The 6 Pillars of Brain Health
Wow— what an incredible start to this writing. I deeply appreciate all of the feedback and the warm reception that my first piece received. It gives me confidence that my mission is solving a real problem that hits home to many.
First, A Few Disclaimers…
When I first started researching the causes and potential cures for Dementia, one group of researchers kept popping up. Mainly, because what they were doing was working. And no— they were not scientists that manufactured a magic pill that brings someone’s memories back from thin air. In fact, this group of doctors’ work was so powerful it actually lessened the number of medications that their patients were taking daily.
First, a few disclaimers: Disclaimer #1: I am not a doctor and all of the disclaimers that fall under that statement. My goal is to synthesize medical research not tell people what to do. Always talk to your doctor to discuss your health.
Disclaimer #2: A lot of the stances that I will take in my writing will seem contrarian in nature. This is not my purpose. I wholly believe in the power of modern medicine as a tool to live healthier, longer lives.
Unfortunately, the world we live in has turned that tool into a crutch— not used to help us live healthier, but rather a necessity to live at all. Is the ability to inject insulin directly into the body an amazing feat of science? Absolutely. Is roughly 11% of Americans having Diabetes also a growing concern? You see how both statements can be true. And the same is happening unnoticed in the world of Dementia.
Are the attempts to manufacture pills that reduce the effects of Dementia noble and will positively impact millions? 100%. But wouldn’t it be better if we could do something today to never be in a position to rely on that medication in the first place? That is what I am trying to emphasize whenever I talk about modern medicine. I want to turn the crutch back into the tool. And that is what the doctors in Loma Linda, California are doing.
Why This Group Can Be a Virtual Blue Zone
Throughout my research, I continued to stumble upon what is happening in the community of Loma Linda, one of five original Blue Zones in the world. Blue Zones are locations that have unprecedented health and longevity in a whole community. Most importantly, cases of Dementia in these communities are nonexistent For example…
🧠 In the blue zones region of Ikaria, Greece, dementia among people over 85 is rare — over 75 percent less common than it is in the United States.
These are the results that I am after. There are plenty of health goals that people can chase for infinite reasons. Think of all the different reasons someone may want to lose weight. On the other hand, I am perpetually struggling to gain weight. There is bulking for strength, toning for image, training for competition, yoga for mental health. The list goes on and these are all valid reasons to pursue a form of health. But for me, my north star is that stat above: a life characterized by mental clarity and strength.
While the readers of this project do not live in one geographic location, by committing to the pillars of brain health below, we can form a virtual Blue Zone. I envision a community that supports each other on this Dementia-free journey and holds each other accountable to living healthy lives.
6 Pillars of Brain Health
The doctors at Loma Linda University, in particular Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, have documented the essential pillars that go into a healthy brain.
Diet
No surprise here that diet is the number one pillar. What we put into our bodies is the biggest determinant of what we can expect out of it. For almost my entire life up until recently, I had what you could call a “bad relationship with food.” From a young age I would get the worst stomach aches after meals to the point that I would avoid eating in fear of getting sick. At one point, my college roommate had to cut me off of Tums as apparently that would ruin my stomach lining??? Thanks Chris.
But in all seriousness, I thought something was wrong with me. I thought that I was the problem. But now I am learning that it was the food’s fault all along. My stomach aches were my body yelling at me that what I was consuming was not welcome.
After researching Dementia and how to prevent it, my diet has done a 180. What are the effects? I have more energy, my long time struggle with migraines is almost non existent, and my lifelong battle with digestive problems is entirely gone. On a less quantifiable note… I feel so much better. Just by changing and applying what I will share with you on this journey.
Exercise
We live in such a sedentary world. Sure, the overall quality of life has drastically increased due to the systems in place, but a life sitting at a desk is certainly not the answer for my goals of a long, healthy brain.
