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CNN Saturday Morning News

"Weekend House Call"

Aired October 18, 2003 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


ELIZABETH COHEN, ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to "Weekend House Call." Today we're going talk about improving memory.
Did you know you have two kinds of memory? One is ordinary memory, and that helps you remember your husband's birthday or helps you recall a person's name. The other one is called intelligent memory. It's made up of learned connections that helps you remember what your husband wants for his birthday and where to get it cheapest. It's also the kind of memory that helps you enjoy a joke or come up with a new invention.

Ordinary memory deteriorates as we get older but intelligent memory improves with age. So what can you do to improve your recall? Today the author of the new book, "Intelligent Memory" joins us. Dr. Barry Gordon is the founder of the Memory Clinic at Johns Hopkins University and is in Washington.

Thanks for being with us, Dr. Gordon.

DR. BARRY GORDON, MEMORY CLINIC, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIV.: My pleasure, Elizabeth.

COHEN: Explain to us more about intelligent memory. What percent of our memory is intelligent memory? And how do we go about sharpening it?

GORDON: Fortunately a lot of our memory is intelligent memory. Most of the things we do actually rely on this other kind of memory, which is generally pretty hidden from us because it normally happens quickly, very quickly, and automatically. We don't have to think about it most of the time.

Although we may forget where our car keys are, we don't then sit in the car and say, OK, now I have to remember now to drive this thing. That doesn't happen because this intelligent memory is working for us all the time, very smoothly.

Any time you exercise your memory, in essence you're exercising this intelligent memory. Every time you think, you're exercising it. But you can think a little bit better and sharpen up the process. And in the book, "Intelligent Memory" I describe how.

For example, by paying attention. By trying to think a little bit more deeply about the things you're trying to learn. Also being a bit critical of your own thinking so you can correct mental mistakes that you might make.

COHEN: We actually have some visual images that can help do the same thing; that can help trigger intelligent memory. Let's demonstrate how this works. Now, take a look at this picture and think about what you see here. And I have to tell you, I had this wrong. Someone had to point out to me what it was.

Dr. Gordon, tell me what we should be seeing.

GORDON: Ah-ha.

COHEN: Here it is.

GORDON: There you go. You should see the Dalmatian dog looking out to your left, as you see here. Some people, by the way, see another little puppy dog by that dog's foot but I still can't see that.

But the point here is that you didn't have to search through your mind for everything you ever saw in your life come up with the dogs that you may have seen and then go through those dog, Fido, Poochie, et cetera, until you come to a Dalmatian.

Instead what this intelligent memory did was do the searching for you and make a gel automatically in many people. If you didn't get it, that may mean you didn't get a Dalmatian or it's not the memory you're doing, or it's too early in the morning to make things gel very well.

COHEN: Could it also mean you're not good at looking at those kinds of pictures?

GORDON: It may.

COHEN: I mean, it's hidden.

GORDON: That's right. And it may well be. It is hidden. It may not be the things you do. So the person who can't see the dog there may still be perfect at word puzzles. But there's another interesting thing about intelligent memory. Having seen that picture, you're now going to be better at pictures like it and things like that. It will automatically improve.

GORDON: Let's see if that's true. We have another picture. Let's see if people got better the second time around. It's obvious what this one is. But there's something strange here. Again, I have to say, I didn't see it 'til someone pointed it out. What's strange about that picture? All right, look at the elephant's rear foot. It is actually a human foot, one of them. You can see it. It's sort of sticking out there.

Dr. Gordon, tell me, the ability to see that human foot on an elephant, what does that have to do with memory?

GORDON: That shows you how your memory is actually seeing the correct image but realizing that part of it isn't quite right. By the way, there's another way of looking at this. You can also say it's a good human foot but there's some strange elephant attached to it. Both ways are right in a sense.

All I'm trying to point out here is to show people that they have this kind of memory. It's not, where did you put the elephant? No. But also that it will work for you automatically most of the time and it will keep getting better. And it gets better as you get older.

COHEN: Let's try one last picture and see if people have improved. This is a bunch of smiley faces. But there's something strange in here. Now let's show people. That is a frowny face. I have to say when I did these, didn't get the first two but got the third one. Was my memory getting better as I did these?

