Welcome to "Healthy Living!"
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I'm your host Margot Marshall.
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Alzheimer's, stroke, poor
mental performance - is there a
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common denominator or more
than one causing these ailments?
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Find out today
on "Healthy Living"
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With me in the studio
today, we have Dr. John Clark,
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and Jenifer Skues who
is a health psychologist.
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Welcome Jenifer and
welcome John! Thank you.
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We have found some
ailments today that can cause
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a lot of grief really to
the person and to the people
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who love them and
we'd be interested to hear
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what you have to say about
the underlying cause or causes
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of these problems and
whether they can be actually
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remedied in some ways.
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So we're waiting to hear
what you have to say about that.
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John, would you
like to lead out there.
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Yes, and the story I
want to talk about today helps
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illustrate several
different ways the brain can be
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compromised by
our health habits.
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This lady was a long-time
worker at one facility.
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She was well-liked;
people thought she was great,
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and when she came
around time for retirement,
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they wanted to send
her off with a huge party.
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And so, you know how at
parties, they bring some of the
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worst foods on the
planet, and so they lavished her
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with some of the richest foods
and this wasn't her usual diet.
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She was a very healthy
person and usually stayed away
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from this kind of thing,
but she sort of had the thought,
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"Well, just this once, it's
my retirement, I'll just indulge
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and everybody wants me to
and they've been so kind to
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bring all this stuff."
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And so, she ate quite a
bit of this food and went home
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after the festivities
and the next morning,
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she woke up unable to
smile with half of her face,
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unable to move half of her
body; she had had a stroke.
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My goodness! So just
living it up and having some
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party food - you
know, a lot of party food.
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That's a bit scary John!
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Definitely. That is a bit scary.
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So what kinds of things
might she had been having?
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We're wanting to
get down to what it was.
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You know, well the
things that might have been
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specifically responsible.
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And what set her up for this?
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Yes, yes! I
would like to know too.
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Yeah, we all better avoid
this, huh? Yes... laughter.
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And so there's this brain
requirement for lots of blood.
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Your brain uses 40% of the blood
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coming out of your heart,
at least and what you need
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to have is good blood flow
to every part of the brain.
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But there are
several things that can
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compromise the blood flow.
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A stroke is often a drop
in blood flow to a part of the
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brain dropping so low that the
cells can no longer stay alive.
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They literally die. Yes.
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Dead parts of the
brain is basically
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the definition of a stroke.
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And so the first thing
that can do it is plaque.
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We often think about
plaque in the heart. Yes.
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Plaque that keeps the
blood from flowing to the heart
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muscle, but this
plaque that's in the heart
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can be anywhere
in the body. True.
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It can be in the
kidneys, the legs, the arms.
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It can be in the brain!
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That's no big surprise
there when you think about it
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because if plaque can narrow
the big vessels, the arteries,
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and the same blood flows
through the little tiny vessels.
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No big surprise that they
should also be affected, really.
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Yes, vascular disease
is a systemic disease. Yes.
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And so studies of people
with plaque in their heart
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show that if the plaque is
building up to 80, 90, 99%,
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and they start having
angina (heaviness in the chest).
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But it's interesting
that on a heart monitor test,
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where we put the little
stickers all over your chest
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and look at the screen on
the wall, we cannot begin to
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detect if you have any
blockage whatsoever until
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the blockage
reaches nearly 70%. Oh!
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And the only way we can
figure it out if it's less than
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70% would be through invasive
techniques like catheterization.
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That's not a good plan, is it?
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That can cause damage
of its own, I believe.
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It sure can - angiography
and the like and it's expensive.
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So, you really can't
tell, even on a treadmill test
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at 70%, if you
have heart blockage.
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Which might make you
think, "Okay, I've got quite a
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bit of reserve; aw, I can block
up to 70% without knowing it."
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Well, that's the heart,
but let's talk about the brain.
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Studies of the brain and
the blood vessels that feed
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particularly the
frontal lobes of the brain,
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show that if the
arteries get blocked just 20%,
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the patient has changes
on a mental status exam.
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In other words, the
doctor questioning the patient
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can tell there's
something different here.
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Okay, so it prevents
their ability for the brain
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to actually function
mentally which brings down their
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mental performance
basically, doesn't it?
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That's right! That's right!
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So before we get
Alzheimer's or have a stroke,
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we actually have impaired brain
function is what you're saying.
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Yes. At 20%.
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At 20% plaque, and so
that's a huge difference
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between not being
able to detect until at 70%
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and being able to being
able to detect something at 20%.
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I know that that just
impacts on the quality of life,
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and work
performance, and relationships,
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all sorts of impact, doesn't it?
