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The
Memory Doc by Jill Joyce, PhD AGE
RELATED MEMORY LOSS PROBLEMS Volume
1: 31
April
13, 2005 *
Memory Jokes *
Mission Statement *
The Age-Related Memory Loss Problems *
Humorous Anecdote: Our Future Ailment *
Familiar Territory? Available--The Possible Solutions ********************************************* "I
saw the doctor today about my loss of memory." "What
did he do?" "Made
me pay him in advance." --------------------------------- Hello
Welcome to the Doctor's Hotline: If
you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If
you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If
you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If
you have short-term memory loss, press 9. ******************************************** Welcome
to "TheMemoryDoc.Com," the Internet magazine for people
of all ages who want to learn more about preserving and
protecting the brain from memory loss and also for those
who want to help persons who already have memory loss
to recover and overcome this problem. *
The Memory Doc's Mission Statement is: To inform people in
simple terms about ways to prevent and overcome memory loss
using the most professional and therapeutic methods possible
by offering awareness, education and new research. ********************************************** *
The Age-Related Memory Losses The
following humorous description that fits many age- associated
memory problems was sent to me this week via
John Adams, a dear friend of my Aunt Bernie's. And
though this anecdote is not a scientific piece, it
certainly is a valid expression of the progressive changes
people experience as they age, related to their
memory. Typically,
when you visit your doctor, the symptoms of
this story will be labeled for you in any of the following
three ways: 1-
Age Associated Memory Impairment (AAMI) 2-
Age-Related Cognitive Decline (ARCD) or 3-
Mild Cognitive Impairment(MCI). Just
realize, there is a great deal one can do to avoid an
ongoing experience like the one you will read about here. So
let's talk about the road to freedom from this dilemma.
I will join you again at the end of this thoroughly
enjoyable sketch . . . ********************************************* *
Humorous Anecdote: Our Future Ailment Do
you know what A. A. A. D. D is? Age-Activated
Attention Deficit
Disorder. This is how it manifests: I
decide to water my garden. As
I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and
decide my car needs washing. As
I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on the
porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. I
decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I
lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage
can under the table, and notice that the can is full. So,
I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the
garbage first. But
then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I
take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I
take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one
check left. My
extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house
to my desk where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking. I'm
going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke
aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I see that
the Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in
the refrigerator to keep it cold. As
I head toward the kitchen with the Coke a vase of flowers on
the counter catches my eye--they need to be watered. I
set the Coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses
that I've been searching for all morning. I
decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going
to water the flowers. I
set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with
water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone left it
on the kitchen table. I
realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking
for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen
table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs,
but first I'll water the flowers. I
pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on
the floor. So,
I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and
wipe up the spill. Then
I head down the hall trying to remember what I was Planning
to do. At
the end of the day: .
. . the car isn't washed, .
. . the bills aren't paid, .
. . there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter, .
. . the flowers don't have enough water, .
. . there is still only one check in my check book, .
. . I can't find the remote, .
. . I can't find my glasses, .