GORDON: I'd like to think it was, because that was one of the purpose of these. You're going to be tuning yourself up just by doing them. Just like doing a cross-word puzzle, you get better and better at it. The purpose of the smiley faces was to show you how your mind can search for something even though you're not quite sure what you're looking for. This other kind of memory, this intelligent memory, independently.

COHEN: We want to give viewers a chance to call you and ask you some question, Dr. Gordon.

GORDON: Sure.

COHEN: The number is 1-800-807-2620. You can also email us your questions to Housecall@cnn.com

And Elaine, we have Elaine on the phone. She has a question for you, Dr. Gordon.

CALLER: Yes. I was wondering if genetics can play a part in memory loss at a very early age?

GORDON: If genetics can play a part, Elaine?

CALLER: Yes.

GORDON: Well, perhaps, but only in a few rare cases. In most people, the genes don't influence memory that much, we think, at least in an early age. In some conditions they will but usually later in life.

COHEN: Now, we've received a lot of e-mail already on this. It's a pretty hot topic. Let's get to our first one from Rebecca in Dallas, she wants to know:

"I've been consistently forgetting immediate thoughts. If I'm thinking of getting something from the kitchen, by the time I get there I've forgotten what I needed. I even forget things I'm about to say in conversations. I'm 48. Is this normal for my age?"

Dr. Gordon, I hear many people say things like this. GORDON: Well, Elizabeth it's normal for teenagers so congratulate yourself. The usual problem if you're 48 and doing that is that you're actually thinking of other things or getting distracted. You're not letting yourself focus on what you have to do. And the solution is either accept that it's happening and is normal or try to say I have got to pay attention to this a little bit more.

COHEN: Stretching your brain when we come back. We'll have more mental exercises that you can try. And we'll find out if vitamins and supplements can help boost your brain power. Call us with your questions at 1-800-807-2620, or e-mail us at housecall@cnn.com.

Before we go to the break, let's check our daily dose health quiz. Can exercise help reverse memory loss? We'll have the answer when we continue. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COHEN: Checking our quiz. We asked can exercise reverse memory loss? The answer yes. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): We all know exercise can help you lose weight, but it may also help prevent you from losing your memory.

DR. ANTONIO CONVOT, NYU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: We thought that we were born with a brain and then that brain degenerated as we aged until the time we died. Now we know there are many triggers that actually make parts of the brain regenerate themselves.

GUPTA: And it seems that working out is one of those triggers.

STAN COLCOMBE, UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, URBANA: Cardiovascular exercise that is done over a longer period of time will actually tend to reduce the amount of tissue that you lose as you age.

GUPTA: Losing less tissue may mean preserving precious memories. Researchers at the University of Illinois looked at MRIs from people age 55 or older. The results are dramatic.

The first image, a 74-year-old person who is fit. The second, an obviously smaller brain in a 74-year-old person who is not fit. These red and yellow highlighted areas in the brain deteriorate more slowly in a person who's more fit.

Of course, researchers caution that the harder you work out won't necessarily protect your memory any longer. It's a life-long commitment to fitness that matters most.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COHEN: Have you ever searched all over the house for your glasses only to find them on your head 20 minutes later? Is it a sign you're losing your mind? Probably not. Memory loss is a common complaint and it's typically blamed on aging.

People fear that memory lapses can be a sign of what's to come. But take note, dementia is much more than forgetfulness. It is a mental decline advanced enough to affect daily activities. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. But only 10 percent to 20 percent of people older than 65 get dementia, so most people who occasionally forget things simply have too much on their mind.

We're joined today by Dr. Barry Gordon, the author of a new book called "Intelligent Memory".

Doctor, we've got another e-mail. This one is from Patricia in Louisiana.

She writes: "I have read several articles about keeping the mind/memory agile by reading and solving crossword puzzles. It certainly appears to be working for my 73-year-old mother. She always has a book open and solves at least one crossword puzzle a day. How do reading and puzzle help sharpen the memory?"

Dr. Gordon?

