John Bradshaw - Preventing Cognitive Decline
At It Is Written, we've produced a lot of television programs on a lot of subjects; two of our most popular programs featured Dr. Wes Youngberg, as he and I discussed cognitive decline and the things people can do to combat cognitive decline.
We discussed his book Memory Makeover which is about preventing Alzheimer's and reversing cognitive decline naturally. In May of 2022 consumer reports published an article stating that a major 2020 report in the lancet suggests that 12 factors within our control including smoking, poor fitness, and obesity are responsible for up to 40 of dementia cases. One researcher at Cornell University said, "Our findings make clear that it's never too late to make key lifestyle changes and see brain benefits".
The challenge we face in our hyper medicated society is that we expect a pill will fix almost anything, but evidence suggests there's really no medication that actually helps Alzheimer's. Instead as consumer reports said, "looking after your basic health, avoiding the things that are harmful to you, eating wisely, getting exercise, and keeping your brain engaged", are hugely helpful when it comes to cognitive decline.
Dr. Youngberg states the same in his book Memory Makeover. Of course this is not a guarantee, but it underscores an important truth: it's extraordinarily important to take good care of yourself. Simple decisions can ward off a slew of health problems, including in many cases cognitive decline. And it isn't hard.
The challenge is: being disciplined in a world that conspires against wise decision-making. In 1 Corinthians, Paul said, "I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection," other translations say, "I discipline my body". The world is concerned about illness and disease, and rightly so. The place to start in combating that is in yielding your life, and that includes your body, your lifestyle, your habits to God. I'm John Bradshaw, for It Is Written.