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Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW019216S
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00:19 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written.
00:21 I'm John Bradshaw. Thanks for joining me. 00:23 The Bible says in 3 John, verse 2, 00:25 "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper 00:29 and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." 00:33 In other words, it's God's will that we prosper 00:36 not only physically, but spiritually, or you might say, 00:39 not only spiritually, but physically. 00:42 Which way would you say it? 00:43 Clearly, from a biblical point of view, 00:45 the two are inextricably linked together. 00:48 We're gonna talk about that today in the context 00:51 of a lifestyle illness, 00:53 a disease which is a modern-day scourge, 00:56 and it's only getting worse. 00:58 You know people who are affected by it, 01:01 you might be affected by it yourself, 01:03 and if you're not, the sad fact is there's 01:06 a very, very good chance that before too long, you will be. 01:10 I'm talking about Alzheimer's. 01:12 My guest today is Dr. Wes Youngberg. 01:14 He is a lifestyle medicine specialist 01:16 and clinical nutritionist in southern California. 01:19 He is also an assistant clinical professor for the schools 01:21 of medicine and public health at Loma Linda University. 01:24 I am really glad you've made time to be here today. 01:26 Dr. Youngberg, thanks for joining me. 01:28 >>Dr. Wes Youngberg: It's good to be here, John. 01:29 >>John: Alzheimer's. I've got to tell you. 01:31 I'm not scared of cancer. I'm not scared of heart disease. 01:33 I'm not scared of stroke. 01:35 I'm scared of this stuff because it seems to strike 01:38 indiscriminately--and anyone and everyone. 01:42 I'm bothered by Alzheimer's and dementia. 01:45 Your book deals with Alzheimer's. 01:47 Your book is called "Memory Makeover." 01:49 It is a fascinating book, 01:51 because in the midst of this terrible thing, it offers hope. 01:55 Let me ask you first, what's Alzheimer's? 01:58 >>Dr. Youngberg: Well, you know, let me actually just read 02:00 the very first line of chapter 1 in the book, 02:03 uh, where, where--you know, a lot of people, 02:05 you know, don't understand Alzheimer's. 02:07 I had a, a friend of mine, a neurologist, 02:09 recently at a conference that we were both speaking at, 02:11 he says, "You're not telling people 02:12 that they can actually reverse Alzheimer's, are you?" 02:14 And I said, "Define Alzheimer's." 02:16 >>John: Right. 02:17 >>Dr. Youngberg: This has been one of the challenges all along, 02:18 is how do we actually define Alzheimer's? 02:20 No, we're, we're not saying that you can start here 02:22 at the advanced to severe Alzheimer's 02:24 and then totally get rid of it all the way. 02:27 We're saying that at every stage of dementia, 02:31 of, of mild cognitive decline, 02:34 there is a potential to improve that, to begin to reverse 02:37 that process of cognitive decline. 02:40 And that's exciting, because up until recently, 02:43 we have all believed that there's really nothing 02:44 that can be done. 02:46 >>John: Right. I know you're about to read something 02:47 from your book about what Alzheimer's is, 02:48 but I'm already ready to jump ahead. [Dr. Youngberg laughs] 02:50 You are saying something that seems to fly 02:53 in the face of contemporary belief, 02:56 that is, if you've got it, you've got it; 02:58 there's really not much you can do about it. 02:59 Most everybody just accepts-- if I, if I've put on weight, 03:04 maybe I can take it off. 03:05 If you have diabetes, I can certainly reverse that, 03:07 as you well know, as you have taught. 03:10 But this? This is a one-way street. 