This may drive coffee drinkers’ nuts

Green tea is good for you. No, wait, that’s not quite right. 

Green tea is really good for you. No, that doesn’t quite capture it.

“Green Tea May Prevent Alzheimer's Disease, Say Four New Studies.” Ok, I cheated, because that’s the headline of a recent Forbes article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2013/06/30/green-tea-may-prevent-alzheimers-say-four-new-studies/

As a brain tumor survivor, I’m always worried about being susceptible to Alzheimer’s, dementia and other brain issues. Luckily, I’ve just read this article by Melanie Haiken which summarizes four different scientific studies whichsay drinking green tea seems to be really, really good for brain function.

For example Haiken notes that, “Writing in the University of Michigan’s NeuroHealth blog last week, prominent neurologist Henry L. Paulson, MD describes the powerful properties of EGCG (official name: epigallocatechin-3-gallate), a flavonoid in green tea. EGCG, Paulson says, appears to protect the brain from the accumulation of amyloid plaques that scientists believe cause the brain deterioration associated with Alzheimer’s Disease.”

The three other studies have similarly good things to say about green tea.

What I really like about Haiken’s article is her no-nonsense, very practical summary: “So what does this mean for you? Studies like this are always published with caveats saying that the evidence can’t be considered definitive until larger and more definitive human studies are done.

But when it comes to green tea, there really isn’t much of a downside to argue about. No one has ever shown green tea to be harmful to health, and studies have also shown it to be protective against breast cancer and possibly other conditions such as Parkinson’s. I’m guessing the researchers who performed these studies are pouring themselves cups of green tea right now, and I’m about to do the same.”

Image credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_16485690_matcha-green-tea-bowl-cup-and-black-bamboo.html'>jiravan / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

“Redefining the support group: my TEDx talk”

Actually, it’s not my talk, it’s Liz’ talk. She has a great TEDx talk and a great blog: http://thelizarmy.com/

She’s named her blog “THELIZARMY” – and after reading it I feel like I’ve met a whole army of Lizzies.

Why? Because she’s so organized and prolific and composed. For starters she organized blog into handy sections entitled: “Advocacy”, Surviving”, “In Treatment”, Newly Diagnosed”, “Resources” and “About Liz”. And each of those sections have posts that are articulate, insightful and interesting. (As you can guess, I'm kinda jealous.)

If you open the “About Liz” page you see a fun picture of Liz in the Color Run*. You’ll also read a wonderfully honest and upbeat “About Me” intro. She starts out writing “Hi My name is Liz and I have brain cancer. This blog acts as my personal journal, communication forum and cancer soap box.

I’m a digital communications person by day. I am the same person by night. In July 2008 I was diagnosed with a grade II astrocytoma brain cancer when I was 29-years old. It sucked. 

But guess what? I’m still here. Still kicking ass. If anything changes I will let you know.”

How can you not like somebody who starts introduces herself like that?

For me the best part was her TEDx talk: http://thelizarmy.com/2013/06/redefining-the-support-group-my-tedx-talk/

Watch it for the raw emotion and pure honesty.

*If you don’t know what the “Color Run” is, go find a millennial and ask them.If you don't know what a "millennial" is, go to the master, Carol Phillips, and read what she says on her Brand Amplitude website: http://brandamplitude.com/resources/millennials

ABTA Brain Tumor Webinars on Demand

The American Brain Tumor Association (i.e. “ABTA”) calls them “Anytime Learning” and you can find this nifty* webinar series posted on the ABTA website: http://www.abta.org/understanding-brain-tumors/anytime-learning/ 

My only complaint about this is the name - "Anytime Learning." Somehow the name seems to imply that these as common-found-around-the-house webinars. 

They aren't. 

For example, can’t sleep because your steroids are kicking in at 3:00 am? Cruise over to Anytime Learning and watch a really good webinar entitled “"The Role of Rehabilitation in the Recovery of Brain Tumor Patients.”

Worried about that series of radiation treatments you have coming up?  Watch their webinar entitled “What Patients Need to Know About Radiation and Nuclear Medicine.”

