Alzheimer’s is one of the most devastating diseases that one can suffer. Not only can it tremendously affect the life of the diagnosed individual, but it can also be a great strain on family members. Because Alzheimer’s can often come on very slowly, it can be hard to detect before any measures can be taken to deal with it, which is why it is so important to develop habits that combat the development of the disease. If you’re concerned about Alzheimer’s or other cognitive diseases, here are a few habits to prevent Alzheimer’s, including lipid infusion therapy.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Although many people tend to view them separately, your mind and your body have a very strong connection. Getting regular exercise not only keeps your body healthy, but it can also strengthen your mind and help to prevent Alzheimer’s. Regular exercise—about three times a week—protects your existing brain cells and promotes the development of entirely new ones. In fact, according to research by the world renowned Mayo Clinic, individuals who make exercise a part of their weekly routine were much more resistant to developing Alzheimer’s, even if they had a family history. If you want to prevent Alzheimer’s, it is important to keep moving.

IV LIPID INFUSIONS

The main cause of Alzheimer’s and other cognitive diseases is the degeneration of brain cells, so slowing down this degeneration and strengthening these cells is one of the best ways to prevent Alzheimer’s. Intravenous lipid infusion therapy has been shown to stave off the deterioration of brain cells, and is a very effective treatment to protect the brain from disease. Employing IV lipid infusions help the brain cell’s membrane to balance its fatty acid content, which is crucial in keeping the cells from atrophying. In addition to Alzheimer’s, IV lipid infusion can also treat dementia, epilepsy and other cognitive disorders.

EXERCISE YOUR BRAIN

In the same way that you get exercise for your body to stave off Alzheimer’s, you can also exercise your brain. Using your brain in a variety of different ways strengthens your neural pathways and makes them much more resistant to developing Alzheimer’s. What’s great about brain exercise is that you can get it from a number of activities. You can read a book to learn something new. If you like puzzles, you can do a crossword every day. Even regularly socializing with friends is great brain exercise. The only important thing is to keep your brain working.

START YOUR HABITS TODAY

Anyone who has any knowledge of cognitive impairments like Alzheimer’s knows how difficult it can be to deal with. Losing brain function can drastically diminish a person’s quality of life as well as prove a major disruption to their friends and family. These issues with cognitive impairments are one of the main reasons it’s important to develop habits that can fight off brain disease before it develops. If you’re interested in developing habits to prevent Alzheimer’s, including IV lipid infusion, then please schedule an appointment with Dr. Carolyn A. Matzinger at Matzinger Institute of Healing today.

Dementia disproportionately affects elderly men and women, however there are a variety of things patients with early signs of the incurable disease can do in order to slow the development of it. Your physician will recommend medications and an exercise regimen, but it is recommended you also alter your diet. Here is a list of the 5 foods you should eat if you want to do your best to slow down dementia.

Leafy Greens

The high levels of folate and B9 in these foods are known to improve cognition and nourish the brain, so try to incorporate kale, spinach, mustard greens, collard greens and other leafy greens into your diet.

Beans & Legumes

These foods are overflowing with folate, iron, magnesium and potassium – all proven to boost the function of neuro transmitters. There are all sorts of beans and legumes you can use to create tasty dinners, including lima beans, kidney beans, lentils and black-eyed peas.

Spices

Some spices, such as cinnamon, sage, turmeric and cumin, are recommended for dementia patients because they contain properties that have the ability to break up plaque in the brain and reduce inflammation.

Berries

Berries, such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cherries, contain a rather high concentration of anthocyanin, a compound that protects the brain from free radicals.

Nuts

Most nut variations are boasting full of omega-3s, omega-6s, vitamin E, folate, magnesium and vitamin B6. They have all been scientifically proven to strengthen neuro transmitters. Some examples of nutritive nuts include almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts and peanuts.

Besides incorporating these 5 dementia-slowing foods into your meals, you should of course also eliminate the consumption of common toxins that could be contributing to the advancement of the disease. Make sure you drink purified water, cut out the caffeine, eliminate sugars and avoid using drugs or drinking alcohol.

Are you the deemed caregiver for someone suffering from dementia and don’t know where to start? Don’t worry. You’ve come to the right place. Dementia caregiving demands lots understanding and flexibility, but there are some things you can do to make your new experience easier and more rewarding. Check out our list of caregiver tips and do what you can to put them to good use!

