Is your brain healthy?

When was the last time you thought about your brain health? Many of us are focused on our appearance, weight or physical health, but your brain health is just as important to live a long, joyful life. Neuroscience has been making great strides, with game-changing discoveries happening all the time. Case in point: We now know that neurogenesis – the process by which the brain creates new neurons – can happen at any age, not just when you’re young. That means you can be sharper, happier and more productive as you get older. But it doesn’t just happen. You have to “exercise” your brain.

The brain’s “use it or lose it” phenomenon is now well-known. We do the daily crossword or buy a book of Sudoku puzzles to get our “workout” in. Yet this may not be enough. In this podcast, American neurosurgeon, medical reporter and writer Sanjay Gupta joins Tony for an engaging conversation about brain health and its effects on your life. From movement to nourishment to rest, Tony and Sanjay share life hacks that have been proven to improve both the quality and longevity of your life from Sanjay Gupta’s newest book, Keep Sharp: How To Build a Better Brain at Any Age.

Learn and laugh with these experts as they take you on a journey through cutting-edge information and inspiration about brain health and exciting developments for the future of this science, including:

• The three things that make the biggest difference between a toxic brain and a healthy brain
• One of the most beneficial things you can do for your brain overall – and it’s much easier than you think
• The latest science on the two words no one wants to talk about
• More about how you can heal yourself and your brain, improve your memory and experience the world more fully

Brain health is tied to many of Tony’s top principles, including growth. As Sanjay says in the podcast, “Practice makes perfect, but it is change that creates brain breakthroughs.” It is when we feed our minds by learning new skills, a new language or a musical instrument, that we build resilience. A healthy brain is also tied to your emotional connections: the more meaningful connections we make with others, the better memory we will have. Finally, brain health is connected with nutrition. As Tony teaches, healthy eating is the fuel for both your body and your mind, affecting your sleep, concentration and more.

We all have the capacity to heal ourselves and our brains. With the right knowledge, you can achieve your own brain breakthroughs.

EPISODE NOTES

1:00 TR introduces today’s guest, a renaissance man1:30 Sanjay’s new book, Keep Sharp2:00 TR: How did that journey begin and what influenced you?2:58 The first female engineer hired by Ford3:20 Sanjay’s mom: “if you don’t hire me, you never will.”4:30 Sacrifice5:25 Medical marijuana and being able to 7:00 Sanjay during Covid-197:30 Sanjay did not see the merits of medical marijuana originally8:00 94% of the studies were designed to look for harm, only 6% looking for a benefit8:35 I different picture started to emerge9:05 TR: You did such a good job bringing the human emotion to it10:08 Total transparency10:20 TR: What made you decide to write Keep Sharp?11:20 Sanjay wrote his book before Covid-1912:05 The mental impact of Covid-1913:09 You can build new brain cells 15:20 Defining a healthy brain16:40 We use 10% of our brain 90% of the time17:20 Neurogenesis18:40 Practice makes perfect, but it is that builds resilience18:50 TR: Are there skills that you’ve never tried, learning a language, singing?20:15 TR: Is there dopamine that comes from creating these new pathways?23:17 TR: Pattern recognition, pattern utilization, pattern creation is what makes people masterful23:35 Fundamentally, people know the right things to do25:00 A healthy brain is tied to a wider circle27:25 Sanjay uses his daughters as a sounding board29:00 Brisk walking is far better than intensely exercising for the brain29:50 Get vulnerable34:12 The brain is exquisitely sensitive to sugar34:40 You may be overly indulging your body and starving your brain.35:14 TR: Tell people what the long-term impact of starving the brain is35:40 Changes in your brain that sets you up for dementia potentially36.28 TR: Where is the link between side effects of covid and obesity?39.50 TR: We seem to be outsourcing our health to the pharmaceutical industry, but they can only do so much.42:00 Medical AI and being the CEO of your own health42:37 The two words no one wants to talk about43:45 We can now visualize the inside of the brain44:33 The process began decades earlier46:10 Injecting AI behaviors for health48:10 Technology will continue to add to our lives49:00 There might be a better use of our time and energy50:00 The Vatican and stem cells55:00 We have the capacity to heal ourselves57:01 Optimizing our life so it is 57:30 Sanjay: Three teenage girls in the house57:57 TR: What did you learn from the super-brainers project?59:04 Confirmation that the brain can get sharper over time59:20 TR: The more meaningful connections you make, the more you remember.1:01:00 Blood pressure drugs to prevent destructive memories forming1:01:55 Dementia Village1:08:02 1.65-billion-person experiment1:09:20 Sleep is essential to memory1:11:00 “As your friend, you should get more sleep Tony”1:12:05 Tony comes to mind when Sanjay writes1:13:00 Habit stacking1:15:00 Polishing memories1:16:00 TR: What is your ?1:18:05 The difference in data interpretation1:21:20 Childhood hunger1:23:05 Experiencing this world fully1:24:20 TR: You’re a gift to us