Can Alzheimer’s disease be prevented?
Indeed, promising new research shows that dementia is not an inevitable condition of old age over which we have no control.
There are steps we can take to reduce our risk of Alzheimer’s and improve cognitive functioning – and the earlier we start, the better.
Join Baxter Bell, MD, C-IAYT, author of Yoga for Healthy Aging, for an in-depth look at promising new research on Alzheimer’s prevention and the role yoga can play in supporting our cognitive health moving forward.
Alzheimer’s disease and dementia now constitute the fastest-growing epidemic in the United States and globally, and almost everyone knows a family member, friend, or colleague who has been affected.
But did you know that the physical changes that trigger Alzheimer’s begin 20 years or more before memory loss and other symptoms develop?
And, did you know how quickly Alzheimer’s or dementia progresses and what abilities are affected vary greatly from person to person?
And finally, did you know that there are numerous risk factors for Alzheimer’s that we can actually address to reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer’s or dementia?
In one study of more than 22,000 individuals aged 18-89, the cognitive performance of individuals aged 40-79 with none of the modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s was similar to that of people 10-20 years younger who had multiple modifiable risk factors.
Another study found that the protective effect of addressing modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s extended even to people with a higher genetic risk of dementia.
In other words, while we cannot change the genes we’ve inherited, we may be able to mitigate their effect by addressing the factors we can change.
In fact, in a 2020 report, The Lancet Commission suggests that as many as 40% of Alzheimer’s cases can be prevented by addressing the risk factors that are modifiable.
Which brings us to the million-dollar question – which are the risk factors for Alzheimer’s that we can address to lower our risk and potentially slow or reverse cognitive aging?
And, what does the research say about the potential effects our yoga practice may have in modifying these risk factors? And, which are the best ways to practice to gain the most benefits?
Mainstream media tends to focus on the current limitations of addressing Alzheimer’s and dementia and focus almost exclusively on pharmacological developments in treatment.
However, as Dr. Baxter Bell will show, there is growing evidence that lifestyle medicine options and yoga may significantly prevent unwanted changes to the brain and nervous system as we age and may help us optimize our brain health over time.
In this course, learn how yoga and other lifestyle practices can help in supporting cognitive resilience and potentially lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia – as well as other conditions linked to neurological decline over time.
Learn about the latest research on the benefits of yoga and other lifestyle-related activities and what the research says about the best ways to practice to maximize benefits.
What You Will Learn
- How Alzheimer’s develops and the best time to modify risk factors
- Conventional treatment options for Alzheimer’s and their drawbacks
- The 8 main modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s that we can address and how
- How yoga can be used to address modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s
- Studies indicating the benefits of yoga on improving cognitive health and a review of the yoga practices used in those studies (where available)
- A general review of yoga for brain health practices
- The proper safety precautions for practicing Yoga as part of an integrative approach to brain health.
This Course Also Includes:
- Yoga Practice Video: Enjoy a yoga practice video that accompanies this course.
- Recordings of All Webinar Sessions: It’s generally acknowledged that many people only retain 10-20 percent of what they learn in a workshop. You will get access to the recordings of all webinar sessions – both MP3 (downloadable) and MP4 (streaming online), enabling you to go back and listen to the workshop as many times as you like.
- Transcripts of All Sessions: Ever wanted to refer to a certain part of a course? Even the best note-takers miss a point every so often. With the transcripts of the webinar sessions, you can go back and refer to particularly important passages or clarify sections you were in doubt about.
This course qualifies for 4 CEs with Yoga Alliance.