. . and I don't remember what I did with the car keys. Then
when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really
baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really
tired. I
realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help
for it, but first I'll check my e-mail. Do
me a favor, will you? Forward this message to everyone you know,
because I don't remember to whom it has been sent. Don't
laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming! ************************************************** *
Familiar Territory? Available--The Possible Solutions What
a great thread! Though humorous, this is a dilemma that
more and more people are experiencing. Can
I offer some possible helpful suggestions that have worked
for other people??? I
am thoroughly amazed at how well a memory loss such as
the one depicted responds to great vitamins, organic foods
if possible, vegetables, fruits, fish, omega oils, antioxidants,
many amino-acids, minerals, and clean water. But
how do you put the puzzle pieces of nutrients together
and come up with what you really need? Well,
first off--there are now liquid vitamins with a 95%
absorption rate which flow right into the brain. These
serve the state of our memory, focus, well-being and
mental status the best. The
ones of which I speak, Biometics liquids, are on the cutting
edge. Why? Because the Biometics developers learned
how to get liquid vitamins across the blood-brain barrier
by reducing the size of the vitamins at a molecular level. By
contrast, dry vitamins only achieve about a 25-35% absorption
rate. Because I had heard about this absorption problem,
which only gets worse as we age, I began searching for
liquid vitamins over three years ago. I
wanted to offer everyone helpful memory loss solutions that
would be more palatable than the dry vitamins and wheat grass
my mom started out on. Not
that dry vitamins or wheat grass are bad. On the contrary, wheat
grass is great and relatively inexpensive, but most people
don't keep taking it because they don't love the taste, which
is why I offer palatable wheat grass recipes on my website--
http://www.DontForgetmemoryLoss.com. And
though I figured liquids would do better. I never knew I would
find liquids that could achieve such superior absorption. There
is even a tad bit of caffeine in their product, GetGoNPlus
to increase the uptake through the brain barrier of
those difficult to absorb B Vitamins, like B-12. occurring caffeine though, the kind that's found in spinach. Ever
wonder why people get B-12 shots? It's because B-12 is such
an important Vitamin, but so difficult to absorb. And
by the way, if you skip out on Magnesium many of your needed
Amino-Acids and your Calcium won't be absorbed either. By
the way, the Cal/Mag product at Biometics along with one called
"Flex-Care" is wonderful for aching bodies. Anyway,
now that I've found these liquid gems, I've opened another
website and offer the Biometics there at: http://www.TheMemoryDocVits.com. These tools for preventing memory loss and other focus problems are absolutely
incredible. I'm just thrilled to be able to have
found them. Needless to say, the makers did not only emphasize memory loss so you will
find many other types of products there like the Flex-Care
mentioned above and another called "Daily Harmony" which
reduces anxiety when taken with the main program. May
I suggest a main program of Bio-Fuel, Aloe-Plus, Bio-Alert, and
Get Go N Plus in the morning and the Cal/Mag 100 with Bio-Nite
at night. I
cannot believe the remarks I am getting from middle-aged to
elderly people about how they feel about their focus, memory,
and energy after getting on this liquid program. However,
whether you go liquid or not, at the very least, remember this. You must take Phosphatidylserene (100-300 mg). This is also
called PS. Also take Phosphatidylcholine always
take Omegas (up to 1000 mg and
a Multi-Vitamin If
you can, take 3 tablespoons of wheat grass daily also to increase
alkalinity, which is very helpful to memory. That is
why all leafy green veggies and especially spinach, (which
also has a naturally occurring caffeine), help the memory. Don't
misunderstand. I am not telling you drinking coffee all day
long helps memory, because too much of it only increases insulin
which is hard on the brain. However,
the amount of naturally occurring caffeine in spinach or
in the Get Go N Plus from Biometics is equal to about 1 cup of
coffee, but it is natural to high performing B Vitamin foods. You
can get any of the other items mentioned here (except Biometics)
at a health food store or order your Omegas, PS and PC
from us. Just
E-mail me with questions about how to order if you like. The Products Page at http://www.TheMemoryDoc.com offers PS/PC & Omegas. We
will call you back if you need help to place orders! So
leave a message toll free at 1-877-490-3538 if you have
any difficulties or questions. But
please don't think you can get the needed vitamins by
eating a few eggs and taking a Multi-Vitamin from your grocer! However,
your diet of leafy greens, green tea, antioxidant berries,
fish, eggs, almonds, avocadoes, tomatoes, olive oil,
and even red wine on occasion and plenty of water always
remains important. Finally,
get some exercise and keep using your brain in daily
activities of your choosing--reading, writing, journaling,
memorizing, studying, and/or playing word games. Thanks
for reading and thank you, John Adams and Aunt Bernie,
for your contribution this week. Please let me know
if there is another author to reference besides-- 'Anonymous'
for that great tale on the future ailment-- AAADD
- Age-Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. Best
regards to each of you. Have a wonderful week. Warmly, Dr.
