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The Brain Health Evening: nutrition and lifestyle in Edinburgh

An archive of CogMission’s 2018 Brain Health Evening with Dr John Briffa, and the practitioners, including Jean, behind the Brain Health Programme.

Sara McQueen

Writing for CogMission

Please note: this event took place in September 2018 and is shown here as an archive.

The key to brain health is in the nutrition and lifestyle choices that we make.

The latest research into dementia and Alzheimer’s disease reveals that our diet and lifestyle choices play a huge part in how well our brain can function.

We want to make this information and research as accessible as possible, so we have some really exciting events coming up soon. First up, our Nutrition and Lifestyle Strategies talk will be an opportunity to learn about brain health with Dr John Briffa, doctor, wellbeing expert and author.

Want to learn how to better manage your moods, reduce your risk of cognitive decline diseases like Alzheimer’s or dementia, and better support your brain health? Come to our Brain Health Event on 26 September. All proceeds are going to a local mental health charity, and we can’t wait to teach you how to take the best possible care of your brain.

01

Introductory evening to the Brain Health Programme

Are you anxious or prone to low mood? Do you suffer brain fog or fuzzy thinking? Do you feel tired, unmotivated and have trouble sleeping? Would you like to know what you can do to reduce your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, now is the time to act. This is an introductory talk to the six workshops which make up The Brain Health Programme. You will have the opportunity to find out more about these workshops during the course of the evening.

Throughout this introductory talk, Dr John Briffa will reveal the most important factors which affect brain function and mood. The session will explore a range of important topics including diet, physical activity, stress and sleep. Dr Briffa will discuss relevant research in each area and will translate the theory into practical steps that each one of us can take to optimise our cognitive function and mood, as well as reduce our risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease as we age.

02

Key insights from the talk

  • The main factors that affect brain health and cognitive function
  • Key nutritional strategies for maintaining energy in the brain and preventing dementia
  • The link between the gut and the brain, and how to optimise this
  • The critical role of sleep in brain function, and simple steps to optimise sleep
  • How to use gentle physical activity to boost mood and mental function
  • What to expect, and how you will benefit, if you enrol on The Brain Health Programme workshops

Tickets £10.00, with all proceeds donated to Health in Mind, a Scottish mental health charity. Refreshments from 6.30pm, talk begins at 7.00pm.

03

About Dr John Briffa MB BS BSc (Lond)

Dr John Briffa is a practising doctor, author and international speaker. He is a prize-winning graduate of University College London School of Medicine, where he also gained a BSc degree in Biomedical Sciences. Dr Briffa is an expert in the impact of nutrition and other lifestyle factors on health and illness. He is dedicated to providing individuals with information and advice they can use to take control of their health and optimise their wellbeing.

Dr Briffa has written for several national newspapers and magazines and is the author of nine health books. He also practises at two hospitals in London.

04

The Brain Health Programme workshops

The Brain Health Event on 26 September will be a valuable chance to learn all about the basics of brain health, and we will also explain how you can secure your space on our first Brain Health Programme workshops, starting in November 2018.

The Brain Health Programme is a nutrition and lifestyle coaching programme delivered by Cytoplan licensed nutritional therapists. It has been designed to optimise brain health and cognitive function using a multi-modal nutrition and lifestyle approach.

You will attend weekly meetings covering topics that have all been shown in research to be important for brain health, including:

  • Nutrition for the brain
  • Optimising gut health
  • Stress reduction
  • Good sleep
  • Exercise
  • Brain training

We will teach and empower you to understand how to optimise your lifestyle, diet and more to take the best possible care of your brain.

By 2025, more than a million people in the UK will have dementia, and cognitive decline often happens long before symptoms actually become visible.

The more we can do now to optimise our brain health, the brighter the future becomes, even for those carrying the genes which increase the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Prevention is always better than cure, and we’re passionate about helping you to understand and prevent cognitive decline.

05

The practitioners

Jean Dow, BSc (Hons), BA (Hons), MSc, MNIMH

Jean qualified as a Medical Herbalist in 2004 and completed Dr Bredesen’s “Reversing Cognitive Decline Advanced Clinical Training” with the Institute for Functional Medicine in 2017. Jean has been practising in Edinburgh since 2004 and sees a wide variety of patients ranging from newborn babies to people in their 90s, working on both acute and chronic health conditions. She works from a vitalistic philosophy, using herbal medicine in a manner that supports the person’s own innate self-healing and self-regulating ability. She has been working with patients with serious cognitive decline for over two years using the Bredesen approach.

Charmaine Shepherd, MBAcC, BSc Biomed

Charmaine obtained a degree in biomedical sciences 22 years ago and worked for several years in biomedical research. Through various personal health issues, she discovered more natural approaches, and this wonderful transformation had such a big impact on her that she gave up her career, focused on research and went on to study acupuncture for 3 years in Asia. She qualified as an acupuncturist in 2005. Charmaine attended Dr Bredesen’s training through the Institute for Functional Medicine in California in March 2017. She has a very strong personal interest in Alzheimer’s disease, as her own family has been affected and she also has a copy of the APOE4 gene, putting her at risk of developing this devastating disease.

Jackie Forbes, DipCNM, BA, mBANT, CNHC

Jackie qualified as a Registered Nutritional Therapist after 3 years of study with the College of Naturopathic Medicine. She completed the Dr Bredesen “Reversing Cognitive Decline Advanced Clinical Training” with the Institute for Functional Medicine, and uses functional medicine principles to address a wide range of chronic health issues which lead to imbalance and dysfunction in the body. She is a firm believer in the power of prevention using food and natural supplements to optimise health.

Rosemary Tarrant, Dip ASK, ITEC AP&M, HbT, Dip ACMT

Rosemary reached full diplomate status in Systematic Kinesiology in 2001. She then went on to study Homeobotanicals, Holistic Massage, Naturopathic Nutrition and Clinical Massage. She has worked as a health practitioner and tutor since then and truly loves what she does.

“My work with The Brain Health Programme so far has proved inspiring, with changes happening for clients who are willing to incorporate various changes in their diet and lifestyle. Having worked with Cytoplan’s Action Against Alzheimer’s Programme since 2016, I am now delighted to bring The Brain Health Programme to the Scottish Borders.”

For more information visit downtoearthhealth.co.uk.

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This article was first published on the CogMission blog. CogMission is Jean’s sister company, specialising in brain health.

This article is for general information and isn’t a substitute for personal medical advice. Please don’t start or stop any medication without speaking to a qualified practitioner.

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