Is your Brain Fog Menopause or Early Dementia? Dr Helena Popovic explains how to tell the difference.
Stronger Bolder WiserShow Notes
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.
More from Stronger Bolder Wiser
Eating less is the fastest way to gain fat around the middle in perimenopause. Ange Clark explains what to add before you take anything away.
Why does that evening glass feel so hard to give up?
Lift heavy or lose the fight against aging is the default advice for midlife women, and it leaves too many of them injured or on the sidelines. There is another way to build muscle, and it takes 20 minutes and light dumbbells.
Taking 30 days off alcohol in midlife rarely feels the way social media promises. Boredom, flatness and broken sleep often come first, and none of it means you're doing it wrong.In this video I share the five most unexpected things women discover in their first 30 days without wine, from the 5 to 7pm boredom to the friend who suddenly goes quiet. I explain why your brain can feel flat once alcohol stops lighting up your dopamine reward centre, and why sedation is not the same as restorative sleep. Most importantly, I explain why all of it settles.Key Topics Covered- Why boredom hits hardest between 5 and 7pm when you stop drinking, and why taking alcohol out means adding something in, like an evening walk, a class or a hobby.- Feeling flat after quitting alcohol: how years of drinking dysregulate your dopamine receptors, and why it evens out with time.- What to do when friends get weird about you not drinking, and why talking to your closest friends first helps.- Why sleep without alcohol can get worse before it gets better, and how to ride the emotional rollercoaster of the early weeks.Timestamps What Happens When You Stop Drinking For 30 Days (00:00) Thing 1: Boredom Between 5 And 7pm (00:40) Thing 2: Feeling Flat After You Stop Drinking (02:01) Thing 3: When Friends Get Weird About You Not Drinking (02:44) Thing 4: Why Sleep Gets Worse Before It Gets Better (03:37) Thing 5: Feeling Emotional Over Nothing (04:40) Free Support To Change Your Drinking (05:20)Also Watch My Previous Episodes:- Seven Signs You Are a Grey Area Drinker- Six Reasons Successful Women Are Quietly Quitting Alcohol- Three Reasons Women Cannot Metabolise Alcohol as Effectively as Men***Struggling to know what to do when stress, boredom or big emotions hit?Download my free guide "100 Things to Do Instead of Drinking", a toolkit for sitting with those feelings instead of reaching for a glass of wine.Get your free guide → https://bit.ly/4qOiGUw***Sarah Rusbatch is an accredited Health and Wellbeing Coach and one of Australia's leading experts on grey area drinking. Her podcast, Stronger, Bolder, Wiser, is the go-to space for women who are questioning their relationship with alcohol, navigating life alcohol-free, or simply curious about what life could look like on the other side of the bottle. If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you haven't already, subscribe so you never miss an episode, and leave a review to help more women find this community.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, join my free Facebook group, Women's Wellbeing Collective here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/342319476897067And 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: https://sarahrusbatch.com/beyond-booze
Nobody walks into a marriage planning to leave it, yet so many midlife women are quietly asking whether to stay or go. Your body often knows the answer first.