03:13 You're saying that's not necessarily so. 03:14 You better read this-- 03:15 >>Dr. Youngberg: Yeah. So we are-- 03:16 >>John: ...before you ever do. 03:18 >>Dr. Youngberg: So, John, we are at a crossroads right now 03:20 where, where we're kind of, uh, at a crossroads 03:22 where there is hope. 03:24 There is a, there's a tremendous amount of medical literature 03:27 suggesting that there's things that we can do. 03:29 There's tests that we can run to figure out 03:31 what our risk factors are, what we can do about them. 03:34 Uh, and the more of these risk factors we discover, 03:37 the closer we get to that tipping point, 03:39 to the threshold effect where we can actually start healing, 03:43 rather than progressing in this scourge, as you put it, 03:48 of cognitive decline. 03:49 And so, to answer your question specifically, 03:52 "Alzheimer's disease is" a form of dementia; 03:54 it's "the most common form of dementia. 03:57 "It is the decline of mental abilities severe enough 04:00 to interfere with the activities of daily living." 04:03 That's the bottom line. 04:05 And so, if we can do something that takes somebody 04:08 from, from a severe dysfunction in their daily lives 04:13 and improve their lives so that the husband or the wife 04:16 have their spouse back, 04:18 their, their--I've had a wife, uh, a husband who said, 04:20 "My wife is now laughing at my jokes again. 04:23 "She's smiling at me. She is talking to me. 04:25 Five years ago she wasn't even talking to me." 04:27 >>John: I've had a, I remember a man saying to me recently, 04:29 "I have been mourning the loss of my wife 04:32 for 20 or 25 years." 04:34 >>Dr. Youngberg: Yes. 04:34 >>John: "She's still very much alive." 04:35 >>Dr. Youngberg: Yes. 04:36 >>John: "But she's gone," as it were. Okay. 04:39 >>Dr. Youngberg: We're here to give hope 04:40 even for that individual. 04:42 >>John: Fantastic. Fantastic. 04:43 So, Alzheimer's, how does Alzheimer's differ 04:45 from dementia? 04:46 Give me, give me some definitions here-- 04:48 >>Dr. Youngberg: Okay, so-- >>John: ...or some differences. 04:49 >>Dr. Youngberg: ...dementia is the broader term for diff-- 04:51 for cognitive decline that's severe. 04:53 >>John: Yes. 04:54 >>Dr. Youngberg: And, and so, really, you know, 04:56 a lot of people say, "Well, she didn't, 04:58 "they don't really have Alzheimer's; 04:59 they have dementia." Well, Alzheimer's represents-- 05:01 >>John: Yep. 05:03 >>Dr. Youngberg: ...80 percent of all dementias. 05:04 It's the number one condition, uh, that is associated 05:09 with dementia. 05:10 There is over 20 different classes of dementia, 05:13 but Alzheimer's is by far 05:15 the, the, the lion's share of dementia. 05:18 >>John: What happens with Alzheimer's? 05:19 What, what, what is it? 05:20 How does it play out in a person's life? 05:22 >>Dr. Youngberg: You know, the, the bottom line, John, 05:24 is that it, it just changes your ability to function 05:27 in daily living. 05:28 So, many of my patients who come to me, 05:31 their initial concern is, 05:32 "Man, [snaps fingers] I'm, I'm fishing for that word, 05:35 "and, you know, I used to, I used to be really bright, 05:37 "and, and that word, I can see it, 05:39 "I know everything about it, I can describe everything, 05:41 [laughs] but I don't, I can't pick up that word." 05:45 So that synapse, that synapse that's in our brain, 05:48 in our hippocampus that is responsible for that word, 05:51 is not connected right. 05:53 It's, it's fragmenting. 05:55 And so, our job it to kind of help heal that synapse 05:59 that holds that, that word or that partial memory 06:01 so that we can start using it again. 06:04 And that is actually quite possible. 06:06 >>John: So Alzheimer's is forgetfulness? 06:07 >>Dr. Youngberg: Yeah, it's, that's a big part of it. 06:09 >>John: Okay, what else? 06:11 >>Dr. Youngberg: Yeah, it's, it's, um, see, when we think of 06:13 forgetfulness, most of us are thinking, 06:15 well, we forgot somebody's name-- 06:16 >>John: Amen. 06:17 >>Dr. Youngberg: ...or we forgot what our, 06:19 what my wife told me yesterday. 06:21 >>John: Oh, amen. 06:22 >>Dr. Youngberg: Or, you know, we have to take notes 06:23 for everything now 'cause we just forget, 06:25 or even some people are forgetting where they are, 06:27 right? They're driving along in a familiar road 06:31 that they've driven on for decades, and they're going, 06:33 "Oh, wait a minute, where am I?" 06:35 So, the hippocampus, the part of the brain that's associated 06:38 with, with taking short-term memories and making them 06:41 into long-term memories, is also like a GPS. 06:44 It, it's, it's a locator. 