About 60-75 percent of dementias are AD related and it is strongly associated with age. For example, about 1 percent of people aged 60 to 65 develop AD, 6 percent aged 75 to 79, and 45 percent aged 95 and older. 

Have a look at the picture above right. You'll notice the right hand brain slice is markedly shrunken compared to the left. Notice that the two areas badly affected are memory and language. AD is thought to be a silent epidemic in Western countries occuring right now because it takes some years before the brain is affected enough to show signs. Early signs of AD are: forgetting how to do basic things, disorientation, unusual forgetfulness, misplacing things all the time and unusual changes in behaviour.

Some of the risk factors associated with AD (and vascular dementia) include:

• High homocysteine levels – this is an amino acid that is a normal by-product of many reactions in the body, however, an excess has been linked to an increased risk of AD, heart disease and stroke;
• Untreated high blood pressure particularly if teamed with high blood cholesterol, smoking and / or diabetes;
• Heavy metal toxicity (eg. mercury, copper or aluminium)
• Stroke or other cerebrovascular disease;
• Obesity;
• Poorly managed diabetes; and,
• A history of head injury. 

Here are some steps you can take to help prevent AD:

• Have regular health checks for blood pressure, cholesterol and lipids, blood glucose levels, and homocysteine; 
• Have a hair tissue mineral analysis test with us to check for heavy metal toxicity;
• Give up habits like those ciggies and excess alcohol; 
• Eat a healthy diet with a wide range of lean meat, poultry, fish (a few times a week), seafood, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, legumes, dairy or dairy substitutes, and wholegrains; 
• Include turmeric (think curry), blueberries, green and black tea (1-2 cups a day), and red wine (in moderation - and don't forget to have those 3-4 alcohol free days a week!) as these have been linked to reducing AD;
• Take a good multi-vitamin / mineral and anti-oxidant supplement;
• If you are at risk, consider taking Colostrinin, a very new and exciting practitioner-only supplement that we stock at FB+H. It is a proline-rich polypeptide from colostrum which helps improve brain function and memory and is showing great results in recent studies for reducing the progress and preventing the onset of AD;
• Speak to us about additional nutrients you might need – for example, a good-quality fish oil, the B vitamins that reduce homocysteine levels, herbs to reduce cholesterol and manage blood glucose levels, or herbs to improve memory and brain function;
• Don't let your mind get lazy. Become a puzzle addict, read lots and /or learn a new skill. All these activities have been shown to reduce the risk of AD; 
• Keep physically active – daily exercise has been shown time and again to reduce the risk of AD, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and diabetes; and, 
• Be a social butterfly! An active social life is also linked to a decreased risk of AD.

The “good” bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract (GIT) has many positive functions such as keeping your immune system healthy, ensuring the best digestion, producing some essential vitamins and keeping healthy bowel motions. Sometimes an imbalance between the “good” and the “bad” bacteria can occur where the bad bacteria flourishes and causes unwanted symptoms.
You may have an imbalance in your GIT bacteria if you experience conditions such as: constipation, diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome, flatulence, bloating, food sensitivities, frequent infections, skin problems, headaches, low energy or auto-immune disease.

A number of factors can cause an over-growth of bad GIT bacteria. They include: antibiotic use; chronic stress; a diet high in meat, sugar or fat; lack of fibre; poor immune function; infection; and, poor digestion. We do a very simple urine test at FB+H to determine if you have an overgrowth of the bad bacteria - you might want to look into that next time you're in touch with us.

If you have a GIT bacteria imbalance, it may be necessary to supplement with a probiotic to restore the balance of bacteria in your gut to improve your health. We also usually prescribe a good prebiotic which supplies food for the good bacteria to flourish so you get great results. Different strains of probiotic bacteria have different actions and it is therefore important to use the right one. We can identify which probiotic supplement is right for you.

Here are some tips for a healthy GIT:

1. Avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, potatoes, pasta, sugary breakfast cereals and other sugary foods, cakes, biscuits and soft drinks)
2. Ensure you have enough fibre in the form of fruits, vegetables, legumes, wholegrains, nuts and seeds. And, supplement with psyllium and/or LSA (linseed, sunflower and almond mix) for extra soluble fibre
3. Keep stress levels down by exercising, doing deep breathing and getting enough sleep!
4. Avoid fried foods and takeaway foods that are high in unhealthy fats
5. Eat and drink foods that are beneficial for your liver such as fresh lemon juice in warm water, dandelion beverage, beetroot, bitter greens (rocket, artichoke, watercress, witlof), broccoli and eggs
6. Don’t over eat
7. Eat lots of garlic – it reduces bad bacteria
8. Drink green tea instead of coffee and regular tea

In women, fat is arranged in large chambers underneath a fairly thin layer of skin. These chambers are separated by columns of collagen fibres. In some people too much fat is distributed into these chambers, causing the pitting and bulging of the skin. In addition, as women age, the fibres shrink and thicken, pulling the skin downward, while the skin loses tone. This results in the typical pitted appearance. According to some studies, as many as 95 percent of women over age 30 develop some form of cellulite in their body.

Now we know the "what is it" part, how do you prevent it or reduce it?

1. Do a detox program with us once or twice a year to reduce the toxic load in your body and to help keep your hormones balanced. Leading up to Spring is a great time to detox.
2. Drink ample water each day to help flush toxins from your system and to keep your body and skin hydrated. You need about 1.25-2 litres water per day depending on your body size. This doesn't include caffeinated drinks, juices and soft drink.
3. Use a natural bristle brush to dry brush your skin each day before showering. This stimulates your lymphatic system and helps remove cellular waste products that may build up in the fat chambers. 
4. We are always talking about avoiding the following foods for all kinds of reasons and here's another good reason to keep them out of your diet. Avoid fried foods, white flour products, sugary foods and drinks, coffee, excess tea (1-2 cups a day is okay), alcohol, soft drinks, caffeinated drinks such as cola and guarana varieties, and artificial additives such as flavouring, preservatives and colourings.
5. Book in with Pamela for a regular massage which will assist lymphatic drainage of wastes and fluid build up from your problem areas. Pamela will also use the pure essential oils that help reduce cellulite.
6. Exercise most days of the week for 30 minutes or more. Aerobic exercise and resistance exercise stimulates your lymphatic system and tones your muscles helping to make your legs look firmer and smoother.
7. Eat loads of vegetables and a couple of pieces of fruit every day, and have lots of whole grains and legumes to increase the fibre in your diet. Fibre helps to remove wastes from your body so they don't add to the load.
8. Some herbs that might help include gotu kola (a great herb to improve connective tissue strength), horsetail and dandelion. Nutrients to consider include silicon and iodine (found in kelp and seaweed supplements). Talk to us about the supplements that would benefit you the most.