The Memory Prescription: Dr. Gary Small's 14-Day Plan to Keep Your Brain and Body Young - Softcover

Small MD, Gary; Vorgan, Gigi

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0786888776 ISBN 13: 9780786888771

Verlag: Balance, 2005

Inhaltsangabe

In his bestselling book The Memory Bible, Dr. Gary Small showed us how to improve our memory by changing our diet and lifestyle and by incorporating physical and mental exercise. Now, in response to readers' requests, Dr. Small offers The Memory Prescription -- a simple, effective two-week program to improve memory quickly. Based on years of medical research at one of the country's leading memory loss institutions, Dr. Small focuses on 'the Big 4' : mental activity, healthy brain and body diet, stress reduction, and physical fitness, and he offers a step-by-step regimen that can be customized to each reader's specific needs.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Gary Small, M.D., is director of the UCLA Longevity Center. Named one of the world’s leading innovators in science and technology by Scientific American, he appears frequently on Today, Good Morning America, PBS, and CNN. He is also author of the bestselling The Memory Bible.

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The Memory Prescription

Dr. Gary Small's 14-Day Plan to Keep Your Brain and Body YoungBy Gary Small

Hyperion Books

Copyright © 2005 Gary Small
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780786888771

Chapter One

Welcome to My Office

If you want things to stay as they are, things will have to change. -Giuseppe di Lampedusa

You're at a party with your wife when you spot a familiar face across the room. He waves. You know the guy but you can't recall his name. He starts toward you as you run the alphabet through your head-you're up to "L" and still no name comes to mind. He's two yards away with a giant grin on his face-M, N, O, P ... He pumps your hand and says, "Gary! How the heck are you? You look great, Gary. Must be that clean living and Gigi's good cooking, huh? Nice to see you again too, Gigi." Gigi, equally stumped, stammers, "Nice to see YOU." You're sweating. He's already said your name three more times and you know that he knows that you've forgotten his. Just then your friend Sue walks up and you're saved! Surely she'll get his name. "Sue!" you bellow as if she were the last sip of water in the Sahara. You turn to the guy, "Have you met Sue?" He smiles and shakes her hand, "Haven't had the pleasure." Sue mumbles something about spicy stuffed mushrooms and walks off. The guy won't give you a break, and you've gone too far to ask his name now. Embarrassing? You bet. Uncommon? Not in the least.

Although memory challenges affect people of all ages, most of us complain of increasing forgetfulness as we age. To date, no one has yet located an actual "fountain of youth" on this planet, but I am among the billions awaiting a first sighting. In the meantime, I have spent several years developing a scientifically sound program to help my patients keep their brains and bodies young, and I present that program to you in this book.

Of course no one can escape getting older, but we can slow down the process and avoid many age-related conditions that may interfere with life's pleasures. My 14-Day Memory Prescription (Chapter 3) will keep you on track by helping you focus on the four major areas where we can and must take control of our lives in order to achieve the highest quality longevity. The 14-Day Memory Prescription combines memory training, stress reduction, physical conditioning, and a healthy diet allowing you to dramatically improve your memory, health, and vitality. You will look and feel younger and sharper in just two weeks time.

It would be impossible to literally see every reader in my office to personally design their program; however, this book is organized to provide you with a similar experience. The 14-Day Memory Prescription lets you instantly begin your program for achieving quality longevity, which I define as remaining healthy, mentally fit, and youthful looking throughout a long and productive life.

Many of my patients are stressed-out high-achievers with multiple responsibilities at home and on the job. They often consult me because they have heard about research breakthroughs on healthy aging or new memory techniques, and they want to keep their brains and bodies in peak performance. Some contact me because they have already begun to experience mild memory changes or concerns; or perhaps they have relatives with Alzheimer's disease, prompting them to begin protecting their brains as early as possible.

People are sometimes mystified by how aging sneaks up on them. I often suggest imagining a slow-growing weed with four wily tendrils-stress, physical laziness, mental inactivity, and a bad fatty diet-growing in your garden. Left untended, these nasty tendrils begin wrapping around your healthy plants, strangling the youth and vitality right out of your flowers. Unless you become a responsible gardener, the aging weed can take over. Take the case of Michael C....

Michael C. checks his watch-only 3:15 P.M. He rubs his tired eyes and pushes back from his desk. It's piled so high with briefs and depositions, he can hardly see the phone, which miraculously hasn't rung in over 30 seconds. He massages his neck, which feels like a rock from all the tension he's holding there-it kept him up half the night again. Glancing out the window, he sees two joggers turn the corner, and tries to remember where he put the number of that trainer Dr. Frank recommended. But hell, who's got time to work out anyway? Every lawyer on the eighth floor is vying for the partner promotion, and at 44, Michael's not the youngest rooster in the henhouse.

He crosses the hall to get some coffee and manages to snag the last glazed doughnut. It won't help lower his cholesterol, but he really needs some energy to get through the afternoon. Turning back to his office, Michael practically mows over Harrison J., Senior Partner and Boss, spilling coffee on his shoe. Michael apologizes but the Boss snaps, "Why weren't you at this morning's staff meeting?" Michael looks confused. "Isn't that tomorrow morning?" Boss laughs-and not very nicely. "Better have your memory checked, pal. you're developing a serious problem there. Hey, Jimmy-boy!" Boss calls to another associate and heads down the hall. Michael watches in pain-the slight migraine he's been staving off all day suddenly sets in, full force.

He didn't need a blunder like this-not now. And he has been forgetting a lot. His heart races as he heads for the safety of his office. The phone is ringing and three lines are fleshing and as Michael tries not to hyperventilate, he remembers Dr. Frank saying, "Your cholesterol is sky-high. And you're under too much stress! Keep doing what you're doing and you'll be dead before you're 45!"

When Michael C. walked into my office soon after this experience, he was terrified about losing his ability to work and live normally. He said he couldn't concentrate and that he was losing his memory, and he was only 44. He wanted a full battery of psychological and neurological testing, and he desperately wanted to make sure he didn't have a brain tumor or some rare disease.

I asked Michael about his lifestyle-his dietary habits, physical conditioning, stress levels, workload, as well as his health history. He took a memory assessment test, and I checked for previous depression or anxiety problems. We discussed his health concerns including cholesterol and blood pressure control, and I did standard blood tests to make sure there were no immediate physical problems.

By the end of the assessment, it became clear that Michael C. was experiencing severe chronic stress. This stress was affecting his memory, as well as threatening his overall physical health. He needed a prescription, and I knew just what to write.

Michael C. left my clinic optimistic and self-assured. Although he didn't get the battery of unnecessary tests that he originally thought he needed, Michael left with something better-a personalized Memory Prescription that allowed him to immediately reduce his stress levels, improve his overall physical health, regain and improve his memory abilities, and begin a healthy longevity program to keep his brain and body young.

The latest scientific studies show that for all of us to achieve the highest level of quality longevity, we need to focus on the Big 4-the four most important areas to address if we are ever to slow, stop, or possibly reverse the aging process: mental activity, physical activity, stress reduction, and healthy...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Balance
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2005
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0786888776
• ISBN 13: 9780786888771
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 384
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: HACHETTE LIVRE SA; https://www.hachette.fr/; ; 1 AVENUE GUTENBERG; MAUREPAS CEDEX; 78319; Frankreich