Memory Health Made Easy

Humans are built to be resistant to negativity.

That's our brain's coping mechanism. It's psychology. It's science.

Whatever you're feeling right now can directly affect your overall health and wellbeing.

Sometimes, the situation that we find ourselves in can be difficult to accept.

Other times, we just let these negative thoughts and emotions take over our lives.

It's just a matter of how we deal with these thoughts and how we surrender to them.

If you find yourself fighting against negative thoughts, trying to bust yourself out of your negative situation, resisting change, and resisting fate, then this podcast is just perfect for you as it will help you embrace, accept, and play around with your situation to better your emotional wellbeing.

In today's episode on Emotional Wellbeing, we talk about:

• Listen To Your Heart To Find Your Purpose
• Acceptance Can Help You Learn and Grow
• Resistance is Hardwired Into Our Heart And Brain
• Internal Awareness Paves The Way To Acceptance
• Heart Rate Variability Helps Improve Emotional Wellbeing
• Having A Sense Of Commitment Practices Mindfulness
• Finding The Harmony Within You Makes You Live In The Flow
• Don't Expect Instant Gratification
• Focus and Inner Awareness Helps Shift Pain and Anxiety Leading To A Better Emotional Wellbeing
• Playfulness Gives You The Freedom To Let Go Of Negativity
• Collaborative Meditation Enhances The Experience

Have you ever felt like you are in some kind of emotional turmoil and just can't seem to get out of your negative situation?

Feeling those negative emotions is normal.

Being frustrated, angry, or agitated is normal.

You can dwell on those emotions and beat yourself up everyday.

Or, you can just leave those emotions behind and start accepting your situation, focusing on the positive, and accepting that growth takes time.

For you to move on, the first step is always acceptance.

Acceptance is a key factor in improving your emotional wellbeing.

Resistance is natural. It's your brain's coping mechanism.

Once it starts thinking that you are going deeper and deeper into a situation that can bring harm to you, it automatically switches on the alarm bell, telling you to turn back and run away.

But running away can only cause your negative emotions to grow bigger and bigger.

What once was a grain of sand or a raisin snowballed and ultimately turned into an avalanche.

However, by working your way around resistance, you'll know that accepting and playing around it can help you cope better with it.

Minimal stresses and activities can get you back on track and improve awareness.

You might think practicing mindfulness and awareness takes a lot of effort.

However, anything that is done repetitively and consistently can have great effects on yourself.

Simple exercises such as walking a flight of stairs while counting the steps…

Or closing your eyes and focusing on one thing that's around you can already help you practice mindfulness and awareness.

Then, you can start looking inside you, meditate, and start listening to your heart, picking up your problems one by one, and solving them.

Mindfulness and collaborative meditation enhance the experience and overall effect.

There is something in social connections that urges you to do things.

You can meditate on your own.

But once you start doing it with other people, the experience gets amplified and the learning process is quicker.

Science indicates that meditation can improve your quality of life.

Imagine if you do it with more people.

Sometimes, you just have to realize that there are things that you can and cannot control.

And it is up to you how you want to handle it.

Stop acting against those negative emotions and start looking inside you.

Meditate and pay attention to what your heart is telling you.

Only then can you move on and start living a better life.

About Our Guest

Guy Lawrence is a wellness coach and a fitness trainer. He hosts his own podcast "The Guy Lawrence Podcast," and founded the "Let It In" program, a program that gives people insight on what they can do to achieve awareness, and lean into this life with purpose and vision.

You can connect with Guy on his website.

Emotional Wellbeing

Listen To Your Heart To Find Your Purpose

• Growing up, Guy had a rebellious side to him and played rugby. But he felt this nagging pull for something more.
• That nagging feeling inside of you gives you a clue about what and where you want to be.
• Guy spent years travelling, jumping from job to job, relationship to relationship.
• He realised later on that he was running on a lot of unconscious behaviours and patterns he assumed to be true about him.
• Guy started looking at himself more internally and stepped into a world where he felt he had more meaning, more purpose, and more context.
• Listening to your heart and understanding what it is telling you can lead you to parts of you that need help and healing.
• He became a fitness trainer and started his own natural protein supplement company, 180 Nutrition, which became successful.
• Later on, he sold out of his company and started a new project.

Acceptance Can Help You Learn and Grow

• The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a disruption in the lives of others that led them to question their preconceived notions.
• Acceptance is key. Sometimes you just have to walk away.
• Stop looking for external factors that are affecting your life and start looking internally
• Stop trying to dwell in your negative emotions and start realizing that you have full control over how you react to negative situations
• Guy started embodying the person he wanted to become. He started looking at his situation from a different set of eyes.
• He looked at his life experiences and saw the wisdom and lessons he learned and not the stories and things he was attached to.
• Look deep within yourself, find what really wants to come through, then act upon it, nurture it instead of trying to suppress it.

Resistance Is Hardwired Into Our Heart And Brain

• We are hardwired to stay safe so our bodies can maintain the balance.
• Our brain has a defense mechanism wherein once we encounter uncomfortable or painful situations, it automatically hits the brakes and stops you from trying to accept the situation.
• Resistance is natural, especially when you step out of your comfort zone.
• But there is an awareness, a curiosity that something is not quite right underneath.
• In your heart you may know the answer, but you refuse to listen to the message.
• When you don't address your problems from the moment it appears, it only gets bigger and bigger until it becomes too much to handle.
• Guy had the opportunity to learn not to shy away from what he was dealing with and accepted the resistance. From then, everything started to flow again.

Internal Awareness Paves The Way To Acceptance

• Focusing internally helps you realize that there are negative emotions inside of you that you have been all too familiar with and have been unconsciously disrupting your inner peace
• Awareness helps you remove resistance and put you back to the path of acceptance.

Heart Rate Variability Helps Improve Emotional Wellbeing

• The heart directly affects the brain which then, signals resistance.
• The heart rate variability assists us in improving our emotional wellbeing.
• Stop and find the present moment. Bring awareness to who you are at this moment to reconnect with yourself.

Having A Sense Of Commitment Practices Mindfulness

• Simple thought practices can help cut disruptions and bring you back to the moment.
• It's similar to going to the gym. The repetitions of the work you put in bring the rewards later.
• Bringing mindfulness and establishing consistency of habit allow you to reconnect with yourself

Finding The Harmony Within You Makes You Live In The Flow

• Everything around us has its own rhythm and harmony. All we need to do is to listen to our heart to find ours.
• Once we find our harmony, we are able to live in flow, bringing mindfulness and acceptance into our lives.
• Everything is connected, but for most of us, we've lost that synchronicity.

Don't Expect Instant Gratification

• Finding harmony and acceptance is not instantaneous. It's a practice that builds up slowly but surely and not something that happens overnight.
• Anything that's worth doing and having in life is done with love and labor.

Dealing With Pain

• People with pain and anxiety feel the weight of the world. It gets heavier and heavier, and we feed into that.
• Find a way to break the pattern of anxiety and suffering by practicing mindfulness and meditation. Give your brain something else to focus on.
• The practice of proprioception or awareness of the body or brain helps you bypass pain and anxiety.
• By doing that for a couple of weeks, the pain management and anxiety levels will shift considerably.

Playfulness Gives You The Freedom To Let Go Of Negativity

• Playing with your positive emotions and positive thoughts gives you a sense of openness.
• When you play, you give yourself this freedom and a suppression of the filter of your disbelief.
• Look for the joy around you and nurture the positivity in your heart.

Collaborative Meditation Enhances The Experience

• Guy ran a free mini live retreat online in April. Meditating with more people helps you gain experience, allowing you to learn quicker, even through virtual meditation.
• Social connections help you commit to meditation.
• Simple meditative exercises help improve your quality of life.

Previously Recommended Resources:

Articles

• Cheng et al, (2019) Psychobiotics in mental health, neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1021949819300158

• Prof T. G. Dinan & Prof. J. F. Cryan : Melancholic microbes: a link between gut microbiota and depression? https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nmo.12198

• Dr. James Doty: The Alphabet of the Heart https://jamesrdotymd.com/alphabet

Books

• Psychobiotics Revolution by Scott C Anderson: http://psychobiotic-revolution.com.

• Memory Wise - Dr. Anne Unkenstein plus blurb

The Biggest Takeaway about Emotional Wellbeing

How you respond to situations plays a big role in how your life can go and how it can improve your emotional wellbeing. You can dwell in the pain and anxiety, or you can accept the emotional baggage and play around it.

Quotable "And moments of disruption like right now can be a significant lens, a trapdoor moment which drops us into the unexpected and how we respond and how we feel, whether that be pain, overwhelm, anxiety...but on the other side, awareness, growth, acceptance, and letting go." - David Norris

What was your BIGGEST takeaway from this episode?

All the best

David

P.S. Did you get the free guide? If not, here's the link

Disclaimer: Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Finding out your genes increase your risk for a disease can be quite scary.

It almost sounds like your fate, your health is dictated by your genetic makeup.

But your genes don't have to be a life sentence.

