By Paddy Kamen, publisher BetterBrainBetterLife.com

Is it possible to turn Alzheimer’s around, to have someone walk back from a diagnosis, return to work, recall foreign languages that were lost to them, and re-grow hippocampal volume? The latest research says yes, but is that research sound? This article covers the details of this groundbreaking research, along with criticism of it. 

What constitutes crazy talk with respect to Alzheimer's treatment may be a matter of opinion. Click 'Read More' below to see where the battle lines are being drawn. 

By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com

What a smart brain you have: it is directly connected to your taste buds!

If you’ve ever wondered why you just don’t want those artificial sweeteners in, or on, your food and drinks here’s why:Research from Professor Ivan de Araujo, at Yale University School of Medicine, found that mice don’t want that artificial stuff even when it is actually sweeter than sugar. The reason? Artificial sweeteners cause brain dopamine levels to drop. The brain wants the energy it gets from sugar. de Araugjo is suggesting that perhaps a combination of artificial sweeteners and sugar can reduce the obesity effects of eating sweet stuff while making those products more appealing to the brain. I say, learn to give up the junk food! Or just eat it in small amounts. I eat a wee bit of dark chocolate every day, sweetened with sugar.

Actually, chocolate is not junk food and the brain really likes it! According to a study published in the August 7, 2013 online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, older people who drink two cups of hot chocolate a day keep their thinking skills sharp. It works for me — have you tried it? And what is your experience with artificial sweeteners?

By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com

Telomeres are all over the news these days. Those pesky little caps of DNA on our chromosomes shorten as we age and research shows that some cancers, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, depression, diabetes, obesity and heart disease are all more likely to arise in people with shorter telomeres. So it is fair to say that longer telomeres equal longevity.

By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com

If you think your brain might be shrinking (due to aging, poor memory, or signs of dementia) you’ll want to know about the relationship between homocysteine and B vitamins.

Researchers at the University of Oxford recently published study results that show significantly reduced brain atrophy in pre-dementia patients (those with Mild Cognitive Impairment) as a result of B vitamin supplementation.

By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com

The cost associated with obesity in our world is enormous. Being somewhat zaftig myself, I know.

Recently, two women friends told me that they wear too-tight clothes in order to remind themselves not to eat too much. My way is to wear loose clothing so that I’m comfortable and happy. My weight has been quite stable for several years…well, actually it has declined, very slowly, by about 15 pounds.  Would I like to be slim and willowy? You bet! And if I could wire up my brain for that I would do it in a heartbeat.

By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com

Brain science is becoming deliciously spicy. Turmeric, long cherished as a culinary seasoning in India, Persia, Malaysia and Thailand, has yielded an amazing new compound that helps to protect and regenerate brain cells after the devastating effects of stroke.

The Neurology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, was the scene of this remarkable discovery, and Paul A. Lapchak, Ph.D. was the study’s lead investigator. Lapchak is a brain science researcher with 12 years experience in the field of strokes. Prior to that he worked on Alzheimer and Parkinson’s diseases.

In an interview with Better Brain Better Life, Lapchak revealed: “We knew that curcumin, the chemical component of turmeric, has shown an effect in stroke research. Our concern is that it takes a long time to get into the brain and doesn’t reach its target in high concentrations. Time is of the essence with stroke treatment and we needed to find a way to get the high-dose benefits of curcumin into the brain quickly.”

Read more about this exciting research in my book: Better Brain Better Life: Tips and Tales from the Tantalizing World of Brain Science.

By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com

Wow! As someone who suffers from chronic digestive problems, and who is also very interested in the brain, I’ve just had my socks knocked off by a study reported in JAMA(http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/292/7/852).

I turned to this study as a reference cited in The Ultra Mind Solution, by Dr. Mark Hyman, M.D, a book I picked up while in Vancouver interviewing Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose (see my post ‘Weight Training Improves Cognition’). I was intrigued by Hyman’s citation of the JAMA study and the work of Dr. Mark Pimental (UCLA).

Here’s what I’ve learned so far: harmful bacteria from the large intestine can invade the small intestine and appear to cause (of play a role in the development of) all kinds of surprising problems including mood disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression, in addition to fibromyalgia, and behavioral problems like inappropriate anger and violence, as well as intestinal gas, bloating, diarrhea and constipation.

It turns out that Dr. Mark Pimental has developed a treatment to clean up the small intestine bacterial problem. He uses a non-absorbed antibiotic–Xifaxin. Dr. Hyman also uses the drug with terrific results.

I headed straight for my doctor, book in hand, and requested the drug but unfortunately, it is not available in Canada. I hope to find a way to obtain it. My own private detective work on my body/mind has led me to the conclusion that digestion has an incredible impact on my cognition and I am excited to learn more.