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And it's interesting
because at that point,
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mental performance goes
down, people often suspect
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something like
Alzheimer's, but in actual fact,
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when that happens it can
lead to a stroke but it's
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still affecting
the mental performance.
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Yeah, and I do get some
women who come to me and say,
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"Oh my husband,
there's something wrong,
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he's just doesn't
remember things as easily,
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and that, but it can be
this problem, it doesn't
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necessarily have to
be a dementia problem.
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It hasn't reached
that stage just yet,
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but the signs are there,
just the signs so that would be
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like an early warning sign.
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That something is really wrong.
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And you can be sure, if
you have plaque in the heart,
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you'll have it in your brain,
it's everywhere. Okay. Yeah.
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And so this is a big issue.
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So here we have a lady who is
elderly, I mean I say elderly,
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she is retirement age and
she may already have plaque
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in her brain setting
herself up for a lower threshold
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to having an
ischemic event or no blood
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flowing to a
certain part of her brain.
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And so then, the next
part of the equation is this...
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You go to the party and
you eat foods such as cake
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with frosting - what's frosting?
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Sugar and oil or sugar and
lard, or sugar and shortening
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that's hydrogenated fats.
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When you eat that
stuff, the fat in the product
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goes in the bloodstream;
it causes all the little red
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blood cells to stick together
and it lowers the oxygen.
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In one study, after one
high fat meal, within 6 hours
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the oxygen on the brain
dropped below 70% and it didn't
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return to normal
for 3 whole days.
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That's 3 days
without your brain. Laughter.
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I don't think I could last quite
that long without my brain.
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So, say that again...
how much, one high fat meal.
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One high fat meal in the
study decreased the oxygen
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on the brain, at
6 hours, below 70%.
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You'd like the oxygen in your
brain to be somewhere around
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95% in order to be...
To function well. Yes.
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And then that lasted for 3 days.
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And it didn't return to
normal for 3 whole days.
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And then if you have
high fat meals routinely...
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Yes, some people eat another
high fat meal the next day,
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and another high
fat meal the next day,
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and some people have never
had a fully functioning brain!
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And they just accept it
because that's what it is,
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that's what they've lived
with and they just wonder,
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"Aw, I'm not with
it," or, you know,
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they make reasons or
excuses why but it's actually
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the diet that is
causing it. Yes. That's correct!
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So is fat the big
villain in this particular case?
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In this case, the fat
certainly plays a major role,
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but it's also true - any
refined foods tend to cause
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little red blood cells to stick
together and lower oxygenation.
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So the sugar would also play
a role as well in contributing
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to her brain dysfunction.
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So here we have what
we're assuming, is a lady
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who probably already
had plaque in her brain,
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already compromising
blood flow and then on top of
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that, she adds a high
fat meal which compromises
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oxygenation of whatever
blood is flowing further,
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and you get below the
level of survivability
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and part of the brain dies.
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And so one high fat
meal, one party, "Oh, I'll just
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go off my diet once;
I'll just splurge this once,"
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and you've compromised yourself.
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She spent the
rest of her retirement
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being cared for by others. Ohh.
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The sad part is
nowadays, they know with strokes
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there's a lot you can do
to get the brain to pick up
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and to actually
correct the problem
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which is some of the work I do.
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Yes, and well yeah,
we need to come to that,
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but I'm just intrigued
about some other villains
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that you've got.
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So what else might have
been at the party besides the
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high fat, the high sugar
and that's typical party food
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isn't it, high fat, high
sugar, high salt... going?
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That's right! And another
thing that will affect the brain
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is so we said that at 20%
blockage, you could detect
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it on a mental status exam.
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There are certain vasoactive
substances in certain foods
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that will compromise
blood flow to the brain.
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One of those is caffeine - found
in colas, found in chocolate,
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found in different types
of drinks people use like
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coffee and so here we have
an individual who might have
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had chocolate as
a main part of...
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Or chocolate cake!
... chocolate cake.
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... with chocolate
icing or frosting! Yes.
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And chocolate
ice cream, whatever.
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And so chocolate! So
for somebody who drinks
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one cup of coffee, the blood
flow is shut down to the brain
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especially the
frontal lobes by 30%.
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So what percentage
are we down to now?
00:11:23.81\00:11:25.68
We're down 20 with
the oxygen and another 30
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with the caffeine - not
looking very good is it?
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Not looking too good and
what happens when the blood
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gets shut down to
your frontal lobes,
00:11:34.36\00:11:36.42
your frontal lobes are where
you do your higher thinking.
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It's where you make decisions.
00:11:39.16\00:11:40.50
Where your intelligence is.
00:11:40.53\00:11:41.86
Yes and how you
know the difference
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between right and wrong.