06:46 It, it tells us where we are in reference to the world 06:48 around us. 06:50 And if that part of the brain is starting to atrophy, 06:53 is starting to become senile, senility is just loss of cells 06:56 in that area of the brain, and, uh, if that happens, 07:00 we, we're not gonna be able to do the things 07:01 that we always took for granted. 07:04 And that can progress so gradually into... 07:09 going into the bathroom and not knowing what to do. 07:12 See? So that's a memory problem as well, okay? 07:15 And so this can get really bad, 07:17 so we want to prevent that from ever happening. 07:19 >>John: Okay, what we're going to do, 07:20 and we, more than likely we'll do this in the next program, 07:23 we're going to talk about how you can start to reverse this. 07:26 >>Dr. Youngberg: Right. 07:26 >>John: So you don't want to miss that. 07:28 How can you begin to reverse some of these processes 07:30 and find improvement? 07:31 But before we get to reversing, let's talk about preventing. 07:35 >>Dr. Youngberg: Yes. Yes. 07:36 >>John: We don't have long before we go to the first break, 07:37 but where do we begin with this, to prevent this kind of, 07:41 to keep the wolf from the door? 07:43 >>Dr. Youngberg: Researchers at Loma Linda 07:45 have actually established 07:46 that about 90 percent of all Alzheimer's is preventable. 07:51 So this is good news for those of us who have a family history. 07:54 My grandfather on my mother's side had Alzheimer's. 07:57 So, does that have something to say about my future health? 08:00 Of course it does. It, it gives me clues. 08:03 It's a red flag, obviously. 08:04 Wes, you need to be paying attention to this because you, 08:08 like so many other individuals, could succumb to Alzheimer's. 08:12 So, so we know from the Adventist health studies 08:14 and other studies that, that 90 percent of Alzheimer's 08:18 is preventable, but we have to have actionable steps. 08:22 We have to be willing to accept that information 08:25 and then incorporate it into our lives 08:28 so that we're taking advantage of it. 08:30 >>John: Okay. So, a person's got to be--well, uh, okay, 08:32 you've got, you've gotta be willing to accept that 08:34 and incorporate it. 08:35 Why wouldn't someone be willing to accept that 08:38 and incorporate? 08:39 >>Dr. Youngberg: [laughs] Yeah. Well, 08:40 uh, I'll tell you one reason. 08:42 Uh, I'd a, I'd a patient just recently, just a few weeks, 08:45 tell me--I'd been working with them a year, 08:47 and we'll talk about this in the next program, 08:49 where, where she'd reversed her dementia so much 08:52 that she is now functional. 08:53 She'd had, she'd had advanced Alzheimer's for over five years 08:56 before we started, and, but her husband wouldn't give up. 08:59 And so her husband went to the neurologist, 09:01 said, "What can I do?" 09:02 So the neurologist actually referred them to me, 09:05 and, and so, they've been going to church for this whole year, 09:09 and other couples, five other couples in that church 09:12 also have a spouse with severe Alzheimer's, 09:15 and, and it just gets worse really quick, right? 09:18 >>John: Sure. 09:19 >>Dr. Youngberg: Unless you're actually addressing 09:20 the risk factors that that individual has. 09:23 So, so after a year now, uh, the other spouses are coming to him, 09:28 saying, like, "Man, you're so lucky. 09:30 "Your wife is doing so much better. Look at our spouses, 09:33 "man, they're just, they're just progressing rapidly 09:36 into further severe forms of dementia." 09:40 And, and so my, my patient, you know, the husband says, 09:43 "Let me tell you what we did." 09:45 And, and, and they started talking about diet, 09:50 and, and immediately their, their affect changed, 09:54 and they said, "Oh, no, no, no, don't talk to me about diets." 