Dr. Oz examines the possible link between chronic anxiety and Alzheimer's. Learn the difference between good stress and bad stress and how to reduce stressors in your life.
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00:00 How often would you say you are stressed?
00:02 Once a month, once a week, what about every day?
00:05 If you're living in a constant state of stress and anxiety,
00:08 you are most certainly not alone.
00:10 While you may think your chronic anxiety
00:11 is just a part of your daily life,
00:13 you might actually be headed towards a dangerous diagnosis
00:15 'cause there are studies now suggesting
00:17 that there may be a link in the development of Alzheimer's
00:20 and those suffering from chronic anxiety.
00:22 Joining us now via Zoom is the director
00:23 of the Genetics and Aging Research Group
00:26 at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Rudolph Tanzi,
00:29 who is going to talk to us about Alzheimer's.
00:31 Rudy, to understand the connection
00:32 between anxiety and Alzheimer's,
00:33 we've got to go back to the basics
00:34 and look at what happens to the brain
00:36 of someone who has Alzheimer's.
00:37 So describe to everyone what's really going on
00:39 in your research with these patients' brains
00:41 when they have that diagnosis.
00:43 - You know, your brain contains 100 billion nerve cells
00:47 connected by trillions of connections
00:49 and it makes what we call a neural network.
00:51 And every experience you have shapes
00:53 and weaves this neural network like an amazing tapestry.
00:56 Pathology begins somewhere after 40
00:58 and it starts to take apart this tapestry thread by thread.
01:03 And it begins with this sticky, toxic material
01:05 called amyloid.
01:07 And the newest findings reveal that this toxic amyloid
01:10 actually begins in a circuit in the brain
01:13 that provides you with your unique personality, who you are.
01:16 It's called the default mode network.
01:19 And what we've learned is very important
01:21 is that the more active this default mode network is,
01:24 the more amyloid is made
01:26 'cause the amyloid actually helps control it.
01:29 But if there's too much amyloid,
01:30 it gradually causes those nerve cells to die and malfunction
01:33 and this leads to Alzheimer's disease.
01:36 - This is unbelievable insights.
01:37 Nothing like this has been thought of years,
01:40 certainly when I was training.
01:41 So beta amyloid plaque is sticky
01:43 and it moves to clump together.
01:45 So over time, the plaque, which may be barely noticeable,
01:48 right, early in the course of disease,
01:50 will get more dense, thicker, stickier,
01:54 and bigger and bigger
01:55 until they literally strangle the nerve cells.
01:57 And again, it's all related to inflammation and irritation.
02:00 And it's initially a good thing you probably,
02:02 you have to have some of this beta amyloid,
02:04 but you say anxiety can increase the amount
02:05 of beta amyloid in the brain.
02:07 So you go from this minimal case
02:09 to this more severe case more rapidly.
02:11 - Yeah, it turns out that with chronic stress and anxiety,
02:15 like worrying about the future
02:17 or even obsessing about the past,
02:20 this actually puts these nerve cells
02:21 in this default mode network
02:23 that maintains who you are.
02:24 It puts them into overdrive.
02:26 So if the default mode network is over activated
02:28 with worry, anxiety, and stress,
02:30 more amyloid has to be made,
02:32 then it gradually destroys that circuitry in the brain,
02:36 eventually destroying your own personality,
02:39 erasing you along with it over time.
02:42 - Thanks for being here, Rudy.
02:43 All right, now I want you to have
02:44 the strongest brain possible
02:45 and to thrive for many years to come.
02:47 So to help us here figure out
02:48 how to deal with these stressors
02:49 and curb the problems is neurologist
02:51 and co-director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Program
02:53 Dr. Aisha Serzai.
02:54 Not all stress is the same.
02:56 So which stresses build up our problems
02:58 and create the plaque that we just showed?
03:01 - So there are things that are good,
03:04 good stress and bad stress.
03:06 Good stress is the kind of stress
03:07 that our brain thrives on.
