Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention: The latest Causes Or Cures Podcast, and one you don’t want to miss.
Alzheimer’s disease is frightening, heartbreaking and tragic, yet it’s very common. I don’t think I know one person who hasn’t been impacted by this disease in some way. With an aging population, at least here in the US, its incidence will only increase. Even scarier is that we are seeing cases with earlier onset, sometimes as young as late forties. In a previous episode of Causes or Cures, Dr. Colin Pritchard discussed the mystery of the earlier onset cases of dementia, including Alzheimer’s Disease, and suggested a link to our constant exposure to wireless technology, or electromagnetic radiation. ( I highly recommend listening to that podcast too.) I will never forget the case he mentioned about a man in his late forties who was diagnosed with dementia. Being so young, he still had a strong sexual drive, but because of the dementia and severely diminished cognitive function, he ended up raping his wife. I can’t even imagine…
To some, Alzheimer’s disease seems like an unavoidable disease of aging, one that comes to bite us all if we live long enough. Others are more hopeful and believe there are things we can do to prevent it and/or slow its progression. One of those people is Dr. Douglas Watt, who happens to be today’s guest on Causes or Cures.
Dr. Watt took time out of his busy day and called via Skype to talk to me about all the latest research on Alzheimer’s Disease, what really causes it, who is at risk and what you should do if you think you are at risk. ( There are tests you can get.) Most importantly, he talks about evidence-based things we all can do to significantly lower our risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Watt believes that Alzheimer’s Disease prevention is very possible, so if you are affected by this disease in any way, listen to this podcast and jot down the tips he suggests. As heartbreaking as Alzheimer’s Disease is, this podcast should leave you hopeful. I know it left me very hopeful, especially when he discusses by how much we can lower our risk by doing very inexpensive things.
Dr. Douglas Watt is a repeat guest on Causes or Cures. In a past episode he discussed the social brain hypothesis of depression, also worth listening to since depression is an independent risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease. Does that mean addressing and treating depression is a form of Alzheimer’s Disease prevention? Maybe. As I listened to this podcast, I realized that there are a lot of overlaps between preventive strategies.
Who is Dr. Watt? He is a clinical neuropsychologist who is on the faculty of Boston University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and the Boston Institute for the Study of Violence. He has served as director and chief of two clinical neuropsychology departments in Boston-area hospitals. In addition to seeing patients with a range of neuropsychological issues, Dr. Watt has published 60 peer-reviewed papers on emotion, cognition, behavior and the brain. He currently lectures all over the world on depression, head trauma, delirium and various forms of dementia associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
I hope you listen to the podcast, learn something and please share it with anyone who might benefit. Alzheimer’s disease prevention is a hot topic and one where a lot of people are desperately searching for answers.
To listen via the web, click here: Causes or Cures on Alzheimer’s Prevention
You can also find Causes or Cures on Apple.
And it’s also available on Spotify!
If you guys have any questions for me, write me through my website. If you have any questions for Dr. Watt on Alzheimer’s disease prevention, let me know. I’m happy to relay them to him. He also has a slide show on Alzheimer’s disease prevention, but I asked him to make sure it’s “user-friendly” before sending it to me. ( The first one I saw was very technical, and I didn’t even understand everything on it. :) ) Once I get that, I’ll share it with my newsletter prescribers, and probably on here too.
What else?
I hope you check out the new products in the Blooming Wellness Store! I made some coffee mugs, shirts and organic tote bags with my original artwork. The artwork was inspired by my soon-to-be-available book, Yours in Wellness, Krystal Heeling, which is a parody on the wellness industry. It’s a short, fun book that will be available soon. If you want to read it, just follow me on Instagram. I’ll announce it there first, along with a giveaway. Even though the book is meant to be comedic, it will probably piss some people off. That’s okay. Once they get over the anger, we can have a reasonable conversation. ;)
Other topics of interest:
Benzodiazepine Withdrawal: One Doctor’s Horrible Experience
Holistic Psychologist Nicole LePera: A conversation about what it means to be Holistic
Wireless and Cancer Risk: An Interview with Top Researcher, Dr. Fiorella Belpoggi