You don't have to accept that fate...well, not yet.

What if I told you that you can still change the course of your health?

That you can fight against and lower your risk for...

Neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia.

Or that a gene could be the reason you're finding it hard to lose weight.

Are your genes truly your destiny?

Well, I believe that you can still rewrite your 'health' destiny and weave something more beautiful.

Something that doesn't restrict or limit the quality of your life.

Something that lets you scream out at the top of your lungs...

Yes, I can fight this! My genes are not in control, I am!

Because that is what we all need to become.

We all have to become empowered health warriors.

Armed with the knowledge about our risk factors and motivated to make the necessary changes.

Lifestyle changes are powerful because our health isn't completely based on our genes.

A personalised lifestyle plan and genes both affect your lifespan.

A proper diet and nutrition.

Exercise, movement, and physical activity.

Getting enough sleep.

All of these including a whole host of other factors have an impact.

Genes are still important.

They play an important role in our lives, but we don't understand them fully.

Despite what we already know, there are still common misconceptions about genes.

For those of you who have done genetic testing, what were your results like?

Does seeing those red, green, and yellow results give you a better understanding?

Or maybe, it only increased your frustration and confusion.

It might be that you became more anxious about your health.

Far from being the empowered individual, you end up being more stressed.

Stressed about what your future would be.

Some people are even more susceptible to getting more stressed than they already are.

Oh, what to do now?

Build the right team that supports and guides you.

Look for a functional medicine practitioner.

Or someone that has training and knowledge in this space.

There have been more and more practitioners like myself who've been interested and working towards improving their knowledge.

So they can help people like you.

Now's not the time to take a backseat.

We're talking about your health here.

And you are the driver.

Not your genes, but YOU.

So strap on your seatbelt and shift the gears.

Don't worry though because I'm here to guide you.

Check out this new episode as we go over:

• The common misunderstandings surrounding genes and epigenetics
• How nutrition and environment have an impact on your genes
• Dr. Denise' own risk and the applications for people in a similar situation
• What to be mindful of when getting a genetic test
• The common gene variations associated with neurodegenerative conditions

Episode Highlights

• Finding The Genes Affecting Health
• Common Misconceptions On Genetics And Your Health
• How Genetic Variations Impact Your Health
• Understanding Your Genetic Risk Factors
• Genes Impact On Stress Levels
• Genes Role With Weight Gain
• Other Factors To Consider About Your Genes
• The Biggest Takeaway About How Genes Affect Your Health

About Our Guest

Dr. Denise Furness is a molecular geneticist and nutritionist. She spent 20 years studying the relationship between our genes and our environment, and has focused on nutrient genomics or the relationship between what we eat and how to fix our genes.

You can connect with Dr. Denise through her website, Your Genes and Nutrition or reach out to her on her Facebook.

Genes, Lifestyle Choices, And Your Health Finding The Genes Affecting Health

• The difference between a clinical geneticist and a molecular geneticist is that a clinical geneticist works in diagnosing rare genetic disorders linked with disease.
• Dr. Denise is an academic and scientist which involves having an understanding of viruses.
• Her work eventually led into animal work, but she shifted to nutrigenomics and got her PhD and postdoctoral fellowship on that.
• She worked on research for almost 10 years before moving into private practice.
• She now works in helping children with autism, people with chronic fatigue, and those facing cognitive decline by identifying the underlying issues affecting their health.

Common Misconceptions On Genetics And Your Health

• Your genetic makeup plays a large role in your predisposition to health and disease.
• Our genes are the instructions to make the proteins, but they need to be turned on.
• Nutrients and amino acids are needed to be able to make proteins.
• Exposures to chemicals and toxins also heavily influenced gene expression.
• You need to be in balance by having a better relationship with your genetic makeup and making sure it's nourished with the right amount of food, activity, and sleep.

How Genetic Variations Impact Your Health

• MTHFR is not a diagnosis for any disease.
• Genetic variations could have a small or large impact on how well a gene functions.
• In the case of MTHFR, it makes an enzyme that functions a little slower.
• By adding a bit more folate and B2, you won't have a huge demand on methylation.
• The slight variations can be modified through diet and lifestyle. This is where personalisation comes in.
• What you need to look at is the relationship between something in your body at a cellular level and how it plays out when you don't get the right nutrients.
• There is an association of different factors that increases your risk to experience a disease.
• Being able to manage the stressors in your life becomes important to managing those factors.
• It's about looking at a number of genes in the pathway and the nutrients that affect that pathway.

Understanding Your Genetic Risk Factors

• Professor Rodrigo Quinn believes that we need to close the gap between understanding our relationship with our body and mind, the dynamic connectome.
• While many practitioners don't recommend genetic testing, it will actually be helpful.
• As long as you can feel empowered by getting this information, then get tested.
• Dr. Denise's mother passed away from Dementia. She herself has APOE 34. APOE is implicated in the risk for cognitive decline, Alzheimer's Disease, and Dementia.
• There are no medications to compensate, but evidence shows lifestyle intervention can improve quality of life.
• APOE is a lipid or fat transporter.
• Most or about 60% of the population (Europeans and Caucasians) are APOE 33. This means they have an average risk for Alzheimer's Disease or about 5%.
• Those with APOE 34 have up to a 20% risk. For those with APOE 44, their risk jumps up to 70%.
• Knowing your risk factors means you can start to do things earlier.
• APOE 44 is strongly associated with Alzheimer's Disease, but it is not a cause. Nigerians have the highest frequencies for APOE 44, but they have the lowest onset for Alzheimer's Disease.
• The main difference between Nigerians and other African populations with high incidences of Alzheimer's Disease is lifestyle.
• Nigerians have low cholesterol, are active, and eat a high fiber diet.
• With lifestyle changes, even if you are APOE 44, you can bring your risk down to normal.
• By stacking things in our favor, through movement, diet, proper sleep, we can reduce our risk of expression.
• Dementia is not an older person's disease. It starts as early as our 30s and 40s.
• APOE is linked to inflammation too.
• A lot of genetic variations are sorted as either good or bad. But these genetic variations may also have benefits. For example, those with slower MTHFR have less DNA damage and can reduce the risk of cancer linked with DNA damage.
• With the amount of research being done, we should watch this space as we learn more.
• In the meantime, genetic testing is worth looking at.
• Some things to consider including eating a high fiber, low glycemic diet, eating healthy fats, and checking whether you have a disrupted circadian rhythm.
• Your circadian rhythm is responsible for turning on and off genes at certain times.
• Those with APOE gene are shown to be better responders to exercise.
• Another gene to look at when it comes to cognitive decline is brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
• BDNF is the gene important for regenerating neurons that we lose over our lifetime.
• Exercise has been shown to light up the brain and increase BDNF.
• You should also monitor your stress levels because BDNF suppresses the expression of BDNF.

Genes Impact On Stress Levels

• Some of us would have a more stressful response to difficult situations because of the way we're wired.
• People with genetic variations in Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT) and have a slow COMT will be lacking in magnesium and B vitamins.
• COMT is responsible for breaking down dopamine, adrenaline, and noradrenaline.
• People with a slow COMT experience a heightened stress response.
• The positive side is that someone with COMT has a really good capacity for executive function and thinking.
• By understanding your genetic predispositions, you can be a bit more logical and do little things that can help you like taking magnesium.
• Coming up with the ingredients and the tools in your personal toolbox can help you navigate the changes in your life.

Genes Role With Weight Gain

• Some people have a genetic predisposition towards weight gain.
• The FTO gene is one of the strongest predictors of weight.
• FTO is responsible for your ability to utilise fat as energy.
• There's no easy answer to being able to lose weight, but that shouldn't mean that you give up.
• There is no one diet for everyone. Maybe you're more sensitive to sugar or you're more sensitive to fat. The diet that would work for you would depend on some things.
• Don't get stuck on numbers and how many kilos you've lost. Look at body composition and health.

Other Factors To Consider About Your Genes

• Past traumas such as being bullied or exposure to toxins could also be factors affecting your health.
• Dr. Denise has a functional medicine approach where she looks at a whole host of things including sleep, and gut microbiome.
• When it comes to genetic testing, it's best to work with a practitioner who has done some training, look for a functional medicine doctor, or find someone who specialises in nutrigenomics or genetics.
• Be cautious about things like Ancestry and 23andMe.They have a wealth of data, but not the ones you want.
• Understanding your genetic makeup and what that means is very complex.
• Having somebody work with you through that is better than doing the guesswork yourself.
• More and more practitioners are becoming interested in the integrative medicine space or functional medicine space.