09:56 Said, "My doctor told me there's nothing that can be done, 10:00 "and I believe my doctor, 10:02 and so I'm not going to change my diet." 10:03 And, of course, that's not scientific, because any doctor 10:06 who's studied nutrition understands that the brain 10:09 operates based on, well or not well, 10:13 based on how well, how well you eat. 10:15 So that's one of the first steps that we use 10:18 to prevent the process of neural degeneration. 10:21 >>John: And we're going to talk about many other steps as well. 10:23 My guest is Dr. Wes Youngberg. 10:25 We're talking about Alzheimer's, 10:26 and you are discovering today that there is hope. 10:29 More in just a moment. 10:30 ♪[music]♪ 10:40 >>Dr. Wes Youngberg: Hello. I'm Dr. Wes Youngberg, 10:41 and I've just written a book called "Memory Makeover: 10:44 How to Prevent Alzheimer's and Reverse Cognitive Decline." 10:48 This book is in story form. 10:50 It's case studies of individuals that I have worked with 10:52 and my colleagues have worked with where they've actually 10:55 been able to stop cognitive decline, 10:57 and 80 percent of the time have been able to reverse 11:01 aspects of cognitive decline. 11:03 If you want to know more about that, 11:05 get the book "Memory Makeover." 11:10 >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for joining me today 11:11 on It Is Written. 11:12 I'm John Bradshaw. My guest is Dr. Wes Youngberg. 11:15 Currently, there are 5.4 million people in the United States 11:19 suffering from Alzheimer's. 11:20 By 2050, that will be 16 million. 11:23 What's even more dramatic is that around the world by then, 11:26 there will be 160 millions of people suffering 11:30 from Alzheimer's, a dreaded and dreadful disease. 11:34 But Dr. Youngberg is telling us that there is hope 11:36 and Alzheimer's can be prevented, warded off. 11:40 Tell me more about this. 11:42 How do we, what do we do to prevent this? 11:44 It's a horrible thing. 11:45 >>Dr. Wes Youngberg: Well, the first step for all of us, 11:47 you know, it's been said that, uh, 11:50 of the 318 million people in the U.S. that were alive in 2012, 11:57 a full 45 million of us, John, will have Alzheimer's, 12:02 uh, in our lifetime. 12:03 So, and that's scary, especially since actually about four times 12:09 that many of people would have Alzheimer's, but they died 12:11 from something else before they could actually be diagnosed 12:14 with Alzheimer's. 12:16 So, even those of us who don't have the genetic predisposition, 12:20 the APOE4 mutation that dramatically increases risk 12:24 for Alzheimer's, even amongst those, 1/2 of us, 12:28 okay, about 40 to 50 percent, will develop Alzheimer's 12:32 after age 85, even without the genetic mutation. 12:36 If we have the genetic mutation, 12:38 that happens 10 to 20 years earlier. 12:41 And so, in other words, we're all at risk. 12:43 >>John: Right. 12:44 >>Dr. Youngberg: We all, every single one of us, 12:45 have significant risk, and so we should be paying attention 12:48 to the principles of prevention. 12:49 >>John: And everybody realizes that this thing is on the rise. 12:53 Uh, a generation ago, no one knew anyone suffering 12:56 from Alzheimer's. 12:57 Today, everybody knows someone. 12:58 >>Dr. Youngberg: Yes. 13:00 >>John: Memory care centers have been built left and right. 13:01 >>Dr. Youngberg: Yes. 13:02 >>John: There's an Alzheimer's unit here and there, and there, 13:04 and everywhere else. It's growing, growing, growing. 13:06 So this is something, 13:08 this is something very seriously we need to look at. 13:10 And why are we talking it, talking about it 13:12 on It Is Written? 13:13 The Bible says that your body is "the temple of the Holy Spirit." 13:15 So, the more you can do to protect this thing and keep it 13:19 in a way that honors God and keep it shipshape, 13:22 the better off you're going to be. 13:23 Why would you suffer from something you don't need 13:25 to suffer from, particularly when your body is not your own? 13:28 We've been "bought at a price." 13:29 So let's talk about some of these concrete steps 13:32 for avoiding or preventing Alzheimer's. 13:35 >>Dr. Youngberg: When I was a, when I was a young teenager, 13:38 the favorite book that I read was called 13:40 "The Ministry of Healing." 