Five ways to keep Alzheimer's and other dementias away

CNN.com/health

CNN) -- Blanche Danick may be 86 years old, but she's pretty hip. She keeps up with all the latest health news, and a while back, she called her daughter wanting to know whether she should start taking the herb ginkgo biloba. She'd heard it might stave off Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
"I told her not to bother, that it wouldn't make much of a difference," says her daughter, Edythe London, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the University of California, Los Angeles. "On the basis of what I've read, I don't think it staves off dementia."
London's advice makes a lot of sense, according to a study out this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Ginkgo is a top-selling herb and has been hailed by some as a memory-booster, but the new University of Pittsburgh study found it didn't help prevent Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia in more than 3,000 elderly study subjects.
Ginkgo manufacturers say this isn't the first -- or the last -- word on the herb. "There is a significant body of scientific and clinical evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of ginkgo extract for both cognitive function and improved circulation," said Mark Blumenthal, executive director of the American Botanical Council.
London's still skeptical. "But I do tell my mother there are other things she can do," says London, who's studied the brain and aging. "I tell her to go out and do things and see people every day and be active." Studies have shown that physical exercise, the kind that keeps the........read the whole article

Alzheimer's, dementia, and cocoa-why you should be glad

Many elderly especially those with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias love chocolate. There are many simple great treats you can offer a person with Alzheimer's or another dementia that taste good and are good for them.

As reported recently cocoa increases blood fow to the brain which has an impact on brain function...

Read more about that as well as other important news stories here

There is an outstanding cookbook that shares many tasty, healthy recipes called
The Cardiologist's Wife's Chocolate Too! Diet: No Sugar, No Fat & Luscious

See for yourself

Eat these 8 healthful foods and prevent Alzheimers and other dementias

Put these 8 healthful foods on your table

By Dr. Elizabeth Smoots
Herald Columnist

Loads of evidence indicates that eating whole foods can stave off Alzheimers and other illness and slow down aging. The health protection comes from nutrients in food that you absorb such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytoestrogens, fiber, essential fats and protein, and complex carbohydrates.

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