The Aging Process - Not only it can be stopped, it can be REVERSED. - Health

THE BRAIN-
Mental fitness declines with old age -dementia,
memory loss and inability to concentrate are some of the results.
The brain is the only part of the body that does not regenerate new cells when old ones die. So to keep your brain young and your mental function fit, it's impor- tant to take care of what brain cells you do have, says Gero Vita in a pamphlet called Is Your Memory Not as Good as It Used To Be?
Dementia is not only the loss of memory. It also di- minishes cognitive function and creates an inability to understand words and recognize or identify objects. And it affects motor function, making it difficult to walk or use your hands. About 25 percent of people aged 85 and over suffer from dementia. Approximately one third of all people age 60 and over have memory problems that can be measured and that they notice themselves. Says Dr. Mark Williams, M.D., author of The American Geriatrics Society's Complete Guide to Aging and Health, "The fear of dementia is stronger than the fear of death itself."
But the brain doesn't have to degenerate. "Its design features are such that it should continue to function for a lifetime," says Zaven Khachaturian, Ph.D., director of the Alzheimer's Association's Ronald and Nancy Rea-
~-gan Research Institute. "There's no reason to expect it to deteriorate with age, even though many of us are living longer lives."
According to Stanford University neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky, Ph.D., "Thirty-five years ago we thought Alzheimer's disease was a dramatic version of normal aging. Now we realize it's a disease with a distinct pathol- ogy. In fact, some people simply don't experience any mental decline, so we've begun to study them."
Findings are leading to more research into prevent- ing the affects of aging on the brain and doctors are be- coming more hopeful. Dr. Antonio Damasio, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Department of Neurology at the University of Iowa said in an interview in Psychology Today: "Older people can continue to have extremely rich and healthy mental lives."
How can we keep our brains healthy? An important study conducted by several top medical schools and hos- pitals (Harvard Medical School, Yale University, Duke University, Brandeis University and the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine) identified physical activity and education among the key factors for maintaining men- tal fitness.
Keeping Your Brain Healthy

Your brain needs oxygen to be healthy. Regular exer- cise brings more oxygen to the brain, and even moder- ate aerobic exercise, such as long brisk walks and fre- quently climbing stairs, will accomplish this.
Psychiatrist James Gordon, M.D., a professor at the Georgetown' University School of Medicine, thinks peo- ple are too concerned about memory and cognition and ignore the importance of activity on brain function.
"I wish people would be more concerned with wisdom 2g
and less concerned about cognition," he says. "Why not spend some time meditating, dancing or performing Tai Chi every day? These activities will work on your brain chemistry, too."
Dr. Gordon recalls having dinner with a 71-year-old painter in 1992. "Allover his studio there were huge can- vasses. Mter we finished eating, the painter said it was time for him to get back to work. A friend asked him if he ever took any time off. 'Honey,' he said, '1 don't want more time off. I want more time on.' "
Physical fitness is strongly linked to cerebral fitness. This finding is one result of a decade of research spon- sored by the MacArthur Foundation Network on Suc- cessful Aging. Fifteen scientists across the nation have been studying the various contributors to mental fitness.
In one study, 1,192 healthy, mentally fit individuals between the ages of 70 and 80 were examined and test- ed, first in 1988 and again in 1991. Physical activity was found to be one of the factors related to their men- tal fitness. Animal studies also confirm that both men- tal and physical activity boost brain fitness, according to the article in Psychology Today.
What is mental exercise? Quite simply, it's anything that challenges your brain, anything that makes you think. Slouching on the sofa watching TV is not men- tal exercise. But watching and playing along with TV quiz shows such as Jeopardy is good mental exercise.

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The common sense notion of "use it or lose it" defi- nitely applies to the brain. While many people think the answer to brain longevity will eventually come in the form of a pill, those who study such drugs strongly sup- port mental exercise.
Neuroscientist Dr. James L. McGaugh, Ph.D., has been researching memory-enhancing drugs for over 40 years, yet he believes that maintaining high brain function will not come in pill form. "The brain may be- more like a muscle than we ever thought."
If you do think of your brain as a muscle, it follows that to stay fit, it needs exercise. Studies show that mental acuity will stay high if you keep challenging your brain as you age. Not only is this something that's easy to do, but it can be a lot of fun as well.
Mental exercise can be as simple as doing a-daily crossword puzzle. One 80-year-old woman, Judy, starts her day with two crossword puzzles in the newspaper. She's done this for years. Even at her advanced age, she's able to work both puzzles correctly in ink.
She's also an avid viewer of TV quiz shows such as Jeop- ardy. She actively participants in the game and, more often than not, she comes up with the correct answers. While others her age tend to be less alert and suffer from memory loss, Judy has these problems to a far less- er degree.
Here are some other easy mental exercises that are fun, too:
...Cryptograms -Found in most daily newspapers, the object is to break the code to decipher a message.
Word scrambles -Also found in most newspapers, these puzzles consist of words whose letters have been IJlixed around.