GORDON: Elizabeth, they're exercise for the mind. The mind is kind of like a muscle, actually lots of muscles. And by pumping up its parts, by keeping them moving, and strengthening them, you're improving your mind, your memory. So, the principles are very much the same. Just as exercise helps improve the mind by itself, exercising the mind will help improve the mind. So your mother's right on target.

COHEN: We have a phone call now from Patty in New York.

Patty, welcome to "Weekend House Call". Go ahead with your question for Dr. Gordon.

CALLER: I am three and a half months pregnant with my second child and I have noticed in the last couple months I have lost everything. I have lost my cell phone, my car keys, the TV remote. And this is not a problem that I had before. I just wanted to know, could this be pregnancy related and how would I deal with that?

GORDON: It's been puzzled for a long time whether there's a pregnancy brain, because of the hormones. Because there's so many other things changing when you're pregnant anyway. Then you have to look forward to mother brain, or father brain, in your husband's case. There's so many things going on.

For example, you're not going to be sleeping as well eventually. You're worried about things, you're planning for things. It's not any sign that your brain itself is changing. So -- good luck, have fun with it.

COHEN: Mario from Colorado has a question that I know many people have.

"Are there foods, vitamins or drugs that will improve memory performance?"

Any hints there, Dr. Gordon?

GORDON: Mario, the best thing you can do for a meal for your mind is the conversation, probably. So if it's a good conversation, you're probably going to be helping yourself more. Plus, don't eat too much. Because we have to be fit to have a good mind and a good memory. Beyond that there's no specific supplement that has any more, at best, than a modest improvement in our mind or memory. You're still better off doing the old standards, exercising and just eating right.

COHEN: Now, the FDA just approved a drug called Memantine for Alzheimer's patients. Dr. Gordon, could that drug be used by people who just can't remember where they put their keys? Would it help them?

GORDON: Right now it's only been approved to people with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease. And it works by a different mechanism to help prevent degeneration in some ways in the brain. So, certainly, no one such as me would recommend anybody consider that for an ordinary memory loss. Not just because it is not even clear that it works, but because it could have side effects, too.

COHEN: We have an e-mail now from Bill in Philadelphia. Bill wants to know:

"I've been a heavy drinker throughout my youth, and I have a hard time remembering things. Is there anything I can do to improve my memory and concentration?"

Dr. Gordon does heavy drinking in your youth impact your memory when you're older?

GORDON: Well Bill, it might. It's not very clear. It's clear that alcohol can impact people's memory and that if they stop drinking they will stay the same or maybe even improve. What you can do to improve your memory now is what people in general can do to improve their memory, which is to pay attention. And if you need to, write things down. OK? The best way to actually remember some of these little things that drive us crazy.

COHEN: Lists always work. That's a good tip.

GORDON: Yes, indeed.

COHEN: And we have some more quick tips for keeping your ordinary memory sharp.

Write down what's important. Keep a diary. Use calendars and make lists. Experts say establishing a routine helps, like always putting your keys in the same place or set up cues. Leave your keys on the ironing board, for instance, so you can remember to turn off the iron before walking out the door. Lastly, practice repetition.

Here's a trick for remembering names. Work it into conversations several times after being introduced, especially at the beginning. Say nice to meet you, Bob.

We've got to take a quick break. When we come back, resting your brain. What's the best way to do it? And how important is daydreaming? The answers when "Weekend House Call" continues. Stay with us.

(NEWSBREAK)

COHEN: A new study shows a good night's sleep may help restore memories that were lost during a hectic day. Sleep doesn't simply recharge you physically. Researchers say the brain gets a chance to sort and reorganize memories during sleep. So don't be surprised if you go to sleep with a question and wake up with the answer.

Welcome back to "Weekend House Call". We're talking about improving memory. Our guest is Dr. Barry Gordon author of "Intelligent Memory." We've got a call now from -- I can't remember. Isn't that terrible. Mary in Oklahoma.

Mary, go ahead with your question.