Make Schedules

The most crucial tip on the list is one that encourages you to make schedules in order to establish a routine and prevent stress. It’s best to make daily schedules, weekly schedules and even monthly schedules so you and the one you are caring for can stay on track when it comes to appointments and other activities.

Practice Patience

The next critical caregiving tip agreed upon by caregivers is that you’re going to have to practice some patience. Daily tasks will likely take much longer than usual to accomplish when you are caring for someone with dementia, so prepare yourself to essentially forget about hurrying along anywhere. Remember to also stay flexible in order to accommodate the ever-changing needs of your patient, parent or spouse.

Eliminate Distractions

Visual and audible distractions can make it hard to communicate with the person you are caring for, so it’s recommended you remove them from the home when necessary. For example, turn the TV, radio or computer off while having important talks, eating meals or hosting company. This will help him or her focus on the conversation taking place.

Hopefully the 3 caregiver tips above will help you smoothly transition into your new role. Caring for someone with dementia can be challenging at times, but there are ways to remain positive and hopeful. We suggest joining a support group, getting involved in local charities, participating in advocacy and keeping up with our blog.

Dementia is a disease that most commonly affects the brains of men and women who are over the age of 65, but it can also affect younger individuals. The disease apparently affects men and women equally, and there is unfortunately no cure for dementia currently available. However, researchers have found that they key to offsetting the symptoms of dementia among men is detection. Here is a look at just 3 of the hidden signs of dementia in men so you can be informed, aware and prepared.

Active Dreaming

Studies have shown that middle-aged men who have a tendency to “act out” their dreams (REM Sleep Behavior Disorder) are more prone to dementia later in life. Some “active dreams” include the motion of driving, unlocking doors and other daily motions that are stored in our brains. It’s important to note that this type of “active dreaming” has not been shown to affect women as much as it does men.

Hallucinations

Study groups have also found that men who have experienced hallucinations are more inclined to be diagnosed with dementia once they get older. Some experts believe that a hallucination is one of the biggest precursors for the development of the brain disease.

Memory Loss

You are probably already aware that Alzheimer’s disease is considered to be the leading cause of dementia. This is why men who frequently lose focus, forget things and misplace items should consider discussing memory loss treatments with their physicians before it gets any worse.

All in all, most of the early signs of dementia are similar among both men and women. The one symptom which seems to occur more often among men is active dreaming. If you are a man who experiences these realistic movements while asleep, you should notify your doctor right away so he or she can determine if you need further testing.

More than half of the adult population in the U.S. have taken supplements to lose weight, maintain health, improve performance in the bedroom, or to get an edge in sports and exercise. They have become extremely popular with new products popping up on the market every day. With so many choices, it’s more important than ever to understand what it is you’re really getting. So, do you know if you are taking the right supplements for you?

Fish Oil or Snake Oil?

In such a popular and lucrative market, there are literally thousands of products touting a myriad of health benefits. Unfortunately, the supplement marketplace is not as safe as it should be. Many supplement manufacturers are less concerned with your health than their own bottom line and they frequently take advantage of a regulatory system that allows them to legally sell their products without requiring them to demonstrate the effectiveness or the safety of their supplements. Inadequate quality control and inspection sometimes leads to supplements contaminated with pesticides, heavy metals, and other impurities. China, a major supplier of raw supplement ingredients, has no FDA oversight and has been caught repeatedly exporting contaminated products.

Random Choices, Random Results

If, while shopping at random, you are lucky enough to choose a safely manufactured supplement, there is still a very strong likelihood that your body will only receive a fraction of its purported benefits. Most broad-range oral supplements on the market are not properly absorbed by our bodies, and often the lion’s share of the dosage is expelled from the body as waste. Additionally, supplements taken at random in self-prescribed groupings may cancel out each other’s benefits, leading to limited results and wasted money.

While Google and the Internet give us more research capabilities than ever before in history, we all know how hard it is to trust the results we find. We can ask a healthcare professional, but the sad reality is that most doctors are focused on fixing symptoms instead of the root causes. And, finding doctors who have invested much time in studying the effectiveness and benefits of supplements, let alone which ones are actually worth taking, is extremely challenging.

Who Can I Trust?

At this point, you’re probably thinking, “How can I know whether what I see is right for me?”

Ideally, we’d all have a friend or trusted advisor who had spent a lifetime studying and researching healing and supplements, who could help navigate the supplemental maze and guide us to make the right choices for our health. Someone like Dr. Carolyn Matzinger of the Matzinger Institute of Healing.

In addition to studying conventional medical approaches to health, Dr. Matzinger has invested years studying supplements and other healing methods designed to improve health and well-being, and reduce the need for conventional medical solutions. She and her team have helped thousands of people heal their bodies and minds with their Customized Diet and Supplemental Plans. Each of these unique plans are personally tailored to the specific needs of each individual and utilize Dr. Matzinger’s lifetime of research to implement only the most effective and proven supplements on the market.

Are you taking the right supplements for you? Let Dr. Matzinger and her team at Matzinger Institute of Healing put their knowledge to work for you and be your trusted advisors. Call MIH today at (702) 778-6100 for a free consultation and find out how a Customized Diet and Supplemental Plan can help you.

If you think your gut might be making you sick, you’re not alone. More than 100 million Americans have some form of digestive problems. Issues like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), heartburn, reflux, diarrhea, gas, bloating, and constipation are just some of the wide variety of common ailments that can be traced to poor gut health.

What Is A Gut?

When we say “gut” what we are really referring to is your digestive system, including the stomach, intestines, esophagus and also the diverse collection of tiny microbes that live therein. You might think that all microbes are bad, but only a few cause disease. The majority of microbes have a positive effect on our health, peacefully coexisting with us and benefiting us in many ways.

You Are What You Eat

There is some truth to the saying “you are what you eat.” This is particularly true for your gut, which processes everything you consume. A healthy diet positively affects your gut microbiome and helps everything work better, while some foods can negatively affect it.

Prebiotic foods are foods that feed the friendly microbes existing in your gut. Some examples of prebiotic foods are onions, leeks, garlic and asparagus. Other foods, like yogurt and kefir, contain actual microbes which can replenish the gut. Known as probiotics, these foods are especially important when rebuilding your gut flora after it has been depleted by low-fiber diets high in sugar and processed foods.

Environment, Medications, Toxins and Your Gut

Beyond just eating, there are many other factors which can affect our gut health.

Many of today’s medications prescribed to heal us can damage our digestive function. Antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications (like ibuprofen), acid blockers (like Nexium and Prilosec), steroids, and more are all detrimental to the balance of microbes in your gut. Environmental toxins (like mold, pesticides, and heavy metals) and other chemicals can harm your gut as well. Even stress can cause negative changes in the normal microbial balance of your digestive system.

More Than Just Digestive Issues

So, now you know an unhealthy gut causes a myriad of digestive issues. But, because almost everything is controlled or affected by your gut, there are many other conditions that can be traced to poor gut health.

Most people might be surprised that depression is one of these gut-related conditions. Brain function is directly affected by the gut microbiome and studies have shown those with a healthy and diverse diet that promotes a healthy gut tend to have less depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment. Another condition that has been linked to gut health is multiple sclerosis, also known as MS, a neurological condition affecting nearly 1 million people in the United States. Movement, balance, vision, and more are affected by MS and research has shown that the immune function of people with MS appears to be linked to microbiome health.

Imbalances in the gut microbiome often lead to damage to “leaky gut,” or a weakness of the gut lining that can allow toxins and “bad” bacteria to leak into the bloodstream. Leaky gut can cause inflammation throughout the body and has been shown to contribute to heart disease, Alzheimer’s Syndrome, Parkinson’s Disease, Diabetes, and a host of autoimmune diseases.

Take Control of Your Gut

So, if your gut IS making you sick, what can be done? Luckily, there are many actions you can take to improve your gut health and get yourself back on track.

One of the best ways to take control of your health is to improve your diet. Customized Diet and Supplement Plans, like those from the Matzinger Institute of Healing, can be specifically tailored to your unique situation for maximum benefit. Another great tool is something called a Hydro Colon Cleanse with Lipids, which effectively removes toxic products, abnormal mucus and bacteria from the bowel ensuring improved absorption of vital nutrients and strengthening the immune system. MIH also offers Ondamed Treatments, which can improve stress and improve digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome through biofeedback therapy. If you are interested in supplements selected by Dr. Matzinger specifically for healing the gut, check out MIHsupplements.com.

If you think your gut might be making you sick, let Dr. Matzinger and her team at Matzinger Institute of Healing put their knowledge to work for you and be your trusted advisors. Call Dr. Matzinger and her team at MIH today for a free consultation and find out more about how we can help you take control of your gut health.