By Paddy Kamen, Publisher, BetterBrainBetterLife.com
I’m visiting my mom for a few weeks. In the evenings I sometimes look for a film that we both might enjoy. She has dementia so it’s sometimes a challenge to engage both of us. The other night I chose Babies, a documentary film by Thomas Balmès. It is a fascinating look at four babies from diverse locations: Mongolia, Namibia, San Francisco and Tokyo, and covers their development from birth to their first steps.
I was particularly captivated by Ponijao, the baby girl from Namibia who was an absolute delight: perfectly chubby, with a glorious smile. Ponijao spent much of her first year rolling around in the dirt, while her mom sat nearby — on the earth. Ponijao was always picking up sticks and stones from the ground and putting them in her mouth. While I was thinking this might not be a great idea, Ponijao’s mom was incredibly relaxed; nothing seemed to faze her. One shot was really lovely, with Ponijao lolling about in a rivulet of fresh clean water.
I’m visiting my mom for a few weeks. In the evenings I sometimes look for a film that we both might enjoy. She has dementia so it’s sometimes a challenge to engage both of us. The other night I chose Babies, a documentary film by Thomas Balmès. It is a fascinating look at four babies from diverse locations: Mongolia, Namibia, San Francisco and Tokyo, and covers their development from birth to their first steps.
I was particularly captivated by Ponijao, the baby girl from Namibia who was an absolute delight: perfectly chubby, with a glorious smile. Ponijao spent much of her first year rolling around in the dirt, while her mom sat nearby — on the earth. Ponijao was always picking up sticks and stones from the ground and putting them in her mouth. While I was thinking this might not be a great idea, Ponijao’s mom was incredibly relaxed; nothing seemed to faze her. One shot was really lovely, with Ponijao lolling about in a rivulet of fresh clean water.
Speaking of dirt, it turns out that exposure to the bacteria and microorganisms in the earth helps to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. New research from Cambridge University has demonstrated a direct correlation between sanitizedenvironments and increased Alzheimer’s disease.
A news release entitled, Better Hygiene in Wealthy Nations May Increase Alzheimer’s Risk, states: “This latest study adds further weight to the “hygiene hypothesis” in relation to Alzheimer’s: that sanitized environments in developed nations result in far less exposure to a diverse range of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms — which might actually cause the immune system to develop poorly, exposing the brain to the inflammation associated with Alzheimer’s disease….”
I highly recommend Babies. The cinematography from Mongolia and Namibia is gorgeous. I’d also recommend eating more dirt but I don’t have any good recipes for it — yet.
Read more at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-09/uoc-bhi090413.php.
A news release entitled, Better Hygiene in Wealthy Nations May Increase Alzheimer’s Risk, states: “This latest study adds further weight to the “hygiene hypothesis” in relation to Alzheimer’s: that sanitized environments in developed nations result in far less exposure to a diverse range of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms — which might actually cause the immune system to develop poorly, exposing the brain to the inflammation associated with Alzheimer’s disease….”
I highly recommend Babies. The cinematography from Mongolia and Namibia is gorgeous. I’d also recommend eating more dirt but I don’t have any good recipes for it — yet.
Read more at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-09/uoc-bhi090413.php.