Why Women Are Twice as Likely to Get Alzheimer's and What To Do About It | Sandy Gleysteen

Introduction to Proof of Practice

0:00Hi, everyone. Welcome to Proof of Practice, where our hope is to give you the most science-backed information on everyday health issues or things in wellness that we want to do better at, prevent, or accomplish, but bring it into you in a practical way, because all of us are busy, and how do we take this information and actually apply it to our day-to-day life? And today, we have a very special guest. So we're really honored to have Sandy Gleistein here, who is an award-winning journalist. But deep into her career, she pivoted and has now moved

0:35into talking all about Alzheimer's. She's going to be here on behalf of WAM, Women's Alzheimer's Movement. And the reason that this is important is because two-thirds of the people impacted by

Alzheimer's and Women

0:47Alzheimer's are women. Sandy, welcome to the show. Thank you. Glad to be here. I think you should start, because you have—this really touches you in a deep way. I mean, it touches—we've all been impacted by Alzheimer's. We know somebody. We've cared for somebody. But you have gone through a lot of family members. I do have a family history of it. Both of my grandparents died with Alzheimer's, and my dad has dementia, and it's terrifying. And so I'm actually going to go off script right in the very beginning. But can you tell us the difference between Alzheimer's and

Dementia vs Alzheimer's

1:19dementia? Or what are some of the things we need to know there? Well, dementia is memory loss. And there are many, many reasons for people to lose their memories or their memory and their ability to remember. Alzheimer's is just the most prevalent one. So the number one reason for losing memory and having memory issues is Alzheimer's. But there's Lewy body disease that also gives you dementia and frontal temporal dementia that impacts a different part of your brain as well. So there's

1:53so many different—we're talking dozens of reasons and diseases and circumstances that bring around about dementia. But it's Alzheimer's that's the number one cause.

Estrogen Component

2:05I'm just curious. I know nothing about Alzheimer's. But when you think about the statistic that it happens more in women, and I spend a lot of time researching women, I immediately think, is it an estrogen component? What is it about women that puts them at greater risk? And is there anything we can do about it? Well, ding, ding, you should be in the research business. Well, get the estrogen. Yes, we now believe it is. So the number one risk factor for Alzheimer's is age. So there's no doubt about it. It is a disease of the agent. The number two risk factor

2:40is being female. And that's the piece that no one has ever really been able to figure out why it is. Now, a lot of research has now gone into estrogen does have a lot to do with it. And one of the reasons is, in fact, that we now know estrogen to be a neural protector. And when your brain is losing its estrogen, it's losing a lot of protection. And especially during paramenopause, it's a rocky road. It's a good way to put it. It's so nice the way you said this.

Personal Experience

3:17Yeah. Well, you got it. The rest of us are like... We feel it. I've been through it. Done it. On the other side, ladies. So it changes dramatically by the moment, as you well know, what your estrogen levels are. And so that's a lot for your brain to process because it's flooded in estrogen and a brain loves estrogen. It's why women often feel so good when they're pregnant. And then they have the baby and then all that estrogen is gone. And it's one of the reasons we now believe really leads to postpartum depression is because that estrogen was so high and just bathing your brain in estrogen

3:52and now, boom, it's all gone. Nursing mothers often have a little bit of an edge on that because it's keeping estrogen going, pumping through their systems. Anyway, so once you're losing that estrogen, it's tough on your brain. Most women's brains recuperate, which is why most women do not get Alzheimer's. So it's not something every woman will get. But we do believe that menopause is now a critical period for women in the journey towards Alzheimer's. Wow. To just ask, look at her. She

Career Background

4:29needs to get into the research. If the hormonal shifts are starting at 40, 45, and then people start going through menopause and then they start doing HRT, is that still an opportunity to kind of put a stopgap in there to maybe prevent someone going into full-blown Alzheimer's? Or is it sort of like we're on the path already? I'm not an expert on this. I'm just going to tell you right now. But if I had known back then what I have learned since I've worked at WAM, the women's

5:04Alzheimer's movement, I would have done hormone replacement therapy. I grew up in Europe where everyone was so like natural and you just do, you know, mother nature knows best. Well, in this particular instance, and I'm also the generation, a lot of baby boomers were hit by this 2003, you know, MNDA announcement about the WHI saying, you know, that this could put you at risk for breast cancer. And those literally were the words my gynecologist said to me when I started showing signs

5:39of perimenopause. And he said, I think you're just, you know, on that road. He said, however, here's the risk. If you go on hormone replacement therapy, you may be putting yourself at risk for breast cancer. And it was enough of a fear factor for me that I said no. So I'm part of that generation that said no to hormone replacement therapy. Yes, to your answer. Hormone replacement therapy is definitely something that most women who go through perimenopause probably want to talk to their doctor

