The late pioneer heart surgeon Michael DeBakey attributed his longevity to genetics and not smoking. However, Alzheimer’s disease and brain longevity expert Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D. believes that mental exercise and brain aerobics played a big role.
Tucson, AZ, August 06, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, one of the United States’ most eminent heart doctors, died recently at the ripe old age of 99 years.
Being the first to develop and perform surgical heart bypass surgery, as well as many other medical innovations, Dr. DeBakey worked and performed surgeries well into his 80’s.
Before his death, he was asked about the secret to his longevity. He gave credit to good family genes and having never smoked.
Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., president and medical director of the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation (http://www.AlzheimersPrevention.org) — and America’s #1 brain longevity specialist — believes other factors may have also contributed to Dr. DeBakey’s long and active life.
“Just as your body needs strength building activities to keep fit, so does your brain.” Dr. Khalsa explains, “You need to carefully nurture your brain with vigorous mental exercise, what I call ‘brain aerobics’.”
According to Dr. Khalsa, Dr. DeBakey’s ritual of starting his day early in the morning, writing for two hours before leaving his house, working at the hospital until early evening, reading or writing again before bed was key in keeping his brain fit and active.
A diligent course of brain exercises, such as reading and writing everyday, is paramount to staving off age-related memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease.
Numerous studies have shown that memory loss and mental decline do not have to be an inevitable part of the aging process. In fact, Dr. Khalsa says, brain degeneration can be prevented or even reversed through an integrated health program consisting of what he calls the Four Pillars to Building a Better Memory: proper diet and vitamins, stress management, exercise, and medication.
Brain aerobics is an important element of the Four Pillars because it is the key to maintaining a sharp memory. Just like physical exercise increases blood flow and oxygen to the muscles, mental exercise increases blood and oxygen to the brain, thereby improving neural cell growth.
As reported by the non-profit organization Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation (http://www.AlzheimersPrevention.org) (ARPF), regular participation in brain aerobics has shown to reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease by up to 70%.
The ARPF, founded by Dr. Khalsa, believes an integrative medical approach utilizing the best of conventional, as well as alternative medical practices such as diet, brain specific nutrients, stress management, physical, and mental exercise, offers the best chance of preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
The Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation is the leading non-profit organization in the country dedicated to the prevention of memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease. Its mission is to reduce the overall incidence of Alzheimer’s disease through clinical research and to provide public information in the form of educational outreach.
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