Category Archives: Brain Function

It’s the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer’s, and yet it’s often misidentified and therefore underdiagnosed – to the detriment of many patients. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, what’s called Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) has three distinguishing features that eventually become apparent: Fluctuating alertness and attention resembling delirium, visual ...click here to read more

Cold sores are not only unsightly to look at and uncomfortable, they can be a sign of serious health problems. Previous research on cold sores has found that they can be tied to memory loss, but more recent study has made another conclusion about cold sores and your brain. A cold sore is a form ...click here to read more

Today, life stress and the general hubbub of modern society can keep us up at night. And for caffeine-fuelled North Americans – with smartphones and tablets at their bedsides – sleeping may even be seen as a waste of time, to the extent that sleep deprivation has become the norm, rather than the exception. Even ...click here to read more

Did you know that early testing of people with dementia may assist them to receive help even earlier? That early help can make all the difference. Families can make plans for their loved ones’ care, get help with day-to-day tasks, and keep an eye out for future problems that can occur with the disease. In ...click here to read more

It is often said that our eyes are the gateway to our soul. Although this may be true, your eyes can reveal much more than that. Eyes not only provide us with the ability to see, but they can also tell us what’s going on inside our bodies. Whether it is matters of the heart, ...click here to read more

My elderly aunt, I’m afraid, is not doing well. She lost her husband almost a year ago and has been declining ever since, determined, however, to remain in her home alone. Her kids say she shouldn’t be living on her own. She’s forgetting things, she shouldn’t be driving and has no friends for support. But ...click here to read more

A mystery chocolate drink, made by confectionery company Mars, Incorporated, has turned back the clock on aging brains. Chocolate is even better for us than we thought! A breakthrough study by Columbia University Medical Center has uncovered something quite remarkable: Normal, natural memory loss that comes with aging can be reversed. Not with some dangerous ...click here to read more

Why is it that getting a good night’s sleep gets harder the older we get? Sleep issues are so common with seniors. Some will fall asleep easily, but wake up after only a couple of hours, which is far from ideal. This lack of sleep can become so overwhelming you might find that you can’t ...click here to read more

Sometimes it might seem like feeling blue or having a low mood is a regular part of your day as the colder weather and shorter days start to close in. Certainly there have been several studies that have shown that there are many lifestyle factors that can impact our mental health, too. But one that ...click here to read more

What do you do when someone you love is so disoriented and afraid they’re trying to leave the house in the middle of the night? They can’t remember where they are, or who they are, or where they should be. It’s a terrifying thought, and worse still, when it happens to someone close to you. ...click here to read more

As a doctor, I see people with a wide variety of health issues every day. One that I have noticed is really prevalent is depression in seniors. As people get up in years, the risk of dementia and other degenerative diseases of the brain become much more likely. So that’s why this new information I ...click here to read more

Don’t like the taste of wheatgrass or cod liver oil? How about broccoli, my least favorite childhood vegetable?! If it sounds like something you wouldn’t ever try, or can’t bring yourself to eat, think again. Recent research has suggested that there is, in fact, a way you can be “trained” to like those less than ...click here to read more

Forgetting people’s names or where you put your keys? Memory loss is an issue that plagues so many of us as we age. And scientists continue to point out ways to prevent the decline that is seemingly a natural part of aging. You need to keep stress and blood sugars relatively low, and of course, ...click here to read more

When you’re not getting proper sleep, the side-effects can be less than pleasant, with low energy, low mood and a lowered immune system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has gone so far as to call insufficient sleep a public health epidemic, taking a toll on our health care system. The agency has increased ...click here to read more