Want To Prevent Alzheimer’s?
Pour Yourself a Glass of Wine, Hop on the Treadmill and Read This Book
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I don’t know if I’m going to get Alzheimer’s, but know I don‘t want to. That’s why I just read 100 Simple Things You Can Do To Prevent Alzheimer’s by medical journalist Jean Carper.
Doing simple things is something I’m good at.
And while I’m usually skeptical about advice givers, Carper is reassuringly credentialed. She’s written 23 health-related books and penned USA Weekend‘s “Eat Smart” column for years.
And? She’s got a personal reason to get this one right — the book’s dedication notes that she and two sisters share “a single copy of the ApoE4 susceptibility gene.” (“Know About The ApoE4Gene” is one of the things she recommends we do.)
“100 Simple Things” is a grab bag of advice to follow if you want to stop the big A in its tracks, from the predictable (“Eat Antioxidant-Rich Foods”) to the unexpected (“Consider Medical Marijuana.”) (I’d be glad to! But first they’ve got to legalize it for that particular use here in Pennsylvania.) Each recommendation is presented in a concise chapter which includes the science to back it up.
The book is packed with fascinating (and potentially useful) facts, such as:
How long you are able to balance on one leg is a predictor of how likely you are the develop Alzheimer’s.
Women who drink only wine and no other type of alcoholic beverages are 70 percent less apt to develop dementia.
Some people with Alzheimer’s temporarily become more lucid after taking antibiotics.
I began reading the book on the treadmill, which took care of Items 99 (“Walk. Walk. Walk.” ) and 37 (“Enjoy Exercise”). How difficult could it be to cover all 100?
I decided to try to incorporate as many of Carper’s suggestions into my life as possible.
