Elsa Lottor - Female and Forgetful: A Six-Step Program to Help Restore Your Memory and Sharpen Your Mind

Copyright 2002 by Elisa Lottor and Lynn Sonberg

All rights reserved.

Warner Books, Inc.,

Hachette Book Group

237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Visit our website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com.

First eBook Edition: April 2009

ISBN: 978-0-446-56025-2

DID YOU KNOW

Toxins in commonplace items such as carpeting and shower curtains may be contributing to memory loss over time?

Overexposure to aluminum compoundsin foil, cookware, deodorants, antacids, toothpastecan affect brain function?

Lavender can help you sleep?

A cooked potato can jump-start your brain when youre feeling foggy?

The essential oil of jasmine can quickly restore mental alertness?

Eating foods rich in vitamin E, beta-carotene, and vitamin C may help lower your risk of Alzheimers disease?

Certain prescription and nonprescription drugs may dramatically affect your ability to concentrate?

Insightful, interesting, and informative....Every woman proactive about maintaining and improving her memory should read this book.

David Wong, M.D. medical director, Health Integration Center

Packed with a lot of good information...terrifically, holistically practical.

Martin Zucker coauthor of Preventing Arthritis and Natural Hormone Balance for Women

Females have a higher incidence of memory loss than do men. Now Dr. Lottor shows women how to prevent and reverse cognitive decline.

Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D president/medical director, Alzheimers Prevention Foundation, and author of Brain Longevity

This book is dedicated to

The pioneers (both here and gone) in natural medicine who risked their professional standing to blaze new paths in the fields of complementary/alternative medicine in treating the person, not the disease, who believed cures should be quick and medicines safe and found in nature.

All my patients, past and present, who continue to be my greatest teachers and inspiration.

My parents, Beckie and David Tacher (the tiny couple). Thank you for all of the sacrifices that you made. And thank you for your continued wisdom and guidance.

My husband, Mike Lottor, who continues to stand by me and makes all things possible.

My little girl, Resolina, who makes every day a joy.

My thanks to the many thoughtful, articulate women who talked to me at length about their memory problems. Names and personal details have been changed to protect their privacy.

I would like to acknowledge the following people, who, through the years, have continued to support me in every possible way, through education, patient referrals, information encouragement, and help:

Michael Leb, M.D., and Fran Leb

David Wong, M.D.

Richard Farr

Steve and Kimberly Litvak and the Whole Santa

Monica Homeopathic Pharmacy family

Don Tyson of MontiffDon Tysons Advanced

Neutraceuticals

Thorne Research

The Life Extension Foundation

Terrace International Distributors

Julian Whitaker, M.D., of the Whitaker Wellness Institute

Kathie Preisont

Patricia ODonnell, R.N.P.

Harlan Carey and Pam Healy of Total Remedy

(formerly Apothecary)

Nancy Bruning

Lynn Sonberg

And all my friends and professional associates

This book is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to take the place of medical advice from a trained medical professional. Readers are advised to consult a physician or other qualified health professional regarding treatment of their health problems or before acting on any of the information or advice in this book.

This book provides selected information about memory loss. Research about this complex subject is ongoing and subject to conflicting interpretations. As a result, there is no guarantee that what we know about this subject wont change with time.

In order to protect the identity of the women whose stories appear in this book, we have changed names and in some cases created composites.

The mail order offer contained in the back of this book is solely the responsibility of the Life Extension Foundation. Warner Books, Inc., its affiliates, and the authors shall have no liability whatsoever in connection with such offer.

Some days I walk down the hallway at work and suddenly forget where Im going. For the life of me, I cant recall whether I was going to speak to a colleague or to the bathroom. If Im lucky, the empty coffee mug in my hand will remind me that I was going for a refill. Whats wrong with me?

Last week as I drove home from work, I felt unusually relaxed. The car seemed so quiet and I was really enjoying listening to the segment on National Public Radio. As I got off the freeway, it occurred to meit was so quiet because there were no kids in the car! Id forgotten to pick them up from school. Am I going to get Alzheimers like my mother?

Its so embarrassing. Ive always been a great public speaker, but lately I find myself lostcompletely at seain the middle of a sentence. Sometimes its just the next word thats gone; other times I havent the slightest idea about what Ive been saying, or why, or where Im going with it. I dont know how much longer I can go on like this. Theres only so much covering up I can manage.

All across America, women are misplacing keys and cars, losing their train of thought, and walking into rooms only to discover they havent a clue as to why they entered them. Company presidents and sales managers are missing appointments, speaking in fractured sentences, and groping for the next word. Mothers are forgetting the names of their children, culture mavens are forgetting the names of their favorite actors and authors, and everyone is forgetting the names of people they were just introduced to five seconds ago.

As a naturopathic doctor, I have been working with midlife women for seventeen years. Without question, one of the most common complaints I hear is about memory loss. These women are surprised, puzzled, concerned, and downright scared. They are surprised to be losing their capable brains along with their youthful looks; puzzled as to what, exactly, is happening and why; concerned that they will make fools of themselves and lose their jobs; scared that their symptoms may be those of a brain tumor or early signs of Alzheimers disease. I understand how they feel, because I recently experienced memory impairment myself, around the time of menopause. This, of course, sparked my interest in finding natural solutions. I did intensive research into dietary, nutritional, and other lifestyle components; I investigated herbs and other botanicals. I finally created a program that worked for me. I have been offering individualized versions of this program to my patients with superb results, and am now offering it to you in Female and Forgetful.

For many women, forgetfulness is a mere nuisance. But for many women, memory loss can go beyond the embarrassing and inconvenient and into the realm of the dangerous. Some are forgetting to pick up their children, forgetting to shut off the oven when they leave the house, and crashing into other cars when they forget to put their cars in park. They are working doubly hard to maintain productivity on the job and are worried that their livelihoods are in jeopardy. What may have started out as a mere nuisance has come to have a huge impact on their lives, their self-image, and their self-esteem.

If you have been noticing problems with memory, concentration, and learning, this is the book for you. I know that you are hungry for information, reassurance, and ways to overcome your difficulties.