Pirouetting away from Alzheimer's

This is me, sewing my new dance shoes

Our ballet teacher told us yesterday, during class, that ballet dancers don't get Alzheimer's disease. "You will not find one professional dancer with Alzheimer's" he said, "and that is simply because a dancer learns how to keep his or her mind working in complex ways, in order to complete a choreography. And this complex thinking can help prevent Alzheimer's and other brain degenerating diseases".
That made me think. I looked it up -yes, OK, I googled it!- and it looks like it may be true.
I found out that at least 1,5 million Americans have Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and that number is expected to rise to at least 16 million in 42 years (that is, by 2050), in case a cure, or a way to stop it isn't discovered. That is a lot of people, and a huge increase!
I also read that it is costing the U.S. about 150 billion dollars every year, to treat, diagnose, care for, and supervise the disease and those afflicted by it.
And, it IS a fatal disease. I know we were always told that, yes, it's an ugly disease, it makes you forget everything and everyone, it makes you scared and fragile, but it doesn't kill you. But that's not true. It is a fatal disease. According to the Alzheimer's Association, "it begins with the destruction of cells in regions of the brain that are important for memory. However, the eventual loss of cells in other regions of the brain leads to the failure of other essential systems in the body. Also, because many people with Alzheimer's have other illnesses common in older age, the actual cause of death may be no single factor".

My father, who is a doctor, has taken up Sudoku. It's been about a year (wait... maybe longer!), that you can't see him anywhere without a Sudoku puzzle and a pen in his hands. I remember one day, he got two puzzles wrong. I could sense his panic. "Why did I get it wrong? How could I have missed that 2 up there?". My father is a brilliant man, he is probably the smartest person I know. He can solve puzzles and riddles in a blink of the eye, he was always top of his class, in University, at school, best at his job, funny, with sharp and quick come-backs and in general, a bright mind. I'm not just saying that because he's my dad, it's actually true!
He chose to solve Sudoku's, i'm sure, because he wants to keep his mind sharp.

I think it may work.

I mean, we exercise, we run miles and miles every day, we kick butts at martial arts, we swim, we play basketball... Then, we check ourselves for diseases, us women, we have mammographies (GIRLS, DON'T FORGET YOUR MAMMOGRAPHIES! NEVER!!) and Pap tests (AGAIN, GIRLS, YOUR PAP TESTS! PLEASE!! WHY BE SICK WHEN WE CAN BE WELL!!) and take care of ourselves... And we forget one of our most important organs: our brain.
It can be exercised, it can be kept in shape, it can be kept healthy. Why not do something today, when we know, if we don't, we'll regret it later?

So... Dance! It's fun, it fixes our body, it helps our brain, it gives us grace. What's not to like?
Bridge: Yes, it can help! It sharpens the mind and also helps you meet new people!
Exercise in general: that may not actually train your brain (hey, I found a motto!) but it keeps the blood flowing through your brain and that's never a bad thing!
Play a musical instrument: I don't know how this helps, but i found it on the internet, and the internet doesn't lie. Besides, it's fun.