Memory Help for a Forgetful Friend
Forgetfulness happens to EVERYONE 💛
A 50-something friend asked me about a product designed to help with memory loss. As a boomer, this is a topic near and dear to my heart.
Memory loss is scary, especially as we age, but it does not need to be. We all suffer it from time to time, but there is good help available and it does NOT mean that dementia is taking hold. Stress is HUGE when it comes to memory loss and that means fear and worry contribute.
Memory Loss vs Forgetfulness
There is a difference. Another dear friend told me the story of her husband. One day at breakfast, he asked where he could find the bathroom. In the house that they built. THAT is memory loss. He was in Vietnam and suffered a TBI which didn’t show up for decades.
Forgetting why you went into the kitchen is forgetfulness and is usually a sign of stress or an overloaded brain.
All forms of Dementia are Relatively New
Dementia was virtually unknown, extremely rare, 70 years ago. There’s something in the air, the food, the water that is causing this! Short of serious brain damage, it IS reversible. And even then, there are many treatments to slow the progression.
My Friend’s Question
Have you ever heard about a product called Neurotonix (the website is now down) or think it looks good?
Both DH and I have had (somewhat worrisome) memory issues lately, and for me, it’s been somewhat notable and recent short term memory issues. Could you take a look at these ingredients and let me know if you think it would be worth trying?
MY RESPONSE
I'm not seeing the overall benefit to this supplement that you can't get other places. Will you have to take this for the rest of your life to ward off memory loss? I took a look at the ingredients in NeuroTonix:
Lactobacillus Paracasei, Lactobacillus Reuteri, B. lactis BL - 04 -- these are historically great probiotics but there’s lots of new info on what's the best probiotic. I prefer MegaSpore, find it here. (10% off retail with my link)
Inulin -- a commonly-used fiber. However, I do not recommend any fiber unless there is a serious health reason and it’s been PROVEN that inulin will help. For more info on fiber, go here to gutsense.org.
Peppermint -- will interfere with homeopathy (my friend uses homeopathy)
Dicalcium Phosphate -- basically calcium. I take a very good quality calcium supplement to help with my thyroid function. IMO, this would not be enough or of good quality. This is a great read on the topic: Vitamin K2 & the Calcium Paradox.
What to do? #1 Lifestyle Tweaks
Tweak at the root by exercising your brain. Supplements help but they won’t heal at the root like these 4 suggestions!
Focus + Engaging Mind Games
Sometimes that’s all it takes. Stress and overload make us forgetful. Slow down. Practice mindfulness games, this one is GREAT. We used the 24 Game in our homeschooling and still keep it around. Puzzles, crossword puzzles, Sudoku… My mother died at 87, sharp as a tack. She did Sudoku every day. In PEN. That’s how sharp she was.
Stress
This is a huge player in brain health and ACUTE (so short term as opposed to chronic which would be long term) memory loss.
The #1 lifestyle change I’ve made that has dramatically affected my stress is The Miracle Morning, read about it here. Hal and I have implemented all the SAVERS and I cannot recommend this practice highly enough. It forces you to slow down.
Exercise
Get the blood flowing. If you think you are going to get old and live a high quality life while losing your physical strength, you are in for a terrible surprise. Start with a 4-minute Tabata. Then build from there. I hate exercise, too, but I love the results.
Get Cold & Breathe
Blame Wim Hof and Hilda, not me. How this works is scientifically dense so I’m not going to add a bunch ‘o copy & paste mumbo jumbo. I know it DOES work because I feel the difference.
How to do this? You can lay down in the snow every day or jump into an icy tub or just end your showers with a cold spray for a few minutes. I do the cold shower, how I do it is at the bottom.
We use Wim Hof’s app for breathing exercises, very good for slowing down. I’ll be honest, I hate slowing down. I got a to-do list a mile long… OK, that is not good, lol. So I make myself slow down and it is life-changing. Just try it.
