It is not yet proven that hormone replacement therapy can slow the effects of Alzheimer’s. However we do see the dramatic results this treatment can provide every day in our office. Our patients use hormone replacement therapy to boost energy levels, stabilize blood pressure, increase bone strength, boost memory, improve skin tone and more.

As the body ages hormone levels naturally begin to decline.  This can lead to hormones being “out of balance”. Since hormones work with many parts of the body and control everything from hunger cravings to metabolism to sexual function and more; a small imbalance can have a big impact on you feel. By once again balancing your hormones you can start looking and feeling your best once again.

Customize Your Hormonal Replacement to Meet Your Needs.
Everybody is an individual, and this means that your hormonal needs will be as individualistic as you are. To find the best treatment for you we will carefully evaluate your need for hormone replacement therapy using diagnostic testing to create a hormonal panel. This panel is used by Dr. Vikram Jayaprakash and our team of medical professionals to create an individualized plan. We aim to stabilize your hormonal levels by replacing hormones levels that are currently low.
We use bio-identical hormones in our clinic. These hormones are chemically identical to the hormones that your body produces and often have fewer side effects than synthetic hormones. We offer a variety of different hormones depending on your unique needs including: estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, pregnenolone, testosterone and melatonin. Our approach is always as holistic and natural as possible.

Are your hormones out of balance? We can help you find the optimal balance for your health and wellbeing. While the effects of hormone replacement therapy on Alzheimer’s is yet undetermined, we know that balanced hormones are an essential part of looking and feeling your best.

How many of them were overweight?

The Effect of Obesity on the Brain

When most people think of obesity and its harmful and adverse effects on the body, they rarely think of the brain.  Studies from 2003 to present reveal startling indications that being overweight may actually increase the risk for mental deterioration in both men and women.

The impact obesity has on the brain is harmful, making overweight individuals more susceptible to decreased brain function, inability to focus and reduced sharpness.  Obesity has been linked to the premature onset of Alzheimer’s and brain inflammation.  Let’s look at the details and research findings.

Obesity Linked to the Onset of Alzheimer’s

About one-third of the adults in the United States are obese.  That is nearly 34% of the entire adult population.  The disease is becoming an epidemic and linked to a variety of other issues and health concerns across the nation.  Obesity-related issues include heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and now Alzheimer’s.

Research conducted at the UCLA Medical Center determined that obese elderly patients have an average of eight-percent less brain tissue than those of the same age who are at a normal weight.  Researchers determined that severe brain degeneration occurs among the elderly who are overweight or obese, putting them at risk for degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Much of the brain tissues lost were in areas that dealt with planning, memory, movement and attention.  Normal weight individuals had a brain that was much more viable and healthy than those who were obese.  In fact, medical researchers showed that the brain of an obese elderly individual appeared to be 16 years older than normal.

Obesity and Brain Inflammation

An individual with a large waist circumference, in excess of eight to ten inches larger than normal, may experience inflammation in the brain.  Brain inflammation with respect to obesity is not associated with encephalitis or other bacterial induced inflammation, but rather increased inflammation in the hypothalamus.  The hypothalamus is that portion of the brain that regulates the pituitary gland, keeps blood pressure balanced and controls feeding reflexes.

When a person experiences inflammation in this area of the brain, they are more susceptible to overeating.  The process is cyclical – when an individual is obese the hypothalamus becomes inflamed, causing this region of the brain to work improperly, which in turn leads to overeating.  An inflamed hypothalamus has trouble recognizing fullness and the person afflicted with the condition has a tendency to overeat.

Brain inflammation has also been linked to numerous brain issues, including forgetfulness, short-term memory loss and inability to focus attention.  In those approaching their mid-sixties to seventies, an increased rate of forgetfulness occurs in those who are medically considered to be obese.

Healthy Lifestyle Changes

There is no time like the present to make necessary changes in your lifestyle to eliminate the harmful effects of obesity on the brain.  If you are overweight or even obese, it is not too late to change the habits that may lead to significant problems for you in the future.

Adapting a healthy nutrition plan is the first place to begin.  A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and healthy carbohydrates is beneficial in combating obesity.  Gradual changes are necessary in order to create longevity with your diet.  Try to avoid a ‘cold-turkey’ or ‘crash-diet’ approach to changes in your eating habits, as these lead to failure in the long run.

Exercise is the next element to changing your lifestyle.  If you are too heavy to hit the gym on a regular basis, then start out slow.  A 20-minute walk two times a day to the mailbox and back is better than nothing.  Before you know it, you will be jogging with your children and living life again.

Insulin resistance is defined as a condition in which the natural insulin hormone becomes either completely or slightly ineffective at lowering blood sugars in the body.  Insulin is a hormone produced by the cells located in the pancreas and is released from this location into the body to control a person’s metabolism.  Insulin also regulates cells and their growth throughout the body.

When a person becomes insulin resistant, the cells within the body become more resistant to insulin and as a result, the body requires more and more of it in order to regulate its effects.  Insulin resistance can lead to many health problems.  Insulin resistance is typically seen in people who experience the following:

How to Combat Insulin Resistance

Although diet and exercise are among the top choices for preventing insulin resistance, studies have shown an effective and new way to combat the condition.  Progesterone therapy is being used to treat both men and women who suffer from insulin resistance.  When a person is insulin resistant, the cells in the body have a difficult time taking in progesterone when blood glucose levels are out of whack.  This means that progesterone finds itself harder to be absorbed when the blood glucose levels are either too low or too high.

