Alzheimer's - A Personal Cry.

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From the Alzheimer's Association Website.

From the Alzheimer's Association Website.

Someone very dear to me was just diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease a couple of weeks ago. My first thought beyond the grief and shock was that I wished The Healing Farm Midwest outpost was already up and running. I wanted to take him to The Healing Farm for a month, have him get tested by a Functional Medicine Practitioner and start him on an elimination diet to try to take away some of the inflammation that might be causing some symptoms. The Healing Farm property and The Healing Farm outposts don't exist yet which breaks my heart, but I hope that someday they will and that we can help all kinds of people from every demographic to ease pain from something as simple as chronic indigestion to trying to work through reducing symptoms of  something major like a recently diagnosed auto-immune disease. 

Certainly I know that Alzheimer's is an incurable disease and I'm not fooling myself thinking that by simply reducing inflammation would have much of an impact, but if it could reduce some symptoms, why not try and as a preventative for those of us who know that Alzheimer's runs in the family? Get started keeping yourself healthy and inflammation free! Read up on the kinds of things you can do for yourself to help stave off the onset of Alzheimer's (most of which I already do) on the Alzheimer's Association website:

  • Most important is keeping your brain active by challenging it. Think Sudoku, crossword puzzles, book clubs and taking classes - I'm starting a new business at almost 50 years old - talk about challenging the brain!
  • Keep up with those antioxidants! I eat blueberries everyday in my smoothie (see my THF blog post about my morning smoothie). See this list for more antioxidant rich foods.
  • Eat a healthy diet! Think lots of greens! Come to The Healing Farm/MALT Retreat to hear our speaker Jennifer Cooper talk about "greening your plate!". The Alzheimer's Assoc. Website suggests a Mediterranean diet . You may laugh because in a recent post I talked about a "Paleo Reset" but keep in mind I'm really not 100% Paleo and don't eat a ton of bacon and red meat! I do eat a lot of protein but still eat small amounts of red meat and bacon!
  • Be social! Being social will keep the mind engaged and can help stave off depression. Keep the mind happy and engaged!
  • Donate to worthwhile organizations like The Alzheimer's Association and The Alzheimer's Foundation to support research to help millions in future generations stave off or avoid the disease.
  • Read recent research about the effects of reducing inflammation:

I hope The Healing Farm that I dream of will someday exist to help support thousands of people around our country to learn simple and affordable preventative measures they can take to ensure a healthy and more physically and mentally comfortable future for themselves and those they love.

The Healing Farm. Cultivating Practical Wellness.