The Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation (ARPF) is dedicated to the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease by funding research studies and providing educational outreach and memory screenings.
INSIDE
On the Cover:
• President’s Message
Page 2:
• Managing Social Media
for ARPF
Page 3:
• New Certification Program
• What Others Are Saying
Page 4:
• Outreach Update
Page 5:
• ARPF Research Update
Page 6-7:
• Donor List – Thank You!
Page 8:
• Help ARPF Go Green!
PRESIDENT/MEDICAL DIRECTOR
Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D.
VICE PRESIDENT
Randal Brooks, MA, LPC
TREASURER Silvia Serrano, BA, MBA
SECRETARY
Kirti K. Khalsa
MEMBER
Edward Steinfeldt, MA
MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COUNCIL
Chief Science Officer
George Perry, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor, College of Sciences
University of Texas at San Antonio, TX
Ma Gloria Borras-Boneu, M.D.
GRD Health Institute – Barcelona, Spain
Hiroko H. Dodge, Ph.D.
Kevreson Research Professor of Neurology
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Oregon Health & Science University,
Portland, OR
Karen E. Innes, MSPH, Ph.D.
Western Virginia University School of Public Health – Morgantown, WV
Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Brigham and Women’s Hospital – Boston, MA
Miia Kivipelto, M.D., Ph.D.
Aging Research Center and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Karolinska Institute – Stockholm, Sweden
Helen Lavretsky, M.D., M.S.
Professor, Department of Psychiatry UCLA Semel Institute and Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital – Los Angeles, CA
Arti Prasad, M.D., FACP
Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine
Executive Director, UNM Center for Life Albuquerque, NM
Michelle Sierpina, Ph.D.
Founding Director
UTMB Osher Institute for Lifelong Learning University of Texas Medical Branch – Galveston, TX
“The 4 Pillars of Alzheimer’s Prevention” is published
quarterly by the Alzheimer’s
Research & Prevention Foundation
Why Women Are Still Getting Crushed By Alzheimer’s
Dear Friend,About two years ago, I shared with you that women were taking the brunt of the Alzheimer’s epidemic. Well, unfortunately, it’s still true.Several very recent articles in leading medical journals like Menopause and Alzheimer’s and Dementia, are trying to tackle this burgeoning issue. They enumerated multiple vulnerabilities women have that increase their risk for developing Alzheimer’s. Indeed, two-thirds of the over 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s are women, and they account for about 65% of the more than 15 million unpaid caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease.Moreover, as real a concern as breast cancer is to women’s health, women in their 60’s are about twice as likely in their lifetime to get Alzheimer’s as breast cancer. One risk factor may be that women live longer than men, and age is the greatest risk factor, but this theory seems to only account for a portion of the higher risk. Studies are pointing at mid-life brain changes, starting in the late 40s and into the 50s, and specifically at how post-menopausal women show clear changes in how they process new learning and retrieval of information. Therefore, lower levels of the hormones estradiol and estrogen seem to play a significant role in memory function with age.
The good news is that there is emerging science that once again reveals that your ARPF’s 4 Pillars of Alzheimer’s Prevention will help everyone, men and women, to decrease their risk.
One factor, stress, is now discussed as a major risk factor in women.
My advice is to learn about stress management and, more importantly, follow all of our 4 Pillars. Most importantly, please avail yourself to our scientifically proven, simple, affordable, fast, and highly effective 12 minute, stress-relieving, brain-enhancing exercise called Kirtan Kriya.
Right now you can enjoy this exercise and also order the easy, 11-page booklet that explains it all called How To Meditate. They are available at www.alzheimersprevention.org.
As the year is quickly coming to an end, I want to thank you for your continued support. Please consider a year-end donation to fund awareness and research programs that help all individuals at risk.
With my warmest wishes for a safe and Happy Holiday Season and a Healthy and Happy New Year.
Yours in Brain Health,
DHARMA SINGH KHALSA, M.D.
Founding President/Medical Director
What It’s Like – to Manage the Social Media for ARPF
by Caitlin King-Khoury
I was drawn to the Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation because this is a cause I care about on a personal level. My aunt passed away last year after a 15-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease, and watching her memory fade and body deteriorate over the years was heartbreaking. Even more heartbreaking was watching the emotional and physical toll it took on my uncle – her husband of fifty years and primary caregiver.
The ARPF’s research on holistic prevention is a glimmer of hope that if we start early with healthy habits and the utilization of The Four Pillars of Prevention, it is possible to stave off Alzheimer’s.
As the Social Media Manager for the ARPF, I help get the word out about our research, events, new findings, and tips for promoting brain health so that we can reduce the number of people afflicted with this disease in the future.
If these lifestyle changes can prevent you or your loved one from suffering the way my aunt and uncle have, it is our job to share this message and these strategies with as many people as possible. We hope you will help us by following ARPF on social media, and spreading the word about your ARPF.
Announcing New Certification in Fitness for Alzheimer’s Prevention
Are you a health-fitness professional looking to expand your practice to reach vulnerable populations at risk for Alzheimer’s disease? If so, check out
our exciting new Certification Course in Fitness for Alzheimer’s Prevention.
This certification program is designed with the busy sports or wellness professional in mind, and can be completed online when it fits into your schedule. The course starts with a five-hour Introduction to Alzheimer’s disease class, covering topics that range from risk factors to prevention and more. The second course, Exercise Prescription for Alzheimer’s Prevention and Intervention, focuses on an evidence based preventive physical exercise program. Both courses provide materials that practitioners can use in working with clients, and employers or patients will be able to easily verify your certification online.