CALLER: Hi. I'm gonna try to make it as simple as possible. There's a lot of research around the fact that thought process is actually emotion energy in the neurological part of the brain. Consequently, doesn't emotion affect the ability to have memory? For instance, if someone has anxiety over a test, despite their memory and knowing it all, that will actually interfere with the process? Consequently thought is not separate from the rest of the body? Is that accurate or what?

GORDON: Mary, it's pretty accurate. What emotion does is drive thinking, or sometimes it drives it too hard. So you need enough motivation to remember, but if you have too much, you'll freeze, you'll lock up, jam the system. So people know that for example, before a test. So you need to strike a balance between being motivated enough to learn, but not being so anxious that it jams things in your mind.

COHEN: Dr. Gordon, now I have a question for you. How come I can remember the name of the kid I sat next to in first grade but I couldn't remember that three minutes ago they told me that our phone call was from Mary in Oklahoma?

GORDON: They're different kinds of memory. And also you probably remembered the name of that kid in first grade a couple more times throughout your life.

Phone calls come and go. You really shouldn't remember them forever. No offense to Mary. But you can't remember everything. Our brain has filters that prevent too much from coming in. And a lot of our memory is a balance between how much we get in and how much we retain. COHEN: Well, we have an e-mail now from William in South Carolina. William wants to know: "Are you supposed to 'rest' your brain? If so, how do you rest it? It seems to me that even when you're sleeping, your brain is not resting. If you rest your brain, will that improve your ability to learn and retain information?"

GORDON: William, you're supposed to rest in general. It may even be very good for to us take catnaps, although very few of us can follow that advice. As I mentioned in intelligent memory what, this supposed rest is doing, as you point out, is actually letting our minds work to automatically unconsciously sort through connections and figure things out for us, which is one reason you can go to bed thinking about a problem and wake up and say, ah-ha, I got the answer.

COHEN: Anne from West Virginia has a question about hypertension.

She wants to know if hypertension can "cause an increase in the loss of brain cells and could it affect the memory of someone in their thirties?"

Dr. Gordon, hypertension, other diseases, will that affect your memory?

GORDON: Anne, hypertension in general is not good for the brain. It's clear that people who have hypertension need to be treated for that reason, among other things. It may actually in some individuals lead to loss of brain cells if it causes for example, kinds of mini strokes.

Somebody in their thirties it would be fairly unusual, unless their hypertension is very high. That's something that ought to be sorted out with the person's doctor.

COHEN: When we come back a new development for people with Alzheimer's disease. We talked about this a little bit earlier in the show. A drug just approved in the U.S. holds out hope for later stage cases. Details when HOUSE CALL continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: A day on the slopes can be just as harmful to your skin as a day by the pool. Ultraviolet rays intensify in higher altitudes and are 40 percent stronger when reflected off the snow.

Experts suggest using sun protection or SPF of 30 or higher on exposed skin while skiing. Sun burn increases the risk of skin cancer and melanomas. The potentially deadly cancers of the skin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COHEN: A new treatment option will soon be available for Alzheimer's patients in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug Memantine and is the first treatment ever for late stages of the disease. The FDA warns it is not a miracle drug but does seem to slow the mental and physical decline in most patients.

Welcome back to "Weekend House Call". We've been talking to Dr. Gary -- Dr. Barry Gordon, who has been talking about memory -- not Dr. Gary Borden.

I have a final question for you Dr. Gordon, if crossword puzzles can help memory, how about just everyday sitting down and memorizing something. A verse of a poem, for example? Could that help your memory?

GORDON: It will help a different aspect of your memory. Remember crossword puzzles works on one aspect of your memory. Solving other problems, reading a book, reading the newspaper, watching the news thinking about it, that's what helps this intelligent memory the most. Whatever you do will exercise your mind. Just do it.

COHEN: Well, we want to thank Dr. Barry Gordon for joining us today and for reminding us to exercise our mind. I have learned a lot. It's been a very interesting show.