Previously Recommended Resources Articles

• A favorable lifestyle was associated with a lower dementia risk even among participants with a high genetic risk. So despite the "gun" being loaded so to speak with lifestyle modifications you can reduce your personal risk. Association of Lifestyle and Genetic Risk With Incidence of Dementia: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2738355#joi190074r34

Books

• Psychobiotics Revolution by Scott C Anderson: http://psychobiotic-revolution.com.
• Memory Wise - Dr Anne Unkenstein plus blurb

3 Related Episodes You Might Like To Listen To

• Podcast Ep 015: How To Deal With Life Crisis and Change: Powerful Lessons and Tips with Prof. George Jelinek
• Podcast Ep 011: Your Body's Wear and Tear and Memory Loss: The Biggest Things We Get Wrong with Prof. Zoltan Sarnyai
• Podcast Ep 009: How Stress Damages Your Memory Health And What To Do About It with Thomas G. Guilliams Ph.D

The Biggest Takeaway About How Genes Affect Your Health

Understanding your genetic makeup and what it means is a complex pitch. There are many different dance partners around a gene that are going to enable expression of that in many different ways.

Quotable "We can start to stack things in our favor and reduce our risk of expression by starting to make simple lifestyle choices." - David Norris

What was your BIGGEST takeaway from this episode?

All the best

David

P.S. Did you get the free guide? If not, here's the link.

Disclaimer: Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Get Clear On Brain Fog Signs, Symptoms, Causes, Test and Treatments and be sure to grab the Free Transcript

What have I got to do to beat this brain fog?

Whether you...

Experience low mental energy?

Feel like your living behind glass?

That lack of clarity.

The difficulty in focusing.

Everyone's experience is different.

So, if you're wondering how to bust out of this brain funk-feeling in your head, or you want to help someone who is suffering from these symptoms, then today's podcast is just for you.

In today's Brain Fog: Symptoms to Treatment episode I address:

• What Does Brain Fog Feel Like
• What Are 5 Brain Fog Symptoms
• 12 Causes of Brain Fog
• Lack of Sleep Makes A Fuzzy Mind
• Chronic #Stress And A Tired Brain
• Hormone Changes Lead To Bad Memory
• Depression And Brain Fog
• Food and Nutrition Affects Brain Health
• Medication Can Make You Fuzzy
• Neurological Conditions Impact Clarity
• Poor Gut Health Means Poor Mental Clarity
• Fatigue Makes You Too Tired To Focus
• Toxins Are Toxic To Your Brain
• Alcohol Flooding Your Brain?
• Genetics May Up Your Brain Fog Risks
• Brain Fog Testing: What Do You Need To Do?
• Get Some Brain Clarity with #Treatments
• Recovery Is Possible
• The Biggest Takeaway About Brain Fog And Stress

How's your concentration?

Pfft! Out the door and into the….uh. What was I thinking again?

Maybe you find yourself getting lost in a conversation and not in a good way.

You have to read things over and over.

How do you turn up in your life and for your family when everything feels like you're living behind a pane of glass?

Simple everyday words seem like a struggle.

You might be experiencing the cognitive changes people often refer to as "Brain Fog"

Brain fog isn't a medical condition.

But it is an experience lived by people. And it impacts their quality of life.

There are symptoms, a cluster of symptoms that indicate whether what you're going through could be brain fog- but that's not really the area to focus on- more so- what can you do about it.

The experience though varies from person to person.

One person's experience of brain fog could be very different from another.

It could be very light and minor.

Or it could be so severe and significant that it's already an impairment to your life.

How you are dealing with memory problems, poor concentration, and lack of mental clarity....

When it comes to your ability to do things such as drive a car, manage your finances, pursue your hobbies.

Have fun interactions and make conversations.

Know this one important thing.

Brain fog doesn't have to be a permanent fixture in your life.

There are tests that you can do.

There are treatments available.

You don't have to live the rest of your life behind that glass pane.

Life can become clear again!

So make your move.

If you know the cluster of symptoms associated with brain fog then you'll know whether or not you're experiencing it.

The next step is to understand what could be causing your brain fog.

Because when you know what's causing it then you know what to do next.

It is often that the causes determine the action.

Address the things causing your mental fogginess.

Take charge of your brain health and get clear.

When your mental focus is taking a dive, that's the signal for you to dive in as well.

Take things into your hands.

Attack the causes associated with it.

Because that's what you have to be. You have to stay vigilant and safeguard your cognitive fitness for as long as possible.

So that you can get control and live your life on your terms.

About Our Host

David Norris is an occupational therapist who has been in this practice for 20 years.

He has dealt with a lot of clients who seek help with their memory loss problems. David began asking himself about how these people can get ahead of these problems. It is then that he started teaching his clients how to improve their brain health to prevent memory loss.

David Norris is also the director and founder of Occupational Therapy Brisbane.

Brain Fog And Stress What Does Brain Fog Feel Like

• Philosopher Gilbert Ryle's "Concept of Mind" is an argument against principles that the mind and body are separate.
• Brain fog is a cluster of different symptoms and experiences.
• It is a silent phenomenon. To others, the people who have it look normal.
• For those living with it, it is a pervasive experience. They have less energy, retreat more, and are a bit depressed.
• Some people feel hungover, some can't think clearly, and others find simple words become such tongue twisters.
• One person's experience of brain fog is entirely different from another's.

What Are 5 Brain Fog Symptoms

• Memory problems.
• Lack of mental clarity or difficulty of putting things together.
• Poor concentration and attention.
• Inability to focus.
• Mental fatigue or an impairment to do things that matter.

12 Causes Of Brain Fog

Lack of Sleep Makes A Fuzzy Mind

• A lot of people aren't sleeping properly. Broken, interrupted sleep means you don't get the brain flushing benefits.
• When you get a deep nourishing sleep, your brain undergoes a wash and rinse cycle associated with mental health.

Chronic Stress And A Tired Brain

• Stress plays a role in impacting your immune system.
• It triggers a whole host of changes that ultimately lead to mental fatigue.
• Stress makes it harder for you to think and rationalise things.

Hormone Changes Lead To Bad Memory

• Thyroid dysfunction can manifest as brain fog.
• It can impact your sense of arousal, memory, and mood.
• Memory loss and hormonal changes are both associated with menopause.
• Hypothyroidism or not having enough hormones can lead to difficulty with concentration and also affects verbal memory.

Depression And Brain Fog

• People with depression experience a cognitive dysfunction.
• Reaction times are slower. The ability to solve complex problems and have a sense of clarity are affected.
• Comparing 2005 with 2015, there's been an 18% increase in people living with depression.
• Older people ages 65 and up are living with the profound impacts of depression.

Food and Nutrition Affects Brain Health

• Brain fog can be a symptom of the lack of a nutrient rich and diverse diet.
• A healthy thriving brain needs vitamin Bs such as vitamin B12.
• Allergies and your consumption of food with preservatives or additives have been documented to be associated with brain fog.
• A MTHFR genetic mutation leads to low folate levels in the body and impacts methylation, which is responsible for allowing people to operate at high levels.
• Lifestyle factors set you up to experience brain fog.

Medication Can Make You Fuzzy

• I put together some time ago a 'Fuzzy 17' list of medications associated with brain fog.
• Blood pressure lowering drugs have gained notoriety for that.
• Too little, too much, or too much of a multitude of different vitamins can be a factor for you to experience brain fog.
• People who undergo cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation report having a foggy brain.

Neurological Conditions Impact Clarity

• Having anxiety impacts cognitive dysfunction.
• Neurological disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis and Dementia, autoimmune diseases like arthritis and lupus, dehydration, and conditions such as Meniere's, all contribute to poor cognitive fitness.

Poor Gut Health Means Poor Mental Clarity

• We've already looked at the relationship between the gut-brain access.
• Sensitivities in the gut and the immune system response affects your cognitive well-being.
• Gut health is an important variable contributing to your brain fog.

Fatigue Makes You Too Tired To Focus

• Fatigue can be due to too much physical exertion or a lack of incidental movement
• Obesity and grief are both associated with fatigue.

Toxins Are Toxic To Your Brain

• Toxins are in our environment. Some mimic the functions of hormones. Some block and mimic the activities associated with sugar regulation.

Alcohol Flooding Your Brain?

• Alcohol has after effects and your liver has to deal with it.
• Sustained alcohol consumption and abuse will impair your cognitive performance.

Genetics May Up Your Brain Fog Risks

• The MTHFR snip or single nucleotide polymorphism is a genetic variable associated with cognitive dysfunction.

Brain Fog Testing: What Do You Need To Do?

• How is your mental health?
• What is your diet like?
• Are you getting enough physical activity? Or is it too much?
• Are you taking any medications or supplements? Are they doing the job they need to do?
• Check for symptoms such as hair loss, changes in skin moisture, weight gain, or changes in your nail conditions.
• Get some blood work done. Check your fasting glucose levels, any underlying infections, or nutritional deficiencies.
• Test your kidney, liver, and thyroid function.
• It might be worthwhile to get an MRI or CT Scan.
• Investigate your allergies or consider getting a sleep study.
• It might be worthwhile to get an MRI or CT-scan.
• Start a diary of your symptoms, the things happening in your life, your stress, your mood can help you keep a track record that could be the start of a relevant conversation later with your GP.

Get Some Brain Clarity with Treatments

• The causes determine the actions needed to be taken.
• For example, if low iron levels are causing your poor cognitive function then add iron supplements or change your diet.
• For medication problems, work with your GP to determine what's best for you.
• Get some good quality sunlight exposure.
• Connect with others and find joy and pleasure in the activities you do in your life.

