The Brain Podcast Dr. Shabnam Das Kar MD and Andrea Spyros

In this episode, we delved into the fascinating world of cardiovascular health, specifically focusing on hypertension, with the esteemed cardiologist Dr. Maria Emilia Figueiredo Teixeira from Brazil. Dr. Maria Emilia shared insights from her groundbreaking research on the influence of gratitude, forgiveness, and spirituality on hypertension control.




00:00:00 Hypertension has become more of a concern these days. It's actually one of the most prevalent cardiovascular diseases. And most people who have it don't even know they have it. And those who do



00:00:10 have really inadequate, often really inadequate control over it. Today, we are so pleased to host Dr. Maria Amelia, a cardiologist from



00:00:21 Brazil, who has done some interesting research on gratitude, forgiveness, spirituality, and its effect on hypertension. I'm



00:00:31 Andrea Spyros. I'm a behaviour design consultant and a professional speaker, and I work with organizations to harness the power of high-performance habits, increasing engagement, resilience, and overall well-being.



00:00:45 I am Dr. Shabnam Das Kar, a functional medicine doctor and Tiny Habits certified coach. I teach people how to improve their focus, get rid of brain fog, and reduce their risk of dementia down the line.



00:00:59 And today, welcome, Dr. Amelia, Maria Amelia. We're so pleased to have you today. Please share with us, there's a lot we want to unpack about your research. Please share with us what got you interested in doing this type of research.



00:01:19 Hi, Andrea. Hi, Dr. Shabnam. It's my privilege to be here. Thank you for the opportunity to bring the results of our latest research, the results from the field trial that we presented recently at the late-breaking clinical trials of the ACC24. So we started to research this theme in



00:01:29 2020. As a cardiologist, I'm very intrigued by the situation of hypertension in Brazil and the whole world. As you said, it's prevalent



00:01:53 disease with inadequate control, bringing lots of death worldwide. And we know there is a gap. We



00:02:05 know how to treat it with lifestyle habits, medications, but still it's not adequately treated. And why



00:02:15 isn't it treated? And what else is influencing those blood pressure controls that we're not looking at and



00:02:27 is avoiding us from having good control. I know that we're not taking, we, I say as a population, but hypertensive patients are



00:02:37 not treating themselves well, are not looking at themselves, are not measuring their blood pressures, and are not taking their pills adequately,



00:02:48 are not having good lifestyle habits, and what about their behaviors, their feelings? I think they're not working on that either. So I started to look at



00:03:07 the influence of those feelings, and we got good results on this research that I call the field trial.



00:03:17 Thank you, Dr. Maria. So the trial that Dr. Maria is talking about, and she had presented at the American College of Cardiology very recently, I think it was just last



00:03:28 week. And the name of the trial, so Andrea, this is for people who want to know what it is that the trial is. The name of the trial is a clinical trial to



00:03:39 evaluate the influence of a spirituality intervention on blood pressure control, central hemodynamics, and endothelial function. And



00:03:49 it has a very interesting acronym, FIELD, F-W-L, FIELD trial. So, Dr. Maria, interesting thing is, I know your specialty is



00:03:57 you're a cardiologist, and which is this place in Brazil that you work at, your institution?



00:04:08 I work and research at the hypertension unit of the Federal University of Goiás. Goiás is a state in the center of Brazil, very close to



00:04:18 Bra

We discuss the importance of vision, hearing, and sense of smell to the risk of dementia. Changes in these senses can serve as signals for potential dementia and how addressing these root causes can help prevent dementia down the line. We emphasized the connection between these senses and the nervous system, as well as the role of inflammation in impacting them. We also shared practical strategies such as getting regular vision check-ups, testing hearing, and engaging in olfactory training to improve brain function.




Introduction to the Importance of Senses: 00:00:00



Vision, Hearing, and Smell as Indicators of Dementia: 00:02:00



Impact of Vision on Brain Function: 00:03:25



Hearing Loss and Dementia Risk: 00:09:39



The Significance of Sense of Smell: 00:20:26



Olfactory Training and Brain Function: 00:27:19



Common Connections Between Senses and Dementia: 00:31:54




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References



Test your hearing. Hear WHO app



Unusual sense of smell and detection of Parkinson's Disease.



Woo, Cynthia C., et al. "Overnight olfactory enrichment using an odorant diffuser improves memory and modifies the uncinate fasciculus in older adults." Frontiers in Neuroscience 17 (2023): 1200448.

(00:00) - Intro: Nine ways to reduce Alzheimer's risk



(01:47) - Importance of ApoE4 in dementia



(03:15) - Different ways to reduce dementia risk



(04:12) - 9 Things You Can Do to Support Your Brain Health



(07:00) - Pay attention to brain, body, and supplements for optimal health



(07:51) - RDAs and benefits of supplements



(08:34) - Omega3 testing and supplementation



(10:08) - Omega3 supplements for atrial fibrillation



(11:38) - Supplementing with a symphony of nutrients, not just one



(12:32) - Vitacog Supplementing with Vitamin B and Omega3



(14:10) - Taking supplements for long-term benefits



(17:07) - B vitamin testing for correcting genetic variations



(17:32) - A positive aging mindset reduces dementia risk



(19:15) - Tiny habits shift mindset for healthy aging



(20:57) - A positive mindset helps with knee pain



(21:36) - Longevity questions to ask yourself



(22:06) - Inspiration for physical fitness in older age



(22:46) - Hormones and Alzheimer's disease in women



(26:39) - Head trauma and dementia risk importance for people with ApoE4



(29:24) - Impact of Alcohol on women's health



(31:40) - What is the easiest place to quit alcohol?