6:10about. There is a window. You can't, like, I can't go on it today. I mean, the research, the data are there that if I just said, you know what, I want to make sure that I'm protecting my brain as best I can. Can I in my 60s now, well, actually 70, just turned 70. Can I go take, you know, hormones now? The answer is no. In fact, it might be detrimental for your brain. So you have to really know what you're doing. And also the drugs they use, the hormones back then, that's a whole different

6:43category of drug than they have today. So I mean, I think any woman who's having issues going through perimenopause, I would be talking to a really good doctor who understands hormones. And advocating for yourself. I love HRT, but I actually only learned about it from this group of women and from a couple others and had to go advocate for myself because my doctor just wanted to give antidepressants and I had to really fight for it. Before we get into the research, because I've gotten to know you

Brain Health Research

7:12a little bit, not enough yet, and I love your story and what you've been working on. Can you talk us through CBS to NBC to Cleveland Clinic? Because that'll take us on the archway into how you got more into brain health. But I think you have a very fascinating background. Can you just give us the briefest highlight reel so that people understand where you came from and then what's going on with Cleveland Clinic to give some context for more of this conversation? Sure. So it actually, I started out of college at NBC and was there for many, many years as a producer.

7:49And in 1986, this incredible thing happened in my life, which is a new anchor reporter came into my world, Maria Shriver. So Maria and I were paired together as producer and correspondent, had an amazing time traveling the world. I mean, we had some great adventures. Then she became first lady of California. And I stayed at NBC for a while. Then she talked me into coming and running a women's conference with her. And it was that women's conference, which we treated

8:22like a television show. I mean, what are people talking about? What are the issues of today? Who are the relevant people? So we started booking it just like you would a primetime show. The Dalai Lama and Bono and all our friends, Tim Russert and Tom Brokaw and Andrea Mitchell. I mean, everybody came to our women's conference. It was fabulous. There were 6,000 women. The number one breakout session request was always caregiving. Women were in dire need of support and resources and understanding and education

8:58about why they were under such stress with caregiving and how to handle it. And it became clear that caregiving was a pretty big issue facing women across all generations, actually. And at that very time, Maria's father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. And while it was a different era where they were very quiet and private about it, she took her journalistic skills and sort of said, you know what, I'm going

9:28to learn everything I can about Alzheimer's. So cut to many years later, she and I had a break when I went to work for CBS News, running the West Coast for the show that Gayle King does now, The Morning Show. And I decided I didn't like living in New York. And so I moved back here. And Maria said, come work with me over here and Shriver Media. And I went, okay, I'll come over and see what you're doing. But I was more intrigued with the nonprofit she had founded called the Women's Alzheimer's

10:02Movement than I was with anything to do with journalism. By then I was like, you know, I've done it. It's time for a new chapter. You know, I'm really ready to do what is very, very common for people as they age, which is they say, I've had enough of that chapter. Yes, it gave me, you know, a great profile, or it really fed my ambition, or I attained a certain kind of status. But now it's my turn to do something else. And so for me, it started with the working with Maria and Alzheimer's. She helped

10:39put together a seminal report in 2010. So it was before I got there, but she'd already made the connection about women and Alzheimer's. And we're both pretty, you know, big advocates for women. So it felt like a very natural connection. And so we started funding women-based research and Alzheimer's research. And one thing led to another. And very soon it was clear that all

11:09the things we were learning when we were funding Alzheimer's research and women were things that actually were indicative of what was happening to women, period, throughout their bodies. So you're losing, so that's the estrogen connection. Is that why women are two out of three MS cases and, you know, 80% of autoimmune disease cases. Yeah. So women and rheumatoid arthritis, women lead in all of these diseases. And the question is,

11:43are they all connected? And when something affects your brain, chances are pretty much that it is all connected. And we don't know exactly how, but our lens got bigger. So we then ended up, we've always supported a project, at least one project, one of our grants, the WAM grants, the WAM research grant program at Cleveland Clinic. The relationship got stronger and stronger. We opened a women's prevention, Alzheimer's prevention center at Lou Ruvo Center for Brain

12:14Health in Nevada, in Las Vegas. And we got to know the people high up at Cleveland Clinic. And so before long, a natural partnership evolved. And now Maria is not just the founder of WAM, but along with the chief of staff, an extraordinary woman, an obstetrician gynecologist, Dr. Barry Ridgway, who's chief of staff at Cleveland Clinic. Maria and Dr. Ridgway co-founded something called the

12:44Comprehensive Women's Health and Research Center at Cleveland Clinic. And that was Maria's deal. I'll come. I'll give you of my time and my, you know, talent and my, you know, expertise, but you need to open a women's health clinic. And so she, that was the deal. And we're going into year two. That's what we're doing. Yeah. I feel so lucky to be sitting next to you and learning all these things. So I have a couple of key takeaways from what you said. One, it doesn't matter what age