Recovery Is Possible

• Brain fog does not need to be an ongoing life condition.
• You can do something about it.
• Pay attention to the signs and be vigilant about safeguarding your cognitive fitness.
• You can tackle this, cut your risks down, and gain control.
• Put together the right team to develop a personalised action plan relevant to your particular situation.
• Get right to it now and cut down your experiences of memory health loss and brain fog.

Previously Recommended Resources

• https://alzres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13195-018-0449-9
• https://www.cdc.gov/aging/data/subjective-cognitive-decline-brief.html
• https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Health-Conditions/Subjective-Cognitive-Impairment-SCI.aspx
• Cognitive impairment in depression: recent advances and novel treatments: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6520478/
• Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/media/statistics
• The role of cognitive dysfunction in the symptoms and remission from depression
• https://annals-general-psychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12991-015-0068-9
• Ghost In The Machine "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_machine"
• Charlie Brown " Wah Wa" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxC_AjFxS68

3 Related Episodes You Might Like To Listen To

• Podcast Ep 011: Your Body's Wear and Tear and Memory Loss: The Biggest Things We Get Wrong with Prof. Zoltan Sarnyai

• Podcast Ep 008: How Your Gut Health Affects Your Brain and Memory Health with Scott C Anderson

• Podcast Ep. 001: How To Prevent Memory Loss

The Biggest Takeaway about Brain Fog and Stress

Let's cut up our "wah, wah" feeling and start to get more clarity in your life.

Quotable "Rather than feeling like a passenger to the symptoms, experiences, we can start to do something about it." - David Norris

What was your BIGGEST takeaway from this episode?

All the best

David

P.S. Did you get the free guide? If not, here's the link.

Disclaimer: Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Follow the rockstar life and stay sharp for life

No one would expect that living like a rockstar can help your memory health.

Yet we've seen that in a musical rock legend.

That's right. It's the Rolling Stones' lead singer himself, Mick Jagger.

An enigma of health and vitality, Mick is reaching his eight decade of life.

It hasn't stopped him from giving life everything he's got.

He's still rocking it out on the stage.

He's still kickboxing, cycling, and running many miles around.

He's still putting his focus and intensity and working hard to get what he wants.

He's shown this when just a couple of weeks after heart surgery, he goes back to practice for his rescheduled tour.

That's Mick Jagger for you.

But what can we learn from his lifestyle choices?

You see, there's a lot of tips we can pick up after analysing the things he does.

I'm not saying that you have to live exactly the way he does. Well, that'll be quite a feat!

But making small changes in your life will have a huge impact.

Simple things do add up over time.

I've already talked about how simple, daily actions can compound and lead to powerful changes in your health.

Mick is a living, breathing example of that.

It's about consistency and commitment.

Plus, the willingness to do the hard work.

You don't have to completely overhaul your entire life.

As we've also learned, habits take time to stick.

What I ask is an openness to learn and to change.

Change always starts there.

And what better way to start your path to improved memory health than following a legendary example.

You can still get yourself back, get your health back.

All it takes is to make the move now.

So get ready to start livin' the healthy rockstar life.

In today's show, you will learn the 11 tips to stay sharp for life that we can learn from Mick Jagger.

Episode Highlights

• Living A High Intensity Rockstar Life
• 11 Tips For Staying Sharp For Life
• Tip # 1: Stay Sharp By Starting Early
• Tip # 2: Consistency Is Key To Keeping Your Memory Sharp
• Tip # 3: Focus On Your Goals, Stay Healthy
• Tip # 4: Check If Your Memory Is Still Sharp
• Tip # 5: Staying Sharp Means Putting In The Work
• Tip # 6: A Good Diet Equals Sharp Memory
• Tip # 7: Add Supplements For A Strong Mind
• Tip # 8: Increase Your Heart Rate
• Tip # 9: Lay Out A Rich Movement Buffet
• Tip # 10: Don't Forget To Relax
• Tip # 11: Limit Alcohol For A Mentally Sharp Mind
• The Biggest Takeaway about Rockstar Tips for a Rockstar Life

DOWNLOAD THE PDF TRANSCRIPTION

About Our Host

David Norris is an occupational therapist who has been in this practice for 20 years.

He has dealt with a lot of clients who seek help with their memory loss problems. David began asking himself about how these people can get ahead of these problems. It is then that he started teaching his clients how to improve their brain health to prevent memory loss.

David Norris is also the director and founder of Occupational Therapy Brisbane.

Rockstar Health Tips Living A High Intensity Rockstar Life

• Mick Jagger has been living as a rockstar for six decades..
• His health and vitality has been the subject of articles and investigations.
• He had to get heart surgery for a leaky heart valve in 2019, recovered in 6 weeks, and was practicing for his rescheduled tour.
• He has been known for his high intensity when it comes to workouts and performances.
• He made the choice to do the hard work to get the results he wanted.
• His father coached him from an early age on the fundamentals of achieving and sustaining physical strength and endurance.

11 Tips For Staying Sharp For Life

• What can we learn from Mick Jagger about how you can keep your memory sharp as we age?
• It's not about smashing your guitar or flying off the stage.
• You can get satisfaction that you are doing things to stay sharp because you can.

Tip # 1: Stay Sharp By Starting Early

• Mick was influenced by his dad from an early age about the importance of maintaining your physical health.
• If you didn't start early, you can kick it into gear throughout your midlife years.
• Physical exercise has associated benefits with preventing cognitive decline.
• A study found that men in their 40s who are unable to complete 10 pushups have a higher risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event.

Tip # 2: Consistency Is Key To Keeping Your Memory Sharp

• Mick Jagger has shown that he's committed to turning up to his events and doing the hard work around food, movement, balance, meditation, etc. Now, that's being consistent.
• His daily actions support his ability to always get up on the stage and consistently perform.

Tip # 3: Focus On Your Goals, Stay Healthy

• Be laser focused on your goals. Do you know why you are doing what you're doing? Mick always did the things that are purposeful to him.
• Mick does this because he wants to keep doing the activities that really matter to him and are purposeful to him.
• He has a goal and to reach that he has to keep doing the lifestyle strategies that allows him to live the life he wants.

Tip # 4: Check If Your Memory Is Still Sharp

• Get routine medical checkups to be proactive in identifying any health issues and get early intervention.
• What would have happened had Mick not done the routine check up and missed treating his leaky heart valve?
• Talk to your doctor to know where you stand and take action.
• Think about getting a memory health checkup. (link to previous episode)

Tip # 5: Staying Sharp Means Putting In The Work

• Just like Mick, invest time and energy to improve your cardiovascular capacity.
• Know your goals then put in the hard work to reach them.
• Build a team around you to advise you on good exercise strategies.

Tip # 6: A Good Diet Equals Sharp Memory

• Eat whole foods. They're right next to the natural source. Remember the benefits of eating whole foods.
• Mick chose to eat organic because it was found that organophosphates are present in our food supply. High or low exposure to it has an impact on our health and can lead to cardiovascular disease, cancer, or impaired brain performance.
• A study found that plants that have been attacked by pests had an increase in phytochemicals. Phytochemicals make the plant colorful and packed with nutrients associated with better cognitive fitness.
• Mick eats primarily fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains. This is similar to the mediterranean diet.

Tip # 7: Add Supplements For A Strong Mind

• Take vitamins when there's a gap in your diet. Mick takes supplements that assist with endurance and cognitive functions.
• Everyone needs to be eating a beautiful, rich, nutrient dense diet.
• What are your macronutrient needs (protein, fats, carbohydrates) and make sure you are getting enough to meet those.

Tip # 8: Increase Your Heart Rate

• Raise your heart rate and get into a better effort.

Tip # 9: Lay Out A Rich Movement Buffet

• Incorporate movement diversity so that you challenge not just your heart but also other areas of your body.
• Mick did many things including kickboxing, cycling, and running.
• Consider taking up dancing to reduce your risk for cognitive decline.
• Develop a motor plan to execute and get feedback. Your brain will get rich and diverse information about balance and how you're coordinating your body.
• A robust brain is one that is consistently challenged. Think of it as making regular deposits to your bank account, in this case, your brain account.

Tip # 10: Don't Forget To Relax

• Follow a regime to de-stress, and practice gratitude and positive emotions.
• Make time for yourself, and practice meditation or yoga.
• Look into doing a mindfulness-based exercise or do a one-on-one with a psychologist skilled in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

Tip # 11: Limit Alcohol For A Mentally Sharp Mind

• Cut back on alcohol consumption. You don't have to completely stop drinking alcohol, but it's better to consume it as a treat rather than drinking alcohol regularly.

Previously Recommended Resources

Podcast Episodes

• Podcast Ep 017: How To Make Lifestyle Habit Changes Easier So You Can Help Prevent Memory Loss Later with David Norris
• Podcast Ep 005: Food, Mood, Microbiome and Your Memory with Dr Amy Loughman
• Podcast Ep 010: Functional Movement for A Brain Fit Lifestyle with Matt Rutley

The Biggest Takeaway about Rockstar Tips for a Rockstar Life

You don't have to have rockstar resources or be a rockstar yourself. Start with one of the tips in mind rather than trying to do all 11 tips.