13:41 And if you haven't read that book, 13:43 I encourage the, the, the viewers of this show 13:46 to get that book. 13:47 I'm sure they can get it right from here. 13:49 And it, the book basically outlines the major foundational 13:53 principles of lifestyle medicine, 13:54 what we can do to optimize our health right now, 13:58 even before we even understand we have risk. 14:00 It begins with optimizing nutrition. 14:03 It begins by not, not just, not just thinking 14:07 that we're eating healthy, because, you know, 14:08 we're comparing ourselves to what somebody else eats, 14:11 but to, to ask the question, 14:12 what is actually best for me right now? 14:15 And that begins with just getting a lot of colors. 14:18 You know, so if we had to simplify this to one principle, 14:21 it's get lots of colors, lots of greens, 14:23 lots of reds, lots of blues. 14:25 Not Skittles, Fruit Loops, and-- 14:27 >>John: Right. 14:27 >>Dr. Youngberg: ...and lollipops. 14:28 >>John: Right. 14:29 >>Dr. Youngberg: [laughs] Those are colorful, 14:30 but those are artificial colors, right? 14:32 We want to get, uh, colors that come to us from nature. 14:35 Those very colors, John, those very pigments are actually 14:39 the phytochemicals that turn your genes on or off, 14:43 that activate your genes, either promoting disease 14:47 or turning off, uh, the genes of disease. 14:50 So, the, the right colors from the right foods will literally 14:54 turn the healing genes on and turn the disease genes off. 14:58 >>John: Here's what's really interesting about this, 15:01 is that we're talking about a destructive disease, 15:04 a rampant disease, and it's becoming more rampant. 15:06 We're talking about how to prevent it, and, 15:08 and you haven't, you haven't said you need to get 15:10 this chemical or this drug; you've gone real simple. 15:13 This is going to strike a lot of people as being 15:15 just way too simple. 15:16 >>Dr. Youngberg: [chuckles] Well, it's so simple 15:19 the researchers actually have proven this over and over 15:21 and over again. 15:22 The researchers at Chicago Rush Institute have, 15:26 have discovered years ago that just people, elderly, 15:29 who get two cups of green leafy vegetables a day-- 15:32 you know, how many people do that?-- 15:34 but if they do that, they have a brain health 15:36 that's at least five years younger than their peers. 15:38 >>John: Mm. 15:39 >>Dr. Youngberg: So it dramatically staves off, 15:41 it slows down the progress 15:43 that normally leads to dementia over time. 15:45 >>John: And let's be honest, I don't, I don't want to be 15:47 indelicate about it, uh, but I guess I might be. 15:50 The standard American diet is...garbage. 15:53 >>Dr. Youngberg: That's why they call it "SAD," 15:55 Standard American Diet. >>John: Standard American Diet. 15:57 >>Dr. Youngberg: It is very sad. 15:58 >>John: I think if most people, 16:00 most people stopped and looked, we'd be saying, 16:02 "Mm, the truth is my diet's not what it ought to be." 16:05 I think perhaps we don't realize the unfortunate results 16:10 of going down that road. 16:11 Maybe we don't realize there's gonna be payday someday 16:14 if we don't do something about our diet. 16:16 So, so leafy green vegetables and lots of colors. 16:18 What else would you recommend? 16:19 >>Dr. Youngberg: Yeah. You know, the key is 16:21 basically colorful fruits, but the, but the base 16:23 of a brain-healthy diet is lots and lots of the non-starchy 16:29 green leafys, colorful vegetables, and colorful fruits, 16:33 like blueberries. 16:34 >>John: Mm-hmm. 16:35 >>Dr. Youngberg: Lot of good research on how 16:36 organic blueberries, in particular, are really good 16:39 for the brain. 16:40 Nuts, seeds, uh, are extremely beneficial. 16:44 Avocados are very beneficial. 16:46 Olives are especially beneficial. 16:49 Olives are known to have a chemical called oleocanthal 16:52 in them that literally block the toxins that damage the brain 16:57 and, and help those cells, those brain cells continue to grow 17:01 like they should, and the new brain cells 17:03 that we're all developing every day actually can, 17:06 can survive long enough if we're using these natural foods 17:11 on a daily basis. 