This month I’m focused on a superpower that has profound effects on our brain and body — one that most people have never heard of, even though it’s been working quietly on their behalf every single moment of their lives. It’s called the vagus nerve. An old but new player in brain-body communication. Think of this nerve as the…

This just happened to me! While talking to a friend on my cellphone, she asked me for some information that sent me looking for my phone! Maybe you've had this happen to you?

Or, you get a quick message and somehow resurface 20+ minutes later, having learned something fascinating about Megan and Harry, or the crazy new gelatin diet. I hear versions of this from clients all the time, usually followed by: “Is something wrong with my brain?” Short answer: no. More accurate answer:…

Last month, we talked about your superpower of awareness. Many of your comments moved me to write more about how we can use that superpower to reduce cognitive impairment.

This month, I want to zero in on the Apolipoprotein E (APOE 4) gene, the reasons to consider…

Do you ever look in the mirror and think, “Who is that person?” More grey hair. Less hair. New lines in places that didn’t used to fold. Or you walk into a room and ask: "Why did I come in here again? Where did I put the… thing?"

Forget IMHO. The new acronym is WDIP—Where Did I Put…

It’s an easy slide from everyday forgetfulness into the number one fear of older adults…

Remember when we used to think our brains stopped growing after age 16? Thankfully, science has shown that our brains keep changing and growing throughout our whole lives! But true brain growth isn’t just about collecting new facts: it’s about focusing on…

As we transition into autumn and winter, shorter daylight hours trigger real biological changes that influence mood, energy, and sleep. This edition focuses on how to support your brain through seasonal shifts — and includes updated Brain-Healthy Thanksgiving strategies to help you…

Last month we explored “Your Seasonal Brain.” This October, as autumn colors signal nature’s final transition, we turn to our own final season — the end of life. How do we prepare for this transition with clarity, dignity, and compassion — especially if…

In Northern California, we are already feeling changes in the air, temperatures cooling, shadows lengthening, fall is on the horizon. This month, we are going to discuss how seasons affect your brain health. We all know to keep seasons in mind for our food choices, but did you know…

What if I were to tell you there is an online program that assesses your brain health risks, provides a personalized plan to keep your brain optimized, and coaching to get you there? Count me in. Today I’m going to talk about achieving better brain health through this unique online platform called…

Testing is an important part of the process to help us untangle the dementia dilemma.

When my brother, sister, and I started to see brain changes in our parents, it took a number or years before they’re condition would be formally tested and diagnosed with dementia. Of course, we knew much earlier that something was wrong but couldn’t make sense of the problems we were seeing and we were unable to…

Dementia is tricky for our bodies and our brains. Like a curve ball, we can’t see it coming. It’s insidious and sneaky. It hides by attacking our brains at a snails pace. It doesn’t go for the jugular. It starts cutting like an evil editor on things you won’t notice. By the time you wonder if something is wrong with your brain, the damage is taking it’s toll. It’s a conundrum because memory impairment robs us of what just happened—our immediate—short-term memory. This is how it tricked scientists for decades leading to the…

Like many, our family has faced the challenge of navigating differences. When our parents developed dementia, it threw us unprepared siblings into a line of fire. We had been avoiding conversations about our dyed-in-the-wool identities for years. Suddenly, it was no longer optional to avoid one another. It has been a steep and windy journey learning how to compromise, communicate, and find our way through the minefields of…

We, humans, evolved in environments where constant scanning for threats and opportunities was essential for survival, wiring us for short bursts of attention. Our brains are especially drawn to novelty since anything new could be a potential danger or reward. At the same time, our working memory is limited — we can only hold a few pieces of information at once, making it hard to…

We used to think that most dementias belonged to a single cause. However, scientists have figured out that dementias have multiple causes. For instance, Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and vascular dementia is a close second. These two forms of dementia are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, they often present together. Which comes first is based on clinical presentation, signs and…

In Chinese Medicine, ‘the heart’ refers to the emotional link between mind and body. It is the sovereign organ that allows harmony. Our world seems far from harmonious, but that doesn’t mean you can’t develop practices to focus and shift yourself into a good emotional state. We call this a RESET. That’s what we need when we are deregulated, stressed, overexcited, agitated, restless, or flat and depressed.

Most people know about liver disease risk but not about the increased risk of cancer with alcohol consumption. For certain cancers, like breast, mouth, and throat cancers, evidence shows that the risk of developing cancer may start to increase around one or fewer drinks per day. For breast cancer specifically, 16.4% of total breast cancer cases are attributable to alcohol consumption.

We began this year by introducing “precision medicine”, a medical model that uses your unique genes, proteins, environment, and lifestyle to tailor medical treatments and interventions. Precision medicine aims to provide the right treatment to the right person at the right time.

It’s officially autumn, and the trees here in our small town in northern California are showing off their beautiful colors.  With Thanksgiving almost upon us, thoughts of gratitude naturally come to mind. For me, I am grateful for another year that I have not developed Alzheimer’s Disease. According to research, pausing for even a moment and reflecting on what you are thankful for helps down-regulate stress neurons from your 'to-do list' to a place of calmness. Consider it a gift to your body and brain.

You may have heard about the recent study that went viral, where a young Harvard medical student consumed 720 eggs in one month and saw a reduction in his cholesterol. This sensationalized news has large numbers of people rushing into grocery stores and divesting in their bitcoin to invest in eggs- haha- fake news! Our small brains think, oh great I can eat as many eggs as I want now (an example of false consensus effect).

I'm writing to you from France, where I attended Medical school in the 1980's. Jim and I have been studying French diligently for the last six months, renewing our love for this beautiful land and culture, not to mention its delicious food.