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- The Anti-Alzheimer's Prescription Reviewed By Andrea Coventry Of Bookpleasures.com
The Anti-Alzheimer's Prescription Reviewed By Andrea Coventry Of Bookpleasures.com
- By Andrea Coventry
- Published September 6, 2009
- Health & Fitness ,
Andrea Coventry
Reviewer Andrea Coventry: Andrea is a Montessori child - turned educator. An avid reader and writer, she is published on several websites. Click Here to find a listing of Andrea's sites where you can find many of her writing contributions.
Author: Vincent Fortanasce,
M.D.
ISBN: 978-1-592-49461-2
Publisher:
Gotham Books
Dr. Vincent Fortanasce has intimate
knowledge of the horrors of Alzheimer's disease, as he watched his
father plummet down the black hole. Through much research, he has
developed a diet and exercise program to help himself, and others
like him, to reduce their risk of this debilitating
disease.
Alzheimer's tends to be inherited, so those
with a close family member suffering from the disease are
automatically more at risk. Other lifestyle factors, such as obesity,
diabetes, poor diet, and lack of exercise, can also come into
play.
Dr. Fortanasce first devotes time explaining the
signs, symptoms, and stages of Alzheimer's disease, to help readers
fully understand it. He also wants readers to look at themselves with
a microscope, to determine their personal level of risk. With each
risk factor explained, he provides steps to be taken to reduce the
risk.
The first step in the Anti-Alzheimer's
Prescription is to eat an Anti-Alzheimer's diet. This diet is
Mediterranean in style, focusing on a low glycemic index and high in
"good fats", such as omega-3s. Dr. Fortanasce provides
extensive lists of the types of food he recommends, to allow for a
healthy brain-boosting balance in the diet. He explains how to clean
out the kitchen and go shopping for specific brands. In the
appendices, he includes a 28-day menu and a mini-cookbook. The
included recipes are palatable, even to us picky eaters.
The
second step is to exercise the body to benefit the brain. Diagrams
and detailed explanations of exercise to tone the body, reduce
stress, and subsequently boost brainpower, make it easy to see how
the moves can be implemented into daily routines.
The
third step is to perform daily neurobics, or exercises for the mind.
Simple tasks such as playing Solitaire, balancing the checkbook, and
memorizing sequences of numbers can keep current brain dendrites
strong and stop deterioration.
The fourth step in
the Anti-Alzheimer's Prescription is to get plenty of rest
and relaxation. Stress has long been known to be a killer; now it can
also destroy your brain.
Concluding chapters focus on
testing, diagnosis, and medications used for Alzheimer's
disease.
Dr. Fortanansce's book appears to be
well-researched and consistent with other theories about beneficial
diets and practices for other medical issues. As a neurologist, he
has had plenty of opportunities to test out his theories with his
patients. It will be interesting to see how the theories hold up
against the test of time, as medical studies have a tendency to
disprove each other on a regular basis. However, having a strong
family history of Alzheimer's disease, I hope and pray that he is
right, as I work to implement more of his techniques in my own life.