Other webinars include:

• "How Neuropathologists Generate Rapid Diagnosis During Surgery"
• "Endocrine Issues Facing the Pediatric Brain Tumor Patient"
• "Neuro-Cognitive Issues Related to Children's Brain Tumors"
• and my favorite, "Understanding Non-Malignant Brain Tumors"

I’m giving the ABTA an “A” for getting these presentations online (and a “D-“ for the name).

*Spiffy? Informative? Helpful? Somehow saying that they're "educational" reminds me of an eighth grade science class and makes me want to run from my room screaming.


Image credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_10967570_tutorial-4000-5-jpg.html'>intriga / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

“Promising Target Found in Treating Deadly Brain Cancer” (GBM)

That was the headline of July 1st ScienceDaily.com article that got me hopeful.

Here’s the lead paragraph of the article: “Researchers at the University of Virginia Cancer Center have identified a promising target for treating glioblastoma, one that appears to avoid many of the obstacles that typically frustrate efforts to develop effective treatments for this deadliest of cancers.”

Further down the article notes that "Glioblastoma is difficult to treat because it is persistent, aggressive and resourceful. Efforts to block its pathways are often unsuccessful because the cancer simply uses others. That has researchers looking for ways to inhibit multiple pathways at once, or targeting critical signaling nodes that control multiple pathways."

But there's promising, if not outright good news.

"We're finding that we're not having a lot of luck, often, when we just inhibit a single target in cancer cells, so we're really interested in finding targets specific targets that control many pathways to cancer," Purow explained. And he thinks he's found one: Diacylglycerol kinase alpha. By targeting this lipid-modifying enzyme, the UVA researchers believe, they can inhibit and kill glioblastoma cells and other forms of cancer, such as melanoma.

"This is an exciting new target in cancer," said UVA's Benjamin W. Purow, MD. "It seems to have potential not just for brain tumors but for other cancers as well. We think it has activity on its own, but also in combination with other cancer therapies."

Here’s a link to the article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130701163741.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29

Image credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_9151986_an-illustrated-dna-strand-with-the-words-brain-cancer-embedded-in-the-chain-symbolizing-the-disease-.html'>iqoncept / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

Trouble remembering? Do aerobics!

Forget where you put your keys? Your wallet? Your pants?[1] If so, you need to start aerobicizing. If you’re already aerobicizing, do more.

When I say “more”, I mean FASTERLONGERHARDER!!!

That’s because everything I read lately says that aerobic exercise helps create more brain cells and improve memory.

This “8 tips to keep your mind sharp” article by Alvaro Fernandez of SHARPBRAINS says that “Do aerobic exercise at least two hours per week. It has to be aerobic such as, jogging, running, or playing an intense sport. Exercising your body is very important, because it helps create new neurons.” - http://nbclatino.com/2013/06/20/8-tips-on-how-to-workout-your-brain/

 

The smartypants[2] at Lumosity recently posted this on their Facebook page: “Physical exercise can boost your cognition in a number of ways. When you exercise your body, blood flows to your brain, bringing extra cognition-boosting oxygen and energy. In addition, your hippocampus, a brain area critical for learning and memory, is highly active during physical exercise. Recent research even suggests that aerobic exercise may reverse hippocampal shrinkage, which occurs naturally with age.” See https://www.facebook.com/Lumosity?hc_location=timeline

 

Lastly, and perhaps most scientifically, an article posted on the U.S. National Institute of Health website entitled “The relationship between aerobic exercise and cognition: is movement medicinal?” states that “Aerobic exercise not only has been found to impact cardiovascular systems but has also shown benefits to brain function itself and specifically in the domain of memory and learning.”

So have I been aerobicizing? As a matter of fact, “yes.” Yesterday I biked for 2 – 3 hours. Today I swam a good half hour. And tomorrow I plan to embarrass myself in an aerobics class for an hour or so.[3]

Image credit: <a href='http://www.123rf.com/photo_12492263_vector-drawing-competition-on-run.html'>grynold / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

---

[1] I did. Just don’t tell anybody.

[2] I say this in only the most positive way possible.

[3] I never do the right thing at the right time.