Quotable "It starts with a commitment. A commitment to making things better, putting a little bit of effort against one of these things." - David Norris

What was your BIGGEST takeaway from this episode?

All the best

David

P.S. Did you get the free guide? If not, here's the link.

Disclaimer: Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

A personalised memory loss test should be done every year.

The sooner you test your risk factors for memory loss, the sooner you can respond.

When drastic changes are already happening, it becomes harder to correct.

Do you know someone who's had a sudden change, almost as if they flipped over..

You can be caught off guard and surprised.

Wondering what caused all of this to happen and why did it happen.

You can pull out all of your hair trying to get to the bottom of it.

Go to so many doctors. Do so many tests, bloodwork, scans, the works.

But it's all just a way to eliminate what it isn't.

Even with all the research and evidence we have, the picture we have is still incomplete.

Yet, it doesn't mean we should wait and let things get worse.

Appreciate the complexity of the mechanism of memory loss then ACT

Prevention is still best.

If you've listened to my other episodes, you know I've talked about how lifestyle choices play a role.

How you live your life, when it comes to exercising, sleeping, and eating can either harm or help your memory health later.

You can choose to make positive changes or continue down the path of memory decline.

Part of proactively choosing health includes identifying your risks.

If there is a framework that lets you check the areas associated with memory loss as you get older.

Then you can keep tabs on your memory health.

You can compare whether there are changes that would later lead to dementia.

A memory loss test should be done every year.

Think of it as part of your annual physical. I know, I know.

But shouldn't it be?

You're probably already used to doing the tests regularly required at work. Why shouldn't you also include checking your memory health?

Memory loss is one of the reasons affecting older people's ability to live a happy life.

If that's a future you want to avoid, then a test must be done.

Be active and take charge of your memory health.

Avoiding memory loss is a possibility. All it takes is for you to choose.

In today's show, you will find out the risks for memory loss and get a personalised view on where you stand through a memory health checkup.

Episode Highlights

• The Approach For Testing Memory Health
• Benefits Of Getting A Personalised Memory Loss Test
• Test To Prevent Memory Loss
• Test To Identify Your Personal Memory Loss Risks

DOWNLOAD THE PDF TRANSCRIPTION

About Our Host

David Norris is an occupational therapist who has been in this practice for 20 years.

He has dealt with a lot of clients who seek help with their memory loss problems. David began asking himself about how these people can get ahead of these problems. It is then that he started teaching his clients how to improve their brain health to prevent memory loss.

David Norris is also the director and founder of Occupational Therapy Brisbane.

Personalised Memory Loss Health Test The Approach For Testing Memory Health

• Different lenses and different frames of reference are used when diagnosing the cause of an illness or disorder.
• Tests and doctor consultations are done to rule out what an illness isn't.
• Your body influences the performance of your brain.
• There are so many things happening that it can be difficult to pinpoint which influences one over the other.
• It is your basic nature to group things or cluster things together.
• Context, environment, and other variables drive how we look at things. It is the fault of thinking things in boxes.
• A more global or holistic understanding that looks at many different systems and moving parts is needed to reduce your risk for memory loss.
• There are likely other factors that impact memory health that we don't know yet.

Benefits Of Getting A Personalised Memory Loss Test

• Things are complicated when it comes to memory health.
• The risk factors for late onset dementia includes a lot of factors associated with increasing one's risk.
• The APOE gene puts people at higher risk for developing dementia.
• Lifestyle choices and environmental factors can influence the mechanisms at a cellular level.
• The mechanisms that affect your memory health destiny aren't that clear and the growing body of evidence surrounding treatment methods is incomplete.
• When you understand where you stand, what your familial risks are, and what your lifestyle risks are, you can get a handle on it and start working with the right team to find the best strategies for improving your future outcome.

Test To Prevent Memory Loss

• Find a suitable dietary intervention that answers your needs.
• Do a yearly memory health check, especially for those over 40 years of age.
• The sooner you get into a trajectory of change, the sooner you can correct changes happening in your body. This lets you avoid reaching the point when things become harder to correct.
• Have a chat with your doctor to go through the known physical and physiological culprits that can be checked.
• You are the navigator of your own health.

Test To Identify Your Personal Memory Loss Risks

• Figure out what are your personal lifestyle risk factors.
• Your daily physical exercises, sleep, and diet can be either harmful or helpful to your memory health.
• Creating an urgency of the need to change increases your inclination to take action.
• You should be prevention-minded rather than wait when memory loss is already happening.
• Having a marker that detects any overt change in a person's cognitive abilities is a helpful tool.
• It's important to know where to start and have a framework that looks at a cluster of areas associated with memory loss later in life.

Previously Recommended Resources

Books

• Behave by Robert Sapolsky

Podcast Episodes

• Podcast Ep 012: The Surprising Impact Of Lifestyle Changes For Better Health That A Doctor Wished All His Colleagues Knew About with Dr Dexter Shurney
• Podcast Ep 002: Do You Know These Risks For Memory Loss?
• Podcast Ep 001: How To Prevent Memory Loss

The Biggest Takeaway about Causes of Temporary Memory Loss

You should have a cognoscopy every year so that you'll know where you stand, what your risks are, and take immediate action against those risks.

Quotable "I fundamentally believe that we need to improve our own capacity to be our own navigators." - David Norris

What was your BIGGEST takeaway from this episode?

All the best

David

P.S. Did you get the free guide? If not, here's the link.

Disclaimer: Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Good lifestyle habits lead to better memory health

Even small changes to improve your life, building good habits, can have effects that add up to a point of...

Better health, better cognitive function, and a better life.

Your choices will bear fruit. Just like my mango tree.

Who doesn't love mangoes? The sweet smelling fruit is just so good.

My family's mango tree is an old tree, about 90 years old. The tree stopped bearing fruit a few years ago.

It's been neglected. Fungal growth is spreading around.

So we pruned. We planted. We attacked the fungal growth. We made changes here and there.

Fortunately, it wasn't too late to do something about it.

Then things started to get better.

No, much better! The tree started producing so many fruits that I've more mangoes than I've chutney jars, Thai salads and gelato boxes.

Yum!

Your cognitive fitness is much like the mango tree.- But don't leave it before it's too late

To be at your peak, to help prevent memory loss starts with the right nurturing, personalised to your situation

The small changes in your lifestyle really do matter.

Our daily habits add up to a bumper crop of memory health later in life.

Habits are powerful. You probably don't even realise you were doing them.

That's because they've been ingrained in your life, in your routine.

Harness that power. Imagine being armed with habits that reduce your risks for memory loss.

You become more confident. You go into battle ready armed to live life fiercely- on your own terms. Raar!

What an image, right? But how do you go about creating and living with those good, daily habits?

It's hard to consistently make good choices that stick.

There's a way though. A way to learn how to successfully build new habits. Six principles that will lead to new, powerful habits.

As long as you're resolute. As long as you're willing to keep at it. As long as you're willing to keep grinding.

You have your goal, your vision. And I know you can reach it.

It is never too late to start.

Do you really want to deprive your community of ALL that you can be?

In today's show, you will learn the 6 facets of how to build successful habits. Find out also what is the most often neglected element key to habit formation.

Episode Highlights

• It's Never Too Late For Change
• Setting The Right Goals For Developing Behaviour
• Repetition Leads To Successful Habit Formation
• 6 Principles For New Habit Success
• Quick Exercise For Finding Purpose
• The Biggest Takeaway about Key Lifestyle Factors For Better Health

DOWNLOAD THE PDF TRANSCRIPTION

About Our Host

David Norris is an occupational therapist who has been in this practice for 20 years.

He has dealt with a lot of clients who seek help with their memory loss problems. David began asking himself about how these people can get ahead of these problems. It is then that he started teaching his clients how to improve their brain health to prevent memory loss.

David Norris is also the director and founder of Occupational Therapy Brisbane.

Building New Habits It's Never Too Late For Change

• My family's 90+ year old mango tree was able to bore fruits after years of not doing so.
• The tree had been neglected and was experiencing some fungal growth. Support and some tending helped it to thrive again.
• There is still the opportunity for your body to be primed to achieve as much as possible.
• Poor conditions increase the likelihood of memory loss happening again.
• It is never too late to start correcting your illness.
• Changing our diet can have a dramatic impact on your gut microbiome resulting in improved health and being.
• Short exercises will release endorphins and give you improved endurance and focus.
• Meditation can easily be used to tackle stress.

Setting The Right Goals For Developing Behaviour

• Goals are amazing. But set it too high and you set yourself up for failure.
• When you fall short of your goals, it's easy to turn back to what you were doing before and give up.
• Not having goals though is like going on bushwalker track under dark conditions without a torch.
• The key is to narrow your vision and take each step at a time.
• The step-by-step, methodological activity will help embed that new behaviour.