13:15we can be whatever we want. Didn't you get your master's in gerontology? And how old were you? I was 64 when I applied. And I swear to God, I told no one except my husband, because I was convinced USC was going to reject me. Was it online? Or did you go in person? No, it was all online, that part of the process. I mean, they did call me to, you know, I guess, check like, really? You're 64? Anyway, and then it took about two and a half years. COVID, you know, it was lucky for me that COVID, it was the COVID years. I didn't sign up during COVID,

13:48but it turned out that it happened during COVID. So there wasn't a lot going on to compete. You know, there were no dinner parties that were competing, you know, during that time with studying. But yeah, I got my degree, I think it was, I was at 67. That gives me hope, because some days I'm like, what do I want to be when I grow up at this point? I have no idea. Okay, I also have a follow up. And so I study exercise and nutrition. And part of this podcast is to bring to light tools that people can use. And so we've heard some saddening

Exercise and Nutrition

14:23statistics. And you talked about how estrogen and hormone therapy could be a good role. I like to think that exercise is the best medicine you can use. Obviously, it's not the only one. But what would you say are based on what you know, other tools that you would recommend, or even in your space that I think the empowering thing is talking about the brain matters. And a lot of times at my age, it gets dismissed. And so it's not just the body, which is where I'm focused, but it's connecting it

14:55to the brain. And so anything there that you've seen in your work of key, you talked about all these statistics related to women and estrogen matters. But any other things that you see? Well, I'll tell you the most exciting statistic. I like it. I like where this is headed. Okay, here we are. We now believe between 40 and 50% of Alzheimer's can be prevented. Tell me more. And that includes what you do, exercise and nutrition. Exercise is key. If you don't keep your heart healthy, you're not going to keep your brain healthy, and vice versa. I mean,

15:29we now know that everything is interconnected. So exercise is absolutely key. And the other part is nutrition. So you're, you know, two for two. Because nutrition is medicine, as we know. I mean, exercise is medicine. Nutrition, just heard Dr. Mark Hyman up in San Francisco at an event we were out together. And, you know, for him, food is medicine. But exercise is key. And if you can combine your exercise and your nutrition and manage your weight, a really important piece of it,

16:05that you're not straining your system. People who are diabetic, getting that under control. And then stress management. I mean, stress is such a killer. And I think we often dismiss it as something that really is like, oh, oh, any stronger person would be able to suck it up. You know what? A lot of strong people are so stressed out, and that they may sit on their stress, and it is killing them from the inside. So stress management. So people who are meditating, and often exercise helps you with that. And then social connection. I mean, this is why we have such

16:41an epidemic of loneliness in this country, especially as people are aging and aging alone. Women in particular, women in rural America. So many women are aging alone and don't have resources. Loneliness is another killer. Mark Hyman said, it's like smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. So having social connection, we believe purpose when your life has purpose. So that should give everyone freedom to change their life whenever they want to. To make your own path. Yeah.

17:15Well, and you mentioned that it's what we do, you know, when you were 20 years younger. And so I'm thinking like, I'm in that life space. I'm also raising kids and have a full-time job. Like, when do I have time? And when you mentioned exercise and nutrition. So I'm just, any insight there of, I always like to tell women to take care of themselves, like prioritize yourselves, but it's so much easier said than done. Um, you're giving us some data to say like right now is when you need to take care of yourself to be there for the long run. Anything you would add to that? Well, I mean, I think you've hit the nail on the head. I mean, if you're not taking care of

17:49yourself early on, um, you're going to reap some negative consequences down the road. And, um, I think younger women, if, and now we're in the largest, you are the baby, the baby. Yeah. But see, now we also understand, for instance, when you're looking at a holistic, you know, a woman holistically, and that's what gerontology is, by the way, I just wanted to say, people go, oh, you study old people. I go, no, it's the process of aging from birth to death. The, what is going on along that

18:23trajectory and how you age? So, uh, I just want to clear that up that gerontology is not geriatrics. It is the study of aging. Um, and what we know is what's happening to you in utero. We know that, right? I mean, we now know more than ever that what you're eating, what you're doing, what drugs you're taking, what alcohol you're consuming, all of that is setting your child up for either a good chance or a more problematic chance down the road. Um, but women, for instance,

18:53women who have really a hard time with fertility and who are on hardcore fertility drugs, we don't know what that impact is going to do down the road. We don't know what's the birth control pill doing to women who've been on it for 20 years and then go off it. There are so many things happening to women in their twenties and thirties. They all need to be advocates for themselves, educating themselves, uh, uh, uh, insisting that their doctors, uh, help them research these issues, talk to each other,

19:26ask your mother, what was her menopause like? Because chances are you're going to be somewhat similar. So, um, there's a lot to do when you're younger that you better be paying attention to. I like, um, Dale Bredesen's work in this space. He, he specifically talks so much about this and even so many opportunities to improve, um, as we're even a little bit older. So I always want to, you know, encourage people because I think what happens is you have people who have parents