03:09 Now, these are the kinds of stress
03:11 that you have control over.
03:12 These are the stresses that you impose in your life.
03:14 They have a clear timeline.
03:16 They have success parameters.
03:17 So these are things that you can check off.
03:19 Bad stress, on the other hand,
03:20 is the kind of stress that has no end to it.
03:24 It doesn't have any timeline.
03:25 It's imposed on you.
03:26 And that actually creates neurochemical changes
03:29 and hormonal changes in our body
03:31 that eventually leads to Alzheimer's disease.
03:33 - So let's walk over to Cloud.
03:34 Cloud, like so many of the viewers,
03:35 says she's here because she's worried
03:36 her anxiety is gonna have a lasting effect on her brain.
03:39 First off, thanks for being here.
03:40 Be honest. - You're welcome.
03:41 - How do you typically deal with your stress?
03:43 - Oh. (blows raspberry)
03:45 Well, what I like to do is exercise or dance
03:49 or be in nature or meditate,
03:52 but I haven't been doing that very often.
03:54 - Yep, COVID shuts it down. - Yeah.
03:55 - So you just internalize it, hold onto it?
03:57 - Oh, yeah.
03:58 And I go to bed and I can't fall asleep
04:00 and I'm worrying and I'm worrying and I'm worrying.
04:02 - So what's stressing you out right now?
04:03 Give me a list of five things.
04:04 - Okay, great.
04:05 Kids, work deadlines, work morale, ex-husband, sleep.
04:09 - You have to memorize, that's good.
04:11 They're up there for everybody.
04:12 So Decker, here's why.
04:13 Look at these five stressors.
04:14 They're not all equally a problem,
04:15 which was the good stressors, quote unquote.
04:17 They're not really good,
04:18 that they might be bad things to happen,
04:20 but they're not bad for your brain.
04:21 - Right. - Which are the
04:22 bad stressors?
04:23 - Well, in this situation,
04:24 I would say the ex-husband is a bad stress.
04:27 I think the children could be good stress.
04:30 Your work is actually the good stress
04:32 because it's something that you've chosen.
04:34 Parts of your job might be bad,
04:36 but in totality, it's good stress.
04:38 And the fourth one was?
04:40 - Sleep. - Sleep.
04:41 That could be bad stress, definitely.
04:43 But it's something that you can control
04:44 and you can change and modify, hopefully.
04:47 - So how do we calm our mind in times of stress?
04:49 You just mentioned the two examples
04:51 of good and bad stresses,
04:52 but it's how we cope with them
04:54 is probably a big part of the puzzle.
04:55 - Oh, definitely.
04:56 I think there are multiple ways we can cope with our stress.
04:58 And you talked about dancing and exercising.
05:01 Those are great.
05:02 But in life, when we're faced with bad stress,
05:05 at that moment, it's difficult to kind of withdraw yourself
05:08 and go ahead and meditate and so on and so forth.
05:11 So an easy way is to kind of stop,
05:14 create a moment of silence in your mind,
05:16 and ask yourself, why am I doing this?
05:19 The why is very important.
05:21 Is this particular task associated with my purpose in life?
05:25 Is this good for me?
05:26 Is this going to help me grow?
05:28 And if the answer is yes,
05:30 then actually that is a good stress.
05:31 And so you go into it with an open heart and try to fix it.
05:35 But if the answer is no,
05:36 this is not something that is good for me,
05:38 then what you try to do is either delegate it
05:41 or reduce it or eliminate it as much as possible.
05:44 - All right, up next, could your anti-anxiety medication
05:46 be linked to Alzheimer's?
05:48 You want to find out, stay tuned.
05:50 Could you be getting more than what you bargained for
05:52 when it comes to your anti-anxiety medication?
05:54 Last year, anti-anxiety medication prescriptions
05:57 shot up over 30% in just a month of March, 2020.
06:01 There's a lot of things to panic about.
06:02 So not surprisingly, prescriptions went up.