Thanks to our viewers for all your calls and e-mails. Join us tomorrow when we look at a promising new treatment for breast cancer. If you know someone with breast cancer or if you it have it, you'll want to catch tomorrow morning's "House Call." We'll also talk about other treatments, screening and prevention options. Thanks for watching. I'm Elizabeth Cohen.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired October 18, 2003 - 08:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ELIZABETH COHEN, ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome to "Weekend House Call." Today we're going talk about improving memory.
Did you know you have two kinds of memory? One is ordinary memory, and that helps you remember your husband's birthday or helps you recall a person's name. The other one is called intelligent memory. It's made up of learned connections that helps you remember what your husband wants for his birthday and where to get it cheapest. It's also the kind of memory that helps you enjoy a joke or come up with a new invention.

Ordinary memory deteriorates as we get older but intelligent memory improves with age. So what can you do to improve your recall? Today the author of the new book, "Intelligent Memory" joins us. Dr. Barry Gordon is the founder of the Memory Clinic at Johns Hopkins University and is in Washington.

Thanks for being with us, Dr. Gordon.

DR. BARRY GORDON, MEMORY CLINIC, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIV.: My pleasure, Elizabeth.

COHEN: Explain to us more about intelligent memory. What percent of our memory is intelligent memory? And how do we go about sharpening it?

GORDON: Fortunately a lot of our memory is intelligent memory. Most of the things we do actually rely on this other kind of memory, which is generally pretty hidden from us because it normally happens quickly, very quickly, and automatically. We don't have to think about it most of the time.

Although we may forget where our car keys are, we don't then sit in the car and say, OK, now I have to remember now to drive this thing. That doesn't happen because this intelligent memory is working for us all the time, very smoothly.

Any time you exercise your memory, in essence you're exercising this intelligent memory. Every time you think, you're exercising it. But you can think a little bit better and sharpen up the process. And in the book, "Intelligent Memory" I describe how.

For example, by paying attention. By trying to think a little bit more deeply about the things you're trying to learn. Also being a bit critical of your own thinking so you can correct mental mistakes that you might make.

COHEN: We actually have some visual images that can help do the same thing; that can help trigger intelligent memory. Let's demonstrate how this works. Now, take a look at this picture and think about what you see here. And I have to tell you, I had this wrong. Someone had to point out to me what it was.

Dr. Gordon, tell me what we should be seeing.

GORDON: Ah-ha.

COHEN: Here it is.

GORDON: There you go. You should see the Dalmatian dog looking out to your left, as you see here. Some people, by the way, see another little puppy dog by that dog's foot but I still can't see that.

But the point here is that you didn't have to search through your mind for everything you ever saw in your life come up with the dogs that you may have seen and then go through those dog, Fido, Poochie, et cetera, until you come to a Dalmatian.

Instead what this intelligent memory did was do the searching for you and make a gel automatically in many people. If you didn't get it, that may mean you didn't get a Dalmatian or it's not the memory you're doing, or it's too early in the morning to make things gel very well.

COHEN: Could it also mean you're not good at looking at those kinds of pictures?

GORDON: It may.

COHEN: I mean, it's hidden.

GORDON: That's right. And it may well be. It is hidden. It may not be the things you do. So the person who can't see the dog there may still be perfect at word puzzles. But there's another interesting thing about intelligent memory. Having seen that picture, you're now going to be better at pictures like it and things like that. It will automatically improve.

GORDON: Let's see if that's true. We have another picture. Let's see if people got better the second time around. It's obvious what this one is. But there's something strange here. Again, I have to say, I didn't see it 'til someone pointed it out. What's strange about that picture? All right, look at the elephant's rear foot. It is actually a human foot, one of them. You can see it. It's sort of sticking out there.

Dr. Gordon, tell me, the ability to see that human foot on an elephant, what does that have to do with memory?

GORDON: That shows you how your memory is actually seeing the correct image but realizing that part of it isn't quite right. By the way, there's another way of looking at this. You can also say it's a good human foot but there's some strange elephant attached to it. Both ways are right in a sense.

All I'm trying to point out here is to show people that they have this kind of memory. It's not, where did you put the elephant? No. But also that it will work for you automatically most of the time and it will keep getting better. And it gets better as you get older.

COHEN: Let's try one last picture and see if people have improved. This is a bunch of smiley faces. But there's something strange in here. Now let's show people. That is a frowny face. I have to say when I did these, didn't get the first two but got the third one. Was my memory getting better as I did these?