#2 Supplements
Supplements are helpful and can be very effective short term band-aids. If you want to fix at the root, start with the lifestyle tweaks above. That said, we are boomers and take all the supplements below, too :)
Methylene Blue
We use this MB. Here's how to take Meth Blue: add 5 drops to a short glass of water, add 1 scoop vitamin C powder, wait till water turns clear and shoot. Tastes awful so you can add to orange juice or anything really. We use this Vitamin C powder. LOTS more info in my MB post here.
MCT Oil
We use this one. MCT turns to ketones immediately in your liver and ketones are an excellent fuel for the brain (although not the best, see last suggestion). I squeeze some into my first cup of coffee and blend with my frother. Just a 1/2 tsp to start or you WILL get the runs!! Do that for a week, see how your body responds.
L-Theanine
We use this one and have for years. One tiny scoop in coffee or any liquid or smoothie. I put in my first cup of coffee and blend. Dr. Axe has a good L-Theanine article here.
Sugar to Feed Your Brain
Yeah, before you cancel me ‘cause I spoke positively about sugar, let me offer a little biology. Sugar, like cholesterol, is such an essential nutrient that your body MAKES it if you don’t eat some. Why is it essential? FOR YOUR BRAIN and muscles. You don’t need to eat much (although these days, 50% of my diet is healthy carbs), but you need to eat some.
The problem with not eating sugar and letting your body make it is because the WAY your body makes it is by activating your stress response: body releases cortisol which tells your liver to release glycogen (stored sugar) for your brain and muscles. If you don’t eat sugar, this happens all day everyday. So your body is releasing cortisol — the #1 most catabolic (tearing down) hormone in your body — all day. Not good.
And where does the sugar come from once your liver is depleted? YOUR MUSCLES. Yeah, not good either.
Eat some sugar: either organic white CANE sugar or local honey or FRUIT: an apple a day, right? A pear, some berries, a mango, a glass of organic OJ. Yes to all that. In fact, have a piece of fruit or a little sugar with every meal. Not a lot, but some.
Do not eat fruit alone as a snack — have it with a protein and a fat or you will get the blood sugar kickback. Apple with cheese or mango in cottage cheese are amazing snacks :)
BONUS: since I’ve been doing this, I have zero cravings. Makes sense, right?
A big fat NO to sweeteners (organic stevia is acceptable if you must) and NO to any products that contain processed sweeteners.
I’m not saying it’s ok to eat a Twinkie or have cake or a candy bar or donuts (which are all loaded with anti-nutrients). This is not a free pass to junk.
It IS a free pass to sweeten your coffee with organic white CANE sugar or honey. To have a piece of fruit or applesauce or juice with a meal!
Try it, you won’t die
Let me know how these suggestions sit with you, ok? I need feedback — what works for you, what doesn’t, what else have you tried?
xo Sally
Here’s how We do Cold Showers
1. COMFORTABLE SHOWER
Start with a shower warm to comfortably cool. Gotta be comfortable. Can’t have everyone avoiding showers! If you only like HOT showers, go for it. For the challenge, you want to work your way up to warm, then to comfortably cool.
Bathe as usual. Every once in a while, you might take the heat down a tiny notch. But keep it comfy!
I have found that over time, I PREFER my showers on the cooler side!
2. AT THE END, COOL IT OFF
Once done bathing, take the cold up a notch till it’s cool. You don’t gasp but you wouldn’t choose this temperature. Stay here 15 seconds.
Now take the cool up till the water is UNcomfortably cool. You GASP!
Stay here 15 seconds, then done.
3. PRO-STEP
Just before turning the water off and getting out, turn the hot all the way off for a second or two. This temp is the goal, right? You may scream. I did :)
Hi Sally,
Thanks for this! One more supplement I would add is Pro-Resolving Mediators. We found out about these, for our daughter with intellectual disability and seizures, from a doctor who has done a lot of work with dementia patients. He has seen impressive results with PRMs in that population, and recommended it for us - and we did see some really remarkable improvements in cognition. We had already been using MCT oil, and will continue it, but our doctor's view is that PRMS are in a class by themselves, a level up from MCT.