17:12 >>John: Now, what I'm going to do in just a moment, 17:14 I'm going to ask you, uh, to talk to me 17:16 about what you've seen. 17:18 Well, there are other things that we can do to prevent 17:19 Alzheimer's as well, and, and Alzheimer's, 17:22 uh, under that cover-all banner of dementia, 17:24 there are other things we can do, 17:25 you'll tell me about those, 17:26 but I also want to hear about the evidence. 17:30 Bob did this, Bob was here, Bob did this, Bob is now here. 17:34 So, in a moment we'll find out 17:36 that this absolutely really does work. 17:39 Back with more with Dr. Wes Youngberg in just a moment. 17:43 ♪[music]♪ 17:51 >>Dr. Youngberg: Hello. I'm Dr. Wes Youngberg, 17:53 and I've just written a book called "Memory Makeover: 17:55 How to Prevent Alzheimer's and Reverse Cognitive Decline." 18:00 This book is in story form. 18:01 It's case studies of individuals that I have worked with 18:04 and my colleagues have worked with where they've actually been 18:07 able to stop cognitive decline, and 80 percent of the time 18:11 have been able to reverse aspects of cognitive decline. 18:15 If you want to know more about that, 18:16 get the book "Memory Makeover." 18:21 >>John Bradshaw: Most everybody wants to live a little longer, 18:25 a little healthier, and a little happier. 18:28 But the question is, how can you experience that life? 18:33 Jesus said that He came into the world that we might have life 18:36 "more abundantly." 18:38 Evidently it's what God wants us to have. 18:41 So don't miss "Life and Longevity" 18:44 with special guest Dr. David DeRose. 18:48 We uncover simple secrets of the Bible, attainable secrets, 18:53 the things that God presents to us that are guaranteed 18:56 to enhance our lives, and at the same time 18:59 open up our hearts and minds to receive more 19:03 of the Holy Spirit of God. 19:05 "Life and Longevity," 19:07 Bible secrets to living the abundant life 19:09 that God wants you to have, 19:12 featuring special guest Dr. David DeRose. 19:16 "Life and Longevity" on It Is Written TV. 19:22 >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for joining me on It Is Written. 19:24 I'm John Bradshaw. My guest is Dr. Wes Youngberg, 19:27 whose new book is "Memory Makeover," 19:29 talks about preventing and even reversing Alzheimer's 19:33 and other forms of dementia. 19:35 Jesus said He came to the world that we "might have life" 19:38 and "have it more abundantly," and you and I both know 19:41 there's not much abundance in a life that is riddled 19:44 by some of these really difficult diseases. 19:47 Dr. Youngberg, we've talked about the importance of diet 19:49 in preventing Alzheimer's. 19:51 Give me one, two, three, four, however many, 19:53 uh, more steps there might be or things we can do to prevent 19:57 diseases such as Alzheimer's. 19:58 >>Dr. Wes Youngberg: Yeah, so we can not only prevent-- 20:00 and to clarify, 20:01 we're talking about reversing cognitive decline. 20:03 >>John: Sure. 20:04 >>Dr. Youngberg: Beginning to reverse that process, 20:06 seeing visible, uh, functional physiologic evidence 20:10 that people can get better. 20:11 >>John: Sure. 20:12 >>Dr. Youngberg: So, so the, the key principle 20:14 is that we start out with nutrition. 20:15 There's a lot, we could spend hours talking about 20:18 how to optimize nutrition, but there's some basic principles 20:21 there, and we just need to use common sense, 20:23 but then we need to focus on healthy foods, 20:26 foods that are rich in nutrients, 20:29 things that we can grow in the soil. 20:31 We need to eat a lot more of those foods. 20:33 Uh, number two is exercise. 20:35 There is little doubt; in fact, some of the best evidence 20:39 is that's the very first thing 20:40 that we should take advantage of. 20:42 You know, some of us are really caught in a, in a, 20:46 with a big challenge with diet, and we're really struggling, 20:48 and it, it's hard to have the willpower to actually eat 20:51 a healthy diet. 20:52 So, maybe the very first thing, John, 20:54 that we should be focusing on is getting on a, a reasonable 20:59 but consistent daily exercise program. 