(32:36) - Loss of sense of smell increases the risk for Alzheimer's disease



(33:13) - Using Essential Oil for Memory Training



(35:03) - Home sniff tests for brain health



(36:42) - Outro: Support yourself with these tips



Chapters created by ChapterMe



Audio-only version on YouTube





References



Woo, Cynthia C., et al. "Overnight olfactory enrichment using an odorant diffuser improves memory and modifies the uncinate fasciculus in older adults." Frontiers in Neuroscience 17 (2023): 1200448.

If you’ve been told you have the ApoE4 gene that puts you at risk for Alzheimer's or think you may have it, most likely your doctor told you there’s nothing you can do. That’s not entirely true. We’ll share the nine things you can do to reduce your risk of Alzheimer's. Many people learn they have a genetic risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and feel like victims. We'll help you protect your brain now so the risk is mitigated.



(00:00) - Have You Got the APOE4 Gene Associated with Alzheimer's?



(00:33) - Heads Up: Julie Bergfeld on Her Alzheimer's



(01:07) - Julie Bergfeld on Her Alzheimer's Gene



(01:35) - The APOE4 gene associated with Alzheimer's



(02:21) - APOE4 gene associated with Alzheimer's disease



(02:58) - Julie's battle with Alzheimer's disease



(08:15) - Brain Games for APOE 4



(08:33) - Challenging Your Brain



(09:44) - Dementia and behaviour change



(11:11) - Starting small: How to Get Out of the Tiny Habits



(11:44) - Mental health: Start small and build momentum



(12:23) - How to Keep From Getting Down or Defeated Over a Diagn



(15:25) - Does thinking about getting older affect your dementia risk?



(19:33) - Genetic Testing



(24:54) - Julie on the Genetic Testing



(27:58) - APOE4 gene test



(29:11) - Alzheimer's risk for women, genetics and the treatment



(31:31) - A message about hope for your brain in your 30s



(33:34) - Outro



Chapters created by ChapterMe



About Julie Bergfeld



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References




Levy, Becca R., et al. "Positive age beliefs protect against dementia even among elders with high-risk gene." PloS one 13.2 (2018): e0191004.



Alzheimer's Disease genetic fact sheet.

You may have heard the term circadian rhythm and think it only affects air travel across multiple time zones or shift workers, but it really affects every aspect of your day. Listen to learn more about how to keep your body clock in tip-top shape.



(00:03) - Intro



(00:46) - What is Circadian Rhythm?



(02:20) - Best Analogy for Circadian Rhythm



(03:43) - Effect on our Body Organs



(05:44) - Impact on Food: Snack Culture



(08:49) - Zeitgebers Influences: Effect of Sleep on Circadian Rhythm



(11:41) - Behavior Design Suggestions



(13:48) - Out of Sync with your Circadian Rhythm



(16:16) - Importance of Circadian Rhythm and Sleep for Younger People



(18:29) - Circadian Rhythm Impact on Blood Pressure



(22:15) - SAD in Winter: Are Light Boxes Helpful?



(26:00) - Time Restricted Eating and Intermittent Fasting



(27:53) - Benefits of Reducing Exposure to Artificial Light after its Dark



(30:04) - Using Flux App and Sleep Masks



(31:46) - Final Thoughts



(34:09) - Outro



Chapters created by ChapterMe



Reference



Gill, Shubhroz, and Satchidananda Panda. "A smartphone app reveals erratic diurnal eating patterns in humans that can be modulated for health benefits." Cell metabolism 22.5 (2015): 789-798.



Audio-only version on YouTube













Podcast Episode: What is the Tiny Habits Method For Behaviour Change?

(00:00) - Intro: How to Sleep Better With a Better Brain



(00:42) - Blood glucose, diabetes risk factors



(01:42) - Brain health 6 tips to prevent Alzheimer's



(02:28) - Blood glucose



(03:43) - Brain health, diabetes and heart



(04:48) - Checking blood glucose levels regularly is very important for your health.



(08:54) - Alzheimer's disease, brain glucose



(12:09) - Better brain health for women with PCOS



(12:41) - Blood glucose for brain health



(13:53) - Blood glucose levels for brain health



(16:58) - Hemoglobin A1C and Glycation



(21:38) - CGM: The future of blood glucose monitoring



(26:19) - CGM for pre-diabetes and weight loss



(27:37) - CGM range for diabetes and longevity



(28:50) - Dementia risk factors, fasting insulin levels



(32:21) - Outro



Chapters created by ChapterMe



References




Kerti, Lucia, et al. "Higher glucose levels associated with lower memory and reduced hippocampal microstructure." Neurology 81.20 (2013): 1746-1752.



Zhang, Xiaoling, et al. "Midlife lipid and glucose levels are associated with Alzheimer's disease." Alzheimer's & Dementia 19.1 (2023): 181-193.