Jill E-Mail:
drjill@thememorydoc.com ********************************** FREEBIES AT http://www.thememorydoc.com Tax Deductible donations can pay for memory and learning-related therapy, psychotherapy, coaching, or consultations through the "MEMORY LOSS PREVENTION AND RECOVERY INSTITUTE." Servicing through home consultations in Palm Beaches, Broward and North Dade Counties. *********************************************** *Jill Joyce is author of "Don't Forget: What Drug and Insurance Co.'s Don't Want You To Know About Memory Loss." (Still Waters Publications). Now, in addition to her book and E-book, you can purchase her CD's, coming products, and powerful memory vitamins at: http://www.thememorydoc.com & http://www.dontforgetmemoryloss.com. There are many places to purchase similar products & nutrients. However, additional vitamins, etc. are on the way to this site. You see, Jill only picks products that she finds to be of serious therapeutic value and assistance after her 30 years of working with memory loss & memory loss prevention. Plus, she is attempting to share the best ones with you at the best prices she can get. *********************************************** * Schedule Jill To Speak At Your Next Meeting If you're interested in having Jill speak at your hospital, church, synagogue, association, or organization on the topic(s) of "Memory Loss Prevention and Recovery," feel free to call 1-877-490-3538 or 1-954-323-8474. You can also email Jill at: drjill@thememorydoc.com. *********************************************** * Copyright Notice/Reprint Policy Please feel free to share the complete contents of this publication with as many people as you'd like (However, no changes may be made to its content without written permission). Please give proper credit to: Jill Joyce author of "Don't Forget: What Drug and Insurance Co.'s Don't Want You To Know About Memory Loss" http://www.thememorydoc.com. Reference to this newsletter, is, of course, always appreciated. *********************************************** * Privacy Policy We do not spam anyone nor can this material be used in any spam. In order to protect your privacy, we do not sell, share or trade our subscriber list with anyone for any reason. *********************************************** * Please refer this Newsletter (Subscribe/Unsubscribe Info) 1) Subscribe to this newsletter by clicking here: http://www.dontforgetmemoryloss.com/ezine.html or email execdirector@profnet.org. Write "Sub Memory" in subject line. 2) Unsubscribe to this newsletter, by sending an email to: execdirector@profnet.org. Simply write "Unsub Memory" in subject line. Copyright 2004 Don't Forget dontforgetmemoryloss.com
thememorydoc.com The
Memory Doc by Jill Joyce, PhD Volume
1: 30
April 5, 2005 *
Today's Simple Memory Quote: "For such a time as this" *
Russian Men Fear Their Doctors! Let’s Not Do Likewise *
Not Enough Time To Heal: My Father-In-Law's Death After Surgery *
Hope in Serious "Global" Memory Loss Cases *
Why I Wrote "Don't Forget: What Drug & Insurance Co.'s
Don't Want You To Know About Memory Loss" or "Help!" *
The Right to Live Issue for Serious Memory Loss, etc. *
Joni Eareckson Tada's Spinal Cord Injury *
Florida Society of Neurology--Neurologists Want More Therapy ********************************************* *
Russian Men Fear Their Doctors! Let’s Not Do Likewise Dear
Friends, In
the years 1989-1996, I was graced with the good fortune of
helping my now ex-husband bring Russian airplanes into the
US at the beginning of a period known as "perestroika" and
"glasnost." The
hot little sport aerobatic airplane with the coveted guttural
engine and fantastic vertical penetration is called
the "Sukhoi." The
difference in doing business with Russians was that they
never came alone one CEO at a time. No--we hosted 33
Russians all at once! The
group included pilots who helped cargo the planes over,
mechanics, engineers, and even the original designer. The
planes had been designed using Russian aerospace technology
and American pilots wanted this airplane --badly. Hanging
out with these Russians always led to some interesting
events. One
I recall was when a Russian mechanic wanted to try
out the motorcycle of one of our employees, a female
pilot. Though
he knew Russian equipment, he knew nothing of our
motorcycles and due to the language barrier between himself
and the female pilot, he managed to slam the bike
into a wall. A
few days later, when I saw he was in pain, I asked my
husband if he noticed that Evgeny was limping? We
asked Evgeny if he was okay, but he seemed very reluctant
to discuss his limp with us at all. Finally
we were able to find out by talking to others about
his motorcycle mishap. We
went to Evgeny and offered to take him to the hospital. He
said "Oh no, no doctors!" Clearly,
Evgeny was afraid to go to doctors in his own country
and did not realize he would get some relief if he
allowed us to take him in our country. The
next odd thing that happened was the day the chief designer
for the aircraft complained that he had a toothache.