00:11:44.20\00:11:45.77
So that would also
mean, when you offered the
00:11:45.80\00:11:48.20
next piece of chocolate
cake or whatever it is,
00:11:48.24\00:11:51.31
it's more likely to
have maybe more of the same.
00:11:51.34\00:11:54.81
That's a little
like drinking alcohol.
00:11:54.84\00:11:56.88
The next drink is easier because
your inhibitions are down
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further, you've lost
more control of yourself.
00:12:00.58\00:12:03.55
Well it's highly likely
she probably had a glass of
00:12:03.59\00:12:05.72
wine as well, who knows.
00:12:05.75\00:12:07.42
Who knows! Yes!
00:12:07.46\00:12:09.42
And so here we have a lady
who might have had some caffeine
00:12:09.46\00:12:14.10
It's also true that if somebody
drinks one cup of coffee,
00:12:14.13\00:12:16.90
they're more likely to
share secrets they'd otherwise
00:12:16.93\00:12:19.77
keep confidential.
00:12:19.80\00:12:21.17
Inhibit - so does alcohol!
00:12:21.20\00:12:24.17
I actually didn't
realize that about caffeine.
00:12:24.21\00:12:27.34
We know about alcohol.
00:12:27.38\00:12:28.74
So... UHM!
00:12:28.78\00:12:30.68
So that's why we're
going to take you out to coffee
00:12:30.71\00:12:32.61
after work and ask you a
few questions! Laughter...
00:12:32.68\00:12:34.85
Cake and coffee is the
common denominator. OH, okay!
00:12:34.88\00:12:37.05
So let's go to the
coffee shop medication.
00:12:37.99\00:12:40.02
They do, they have
cake and coffee, don't they?
00:12:40.06\00:12:42.69
Double whammy!
00:12:42.72\00:12:44.53
So it's not just the business
lunch, it's the cake and coffee
00:12:44.56\00:12:47.30
that can get you when you're
at home - very interesting.
00:12:47.33\00:12:50.37
So compromise brain function
00:12:50.40\00:12:52.57
is what we're
talking about here. Yes.
00:12:52.60\00:12:54.44
Another thing that affects
the brain, affects function,
00:12:54.47\00:12:57.44
affects whether or
not you have a stroke
00:12:57.47\00:12:58.97
is the
inflammation level of the brain.
00:12:59.01\00:13:02.68
And for inflammation,
the things that raise the
00:13:02.71\00:13:05.38
inflammation in the
brain are any foods that are
00:13:05.41\00:13:08.45
created through rotting,
spoiling, fermenting, ageing.
00:13:08.48\00:13:12.25
Rotting, spoiling,
fermenting, ageing.
00:13:12.29\00:13:16.36
And these are foods that
are your cheese - I mean parties
00:13:16.39\00:13:20.13
often have
cheese - cheese chunks
00:13:20.16\00:13:21.86
with the little
fork in it, whatever.
00:13:21.90\00:13:23.67
Wine, as you mentioned;
anything with vinegar, salad
00:13:23.70\00:13:27.34
dressings, ketchup, mayonnaise,
vinegar is definitely
00:13:27.37\00:13:31.44
going to be an
inflammatory agent; soy sauce,
00:13:31.47\00:13:35.51
chocolate itself is a
fermented product, so is coffee,
00:13:35.54\00:13:38.71
vanilla - I mean there
are a lot of things that are
00:13:38.75\00:13:40.92
not fresh by the
time you get them.
00:13:40.95\00:13:43.85
In fact, vanilla has been
aged or rotted for like 9 months
00:13:43.89\00:13:47.72
before they get that flavor
that you think you like so well!
00:13:47.76\00:13:50.53
Oh, that's interesting!
00:13:50.56\00:13:52.19
They make it with alcohol.
Is that the pure vanilla?
00:13:52.23\00:13:54.16
Yes. Is that the pure vanilla
00:13:54.20\00:13:55.83
or is that the imitation?
00:13:55.86\00:13:57.57
The imitation would
NOT have the fermentation,
00:13:57.60\00:14:00.24
it's merely a chemical
product from a laboratory.
00:14:00.27\00:14:04.11
Well thank you for that,
I've been buying pure vanilla
00:14:04.14\00:14:06.51
thinking it was a
great thing to do and you're
00:14:06.54\00:14:08.04
telling me it's fermented.
00:14:08.08\00:14:09.41
Definitely
fermented, definitely aged,
00:14:09.44\00:14:11.95
definitely full of... Oh!
00:14:11.98\00:14:13.85
And what happens is when the
little yeasts and the microbes
00:14:13.88\00:14:16.69
eat on it, it produces toxins.
