Carnivores and or nutrition peeps - what are your resources for dementia? We have someone in the family that may have it. Just looking for some good books on the subject from like minded people. I’m wondering if it can be linked to insulin resistance?
Discussion
Please study neuroplasticity.
Applied neuroplasticity is a preventative lifestyle choice that helps delay the onset and severity of dementia symptoms in all humans (but to varying degrees based on multiple complex factors).
The key takeaway is that asymptomatic people can do something NOW to prevent or delay the future development of this condition in themselves, and also that people already suffering from dementia (especially early-onset stage patients) have many useful tools to make life with dementia more manageable and less severe for as long as possible.
Applied neuroplasticity basically consists of maintaining a physically active and cognitively challenging lifestyle.
A person must challenge themselves to try something difficult until they get good at it. This increase in quality of performance is mirrored in the brain as increases in neural density and connectivity, making the brain more resilient, and cumulatively contributing to what's called 'cognitive reserve.'
The objective of applied neuroplasticity is to fortify cognitive reserve as much as possible throughout life so that it will be resilient in the face of inevitable cognitive decline. Those who remain active physically and mentally throughout life will generally fare better than those who don't.
If this family member of yours is still in the early-onset phase, then it's recommended that they engage in cognitively stimulating activities to whatever degree they are capable (while not pushing too hard, as dementia sufferers tend to be more easily aggravated by pressure, confusion, doubt, and demanding situations.)
Simple walking has benefits, and any other exercise helps, because it increases blood flow in the brain. Appropriate mental challenges include practicing disciplines of mastery: playing musical instruments, choreographed dancing (balet, salsa, ballroom dancing, etc), singing, sports (including golf, bowling), games (including billiards and darts), yoga, hand-eye coordination challenges (sewing, knitting, crocheting, complex knot-tying, etc.), and basically anything difficult that a person can master, so another great example is trying to learn a language be it a spoken language like French or a written computer coding language like Python.
It's also surprisingly beneficial to get into the hobby of assembling jigsaw puzzles. This mental fitness is a triathlon for a person's brain: concurrently analyzing for color, pattern, shape, and orientation of pieces, while switching gears back and forth between global image and granular details. This is a problem the brain becomes invested in solving, and THAT is key. It must be important to the mind, or it will not be recorded in the brain.
One more special point about neuroplasticity: Music is a magic key that can unlock lost memories. If it's not already too late, now is the time to ask this relative of yours what were their favorite and most memorable, emotionally impactful songs throughout their life. Each person has their own playlist, but personally significant music has the power to transport us to a time and place associated with that song. This means that music is part of the tool-kit to both prevent and treat dementia symptoms.
The first book that unlocked all this insight for me is called "Soft-Wired" by Dr. Michael Merzenich, one of the principal developers of a technology now commonly known as hearing aids.
Enjoy the cognitive enrichment your life has to offer and seize every opportunity for growth and development.
Thanks for asking this question. The topic of mental health is VERY important to me, and it's my humble honor to have been readily prepared to give you this comprehensive explanation off the top of my head (applied neuroplasticity has been a subject of study and a way of life for me since becoming adult-bilingual in my 20s).
It is my hope that this information might help you and your family ✌️
(Sorry for the long-winded response 😅)
Wow thank you
Hey there!
This was written a few years ago, but it is more of my thoughts on neuroplasticity, particularly as it relates to music and dementia.
You inspired me to publish this in Nostr Reads, which is my first ever long-form contribution on Nostr, so thank you very much for that motivation you gave me!
Enjoy!
Carnivore diet!
Ketogenic diet is best for dementia and Alzheimer’s.
