Life Is Good

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Two year anniversary of the grabber today. Not having any issues, thank you very much. The blood's still flowing and I've been following all the recommendations from the medical authorities, which if I continue to do will probably cause me problems down the road. I'm still having trouble trying to figure out how treatment and prevention of heart disease can be all over the map like it is. High fat, low fat, polyunsaturated fat, trans fat, LDL, HDL, triglycerides, carbohydrates. One guy recommends statin drugs to keep the cholesterol down, the next guy says cholesterol's not the problem, it's sugar. The next guy after that says gluten and carbs are the real culprits. Hard to put your faith in doctors when they can't agree on even the most basic of dietary guidelines. Seems like the only thing they agree on is that we all need to get some exercise and keep the stress level in check.

Serendipitously, my focus lately has been on brain health. I came across the book Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter and it focuses on the role gluten plays in your brain health as well as your over all health. I'm not very familiar with the Paleo diet but from what little I do know, it sounds like he's making a similar pitch. Eat fats, not carbs, don't worry about the cholesterol. Eat some cold water fish and grass fed beef, get some exercise and sleep, steer clear of sugar in most any form.

When I finished the Grain Brain I started on Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot by Dr. Richard Restak as recommended by Surly. Not done with this one yet but it's all about how to improve your brain function. Each of the 28 chapters in the book is one step you can take "to improve your brain's cognitive performance by increasing alertness, concentration, memory, problem-solving ability, mental endurance, and much more".
It's a short book, just a touch over 200 pages but from what I've read, very intriguing. Obviously, you won't get smarter over night, actually maybe you will, if you decide to take the lessons to heart and follow the steps. Most of the steps will take a little time to become ingrained but should show good returns over the long haul.

I suffered a serious accident many years ago that cracked my skull and pinched my frontal lobe a little. Additionally, between that accident, boxing, motorcycles, wrestling, and an industrial accident, I've had at least a half dozen concussions. They've had a few lasting effects on me but they're normally not too noticeable, to others at least. I am starting to have some issues with vertigo but that could be unrelated. Because of this, family history, and just plain getting old, I'm very interested in staying as sharp as I can as I, hopefully, continue to age for many more years. I'd like to know that what I'm doing for my heart health is also the best for my brain health as well as keeping diabetes at bay and optimizing my over all health.

It appears that my generation will be putting a huge financial drain on the medical field with the number of Alzheimer patients they're predicting in the future. In addition to the financial costs, there is the terrible personal cost to one's family and friends - I told the Missus just to club me like a baby harp seal if I end up that way. The point is, like our heart health, we can do a lot to protect our brain health. Since the medical profession prefers to treat rather than prevent, it remains up to us to do all we can to stay healthy in spite of the conflicting advice we hear so often. In my case, no jelly beans, no doughnuts and most definitely, no cheap sandwich cookies. Keep exercising, stay positive and in the interest of stress reduction, stay away from dumb-ass school administrators.

Life is a beautiful gift. Let's make the most of it.