00:14:16.72\00:14:19.32
They can be aflatoxins;
they can be excitotoxins;
00:14:19.35\00:14:22.72
they can be merely
false neurotransmitters.
00:14:22.76\00:14:26.76
And some of these false
neurotransmitters are like
00:14:26.80\00:14:29.40
tyramine - for somebody
suffering from a migraine
00:14:29.43\00:14:32.70
headache, they know to
stay away from cheese and wine.
00:14:32.73\00:14:35.00
The reason is
tyramine! What does tyramine do?
00:14:35.04\00:14:38.27
It causes a clamping down of
the blood vessels in the brain
00:14:38.31\00:14:41.21
just like the caffeine.
00:14:41.24\00:14:44.35
Wow, Jenny have
you got some good news?
00:14:44.38\00:14:48.08
Can we just talk about it?
00:14:48.12\00:14:49.92
This is all the bad
news. I'm really good news
00:14:49.95\00:14:52.75
about the health.
00:14:52.79\00:14:54.12
Let's just have a
little chat about how we might,
00:14:54.16\00:14:56.16
you know... what would you do?
00:14:56.19\00:14:57.53
One of the things I do
is see people with strokes,
00:14:57.56\00:15:00.40
and as a health psychologist,
I certainly help them to
00:15:00.43\00:15:02.70
change things, but I
find mentally and emotionally
00:15:02.73\00:15:06.03
to have a stroke is very
stressful and often their
00:15:06.07\00:15:09.77
self-worth and
self-esteem goes down;
00:15:09.80\00:15:12.07
and they can get very
depressed and even anxious
00:15:12.11\00:15:14.64
that it's going to happen again
and it's also about survival.
00:15:14.68\00:15:17.81
So there's a lot I
help them to work through.
00:15:17.85\00:15:20.92
But one of the things in
the area that we work with as
00:15:20.95\00:15:25.89
a psychologist is the fact that
the brain can grow and change.
00:15:25.92\00:15:29.69
Now that's very refreshing
because we all want to know.
00:15:29.72\00:15:33.13
We have an amazing brain! Yes!
00:15:33.16\00:15:35.66
God has given us
this amazing brain.
00:15:35.70\00:15:37.83
And this is actually good
news for someone who might have
00:15:37.87\00:15:40.20
already had a stroke. Yes.
00:15:40.24\00:15:41.90
And so you're saying that
there can be a good recovery?
00:15:41.94\00:15:45.21
Well what I do is this can
be and there are people who
00:15:45.24\00:15:48.01
have fully recovered
from strokes and this is where
00:15:48.04\00:15:52.08
there's a lot people
can do to keep their mind
00:15:52.11\00:15:54.32
active like certainly what we're
hearing on the dietetic side
00:15:54.35\00:15:58.29
of nutrition and health,
and what's good for us or not.
00:15:58.32\00:16:01.29
But what I do is help
people to keep their brain alive
00:16:01.32\00:16:04.36
literally is to use it and it's
the use it or lose it principle,
00:16:04.39\00:16:07.40
and there was a very
good example of what we're
00:16:07.43\00:16:09.73
talking about here - A
man by the name of "Pedro,"
00:16:09.76\00:16:13.60
he was 65 years old and he
actually had a major stroke,
00:16:13.64\00:16:19.67
and that left him inability to
speak; it paralyzed half of his
00:16:19.71\00:16:24.01
body; he couldn't walk or speak.
00:16:24.05\00:16:26.21
They put him through a rehab
program and at the end of that
00:16:26.25\00:16:29.28
they said, "Well nothing will
fix this, you're incurable,"
00:16:29.32\00:16:32.89
and they sent him home.
00:16:32.92\00:16:34.52
And his son didn't accept that,
so he came to live with his
00:16:34.56\00:16:37.56
father and he, first of all,
got him flat on the floor and he
00:16:37.59\00:16:42.90
got him to start to move
his legs and he would help him
00:16:42.93\00:16:45.27
do the movement to
get the muscles going.
00:16:45.30\00:16:47.77
What a blessing to have someone
who cared about you enough
00:16:47.80\00:16:51.77
to help you, especially
when he had been told that
00:16:51.81\00:16:54.51
really there's no hope
because this would have
00:16:54.54\00:16:57.38
probably taken a
while for him to do.
00:16:57.41\00:17:00.05
Well it did, it was 12 months
that his son worked with him
00:17:00.08\00:17:03.49
in recovery, but initially
he got him to crawl and then
00:17:03.52\00:17:07.09
he would get him to stand
up against a wall and to get
00:17:07.12\00:17:10.33
mobility and he also
used children's games to
00:17:10.36\00:17:14.56
stimulate brain function.
00:17:14.63\00:17:15.96
What sort of children's games?
