Episode 99 – Optimizing Brain Health in the Modern Age

Summary

“If only I had a brain!” exclaimed the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. Well, he may not have one, but you do. We all do, and optimizing Brain Health may be the most important step we can take to preserve our humanity through intuition, imagination, emotion, and common sense.

On this episode of the LiveWell podcast, host Dr. Wendelin Slusser sits down with Dr. Helen Lavretsky, a renowned geriatric integrative psychiatrist, Professor in Residence at UCLA, and Director of the Late Life Mood, Stress, and Wellness Research Program. They ask the question: What makes us human and why is that important?

From the soul to the brain, they break down the significance of Brain Health and the Brain Economy and provide an array of suggestions for strengthening individual and collective wellbeing.

More about Dr. Helen Lavretsky

Dr. Helen Lavretsky is a Professor In-Residence in the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA and a geriatric integrative psychiatrist with federally funded research program in geriatric depression and integrative mental health (NIMH, PCORI, and NCCIH) using mind-body interventions. She is a recipient of the Career Development award from NIMH and the NCCIH, and other prestigious research awards. Her current research studies include investigations of psychopharmacological treatment of geriatric depression, mild cognitive impairment and the use of Tai Chi and yoga for treatment and prevention of late-life mood and cognitive disorders. She is the Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, and the Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and the recipient of the Distinguished Investigator awards for research in geriatric psychiatry from the American College of Psychiatrists and the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. She is the Semel Scholar in Integrative Mental Health and the Director of the Late-life mood, stress and wellness Research program, the Integrative Psychiatry clinic, and the Post-COVID Psychiatry clinic.