Health Care Resources: Providers, Coaches, Books, & Podcasts
YOUR HEALTH CARE TEAM
Our search for better health can lead us in a multitude of directions. It can be confusing to know where to turn. When you start making changes in your diet, lifestyle, exercise, sleep, and adding supplements, how do you know if you are doing the right thing? Sometimes you may feel alone and isolated. You may get feedback from friends who can’t keep up with your dietary changes of being wheat free, now dairy-free, pescatarian or grass-fed only meat. Menu planning can be difficult to maneuver in families and with friends. What to do with this conundrum?
Take some time to imagine what you will need to support your health or the health of a loved one. Begin with SLEDS- Sleep, Learning, Exercise, Diet, Stress, and Socialization. From this list what is bothering you the most? Maybe you’ve noticed some slipping of words or lapses in attention. Maybe you or a friend, have been diagnosed with memory problems. Maybe you need help deciding what diet or what kind of exercise of supplement to take. The good news is that there is so much more we know that can make a difference and improve your brain health. AND even small changes can have a BIG impact.
FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE PRACTITIONERS
I recommend a functional medicine doctor who specializes in cognitive health and preferably one who is Bredesen certified or at least uses principles from his program. To find a doctor with this qualification go to the Institute Functional Medicine site https://www.ifm.org and scroll down to pick a provider.
COACHING
Dr. Lacy is now offering coaching services. For more information see the February BBH newsletter.
APOE 4 + SUPPORT
If you are lucky enough to be 30% of the population with an APOE4+ gene, one of your greatest resources is the APOE4.info. This is an online community of more than 2000 individuals who carry the APOE4 gene. Here you can access personal stories, recent research and scientific discoveries from individuals all who have direct experience with the APOE4 gene. Like most of us, we are trying to figure out our best practices to optimize health. For More: see Resources Dr. Bredesen’s program — best practices.
DIRECT HEALTH CARE RESOURCES: LABS
It is important for you to take responsibility for your health. To that end, many of us citizen scientists are performing N=1 experiments on our individual health and checking biomarkers. You do not need a doctors prescription for these tests, but you may want some help figuring out levels. Acquiring a health coach and or functional medicine practitioner can be very helpful in sorting information out and establishing goals to live into. Here are some labs that do direct consumer laboratory work:
CONVERSATIONS PROJECT
A specialized Advanced Directive for persons with dementia, done prior to cognitive decline to delineate, wishes around dying specifically feeding and fluids.
NEUROFEEDBACK
Think of Neurofeedback as a personal brain training session that challenges the brain to improve its function.
RELATIONSHIPS
The Power of Vulnerability — Brene Brown
Rethinking Infidelity — Esther Perel
BOOKS
Hormone Cure — Sara Gottfried MD
Younger — Sara Gottfried MD
The XX Brain — Lisa Mosconi, Ph.D. Book on why women are more at risk of Alzheimer's
The End of Alzheimer’s — The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline
The Plant Paradox — Steven Gundry, MD
The Brain That Changes Itself — Norman Doidge, MD
The Brain's Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity — Norman Doidge, MD
The Disease Delusion — Dr. Jeffrey S. Bland
Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom — Rick Hanson
PODCASTS/ WEBSITE
peterattia.com - Podcast “The Drive”
Evolving Past Alzheimer's - Podcast
Onbeing - Podcast
FILM
Still Mine is a touching movie based on a true story about a couple challenged by Alzheimer’s Disease.
