Our Brain Power (Brin Powr) has incredible potential unless it isn’t working to its full capacity.

According to WebMD.com your brain uses 20% of our body’s oxygen and calories.  This idea aligns with the fact that there are 86 billion nerve cells in the brain. A brain impulse travels from one nerve cell to another at 268 mph – faster than a race car.  Our brain can hold 1 petabyte of memory which is about the same storage capacity as 4.7 billion books or 230,00 DVD’s.

Our brain makes up 2% of our body weight yet it eats up about half of our total glucose supply.

Most of that energy is devoted to the process of impulse transmission from neuron to neuron.

However, when our brain isn’t working at its full capacity because of illness or a non-reversible decline in mental function unfortunately our phenomenal Brain Power can turn into our crippling Brin Powr.

Dementia in the simplest term is a non-reversible decline in mental function. It’s a catch- all phrase that encompasses several disorders that cause chronic memory loss, personality change or impaired reasoning, Alzheimer’s disease being just one of them, says Dan G. Blazer, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center.

Dementia, according to Dr. Constantine George Lyketsos, Director of the Johns Hopkins Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center in Baltimore, must be severe enough to interfere with your daily life.

Alzheimer’s is a specific disease that slowly and irreversibly destroys memory and thinking skills and eventually takes away even the ability to carry out even the simplest tasks.

A cure for Alzheimer’s is elusive but researchers have identified biological evidence of the disease: amyloid plaques and tangles in the brain.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia accounting for an estimated               60 to 80% of the cases.

WebMD.com gives us some staggering statistics:

• 14 million Americans expected to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s by 2050
• 1 in 10 Americans older than 65 will have Alzheimer’s by 2050
• 5.7 Million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease
• 3X – Rise in deaths among U.S. adults with Alzheimer’s by 2050
• $47 Trillion – Estimated cost of caring for Americans with Alzheimer’s in 2017
• 18.4 Billion – # of Unpaid caregiver Hrs. for Alzheimer’s/Dementia Pts. in 2017
• 244 – # of potential Alzheimer’s drugs tested between 2002 and 2012

Beth Kallmyer, MSW, vice president of care and support at the Alzheimer’s Association tells us that “Fear keeps people from telling others when they notice symptoms. They think nothing can be done – but there are things you can do to improve quality of life.”

Kallmyer also stresses that Alzheimer’s disease is a ‘long disease.’ She reminds us that progression in each person is variable, averaging 4 to 8 years but can take up to 20.  The more education a person and family receive the better the experience.

Forty-eight percent of older adults who munched, crunched, and sipped the most flavonols- beneficial compounds in fruits, vegetables, tea, and wine were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease then people who consumed the least according to a January 2019 report in Neurology – food is important to the brain.

Dr. Thomas M. Holland, a researcher at Rush University in Chicago found that flavonols have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that help destroy free radicals, which damage cells. In animal studies, flavonols boosted memory and learning and decreased Alzheimer-like brain changes.

Flavonol – rich foods include: almonds, black beans, broccoli, blueberries, collards greens, dried figs, golden raisins, kale, onions, red cabbage, tomato paste, white beans

Dr. Holland recommends the American Heart Association’s ‘Simple 7‘ checklist to help maintain brain health.

• Eat healthy
• Exercise
• Quit smoking
• Maintain a healthy
• Prevent or treat high blood pressure
• Check for and treat high blood sugar
• Avoid or treat high cholesterol

Dr. Holland adds – remain socially engaged and participate in brain-stimulating activities. A recent Mayo Clinic study published in Neurology in August 2019 relates that older adults who play card games, do crossword puzzles, use a computer, or do crafts have a lower risk for developing mild cognitive impairment than those who don’t.

So, whether you spell it Brin Powr or Brain Power our human brain is remarkable and accustomed to processing information at lighting speed. When we start missing social and mental signals it’s time to assess the situation and ask questions.  If you are the person who is having issues with your memory or ‘chasing words’ during a conversation you may want to educate yourself about the signs and symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

If a loved one is showing signs of mental decline then it may be time to diplomatically  share the information that you have discovered with that person. Either way it’s certainly time to consider drawing up the necessary legal documents and getting the decision-making authority question decided.  Without documents outlining specifics the court will make decisions.

Your brain will take you on a journey – staying positive and healthy along the way will surely have its advantage.