Progesterone is responsible in women for regulating fertility, pregnancy and menstruation.  It is a necessary and vital reproductive hormone that is produced naturally in the body.  Men also produce small amounts of progesterone and need the hormone to help balance the metabolism.

Studies have revealed that providing individuals with progesterone therapy; insulin resistance was decreased and carbohydrate and lipid metabolism was greatly improved.  The therapy is being used now to combat insulin resistance in combination with changes in lifestyle.  The combination is proving to be highly effective.

Benefits of Progesterone Therapy

In addition to its role in combating insulin resistance and improving blood glucose levels in the body, progesterone therapy offers a wide variety of other health benefits.  Progesterone therapy works to facilitate other hormones in the body as well, and provides valuable health components to both males and females.

In women, progesterone therapy has been found to improve the female libido, boost thyroid action and prevent osteoporosis.  While these are all large claims, research is currently being done to substantiate the results even more.

In men, undergoing some degree of progesterone therapy, value-added benefits include assisting the body to metabolize fat at a quicker rate rather than storing it and protection against some forms of cancer.

Both genders experienced progesterone therapy as a natural anti-depressant, as the hormone improved mood and even tranquilized during stressful times.  The benefits continue to surface on how progesterone therapy can improve a person’s health and wellness.  For those utilizing progesterone therapies for insulin resistance, there are added benefits that continue to make themselves known.

Several research studies have revealed that man could have a maximum lifespan of 125 years. Our health declines long before this maximum life span due to different factors. Several peer-view publications have evaluated the fact that decline in health is mainly due to the gradual shortening of telomeres. Telomeres are the structural caps of chromosomes that shortened with each cell division. This gradual shortening of the telomeres is the sign of cell death, after about 70 to 80 cell divisions.

Telomerase, the immortality enzyme, prevents shortening of the telomere by adding bases to the ends of telomere after cell replication. Telomerase activation in the cell has significant medical application. Studies have shown that telomeres length in human cell are the markers of many degenerative disease including, arthritis, diabetes, hypertension and cancer.

Precancerous lesions, such as ductal carcinoma in situ for breast cancer, and prostatic and cervical intraepithelial neoplasias, have been shown to have critically shortened telomeres in situ(Meeker AK, et al.  2004).

It has been revealed from several researches that telomeres loss is low in the blood samples of athletes, professional runners and people engaged in regular exercise in them.

Physical exercise has an evident effect on the shortening of telomere, and so have a significant anti aging role. Different factors are commonly associated with telomere shortening and telomerase activation. Lifestyle changes and exercise can help in reducing telomere shortening.

Researchers have evaluated the fact that telomeres shortened less quickly in the immune system of people having a history of endurance exercise training. Physical exercise training of professional athletes leads to the activation of telomerase enzyme, which reduces telomere shortening. Regular exercise can reduce the telomere shortening in leukocytes of the athlete to decrease the risk of infections and diseases.

It has been shown that people who have active lifestyles have the telomere lengths of someone 10 or more years younger to his or her age. This also explains the association of sedentary lifestyle with age-related diseases.

In short, keep those telomeres long. Exercise doesn’t just keep your heart healthy. It just may be the secret to a longer life.

Research from John’s Hopkins University has reported that lower Vitamin D levels (deathfrom any cause.

Danish researchers have discovered that we need Vitamin D to activate our immune system’s T-Killer Cells. A lack of Vitamin D results in increased inflammation. This in turn reduces the length of the leukocyte telomeres. This telomere length is a predictor of age-related diseases. Research from King’s College, London found that people with longer telomere length have higher Vitamin D levels. This difference is equivalent to five years of telomeric aging.

My advice; don’t get caught short. Check your Vitamin D levels and increase the length of those telomeres.

Omega-3 fats come in two forms – Eicosapentanoic Acid (EPA) and Docohexanoic Acid (DHA). These are not made in the body and thus need to be consumed from an external source.

Omega-3 fats have a range of beneficial effects:

• Reduce the risk of heart diseas and stroke.
• Reduce LDL levels and increase HDL levels (by up to 44%).
• Protect the brain by increasing concentration ability and reducing the rate of alzheimers development.
• Reduces the risk of cancer.
• Reduced inflammation and pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Krill oil is probably the best source of Omega-3 fats on the planet. Logically enough, Krill Oil comes from Krill, which are tiny shrimp-like crustaceans which inhabit the depth of the Antartic and North Pacific oceans. Despite being so small, Krill make up the largest animal biomass on the planet.

Krill oil contains both EPA and DHA – but unlike other fish oils, they are ‘put’ together in a different fashion. Krill oil exists in a double chain phospholipid structure – very similar to our own cell membrane structure. This allows for a much easier entry into the cell in order for it to be used. One of these chains also contains a molecule called Astaxanthin. This is a potent anti-oxidant and has been shown to protect against UV light. It is this molecule that makes Krill oil  almost 48 times more potent than other fish oils.Due to the rapid absorption and high anti-oxidant content, there is rarely any fishy burping or poor after-taste often experienced with fish oils.

What are the downsides? Well, for starters, it is more expensive; but you get what you pay for.

Virtually all Krill oil is produced by Neptune Technologies. This Canadian company currently holds the patent for Krill oil extraction. It is then shipped worldwide to various manufacturers to be bottled and sold. This is advantageous as it means that both the dose and quality remains constant despite the brand.

In short, not all fish oil is created equally, but Krill oil is.