We offered to take him to the dentist. He
disappeared for a few moments in the back of our shop
at the airport. Then he reappeared holding the tooth
up clamped in a pair of pliers and proudly smiled as
he displayed it for us! He
had managed to pull the tooth out all by himself with
the pliers rather than to be taken to any dentist! These
Russian men were made to be very afraid of their health
care system. It did not represent a place to go for
healing. Both
men let us know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the
idea of going to any doctors anywhere was unacceptable. Please--I
hope we never become victims of such thinking in
the USA, where our doctors have been such wonderful healers--but
I am afraid we are on the doorstep. ************************************************ *
The BBC and A Father's Death After Surgery As
I reviewed the BBC news last week and learned a little
of Europe's lack of sympathy over our handling of one
woman's brain-injury, I once again realized all the forces
operating which made me want to offer people personal
help about the brain and write a book. It
was 'for such a time as this' that "Don't Forget: What Drug
and Insurance Co.'s Don't Want You To Know About Memory
Loss" was born. And
though I realize we have great science to help with
brain ailments, common folks must learn more about
the difficult topic to protect their loved ones
and have intelligent communication with their doctors. This
is especially true because the interests of insurance
and drug companies are pushing any scientific agenda
more and more out of the realm of practical do-ability. Confusing
problems of memory loss and brain ailments are
confronting people everywhere. Consider--in
my own family, in 1996--my own father- in-law.
He was given only 5 weeks to heal from triple by-pass
surgery before the insurance company insisted medical
treatment be pulled and he died. This
occurred after one doctor began to insist my father- in-law
had a stroke. However, he could not conduct tests to
prove his theory. Still, he would not wait until my father-in-law
was well enough to be certain of the stroke diagnosis. Obviously,
even the presence of a stroke should not determine
such a drastic measure anyway. When
his doctor insisted on holding back the needed dialysis treatments
and used his living will as justification, he convinced
everyone in the family (except me) that there was
already nothing more that could be done. Without
any tests, this doctor began calling his movements "reflexes"
even though they corresponded properly with our interactions
with him. This
doctor also spoke of him as though he was already dead--right
in front of him--where my father-in-law might have
grasped what was being said. Not wise, kind, or helpful! You
see, after years of working with cases like my father- in-law's,
I saw a man lying there who needed a doctor who was
not under such mandated time pressure--who could give him
time to heal a bit more. However,
our family is not the only one with tragic traumatic
end-of-life experiences these days. But
I can point to that singular event as being very significant
in tearing our family apart. ******************************************* *
There is Hope in "Global" Memory Loss Cases In
therapy rooms for 20 years, I saw lots of severe cases take
longer than 5 weeks to become responsive after strokes and
other serious conditions like surgery or head trauma. I
spoke out in staff meetings for many of them if I saw bodily
responses, allowing many of them to eventually go
home, and kept many of them from going into nursing homes
after receiving more therapy. Since
I hate using the word "vegetable," let me give you
the correct medical term health professionals are supposed
to use in discussions of brain-injured people. We
normally prefer to speak of a "global" state of non-responsiveness
rather than to just call them "vegetables." With
that said, many people, who look "global," do get well
enough to function, communicate, and go home again in
a short period of time. Other
people may look and act terrific at first, but then often
do not get well. Go
figure! There is often no visible rhyme or reason as to why
one person improves and another does not other than therapy
and family involvement. Needless
to say, the ones who have the chance to improve will
often be offered at least 3-6 months of therapy before their
future progress or lack of it can usually be properly
ascertained. *************************************** *
"Don't Forget: What Drug & Insurance Co.'s Don't Want You
To Know About Memory Loss" or "Help!" One
reason my book, "Don't Forget" was written was because I
witnessed this surprising healing process on a regular basis. And
in research interviews--the families told me about their
major problems with health care for memory loss. My
interview subjects, (families with a member with memory loss),
seemed almost beside themselves to receive more information
and education about memory loss problems. The
common request in the vernacular was "Help!" Just
prior to the 90's, Speech/Language Pathologists(SLP-CCC) were
doing a lot of successful brain and cognitive recovery work--much
more than they are able to do today. However,
the needs are much greater now. The
period of time for such therapy has been so greatly reduced
by insurance carriers that it significantly impedes the
possibility of healing to acceptable levels--where people
can return to whatever their station in life was-- as
people often used to do. That
is why families ought to understand some of these basic therapy
techniques and offer re-training for at least 6 months through
a therapist to ascertain the status of the disorder. However,
if no therapy is available, there are many things families
and friends could do for people with memory loss or
learning problems with the assistance of a book like mine
and just occasional consultations from a speech/language therapist
(SLP-CCC) and visits to their neurologist. Now,
more than ever, the family's personal touch is necessary.
