World Brain Day 2025: 10 everyday habits that are quietly damaging your brain
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Hindustan Times
8 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Acupuncturist shares 3 dementia preventing hand exercises you should do every day: ‘Take your brain to the gym'
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines dementia as a syndrome which can be caused by a number of diseases, which, over time, destroy nerve cells and damage the brain, typically leading to deterioration in cognitive function: meaning your ability to remember things and pass judgements. These simple moves done every day help fire up neurons in the brain, boost and maintain coordination, and help keep dementia at bay.(Freepik) Also Read | Neurologist shares 4 unmissable things parents should know to support healthy brain development in kids Several large studies have found that the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease increases in people aged 50 years or older. However, training your brain may help slow memory loss and other mental problems. In a post shared on July 25, Anna Seo, licensed acupuncturist and integrative health specialist, shared dementia preventing hacks - 3 hand exercises - that you should practise every day. Tap your fingers, train your brain: 3 dementia preventing hand exercises Sharing the three exercises, Anna wrote, 'Tap your fingers, train your brain! These simple moves done every day help fire up neurons in the brain, boost and maintain coordination, and help keep dementia at bay.' She stressed that taking our brains to the gym after staring at emails and Excel sheets all day is crucially important. 'Your future self will thank you,' she added. Let's find out the exercises she suggested: 1. Alternate clapping To do this exercise, begin by clapping your hands normally for two counts. Then, switch the position by clapping for one count with your palms overturned. Now, do these movements alternatively while changing the position of your palms when they are overturned. 2. Alternating thumb and pinky finger Make fists with both your hands. Now, stick out the thumb of your right hand and the pinky finger of your left hand. Then, change the fingers, with the thumb of your left hand and the pinky finger of your right hand sticking out. Do these movements one after the other. 3. Asymmetrical finger taps For this movement, you have to touch the first digit of your fingers to the thumb, but the movements of both hands will be different. For the right hand, you will begin by touching your finger with the thumb, while simultaneously touching the pinky finger on your left hand. Then, continue moving forward with this asymmetric movement. Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
USA Today
10 hours ago
- USA Today
People living with Alzheimer's ‒ and their caregivers ‒ need more than hope
I hope my film sparks a conversation not just about the search for a cure but also about the necessity to care ‒ honoring the people we love and the caregivers who ease their journeys. In June 2021, I was sitting in a small outside café in Stowe, Vermont. My husband and I were chatting with a lovely elderly Peruvian man sitting nearby. His name was Pedro. He had a character-rich face, a warm smile and a mischievous twinkle in his eye. I'm a casting director in Los Angeles, perpetually on the lookout for interesting faces, and my husband and I love meeting people and striking up conversations with strangers. Just as I was about to quiz Pedro more on his life, I got a phone call from a recruiter at the University of Southern California's Keck medical center about a new drug trial for Alzheimer's disease. My husband, Charlie Hess, was living with early onset Alzheimer's, and though you might not notice right away, the challenges were real. Living with Alzheimer's doesn't need to be a story of pure tragedy. It's a terrible disease ‒ a disease that should be much further along in developing treatments ‒ but because Alzheimer's is more invisible than, say, a person battling cancer, the disease has largely been ignored. This accelerated trial for the drug known as donanemab held the promise of slowing the progression of Alzheimer's by clearing the amyloid plaque that many view as a key driver of the disease. It's a more complex trajectory ‒ Alzheimer's is a multifactorial disease ‒ but clearing amyloid might be akin to prescribing statins for people with high cholesterol to help keep their arteries from clogging and causing a heart attack. The USC recruiter insisted this medication donanemab was much better than Aduhelm, a drug I was well aware of that got provisional accelerated approval later that summer in 2021 but was mired in controversies from the get-go. The Food and Drug Administration's expert outside