06:04 But studies may be suggesting
06:06 that your anxiety medications could be increasing
06:08 your chances of developing Alzheimer's.
06:10 Back to help us understand the potential link
06:12 between long-term use of anxiety medication
06:13 and the development of Alzheimer's
06:15 is neurologist and co-director
06:16 of the Alzheimer's Prevention Program
06:17 at Loma Linda University, Dr. Ayesha Serzai.
06:20 So what kinds of anti-anxiety medications
06:22 have been linked to this potential development of Alzheimer's?
06:24 - Yeah, the latest studies have shown us
06:26 that medications like benzodiazepines,
06:28 you know, the Alprazolam, Diazepam,
06:31 these medications, especially long-term use
06:34 of these medications,
06:35 have been associated with cognitive decline.
06:37 But the science is not very clear on that yet.
06:39 Is it because of the medication
06:41 or is it because when people start having
06:43 cognitive decline, they have a lot of anxiety?
06:45 And the treatment of that anxiety
06:47 has been linked with the whole picture
06:49 of Alzheimer's disease.
06:50 So it's not very clear,
06:51 but it does kind of show a direction towards that.
06:54 - So let me just show a hypothesis,
06:55 what I did that might explain this.
06:57 And this is a deeper look into how benzodiazepines
06:59 work in the brain and might explain
07:00 if they're linked to Alzheimer's why.
07:02 Now there's a chemical in the body called GABA, G-A-B-A.
07:05 This chemical's job is to act like a security guard, right?
07:08 It can block or inhibit certain brain signals
07:10 that can cause you stress, anxiety, or fear.
07:13 So if it's a security guard
07:14 and chill vibes are coming at you,
07:16 it says fine, let's them all in.
07:18 But bad feelings, security guard stands up tall,
07:22 puts his arm up and shuts them down, blocks them out.
07:25 Right, if your body isn't making enough GABA on its own,
07:28 a benzodiazepine might be prescribed
07:30 to sort of support the security guard.
07:32 This is a type of sedative medication
07:34 that can increase the effects of GABA.
07:36 Now the hypothesized danger lies
07:37 in taking the medication for a prolonged period of time.
07:40 Benzodiazepines may suppress the normal functioning
07:42 of the brain that possibly could impair the ability
07:45 to form new memories, to perform cognitive tasks,
07:47 to the body to repair itself.
07:49 So ideally you learn to cope
07:51 without having to take the medication if that's the case.
07:53 So how could it be happening?
07:55 - So we're really not sure,
07:56 but I think if people are on these medications,
08:00 these medications tend to slow you down.
08:03 They kind of help you, you know,
08:04 they actually stop you from engaging
08:06 with other individuals, with your activities.
08:09 And I think one of the reasons why we're seeing
08:12 more cognitive decline in people
08:13 who take long-term benzodiazepines
08:16 is because they really stop interacting with the world.
08:20 But we still are waiting for better studies
08:22 to show us the link appropriately.
08:24 - Cut to the chase, since you're an expert.
08:25 Is there a reason to be worried?
08:27 - No, the last thing you want to do
08:28 is worry about your anxiety-relieving medication.
08:31 There's no need to.
08:32 But I think it's important for us to be aware
08:34 so we can have conversation with our physicians
08:36 and for them to supervise it, what the dose is,
08:39 how long you're supposed to be on it,
08:40 and if there are better choices
08:42 as opposed to these medications.
08:43 - So just to reemphasize this,
08:44 if you're currently being prescribed
08:46 a benzodiazepine for anxiety,
08:47 this is not a reason to come off.
08:49 You should continue being monitored by your doc.
08:51 Thanks for the practical advice as always.
08:53 - Of course, my pleasure.
08:53 - Find out everything you want to know
08:54 about how to protect yourself from Alzheimer's.
08:57 You can do that by checking out Dr. Sherzod's book,
08:58 "The 30-Day Alzheimer's Plan."
09:00 It's out now.
09:00 Thank you for watching.
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