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Alex Doman is the Founder of Advanced Brain Technologies and co author, with Don Campbell, of Healing at the Speed of Sound.

Alex Doman gives a very comprehensive and individualized perspective on intentionally taking control of what you hear. Matching sound and music to the states and outcomes you want is practically self evident. Healing at the Speed of Sound is like have a personal trainer for what you hear, and the consequent benefits of better performance and better emotional and physical health. Because of our limited working memory, we cannot focus on all the things we would like to all the time. But, we can take some time out periodically to consider how to optimize the sounds and music in our lives.

Miller’s 1950s research on working memory found that most people can briefly remember 7 numbers, plus or minus 2. Working memory for letters and words is somewhat shorter. Legend has it that AT&T used his research to justify changing phone numbers from the first two letters of a word, plus 5 numbers, for example, Beechwood 45789, to seven numbers. Digit Span is one of eleven subtests on the Weschler (pronounced Wexler) Adult Intelligence Scale or IQ test. The Digit Span is one of its three subtests that comprise the Working Memory Index and is thought to be largely genetic in origin.

That well chosen music or Brain Builder exercises could somewhat enhance performance on Digit Span by helping you become more focused and relaxed makes sense. If it improves cognitive functioning beyond that by improving neural integration and speech perception it is quite a breakthrough. I certainly plan to try it myself.

I chose to interview Alex Doman because of the quality and importance of his book and research. I don’t have any business relationship with him. If you are wondering what his products cost, his website indicates that CDs start at $16 and the Brain Builder program is $200 for up to five users.

His websites are www.HealingAtTheSpeedofSound.com and www.AdvancedBrain.com. Dr. Brickey’s other websites are www.DrBrickey.com and www.Anti-Aging-Speaker.com.

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Dr. Brett Ryan Fink, is an Indianapolis orthopedist who specializes in foot care at the Indiana Orthopedic Center. Dr. Mark Mizel is a retired academician and foot an ankle specialist. They are co-authors of The Whole Foot Book, a book that is a comprehensive guide to foot care and includes both practical and technical information.

I was very impressed with Dr. Fink’s holistic, practical approach to foot care. Some of the key points were:

Dr. Fink’s website is www.WholeFoot.com. The website he mentioned for shoe stretchers is www.heelingtouch.com. Dr. Brickey’s other websites are www.DrBrickey.com and www.Anti-Aging-Speaker.com.

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How do you know when to call 911 vs. when to handle the emergency yourself? Why is it best to use a land line when calling 911? How can you help EMS workers quickly size up the situation and get the most appropriate treatment? These are a few of the questions Rod Brouhard discusses in today’s show and in his book, Life’s Little Emergencies: A Handbook for Independent Seniors and Their Caregivers.

The interview also discusses decision making about heart attacks and strokes. Mr. Brouhard has more than 20 years of experience as a paramedic with ambulance and fire crews. More recently he has been training EMS and paramedics, and administering training programs. His nitty-gritty experience results in very practical advice.

Rod Brouhard’s website is www.RodBrouhard.com. Dr. Brickey’s other websites are www.DrBrickey.com and www.Anti-Aging-Speaker.com.

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I thought there wasn’t much I hadn’t read about the basics of retirement finances but Mark Singer opened my eyes with his 30,000 feet perspectives. I had subscribed to the conventional buy and hold quality stocks philosophy. I didn’t realize that there are blocks of many years in which the market has been flat. We have had 21 years, 17 years, 16 years and our current 11 years and counting.

Mark’s philosophy is that buy and hold works well during a bull market, but gives flat returns in a flat market. He believes a flat market calls for tactical and alternative investments. The challenge is that tactical and alternative investments require more knowledge, closer monitoring, and more risk. Thus, it almost requires a professional investor.

