Exercise is just as good for the brain as it is for the body.

“Back in the day, the majority of exercise studies focused on the parts of the body from the neck down, like the heart and lungs,” says Dr. Ozioma Okonkwo, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “But now we are finding that we need to go north, to the brain, to show the true benefits of a physically active lifestyle on an individual.”

How does exercise work to increase brain function?

“Exercise likely improves brain health through a variety of ways. It makes the heart beat faster, which increases blood flow to the brain – a good thing, since the brain is the biggest consumer of oxygen in the body. Physical activity also increases levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which is also known to help repair and protect brain cells from degeneration as well as help grown new brain cells and neurons,” says Okonkwo.

“Considering exercise can also reduce the risks associated with common lifestyle diseases that impact the brain, such as high blood sugar and hypertension, it is further motivation to try to incorporate exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle,” Says Joe Northey, a PhD candidate at the University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise in Australia.

So – Which is the best, aerobic or resistance training?

For now, experts recommend a combination of both aerobic and resistance training. Combining both is ideal for all of the other benefits exercise bestows on the body. In addition to improving your brain function, you should expect to see improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength, as well as reducing the risk of obesity, diabetes and hypertension amongst other diseases.

Brain Facts

• BDNF is increased with exercise. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a key protein in regulating maintenance, growth and even survival of neurons. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor also influences learning and memory, and brain tissue from patients with Alzheimer’s disease and clinical depression exhibit low expression of BDNF.
• Researchers found that a combination of aerobic and resistance training, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) at 150 minutes per week decreases Alzheimer’s risk 30%. – No medication can even approach that!
• MRI scans of people who exercise regularly show a statistical increase in the hippocampal region of the brain (the memory center).

Brain Health at The Renewal Point

Here at The Renewal Point, we offer high intensity interval training, good not only for the body but also the brain!  While Physical Conditioning has always been one of our foundational 4 Cornerstones of Health, we are excited to offer it in-office, in the form of this breakthrough and efficacious fitness model!  Designed by Dave Luedeka, MS, DPT and carried out in our office by Matt Jones, ACSM/CPT, the CKC Fitness Program is a state-of-the art strengthening and conditioning program that can help the average person, the injured, and/or the athlete.

To learn more about the groundbreaking program, we encourage you to schedule an appointment, call us at 941-926-4905, or visit our website at TheRenewalPoint.com.

The Renewal Point 4 Cornerstones of Health

1.     Hormone Balance                    3.    Physical Conditioning

2.     Nutrition                                   4.    Toxin Elimination

References:

1. Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, Charles Hillman. The Influence of Exercise of Cognitive Abilities. Compr. Physiol. 2013 Jan: 3(1): 403-428.
2. What Type of Exercise is Best for the Brain? http://time.com/4141790/exercise-brain/.
3. Evidence for a release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor from the brain during exercise. DOI: 10.1113/expphysiol.2009.048512.
4. Exercise, brain, and cognition across the life span. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3220305/.

♫ Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la– la la la la!

That’s right, soon we’ll be donning our gay apparel and getting ready for holiday fun, songs, and gifts.  And let us not forget the bountiful feast: pecan pie, honey-baked ham, sweet potato casserole with marshmallow topping and candy cane truffles – Yum-yum! It causes me to pause and think of all the fun, family, and friends of holidays past.

Sweet treats and rich meals can be landmines for health-conscious people. Yet, no one wants to feel deprived during the jolliest season of all.  I confess, even as an expert in nutrition and metabolic medicine, I have a long history of letting the holidays get the better of me too.

Fear not – Read on. I promise, you’ll not be asked to lock yourself in a closet for the month or be made to eat a dinner of iceberg lettuce. There are more sensible and fun ways to navigate this territory and come out January 2nd even healthier.

1. Nix the guilt. – Feeling guilty after eating foods you don’t usually allow yourself to eat can breed more unhealthy behaviors. So, abandon those negative voices in your head and remember to get back on track with your healthy eating routine as soon as possible.
2. Three bites and good night. – Stick to the three-bite rule for desserts: The first bite is the best, the last the grand finale, and every bite in between is the same. In three bites, you get the full dessert experience, so really focus on savoring those three and you’re less likely to overindulge.
3. If you drink alcohol, alternate the alcohol with sparkling water and stick with a 2 drink maximum. Alternating between an alcoholic beverage and a sparkling water can help you avoid pouring on the pounds. Plus, sparkling water keeps things festive and, bonus, you’ll avoid entering the hangover zone, a not-so-happy holiday tradition side-effect.
4. Stay physically active. – If you are not a gym or sports buff, make a holiday tradition of walks or bike rides around the neighborhood or park with friends, family, or pets.
5. Get enough rest. – Between holiday traveling, work schedules, and shopping, it can be easy to skimp on sleep in order to get your to-do-list done, but getting a consistent seven to nine hours of sleep every night helps regulate hormones, promotes recovery from workouts, and prevents daily fatigue. Plus, it keeps you from face-planting directly into that apple pie. There’s really no such thing as “catching up” on sleep, so the key is consistency.