GORDON: I'd like to think it was, because that was one of the purpose of these. You're going to be tuning yourself up just by doing them. Just like doing a cross-word puzzle, you get better and better at it. The purpose of the smiley faces was to show you how your mind can search for something even though you're not quite sure what you're looking for. This other kind of memory, this intelligent memory, independently.

COHEN: We want to give viewers a chance to call you and ask you some question, Dr. Gordon.

GORDON: Sure.

COHEN: The number is 1-800-807-2620. You can also email us your questions to Housecall@cnn.com

And Elaine, we have Elaine on the phone. She has a question for you, Dr. Gordon.

CALLER: Yes. I was wondering if genetics can play a part in memory loss at a very early age?

GORDON: If genetics can play a part, Elaine?

CALLER: Yes.

GORDON: Well, perhaps, but only in a few rare cases. In most people, the genes don't influence memory that much, we think, at least in an early age. In some conditions they will but usually later in life.

COHEN: Now, we've received a lot of e-mail already on this. It's a pretty hot topic. Let's get to our first one from Rebecca in Dallas, she wants to know:

"I've been consistently forgetting immediate thoughts. If I'm thinking of getting something from the kitchen, by the time I get there I've forgotten what I needed. I even forget things I'm about to say in conversations. I'm 48. Is this normal for my age?"

Dr. Gordon, I hear many people say things like this. GORDON: Well, Elizabeth it's normal for teenagers so congratulate yourself. The usual problem if you're 48 and doing that is that you're actually thinking of other things or getting distracted. You're not letting yourself focus on what you have to do. And the solution is either accept that it's happening and is normal or try to say I have got to pay attention to this a little bit more.

COHEN: Stretching your brain when we come back. We'll have more mental exercises that you can try. And we'll find out if vitamins and supplements can help boost your brain power. Call us with your questions at 1-800-807-2620, or e-mail us at housecall@cnn.com.

Before we go to the break, let's check our daily dose health quiz. Can exercise help reverse memory loss? We'll have the answer when we continue. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COHEN: Checking our quiz. We asked can exercise reverse memory loss? The answer yes. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): We all know exercise can help you lose weight, but it may also help prevent you from losing your memory.

DR. ANTONIO CONVOT, NYU SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: We thought that we were born with a brain and then that brain degenerated as we aged until the time we died. Now we know there are many triggers that actually make parts of the brain regenerate themselves.

GUPTA: And it seems that working out is one of those triggers.

STAN COLCOMBE, UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, URBANA: Cardiovascular exercise that is done over a longer period of time will actually tend to reduce the amount of tissue that you lose as you age.

GUPTA: Losing less tissue may mean preserving precious memories. Researchers at the University of Illinois looked at MRIs from people age 55 or older. The results are dramatic.

The first image, a 74-year-old person who is fit. The second, an obviously smaller brain in a 74-year-old person who is not fit. These red and yellow highlighted areas in the brain deteriorate more slowly in a person who's more fit.

Of course, researchers caution that the harder you work out won't necessarily protect your memory any longer. It's a life-long commitment to fitness that matters most.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COHEN: Have you ever searched all over the house for your glasses only to find them on your head 20 minutes later? Is it a sign you're losing your mind? Probably not. Memory loss is a common complaint and it's typically blamed on aging.

People fear that memory lapses can be a sign of what's to come. But take note, dementia is much more than forgetfulness. It is a mental decline advanced enough to affect daily activities. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease. But only 10 percent to 20 percent of people older than 65 get dementia, so most people who occasionally forget things simply have too much on their mind.

We're joined today by Dr. Barry Gordon, the author of a new book called "Intelligent Memory".

Doctor, we've got another e-mail. This one is from Patricia in Louisiana.

She writes: "I have read several articles about keeping the mind/memory agile by reading and solving crossword puzzles. It certainly appears to be working for my 73-year-old mother. She always has a book open and solves at least one crossword puzzle a day. How do reading and puzzle help sharpen the memory?"

Dr. Gordon?

