitive Person”, which makes it sound like a very rare snowflake condition, when in fact the diagnostic criteria (discussed early in the book) yield a population bell curve of 30:40:30, whereupon 30% are in the band of “high sensitivity”, 40% “normal sensitivity” and the remainder “low sensitivity”. You may note that “high” and “low” together outnumber “normal”, but statistics is like that.

    So, if you’re one of the approximately one in three people who fall into the higher category, and/or you have a loved one who is in that category, then this book looks at the many advantages to a commonly stigmatized and (by cruel irony) criticized personality trait.

    Those advantages range from personal life to work and even public life (yes, really), and can be grown, positively highlighted, used, and enjoyed.

    In the category of criticism, the book does not usefully cover the benefit of psychological resilience. Resilience does not mean losing sensitivity, just, being able to also dry one’s tears and weather life’s slings and arrows when the world is harsher than one might like. But for the authors, they have stacked all their chips on “we must make the world a better place”. Which is a noble goal, if not always an immediately attainable one.

    Bottom line: if you are more sensitive than average and would like to use that to benefit yourself and those around you, then this is the book for you!

    Click here to check out Sensitive, and make the most of your strengths!

    Share This Post

  • How Useful Is Hydrotherapy?

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Hyyyyyyydromatic…

    Hydrotherapy is a very broad term, and refers to any (external) use of water as part of a physical therapy. Today we’re going to look at some of the top ways this can be beneficial—maybe you’ll know them all already, but maybe there’s something you hadn’t thought about or done decently; let’s find out!

    Notwithstanding the vague nature of the umbrella term, some brave researchers have done a lot of work to bring us lots of information about what works and what doesn’t, so we’ll be using this to guide us today. For example:

    Scientific Evidence-Based Effects of Hydrotherapy on Various Systems of the Body

    Swimming (and similar)

    An obvious one, this can for most people be a very good full-body exercise, that’s exactly as strenuous (or not) as you want/need it to be.

    It can be cardio, it can be resistance, it can be endurance, it can be high-intensity interval training, it can be mobility work, it can be just support for an aching body that gets to enjoy being in the closest to zero-gravity we can get without being in freefall or in space.

    See also: How To Do HIIT (Without Wrecking Your Body)

    Depending on what’s available for you locally (pool with a shallow area, for example), it can also be a place to do some exercises normally performed on land, but with your weight being partially supported (and as a counterpoint, a little resistance added to movement), and no meaningful risk of falling.

    Tip: check out your local facilities, to see if they offer water aerobics classes; because the water necessitates slow movement, this can look a lot like tai chi to watch, but it’s great for mobility and balance.

    Water circuit therapy

    This isn’t circuit training! Rather, it’s a mixture of thermo- and cryotherapy, that is to say, alternating warm and cold water immersion. This can also be interspersed with the use of a sauna, of course.

    See also:

    this last one is about thermal shock-mediated hormesis, which sounds drastic, but it’s what we’re doing here with the hot and cold, and it’s good for most people!

    Pain relief

    Most of the research for this has to do with childbirth pain rather than, for example, back pain, but the science is promising:

    A systematic meta-thematic synthesis to examine the views and experiences of women following water immersion during labour and waterbirth

    Post-exercise recovery

    It can be tempting to sink into a hot bath, or at least enjoy a good hot shower, after strenuous exercise. But does it help recovery too? The answer is probably yes:

    Effect of hot water immersion on acute physiological responses following resistance exercise

    For more on that (and other means of improving post-exercise recovery), check out our previous main feature:

    How To Speed Up Recovery After A Workout (According To Actual Science)

    Take care!

    Share This Post

Related Posts

  • Steps For Keeping Your Feet A Healthy Foundation
  • The Real Reason Most Women Don’t Lose Belly Fat

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Notwithstanding the title, this does also go for men too, by the way—while hormones count, they count differently. People with an estrogen-based metabolism (so usually: women) will usually have more body fat, which can make it harder to get visible muscletone, for those who want that. But people with a testosterone-based metabolism (so usually: men) will have different fat storage patterns, and belly-fat is more testosterone-directed than estrogen-directed (estrogen will tend to put it more to the thighs, butt, back, breasts, etc).

    So the advice here is applicable to all…

    Challenges and methods

    The biggest barrier to success: many people give up when results are not immediate, especially if our body has been a certain way without change for a long time.

    • “Oh, I guess it’s just genetics”
    • “Oh, I guess it’s just age”
    • “Oh, I guess it’s just because of [chronic condition]”

    …and such things can be true! And yet, in each of the cases, persisting is still usually what the body needs.

    So, should we give ourselves some “tough love” and force ourselves through discomfort?

    Yes and no, Lefkowith says. It is important to be able to push through some discomfort, but it’s also important that whatever we’re doing should be sustainable—which means we do need to push, while also allowing ourselves adequate recovery time, and not taking unnecessary risks.

    In particular, she advises to:

    • remember that at least half the work is in the kitchen not the gym, and to focus more on adding protein than reducing calories
    • enjoy a regular but varied core exercise routine
    • stimulate blood flow to stubborn areas, which can aid in fat mobilization
    • focus on getting nutrient-dense foods
    • prioritize recovery and strategic rest

    For more details on these things and more, enjoy:

    Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

    Want to learn more?

    You might also like to read:

    Visceral Belly Fat: What It Is & How To Lose It

    Take care!

    Don’t Forget…

    Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

    Learn to Age Gracefully

    Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:

  • Figs vs Banana – Which is Healthier?

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    Our Verdict

    When comparing figs to banana, we picked the banana.

    Why?

    Both of these fruits have a reputation for being carb-heavy (though their glycemic index is low in both cases because of the fiber), and they both have approximately the same macros across the board. So a tie on macros.

    When it comes to vitamins, figs have more of vitamins A, B1, E, and K, while banana has more of vitamins B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, C, and choline. So, a win for banana there.

    In the category of minerals, figs have more calcium and iron, while banana has more copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium. Another win for banana.

    Adding up the section makes for a win for bananas, but by all means, enjoy either or both; diversity is good!

    Want to learn more?

    You might like to read:

    Which Sugars Are Healthier, And Which Are Just The Same?

    Take care!

    Don’t Forget…

    Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

    Learn to Age Gracefully

    Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:

  • Natural Remedies and Foods for Osteoarthritis

    10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

    It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

    Have a question or a request? You can always hit “reply” to any of our emails, or use the feedback widget at the bottom!

    In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

    As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!

    So, no question/request too big or small

    ❝Natural solutions for osteoarthritis. Eg. Rosehip tea, dandelion root tea. Any others??? What foods should I absolutely leave alone?❞

    We’ll do a main feature on arthritis (in both its main forms) someday soon, but meanwhile, we recommend eating for good bone/joint health and against inflammation. To that end, you might like these main features we did on those topics:

    Of these, probably the last one is the most critical, and also will have the speediest effects if implemented.

    Don’t Forget…

    Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!

    Learn to Age Gracefully

    Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails: