Medical Discoveries
Medical Research has *Proved* the *Garden  Diet* (Eating Fruit, Nuts, Greens, Vegetables) also Daily Exercise can Help the Body to Recover from Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia, Brain Injuries and Strokes.
   The Results of Research have been Published in Medical Journals and on the Internet.

Alzheimer's Website - Brain Health
www.alz.org/we_can_help_brain_health_maintain_your_brain.asp
"What's Good for your Heart, is Good for your Head"
* Brain and Heart Healthy Foods - Fruit, Greens, Vegetables
* Stay Physically Active * Remain Socially Active - Mental Exercise: Card Games, etc.

Recovery Program
1. Change in Diet - Same Change in Diet for Heart Disease Recovery 
    Oil-Free, Vegan Diet - No Animal Products - No Grain Products
    Eat the "Garden of Eden" Foods and Juices: Fruit, Nuts/Nut Milk, Greens, Vegetables         
2. Daily Exercise - Increase Blood Flow - Clean Arteries to Brain

Blockage of Arteries to Brain
http://www.cardiorenewinternational.com/generalinformation.htm

"The Carotid Arteries are the main Arteries in the Neck that supply blood from the Heart to the Brain. Most strokes are caused because buildup in the carotid arteries has become severe. Strokes occur when an artery becomes very narrow and a blood clot forms and blocks the narrowed artery, or when a piece of plaque breaks off the arterial wall and is carried to the Smaller Brain Arteries.

When the Brain is deprived of blood, it is also deprived of oxygen. When the Brain has been without oxygen for long enough, it will die.

Exercising Regularly, even for just a little while, can greatly cut down on the amount of arterial blockage you could eventually suffer. Eating a Diet rich in... Fruits and Vegetables, but Low in Saturated Fats and Oils, can also benefit your Heart (and Brain)."

Timeline - Medical Discoveries

2001 - March 16  "Brain's Recuperative Powers May Be Greater than Previously Thought"
http://nootropics.com/regenerate/index.html
   "Contrary to long-held popular belief, our Brains may not only Produce New Brain Cells or Neurons throughout life, but the Newly Generated Neurons quickly become involved in the Formation of New Memories, a Fact that may have Positive Implications for the Recuperative Powers of our own Brains when Damaged by Stroke or other Disease or Trauma."

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2006 - July 3  "Brain, Heal Thyself"
www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/03/eveningnews/printable1774242.shtml
   The Story is about Terry Wallis, a former auto mechanic, who was in a car accident. He suffered severe brain injuries and was unable to move or speak for 20 Years. Then suddenly, over a 3 day period, he went from saying his first couple of words to Recovery of fluent speech.
   Doctors at Weill Cornell Medical College studied Terry's brain for 18 Months. They documented the Growth of New Fibers - not Brain Cells, but tiny New Pathways that seemed to RESTORE Function: Speech, Personality and even a limited ability to Move. Pictures of his brain show that the Brain is Mending Itself.
  "For now, looking at this one incredible case, Brain Specialists know they're standing at the edge of a New Frontier of Understanding."

2006 - August 31  "Juices May Reduce Alzheimer's Disease Risk"
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/08/060831084402.htm
   A study at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, supported by the National Institute on Aging, and published in The American Journal of Medicine, showed people who drank Fruit and Vegetable Juices more than 3 Times a Week were 76% less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those who drank juices less than once a week.
   Researchers followed nearly 2,000 Japanese-American adults from King County, Washington for 10 Years. The participants were age 65 or older and were free of signs of Alzheimer's or Demenia at the start of the study. Self reported dietary information was obtained from 1,589 of the adults. The average age of this group was 72 years at the start of the study.
   Previous studies show Japanese adults living in Japan have a lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease. But Japanese people living in the U.S. have higher rates of the disease, which suggests that ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS such as DIET and Lifestyle may play an Important Role in the Development of Alzheimer's Disease."

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2007 - April 30  "Reversal of Memory Impairments Associated with Alzheimer's"
http://neurophilosophy.wordpress.com/2007/04/30/reversal-of-memory-impairments-associated-with-alzheimers/
   "Researchers from the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT, with collaborators from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, report that an Enriched Environment (toys, running wheels and various other stimulai...The toys were changed on a daily basis for four weeks) can RESTORE Memory in mice with Alzheimer's-like Neurodegeneration... 
   These findings...suggest that Mental Stimulation could Help REVERSE the Amnesia in Alzheimer's patients in the Advanced Stages of the Disease."

Fun Mental Stimulation / Mental Exercises: 
   Play FAVORITE Card Games, Checkers, Dominos, Scrabble, Chess, etc.
Play Table Tennis (Ping Pong) - Mind / Eye + Hand Coordination

2007 - October-November - "Nexus" Magazine Article
"High-Dose Vitamin B12 in the Treatment of Dementia"
http://www.kahealani.net/nexusmagazine/B12_vs_Alzheimers_Disease.html
   "Most cases of Alzheimer's dementia are actually missed B12 deficiency cases, because of the too-low normal range for B12," wrote John V. Dommisse, MD, in 1991 in Medical Hypotheses.
    Dommisse, who practises medicine in Tucson, Arizona, has confirmed that Alzheimer's disease appears to result from too-low serum vitamin B12, and repletion of the vitamin succeeds despite other risk factors.
    Replenishing B12, according to Dommisse, can reverse 75 per cent of B12 deficiency dementias when discovered early enough."

White/Gray Hair - Vitamin B12 Deficiency www.AgeDefyingBody.com/HairRestored.html      

 
Dr. Herbert Shelton, N.D., Author "Superior Nutrition"

"In Fresh Fruit, Greens, Vegetables and Nuts are ALL of
the Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins and other Substances
the Human Body needs to BRING it to a State of Physical
Perfection and to MAINTAIN it in this State Indefinitely."

Note: Medical Research and Diet Researchers have
*Proved* that Animal Products, Oils and Grain Products
Cause the Body to Get Fat, Sick and Look Old.

"The Vitamin B12 Issue" by Dr. Gina Shaw, D.Sc., M.A., Dip NH, AIYS (Dip.Irid.)
http://www.living-foods.com/articles/b12issue.html
   "People who have a physical problem because they think they are not getting enough vitamin B12, are in fact often not digesting, absorbing or assimilating their foods properly because of the condition of their gastrointestinal tract. (Clogged with Intestinal Food Plaque from Animal Products, Oils and Grain Products. See page *Cause of Aging* www.AgeDefyingBody.com/CauseOfAging.html )
   When their intestines are healed, vitamin B12 can be utilized and produced once again...
Indeed, Dr Vetrano argues that the real problem in so-called B12 deficiency is a failure of digestion and absorption of foods, rather than a deficiency of the vitamin itself. She further argues that vitamin B12 coenzymes are found in nuts and seeds as well as in many common greens, fruits, and  many vegetables. If we ate 100 grams of green beans, beets, carrots, and peas we would have half of our so-called daily minimum requirement of Vitamin B12 coenzymes providing our digestion and absorption are normal.
   From Rodale's "The Complete Book of Vitamins", page 236 we find the following clarification:  
"As you know, the B complex of vitamins is called a 'complex' because, instead of being one vitamin, it has turned out to be a  large number of related vitamins, which appear generally in the same foods."

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2008 - March - Discovery - BRAIN *Regeneration* Schedule (60 Days)
   PBS (Public Broadcasting Stations) began presenting Dr. Daniel Amen, M.D.'s  program and book "Change the Brain, Change Your Life"  www.AmenClinics.com/pbs/ 
   In the PBS program, Dr. Amen said NEW Research in Brain Imagery showed Brain Tissue could be *Regenerated* every 60 Days, an Explanation for Recovery from Brain Injuries and Alzheimer's.

2008 - July 15  "Alzheimer's and Exercise - Partners in Recovery?"
http://ezinearticles.com/?Alzheimers-and-Exercise---Partners-in-Recovery?&id=1868511
  "Alzheimers and Exercise go hand in hand in Slowing, or even REVERSING this dreaded disease.
A recent study gives all of us hope. Patients with early Alzheimer's disease who EXERCISE REGULARLY saw less deterioration in areas of the brain that control memory, according to a study released at the 2008 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease.

Mild Alzheimer's disease patients with higher physical fitness had larger brains compared to mild Alzheimer's patients with lower physical fitness, according to a study published in the July 15, 2008, issue of Neurology, the Medical Journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

For the Alzheimers and Exercise study, 121 people age 60 and older underwent fitness tests using a treadmill as well as brain scans to measure the white matter, gray matter and total volume of their brains. Of the group, 57 were in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease while the rest of the group did not have dementia.

"People with early Alzheimer's disease who were less physically fit had four times more brain shrinkage when compared to normal older adults than those who were more physically fit, suggesting less brain shrinkage related to the Alzheimer's disease process in those with higher fitness levels," said study author Jeffrey M. Burns, MD, of the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City and member of the American Academy of Neurology.

The results of this Alzheimers and Exercise study remained the same regardless of age, gender, and severity of dementia, physical activity and frailty.

"People with early Alzheimer's disease may be able to preserve their brain function...by EXERCISING REGULARLY and potentially reducing the amount of brain volume lost."

2008 - December 24  "Starvation of Brain tied to Alzheimers"
http://news.aol.com/health/article/starvation-of-brain-tied-to-alzheimers/287568
   "Robert Vassar of Northwestern University, the study's lead author, found that when the Brain doesn't get enough of the simple sugar called glucose — as might occur when Cardiovascular (Heart) Disease restricts Blood Flow in Arteries to the Brain — a process is launched that ultimately produces the sticky clumps of protein that appear to be a cause of Alzheimer's.

"This finding is significant because it suggests that Improving Blood Flow to the Brain might be an effective Therapeutic Approach to Prevent or Treat Alzheimer's," Vassar said.

The best ways to improve blood flow to the brain and thereby reduce the chances of getting Alzheimer's is to Reduce Cholesterol Intake, manage high blood pressure and EXERCISE, especially entering mid-life.

""We need to Improve our Cardiovascular (Heart) Health, not eat more sugar," Vassar said. "What is coming out in terms of the epidemiological studies is that EXERCISE during mid-life is one of the best PREVENTION strategies for Alzheimer's disease, so people should Stay Active Physically, and they should Watch their DIETS and Reduce Cholesterol Intake, because cholesterol contributes to atherosclerosis, and that is true for the HEART and the rest of the BODY as well as for the BRAIN."

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2010 - February 02 - "Memory Loss Can Be Reversed" - Benefit of Exercise
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2010/02/02/the-single-most-important-thing-to-preserve-your-brain-function.aspx

Online Article - "Moderate physical activity performed in midlife or later appears to be associated with a reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment -- and a six-month high-intensity aerobic exercise program can improve cognitive function in individuals who already have the condition.

Each year, 10 percent to 15 percent of individuals with mild cognitive impairment will develop dementia, as compared with 1 percent to 2 percent of the general population.

Physical exercise may protect against mild cognitive impairment by means of the production of nerve-protecting compounds, greater blood flow to the brain, improved development and survival of neurons and the decreased risk of heart and blood vessel diseases.

Sources:
Eurekalert January 11, 2010
Archives of Neurology January 2010;67(1):71-9
Archives of Neurology January 2010;67(1):80-6

Impressive Brain Benefits of Exercise

Dr. James Mercola, M.D.:
"In the latest pair of studies to document the positive effects that physical exercise has on brain function, it was found that performing moderate exercise, such as aerobics, yoga and strength training during midlife lead to a 39 percent decreased risk of developing mild cognitive impairment.
 

Moderate exercise late in life was associated with a 32 percent lower risk.

The second study even found that high-intensity aerobic exercise for six months was enough to improve brain function in those already suffering from mild cognitive impairment -- without the extra cost and dangerous side effects that occur when drugs are used instead. The authors stated:

"Six months of a behavioral intervention involving regular intervals of increased heart rate was sufficient to improve cognitive performance for an at-risk group without the cost and adverse effects associated with most pharmaceutical therapies."

These are impressive results, considering that mild cognitive impairment affects about 20 percent of people over 70, according to the American College of Physicians. This condition often causes memory problems and blips in language, reasoning, judgment, and even reading and writing.

Mild cognitive impairment is often described as a transitory phase between normal brain function and more serious problems like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. While 1 percent to 2 percent of people develop dementia, this rate rises to 10-15 percent among those with mild cognitive impairment.

So the more you can do to keep your brain functioning at its peak, and avoid any type of cognitive impairment whatsoever, the better off you will be.

How Does Exercise Protect Your Brain?

Exercise encourages your brain to work at optimum capacity by causing your nerve cells to multiply, strengthening their interconnections and protecting them from damage.

Lab tests on animals have shown that during exercise, their nerve cells release proteins known as neurotrophic factors.

One in particular, called brain-derived neurotrophic factor or BDNF, triggers numerous other chemicals that promote neural health. Further, exercise provides protective effects to your brain through:

• The production of nerve-protecting compounds
• Greater blood flow to your brain
• Improved development and survival of neurons
• Decreased risk of heart and blood vessel diseases

A regular exercise program can also slow the development of Alzheimer's disease by altering the way damaging proteins reside in your brain. In animal studies, significantly fewer damaging plaques and fewer bits of beta-amyloid peptides, associated with Alzheimer's, were found in mice that exercised.

Four Principles of Exercise

Your body is an efficient machine, and if you do the same type of exercise day after day, you’ll become quite good at it. However, when exercise becomes easy to complete, it’s a sign you need to work a little harder and give your body a new challenge.