00:17:16.00\00:17:17.87
Well he didn't say, I'm
not sure, but when you look at
00:17:17.90\00:17:21.60
children's games, probably
board games and things that
00:17:21.64\00:17:24.57
stimulate brain function.
00:17:24.61\00:17:26.07
Yeah, they get them to think,
but in simple terms to start.
00:17:26.11\00:17:29.68
It's like starting back
at kindergarten, isn't it?
00:17:29.71\00:17:32.55
That's right!
Yeah, that's what he did.
00:17:32.58\00:17:34.62
But because he had already
learned all these things,
00:17:34.65\00:17:37.45
his brain grew very
quickly and by growth, I mean
00:17:37.49\00:17:40.59
by what we call neuroplasticity,
and the brain has the
00:17:40.62\00:17:43.83
capacity to reproduce trillions
of cells when it's stimulated.
00:17:43.86\00:17:48.00
So getting him to do
these things stimulated
00:17:48.03\00:17:51.83
major brain growth.
00:17:51.87\00:17:53.20
And then the other amazing
thing that is like a miracle
00:17:53.23\00:17:56.64
in the brain - the brain
can actually change the wiring
00:17:56.67\00:18:00.11
and even though the stroke
destroys part of the tissues
00:18:00.14\00:18:03.04
in the brain where that ability
to speak no longer exists,
00:18:03.08\00:18:06.21
it's the speech
center, the brain can actually
00:18:06.25\00:18:08.08
recreate a new speech center.
OH, isn't that incredible!
00:18:08.12\00:18:11.32
And what it does, with
the stimulation, it starts to
00:18:11.35\00:18:14.39
wire that in because
he could already speak...
00:18:14.42\00:18:16.69
the brain can reproduce it.
00:18:16.73\00:18:18.56
So within 12 months, he
then got on to a computer,
00:18:18.59\00:18:22.43
and then he was walking, and he
did a virtually full recovery.
00:18:22.46\00:18:26.30
And he had 12 good years
where he would go hiking in the
00:18:26.33\00:18:29.90
mountains and he had time with
his grandchildren, his family,
00:18:29.94\00:18:33.34
and back in the garden - a
highly active man and could
00:18:33.38\00:18:36.11
go back to writing
and using his computer.
00:18:36.14\00:18:38.31
And mentally good?
00:18:38.35\00:18:39.68
Mentally very, very good.
00:18:39.71\00:18:41.12
And after 12 years, he
actually had a heart attack.
00:18:41.15\00:18:44.15
He was actually out hiking
apparently when he had this
00:18:44.19\00:18:46.32
heart attack and died.
00:18:46.35\00:18:48.09
And they did an autopsy
and they found that from
00:18:48.12\00:18:51.56
what they call the "cerebral
cortex" which is the brain,
00:18:51.59\00:18:54.73
through to his spine and
down his spine, there was
00:18:54.76\00:18:57.93
catastrophic damage that was
still evident from the stroke.
00:18:57.97\00:19:02.00
But what the brain had
done was put in new wiring
00:19:02.04\00:19:04.87
and connections and the
nervous system had readjusted
00:19:04.91\00:19:07.74
to pick up that functioning
again, but the actual
00:19:07.78\00:19:10.45
physical damage was
still evident at the autopsy.
00:19:10.48\00:19:12.95
Isn't that amazing what
the brain can actually do.
00:19:12.98\00:19:14.45
We are a miracle when
you look at what we can do.
00:19:14.48\00:19:18.19
But I've just got to
say for people tuning in...
00:19:18.22\00:19:21.09
Don't just think
because of what Jenny just said
00:19:21.12\00:19:24.16
and it can be fixed,
but it gives you any reason
00:19:24.19\00:19:27.80
not to take notice of what
Dr. Clark has been telling you.
00:19:27.83\00:19:30.70
You don't want to get to that
point where I have to fix it.
00:19:30.73\00:19:32.73
Yeah, don't want
to get to that point,
00:19:32.77\00:19:35.00
not at all, no - I'm sure
you're not really thinking that.
00:19:35.04\00:19:38.87
Was there anything else,
Dr. John, that contributes
00:19:38.91\00:19:44.05
to these problems, not
just Alzheimer's and stroke,
00:19:44.08\00:19:47.18
but just the brain
fault and all that.
00:19:47.22\00:19:49.38
One of the things that
will create more inflammation
00:19:49.42\00:19:52.85
in the brain is having any kind
of oxidized oils in the diet.
00:19:52.89\00:20:01.13
This would be any oils
that have been heat-treated.
00:20:01.16\00:20:03.57
Now you might wonder
what I'm talking about here.