In an age where Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, we welcome you to add this important tool to your wellness and prevention strategies, and help promote your clients’ longevity and wellbeing. Visit itrain.alzheimersprevention.org to find out more!
This course is brought to you by a special partnership between ARPF, Fitness Learning Systems, and the Medical Fitness Network.
What Others Are Saying About ARPF
ARPF’s 4 Pillars of Alzheimer’s Prevention program brochures have been a wonderful resource for me to utilize in our retirement community and short term rehab. The patients seem very happy to realize that there are ways that they can take control to prevent memory loss. The thought of memory loss/Alzheimer’s is very scary.
The “Brain Aerobics” brochure is great because it provides simple, easy ways to keep the brain active. My patients are often pleasantly surprised at how many of the activities they already complete and others that can be easily incorporated into their daily activities.
Diana
Speech Language Pathologist,
West Chester, PA
Outreach Update:
ARPF joins health “champions” of the Health Improvement Plan of Maricopa County, Arizona
by Le Craven, ARPF Office Manager
This fall, ARPF stepped up to join 100 other health “champion” organizations serving Maricopa County, Arizona, who are dedicated to “impact real-time, critical health issues where we live, where we work, where we learn, and where we seek care”. The Health Improvement Plan for Maricopa County, HIPMC, was launched in 2012 with a firm focus on five public health issues that rose to the top during a lengthy county-wide assessment, namely: Obesity; Diabetes; Lung Cancer; Cardiovascular Disease; and Access to Health Care.
These issues were selected both because of their widespread impact on many citizens in Maricopa, the 4th largest county in the US, and because it was believed significant improvements could be achieved on many levels over the 5-year life of the plan.
ARPF is collaborating with other local nonprofits and government agencies to bring its specific knowledge to their staff and the communities they serve with the goal of helping to address these conditions. Obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease are risk factors for dementia and all respond positively to healthy lifestyle choices like those included in ARPF’s 4 Pillars of Alzheimer’s Prevention Program.
The strength of the 4 Pillars Program is that it easily explains proper prevention strategies to reap benefits for both body and brain health. ARPF’s clinical research shows stress management (Pillar 2) reaps multiple benefits for both body and brain health. For example, as we age or contract a disease like those above, we are less able to handle stress and lower the harmful stress hormone, cortisol, which damages cells in the brain’s memory center. When stress-relaxation techniques are used regularly, benefits include lowered cortisol, improved mental function, improved heart function, reduced anxiety, lessened chronic pain and increased longevity. A huge impact for a modest investment of time!
For a free copy of The Four Pillars of Alzheimer’s Prevention brochure, or one to share, please go to our website, click on “Store” and “Free Publications.”
ARPF Research Update
We are delighted to share news about two young medical professionals whose enthusiasm for the prevention of Alzheimer’s is already making an impact in the field. Not only are they making significant contributions to this important body of work, but they’re inspiring us with evidence that the team of professionals dedicated to Alzheimer’s prevention is just growing larger, and includes some truly outstanding members of the next generation. During this Thanksgiving season, that’s even more to be grateful for.
Following is some information about these two dedicated professionals:
HARRIS EYRE, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Eyre is a physician and researcher from Melbourne, Australia who recently completed a Fulbright Scholarship at UCLA, under the mentorship of Helen Lavretsky, M.D. This is where he became interested in integrative medicine and yoga as a therapeutic modality. He won the International Psychogeriatric Association (IPA) 2016 Junior Research Awards as a result of his work on the ARPF-sponsored study on Kirtan Kriya Yoga Meditation for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).
In the study that earned him this honor, researchers looked at the effects of yoga meditation on adults with MCI. They compared the effects of Memory Enhancement Training (MET) to the effects of yoga, and across all outcomes found that yoga provided benefits equal to or greater than MET. Findings included that “verbal memory improvements were equal for yoga and MET at 3 months, but better for yoga at 6 months;” “executive function improvements were greater for yoga than MET at both 3 and 6 months;” and “yoga had greater impact” in terms of lessening the symptoms of depression, as described in Dr. Eyre’s presentation slides. The full findings can be found in the article published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 52(2), April 2016.
Harris Eyre, MD is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Adelaide and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne and Deakin University, Australia.
DAVINA SASSOON
Davina graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington and is now a third-year medical school student who is taking the Complementary and Integrative Medicine elective at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. She became so interested in the results of Kirtan Kriya (KK) application that she wrote one of the best written articles on this yoga meditation technique that we have seen to date. Of particular interest in this article is how effective KK is, including how it works better than relaxation alone. The applicability of this yoga to patients, caregivers, and healthcare workers is so exciting. Since activity level and mobility prerequisites are not necessary, KK could prove helpful for so many people, possibly those who could use it most.
| DONATIONS IN THIS ISSUE: FROM JULY to SEPTEMBER 2016 |
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| The ARPF is a proud participant in the following workplace campaigns: | |||
| Adobe Aetna Foundation AmazonSmile Foundation American Express AT&T Bank of America |
British Telecom Citigroup CVS Dressbarn Discover Duke Energy Foundation General Mills |
Google Just Give IBM Liberty Insurance Lockheed Martin Macy’s Microsoft |
National Instruments Corp. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Roll Giving United Health United Way YourCause Wells Fargo |
Please contact ARPF’s Vice President Randy Brooks at 520-749-8374 or randy@alzheimersprevention.org.
ARPF is going Green!
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Discover all the exciting activities the ARPF has in store for you by visiting us on the web at
www.alzheimersprevention.org,
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https://twitter.com/PreventAD,
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