So when you’re planning your exercise routine, make sure it incorporates the following types of exercise:

 

1. Aerobic: Jogging, using an elliptical machine, and walking fast are all examples of aerobic exercise. As you get your heart pumping, the amount of oxygen in your blood improves, and endorphins, which act as natural painkillers, increase. Meanwhile, aerobic exercise activates your immune system, helps your heart pump blood more efficiently, and increases your stamina over time.
2. Interval (Anaerobic) Training: Research is showing that the BEST way to condition your heart and burn fat is NOT to jog or walk steadily for an hour. Instead, it’s to alternate short bursts of high-intensity exercise with gentle recovery periods. That is one of the primary reasons I am so fond of the exercises my personal trainer has been showing me.
3. This type of exercise, known as interval training or burst type training, can dramatically improve your cardiovascular fitness and fat-burning capabilities.

   Another major benefit of this approach is that it radically decreases the amount of time you spend exercising, while giving you even more benefits. For example, intermittent sprinting produces high levels of chemical compounds called catecholamines, which allow more fat to be burned from under your skin within the exercising muscles. The resulting increase in fat oxidation increases weight loss. So, short bursts of activity done at a very high intensity can help you reach your optimal weight and level of fitness, in a shorter amount of time.

4. Strength Training: Rounding out your exercise program with a 1-set strength training routine will ensure that you're really optimizing the possible health benefits of a regular exercise program.

   You need enough repetitions to exhaust your muscles. The weight should be heavy enough that this can be done in fewer than 12 repetitions, yet light enough to do a minimum of four repetitions. It is also important NOT to exercise the same muscle groups every day. They need at least two days of rest to recover, repair and rebuild.

5. Core Exercises: Your body has 29 core muscles located mostly in your back, abdomen and pelvis. This group of muscles provides the foundation for movement throughout your entire body, and strengthening them can help protect and support your back, make your spine and body less prone to injury and help you gain greater balance and stability.

   Exercise programs like pilates and yoga are great for strengthening your core muscles, as are specific exercises you can learn from a personal trainer.

   You might be aware that I have recently become interested in Ayurvedic medicine, and yoga is an important element of that. In March I visited the Miraval Health Resort in Tucson and had a great introduction to yoga and am now committed to applying that as a regular discipline in my life and will start seeking yoga instruction very soon.

Focusing on your breath and mindfulness along with increasing your flexibility is an important element of total fitness.

Is Staying Motivated an Issue for You?

More than half of U.S. adults don’t get the recommended amount of exercise, and one out of four don’t exercise at all.

The most common reason why people say they don’t exercise?

A lack of time.

Unfortunately, not enough people are willing to arrange their schedules around exercise, and this is due to something much deeper than time management -- it’s due to psychological resistance.

No matter what reason you have for not exercising – feeling it’s too hard, getting bored with your routine, not knowing where to start – you can help yourself get into a more positive frame of mind by giving the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) a try. It can help you remove the negative emotional blocks that are preventing you from successfully implementing your program.

Further, instead of focusing on the negatives, like the work and the time it takes to stay active, focus on how great you’ll feel once exercise becomes a regular part of your life.

In case you weren’t aware, exercise does far more than just assist in weight loss. I’m going to list some of the many, many things exercise can do for your mind and body.

Go ahead and print this list out, send it to your exercise buddy or take it with you to the gym. Then, whenever you’re thinking of quitting, take a look. These benefits are just too good to pass up.

1. Improve your brainpower

2. Lower your blood pressure

3. Fight off a cold

4. Manage arthritis

5. Lower your risk of heart disease

6. Cure insomnia

7. Fight depression

8. Lower your risk of diabetes and reverse pre-diabetes

9. Build strong bones

10. Lose weight

11. Reduce your risk of cancer

12. Boost your IQ and think better

13. Relieve chronic knee pain

14. Increase your energy levels

15. Slow down your aging process

You can also check out our new fitness site, Mercola Peak Fitness, which is a treasure trove of fitness videos and articles by Darin Steen, a world-class athlete, bodybuilder and personal trainer. It’s a wonderful resource to help you become fitness savvy and make exercise a regular part of your life.

Related Links:

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Copyright (c) 2006 - 2010 Age Defying Body.com. All rights reserved.

Kay Star, Family Health Researcher, Writer
Publisher www.AgeDefyingBody.com 

If you want to Use any of this Research on Alzheimer's Prevention and Recovery by a Change in Diet and Daily Exercise, please Refer to this Website and Publisher as the Source of Information. Thank You.

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