00:20:03.60\00:20:06.33
And one of the ways that
people heart-treat their oils
00:20:06.37\00:20:09.14
is they fry things. Oh yes.
00:20:09.17\00:20:11.27
Anytime you heat up oils,
they deteriorate, especially
00:20:11.31\00:20:14.18
if they're in the
presence of oxygen.
00:20:14.21\00:20:15.74
And when you get
oxidized oils in the body,
00:20:15.78\00:20:18.51
then those oxidized
oils cause damage to cells,
00:20:18.55\00:20:22.65
it causes damage to protein.
00:20:22.68\00:20:24.75
That protein gets
messed up and it ends up in the
00:20:24.79\00:20:28.72
brain as sludge and when
we go testing for Alzheimer's
00:20:28.76\00:20:33.50
we go looking for this
sludge and we call it "amyloid,"
00:20:33.53\00:20:36.87
and we discover that
the patient has Alzheimer's.
00:20:36.90\00:20:39.40
But really, was the sludge
just another evidence that you
00:20:39.43\00:20:43.37
had oxidized oils
along with Alzheimer's.
00:20:43.41\00:20:46.01
And so really, what's
happening here is you end up
00:20:46.04\00:20:49.08
oxidizing your brain capacity
through these free radicals,
00:20:49.11\00:20:53.45
is what they are, free
radicals that were made in your
00:20:53.48\00:20:56.99
frying pan in your kitchen.
00:20:57.02\00:20:58.35
So if you want to make free
radicals, just take the best
00:20:58.39\00:21:01.16
cold-pressed/cold-processed
olive oil, put it in a frying
00:21:01.19\00:21:04.59
pan, heat it up and
then you have a toxic potion
00:21:04.63\00:21:08.93
that can help you
achieve Alzheimer's
00:21:08.96\00:21:10.60
in a short amount of time.
00:21:10.63\00:21:11.97
So any oil, any
refined oil or fat can be
00:21:12.00\00:21:15.67
oxidized just by frying.
00:21:15.70\00:21:17.04
Refined oils or even
unrefined oils - they don't
00:21:17.07\00:21:21.54
handle heat well and so you're
better off not heating oils,
00:21:21.58\00:21:25.91
especially if, you know, if
you want to avoid Alzheimer's.
00:21:25.95\00:21:28.32
So fast-foods are
not really a good idea.
00:21:28.35\00:21:31.12
As they're made in
most places, they do contain
00:21:31.15\00:21:34.96
high amounts of oil.
00:21:34.99\00:21:36.32
Now on the other hand,
when we're talking here about
00:21:36.36\00:21:38.19
neuroplasticity and
recreating the brain,
00:21:38.23\00:21:41.06
you want to support the
brain with a good nutritional
00:21:41.10\00:21:44.17
approach and, first of
all, we said blood flow is a
00:21:44.20\00:21:47.80
problem and so you
want to improve blood flow.
00:21:47.84\00:21:50.01
And so if you're
going to improve blood flow,
00:21:50.04\00:21:52.07
you want to get fresh
oils from their source;
00:21:52.11\00:21:56.41
eat nuts and seeds.
00:21:56.44\00:21:57.78
For example - walnuts
are very good at helping
00:21:57.81\00:21:59.61
blood flow through the
omega 3s, flaxseed via a
00:21:59.65\00:22:03.22
similar mechanism and so eating
00:22:03.25\00:22:05.49
good food in that
way; avocados when you...
00:22:05.52\00:22:07.72
I was just going
to say "avocados,"
00:22:07.76\00:22:09.09
they're
brilliant for that. Um hm.
00:22:09.12\00:22:10.53
And olives, and so
you're looking at good sources
00:22:10.56\00:22:14.70
of fats that would be a
benefit, but I'm not saying
00:22:14.73\00:22:17.73
that fats are the
answer if you want to
00:22:17.77\00:22:19.13
stock up too much on fats.
00:22:19.17\00:22:20.67
It's better not to eat
more than 10% of your diet
00:22:20.70\00:22:22.97
as nuts, for example.
00:22:23.00\00:22:24.81
And so the other
thing that helps blood flow
00:22:24.84\00:22:27.38
are foods that are
high in water and high in
00:22:27.41\00:22:30.85
vitamin C and vitamin E.
00:22:30.88\00:22:32.58
So what foods are high in water?
00:22:32.61\00:22:35.35
Most of your fruit is at
least 93 to 98% water. Okay.
00:22:35.38\00:22:39.49
And so some of the best
fruits for this would be like
00:22:39.52\00:22:43.06
pineapple because it's
high in vitamin C, it's also got
00:22:43.09\00:22:46.23
bromelain which helps
inflammation and blood flow.
