As the founder of BrainSavers, I take great pleasure in introducing myself to you. As a team, we exist to help you live independently as long as possible and to have an enriched, happier life.
I am a native of Phoenix Arizona, where I currently live with my wife, Judith, a wonderful ceramic artist.
By profession, I am a neurologist with special expertise in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementing disorders. My primary mission has evolved to become educating, informing, and coaching the 100 million aging boomers and healthy seniors who are at risk for AD. This is why I started BrainSavers, and this is BrainSavers’ primary goal.
More than a decade ago, I realized that what I had been taught as a medical student and resident in neurology was fundamentally incorrect. No less a luminary than Dr. Houston Merritt, long-time chairman of the department of neurology at Columbia University College of Medicine, said to our group of medical students: “One of the unfortunate experiences of growing old is sitting in my favorite chair and listening to my Betz cells (large neurons) commit suicide by diving into the ventricular lakes.”
Thanks to loads of research in the basic and clinical neurosciences, we now know without a doubt, that a brain-healthy lifestyle enriches your life, protects your cherished memories, and can prevent AD.
My intent is to write a blog to benefit all of you who participate in our learning adventure. Each entry intends to inform you about some aspects of healthy brain aging. In my next post, I will highlight the two fundamental principles that are the underpinnings of BrainSavers' Brain+Body Total Fitness Program – neuroplasticity and cognitive reserve. Thank you for joining me in this exciting adventure.