Healthy aging and your brain

Healthy aging and your brain Exercise mind and body for optimal wellness

By Jan Blalock Sudoku. Crossword puzzles. Computer brain activities. Half of Americans believe these games and mental tasks are the best way to keep their brains healthy according to an AARP survey — but there is little evidence that they do. If you really want to retain mental clarity and improve your odds of staving off dementia, get moving! In recent years, scientists have begun to understand the crucial relationship between exercise and brainpower. Just as exercise helps keep muscles strong, blood vessels flexible and stress low, it also enhances mental abilities, stops brain shrinkage and promotes the formation of new neurons. Studies even suggest that people who are physically active “have lower rates of Alzheimer’s and other age-associated neurodegenerative disorders,” says Arthur F. Kramer, senior vice provost for research and graduate education at Northeastern University in Boston and an expert on exercise and the brain.

As we age, the hippocampus — an area of our brains that is key to memory — shrinks, leading to memory problems and possibly dementia. Research by Kramer and others showed that when previously sedentary men and women 50 to 80 years old walked around a track 40 minutes a day three times a week for six months, their hippocampus actually increased in size. A control group that did not walk had smaller hippocampi than when they started.

Another study of nearly 900 men and women with an average age of 71 found that those who had exercised moderately or vigorously over five years — jogging, hiking, swimming, dancing — performed on a par with someone a decade younger on tests of memory and other brain skills. These studies support the prevailing theory that heart health and brain health are linked. Regular exercise helps prevent high blood pressure and stiffening of the arteries, and keeping blood vessels healthy ensures an optimal flow of blood to the brain.

So, what does the doctor order? As the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) says, “Exercise is Medicine!”

• Get 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. This can be at your gym when you are able, via virtual programming, or just stepping out your front door for a brisk walk or run.

• Incorporate strength training two or more times a week.

• Challenge your brain and body by trying something new! Have you tried Zumba? Line dancing? HIIT workouts?

• To stay motivated, consider exercising with other people, whether at the gym, via walks or runs together or virtual live classes!

Jan Blalock is an ACSM health and fitness specialist and Parkpoint Health Club fitness and group exercise director. ■

Rock and a hard place: How to prevent kidney stones

One in 10 people will get this painful malady – but they don’t have to

By Rachel Pinkstaff

If you or someone you know has ever experienced a kidney stone, it’s safe to say you’d be willing to go to great lengths to avoid them if at all possible. While most experience symptoms of a sharp, cramping pain in their side or their back, for many it’s excruciating. Some women describe the pain of passing a kidney stone as “worse than childbirth.” Ouch!

Kidney stones are far from rare. In fact, roughly one in 10 people will get at least one kidney stone at some point in their lives, according to the National Kidney Foundation. Kidney stone problems cause more than half a million emergency room visits per year.

And, if one wasn’t bad enough, 50 percent of people will have a recurrence within 10 years, according to Adam Kaplan, MD, Sonoma Valley Hospital Urologist.

Preventing kidney stones: • 2.5-3 liters of water per day (if you have a heart condition, discuss this with your doctor first) • Add lemon to your diet - 2 fresh lemons squeezed into water each day. The citrate in lemons prevents stone formation • Calcium intake should be between 1,000-1,200 milligrams per day • Low-salt diet • Careful with foods with high oxalate content: nuts, chocolate, dark leafy vegetables, green tea.

Adam G. Kaplan, MD

So, how can we make sure we help prevent our chances of falling into this group? Let’s start by understanding what a kidney stone is. Kidney stones are hard deposits made of minerals and salts that form inside your kidneys. Urine contains various wastes dissolved in it and, when there is too much waste and not enough liquid, crystals can form. These crystals attract other elements and join together to form a solid mass that can continue to grow unless it is passed out of the body through the urine. Most people have enough liquid to wash these stones away, or other chemicals in the urine stop the stone from forming altogether. While some of us think a kidney stone is just bad luck, there actually are some simple measures we can take to prevent them from forming in the first place. See Kaplan on Page 14

Big and Loud

Parkinson’s therapists promote speech and physical therapy

By Rachel Pinkstaff An estimated 930,000 people are living in the United States and Canada with Parkinson’s disease, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. And that number is projected to rise to 1.2 million people by 2030. About 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder each year. Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects predominantly dopamine-producing neurons in the brain. Because dopamine is essential for coordinating movement, these pathways are impaired and can stop working optimally. Symptoms usually begin gradually, often on one side of the body and generally develop slowly over years, and even decades. PD usually starts with tremors, or a slight shaking in one or both hands or the chin. Another early sign is body stiffness that

Tim Goldberg, DPT, COMT and Elise Alexander-Stone, MACCC-SLP

doesn’t go away as you move and would normally “loosen up.” Because feedback pathways are impaired, another common problem is the tendency to write smaller and talk quieter. While symptoms can vary from person-to-person, Parkinson’s sufferers often report depression and memory problems. They may eventually have trouble with common daily activities, like getting dressed, feeling balanced while walking, and communicating. Physical Therapist Tim Goldberg, who has been working in musculoskeletal-based orthopedics for close to 20 years, didn’t focus on Parkinson’s until more recently, when he noticed a lot of patients suffering from it and felt compelled to find a way he could help.

Continued from Page 8

Goldberg found out about an intensive program founded by the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT), called “LSVT LOUD,” a voice treatment therapy that also had a movement therapy component called “LSVT BIG.” Together, BIG and LOUD treatments train people with PD to exaggerate how they talk and move. And, over time, the treatment allows them to recalibrate how they perceive their movements with what others actually see. Goldberg was intrigued and subsequently went through the training to become a LSVT BIG therapy provider. “We focus on large amplitude movements, improved balance, improved confi dence, the ability to initiate movements, and to return to normal daily activities,” describes Goldberg. Speech Therapist Elise Alexander-Stone, of Sonoma Valley Hospital, describes a similar approach in the LSVT LOUD therapy. Goldberg and Alexander-Stone work in tandem to treat their Parkinson’s patients. Both therapies are intensive and consist of in-person visits for an hour a day, four days a week for four weeks, plus home exercises. “I work with my patients to change neuropathways,” says Alexander-Stone. “They’ve lost their feedback loop, so they may think they’re speaking louder than they are. Their ability to self-monitor is diminished.” Goldberg and Alexander-Stone stress the importance of starting therapy early on. And according to an independent study, LSVT patients had a greater reduction of voice handicap compared with standard speech and language therapies. Alexander-Stone has loved seeing the results fi rsthand. What excites her most is that the benefi ts can go beyond speech and movement. “Patients’ facial expressions can become more animated. Sometimes we see improvements in other areas like swallowing issues and cognition. We have seen such a wide range of benefi ts emotionally, socially, and physiologically.” And post-treatment activities can be equally important. Goldberg works with his patients to develop a plan that fi ts into their interests and lifestyle – from bowling to joining a support group. Martial Arts USA in Petaluma offers “Rock Steady Boxing” - a non-contact boxing-based fi tness curriculum for people with Parkinson’s disease. Vintage House in Sonoma hosts regular talks and support group meetings. “For a small town, we have a lot to offer,” says AlexanderStone. “People don’t have to go far to receive great care.” ■

Lasting health comes from treating the cause.

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