00:22:46.26\00:22:49.83
Grapefruit help blood
flow particularly to the brain,
00:22:49.86\00:22:53.34
it makes the blood more
slippery, if you please.
00:22:53.37\00:22:55.20
I love grapefruit.
00:22:55.24\00:22:56.91
Berries of any kind.
00:22:56.94\00:22:58.27
That makes one of us. Laughter.
00:22:58.31\00:23:01.34
I find it a bit challenging.
00:23:01.38\00:23:04.25
Is there anything equivalent
to grapefruit in the citrus?
00:23:04.28\00:23:08.15
Pomelos! Alright.
00:23:08.18\00:23:12.62
And so the
grapefruit is sort of unique,
00:23:12.65\00:23:14.59
it's got some
special properties.
00:23:14.62\00:23:16.02
But garlic is good for
keeping the blood flow,
00:23:16.06\00:23:19.09
so while Jenny is
eating her grapefruit,
00:23:19.13\00:23:21.00
you can eat your garlic. Yes.
00:23:21.03\00:23:22.56
Oh, so garlic will
help keep stroke away
00:23:22.60\00:23:26.03
and keep your
friends away. Laughter.
00:23:26.07\00:23:27.80
Helps with social distancing,
you don't spread disease.
00:23:27.84\00:23:31.57
No, it's actually
delicious, I love garlic.
00:23:31.61\00:23:34.28
I've got an interesting
story about a friend of mine
00:23:35.51\00:23:39.98
whose husband has got
Alzheimer's and they were
00:23:40.02\00:23:41.88
advised to
stimulate brain function.
00:23:41.92\00:23:43.85
This comes back to
the neuroplasticity again.
00:23:43.89\00:23:46.45
And they can
afford to do this but they
00:23:46.49\00:23:49.29
used to do a lot of traveling,
so they decided they would
00:23:49.72\00:23:52.63
do a lot of traveling
but do it on ships because
00:23:52.66\00:23:56.83
it's a confined space, it's
a manageable chunk and that has
00:23:56.87\00:24:01.17
really helped him a lot.
00:24:01.20\00:24:02.77
And it's interesting because
even though certain things
00:24:02.80\00:24:05.27
in his memory are
disappearing, he still can use
00:24:05.31\00:24:08.21
the short-term memory
like in looking at photos,
00:24:08.24\00:24:11.28
and the stimulation of that
has stimulated new brain growth.
00:24:11.31\00:24:15.08
So there's a lot you
can do even with Alzheimer's
00:24:15.12\00:24:17.72
to help to slow it
down; you know, if it is a
00:24:17.75\00:24:20.49
disease that's taking over
and to actually keep the brain
00:24:20.52\00:24:23.59
more alive instead of it
deteriorating so quickly.
00:24:23.63\00:24:27.13
And what about
exercise, does that kind of...
00:24:27.16\00:24:31.07
A silly question. Certainly!
00:24:31.10\00:24:33.54
Yes, thanks for asking,
we don't want to miss that.
00:24:33.57\00:24:35.97
Oh yeah, the
oxygenation of the brain and a
00:24:36.00\00:24:38.87
healthy body
supports a healthy brain.
00:24:38.91\00:24:41.88
And so physical
activity, especially getting out
00:24:41.91\00:24:44.81
and getting the heart
pumping, is going to have
00:24:44.85\00:24:47.45
the effect to help more
blood flow to the brain.
00:24:47.48\00:24:50.42
It opens up the blood
vessels and you want to make
00:24:50.45\00:24:53.46
sure you're
well-hydrated for that as well.
00:24:53.49\00:24:55.96
And so physical activity
also puts the brain to work
00:24:55.99\00:24:59.86
at coordinating
your muscles, so you're
00:24:59.89\00:25:01.96
stimulating that
part of your brain.
00:25:02.00\00:25:04.00
Certainly important
also, exercise mentally.
00:25:04.03\00:25:09.90
And so people wanting
to recover from a stroke
00:25:09.94\00:25:13.24
or from any of this Alzheimer's
or degenerative brain disease,
00:25:13.27\00:25:18.35
they need to use the brain.
00:25:18.38\00:25:20.68
If you don't use
it, you... LOSE IT!
00:25:20.72\00:25:23.52
That's what you were just
saying, Jenny, and this is
00:25:23.55\00:25:25.52
much of what you do, isn't it?
00:25:25.55\00:25:27.46
Yes, I help motivate
people and get them to set
00:25:27.49\00:25:30.93
realistic goals, small goals and
00:25:30.96\00:25:32.69
this is why I've
studied lifestyle and the
00:25:33.56\00:25:35.36
nutritional medicine side of it
00:25:35.43\00:25:37.13
because it's a whole
package. It's a package!