The world we are living in is not going in a therapeutic
direction when there is brain injury, memory loss,
or weakness of mental capacities. If
anything the problems involved in stimulating these people
to achieve improvements are getting much worse. Certainly,
the events and happenings all around us in recent
weeks are already having other unintended affects and
reverberations. So
let's consider . . . ************************************************** *
Disabled Americans [and Discrimination] in US Politics
--JAMES TARANTO
-OpinionJournal.com
-of The Wall Street Journal What
lasting effect will the Terri Schiavo saga have on American
politics? Probably not much. . . . However
intense the emotions of the past two weeks, for most
voters they’re sure to prove fleeting. But there’s one
important exception: Disabled Americans. .
. . Mary Johnson, a left-leaning editor of Ragged Edge magazine,
says: "There isn’t a single disability rights activist
I’ve heard from ... who isn’t afraid that this will
make liberals hate them even more than they now do." And
Joe Ford, a Harvard undergraduate with severe cerebral palsy,
was quoted as saying: "Like many others with disabilities,
I believe that the American public, to one degree
or another, holds that disabled people are better off
dead." "To
put it in a simpler way, many Americans are bigots." .
. .Then Eleanor Smith, a self-described liberal agnostic lesbian,
whose childhood bout with polio left her confined to
a wheelchair, argued that "At this point I would rather have
a right-wing Christian decide my fate than an ACLU member." .
. . In fact, surveys of disabled Americans suggest a strong
tilt towards the Republican Party. According to the campaign
group, the National Organization on Disability, back
during the 2000 presidential elections, the Democratic candidate,
Vice-President Al Gore, outpolled George W Bush among
disabled Americans by 56 per cent to 38 per cent. But
only four years later, at the 2004 presidential contest, Mr
Bush beat Senator John Kerry by 52.5% to 46%--a 24.5 point shift. As
late as last August, Mr Kerry had a ten-point lead, which vanished
by September, coinciding with the Florida Supreme Court’s
striking down "Terri’s law", referring to Terri Schiavo. Polls
last month suggested that most Americans favored Mrs Schiavo’s
death. It was natural for an able-bodied person to think:
I wouldn’t want to live like that. But
someone who is disabled and abjectly dependent on others was
more apt to be chilled by the talk of her "poor quality of
life" and to think: I wouldn’t want to [die]. . . like that. Liberalism
once championed the interests of society’s most vulnerable
members. Today, it increasingly champions their "right
to die". No-one should be surprised if this affects their
decisions as they exercise their right to vote. ************************************************** *
Joni Eareckson Tada's Spinal Cord Injury The
following comments are partial and come from an article
by Joni Eareckson Tada, who--similar to the late
Christopher Reeves--lives with a disabling neck injury. She
is well-known for helping people with disabilities and
operates an organization called "Joni and Friends." Thursday,
March 31, 2005 - Joni Eareckson Tada, Joni and
Friends, AGOURA HILLS, CA, March 31, 2005 ".
. . We are asking society to stop using the term “persistent
vegetative state.” "Too
many people with severe disabilities have been
called “vegetables” – this is not only demeaning,
but dehumanizing." "When
severely disabled people are stripped of life-dignity,
the discussion too easily turns to
death or the warehousing of that individual &nbs |