Mark’s advice on checking beneficiaries and being careful with IRA rollovers, especial nonspousal rollovers, can prevent a world of hurt. His rule of thumb for how much to withdrawal from retirement savings is to average not more than 4% a year. With an 8% average return, that gives 4% for income and 4% for inflation.

I also was fascinated by how men and women have different investment psychologies, with men wanting to win the game and take care of their wives, and women wanting family security, taking care of their kids, and making sure they don’t become a “bag lady.”

Mark’s website is www.YourRetirementJourney.com. Dr. Brickey’s other websites are www.DrBrickey.com and www.Anti-Aging-Speaker.com.

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Today’s show is Protecting Your Parents’ Money and Retirement, with Jeff Opdyke. Jeff is a financial columnist for The Wall St. Journal and author of six books including Protecting Parents’ Money: The Essential Guide to Helping Mom and Dad Navigate the Finances of Retirement.

You visit your parents and find a copy of Rolling Stonemagazine. It has their name on the subscription label and you know they don’t know what Rolling Stone is. You realize it is time to see if mom and dad are managing their finances well and to see what their plans are for the future. How to go about it? That’s where Jeff Opdyke comes in.

Our brains are wired to use it or lose it. If we aren’t using math, doing our own taxes, following financial issues, we lose some of our ability to use these skills. In our teens and young adulthood, our brains are wired to be a little pessimistic and distrustful. That can help with survival. As we age, we develop habits of whom to trust and whom not to trust. Our brains gradually change to become more optimistic and trusting. Rapidly changing technology, financial products, and the economy can catch seniors unprepared. Health problems and medications may also dull cognitive skills. Finally, there are very skilled predators preying on seniors. All of these factors make seniors more vulnerable to financial exploitation.

The good news is that Jeff Opdyke shows us how to straightforwardly and honestly help parents, and how to coordinate the help with siblings. He also gives us a plan and resources for getting finances in order and making optimal decisions about insurance, Social Security, and healthcare. The bad news is that it can involve a lot of detective work and a lot of scut work.

One of his most important researched-based recommendations is that most people do better financially by taking starting their Social Security benefits as late as possible and, if needed, using IRA or other retirement accounts until the Social Security income starts. That is contrary to what most people do. One of his favorite sites for resources is the National Council on Aging www.ncoa.org. One of my favorites is www.Medicare.gov.

Dr. Brickey’s other websites are www.DrBrickey.com and www.Anti-Aging-Speaker.com.

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Barry Lycka MD is a practicing cosmetic dermatologist in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. His most recent book is Skin Works. He is the Founder of the Canadian Skin Care Foundation, a nonprofit that provides education on skin cancer, provides donated services to spousal abuse victims, and provides tattoo removal at no cost to gang members and prostitutes. He also is Founder of the Ethical Cosmetic Surgery Association.

As Dr. Lycka said, it is an exciting time to be a cosmetic surgeon. Every year brings innovations that are less invasive, safer, and even a little less expensive. Most of the innovations involve using lasers, heat, and even cold. That’s the good news. The bad news is that most cosmetic procedures only last anywhere from 3-6 months for Botox to a couple of years for most procedures and perhaps seven years for a traditional face lift.

Interestingly, most people seeking cosmetic treatments are pleased with their appearance and merely seek to tweak certain aspects of how they look. Dr. Lycka talked about how today many cosmetic surgeons employ a combination of methods. Thus he advises that when consulting with a cosmetic surgeon start with knowing the results you want and be open to a variety of ways to achieve those results.

Choosing a cosmetic surgeon requires some homework. One of the most important criteria is how often he or she has performed the procedures you are considering.

The recent and upcoming procedures he discussed were: mesotherapy, thermage, tumescent lipsuction, laser lipolysis, ultherapy, ultrashape, and cool sculpting. The websites Dr. Lycka mentioned are: http://www.BarryLyckaMD.com and http://www.ecsaonline.com/

Dr. Brickey’s other websites are www.DrBrickey.com and www.Anti-Aging-Speaker.com.