00:25:37.17\00:25:39.77
Yeah and so I do a lot
of doing the whole package
00:25:39.80\00:25:42.84
with people - as well
as getting them to use
00:25:42.87\00:25:44.77
their mind and to
learn to think the right way,
00:25:44.81\00:25:47.91
and to change the old
beliefs and values that have
00:25:47.94\00:25:51.21
keeping them stuck
in this way of life.
00:25:51.25\00:25:54.38
Cause it's a lot to give up
a lifestyle where you've had
00:25:54.42\00:25:56.82
all this junk food.
00:25:56.85\00:25:58.19
Oh it is!
00:25:58.22\00:25:59.55
It is, most people
cannot just go and let's it?
00:25:59.59\00:26:02.66
all change overnight, very rare.
00:26:02.69\00:26:05.09
You have to help them
and motivate them and help
00:26:05.13\00:26:07.56
them to set the goals
and to try new foods and to
00:26:07.60\00:26:10.77
look at an area like a chunk
or an area they CAN change.
00:26:10.80\00:26:14.47
But with exercise, it
might be, and we talked a bit
00:26:14.50\00:26:17.21
about this before, it might
be just halfway around the block
00:26:17.24\00:26:19.61
or out to the front, around
the garden and then they'll
00:26:19.64\00:26:23.11
start to be stimulated
and motivated to doing more.,
00:26:23.14\00:26:25.78
so I'm doing
that with them. Yes!
00:26:25.81\00:26:27.75
On that exercise question,
I remember reading a study
00:26:27.78\00:26:30.89
a while ago where they
had two groups of people
00:26:30.92\00:26:33.99
who had Alzheimer's, and
they were trying improve their
00:26:35.32\00:26:39.29
communication skills.
00:26:39.33\00:26:40.66
So one group, they
didn't change anything,
00:26:40.70\00:26:43.93
and the other group, they
put them on an exercise program
00:26:43.97\00:26:48.37
and they had a 40% increase
in communication skills.
00:26:48.40\00:26:53.58
And the other group
actually was given communication
00:26:53.61\00:26:57.61
counseling and assistance
with that, but the ones who just
00:26:57.65\00:27:01.12
did the exercise
had a 40% increase!
00:27:01.15\00:27:03.95
So that's incredible, isn't it?
00:27:03.99\00:27:05.39
And that helps us
not to get it as well.
00:27:05.42\00:27:07.22
So these have been wonderful
00:27:07.26\00:27:09.02
things that you've
shared. John, have you got...
00:27:09.09\00:27:10.93
We had some friends who
were fairly health-conscious,
00:27:10.96\00:27:14.30
and their mother was
getting older, she was widowed.
00:27:14.33\00:27:18.13
She was living down in Florida.
00:27:18.17\00:27:19.83
She was eating on her
own, choosing foods that are
00:27:19.87\00:27:22.50
easy to grab at the
grocery store pre-prepared,
00:27:22.54\00:27:25.24
and she developed Alzheimer's.
00:27:25.27\00:27:27.38
And so since she wasn't
able to take care of herself
00:27:27.41\00:27:30.05
down in Florida, they moved
her up with them in Minnesota;
00:27:30.08\00:27:33.48
put her on their good
lifestyle and good diet,
00:27:33.52\00:27:36.18
and homemade foods,
she totally cleared up!
00:27:36.22\00:27:38.85
Her Alzheimer's
totally disappeared.
00:27:38.89\00:27:40.22
She's back to normal!
00:27:40.26\00:27:41.59
I believe that can happen.
00:27:41.62\00:27:43.19
Do you know, the father
of medicine - as he's often
00:27:43.22\00:27:46.03
called, "Hippocrates,"
200 years before B.C.,
00:27:46.06\00:27:50.20
he said, "Let food be your
medicine - you can probably
00:27:50.23\00:27:54.30
finish that... and
medicine be your food."
00:27:54.34\00:27:56.94
Well that's all we have for
today - what we have time for,
00:27:56.97\00:28:00.48
but you can view our programs
on demand by visiting our
00:28:00.51\00:28:03.45
website: 3abnaustralia.org.au
00:28:03.48\00:28:07.18
and just click
on the watch button.
00:28:07.22\00:28:09.38
And you can also download our
fact sheets and if you have a
00:28:09.42\00:28:12.55
health concern that
you'd like to discuss
00:28:12.59\00:28:14.42
with Dr. John Clark or
to Jenifer, send it to:
00:28:14.46\00:28:18.59
healthyliving@3abn.australia.
org.au
00:28:18.63\00:28:22.60
and please join us next time for
more secrets of healthy living.
00:28:22.63\00:28:26.10