To Your Good Health,

Dr. Dan Watts

Dr. Watts, MD, ND, MSNM and Lynne Streitmatter, APRN, MSN are experts in Bio-identical Hormone Balancing and Integrative Medicine.  With over 25 years experience in hormone balancing, a Board Certification in Integrative Medicine, a Post-doctoral Certification in Metabolic Endocrinology, and a Fellowship in Anti-Aging, Regenerative, and Functional Medicine, Dr. Watts has put together a number of programs that have helped thousands of people over the years.

As we all know, we live in a city dominated by senior citizens. Although the story that follows may sound commonplace, the point of this article is that it doesn’t have to be.

A Cute Elderly Couple

As I pulled my car into our local grocery store parking lot recently, I came upon a traffic jam. Looking ahead, I noticed the line of cars backed up as an elderly couple, a man and woman slowly made their way across the crosswalk. The man was using a cane, the woman, a walker. Both appeared to have multiple disabilities: back, knee, hip weakening. Everyone in the line of cars waited respectfully. When I overheard customers and clerks in the checkout line commenting about the “cute older couple,” I was concerned… the man was only 73 and his wife only 71.

As I watched the couple shuffle out of the store, suffering with every step, I began to wonder, ‘What would cause such degeneration?’ and ‘Was there any way to prevent or reduce it?’

While I never knew the history of the cute elderly couple, the answers for most of us are found in a review of the medical literature.

According to a recent peer-reviewed study on the effects our genetics and lifestyles have on healthy aging and longevity, medical scientists have found that, for the most part, this scenario is preventable.

“The research on aging and, in particular, the search for the determination of successful aging and longevity has been growing,” says Giuseppe Passarino, Dept. of Biology, University of Calabria, Italy. “One of the main questions in this field is the correlation between the genetic background and lifestyle in determining the individual’s chance of delaying aging (possibly without age-related diseases and disabilities) and longevity.”

The bottom line is, ‘The quality of life we have and the length of time we have in which to live it is primarily a matter of healthy choices we make every day.’ Currently, we have the knowledge and means to slow down, prevent, and even stop many of the symptoms and signs of aging.

At The Renewal Point we have worked for years on healthy aging by focusing on the Four Cornerstones of Health – Hormone Balancing, Nutritional Health, Physical Conditioning, and Toxin Elimination. Using this approach, people report that they feel and look better, have more energy, better sexual health, better sleep, and heart and brain function.  Our methods are simple, time-tested, and science/evidence-based.

Hormone Balance – Helps improve energy, sleep, sexuality, endurance, bone strength, joint health, and mental focus.

Nutritional Health –  Helps reduce the risk of weight gain, depression, anxiety, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, aging, fatigue, and inflammation.

Physical Conditioning – The right exercise plays a major role in our current and future health outcomes…adding years, if not decades, to our life expectancy and quality of life.

Toxin Elimination – Toxins stockpile in our brain, heart, bones, liver, and other organs causing heart disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer, arthritis, and aging.  Avoiding, and getting rid of these toxins, helps to restore health.

It’s never too late ~ no matter where you are in life and no matter your age.  To schedule an appointment or for more information, please call 941-926-4905, visit our website www.therenewalpoint.com, email us at info@therenewalpoint.com, or come to our upcoming seminar.

References:

1. Human longevity: Genetics or Lifestyle? It takes two to tango. Giuseppe Passarino, Francesco De Rango, and Alberto Montesanto, Dept. of Biology, Ecology and Earth Science, University of Calabria. Revised 2015 Oct. 29, Accepted 2016 Mar 30.

“Everyone wants to live longer and science is starting to make that happen. But ‘living better’ will be the real challenge and opportunity.

In Time Magazine’s article on the science of aging well, Laura L. Carstensen explains:

“We live in extraordinary times. And thanks to medical and scientific advances that even a generation ago would have sounded like science fiction, our lives are getting longer. An American born today has a projected average life span 20 full years longer than one born in 1925, and we are, as a society, growing old. For the first time in U.S. history, the number of people over 60 exceeds those under age 15.”