19:57that get it and they think it's just a sentence for them. And I, I think it scares so many people, male or female that it's like, Oh, what can I do? And I always love the fact that they talked about that Alzheimer's at one point oversimplifying it, they were classified. They said, you might as well call it diabetes three, like that there's a real opportunity. And you know, as, as an athlete, um, or somebody gets injured, you go, Oh, my knee is sore. Oh, this is sore. But we don't know about this chronic inflammation that can go on in the brain year after year after year that does finally

20:29catch up with us, whether it's hormones, lifestyle combination of all the things. And so I think the, the exciting thing about your message is yes, this is a real situation. And there's so many things we can do. I I'm curious when you stepped into this world, you know, you're obviously a curious person who knows how to research about things just to be able to do your job. Well, your first job, right? What surprised you most besides, okay, the amount of the two thirds are women? Was there something in

21:00this that it either blew your mind in a good or sort of challenging way? My father died of brain cancer. It's not Alzheimer's. But I have thought over the years, and I'm part of a five, I'm going into year five of a big brain study at Cleveland Clinic now. But you're a participant. That I'm a participant in. The brain is, we don't understand really what's going on. I mean, it's, it's, you know, I don't even know what to say about it, except it is a mystery. I am absolutely amazed, impressed, inspired by the

21:37people I see around me studying this three pound organ that sits in your brain. So I think that that's part of it, and that it was able to kill my dad when he turned 56. And I did not like the trajectory of his last years, in all honesty. I mean, I would have not wanted to go, I myself would like not to, I'm glad I didn't go down that path. So I think that I have an emotional connection to understanding this very unseen, you know, I, when I have a pain in my elbow, I can feel it, I can see it.

22:14When I have a pain in my groin, or my knee, or my toe, I can feel it. But I really can't know what's going on in the brain. But I am so inspired by the people studying this. I mean, the neuroscientists I have met, are the people, I mean, I think they're the most, the cleverest people out there. And that's so important. I'm so grateful that you're bringing this information into the world, too. Because some of these things, like the, I want to talk a little bit more about sleep,

Sleep and Meditation

22:44but a lot of these data points, I never knew, because you don't talk about brain health, you talk about your muscles, you talk about your physiology, your nutrition. I'm seeing all the time in wearables, stressed, stressed, and you talked a little bit about meditation. Do you have other thoughts on what people can do? Or where can they go to find the right information that helps? I want to change it. I literally don't know where to go to find things. I can go online and find meditations and stuff. But I want to, I need to know the why before I'll do

23:16something. Otherwise, I don't believe it. Well, you need to calm your brain, right? I mean, I don't know how you are at night. But at night, my head is like, I'm every to do list of things I didn't accomplish my concerns about which, you know, person in my life I need to concern myself with. And where's that bill and my taxes are coming up. I can lie in bed at three in the morning and spin. Okay. I have learned to, during that time now, meditate. And I have an app on my phone

23:46and I force myself to do it. And I don't, it's called Unplugged. And my friend Susie Schwartz developed it. But it's an app and there are many that are free. So everyone should know you can find yourself a free sleep app. For me, they help because I'm distracting myself through breathing. I'm, it's not like my problems have gone away or my to do list got done. It's purely that I'm distracting myself. But I now know that lying there and doing this thing in my head is not only keeping

24:18me awake, but my cortisol levels are continuing to race. And I think that's what we're learning is cortisol is not your friend in the middle of the night. And sleep is critical. I mean, our lymph system cleans out all the junk in our bodies and our glymphatic system cleans our brains out. Every night when you go to sleep, the engine goes to work to just quietly get rid of the gunk in your brain, including amyloid. And amyloid, you know, it's, it's plaques and tangles are in your brain and

24:48amyloid and tau are those plaques and tangles. They, the amyloid is being cleaned out at night, along with a lot of other, you know, molecules that are breaking down just through natural metabolic processes. So it's not like it's all bad stuff. I mean, it's a normal part, but what's, what's not happening is the toxins are allowed to build up. So if you are not going, uh, getting enough sleep and I don't, so I'm aware that this is a, it's not a, it's not a lightweight matter.

25:19This is like a pretty big deal matter. Your brain, especially during deep sleep, that's when most of the flushing takes place. And if you're not getting to that point in deep sleep, and I'm not a sleep expert also, but if you're not getting to that place in your sleep, you're not allowing your brain to clear out the things that the toxins that are building up. So it's really important. You always love that. Like you literally take the trash out. Yes. Yeah. What is it not? Your

25:49synovial fluid or something that goes up through the back of your head and kind of rinses. It rinses. Yeah. It rinses your whole brain out. I mean, the body is amazing. So you mentioned sleep and, you know, we know booze disrupt sleep. So can we assume that alcohol, nobody loves this? And I was thinking too, like why this message isn't landing? You know, you, you, you know, I think a lot of us were busy. I have stuff to do. I'm not going to worry about my brain. And like you said, we don't feel it until we feel it. Um, but I think sometimes people don't realize, okay,