21:01 >>John: Mm-hmm. 21:02 >>Dr. Youngberg: So, exercise not only makes us feel better, 21:06 so we're better able to make good decisions, right? 21:10 But, uh, and, and start taking advantage 21:14 of the other strategies, it actually makes us sleep better, 21:17 and when we sleep better, 21:19 we also make a lot better decisions. 21:22 Uh, so, but exercise specifically stimulates 21:25 the, the glial cells in the brain. 21:27 These are the structural immune cells in the brain 21:30 that can release a hormone-like substance called BDNF, 21:34 or brain-derived neurotrophic factor. 21:37 I've, I've heard you talking about this on, on other shows 21:40 in this program, 21:41 and, and this BDNF literally heals brain cells. 21:46 It literally heals the synapses that hold the memories 21:50 that are not plugged into, into the proper connections. 21:53 And so when we, when the brain is able to produce more 21:55 of this hormone, the brain heals, 21:58 and we're able to remember better. 22:00 We're able to have better cognition. 22:01 Well, exercise just happens to be one of the, 22:04 if not the most powerful, strategy that we know of, 22:07 in the medical literature, to stimulate this process. 22:11 >>John: Does, uh, sleep have any part to play in this? 22:14 >>Dr. Youngberg: Uh, it has such a big part 22:16 that if we don't figure out sleep properly, 22:19 we're going to be sliding in this progression 22:22 of cognitive decline for the rest of our lives, 22:26 uh, and, and if we, and if we're already noticing 22:30 cognitive decline, if we don't figure out the sleep, 22:33 sleep problem, we're going to slide faster. 22:36 >>John: There are people who say, 22:37 "I can get by on four hours a night." 22:39 Can they really? 22:40 >>Dr. Youngberg: No. No. 22:41 I, I can tell you, case study after case study, 22:44 unless somebody gets a good night's rest, 22:48 uh, they're, they're on their way towards cognitive decline. 22:52 >>John: Are there other steps people can take to improve 22:54 their, uh, cognitive function? 22:56 >>Dr. Youngberg: One of the simplest things 22:58 is just drink enough water. 22:59 You know, the way our body is wired, 23:01 the way our, our feelings are wired, we don't realize 23:05 that we're dehydrated most of the day and night. 23:08 And so, you can't operate by your feelings 23:12 when it comes to health. 23:14 We need to be in touch with our feelings, 23:16 but if you only drink water or eat or sleep 23:20 when you feel like it, you're in trouble. [laughs] 23:24 You're, you're on the way toward some serious 23:26 health complications. 23:28 And so, what I suggest to my patients is that 23:32 when they first wake up, that one of the first things they do 23:35 is drink between 16 and 20 ounces of water. 23:39 So I actually go downstairs and take some filtered water, 23:42 put it on the stove, and heat it up, and then I add 23:45 some little organic lemon on it, 23:46 so I have my, my mug of warmed hot water-- 23:49 >>John: Man, I'm glad I'm in good company. 23:51 >>Dr. Youngberg: ...and drink that down. 23:51 >>John: I do exactly the same thing. 23:53 Except no lemons are harmed in the preparation of my water. 23:55 >>Dr. Youngberg: You don't have to have lemon. 23:57 >>John: Otherwise, same. 23:58 >>Dr. Youngberg: So, so, when we wake up, 24:00 everybody's horribly dehydrated. 24:02 Just a one-percent decrease in your body weight 24:05 because of dehydration already is affecting cognition 24:08 in a dramatic way. 24:09 You're not making good decisions. 24:11 You may, instead of talking nicely to your spouse, 24:14 you're talking roughly. 24:15 It, it's amazing how just a, a good drink of water can change 24:20 your predis--your disposition in life. 24:22 >>John: Mm-hmm. 24:23 >>Dr. Youngberg: So make sure you're hydrated properly 24:25 first thing in the morning. 