Long life is a remarkable achievement. But our aging society presents challenges every bit as fundamental as climate change and globalization. If we, as a society, address the reality of longevity, we can avoid a crisis altogether and improve the quality of our lives at all ages while we’re at it. We need to plan.

Up to this era in time, improved drugs, diagnostic testing, surgeries, disease treatment and other medical advances have done a good job reducing fatality rates.

But what about the illnesses and medical conditions associated with aging? Is there a way to reverse, stop or prevent the symptoms of aging and nudge out a few more quality years?

The good news, you’ll be happy to hear, doesn’t include subsisting only on food that tastes like cardboard or spending the rest of your life in an ashram at the top of the Himalayans meditating.

For 15 years, The Renewal Point has offered individualized age management services for our patients. Our services include science evidence-based, integrative, and proven programs based on a simple 4-cornerstone approach.

The Four Cornerstones of Age Management

1. Hormone Balance‒Hormone imbalances, which occur as we get older, can be improved by Natural Hormone Rebalancing: sexuality, skin, strong bone & muscle, libido, sleep, energy, mood, focus, memory.

2. Body Composition‒Includes not only fit, trim bodies but also improved aerobic capacity, strength, lean fat mass, joint health, balance, and flexibility. Exercise is widely thought to be one of the best ways, if not the best way, to stretch your quality time.  If you are looking for a individualized exercise program, we suggest contacting us about our in-office CKC Fitness Program.

3. Nutrition‒Nutritional deficiencies are found in 75% of people who eat a good diet and take supplements. This deficiency can lead to an increased risk for heart disease, cancer, neurological symptoms, fatigue and hormone imbalances. Many of us need more nutrients because of genetic anomalies or decreased digestion and absorption (which also declines as we age). Testing is necessary to determine these deficiencies.

4. Toxin Elimination ‒If you eat, breathe or drink water, you will accumulate toxins in your body: heavy metals, plastic, herbicides, pesticides, PCBs, etc. These poisons steal our health. Tests can reveal these toxins, so we can determine how to eliminate them.

Join The Renewal Point in discovering your potential for ageless vitality. Together we can build a world where people arrive at old age mentally sharp, physically fit, sexually vital and wiser.

University of California scientists discover a unique program to reverse cognitive decline by balancing hormones:

Known by many names: brain degeneration, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, and others, cognitive decline can slip in and steal our health, our feelings, our memories, and even our loved ones. Having spent billions of dollars on research over the last 80 years with thousands of scientists working on the problem, there is still no cure. Medications have had marginal effects at best.

Furthermore, it has been pointed out that women are at the epicenter of the Alzheimer’s epidemic, with 65% of patients and 60% of caregivers being women.

That’s the bad news, now for the good –

In a breakthrough brain health program, studied at the esteemed Buck Institute for Research on Aging (University of California, L.A.), a team of scientists were able to reverse memory loss in 90% of the patients. Cognition returned in 3-6 months, with the only failure being in late stage Alzheimer’s. Better yet, improvements have been noted over the course of years now!

The great news out of all this is that brain degeneration is not inevitable – medical science is learning how to stop it and, in many cases, even recover what is lost. Your brain has amazing powers of regeneration.

A case study

A 55-year-old woman, married with two grown children, was healthy until menopause. Her symptoms resembled those of a full-blown neurotic. She described herself as:

• “Losing it”
• “Absent-minded”
• “Trouble sleeping”
• “Flipping out”
• “Can’t focus”
• “Fuzzy thoughts”
• “Think I’m getting early Alzheimer’s”

Fortunately, she was not getting Alzheimer’s. Within a few months of hormone balancing, as recommended by The Renewal Point, all her symptoms subsided.

Dr. K. Yaffee writes in the Journal of Neurology that natural hormone balancing improves memory and decreases Alzheimer’s risk by 50%.

Estrogen therapy decreased ẞ-Amyloid and risk of Alzheimer’s; improves long-term memory 30%.

Testosterone improves cognitive function in both men and women.

Cortisol bathes the Prefrontal Cortex which is responsible for critical working memory and executive function.

Insulin maintains neural synapses and amyloid regulation.

Growth Hormone is significantly lower in patients with memory loss.

Thyroid irregularities can lead to impaired spatial learning and memory.

If you or a loved one have been experiencing any of the symptoms that were mentioned in this article ~ or any other symptoms related to cognitive decline ~ it’s definitely worth getting your hormones levels checked.  Bio-identical hormone balancing could be the key to getting your memory, vitality, and life back!