Repetition Leads To Successful Habit Formation

• Old habits can sneak in and make you undermine your commitment to developing good behaviour like eating healthy.
• You feel guilt and shame. It erodes your sense of purpose, self, and strength to keep going.
• You want good behaviour to transform into good habits.
• Committing to repetitive action will set you up for success.
• Habits can deal with anything. You do them even unconsciously.

6 Principles For New Habit Success

• Setting up supportive environments allows you to build things that trigger the new behaviour.
• Leverage context by keeping things simple. Do not overcomplicate things.
• Eliminate friction or resistance by removing other choices or tasks.
• Put in place reward systems to support behaviour.
• Practice and repetition makes a habit stick.
• Having a sense of meaning to why you're doing something is a powerful motivator.

Quick Exercise For Finding Purpose

• Before starting, it's important to be non-judgmental about yourself and be open.
• Think about what your family member will say about you at your funeral.
• Think about what your co-worker or community member will share about your impact in their lives.
• Think about what a stranger who has heard about you would say about you.
• This exercise will help you figure out what is the most important thing for you.
• What are the changes that need to be made for you to become that person they all talked about?
• You can still grow into the person you want to be at the end of your life.

Previously Recommended Resources

Articles

• The Science of Habit, October 2015. David Neal, Ph.D. Jelena Vujcic, MPH Orlando Hernandez, Ph.D. Wendy Wood, Ph.D. http://www.washplus.org/sites/default/files/resource_files/habits-neal2015.pdf
• Exercise dose and quality of life: Results of a randomized controlled trial., Arch Intern Med. 169(3): 269–278. Corby K. Martin, Timothy S. Church, Angela M. Thompson, Conrad P. Earnest, Steven N. Blair (2009) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2745102/
• Effects of interval training on quality of life and cardiometabolic risk markers in older adults: a randomized controlled trial. Clin Interv Aging. 2019;14:1589–1599. Published 2019 Sep 4. doi:10.2147/CIA.S213133 Ballin M, Lundberg E, Sörlén N, Nordström P, Hult A, Nordström A. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6732517/
• Regular exercise and the trajectory of health-related quality of life among Taiwanese adults: a cohort study analysis 2006-2014. BMC Public Health. 2019;19(1):1352. Published 2019 Oct 23. doi:10.1186/s12889-019-7662-8 Chang HC, Liang J, Hsu HC, Lin SK, Chang TH, Liu SH. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6806516/
• Long-Term Impact of Caregiving and Metabolic Syndrome with Perceived Decline in Cognitive Function 8 Years Later: A Pilot Study Suggesting Important Avenues for Future Research. Open J Med Psychol. 2013;2(1):23–28. doi:10.4236/ojmp.2013.21005 Brummett BH, Austin SB, Welsh-Bohmer KA, Williams RB, Siegler IC. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3952276/#!po=65.0000
• Gonzalez, C. (2006). The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Public Health Nutrition, 9(1a), 124-126. doi:10.1079/PHN2005934 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/european-prospective-investigation-into-cancer-and-nutrition-epic/F506B4D995930AD84F74289B5F16D132#
• The Microbiome and Mental Health: Looking Back, Moving Forward with Lessons from Allergic Diseases. Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci. 2016;14(2):131–147. doi:10.9758/cpn.2016.14.2.131 Logan AC, Jacka FN, Craig JM, Prescott SL. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4857870/

Books

• Atomic Habits: The life-changing million copy bestseller by James Clear
• Want to get 1% better everyday? Then this book may be just the next step for you. "A supremely practical and useful book, James Clear distils the most fundamental information about habit formation, so you can accomplish more by focusing on less." -Mark Manson
• https://amzn.to/2twTRnB

Podcast Episodes

• Podcast Ep 005: Food, Mood, Microbiome and Your Memory with Dr Amy Loughman
• Podcast Ep 008: How Your Gut Health Affects Your Brain and Memory Health with Scott C Anderson

The Biggest Takeaway about Key Lifestyle Factors For Better Health

Memory Health and making changes to help your body to achieve as much as it can is still possible. Remember the fruitless mango tree that bore again even when it was over 90+ years old.

Quotable "Success takes time. Building these habits into your life takes time. These habits that make you into the gorgeous human being that you will be and are, will take time" - David Norris

What was your BIGGEST takeaway from this episode?

All the best

David

P.S. Did you get the free guide? If not, here's the link.

Disclaimer: Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Memory loss is not a one-way street.

Cause of temporary memory loss can be reversible. But just because it's temporary doesn't mean you should not take it seriously. Far from it…

Temporary memory loss is much like a garden, there are always threats to your plants.

Infections, bugs, frost, soil conditions, lack of nutrients- wrong planting time- over watering.

These all can impact your plant's health in the short term.

Wilting leaves, lack of flowering and fruit,

It really struggles to get through daily "garden life"

You could say there's a lack of energy.

Anyone will tell you …

Leave your plant too long in these conditions and they really struggle to bounce back

In fact they may turn up their roots, kick into plant failure and die

Gosh I've seen a few plants go this way.. ( Who hasn't? )

Causes of temporary memory loss can also act much the same way

Yes, memory loss is a potentially life threatening issue.

By now if you've listened to other episodes you'd be aware of how your daily lifestyle choices can create the conditions which can lead to mild cognitive impairment and potentially dementia.

It's the small steps leading ultimately to big life (memory loss) consequences.

This makes it vital to pay attention to how you live your life, today.

Your memory has its ups and downs - that's normal right.

BUT, act with urgency to cut down the causes of temporary memory loss NOW.

The symptoms and their causes are like beacons directing you to where things need to change.

The more you wait the greater the impact on your memory.

Neglecting the root causes of temporary memory loss can lead to bigger problems that are harder to treat and improve later.

So, the time to start is right- NOW.

Sure there is a lot going on - but isn't that always the case.

How can you make time for yourself for small positive steps?

In today's show, you will learn the causes of memory loss and the actions needed to reduce your risks and live a brain fit life.

Episode Highlights

• Memory Loss Isn't A One-Way Street
• Skill Acquisition And Performance Over Time
• 8 Signs Your Memory Health Changed
• 9 Factors Associated With Memory Loss
• Treating Temporary Memory Loss
• The Biggest Takeaway about Causes of Temporary Memory Loss

DOWNLOAD THE PDF TRANSCRIPTION

Listen To The Podcast Now.

About Our Host

David Norris is an occupational therapist who has been in this practice for 20 years.

He has dealt with a lot of clients who seek help with their memory loss problems. David began asking himself about how these people can get ahead of these problems. It is then that he started teaching his clients how to improve their brain health to prevent memory loss.

David Norris is also the director and founder of Occupational Therapy Brisbane.

Temporary Memory Loss Why Memory Loss Isn't A One-Way Street

• Experiences of memory loss and mild cognitive impairment mean that we are 6x more likely to progress to dementia.
• Memory decline is a life threatening issue and is the biggest threat to healthy and happy aging.
• Your memory sways between having normal operations to adverse conditions.
• Poor conditions increase the likelihood of memory loss happening again.

How We Learn: Skill Acquisition And Performance Over Time

• As you get older, your ability to learn new skills and recall information takes more time.
• Your historical information and ability to know more become more robust as you age.

The 8 Signs Your Memory Health Changed

• Forgetting names or faces.
• Forgetting conversations.
• Irritability reflects changes in memory performance.
• Getting stuck while doing a task.
• Forgetting why you went to a room or place.
• Your attention or ability to recall events clearly is impacted.
• Forgetting the content of what you just read.
• Having trouble recalling dictation or number sequences.

The 9 Factors Associated With Temporary Memory Loss

• Medications that lower your acetylcholine levels will increase your forgetfulness, reduce your concentration, and result in a foggy brain.
• What you eat affects the functions of your brain.
• Alcohol and smoking are both associated with cognitive impairment.
• Having more than one risk factor has an amplifying effect by increasing your risk for dementia.
• Depression can affect our ability to focus and experience pleasure with doing tasks. The stress hormone, cortisol, is released during times of anxiety and it can lead to a type of loss of brain function.
• Memory performance is also impacted by infections.
• Hypothyroidism contributes to a reduction in mental arousal.
• Strokes and concussions have a temporary impact on memory health or can even lead to post traumatic amnesia.
• People that underwent surgery or chemotherapy reported experiencing lack of clarity or brain fog.

How To Treat The Causes of Temporary Memory Loss

• Treatment involves treating the root causes that lead to it.
• For example, if the root cause is alcohol, a reduction in alcohol consumption will be key.
• The changes should be treated as life threatening issues. It's easier to treat something at the start and not when it has deteriorated further.
• The best approach is to live a life aligned to a brain healthy lifestyle.
• Before taking action with regards to your medications, have an open conversation first with your own doctor about the influences of those medications and whether there are alternatives available.