GORDON: Elizabeth, they're exercise for the mind. The mind is kind of like a muscle, actually lots of muscles. And by pumping up its parts, by keeping them moving, and strengthening them, you're improving your mind, your memory. So, the principles are very much the same. Just as exercise helps improve the mind by itself, exercising the mind will help improve the mind. So your mother's right on target.

COHEN: We have a phone call now from Patty in New York.

Patty, welcome to "Weekend House Call". Go ahead with your question for Dr. Gordon.

CALLER: I am three and a half months pregnant with my second child and I have noticed in the last couple months I have lost everything. I have lost my cell phone, my car keys, the TV remote. And this is not a problem that I had before. I just wanted to know, could this be pregnancy related and how would I deal with that?

GORDON: It's been puzzled for a long time whether there's a pregnancy brain, because of the hormones. Because there's so many other things changing when you're pregnant anyway. Then you have to look forward to mother brain, or father brain, in your husband's case. There's so many things going on.

For example, you're not going to be sleeping as well eventually. You're worried about things, you're planning for things. It's not any sign that your brain itself is changing. So -- good luck, have fun with it.

COHEN: Mario from Colorado has a question that I know many people have.

"Are there foods, vitamins or drugs that will improve memory performance?"

Any hints there, Dr. Gordon?

GORDON: Mario, the best thing you can do for a meal for your mind is the conversation, probably. So if it's a good conversation, you're probably going to be helping yourself more. Plus, don't eat too much. Because we have to be fit to have a good mind and a good memory. Beyond that there's no specific supplement that has any more, at best, than a modest improvement in our mind or memory. You're still better off doing the old standards, exercising and just eating right.

COHEN: Now, the FDA just approved a drug called Memantine for Alzheimer's patients. Dr. Gordon, could that drug be used by people who just can't remember where they put their keys? Would it help them?

GORDON: Right now it's only been approved to people with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease. And it works by a different mechanism to help prevent degeneration in some ways in the brain. So, certainly, no one such as me would recommend anybody consider that for an ordinary memory loss. Not just because it is not even clear that it works, but because it could have side effects, too.

COHEN: We have an e-mail now from Bill in Philadelphia. Bill wants to know:

"I've been a heavy drinker throughout my youth, and I have a hard time remembering things. Is there anything I can do to improve my memory and concentration?"

Dr. Gordon does heavy drinking in your youth impact your memory when you're older?

GORDON: Well Bill, it might. It's not very clear. It's clear that alcohol can impact people's memory and that if they stop drinking they will stay the same or maybe even improve. What you can do to improve your memory now is what people in general can do to improve their memory, which is to pay attention. And if you need to, write things down. OK? The best way to actually remember some of these little things that drive us crazy.

COHEN: Lists always work. That's a good tip.

GORDON: Yes, indeed.

COHEN: And we have some more quick tips for keeping your ordinary memory sharp.

Write down what's important. Keep a diary. Use calendars and make lists. Experts say establishing a routine helps, like always putting your keys in the same place or set up cues. Leave your keys on the ironing board, for instance, so you can remember to turn off the iron before walking out the door. Lastly, practice repetition.

Here's a trick for remembering names. Work it into conversations several times after being introduced, especially at the beginning. Say nice to meet you, Bob.

We've got to take a quick break. When we come back, resting your brain. What's the best way to do it? And how important is daydreaming? The answers when "Weekend House Call" continues. Stay with us.

(NEWSBREAK)

COHEN: A new study shows a good night's sleep may help restore memories that were lost during a hectic day. Sleep doesn't simply recharge you physically. Researchers say the brain gets a chance to sort and reorganize memories during sleep. So don't be surprised if you go to sleep with a question and wake up with the answer.

Welcome back to "Weekend House Call". We're talking about improving memory. Our guest is Dr. Barry Gordon author of "Intelligent Memory." We've got a call now from -- I can't remember. Isn't that terrible. Mary in Oklahoma.

Mary, go ahead with your question.

