For a Healthy Brain, Walk to a Coffee Shop

The Master of the Key warned about it. Whitley Strieber wrote about it in Hybrids. Now US scientists say that they’re on the point of creating memories that can be implanted into the human brain.

To construct the memory circuits, the scientists use a liquid alloy of gallium and indium, set in water-based gels that can be implanted into the brain. On the Register website, Rik Myslewski quotes researcher Michael Dickey as saying, "We’ve created a memory device with the physical properties of Jell-O. Our memory device is soft and pliable, and functions extremely well in wet environments–similar to the human brain." This would be a CURE for Alzheimer’s.

But until you can get implanted, remember this: The extent to which we move through our environments as we carry out our daily lives–from home to garden to workplace and beyond–has more significance than we might imagine. Researchers have discovered that our "life space" is intimately linked with whether or not we develop Alzheimer’s disease. seniors who have a constricted life space are almost twice as likely to develop as seniors whose life space extends well beyond the home. This means we should get into the habit of getting out (preferably for a walk), where we can sniff the flowers, listen to the birds, watch the dogs, wave at the babies, and generally people-watch.

One way to do this is to make your way to an outdoor cafe. These are ubiquitous in Europe, where there is less Alzheimer’s, but much rarer in the US. Maybe instead of sneering at "Freedom Fries," we should adopt some Gallic habits. And coffee wards off Alzheimer’s (especially if you drink it out of a Dreamland Festival mug)! A mystery ingredient in coffee protects the brain–however, this doesn’t work with decaf or instant coffee, you have to drink the real thing.

In the June 22nd edition of the Orlando Sentinel, Linda Shrieves quotes researcher Chuanhai Cao as saying, "Because Alzheimer’s starts in the brain several decades before it is diagnosed, any protective therapy would obviously need to be taken for decades. We believe moderate daily consumption of caffeinated coffee is the best current option for long-term protection against Alzheimer’s memory loss. Coffee is inexpensive, readily available, easily gets into the brain, appears to directly attack the disease process and has few side effects for most of us."

Areas of the brain affected by Alzheimer’s disease may start shrinking up to a decade before dementia is diagnosed, which is why it’s important to KEEP MOVING: It’s never too late for women to reap the benefits of moderate aerobic exercise. In a 3-month study of 16 women age 60 and older, brisk walking for 30-50 minutes three or four times per week improved the blood flow through their brains by as much as 15%. In Anne Strieber’s diet book, she has a special chapter on exercise titled "The Tyranny of the Body," in which she states unequivocally that walking is the very best exercise there is, and now we know why: It exercises the brain as well.