President's Message
ARPF Onward and Upward
Dear John,
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It’s another year and your ARPF is still cooking with gas!
Every month a new article comes out that reveals how far
ahead we’ve been in sharing our ideas with the world.*
A new book for the general public, by a world authority on
preventing Alzheimer’s in women, will be published in March of this year. Our work on stress management is well covered and highlighted. Beyond that, our Pink BrainTM Project at UCLA is studying the effect that our special yoga technique, Kirtan Kriya, has on AD prevention in high risk women. A high risk woman is one in menopause who has Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and heart disease. It’s moving at a fast clip.
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You can read about this in detail on page 5.
Moreover, our work is also substantiated by the ongoing world-famous FINGER study,
which I have helped design and ARPF has generously supported. The dietary aspect
of our work continues to gather advanced evidenced-based support. Two leading
physicians recently discussed this work during their podcasts.
Another exciting aspect of our research has been progressing as well. We’ve known
for years that physical exercise is critically important when it comes to the prevention
of AD, and also in the slowing of its progression. This is significant because as you
may know, there are absolutely no drugs that have any effect on the prevention of
dementia and the four drugs approved by the FDA for treatment have almost no effect.
That is why I was interested to discover that – for the first time – a new study shows
different types of exercise intensities have different effects on your mind and memory.
Low intensity exercise such as brisk walking stimulates memory, while high intensity
exercise enacts a positive emotional state. Of course there is crossover, so it’s best to
do both. And don’t forget strength training. It’s great to get pumped.
Thank you so much for your continued support.
Yours in Brain Health,
Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D.
Founding President / Medical Director
*As of the writing of this piece in early February.
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Community Outreach
Largest Employee Memory Screening Event in ARPF History
Phoenix, AZ–
In 2018, Jennifer Kennedy, Employee Wellness and Student Placement Coordinator for Mountain Park Health Center (MP) attended an ARPF webinar on Brain Health in the Workplace. Months later, she stopped by a Brain Longevity® education booth at a Healthy Arizona Worksites event. She was so impressed that she invited ARPF’s education/memory screening team to participate in Mountain Park’s annual health and benefit fair. She appreciated the effectiveness of the 4 Pillars protocol among other ARPF evidence-based materials.
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ARPF was thrilled to partner with Mountain Park: an accredited, non-profit community health center (maintaining a Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission) with eight clinics in the Phoenix area. In addition to meeting the healthcare needs of their clients, MP also strives to create a healthy work environment for its 800+ employees.
With such synergy and teamwork, ARPF provided 168 free memory screenings at three locations totaling only 16.5 face time hours! The MP staff, medical providers, and leadership team all embraced the concepts of managing brain health at what became the largest employee health fair screening event in ARPF history.
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Outreach and Education Update
ARPF to Launch Full Online BLTT Certification
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The most consistent feedback given to your ARPF is that we need to make the Brain Longevity Therapy Training (BLTT) available to those who can’t attend in-person. We know– without a doubt– that this course must be available to healthcare professionals around the globe. We also understand that not everyone can fly across the country in the midst of a busy life. So in response, your ARPF is excited to announce that BLTT will soon be available online. Yes– you can soon become a Brain Longevity Specialist without leaving your home, on your own time and at your own pace– for more information visit arpf.com.
BLTT Lead Trainer Dr. Chris Walling, Psy.D, MBA, C-IAYT, ARPF CEO Kirti Khalsa and a handful of other highly-esteemed medical and research professionals have put together a thorough curriculum to ensure that participants receive an in-depth and exceptional training. Of course, our community of specialists will still have the opportunity to meet in-person on an annual basis. The Brain Longevity Symposium will be held again this year in October. All details are to be confirmed in the following months. The Symposium is truly a highlight of partaking in the course. Not only do participants get access to brand new research, they also get to collaborate and network with our panel of speakers, experts and fellow graduates.
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Donor Spotlight
June Litowitz & Seat of the Soul Chair Yoga
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June Litowitz started her yogic journey nine years ago. Being her passion, she continues to explore all the different genres of yoga and the benefits of each practice. It was during a chair yoga teacher training when June first heard of ARPF. She and a fellow yogi were discussing how both their mothers had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease (AD). “My mother and grandmother had AD, so it’s always been in my heart. It has affected my life and when I heard about ARPF and Kirtan Kriya I thought it was such a worthy cause. I donated to ARPF, and when my daughters found out that I did, they created a birthday donation in my honor through my Kundalini yoga group. It was so very sweet.”
But June and her family didn’t stop there. Two years ago they founded the Seat of the Soul Chair Yoga nonprofit. Their classes offer the opportunity for seniors to socialize and gain tools of alternative healing for physical and mental health regardless of race, gender, age or abilities. June wanted to give others the opportunity to strengthen the body and inspire acceptance of self through awareness and mindful living at any stage of life. Seniors are able to attend her chair yoga classes for free or for a small donation. June travels to different locations around eastern Florida to provide this service to hundreds of seniors. Participants have said it’s helped with range of motion, flexibility, balance and focus.
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Research Update
The Pink BrainTM Project: Reducing Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease in High-Risk Women through Yogic Meditation Training
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We’re excited to share the details of a breakthrough study that ARPF is funding at the University of California, Los Angeles. The Department of Psychiatry is in charge of this ongoing study. The Pink Brain Project has gained a tremendous amount of interest and recruitment was very successful.