CALLER: Hi. I'm gonna try to make it as simple as possible. There's a lot of research around the fact that thought process is actually emotion energy in the neurological part of the brain. Consequently, doesn't emotion affect the ability to have memory? For instance, if someone has anxiety over a test, despite their memory and knowing it all, that will actually interfere with the process? Consequently thought is not separate from the rest of the body? Is that accurate or what?

GORDON: Mary, it's pretty accurate. What emotion does is drive thinking, or sometimes it drives it too hard. So you need enough motivation to remember, but if you have too much, you'll freeze, you'll lock up, jam the system. So people know that for example, before a test. So you need to strike a balance between being motivated enough to learn, but not being so anxious that it jams things in your mind.

COHEN: Dr. Gordon, now I have a question for you. How come I can remember the name of the kid I sat next to in first grade but I couldn't remember that three minutes ago they told me that our phone call was from Mary in Oklahoma?

GORDON: They're different kinds of memory. And also you probably remembered the name of that kid in first grade a couple more times throughout your life.

Phone calls come and go. You really shouldn't remember them forever. No offense to Mary. But you can't remember everything. Our brain has filters that prevent too much from coming in. And a lot of our memory is a balance between how much we get in and how much we retain. COHEN: Well, we have an e-mail now from William in South Carolina. William wants to know: "Are you supposed to 'rest' your brain? If so, how do you rest it? It seems to me that even when you're sleeping, your brain is not resting. If you rest your brain, will that improve your ability to learn and retain information?"

GORDON: William, you're supposed to rest in general. It may even be very good for to us take catnaps, although very few of us can follow that advice. As I mentioned in intelligent memory what, this supposed rest is doing, as you point out, is actually letting our minds work to automatically unconsciously sort through connections and figure things out for us, which is one reason you can go to bed thinking about a problem and wake up and say, ah-ha, I got the answer.

COHEN: Anne from West Virginia has a question about hypertension.

She wants to know if hypertension can "cause an increase in the loss of brain cells and could it affect the memory of someone in their thirties?"

Dr. Gordon, hypertension, other diseases, will that affect your memory?

GORDON: Anne, hypertension in general is not good for the brain. It's clear that people who have hypertension need to be treated for that reason, among other things. It may actually in some individuals lead to loss of brain cells if it causes for example, kinds of mini strokes.

Somebody in their thirties it would be fairly unusual, unless their hypertension is very high. That's something that ought to be sorted out with the person's doctor.

COHEN: When we come back a new development for people with Alzheimer's disease. We talked about this a little bit earlier in the show. A drug just approved in the U.S. holds out hope for later stage cases. Details when HOUSE CALL continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: A day on the slopes can be just as harmful to your skin as a day by the pool. Ultraviolet rays intensify in higher altitudes and are 40 percent stronger when reflected off the snow.

Experts suggest using sun protection or SPF of 30 or higher on exposed skin while skiing. Sun burn increases the risk of skin cancer and melanomas. The potentially deadly cancers of the skin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COHEN: A new treatment option will soon be available for Alzheimer's patients in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug Memantine and is the first treatment ever for late stages of the disease. The FDA warns it is not a miracle drug but does seem to slow the mental and physical decline in most patients.

Welcome back to "Weekend House Call". We've been talking to Dr. Gary -- Dr. Barry Gordon, who has been talking about memory -- not Dr. Gary Borden.

I have a final question for you Dr. Gordon, if crossword puzzles can help memory, how about just everyday sitting down and memorizing something. A verse of a poem, for example? Could that help your memory?

GORDON: It will help a different aspect of your memory. Remember crossword puzzles works on one aspect of your memory. Solving other problems, reading a book, reading the newspaper, watching the news thinking about it, that's what helps this intelligent memory the most. Whatever you do will exercise your mind. Just do it.

COHEN: Well, we want to thank Dr. Barry Gordon for joining us today and for reminding us to exercise our mind. I have learned a lot. It's been a very interesting show.

Thanks to our viewers for all your calls and e-mails. Join us tomorrow when we look at a promising new treatment for breast cancer. If you know someone with breast cancer or if you it have it, you'll want to catch tomorrow morning's "House Call." We'll also talk about other treatments, screening and prevention options. Thanks for watching. I'm Elizabeth Cohen.

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