...Hidden words -These puzzles are a block of ap- parently random letters. But on close inspection, you can find hidden words. Sometimes the words run on the di- agonal, or even backwards.
(... Word games, such as Scrabble -Thinking of words and planning strategy are great brain exercises. 30
Jigsaw puzzles -Start with simple ones, then as you become better at piecing them together, go for larg- er and more complex puzzles. Trying to find how the pieces fit together is great mental stimulation.
Never Stop Learning
In the previously noted study, continuing education was also found to enhance brain function. Challenging your brain with education may actually stimulate the neurons.
"If you have a lot of neurons and keep them busy, you may be able to tolerate more damage to your brain before it shows," says Dr. Peter Davies, M.D., of the Al- bert Einstein College ofMedicine in the Bronx, New York. This may provide an explanation for why Alzheimer's disease seems to progress more slowly in people who, literally, have big heads. Those with craniums measur- ing more than 24 inches in diameter may have more brain tissue and more neurons.
Now is the time to take a class you've always want- ed to, but never found the time. Or go to public lectures on subjects that interest you. Take a home-study course, or look into education in cyberspace -many top universities and colleges offer study programs over the Internet, bringing the classroom right into your home.
Interestingly, language ability was found to have a pos sible effect on brain longevity.Bible effect on brain longevity. In a study recently pub- lished in the New England Journal of Medicine, 93 el- derly nuns were tested. Autobiographies they had writ- ten 60 years earlier, at the time they first joined a convent, were studied.
The nuns whose minds were sharp in their 80s and 90s were the ones whose autobiographies were complex and rich with ideas. This suggests that taking writing classes or writing stories and poetry for fun can have a positive effect on your brain function as you age. It may also be helpful to study a foreign language. Not only can it be useful, but it can also be great fun, particu- larly if you travel.
Reading books that challenge you is also good mental exercise. While you may enjoy a good romance novel, a good mystery story may be better for your brain if you try to figure out "who-dun-it." You can combine reading with another good mental exercise -teaching yourself a new skill.
Perhaps you'd like to learn more about the stock mar- ket and work your own investments ::- finding a good book that explains how the market works would chal- lenge your mind and move you forward to your goal. You don't have to replace all of your entertainment reading with challenging reading, but it would be a good idea to add some challenging reading to your list.
Subscribing to weekly news magazines can educate you while keeping you aware of current events. This can stimulate your brain and help you stay oriented to time, date and place. Many times, older people who are losing cognitive brain function can't tell you what year it is, or even who the president is. Staying in constant touch with current events can help prevent this loss of brain function

