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emilypeacock27's review against another edition
4.0
Fortunately, at present, I don’t have any family members who have been diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease but I still found this book incredibly insightful. In the interest of my health and the health of my loved ones, I was fascinated to hear about the proven methods to promote brain health. This book taught me a lot about what can be done to prevent cognitive decline and what scientists have learned thus far.
alex_ellermann's review against another edition
4.0
Sanjay Gupta and his ghostwriter make an excellent team.
'Get Sharp,' a book about dementia for the general public, is a trove of solid information, reasonable advice, and practical resources. It's geared toward three audiences: health and self-improvement types, people with early-stage dementia, and caregivers and family members. It has something to offer each of these audiences, as well as the general reader.
The book begins with an exploration of the science of dementia. It's clearly written and easily followed by the lay reader. The next section is the "self-help" part implied by the book's title, and Gupta's prescriptions strike me as entirely reasonable. Gupta's prescription? Exercise every day, prioritize getting a good night's sleep, don't eat garbage food, keep learning new things and taking on new challenges, and maintain your social network. From there, the book addresses audiences with more than a casual interest in the subject matter. With practical advice for people experiencing dementia, as well as for people in their care circles, Gupta discusses everything from current treatments to nursing homes to financial arrangements. As someone with a general interest in health, but no pressing need for dementia-related resources, I kind of glossed over this last part. Nevertheless, now I know it's there. I'll turn to it if I need it sometime in the future.
While Gupta is susceptible to a bit of name-dropping, I appreciated _Keep Sharp_'s practical approach to its subject matter. Gupta isn't trying to sell me anything, his ideas strike me as reasonable and practical, and he has provided me with useful information should I need it down the line. After all, it's hard to argue with "exercise, eat right, don't 'tough guy' yourself out of sleep, and stay engaged." If you do all those things and get dementia anyway, you'll still have lived a happier, healthier, better life than if you hadn't. It's pretty hard to argue with that.
Overall, this book is worth your time. I'll probably gift _Keep Sharp_, and I hope my friends and loved ones give it a go.
'Get Sharp,' a book about dementia for the general public, is a trove of solid information, reasonable advice, and practical resources. It's geared toward three audiences: health and self-improvement types, people with early-stage dementia, and caregivers and family members. It has something to offer each of these audiences, as well as the general reader.
The book begins with an exploration of the science of dementia. It's clearly written and easily followed by the lay reader. The next section is the "self-help" part implied by the book's title, and Gupta's prescriptions strike me as entirely reasonable. Gupta's prescription? Exercise every day, prioritize getting a good night's sleep, don't eat garbage food, keep learning new things and taking on new challenges, and maintain your social network. From there, the book addresses audiences with more than a casual interest in the subject matter. With practical advice for people experiencing dementia, as well as for people in their care circles, Gupta discusses everything from current treatments to nursing homes to financial arrangements. As someone with a general interest in health, but no pressing need for dementia-related resources, I kind of glossed over this last part. Nevertheless, now I know it's there. I'll turn to it if I need it sometime in the future.
While Gupta is susceptible to a bit of name-dropping, I appreciated _Keep Sharp_'s practical approach to its subject matter. Gupta isn't trying to sell me anything, his ideas strike me as reasonable and practical, and he has provided me with useful information should I need it down the line. After all, it's hard to argue with "exercise, eat right, don't 'tough guy' yourself out of sleep, and stay engaged." If you do all those things and get dementia anyway, you'll still have lived a happier, healthier, better life than if you hadn't. It's pretty hard to argue with that.
Overall, this book is worth your time. I'll probably gift _Keep Sharp_, and I hope my friends and loved ones give it a go.
laranda's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Lots of stuff to learn and be inspired by in this book. Brain health seems like it will be a very important function of our lives in a very short time. I'm glad to hear there are so many lifestyle opportunities to reduce one's risk of dementia when it has seemed like such a forgone conclusion based on genetics and injury.
adutta's review against another edition
3.0
Felt a lot like a bunch of medical journals connected together into a book. I really only liked the personal connections and stories he told, I wish he had weaved in more of a narrative. Something also tells me I'm not the target audience of the book though.
valeriebrett's review against another edition
2.0
Not that this book is bad per se, but don’t feel like it was worth it because I didn’t really learn anything I didn’t already know (eat well, exercise, meditate, sleep, for your health). I did learn that dementia/Alzheimer’s can “start” in your brain decades earlier than symptoms appear. But otherwise it was all kind of stuff you’d know if you’re into brains and/or health. Also a lot of the research presented as causative could just be correlation (maybe the research bears out the causation, but not sure from how it’s presented here).
owlmybookandplanneradventures's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75