Future-Proof Your Brain from Dementia & The Lifestyle Levers That Keep You Sharp with Neuroscientist Dr. Tommy Wood
3/23/20262 hr 14 min
Dr. Tommy Wood is a neuroscientist, physician, associate professor at the University of Washington, and the author of “The Stimulated Mind.”
I came into this one with a lot on my mind. My mother has Alzheimer's, and for two years I've been watching this disease dismantle someone I love. What Tommy gave me was something I didn't expect: not more cause for fear, but a genuine roadmap. Cognitive decline is not inevitable. The levers of change are already in our hands.
This one is personal. I hope it lands that way for you, too.
Clips
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First 90 secondsTommy Wood· Guest0:01
The best way to minimize your risk of dementia is not sit at home, uh, by yourself chugging supplements. It's gonna be much more about- Dr.
Rich Roll· Host0:09
Tommy Wood is a UK-trained physician. His research focuses on brain health across the lifespan. How things like exercise affect dementia.
Tommy Wood· Guest0:18
If some proportion of dementias are preventable, then we must be able to change the trajectory of cognitive function and cognitive decline.
Rich Roll· Host0:24
What is driving this, and what else should I be focused on or thinking about?
Tommy Wood· Guest0:30
How we use our brains is the primary determinant of how they will function. Low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood sugar, or high blood pressure, these are all significant risk factors for dementia, and they are effects of...
Rich Roll· Host0:46
Tommy, so nice to meet you. Uh, I am thrilled to have you here. I think your work is vitally important. It touches me personally because, uh, I have dementia in my family, and it's been a very difficult past couple years. I've been witness to just how devastating, uh, the diseases of dementia, Alzheimer's, et cetera, you know, have on not just the individual who's victimized by it, but also the families- Yeah ... et cetera. And then the basically inhumane way in which modern healthcare kind of, like, manages this right now.
Tommy Wood· Guest1:28
Yeah.
Rich Roll· Host1:28
And so I think your book