The content of this podcast is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as,

nor should it be considered a substitute for professional medical advice.

Welcome to Ichi and Bichi, a podcast that addresses health questions that are often asked and not always answered.

I try to talk to you about problems, questions, concerns that I hear frequently from many, many, many patients,

because I figure if they're having an issue with it, that you might also be having some concerns about those problems.

So, today I want to talk to you about memory problems and ways to improve your memory.

I hear this complaint frequently that people think they're getting dementia or really severe memory problems,

and I really hear it, especially amongst perimenopausal and menopausal women,

because our memory is just not quite as sharp as it used to be, and so we just assume

that we're on the road to dementia, and most of the time that is not the case.

So, there are ways to improve your memory and sharpen your memory, help your brain health,

and I think we need to be more conscious about what we can do to improve how our brain works for us.

So, I want to start by talking about how to challenge your brain so that it gets better.

One is to get mental stimulation. We sort of get in a rut. We do the same things over and over and

over again. We have the same habits. We get into big routines, and I think the older we get,

the more routine our days become, and we just don't challenge our brain. So,

through research with mice and humans, scientists have found many brainy activities will stimulate

new connections between nerve cells and may even help the brain even generate new cells.

So, we're trying to develop what we call neuroplasticity. So, getting that brain

supple and functional and have a reserve that really can help us with

preventing future cell loss. And any mentally stimulating activity should help build your brain.

So, you know, we think about going to the gym and working our body, but we don't think about

...