Remember that everyone has different reasons for why they would want to exercise. I will be sharing the way that I have incorporated exercise to best optimize brain health. Is this going to get someone like me to finally bulk up and put on some muscle? Maybe and maybe not. If it does, great, but my purpose in exercise is for the brain. The rest is just gravy and the side effects of living a holistic lifestyle.
Stress Management
Be honest… have you made it this far in reading this without some external stressor floating across your brain? There is a lot going on in the world today that I would venture to suggest that there is something psychologically wrong with you if you do not experience some level of stress on a day to day basis. But how we react to and mitigate this stress is the difference to a healthy or a struggling brain.
Social Connectedness
My favorite author, Kurt Vonnegut, said “the most pervasive American disease was loneliness.” Maybe that is why he is my favorite author because as much as I value time spent alone, I hate the feeling of being lonely— in a world of 7 billion people it is alarming how often this feeling can creep up on me.
I crave connection with others. I love the stimulation of a conversation with a good friend. I find purpose in a life spent with the people that I love. We need more of this in the world and it is a pillar I am constantly refining. Whether it be trying no social media, intentional FaceTime calls with distant friends, or regularly scheduled coffee with a particular group, the impact of a healthy social life on the brain is critical.
Brain Activity
Luckily for me, this pillar has never been an issue for me. My brain simply will not shut up. I am perpetually exploring new ideas (the healthy side of having literally every ounce of knowledge in your pocket at all times). I set aside time to read every day, and I genuinely enjoy the stimulation it takes to put thoughts such as these down on paper.
Unfortunately, I have my vices as well. The MINDLESSNESS — pause to appreciate the irony of that word in the face of Dementia — of binge watching TV, going down YouTube rabbit holes, or even the case of having worked jobs that do not push or challenge me. This pillar is about doing more of the things that expand what we do with our time and our mind.
Sleep
If keeping my brain active was the easiest for me, a healthy relationship with sleep is certainly my weakness. It’s not that I am “not a morning person.” I don’t have a mug that says “don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee.” On the other hand, it’s not that I’m not a night person. I love a good late night session with friends — these are some of my best memories. The problem is that I am both a morning and a night person.
I hate sleep! What a waste of time! But the more I research, the more I learn about how proper sleep is so important for a healthy brain. The best part about weaknesses are that they can be overcome. I look forward to expanding on this part of my life.
What you can expect going forward
My goal is to make brain health synthesized for people that are equally interested in building a life characterized by mental clarity and longevity. I will be breaking down my research on each of these pillars into digestible forms of information based on my research. Of course, if you are anything like me and want to dive deeper, I will be linking all of the studies that I reference for you to dive down any rabbit holes.
By subscribing to this journey, you will receive regularly scheduled emails to longform content like this that dive deeper into what I have learned about each pillar of Dementia prevention.
Please share the subscription link with anyone that you think can benefit from this research as well. Especially parents as it is never too late to make a change in your brain health!
Finally, I am always learning myself— a journey is one best shared and in light of the 4th pillar, this should be a social experience to share information, research, and personal stories along the way. Please send them all my way. Each post will have a space for you to share thoughts at the bottom. These can lead to some great conversation sparks.
Up until college, my understanding of “diet” only went as deep as “food” versus “no food”. As a lifelong ADHDer, my medications always drastically suppressed my appetite, to the point of sometimes not eating anything all day except a 20mg pill in the morning. So while consistently having meals was a step in the right direction, frozen pot pies and takeout wasn’t exactly what my brain was crying out for either. Learning how to cook senior year (and since then) has made such a dramatic change in mental clarity, energy, and strength.
Throughout the pandemic, I also learned how dramatically better I felt after fixing my sleep schedule and consistently exercising. Exercising for your brain, with the effects on your body being a nice side effect, has proven to be a much better motivator for me than trying to get huge muscles. I think this is because the effects of exercise on your brain can be felt pretty much right away, an instant reward, whereas it can takes months or years to notice your muscles getting bigger.
These articles are great so far. I’ll be spending some time catching up :)