Is your Brain Fog Menopause or Early Dementia? Dr Helena Popovic explains how to tell the difference.
5/18/20261 hr 27 min
Every three seconds, someone in the world receives a dementia diagnosis. And two thirds of them are women. In Australia, dementia is now the number one cause of death. And most women have no idea how much power they have to change that. This week I'm sitting down with Dr. Helena Popovic, medical doctor, bestselling author and one of the world's leading experts on brain health. This conversation stopped me in my tracks. We talk about why women are so much more vulnerable than men, what the drop in estrogen is actually doing to your brain, and most importantly, what you can start doing today to protect it. Because here's what Dr. Helena wants every woman to know before we even start. Your decisions are more powerful than your genes. And it is never too early or too late to improve the health of your brain. Key moments: 00:00: Why women are more vulnerable to dementia than men 3:09: What is the difference between Dementia and Alzheimer, and why it matters 10:16: The statistics every woman needs to know about 11:57: Is it menopause brain fog or something else? How to tell the difference 14:32: What estrogen is actually doing to your brain 23:08: What your gynaecologist might not know about the link between a hysterectomy and dementia 27:52: What it means to carry the APOE4 gene and do your genes determine your destiny? 35:28: How to check your medications aren’t exposing you to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s 38:10: Sugar, Alcohol and your brain.. Which is worse? 54:38: These are the three types of exercise you should be doing to support your brain health 1:06:42: Why connection is so important for your brain 1:12:26: This is the simplest guide to eating for your brain 1:18:01: How small changes you make can reverse symptoms Follow along and see the behind the scenes over at https://www.instagram.com/sarahrusbatch/?hl=en Is it possible to feel energised, strong, light and full of life in midlife? Absolutely! Join my Science-Backed Program Thrive After 40 here to ditch sugar cravings, promote fat loss, increase energy and optimise your health in your 40's, 50's and beyond! Find out more about my other programs here https://sarahrusbatch.com/ If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don’t always say out loud and connect with others going through the same as you,join my free Facebook group, Women’s Wellbeing Collective here. And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSarah Rusbatch· Host0:00
I've discovered that us women are so much more vulnerable to the risks of dementia than men Every three seconds, someone somewhere in the world is diagnosed with dementia.
Helena Popovic· Guest0:11
The changes in our brain that lead to Alzheimer's start as early as our 30s and 40s. Every soft drink is a bullet to your brain. A positive view of aging cancels out the negative effect of the gene that increases your risk of Alzheimer's.
Sarah Rusbatch· Host0:28
How do I know the difference between brain fog and perimenopause and Alzheimer's risk? Hello, and welcome back to another episode of Stronger, Bolder, Wiser. This week, we are addressing a topic that is so close to my own heart, and I can only imagine it's close to your hearts too because I think there is no one I know who does not have some connection to someone in their life who's been impacted by dementia. And it's a topic I wanted to talk about specifically because in my learning, in my research, I've discovered that us women are so much more vulnerable to the risks of dementia than men. And so I wanted to find an expert to bring in and talk to us about everything we need to know about why us women are more vulnerable to it and, more importantly, what can we do, what is in our control to lower our risk of developing dementia at some point in our life.