Dr. Watts, MD, ND, MSNM and Deb Spinner, ARNP, MSN, are experts in Bio-identical and NeuroAdrenal Hormone Balancing.  With over 25 years experience in Hormone Balancing, a Post-doctoral Certification in Metabolic Endocrinology, and a Fellowship in Anti-Aging, Regenerative, and Functional Medicine, Dr. Watts has put together programs that have helped thousands of patients renew their love and vigor for life.  To schedule an appointment, ask questions, or get more information, you can call us at 941-926-4905.

References:

1. Lambert, S. The Endocrinology of Aging and the Brain. Arch Neurology, 2002. 59:1709-11.
2. Wilcoxon, J. Behavioral Inhibition and Impaired Spatial Learning and Memory. Behavior Brain Res. 2007. 1771(1): 109-116.
3. Davidson, S. Endocrine Society ~ 93rd Annual Meeting, 2011.
4. Flood, J. Age-related Decrease of Plasma Testosterone. Physiol. Behavior, 1995. 57: 669-73.
5. Lupen, S. The Modulatory Effects of Corticosteroids on Cognition: Studies in young human populations. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2002. 27: 401-16.
6. Croft, S. Intranasal Insulin Therapy for Alzheimer’s disease and Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment. Arch Neurol. Sept. 2011.

     “He wants sex.  She wants romance.”  So says John Gray, PhD in ‘Mars and Venus in the Bedroom’.  Sometimes it seems as if our partners are from different planets.  In the bedroom, it is obvious that men and women are different, but we may not realize just how different.  It is only through understanding and accepting our obvious and less obvious differences that we can achieve true intimacy and great sex.¹

It’s no secret that boys and girls are different and it’s not only our outside appearance.  Our brains are hugely different as well.  Although the skulls of men and women are similar in size, the brain of a female is smaller, but much more active than that of a male.  Consider the White Matter of a woman’s brain, ‘Communication Central’, is a whopping eleven times greater.  Likewise, the Cingulate Cyrus, the worry center, is much larger in women than men, and the Amygdala, the area of anxiety and fear, is much more active.

Were we able to hook our brains up to an MRI Scan and/or follow us around all day, we could detect a world of difference between the two genders, and no greater would be that difference than in sexual arousal.  Since an article on the entire issue of female sexuality would rival the Encyclopedia Britannica, we will focus on only this one issue.

Male arousal.

Initiation of the sexual response in a male is less complex, faster and more spontaneous than that of a woman’s.  Literally, he is controlled by the reptilian brain (no joke).²  His sexual interest can be easily aroused by such a simple encounter as a seductive glance, or an incidental brush by.

Her Amygdala.

Unlike the male brain which arouses more easily, the key to female sexuality ‘turn-on’ begins ironically with a brain ‘turn-off’.  The impulses which rush to the pleasure centers can trigger an orgasm only if the Amygdala and the Cingulate Gyrus, the fear and anxiety center of the brain, have been deactivated.  It’s no wonder ‘foreplay’ activities such as a foot rub , conversation, or a glass of wine prior to the bedroom are a good idea for any man considering getting his partner into the mood for romance.

Also consider: No phones, no emails and no worries about work, the kids or schedules.

Men are like microwaves – women are like slow cookers.

Likewise, a woman’s complex White Matter, communication central, needs to be put into the mood for her to enjoy a satisfying sexual experience.  Multitasking, an innate strength of women, under control of this ‘always active’ white matter, can many times get in the way.  Overwork, stress at home, worry and tension can interfere with her ability to relax, feel safe and allow for a close relationship to happen.  Anger, for instance, can often times be a turn-on for a man, initiating his reptilian brain into a passionate frenzy, while a woman can’t be angry at her partner and want to have sex with him at the same time.

Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

     The fuel for love.

At The Renewal Point, we commonly hear as a complaint, “My sexual desire has fallen.”  It’s a fact that libido commonly wanes in females as they age and especially after menopause.  Fortunately, this is usually just a hormonal issue and can be easily helped.  Let’s explore how.

The sexual desire trigger for both genders is testosterone.  Testosterone is the chemical fuel that gets the brain’s sexual engine going and testosterone deficiency is common in women past menopause.  Until this deficiency is rebalanced, it is difficult for her to initiate sexual arousal.  When there is enough testosterone bathing the brain, the hypothalamus revs up igniting erotic feelings, arousing sexual fantasies and that physical sensation in the erogenous zone.

At The Renewal Point, we are experts on rebalancing this very powerful sex chemical with bio-identical hormones.  For more information on this topic, we encourage to listen to this 15 minutes podcast with Dr. Watts.

References:

1.)  Mars and Venus in the Bedroom.  John Gray, Ph.D.

2.)  The Female Brain.  Louann Brizendine, M.D.