Know Your Numbers

• 1. Know your BMI: Calculate Your BMI – Standard BMI Calculator
• 2. Know your waist to height ratio. (You want your waist size to be less than half of your height.)
• 3. Know the number of calories you burn each day (to lose 1pound per week, you need to eat 500 calories per day less) and know how many calories you consume. – Getting your BIA measurements will really help you with this step!
  ☆ Check out the article: YOU Want to Know Your BIA (Bio-Impedance Analysis) to find out more about how we can help you get this very accurately.
• 4. Know the number of fruits & vegetables you eat a day (eat more veggies than fruits and get 5-10/day!)
• 5. Know how many hours sleep you get each night (need 7-8/night – warm bath or tea, no TV, sleep-inducing hypnosis CD, melatonin supplement) – chronic insomnia triples your risk of death from all causes – sleep apnea doubles a person’s risk of Alzheimer’s.
• 6. Know you blood pressure (optimal less than 120/80, preHTN120/80 – 135/85, HTN over 135/85).
• 7. Know your CBC (for anemia and wbc).
• 8. Know your general metabolic profile (normal fasting BS is less than 100, prediabetes 100-125, diabetes over 125).
• 9. Know your HgA1c level = shows average BS over 2-3 months (normal 4-5.5, prediabetic 5.5-6.5, diabetic over 6.5)
• 10. Know your Vitamin D level (optimal 50-100, and low levels associated with obesity, depression, cognitive impairment, heart disease, decreased immunity and cancer, psychosis, all cause mortality). If this is low, you need to take a high quality Vitamin D supplement to keep this up! (That is especially true for most of us who live in Indiana.)
• 11. Know your thyroid levels (You’ll want your tsh 0.35-2.5, freeT3 3-4, free T4 1-1.8)
• 12. Know your cardio C-reactive protein (healthy is 0-1)
• 13. Know your homocysteine level (normal is less than 10, and over that signals increased risk of damage to artery lining/atherosclerosis and a B vitamin deficiency of folate-B6-B12) – increase lentils, asparagus, spinach, most beans.
• 14. Know your ferritin level (iron stores) – normal is less than 200, and over that consider donating blood (low levels can increase restless legs and ADD and fatigue)
• 15. Know your testosterone levels (male 280-800, women 6-82) – first stop sugar and then recheck and replace as needed
• 16. Know your lipid levels (too high is bad for your brain but so is too low) – total less than 200, LDL less than 100, HDL over 60, triglycerides less than 100
• 17. Know your Folic Acid and Vitamin B12 levels.
• 18. Know your syphilis and HIV screening results
• 19. Know your Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype – people with no E at age 65 have a 5-10% chance of Alzheimer’s, those with 1 E have 25%
• 20. Know how many of the 12 most important modifiable health risk factors you have then decrease them (smoking, HTN, BMI overweight, physical inactivity, high fasting BS, high LDL, alcohol abuse, low omega 3 fatty acids, high saturated fat intake, low polyunsaturated fat intake, high dietary salt, low intake of veggies & fruits)

Brain scans start to show Alzheimer’s changes even 50 years in advance!
Decrease Your Risk of Alzheimer’s and Other Dementia

1. Know Your Risk for Trouble (page 52 on Use Your Brain to Change Your Age.)
2. Consider a Spect Brain Scan or take their test
3. Focus on reducing Your Risk Factors (see the #s above)
4. Keep Your Body & Brain Active Daily (daily physical and mental exercise and new learning)
5. Supplements That Support Healthy Brain Function – Fish oil 2-4 gram/day Orthomega or Rx Lovaza, Vitamin D to get you in the 50-100 range, our good multivitamin Alpha Base with Iron / Alpha Base without Iron or Basic Nutrients IV with Iron / Basic Nutrients V without Iron. CoQ10 & acetyl-L-carnitine to boost mitochondrial function, curcumin to decrease inflammation, N-Acetyl Cysteine and Lipoic Acid to boost ability to handle free radicals & oxidation, gingko and vinpocetine to boost blood flow, huperzine A and carnitine to boost acetylcholine (neurotransmitter involved in learning)
6. Eat to Live Long – a diet high in nutrients, low in calories (calorie restriction is associated with longevity), high in omega 3 fatty acids (fish, fish oil, walnuts, avocados), and antioxidants (vegetables) and fiber

—The best antioxidant fruits and veggies are prunes, raisins, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, spinach, brussels sprouts, plums, broccoli, beets, avocados, oranges, red grapes, red bell peppers, cherries, and kiwis