Let's start by walking in our spare time.
Why do ideas come to me when I walk?
Just walking can help prevent dementia.
Walking is said to improve cancer.
Are you healthy because you walk?
Are you walking because you are healthy?

First, start by walking for about 10 minutes when you have time.
At first, some people may find it difficult to do even 10 minutes.
But once you discover the joy and pleasure of walking, you will want to walk more, and before you know it, the time will naturally increase to 15 or 30 minutes.
Of course, physical strength varies from person to person, so 10 minutes is only a guideline.
You should also check your physical condition that day, so you can adjust it according to the situation.
In any case, the author says he hopes you make it a habit to walk often.

For patients who refuse to walk no matter what, “Think of walking as a religion.
He persuades them by saying, “It’s a walking bridge.”
When I tell patients, “You think you’re into some strange religion, try it for a month,” they are often shocked.
But when we met a month later, he said, “Teacher, I feel better.
There were several instances where I expressed my deep gratitude by saying, “It is just as you said, teacher!”
Seeing patients happy was the greatest joy for the author.
We cannot go against birth, aging, sickness, and death.
Anyway, I'm going to get old, get sick, and die.
No matter how long you live, it is really just a moment in the history of the entire Earth.
However, the author says that as long as you are alive, no matter what anyone says, 'walking is important' to keep your body and mind healthy.
It doesn't cost money, but it definitely has benefits in this life.

People feel happy when they eat delicious food.
This is especially true if you eat with family or colleagues.
Even in the evening, I am happiest.
Humans have been savoring this shower of happiness hormones since ancient times.
However, modern medicine is trying to go in the opposite direction.
When they become old or sick, they are isolated in a room surrounded by white walls, fed tasteless food, and are always pickled with medicine.
The author himself used to live in such a place.
However, since becoming a local doctor 30 years ago, I have been interested in medicine that emphasizes natural healing power rather than medication.
Also, in the field of home healthcare, I learned from many patients what happiness is.
After I retired from the clinical field, my stress level was significantly reduced.
My honest opinion, having worked as a doctor for 40 years, is that 'medicine exists for the inherent happiness of human beings.'
And I want to spread the word that 'many diseases can be cured and prevented on their own.'
There is only one thing to do to do that.
Take a walk whenever you have free time.