26:23if you're middle-aged, if your progesterone's low, it impacts obviously your sleep. So there's ways to really help this process of sleep. It's not just like, oh, I have a busy mind because I have a lot to do and I'm conscientious. It's also like, hey, if your hormones are off, you could get that squared away. But those, those, that drink or that two drinks, um, that's also going to have long-term impact on your brain. I'm just going to say right now, Dale Bredesen and all of these people who study these, how food is medicine will tell you that alcohol is a toxin and it's a neurotoxin and

26:59it's bad for you. So I like my glass of wine. Um, but I do now think about it in a whole different way. Um, and don't drink before you're going to bed. Um, don't bother doing it because it will disrupt your sleep. Um, so maybe have your glass of wine with a meal and friends might be a better approach. I have a different line of questions I'm dying to ask you, uh, based on your background of storytelling. So I am a nerdy scientist, but I think it's so important to translate those findings

27:36and clearly you are very effective. And it sounds like you've even interacted with some very smart people who have done it well. Um, I'm just curious, like, what would you stay, and I always hate to bring my personal experience and passion into the data because it's biased, but I hear you doing both. Any thoughts on, on your ability to tell stories and bring that personal side to the data, um, based on where you're at now and even your interaction with Maria. I think when you tell a story,

28:09you're trying to reach another human being. That's why you're bothering to tell it. I have a desire to pass this along to you. So I'm going to try to connect with you, but that's this thing. That's not a this thing. I mean, it's, it's so scientists spend a lot of their time in their heads. Yeah. We don't learn about this. Are you kidding me? You gotta hide that. But, but that's unfair because I'm going to also say I have met extraordinary neuroscientists who are gorgeous and smart and

28:43so articulate and so get it. And by the way, medical schools are now teaching a lot of doctors how to do this piece better. Oh, that's good. Yeah. I always think that's maybe where AI actually can be helpful because it can do all the busy work in the back, in the back. So maybe the doctor has a few, a little longer to be with the person. Um, cause it, you know, I, I'm always, sorry, I'm always a little resistant sometimes with the technology because there is, it is a set in some ways, a separator. It is, but this is an opportunity where it can do all of the figuring out. And now they're

29:15saying it, it'll give the doctor some opportunity to spend more time to listen, to hear what's going on. I hope they lean into that. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, from your lips to God's ears. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I was going to say, I'm thinking not from an MD perspective, but from a PhD, like I'm not spending time with patients, but it's how do you learn to communicate the science that matters? And yeah, just sitting next to you, I'm picking up tips. Well, but I'm back to, I mean, even if you're sitting in a science lab and you're looking at, I'm going to just say a molecule and how it impacts, you know, something in a Petri dish.

29:50That's not that fascinating until you're drawing, you're telling me, you know, this is the molecule that is connected to Alzheimer's. And by the way, that Alzheimer's is the disease that's killing two out of three women. And by the way, your mother is at risk. I mean, the moment you, you, you do the story, you know this. I mean, I'm not telling you. And do you include that? Do you require that for people that you're funding? Do you have that element of translation in that? This is so funny that you say that. We say when they apply for a research grant. So we have a

30:26WAM research grant program, and we've now given away, I think it'll be, this year we're announcing our 54th study. Oh, great. So at 17 different institutions, and these three are all at Cleveland Clinic and Stacey Sims is part of one of them this year. So I'm very excited. They put forward a neuroscience crazy proposal, and I look at it and I don't understand the thing they're saying. So we now say to them,

30:56could you please put a one-page layperson interpretation? Even at that, we will sit there, our team, because it's a team, you know, first of all, it's a real process. Scientists at Cleveland Clinic evaluate all the, you know, the study proposals. We're not allowed to just go in and say, I like that one. I mean, so a team does a thing and they give us, say, the top nine. I think this year we had nine to choose from. And we sit there and then I will be honest that I have fed

31:31some of the even lay things into Claude to say, could you put this into English for me? And it helps. So, I mean, scientists, but there's something about the precision and detail that is important in science to being specific, you know, so you can't have it every which way. Both. Because we were talking about this earlier. There's so much on Instagram or social or even in news articles. And I can look at NIH and read some of those. And I don't know half the words in the

32:04papers that you do, but I know they're very smart. And then I can look at Instagram and it gives me five different ways of doing things. And it's so freaking confusing knowing what to do. I guess in the world of brain health, how do you parse that? Where do you go? And where do you go to know it's real? It's legit. Well, this is where I feel very lucky that we're working with real scientists and real doctors. I mean, I think that I feel more comfortable being able to say things based on the fact that I'm passing along information that very smart people who have an MD and a PhD and a vetted

32:42history behind their names who are often published. I mean, you need to look at who's giving you information. There's no doubt about it. There is a big old crazy world out there, that ecosystem of what's up. And I get sucked into it. I go, oh, my God, I can have thin thighs in like two weeks. Oh, I'm in. I do have a Thighmaster, though, still. And it's a very good contraption. Are there supplements to support your brain? There is. I thought COQ. I was going to say, did you know there's a creatine?