24:26 Try to get that about 20 minutes before breakfast, 24:28 and then at mid-morning and mid-afternoon, 24:30 those are the second and third most important times 24:32 to get your water. 24:34 Even if you have to set your smartphone for 10 o'clock 24:37 and 3 o'clock, make sure you get that water, 24:39 'cause it you don't, you're impaired mentally, physically. 24:43 >>John: I think I could answer this question myself, 24:45 but I would prefer that you do it. 24:47 So someone goes to the physician and says, 24:48 "You know, I, I really wanna try to fight back this thing. 24:52 "I'm gonna, I'm gonna eat well and drink well and exercise 24:54 and get more sleep," and, and so forth. 24:57 I can just imagine, and, and I don't mean this 24:59 in a cynical sense, but I can imagine certain individuals 25:01 in the medical community saying, "It's not that easy. 25:05 It's not that simple. We have medication," and so forth. 25:08 Because there's a, there's a certain culture 25:10 that's very much wired that way. Not everybody. 25:13 What do you say to that person who might get some push-back? 25:16 Or what do you say to that physician perhaps 25:17 who might be thinking, "No, we, we know better than this"? 25:21 >>Dr. Youngberg: Well, actually I spend quite a bit of my time 25:23 lecturing to doctors at conferences on this topic. 25:27 And, um, fortunately I'm getting a lot of positive feedback-- 25:31 >>John: Mm, good. 25:32 >>Dr. Youngberg: ...from many doctors 25:33 in the medical community, because, you know, 25:34 if, if you're a doctor, and you really care for your patient, 25:37 you're always looking for something that's reasonable. 25:39 And so, you know, patients, depending on their level 25:44 of cognitive decline, um, 25:47 we need to start at the most fundamental place. 25:50 And so there may be various medicines or other strategies 25:54 that we need to introduce at a certain point, 25:56 if somebody has progressed in their dementia. 25:59 But regardless of what else we do medically, 26:02 if we don't address the fundamentals, 26:05 pretty much everything else we do 26:06 is not going to work very well. 26:07 >>John: Okay, sure. 26:08 >>Dr. Youngberg: Almost guaranteed. 26:09 So when we take care of the fundamentals, 26:12 it can be a dramatic factor in preventing that slide 26:15 into dementia. 26:16 >>John: I appreciate you taking the time to give us hope. 26:18 He's Dr. Wes Youngberg, and his book is "Memory Makeover: 26:21 "How to Prevent Alzheimer's and Reverse Cognitive Decline 26:24 the Natural Way." 26:25 And we'll talk again, because in our next program 26:28 I want to pick your brains about what it means 26:30 and what it takes to reverse some of this. 26:33 So, Dr. Youngberg, thank you, thank you very much. 26:35 >>Dr. Youngberg: Pleasure to be here, John. 26:36 >>John: Thanks. 26:38 >>John: Thank you for remembering that It Is Written 26:40 exists because of the kindness of people just like you. 26:43 To support this international life-changing ministry, 26:46 please call us now at 800-253-3000. 26:51 You can send your tax-deductible gift 26:52 to the address on your screen, 26:54 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 26:57 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. 27:00 Our number again is 800-253-3000, 27:05 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 27:08 >>John Bradshaw: Let's pray together now. 27:09 ♪[soft music]♪ 27:10 Our Father in heaven, 27:11 we come in Jesus' name, thanking You today for hope 27:14 in the midst of real difficulty. 27:16 We thank You that there is a way out of and even back from 27:19 some of life's real challenges. 27:22 And as we apply some of these principles we've learned 27:25 just now, we look to You to add Your blessing, 27:29 Your miracle-working power, and restoration. 27:32 We thank You for life more abundantly in Jesus Christ, 27:37 and it is in His name we pray, amen. 27:41 Thanks so much for joining us. 27:42 Looking forward to seeing you again next time. 27:44 Until then, remember: 27:45 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 27:49 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 27:52 ♪[inspiring theme music]♪ |
Revised 2020-07-06