Introduction
Keep Sharp is Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s comprehensive guide to cognitive dysfunction disease in its various forms, including dementia, and the prevention, treatment, and strategies to cope.
Gupta bravely initiated a noble and global quest to gather up and analyze how doctors tackle brain function problems and cognitive challenges. He holds an impressive list of characters and anecdotes from his efforts..
Gupta dove into times past to look at dementia. He looked at ancient history, through the Enlightenment, and into the modern era.
Keep Sharp appeals to a diversified bevy of readers as a double gem for popular science and medical advice. Although avoiding medical jargon is impossible for cognitive dysfunction, Gupta shows us a simplified, engaging, and compelling story built around one of the most complex objects we know of—the human brain. Defining his terms right out of the gate gives the reader what they need to understand and act upon. The reader begins to learn how our physical and mental activities effect our brains. Boosting one’s brain prowess with medically established methods to help prevent Alzheimer's’ arises as a dominant theme.
Dr. Gupta sculpted his narrative's contents with plenty of advice for those who show symptoms of the first stages of dementia. He puts his arm around the reader, tells him or her how to get the help they need, secure a proper diagnosis, and how to come to grips with the most adverse effects.
Gupta pieces together valuable resources in the final chapter to guide those who carry a diagnosis of dementia. Though his approach is predictably straightforward and practical, he infuses it with the empathy and understanding of a good doctor. His goal: bring the issue of Alzheimer’s, its significance, its challenges, and possible solutions to a broader audience.
This book is not intended as medical advice. If you have health problems, consult with your physician. Rather than replace Dr. Gupta's book, it serves to complement it.
KEEP SHARP
BUILD A BETTER BRAIN AT ANY AGE
CNN chief medical correspondent Gupta counsels that in order to best take care of your body, you have to first take care of your mind.
The author’s primary concern is to nurture a resilient brain that propagates new cells, makes the ones you have work more efficiently, and is continuously enriched throughout life. In particular, he wishes to stave off age-related brain illnesses classified under dementia, with Alzheimer’s at the fore. Unfortunately, writes Gupta, “we often don’t and can’t know what triggers cognitive decline in the first place or what propels it over time.” Regarding the brain as a whole, “we are still not exactly sure what makes it tick.” As such, the author suggests that we get out in front of it and act preventatively by engaging in behaviors that are widely considered brain-friendly. In a steady, measured voice, he presents a comprehensive view of the best that brain science has to offer to preserve and improve memory at the cognitive level. The villains are a rogue’s gallery of familiar faces: “physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, smoking, social isolation, poor sleep, lack of mentally stimulating activities, and misuse of alcohol.” Gupta explores the evidence, both scientifically documented and anecdotal (but common-sensical), behind the value of exercise; strategies to heighten attention, focus, and concentration; relaxation (including meditation and restorative sleep); diet’s microbial effect on the brain; and the value of a diverse social network. None of this is going to make your jaw drop, but they are all good reminders of their import and how we can let them slide by without much thought. Gupta is a shameless name-dropper—“my friend, actor and fitness buff Matthew McConaughey” gives him exercise advice; the Dalai Lama privately tutors him in meditation—but he is also a genuine source of practical knowledge and sympathy to those struggling with dementia and the family members who are primary caregivers—to whom he tenders a wealth of resources.
Inclusive and recognizably sturdy advice on building a healthy brain.