Great piece. This is the same Dr Isaacson discussed elsewhere on the forum and who was on Peter Attia’s podcast a few timesx
A few extracts I found good:
Even as a brain surgeon myself, I was surprised at how well the health of your brain can be measured. With the heart, it is pretty well-accepted that a battery of tests can help give us a clear idea of how to predict, prevent and treat heart disease. Until recently, however, we really could not say the same about the brain. Many brain doctors still struggle even to define the criteria for a healthy brain. The general consensus was that the “black box” in your skull was pretty fixed and that there was little you could do to assess it, let alone optimize it.
Dr. Richard Isaacson, a neurologist, convinced me otherwise, and it led to one of the most fascinating — and somewhat frightening — days I have had in my life.
Richard would certainly see me if I were sick, but he preferred to see me now, while I was healthy, fully believing he could help me maintain my brain, reduce my chance of dementia and even optimize my function
Richard told me that issues of metabolism, such as even slight insulin resistance, can accelerate amyloid deposition.), which can lead to amyloid plaques, those telltale signs of Alzheimer’s disease, down the line.
Richard also wanted to address an activity I did on a daily basis: my neighborhood walk with my three dogs. “Keep doing that,” he said, “but now with a weighted vest.” Why? Not having enough lean muscle mass is problematic. He told me people typically do a good job addressing their arms and legs, but loading the spine with additional weight helps activate core muscles, such as abdominals and obliques, as well as stimulating the growth of new bone cells. This could lead to a critical redistribution of the fat, muscle and bone in my body and help drive down any insulin resistance that I may be genetically predisposed to and eventually lower my risk of developing amyloid in the brain.
In the recommendation about brain health, I did not expect an intervention involving my feet, but the nerves that run to the feet are the longest in our body. When you don’t move your toes and feet regularly and freely, Richard says, you can lose sensory awareness, also known as proprioception, leading to a “sensory paralysis.” Over time, the nerve connections that run from your feet to your brain start to disappear. Once your feet are weak, your weight will be unevenly distributed when walking and exercising. The better your feet can tolerate a load evenly, the more options they have for movement, the better and more cooperative things will be up the chain, including your knees, hips and lower back. Consider wearing toe spacers occasionally, he told me. Start with 10 minutes a day every few days, and increase the time as you get used to them.
Nearly all the cognitive testing could be available in the future through a free app.
Even the blood work could be done via finger-prick testing, if all goes as expected with Richard’s research trial.
