Media

Here's what people are saying about Dr. Douglas Mason, The Memory Doctor.

Buck the trend - improve your memory as you age!, September 26, 2005:

Worried because you forgot some of the items you were supposed to pick up at the grocery? Afraid that your memory lapses may signal impending Alzheimer's disease?

Ease your mind. This book will help you do just that by explaining memory and providing some very helpful techniques for memory improvement.

Along with the surprisingly enjoyable exercises, Mason and Kohn address the kinds of memory loss that are reversible and discuss why certain types of memory degrade with age. They discuss specific drugs that elderly folk often take and explain what their memory consequences might be. They also discuss the role of diet in memory and offer tips for diet and supplements backed up by the latest research.

Instead of giving up and giving in, help an elder improve their memory. Help yourself to a memory like a steel trap instead of a spaghetti strainer. Get this book, do the exercises, and develop a great memory - no matter what your age! Five stars!

Phyllis Staff, Ph.D. Author, "How to Find Great Senior Housing" and "128 Ways to Prevent Alzheimer's and Other Dementias"

From The Pueblo Chieftain:

..."Granted, aging reduces brain agility just like it reduces agility in other body parts. Still, all of the experts said getting older does not reduce your ability to remember, think or learn."One of the main myths is that memory gets worse with age," says neuropsychologist Douglas J. Mason, author of "The Memory Doctor," a manual on how to maintain a healthy memory. "Your memory changes with age. You become a little slower, it takes a little longer to pull something out."Mason, who practices in central Florida, has written several books, including textbooks and books for laypersons, on memory and aging.Over a lifetime, he says, the brain gets fuller, so thumbing through the file cabinets takes a little longer.

"The memory is a little like a computer. I keep putting things in my hard drive and I notice that it starts slowing down," Mason says. "It's the same thing with the brain. We get more and more information in there, and it's going to slow down a bit. But we actually will become more accurate. Research shows that as we age, we're slower, but we're smarter..."

From The Miami Herald:

"It is a myth that memory deteriorates with normal aging?Douglas J. Mason, Psy. D., a neuropsychologist and gerontologist, has spoken about his research on ABC World News Now, NPR, and other radio and television programs. This article is taken from his book, The Memory Workbook -- Breakthrough Techniques to Exercise Your Brain and Improve Your Memory.With age it takes more time to recall things because we have more information to sift through to get to the piece of data that we need. Actually, research shows that our memory becomes more accurate and our complex problem-solving abilities become more attuned with age.Take control of your memory:Praise yourself for remembering but never punish yourself for forgetting.Absentmindedness is the result of focusing on only a limited portion of your external environment and employing poor organizational skills.Approach your daily tasks with enthusiasm. Excitement fuels attention and concentration.Associate the components of daily routines together. For example, if you have to make a phone call in the morning, place a reminder next to your toothbrush.Decide where to place such things as keys, calendar, wallet. Find a scent that you like (such as an air freshener) and place it in that location.Smell enhances your memory.Picture the grocery items that you need, write it down or use a tape recorder. Rehearse the information immediately after hearing it.Take the time to store and recall information. Don't panic if you can't immediately recall something.Allow yourself the time to complete a thought or task and to express yourself. Examine internal conflicts that may be hampering memory. Look for patterns in memory difficulties such as names, places or events.Be well rested. Limit responsibilities and expectations.Limit distractions and find a quiet place to think. It is much more difficult to access your memory when you're surrounded by contradictory stimuli from your senses.

Categorizing helps. For example, when remembering items to be picked up at the grocery store, place them in specific categories..."

From Florida Today:

"Contrary to popular belief, the brain's complicated circuitry means memories don't necessarily fade as we age, but they may be less accessible."In normal aging, it's a myth that our memory gets worse," said Douglas Mason, a neuropsychologist who specializes in treating and diagnosing memory problems in Clermont and the author of a newly published book "The Memory Doctor.""We do have lapses, and we get slower at retrieving information," Mason said. "But memory is a process -- it happens throughout the brain," rather than as a compartmentalized activity we lose over time.Mason, whose patients gave him the nickname the "memory doctor," debunks similar myths throughout his book, published by New Harbinger Publications and available on Amazon.com in paperback for $8.96.He also offers memory-enhancing tips to women whose fluctuating levels of estrogen and progesterone can impair memory, or to those suffering from clinical bouts of depression, caused by insufficient amounts of serotonin, a biochemical that brain cells use to communicate effectively with each other. "We need to adjust to the changes in our brain -- to pay more attention to them," Mason stressed.Many of his memory-honing tips are based on visualization techniques, which are tied to established and well-documented research. One, known as the "loci method," combines the use of organization, visual memory and association to spur memory.

"We see with our brains," with at least "30 percent of the brain devoted to visual contact," he said. "We are visual animals..."

From The Chicago Tribune:

"Douglas Mason says his book "The Memory Doctor: Fun, Simple Techniques to Improve Your Memory" (New Harbinger, $11.95) can't help you resurrect memories of your childhood or fond thoughts about a college sweetheart. But if you want to know where you left your keys this morning, he can help you.Through eight chapters, Mason, a Florida neuropsychologist who specializes in memory, explains how memory works, techniques to improve memory, how medication and supplements affect memory, and the state of research on the topic.Among his tips are to limit distractions (kill the TV and radio), eliminate anything that might take your mind off the task at hand (hunger, tight clothes and so on), create a memory spot where you can stash things like keys and glasses, give yourself spoken reminders for things you need to remember, and be organized.Mason's suggestions are sensible, easy to follow and, most of all, worth trying.

Think back: "Time, emotions, personal history and social events all play a part in the creation of a memory. If you can't get back to a piece of information easily, try framing the information in the context in which it was remembered."

From Patricia Raskin, Carter News Times:

"I write a weekly column in our local paper www.cartertnewstimes.com and your book inspired me this week"