33:14So maybe we can, because I think the low-hanging fruit, so it's obviously good sleep and movement and connection and, you know, real food. Because, you know, I always love, like, you can talk to any specialists. But to your point, we are a whole human, the holistic approach of all of it. So the low-hanging fruit of all the levers we can pull. But I think the stress management is always the one that all of us are going to have to navigate. That's just going to have to be a personal practice, whether it's your breathing or noticing, like, does this really, do I need to get this upset about something? Or I'm sleep-deprived,

33:50so now I'm overreacting to every single thing that's happening. But are there supplements? So you mentioned creatine, some other things that are showing up as pretty solid from the science side. I really am not an expert. I will tell you that I take creatine. And part of the reason I take creatine is I did go research a lot about it. But part of it, it came into my world the way it probably comes into everyone else's world, which is on the, you know, big old social media world. And I'm going, hey, what is this thing called creatine? And then I started looking into it. And then Stacey,

34:25Stacey Sims shared a report showing that creatine is specifically very effective for women more than it is with men. And I- I bet you that was my paper. Was it? Was it? Oh, that's cool. Oh, I- Did you- Oh, my God. Let's link to it. I love it. In the show notes. That's a good idea. Oh, my God. It must be your paper. Oh, my God. I didn't know that. I know. Well, congratulations. Well, thank you. Because that was one of the things I went, okay. And that's it. You have to find the people. So I find her credible. I look at the paper. I evaluate. I'm not yet at NAD,

35:02but I'm like, should I be infusing it? Should I be taking it? I mean, I'm just like everybody else. Stay tuned for that one. Yes. Yes. Next episode. What about a test? Because maybe someone's sitting here and they're 40 years old, let's

Testing for Alzheimer's

35:13say.

35:17I'm older than that. I'm older than that. Yeah. And they think, well, I want to get it checked out. I want to get a test. And is there something we can ask our doctors or there's places? And I'm sure this is more of a out-of-pocket cost if somebody really wants to check into this. Do we know of tests that have been helpful? Well, we know that there are tests that establish whether you carry a gene. There's a gene that's associated with it. And Dale Bredesen will tell you, just because you have that gene does not mean

35:49that you're destined to end up with Alzheimer's. I mean, he has done, I think, some of the cutting edge. I mean, he's controversial in some areas. He's got to be, though. Yeah. Well, and so I personally think he's one of the nicest human beings on the planet. And he started a conversation that we're all having now. And he started it a long time ago. So I always love giving him credit, no matter what you say. And people are like, well, and he sells supplements, et cetera. Whatever you want to say, he started a conversation that was critical. And

36:25we're continuing it right here, right now. And I believe that he helped start it. So what type of test? Well, there is a, you can take a, you can test for whether you carry this APO. It's a blood test. It's, it's yeah. It's a DNA test. I took that test. I have it. It's, which is why this conversation is so important to me. So why did you decide to get the test? Because of my family history. And then I want to learn everything to do to get past it, which

36:56is why I want this community of amazing women and need to learn more from all of your papers. Well, I'm going to just say we run something and it's the only one designed just for women. The women's Alzheimer's Movement Prevention Center in Las Vegas is part of Cleveland Clinic. And we're now expanded throughout the Cleveland Clinic world. And it's taking many of these principles that people like Dale Bredesen and this wonderful Richard Isaacson, who started the first Alzheimer's

37:27prevention clinic in this country period. But ours is designed just for women who are at risk. And you have to be between 30 and 60 to come, because if you're after 60, you're kind of, it's probably too late to prevent Alzheimer's. Right. You can do, you can manage also. I think the important thing is, and Dale will talk about this, where you, it's not that you can manage, but you can kind of slow it down. Yes. The process if you are a little older. Yes. Delaying Alzheimer's symptoms is a big, you know, I mean, that's a great thing. And every month, every year that you can delay

38:01being in need of serious caregiving is a gift, not just to your own life, but to your family's life and to everyone around you, because Alzheimer's is not a pretty disease. And I mean, that's, I think, one of the biggest sea changes that I have seen is when I started in this field, it was like, oh, Alzheimer's, dark, hopeless, mysterious, awful. Let's not talk about it. And I feel like now people are saying, and I think it's because there is hope on the horizon, because we can talk

38:35about all the things people are putting on the table and saying, there is no reason that you should think that you're going to get it just because you have the gene. Well, I want to ask about the gene before you move, because aren't there, my understanding is there's two factors in the gene, and I don't remember what both factors are. Am I remembering this wrong? I'm turning to my scientist. Okay. I mean, I think when you carry this gene from both parents is when you really, it's, you know, when you carry two of them, you need to be more concerned than with one. But I think-