ABSTRACT
Almost two thirds of individuals in the United States living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are women. While the reasons for this health disparity are unclear, several factors may account for the observed increased AD risk in women, including genetic susceptibility, rates of heart disease, stress and anxiety, observed premature wearing out of brain connectivity, hormone changes with age, and bereavement/depression in late life. Providing preventative interventions such as mind-body interventions (vs. cognitive/memory training) may help to reduce risk in women who are at high risk for developing AD (i.e., with high cerebrovascular risk and subjective memory complaints). Mind-body interventions may be particularly beneficial in directly improving quality of life, benefiting cognition through mental and physical stimulation, and increasing cardiovascular health in women most at risk for developing AD. Ongoing research has demonstrated promising outcomes for use of mind-body interventions in improving cognition, mood, resilience, and quality of life in older adults with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment. To date, no such studies specifically target risk factors associated with increased AD risk in women. We are investigating the efficacy and neurobiological mechanisms of response to a mind-body yogic meditation program specifically for older women at high risk for AD, with an aim at reducing the impact of these factors on cognition, mood, cardiovascular health and overall quality of life.
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Our Donors
October to December, 2019
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Your ARPF is honored to be a part of Ever Loved’s memorial website. This is a beautiful way to celebrate a loved one’s life in an elegant, community-oriented memorial fund. Ever Loved makes funeral planning and connecting with providers, friends, and family as simple as possible.
If you would like to leave a legacy for your loved one through supporting ARPF research and initiatives, please visit our page. We are so thankful to those who wish to include ARPF during such a sensitive time. We will continue to make strides in Alzheimer’s prevention in memory of all those who have been afflicted by dementia. We are forever grateful.
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WORKPLACE CAMPAIGNS
The ARPF is a proud participant in the following workplace campaigns:
- Aetna Foundation
- Citigroup
- Dressbarn
- Roll Giving
- and many more
ARPF ACCEPTS IRA CHARITABLE ROLLOVER
Please contact ARPF’s Vice President Randy Brooks at 1-888-908-5766 or [email protected].
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LEAVE A LEGACY:
Remember Us in Your Will
If you would like to receive information on how you can leave a legacy to support the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation’s critical research initiatives, or to support one of our many other programs, please contact ARPF’s Vice President Randy Brooks at 1-888-908-5766 or by email.
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ARPF LEGACY SOCIETY
Gold Level
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Mrs. Ethel A. Hoff
- Dr. and Mrs. Dharma Singh Khalsa
- Ms. Barbara Joan Davis
Silver Level
- Billye Boucaud
- Mr. and Mrs. Claude
- Mr. Carl G. Crawford
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Union Congregational Church
Bronze Level
- Mr. and Mrs. Randy Brooks
- Ms. Mary Gilbert
- Mr. Edward T. Haats
- Mrs. Marjorie Olmstead
- Shaol and Evelyn Pozez Endowment Fund
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Officers and Board Members
PRESIDENT/MEDICAL DIRECTOR - Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D.
VICE PRESIDENT - Randal Brooks, MA, LPC
TREASURER - Bert Beatty, MHA
SECRETARY - Kirti K. Khalsa
MEMBERS - Fletcher Wilkins, BS
-Edward Gellert, BSM
Executive Staff
Vice President of Education and Outreach - Chris Walling, PsyD, MBA, C-IAYT
SENIOR ADVISOR - Simran S. Stuelpnagel
NEWSLETTER EDITOR - Chelsea Pyne
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Medical and Scientific Advisory Council
CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER
George Perry, Ph.D., Professor of Biology & Chemistry, Chief Scientist, Brain Health Consortium University of Texas at San Antonio, TX
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Daniel Amen, M.D., Director of the Amen Clinics, Costa Mesa, CA
Ma Gloria Borras-Boneu, M.D., GRD Health Institute - Barcelona, Spain
Hiroko Dodge, Ph.D., Kevreson Research Professor of Neurology University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Oregon Health & Science University
Nancy Emerson Lombardo, Ph.D., Adjunct Research Assistant Professor of Neurology Boston University, School of Medicine, Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Boston, MA
Elissa Epel, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA
Karen E. Innes, MSPH, Ph.D.,Professor of Epidemiology, Western Virginia University School of Public Health, Morgantown, WV
Richard S. Isaacson, M.D., Director, Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
Sat Bir S. Khalsa, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital – Boston, MA
Tejinder Kaur Khalsa, M.D., M.S., FRCP, Senior Associate Consultant, General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Miia Kivipelto, M.D., Ph.D., Aging Research Center and Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Karolinska Institute - Stockholm, Sweden
Karen Koffler, M.D., Medical Director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at University of Miami, FL
Helen Lavretsky, M.D., M.S., Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UCLA Semel Institute and Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital- Los Angeles, CA
Lisa Mosconi, Ph.D., Associate Director, Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
Andrew B. Newberg, M.D., Director, Marcus Institute of Integrative Health –Myrna Brind Center Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA
Arti Prasad, M.D., FACP, Chief of Medicine, Hennepin Medical Ctr Professor/Vice Chair of Medicine, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN
Kateřina Sheardová, M.D., Head of the Memory Center ICRC St. Anne´s University Hospital Brno, Czech Republic
Michelle Sierpina, Ph.D., Founding Director, UTMB Osher Institute for Lifelong Learning University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, TX
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