Previously Recommended Resources

Articles

• A longitudinal study assessed lifestyle activities, potential confounding factors of cognitive decline, and reversion of mild cognitive impairment and found specific lifestyle activities may play important roles in MCI reversion in older adults.
• Reversible predictors of reversion from mild cognitive impairment to normal cognition: a 4-year longitudinal study. https://alzres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13195-019-0480-5

Books

• Psychobiotics Revolution by Scott C Anderson
• Memory Wise by Dr Anne Unkenstein
• Practical guidance to people who worry they are losing their memory. The book explains how memory works and the changes that can occur as we age. It explains the sort of health, attitude and lifestyle factors that can lead to fluctuation in memory and provides practical tips to minimise their effects.

Podcast Episodes

• Podcast Ep 005: Food, Mood, Microbiome and Your Memory with Dr Amy Loughman
• Podcast Ep 012: The Surprising Impact Of Lifestyle Changes That A Doctor Wished All His Colleagues Knew About with Dr Dexter Shurney
• Podcast Ep 001: How To Prevent Memory Loss

The Biggest Takeaway about Causes of Temporary Memory Loss

Memory Health and treating and reversing causes of temporary memory loss is much like a garden

Quotable "Leave your plant too long in these conditions and they really struggle to bounce back" - David Norris

What was your BIGGEST takeaway from this episode?

All the best

David

P.S. Did you get the free guide? If not, here's the link.

Disclaimer: Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

In this show Prof. George will share with you his own personal journey of surviving multiple sclerosis and how the power of mindfulness has helped him and others.

Getting a life threatening diagnosis can be devastating.

Your entire world gets turned upside down, and you feel isolated and powerless.

There is a point when you are in denial and refuse to acknowledge what's happening. Or you get angry. You get angry at everyone and even yourself.

How you react can have an impact on how things turn out later on.

But what a lot of people don't know, a state of non reaction can be beneficial to dealing with your crisis.

In today's show, Prof. George shares with you his research on lifestyle factors and reducing risk on neurological conditions, of which he has first-hand experience.

Prof. George and I go deep into:

• Facing a Major Life Crisis
• Tools for Navigating Disruptions and Overwhelm
• The Benefits of Meditation
• Opportunities during the Coronavirus Crisis
• Getting Started with Meditation
• Amplifying your Practice

On top of that, we engage in a fabulous conversation on how being an observer and avoiding judgment is crucial at this time when the world is facing a massive crisis brought upon by Coronavirus. For everyone out there, you won't want to miss this.

You always have a choice no matter what the world brings. There are opportunities that even a crisis brings. The key is to become more present and reconnect.

You may have gotten used to how life has been and how things work. But life is cyclical. There are always ups and downs.

So let go and accept that there is victory in accepting and opening yourself up to change.

Listen To The Podcast Now.

About Our Guest

Professor George Jelinek is a professor and founder of the Neuroepidemiology Unit at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health. This unit expressly evaluates modifiable risk factors that predict the progression of multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

He has served since 2017 as the Chief Editor for Neuroepidemiology in the journal Frontiers in Neurology, and he was Founding Editor – and is currently the Editor Emeritus – for Emergency Medicine Australasia.

Prof. George also has the distinction of being the first Professor of Emergency Medicine in Australasia. Between 1987 and 2018, he published more than 150 peer-reviewed papers, seven book forewords and eight books, and received more than 20 research grants. He is author of the life changing book, Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis, which recounts his research on the disease and how he applied what he discovered to his own life.

Living With and Surviving Multiple Sclerosis Facing A Major Life Crisis

• Prof. George talks about his mother who died from multiple sclerosis.
• He shares about finding out he had the disease also.
• The scientific literature on treating multiple sclerosis was limited at that time and included few immune modifying medications.
• Professor Jelinek formulated a comprehensive lifestyle plan for himself he had adhered to until now.
• When facing a massive life adjustment, being in denial and refusing to face the reality of it is common.
• A mentor helped Prof. George to face the challenges of the life threatening diagnosis he received.
• It's important when facing a really big challenge to give it space, be vulnerable, and allow things to come up rather than try to control the whole thing.

Tools For Navigating Disruptions and Overwhelm

• Life is cyclical. There are highs and lows, and you have to learn to accept that.
• When you look back in your life, you'll realize that the difficult times are when you experienced tremendous growth.
• The notion that people are stable and unchanging needs to be challenged.
• You need to understand that after this crisis your life won't go back to the way it was.
• Meditation is a big part of Prof. George's toolkit for dealing with moments of overwhelm.
• Research such as the work on mindfulness-based stress reduction by Prof. Jon Kabat-Zinn has already proven the benefits of regular meditation.
• Meditation takes a lot of practice to get good at watching without judging. It develops a compassionate acceptance of the good and the bad.
• The skill of being able to navigate the ups and downs of life accrue results over decades.
• Prof. George shares his foray into transcendental meditation when he was young and before he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

The Benefits of Meditation

• Meditation brought a gradual change in Prof. George's attitude towards life and provided him with insight into things.
• The choice on how to respond and react is a byproduct of meditation.
• Meditation allows you to become more of an observer rather than reacting.
• Those dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic are feeling isolated and powerless, and it makes them feel that they don't have a choice.

The Opportunities During The Coronavirus Crisis

• This crisis has given you the time to do something you really enjoy doing and go deep into it.
• There's a need to cultivate an attitude of gratitude.
• Pain, anxiety, and friction only come up when you perpetuate thoughts of restrictions and not having a choice.

Getting Started With Meditation

• To avoid nervousness and embarrassment, it's better to start by joining a group.
• Having an experienced meditation teacher is good. But there are a number of meditation apps providing guided meditations.
• Meditation and exercise have both been proven to grow new cells in the hippocampus while the amygdala shrinks in size.
• Regular meditators have been able to mitigate the consequences of aging. Meditation can possibly be the antidote to dementia.
• Meditation allows you to become more resilient and grow and thrive during difficult times.
• Coming into the space and practicing are good ways to start with meditation.
• Muse meditation headband and the USC app are tools that also provide biofeedback for those who are more analytical and need data.
• But at some point, you wouldn't need the tools and can continue the practice on your own.
• This time is a like a forced opportunity to reconnect with ourselves and our micro community.
• During this crisis, time has slowed down for people. Little things now assume some importance.
• It all comes down to having an attitude of thinking that there's an opportunity here and you might as well make the most of it.
• There is victory to opening yourself up to opportunities.

Amplifying Your Practice

• Prof. George lives an unstructured life and has learned to let go into the rhythm of life.
• He swims when he wants to and runs when he wants to.
• Some may need the space or triggers to transition into and build up their skill and behaviour.
• Practice is one thing. Being able to apply being non reactive and compassionate into your day-to-day life is the next step.
• Having a partner that supports you is important.
• It's easy to do your practice and eat healthy when you're in a retreat, everyone is doing it, and your food is prepared. Continuing that when you're back home and exposed to people who might undermine your choices is harder.
• After this crisis, you might start to question the things that you used to do.
• There is a great impetus for us to thrive and grow as a society now.
• It's better to be less tuned in to social media where it's easy for people to spread confusion and misinformation. Focus on and reconnect with real things instead.

Recommended Resources From The Show

Evidence

• Catalogue of Prof George's work listed at the University Of Melbourne https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/155521-george-jelinek

• OvercomingMS.org : https://overcomingms.org/about-us

Books and Other Resources

• Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis by Prof. George Jelinek https://overcomingms.org/resources

• The Centre of Contemplative Mind Society: http://www.contemplativemind.org/practices/tree

5 Podcasts To Help with How To Deal With Life Crisis and Change

• Podcast Ep 013: How To Take Care Of Yourself At Home During the Coronavirus Pandemic with The Merrymaker Sisters
• Podcast Ep 011: Your Body's Wear and Tear and Memory Loss: The Biggest Things We Get Wrong with Prof. Zoltan Sarnyai
• Podcast Ep 009: How Stress Damages Your Memory Health And What To Do About It with Thomas G. Guilliams Ph.D
• Podcast Ep 008: How Your Gut Health Affects Your Brain and Memory Health with Scott C Anderson
• Podcast Ep 005: Food, Mood, Microbiome and Your Memory with Dr Amy Loughman

You can reach out to Prof. George Jelinek on Facebook. To get more resources or find your community, go to his website.

So what was your BIGGEST takeaway from this episode?

Time management tips, mindset? Practices for more space?

Comment below, I'd love to hear what worked for you.

All the best

David

Disclaimer: Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

In this show vegan fitness super star Kate Galli will share with you how to make a strong mind and body. In fact Kate reveals what she does with her clients so you can

• Achieve the mindset and motivation to claim power over your choices in Food and your Life Game
• Have a strategy for winning BIG with your health goals

Kate's clients rate her for good reason and she shares her tips and strategies today.

Bad habits are hard to break.

You're used to them, and you're already comfortable. When you're surrounded by so much unhealthy food, it can be difficult to make the healthy choice.

As for exercise, who has time for that?

Living with this kind of life and mindset can have a compounding effect on your body and mind.

At some point, you may be forced to change your lifestyle because of an illness or other issue. But it's always best to start early by starting now.