39:10When you have two or when you have one. Yeah. Because I have one from that test. It's an, it's a good test. I wish they included it in your annual checkup or in, like, you hit 40 and you get all these tests, but we don't. I'm sure you have to pay out of pocket for that. To pay out of pocket. When I'm in New Zealand, so I paid, I paid a doctor in Australia, because we didn't even have anyone that does it, to do it and get the results. I'm so fascinated because actually a lot of doctors, and I was just talking to an amazing man, Dr. Paul Eisendown. He runs a big, Alzheimer's clinic down, not clinic so much as research center down at San Diego. And he was

39:48saying, he and his wife, and she's a neuroscientist as well, they have a disagreement. She thinks it's good to get tested. And he thinks, no, not unless you have symptoms. So, because then you live with the stress of, I carry the gene. And so, you know, you just have to kind of balance out, like, what's your personality type? Are you going to get, you know, proactive? I think the interesting thing is, though, is like, regardless of whether you have a gene or not, what we're prescribing to help keep it in check is all something that you want for any part of your health. So I get his point. I know this is for another time, but what I'm

40:23also very curious about is your brain is made of cholesterol. Your hormones are made of cholesterol. And we are, a lot of people are on statins and anti-cholesterol medicine. And so I can't wait for somebody to do some research about the relationship between a statin and the possibility of it impacting or accelerating Alzheimer's. Abby, that should be in your document. I should write it down. Because it's an anti-cholesterol. Yeah. And your whole brain is made of, pretty much, of cholesterol.

40:56I think there's a lot of nuance in that. And I think, for one thing, if you're on a statin, you're probably lowering your risk for heart disease and all these other things that can contribute to Alzheimer's. So I think I don't know the underlying thing. Oh, no, I know what I'm hoping. But this is, yeah, research. They'll start to check it out. Yeah. Can I say one thing? Yes. You were talking about a blood test. And I'm thinking, OK, I'm midlife. Now I need to get a gene test. I need to stop drinking. I need to do all these things. And I was in a session

41:29last week, and I was talking about midlife. There's a paper about, I just don't feel like myself. And I think many of us feel that way. But then you're just like, oh, it's just life. And so I think hearing what you are saying, it's really important to advocate and to say, maybe I do need a test, or maybe I do need to actually work on my stress. Not feeling like yourself is real. And it's not just physiological. It targets your brain. So thank you. And maybe just even like, let's take that as a takeaway of even just not,

42:00it doesn't have to be a fancy blood test. It doesn't have to be anything specific. But if you don't feel like yourself, a lot of times it's targeting your brain. Yeah. And you better listen. Yeah. And trust yourself. I mean, I think we all kind of know. I mean, it's why a lot of people go into denial about that lump or whatever. Just want to pretend it's not there. The fact is, deep down, you probably do know it's there. You just don't want to. I mean, I know that there are instances, but that phenomenon is one that people should trust. And you should find a healthcare provider who is going to work with you, to your point about

42:36all of the things that, the sleep, that's a hormonal, is it hormonal? What's the deep root cause? You have to work with people who want to work with you. Do you guys know that there is here at UCLA has a menopause clinic? I was going to say. And there's a woman there, Dr. Rhonda Voskell. And Dr. Voskell, she's a neurologist and she's the first

43:08neurologist coming into a menopause clinic. So this is a menopause clinic that is saying, we know that it's not just about your female reproductive organs. We know to do a woman's whole body journey through menopause justice, we need to bring a neurologist in. And I think it's a very cool acknowledgement on their part. That is very cool. And they realize, and they're one of the first that has done that.

43:38So I'm 56, who's lived a minute, kids, work, whatever. I think also the real reminder of why have we been programmed to worry about everything all the time, hitting every mark, doing all that. I think as you get older, you learn to not do that. But if we could encourage younger women, don't worry about it. Tomorrow is another day to get back to the list. And I think that we pile on too much. We don't ask for help when we need it. I think that that is another part

44:12that's so important, which is to, sometimes you're on the hamster wheel and you look and you think, why am I doing this? It's put on to me by me. And we think it's like, oh, my partner, my kids. It's like, yes and no. And so I think it's also really important to encourage younger women to not take it all on all the time, but take on what you can. And, you know, we always say, what does it have to, should, and want to? It's like, not everything is a have to. And so I think we live too much in that gear all the time.

44:45If it's not a hell yes, it's a no. Yeah, exactly. Well, you have a daughter or two. I have three. Three daughters. Okay. And do you tell them that? Because, I mean, I think this is the wisdom. I didn't get that message from my parents. My parents were like, okay, and then you're going to do well at school, and then you're going to go to an Ivy League, and then you're going to do well. So if you are, you know, inculcating the youth of today, the girls forward, you know, and then talking to them. I mean, I think this is the only way it's going to change. Yeah. Is moms talking to their daughters.