advisers voted not to approve it for many reasons, and Aduhelm finally was removed from the market by Biogen in 2024, as the manufacturer turned its focus toward another Alzheimer's medication that showed more promise. But the jury is still out whether these drugs, which cost up to $32,000 a year, and lengthy infusion therapy will be the answer. There are significant risks for Alzheimer's patients, and issues of cost and access to consider. I was at a loss that June day four years ago. The infusion, given once every six weeks, might slow progression. And I thought, while Charlie was still talking to Pedro, that in a year Charlie might lose conversations like this. The recruiter pressed me: Charlie was on their short list, and if we didn't decide in 24 hours, it would be gone. My stomach tightened. My mind kept thinking, 'If not now, when?' Families living with Alzheimer's are at a tipping point We said goodbye to Pedro. I looked Charlie in the eye and told him we had gotten a 'golden ticket' ‒ a spot in a trial for a new drug ‒ and we had to decide immediately. My husband was clear in his thinking and calm in his delivery. 'Why would we rush back to LA for a drug that is only a pile of promises?' Charlie said. 'I feel way better here in nature, slowing down. We have great doctors. If this drug proves to be the one, I'm sure you'll find a way to get me back in. The only thing I know is that nobody knows what to do with this, and we just have to keep living.' Opinion: Is it Alzheimer's or am I just getting old? Here's how to find an answer. Charlie sometimes struggles for words, but then suddenly finds clarity and speaks directly. That June in 2021, he did just that, and I think he was right. In February 2025, in a New York Times opinion column, journalist Charles Piller raised alarm about fraud and controversy in Alzheimer's research. His book, "Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's," sent shock waves across the Alzheimer's community. It's a messy story, and I do not think all researchers are cooking their studies. Even so, drug companies certainly have a huge financial incentive, and we ‒ caregivers and people living with Alzheimer's ‒ are at a tipping point. What Alzheimer's looks like from the inside There may be more drugs approved in the future that are worth pursuing for some, but the risks are high, the costs are staggering, and the resources we put toward selling hope could undermine health care for everyone. Hope itself is perhaps the most powerful drug of all, but it won't cure Alzheimer's. We need a cure, but we also need to rethink the narrative. It's time we fund caregiver supports, and find a way to help people live with dignity and compassion alongside their disease. It's time we recognized that Alzheimer's doesn't just affect a person ‒ it profoundly impacts the whole family. Opinion: Dementia care for families has an unexpected ally ‒ you My own experience with Alzheimer's and this ongoing journey alongside Charlie profoundly influenced me to make "Walk With Me," a documentary that traces our life together and the quiet, intimate struggles of caregiving. The film is a deeply personal view into what Alzheimer's looks like from the inside ‒ not just for the person living with it, but also for the family that bears it alongside them. "Walk With Me" will be screening on Tuesday, July 29, in Toronto, Canada, in the same week that more than 10,000 people will be gathered there at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference to discuss new research, care options and more. I will be at the Toronto conference with my hopes up. But what I fear most is that what the drug companies will be selling is not a cure yet but rather another hope. While hope is a powerful drug, we are due for a reality check. We need to learn to live better by strengthening caregiver supports ‒ this vast, unpaid workforce that underpins much of health care today. My hope is that my film sparks a conversation not just about the search for a cure but also about the necessity to care ‒ honoring the people we love and the caregivers who make their journeys more human and compassionate. According to Statistics Canada, 4 in 10 Canadians ages 15 or older provide unpaid care, amounting to more than $97 billion in annual economic value. In the United States, 1 in 5 Americans provide unpaid care, valued at over $470 billion a year. Let's stop selling hope and start funding better care for all. Heidi Levitt is a casting director in Los Angeles. Her documentary "Walk With Me" will be screening on July 29 at the TIFF Lightbox theater in Toronto, Canada. It is playing film festivals all over the United States and internationally with the goal to find distribution to play the film widely theatrically and online. Please check the website for updates.