When you walk, swing your arms and move your waist.
The neck muscles also move to support the head.
Therefore, people who walk frequently are exercising their entire body without even realizing it, whereas people who don't walk much or who take less than 3,000 steps a day have fewer opportunities to move the muscles of their entire body.
So, naturally, it is easy for the muscle strength of the entire body to decline.
When muscle strength is reduced, the body's stability is reduced and posture worsens.
Your stride becomes shorter and your walking speed slows down.
It also increases the risk of falling.
Some people suffer fractures from falls on small stairs or in the home, requiring long-term hospitalization and nursing care.
As your muscle strength declines, you will start to dislike walking, and you will start to walk less and less, which will lead to a vicious cycle where your muscle strength will decline even further.
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The number of people refraining from going out has increased.
However, later, in a verification conducted by Professor Satoshi Fujii of Kyoto University,
According to the report, the declaration of a state of emergency had no effect.
Not only was it ineffective, but the fretiness only increased.
However, even after the coronavirus pandemic has been brought under control, various infectious diseases are still reported daily on TV and in newspapers, and many people continue to refrain from going out for fear of being infected.
Not going out means not walking.
It is possible that you are in the process of becoming a Frailty or are in the pre-Frailty stage.
It is said that the number of people using canes has increased in both urban and rural areas amid the COVID-19 and vaccine turmoil.
Since the coronavirus outbreak, the number of people in their 50s and 60s who are free has increased.
Frailty is a state of not only impaired physical function but also mental frailty.
You lose motivation and become an introvert.
Depression in the elderly is one of them.
Working as a local doctor, I noticed an increase in the number of elderly people experiencing mental frailty since the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Even the increase regulations are set.
If you are okay with 3mg, it would be okay to keep it as is, but there is a strange regulation that does not recognize this.
So, we created a general corporate body called the ‘Association for the Realization of Appropriate Dosage Prescription of Anti-Dementia Drugs’ and, through discussion in the National Assembly, abolished the dosage increase regulation.
I'm proud of the fact that I did something great, but the major media outlets didn't report on it.
Local newspapers that use Kyodo News, such as the Shinano Daily Newspaper, reported it prominently on the front page.
Recently, a new dementia drug called recanemab has been introduced.
In Japan, it was approved in 2023 and is currently in use.
It is expensive, costing 3 million yen (with a co-payment of about 140,000 yen) if administered once every two weeks and for about a year.
It is said to only apply to people with MCI, or mild dementia, who have undergone special examinations at a dementia specialty hospital.
But, sadly, the effectiveness of this drug is also unclear.
Many dementia specialists are starting to say that it doesn't work.
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Dementia is a condition in which communication between brain cells deteriorates.
A brain scan called amyloid PET-CT can show how much amyloid beta is deposited.
Amyloid beta does not start to deposit as we age.
For some people, the onset of dementia begins in their 30s or 40s. Amyloid beta has also been detected in the brains of people in the preclinical stage, a precursor to MCI.
People in the preclinical stage do not usually have any symptoms, so amyloid PET-CT scans are not usually performed.
Even if you do not meet the criteria for MCI, which is considered a potential dementia risk factor, dementia is already beginning to develop in your brain.
Most of these people are very fond of sugary sweets.
It can be said that eating only sweet foods and snacks since my teens and twenties had a big impact.
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When you become aware of it, your brain becomes unable to tolerate it and you end up consuming glucose without even knowing it.
Dementia is a condition in which brain cells become addicted to glucose, similar to nicotine addiction in cigarettes.
When you smoke, nicotine reaches the brain, releasing a pleasure chemical called dopamine, making you feel happy.
Nicotine is a reward to the brain, so it is called the reward circuit.
Once such a circuit is established in the brain, it becomes intolerable when the reward is removed.
This is why it is called addiction.
The same goes for glucose.
Some people develop glucose addiction because their reward system is triggered by glucose.
The proliferation of convenience stores has made it possible to purchase carbohydrates 24 hours a day, making it easier to obtain glucose.
As a result, the number of people addicted to glucose has increased.
This can be considered one of the reasons for the increase in diabetes patients and dementia patients.
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Sunlight increases the secretion of serotonin, the 'happiness hormone' in the brain.
People who have a walking habit and walk moderately tend to have a 'serotonin face'.
Although there are some freckles and wrinkles, the 'serotonin face' is more lively and has a younger impression.
For women, many cover up their aging faces with makeup, but while makeup can cover up the face, it cannot hide wrinkles on the neck.
People who don't walk show signs of aging in their necks.
When I examine a patient, I can usually tell how well they walk by looking at their neck.
People who don't walk, whether men or women, have wrinkles on their necks and are aging.
When you walk, you need to support your head properly, so women who don't walk often start to age from the skin on their head and cervical spine.
People who believe that 'you should avoid going outside for beauty purposes' should change their mindset to 'you should go outside and walk for beauty purposes'.
Of course, during seasons with strong UV rays, you should take appropriate UV protection.
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During sleep, the brain's waste is cleaned out.
As explained earlier, people with dementia have a buildup of waste called amyloid beta in their brains.
However, the reason why amyloid beta accumulates is not yet fully understood.
As waste accumulates, brain cells shrink and 'atrophy'.
Amyloid beta, which accumulates within brain cells, is released from the cells into the bloodstream during sleep at night.
It's like an image of a household garbage truck.
So it is important to maintain the quality of your sleep.
The quality of sleep mentioned here specifically refers to the sleep rhythm consisting of REM sleep and non-REM sleep repeating 4 to 6 times per night.
There are attempts to develop drugs that prevent amyloid beta from accumulating in the brain or drugs that promote the removal of amyloid beta that has already accumulated in the brain, but none of them seem to be progressing well.
Again, sleep is effective in excreting amyloid beta.
If you use your computer continuously, garbage will accumulate and it will run slowly, so you need to clean it from time to time.

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