by Kim Zarzour for York Region:

The human brain is intricate, complex and beautiful. So, too, is a new jewelry design by Richmond Hill jeweler, Mark Lash.

There’s a reason for the similarity.

Mr. Lash, who has created designs for celebrities from Celine Dion and Joan Rivers to Martin Sheen, has taken a very personal interest in his latest design. He wants to use his talents to help save our brains — in particular, the female brain.

That’s because 70 per cent of new Alzheimer’s sufferers are women, and women suffer from stroke, depression and dementia twice as much as men — and yet, most research still focuses on the male brain.

Watching his beloved grandmother succumb to the disease convinced Mr. Lash that this was wrong.

by Canada AM:

Women are twice as likely as men to become victims of aging brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. So, why is most of the research done using male brains?

That’s what Lynn Posluns wondered while working as a fundraiser with the Baycrest Foundation, a health centre in Toronto that focuses on aging. She discovered to her surprise that most of the research for brain aging diseases still focuses on men’s brains.

Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are scary to anyone, Posluns told CTV’s Canada AM Monday. “But what was more scary was learning that 70 per cent of new Alzheimer’s sufferers would be women, that women suffer from stroke, depression and dementia twice as much as men but the research still focuses on men,” she said.

by Lynn Posluns, Founder Women’s Brain Health Initiative:

The Women’s Brain Health Initiative Hope-Knot is an icon designed to create awareness and escalate concern over the unchecked growth of dementia and other aging brain diseases in women.

A symbol of the importance of memory and a loose visual likeness of the brain, the Hope-Knot reminds us of how connected every aspect of outr lives is to our ability for cognitive thought.

So the next time you see someone wearing a Hope-Knot, take a moment to think of the women in your life-your mother, daughter, sister, partner or best friend and remind yourself of how much ou depend on their insights, memories, and that twinkle in their eyes. And the next time you see one for sale, remind yourself how much all of that is worth to you. And then when people see you wearing yours, pass the thought on to them.

Support the Initiative. Wear a Hope-Knot.

WILL YOUR FORGET? WE HOPE-KNOT.

http://hopeknot.org

# 4: Mark Lash’s Inspirational Charity ‘Hope-Knot’

The Women’s Brain Health Initiative wanted an icon to raise awareness and escalate concern over the unchecked growth of dementia and other aging brain diseases in women. They hoped the symbol would to be memorable. Mark Lash’s design was inspired by tying a knot in a string around a finger. The Hope-Knot is a loose visual of the brain, needed to symbolize the importance of memory and remind us of how connected every aspect of our lives is to our ability for cognitive thought.

Will you forget? We Hope-Knot.

Support the Initiative. Wear a Hope-Knot.

» Link to Gift

Source: http://www.globaltv.com/etcanada/giftguide/Cheryl_Hickey/

The Women’s Brain Health Initiative congratulates its Founder Lynn Posluns for receiving a prestigious 2012 Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award in the Champion category.

Marking a decade of celebrating female leaders, the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) revealed the recipients of the 10th annual Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award.  Each year, these awards celebrate the professional achievements of women across the country in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.

“I’m honoured to be recognized alongside such an accomplished group of women,” said Posluns. ” The Women’s Brain Health Initiative has become my passion, so much so that I’ve given up my career to focus all my energy on ensuring the Foundation’s success. The enthusiasm that I’ve received for the work I’m now doing is very encouraging.”

Lynn joins a community of 653 women who have received the Top 100™ Award over the last decade, recognizing the highest achieving female leaders in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors in Canada. Winners are selected based on their strategic vision and leadership, their organization’s financial performance, and their commitment to their communities.

by Jerome Burne for Daily Mail:

We badly need new and effective treatments for Alzheimer’s. But they may be proving so hard to find because researchers are looking in the wrong place.

That’s the remarkable claim by experts in the field. 

They are questioning why so much research into Alzheimer’s focuses on male brains — despite women being twice as likely to get the disease, and their brains having a fundamentally different make-up.

New studies show female hormones could be the reason women are more at risk, suggesting hormone replacement therapy could have a protective effect.

by Lynn Posluns for Huffington Post:

I’m fortunate that no one in my immediate family has dementia — heart and stroke seems to get us ultimately — but I’m at the stage where I wonder if it’s distraction when I can’t find my car in the parking lot… or if something more serious is going on. And it scares me.

What is more frightening is learning that almost 70 per cent of new Alzheimer’s sufferers will be women, but research today still focuses on men. Early Alzheimer’s studies were conducted where scientists had easy access to patients, primarily on men in veteran’s hospitals. But even today, at the grass roots level of research, it is the male rat that’s studied because the hormones in the female rat make it too complex. Whoa.

by Eva Lewis for 1961 Magazine:

Almost 70% of new Alzheimer’s sufferers will be women. What makes this fact even more alarming is that there is little understanding of why this is the case, and there are no studies currently being undertaken to explore the discrepancy.

The Women’s Brain Health Initiative intends to change that.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Source: http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/407795