45:16I think it's so important. And also, think about younger people have even more, because they have devices and they have a no turnoff. Yeah. Okay, so I'm going to give Jen, Meredith, whose mother is going through this right now. Just, you know, simple tips that we can do to support her and try to maintain, you know, what she has today versus what it might decline to. Is she living at home with you? No, she's still independent. She's still independent. Yeah. I mean, I talk to lots of people, and this is a place we could link to resources for caregivers

45:52who are dealing. We are honoring a woman who I think is extraordinary at our Women's Health Forum in Cleveland on May 7th. And she, her husband developed early onset at age 52. And so, I mean, her whole life has just kind of gone downhill. She's still working, because when you lose your memory and your capacity to hold a job in your 50s, it's radically different from when losing your

46:26capacity for a job at 80, because you're probably retired. But what it does to your family's finances is disastrous. And so, anyway, she has built this whole community. And I watch how much support people in the caregiving community give each other. And, I mean, a big shout out to the Alzheimer's Association, because they have local chapters everywhere that really are focused on, first of all, the Alzheimer's Association, third largest funder of research into Alzheimer's after the U.S.

47:01and Chinese governments. So, I mean, that's extraordinary, right? And then they and other organizations that came out of the Alzheimer's Association, that some of them broke away and developed their own, they're less involved with the Alzheimer's Association, but they're involved with providing care. I think if you're a caregiver, you need support. And if you don't take care of yourself, you know the statistic. The statistic is that more caregivers die themselves before,

47:36if they're caring for someone, than the person they're caring for, because the stress of caring at all physically, financially, emotionally, spiritually is just overwhelming. So, caregivers have got to be disciplined about taking care of themselves. That's one thing. But there's so many wonderful groups and, you know, organizations out there, you know, that do help people, you know, on the caregiving front. The one thing that I think is kind of charming, and I now realize I wish I'd had

48:11this when I saw my father struggling with, you know, memory issues. He didn't have Alzheimer's, but, you know, he had some memory issues. Meet people where they are. And quite frankly, I think that's a really good lesson in life, period. But if you're dealing with someone who has dementia, and Maria tells the story that I love, and it's a story of how she was sitting with her father who had very

48:43late stage Alzheimer's, and he kept saying, I love the sound of that waterfall. I love the sound of that waterfall. And Maria said, actually, that's not a waterfall. That's traffic. And he said, I love the sound of water. And she said, you know, Daddy, that's not, that's, that's traffic. And then she realized, what am I doing here? Why can I not buy into, it's, it's beautiful waterfall. Yeah. So you kind of, I mean, I took that as such a great, it's probably zen. You kind of deflect the, the negativity

49:17and just go with the, just, yep, you're right. I mean, when you go to a really well-run memory care center, and there are some that are just so genius. Yep. Here's the bus stop. And they have a little bus stop right there because there's some person who says, I have to go home. I have to go home. They're going through a sundowning or some program. They're going, I have to go home right now. I have to go home. And someone will take them and say, let's, let's wait right here for the bus. And there's a bus sign and there's a little thing and they wait with them. And, you know, 20 minutes later,

49:49the urge to go home has left them, but you kind of have to meet them and not get into a struggle about you're not going home. You're here. You can't go home. I mean, there's no point in having that struggle. So, I mean, that's a great point. That's great advice. Yeah. Yeah. We're going to put all of the research places or the support group places. Yeah. And, and I do think Dale Bredesen does some of the best work as far as, you know, preventative. And then if you are in the situation, so. Totally.

50:22I mean, I think Dale Bredesen, I mean, as I say, some people. I know that's okay. Yeah. There's always going to be something. For all of us, there will always be people. So the important thing besides, I mean, you know, for me personally, I'm always working on my sleep. I'm like you, I'm, I've never been a great sleeper. It is the thing that I think I'm always like being stoic and bad sleep is going to get me. I really, I'm like, yeah. Cause I do all the other things and I'm like, that's, what's going to get me that in dental work. I always worry about dental work. Oh yeah.

50:53It's a big thing in your health. So I really appreciate because the thing is all arrows always lead to the same things. It's, you got to move your body, you know, love food, get outside in nature, all the things. But even when it comes to brain health, we're, we're talking a lot about the same best practices. So I really appreciate that. Yeah. And Maria has this really fun. I'm sorry to keep quoting her, but she is obviously after 40 years of working together, she's part of my life. But she always says if women spend as much time thinking about their brains as they do about their

51:27eyes and their thighs, we would be a lot better off. I like that. Maybe we need to put those in the show notes. I like that a lot. Well, Sandy, thank you for, first of all, being a great example. I think just the fact that you're like, Oh, I'm pivoting from something that's established that I'm very good at, that I've gotten awards for and being willing to start over into something because you're inspired. I think that that in itself is a really important reminder that we have all these chapters and we're a lot of different people. And so thank you. And thank you for

51:58joining us and for reminding people that there's things you can do all along the way to protect your brain. So thank you so much. Yeah. Thank you. It's been a pleasure being here with you guys. Yes. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thanks everyone.