In today's show, Vegan fitness coach, Kate Galli, shares with you her insights on how to make a strong mind and body as well as revealing her fierce love for the planet.

Kate and I delve deep into:

• The Journey to Better Health
• Staying Motivated on the Path to Fitness
• The Healthification Podcast As A Tool for Health Education
• Developing Awareness of Sustainability
• Conscious Decisions Lead to Stronger Bodies
• The Starting Point to Good Health and Beautiful Mind

Not only that we go deep into understanding how you can create more time, be more effective with building lasting habits that doesn't mean sacrificing fun. Plus More. A great conversation not to be missed.

Living a healthy life doesn't have to be complicated. Life should be fun and easy. By making little choices towards building a strong body and mind, you get results that push you further to those bigger goals.

You are responsible for your health alone. No one can make the decision for you.

There may be barriers that stop you, but it's no longer about not having the discipline or the time.

So step up into your life, reclaim your health, and move forward with confidence.

Listen To The Podcast Now.

About Our Guest

Kate Galli is the host of the Healthification podcast and owner of Strongbodygreenplanet.com. She has a strong passion for creating a beautiful body, mind, and planet.

Strong Bodies and Beautiful Minds The Journey to Better Health

• Kate talks about turning her passion for fitness into a career.
• She switched to a vegan lifestyle and plant-based nutrition to advocate for animals.
• The journey is not a straight line. Sometimes you end up going backwards and question yourself whether you can still do it.

Staying Motivated on the Path to Fitness

• It's important to have self-compassion and come from a place of working with your body as a team.
• Motivation comes from being able to align actions with your values and beliefs.
• Self-awareness is needed to constantly check and ask whether things are still working out.
• Know that in time, with all your experiences and growth, you will be a different person.
• What's helpful in the past may not be helpful today.
• It's important to ask the question, "How's that working for you?"
• You could ask that question for every facet of your life.

The Healthification Podcast As A Tool for Health Education

• Kate's definition of health has evolved and for her, health involves the individual, the community, and the environment.
• Kate is concerned about sustainability in terms of individual fitness, nutrition, and the community, so that people can keep being healthy for the rest of their lives.
• The relationship with the environment is the missing piece to the conversation about health.

Developing Awareness of Sustainability

• The journey to sustainability can be overwhelming.
• Whatever your reason for having a lifestyle change, don't set the bar too high.
• She recommends making everything simple, easy, fun, and non-restricting.
• To avoid being overwhelmed, she suggests telling people what is the number one, most important step.

Conscious Decisions Lead to Stronger Bodies

• Admitting the lack of discipline is the first step towards being successful.
• To make conscious decisions, become self-aware of the things that have tripped you up in the past and planning for those situations.
• You have the choice to ask for what you want. What you feed your body is 100% your responsibility.
• Doing simple things such as meal preparation or exploring the local market can cut down your risk of making bad food choices.
• Simple habits deliver results and the results compound over time.

The Starting Point to Good Health and Beautiful Mind

• The starting point is your why, your reason and goals for choosing this.
• Ask yourself whether the result is worth the actions you need to take consistently.
• Build your identity belief that you are a person that exercises so that you'll set aside time for that.
• Do temptation bundling. Bundle a habit you want to do with a habit you have to do.
• The way you reframe your mindset about exercise is important.

Recommended Resources

Articles:

• Katherine Milkman Publications: http://www.katherinemilkman.com/

• The fresh start effect: Temporal landmarks motivate aspirational behavior

• https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1901
• Beyond good intentions: Prompting people to make plans improves follow-through on important tasks
• https://muse.jhu.edu/article/615107/summary
• Watch out for rigidity.. Creating Exercise Habits Using Incentives: The Tradeoff between Flexibility and Routinization https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a3f9/fd231a481b088cdb0c351d8672fdbd3cda33.pdf …."Thus, while routines may be a common and important component of many lasting habits, encouraging overly rigid routines can undermine habit formation."

Books:

• Atomic Habits: The life-changing million copy bestseller by James Clear https://amzn.to/2twTRnB

Check out the Healthification podcast. You can reach out to Kate Galli on Instagram or Facebook. To learn more about following a plant-based diet, here's a free resource or just go to Kate's website.

So what was your BIGGEST takeaway from this episode? Time management tips, mindset? Love to hear what worked for you.

All the best

David

Disclaimer: Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

It's clear, we're in the middle of a global crisis. With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic spreading worldwide, self-isolation and the disruption of daily routines are leading to stress and anxiety.

In this show you'll learn about:

• Why self-care should be front and center of your life right now
• How to take care of yourself physically, emotionally, mentally, cognitively, and socially

In today's show, you will get practical information on how you can take care of yourself amidst the coronavirus epidemic.

News feeds are filled with negative reports and dismal stories about the selfishness and greed exhibited by people.

The current situation is both overwhelming and disheartening, especially to a lot of people who feel powerless at this time.

But you can cut through this cycle of fear and worry.

You may find yourself facing unfamiliar circumstances, but you have the chance to grow into this new world. You start by taking care of yourself.

Listen To The Podcast Now.

About Our Guests

Emma and Carla Papas are known as The Merrymaker Sisters. Their work involves finding love, integrity, and compassion during the journey to health and well-being. After quitting their desk jobs, Emma and Carla went on a journey of self-discovery to find magic and follow the bliss.

They're the founders of MerryBody Online Studio, which provides unlimited access to yoga, pilates, and meditation classes. Their website also gives free healthy recipes that nourish your body.

The Merrymaker Way of Life The Sisters' Journey To Self-Care

• Emma and Carla talk about their self-loathing, self-hate, and unhealthy relationship with food.
• Making the decision to follow their bliss.
• They took a break and got training for yoga and pilates.
• They started their MerryBody studio and changed their mindset to feeling good and letting go.

Acknowledging The Negative Feelings

• You have the right to feel the way you feel.
• Remember that you are not alone in this.
• Moving physically allows Emma and Carla to move through their emotions.
• Movement allows them to let go of the responsibility of carrying the world on their shoulders.

Moving Through This Bad Time

• The easiest thing to do is to constantly come back to the breath and breathe deeper.
• Falling into the anxiety and stress will allow you to find your anchor.
• Utilize the power of mediation.
• Dancing like a crazy person and going wild will help you from being stuck in your head.

Breathing Exercises For Listeners

• The first step is a kind of grounding or sinking into your bodies for one minute.
• The grounding exercise involves using three breathing techniques.
• There's usually resistance when starting out, so it's best to pick one breathing technique and focus on that.
• It's important to check in with yourself and always come back to your practice.
• You can get so caught up in the news nowadays that you can forget to do what makes you feel okay.
• The experience of deep breathing fires neural signals up in your brain and triggers calmness.
• The disruption to your daily routines makes you more vulnerable to stress.
• Breathing exercises can help you reclaim some sense of power.
• The language in your head can be a pathway to doing self-care first aid to yourself.

Doing Self-Care

• Remember to always fill your cup, so you can give better to the people around.
• Practice yoga or pilates at home and eat nourishing food to take care of yourself.
• Avoid dehydration by having a big bottle of water at your desk.
• Create a sense of safety by staying connected with family and friends through voice messages or video calls.
• Get creative and do the things you've always wanted to do but never had the time.
• Create bumpers around the information you digest to avoid exhaustion.

The Beginning Of A New Opportunity

• There is an opportunity to create something good for the community and practice altruism.
• Emma and Carla opened up MerryBody for free to get everyone moving while at home.

Recommended Resources

Articles:

• John O'Donohue - https://www.johnodonohue.com/

• The On Being Project had a wonderful interview with John O'Donhue. Here is a podcast with John prior to his passing.

• The fresh start effect: Temporal landmarks motivate aspirational behavior
  • Katherine Milkman

https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1901

Books:

• John O'Donohue books

• • Anam Cara: Spiritual Wisdom from the Celtic World https://amzn.to/3bey5Fq

• • To Bless The Space Between Us https://amzn.to/3bey5Fq

You can reach out to the Merrymaker Sisters on Instagram or Facebook. New members get free access to MerryBody Online Studio

Enjoy The Podcast?

If it's a "Oh Yes I did David!" Then please, do yourself a huge favour and subscribe to the podcast.

5 Star Review Worthy? If it is we'd love your review. It really does go a long way to help us reach and serve more people.

Do you want to help other people prevent avoidable memory loss? Yes? One simple way is to share what you've learned today.

Here's How: Take a screenshot of the podcast, post it on social media, make a comment and link to the show, is one, very easy way to help cement your learning and brings you closer to action as well as gifting to others the seeds of better memory health!

Grab a free copy of the 9 Principles for Memory Health For Life CLICK HERE. A simple framework to reduce your risk for memory loss. Go on, what have you got to lose?

We have a lot of resources and resources to help you stop avoidable memory loss. If you're interested to learn more about our services and programs, just go to the website.

Of course you can reach me, David Norris, here on the website and connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter.

To better memory health,

David

P.S. Did you get the free guide? If not, here's the link.

Disclaimer: Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.