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SMART DRUGS AND SUPPLEMENTS
A lot of current research focuses on "smart drugs" - medications that treat brain aging. We may eventually have a slew of drugs for preserving brain function. In addition to new chemical compounds, scientists are finding that commonly used drugs and substances such as nicotine, prednisone, ibuprofen and estrogen may positively affect our brains as we age. But researchers advise that we're far from accurately and safely enhancing our brainpower with chemicals. While the first wave of memory-improving drugs show much promise, their ef- fect may be considered modest, say Greider and Neimark.
Here are some of the more promising drugs being studied for brain longevity:
.1...Estrogen. This hormone shows good results in in- creasing short-term memory and enhancing the ability to learn new tasks. In a study of over 1,000 women aged 70 and up at Columbia University's School of Pub- lic Health, participants who had taken estrogen for a year were much less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than women who had never taken the hormone. It is estimated that women who take estrogen for at least 10 years may reduce the risk of the disease by up to 40 percent. A new study of 8,000 healthy women aged 65 and older who are taking estrogen is currently underway by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
.2..Anti-inflammatories. These drugs, such as pred- nisone, aspirin and ibuprofen, may also show promise for prevention of Alzheimer's disease. The connection was first made when it was noted that arthritis suffer- ers, who generally take large amounts of anti-inflam- matory drugs, have lower overall rates of Alzheimer's disease than people who don't take the drugs. The resuIts of an important Canadian study seem to agree- 3...Nicotine. This drug has been shown to enhance brain
function. It appears to act in the same manner as the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is very important for memory and cognition. According to Duke Universi- ty Medical Center researchers, nicotine has improved brain function in Alzheimer patients and has also been effective in treating adult attention deficit disorder. Stud- ies have also shown that smokers have lower rates of Alzheimer's disease, but scientists are quick to note that smoking's dangers are far greater than nicotine's benefits. Other safer methods of delivering nicotine are being studied.
4...Ampakines. This new class of drugs may have an immediate effect on our ability to learn or create new memories. In a small pilot study on humans, the drugs showed no side effects. But more testing needs to be done before the drugs could receive approval.
Currently, some drugs shown to enhance brain func- tion are readily available in Europe and widely prescribed by doctors there. But few have made their way to ap- proval in the U.S. Some treatments, however, are be- coming available because they're classified as supple- ments rather than prescription drugs.
One such drug from Europe is vinpocetine. It was first used 22 years ago in Hungary as a treatment for senility and cerebrovascular disorders. The drug, an extract of the periwinkle plant, became so popular as a "smart drug" that some Americans imported it for pri- vate use. Now the FDA has approved vinpocetine as a low-cost dietary supplement in 5-milligram tablets, ac- cording to William Faloon in "Staying Mentally Sharp: European Smart Drug Now a Dietary Supplement," Life Extension, December 1998. Vinpocetine has been shown to enhance circulation in the brain and improve oxygen utilization. New studies show it provides direct protection against neurological damage caused by aging. Interestingly, vinpocetine and the wildly popular drug Viagra both work by increasing blood flow, although vinpocetine's action is specific to the brain. A suggested dosage is two 5-milligram tablets three times a day for the first 30 days, then one 5-mil- ligram tablet three times a day thereafter, says Faloon.
Other Supplements :
Two widely-available herbal supplements have shown anti-aging effects on the brain. Both are well-tested and safe if used properly.
Ginkgo biloba shows great effectiveness. Chinese med- ical practitioners have used extracts from the tree's leaves for thousands of years, and in Europe, ginkgo biloba is a commonly prescribed treatment to improve mental awareness and overall brain function.
Compounds called flavonoids -potent antioxidants - make ginkgo biloba the herb of choice for brain func- tion. It helps improve circulation and oxygen delivery to the brain and combat age-related memory loss, slow thinking, dizziness, ringing in the ears and even de- pression. Significant improvement of similar symptoms related to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease was seen in studies of patients who took ginkgo biloba ex- tract for one year.
The recommended daily dose of ginkgo biloba to im- prove brain function is 120-160 mg. Generally, you need to take it for at least six months before seeing re- suIts, says Dr. Whitaker.
Another effective herb for brain function is the Chi- nese medicine ginseng. Its active ingredients are glyco- sides, plant chemicals that work on a wide range of body functions, but particularly work to improve the immune system and increase physical and mental energy.
The recommended dose of ginseng is 500 to 600 mg of liquid extract, or 1 to 2 grams of dried root per day. It's recommended that you take ginseng daily for two or three weeks, then take a break for two weeks before starting again. People with extremely high blood pressure are advised not to take ginseng, says Dr. Whitaker.
Mind Power Will Keep You Young
You can use your mind power to help keep the rest of your body young and fit. It all boils down to attitude. The saying "You're as young as you feel" tells only half the tale. True, if you're physically fit and healthy, you can feel young. But your mental attitude is the other part of the equation. If you think young and maintain a positive, youthful attitude, you can be young!
More and more older people are developing this atti- tude. You see it in the numbers of active senior citi- zens. From exercise classes to jogging trails, you'll find active seniors everywhere, taking on the challenges and enjoying life long into their later years.
And many keep working, too. Retiring from jobs doesn't mean retiring from the varieties of life -many
.seniors continue to work after "official" retirement, even if it's unpaid volunteer work, because they've learned
,r that acting and thinking young can actually keep you young.
You can keep your mind young by using positive imaging. Picture yourself young, vital and healthy. Know that you don't have to slow down. As long as you can see yourself staying active and young, you can make it happen through your attitude.

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