New York Post
15 hours ago
- New York Post
‘Duck Dynasty' star Willie Robertson reveals late father Phil Robertson's final message
'Duck Dynasty' star Willie Robertson revealed the final message that his late father shared with their family before his death. In May, Phil Robertson, famous for founding the Duck Commander hunting company that became the focus of his A&E show, died at the age of 79. The 'Duck Dynasty' family patriarch had previously battled multiple health conditions, including Alzheimer's disease. 'Phil had been struggling with Alzheimer's for a while,' Willie, 53, said. 'It was on our mind for sure, his condition. It's part of life.' He continued, 'Phil had such a strong faith. He told us before, 'Do not cry at my funeral. I know where I'm going.'' 'What a life he lived,' Willie added. 'We heard that from thousands of people, the people he impacted. Phil would have wanted us to do exactly what we're doing. Whatever is a reflection of that faith, and our show is a reflection of our faith.' 'Not overtly. We're not trying to preach to people or convert people, but I think you can see the fruit in the faith of our show and our family and how it sticks together through good times and bad. That's why we are on this earth. As we move on, I think it's a reminder to all of us the time will come. I hope I have a funeral like that where people feel that way about me as well.' Phil, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in December, passed away during the same week that his family's new show 'Duck Dynasty: The Revival' premiered. Though Phil did not participate in 'Duck Dynasty: The Revival' due to his health issues, the series' first episode included a tribute to him. 6 Willie Robertson shared his late father Phil's final message to his family before his death. Instagram The video begins with footage of Willie reading an introduction for the show off his laptop to Phil, who was seen sitting in an armchair. 'So ladies and gentlemen, start your engines. Only one will earn the bandana, so let the games begin. What do you think, Phil?' Willie asked. Phil replied by giving his son a big thumbs-up. The scene faded to black as a photo of Phil appeared alongside the in-memoriam tribute. 'Ah, that was awesome!' Willie was heard saying in response to his father's gesture in the background of the tribute. 6 Phil Robertson died on May 25, 2025. Willie's wife Korie, who joined him for the interview, told TV Insider that the timing of Phil's death was 'a little surreal.' 'It was really special to our family that we had that one little clip,' she said. 'When filming this time around, he was already in the throes of Alzheimer's, so he wasn't able to be part of the show. We did film that one little thing where he gave Willie the thumbs up.' 'It was really special because, for our family, it felt like, 'OK, this is his opportunity to pass on the torch to us,'' she continued. 'It's funny to see the comments [from fans] who are like, 'The next generation are yuppies. They aren't passing things on.' 6 Phil was famous for founding the Duck Commander hunting company that became the focus of his A&E show. Art Streiber 'But we are passing on Phil's legacy because his legacy was first about faith,' she said. 'His whole motto was faith, family, ducks, in that order. His first was faith. All our kids are living that out in really beautiful ways and family.' 'That's what this show is about,' Korie added. 'It's about family, inner-generational family living life together and what that might look like. And then ducks. We're still running Duck Commander, the business he started from the duck call he invented years and years ago. That has been really special to carry that legacy on now after his passing.' Phil founded Duck Commander in 1972. The 'Duck Dynasty' television show premiered 40 years later, in 2012, before it ended in 2017. 6 The reality television star died during the same week that his family's new show, 'Duck Dynasty: The Revival,' premiered. Jason Kempin During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Willie and Korie explained how they were coping after losing Phil and how they were touched by the outpouring of support that they received from fans. 'I think it's a combination of some sadness, just we miss him, but also joy and happiness from what he believed and where he was going and all the things he was able to accomplish in his life,' Willie said. 'And so many people that he helped and we were reminded of that at his passing. And just so many people just flooded us with messages of how he had helped change their life, either directly or indirectly through the show or through the podcast or books he has written.' 6 President Donald Trump laughs with Willie Robertson and Phil Robertson, the family patriarch, at a campaign rally in Monroe, La., Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019. AP While Willie shared that it was 'tragic' watching his father suffer during his battle with Alzheimer's, he said it helped prepare the family for his passing. 'You're ready,' he said. 'We knew, he's ready to move on and so yeah, it's kind of mixed. But there was really more joy.' 'Phil pre-warned us,' he added. 'We told a lot of funny stories and just brought back all those fun memories,' Korie chimed in. 'It's a little bit the Robertson way. Even in the hard things, we laugh a lot through it.' 6 Phil's wife, Kay, previously spoke out about how the couple struggled during the early years of their marriage. Phil Robertson / Facebook Korie said they hoped future generations would be inspired by Phil's dedication to his faith and how it transformed his life. 'Just in passing down that legacy — one of the things that we've just been reminded of over and over again is just this man who lived down on the river, didn't own a cell phone or a computer — what God did with his life. Because he was just truly passionately sold out for Jesus,' she said. Korie continued, 'And so I think for all of us, it's brought even more of a boldness to our faith to say like, 'Hey, we follow Jesus, and that's who we are.' And if you want to know more about it, come talk to us because it's brought a full life.' 'And a changed life,' Willie added. 'There would never have been a 'Duck Dynasty' show. There wouldn't have been company had his life not changed. This family would not have stayed together.' Phil's wife Kay, 77, has previously spoken out about how the couple faced marital struggles in the early years of their union due to Phil's alcoholism and infidelity before he committed to his faith. The pair, who married in 1966, had four sons including Willie, Alan, 59, Jase, 55 and Jep, 47, as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 'It's all responsible to his faith and his life change, of he and mom together to keep this family together,' he said. 'And now we're seeing so much fruit of that.'
