June 10, 2026
How to protect your memory as you age
In this episode, Carmenn Miles and Dr. Rajay Seudath sit down with Dr. Francesca Diggs to talk about brain health and why it’s something we should all be thinking about. They cover what brain health really means, how to spot early signs that something might not be right, and simple, practical ways to take care of your mind as you age. From staying active and connected to managing everyday health conditions, this conversation is full of helpful tips you can actually use.
Docs in a Pod focuses on health issues affecting adults. Clinicians and partners discuss stories, topics and tips to help you live healthier.
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Show transcript
Podcast transcript
INTRO
Welcome to Docs in a Pod presented by WellMed. Over the next half hour, Docs in a Pod will educate you about the health and wellness of adults everywhere. Co-host Dr. Rajay Seudath and Carmenn Miles will share information to improve your health and well-being. And now here are Carmenn Miles and Dr. Rajay Seudath.
CARMENN MILES
Hello everyone and thank you so much for joining us today on the award winning Docs in a Pod presented by WellMed. I'm Carmenn Miles and I'm excited to jump into another great conversation centered around health and wellness topics that really matter, especially for our seniors. If you're listening in for the first time, you can find this podcast on any podcast listening platform. WeÕre also available on the radio in several Texas markets. Each week we share practical health information that hopefully helps us all live healthier, happier lives. We're thrilled that you're here with us today as we have a great topic for discussion. But before we before we go there, I do want to introduce our co-host, Dr. Rajay Seudath, is with us today, and he's a proud Tampa native. He's board certified in family medicine and the lead physician at the University location for Optum. He brings great passion to primary care. He's a wealth of knowledge. He makes health issues simple and clear and easy to understand. That is exactly why we love having you here on the show. Dr. Seudath, welcome.
DR. RAJAY SEUDATH
Thank you so much. So happy to be back again.
CARMENN MILES
Absolutely. Today we have with us board certified family medicine physician Dr. Francesca Diggs. Dr. Diggs earned a medical degree from Saint George's University in Grenada, West Indies, and completed her family medicine residency at Genesis Regional Medical Center in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Dr. Diggs is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and currently practices at WellMed at Carrollton, which is near the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area, where she provides comprehensive, patient centered care for her patients. Outside of medicine, I understand Dr. Diggs has fallen in love with gardening and says gardening aligns with the same principles as medicine. Nurturing growth, maintaining balance and overall restoration. All right, Dr. Diggs, tell us what is currently flourishing in your garden and what is your secret to a green thumb? I'm horrible. My thumb is probably red if there is such a thing.
DR. FRANCESCA DIGGS
Oh, no. Honestly, I love herbs right now. I feel like those are the easiest things to grow and once you get a handle on them, they seem to just kind of flourish on their own. I think the hardest thing I have to do is try to keep the rabbits out of my garden. They seem to have a feast daily.
CARMENN MILES
I know. I was talking to my mother the other day, and I asked her about her garden, and she says, oh, I gave up on that months ago. I said, well, what happened mother? She said, I looked out one day and the squirrel just looked back at her with a grin on his or her face and a huge tomato in its mouth. I was having a field day. Thanks for the tomato. I'm out of here. So yeah, I was like, wow, I guess you maybe she has to fence it in. I don't know, but she gave up on it. But I think Basil is probably my favorite herb. I've toyed around with growing starting a garden as well. But anyway, I digress. Today's episode is all about brain health. What it is, why it matters, and most importantly, what we can do every day to improve it. So, Dr. Diggs, brain health isn't just about memory. I think that's what most of us think about when we think about brain health. It's about how well our brains help us function from day to day and in many key areas of our lives, which I know that you are going to talk about. So, let's just start by sharing what we mean by brain health and sharing some of the key areas that our brain health influences, starting with memory. That's the best place to start.
DR. FRANCESCA DIGGS
Absolutely. Yes. Brain health is the thing that get that keeps us going. I think, especially since the COVID pandemic, we've all kind of have understood that brain health means how we interact with people and also just how we process things. We've all learned that we have a lot of distractions in this world, and that can make us feel like we're not paying attention to what we're doing. Yes, forgetfulness is definitely part of that, but just being able to maintain the mindfulness that keeps us engaged with each other with our activities and also trying to preserve it to reduce the risk of dementia further on. So, there's quite a few aspects to it.
CARMENN MILES
Oh, yeah. I know that my brain just doesn't function well when I do not get enough rest. Outside of rest, are there any other factors that influence good or bad brain health? I want you to answer that question, but before we go there, let's take a moment to welcome those who may have just joined us. You're listening to the award winning Docs in a Pod presented by WellMed. Our podcasts are available wherever you listen to your podcasts. We're also available on the radio in several Texas markets. I'm Carmenn Miles alongside our co-host today, Dr. Rajay Seudath, and we're chatting with Dr. Francesca Diggs out of Carrollton, Texas about brain health. I just want to talk about the multiple factors over our lives that influence brain health, if you will.
DR. FRANCESCA DIGGS
You mentioned sleep. Sleep is one of the most important things that we can do. We all know how it feels to wake up from a terrible night of sleep. And then we know how amazing it feels to wake up with good sleep. We should have a few cycles of that deep rest. That's when our lymphatic system gets a chance to really clean out the clutter from our brains. So, that's one of the most important things to maintain is getting a very good sleep schedule. The other things include exercise, nutrition, maintaining good heart health and again, being active in communities, being active with your families. That's one of the most important things.
CARMENN MILES
Yeah, I've noticed that when I tear myself away from the sheets in the morning and I take even just a brief 15 to 20 minute walk, just a simple stroll to start my day, I'm much more with it. I find that I'm much more with it and I'm sharper than any other day. Like a day that I used to sleep in a little bit later, maybe just have a good cup of coffee and pray that the that I get a good caffeine jolt. So, what's the skinny on exercise and brain health. Is there really a connection or is that just in my head?
DR. FRANCESCA DIGGS
Oh, no, there's a real connection to that. Of course, we all feel better when we release endorphins. So, getting exercise in does help to release those, but also, we need our brains to move our body. So, it's a consistent, practice in keeping the mind and the body connected. There's been lots of studies to show that keeping daily activity will improve strength, mobility, but especially cognition.
DR. RAJAY SEUDATH
Absolutely. When some of my patients, when we talk about exercise and things like that, there are even some exercises, some motion mobility things that are specifically for that mind body connection. So, yoga, tai chi. Those are the ones that can help to build flexibility as well as strengthen and tone muscles. But again, there's a lot of mindfulness involved with those types of exercises and activities. So, that's another thing that kind of builds that mind body connection that's very helpful. You guys had brought up sleep. We would be remiss if we didn't talk about sleep apnea.
DR. FRANCESCA DIGGS
Oh, yes.
DR. RAJAY SEUDATH
If grandpa, grandma or even your wife or your husband, they have heavy snores, and it's like, oh, my God, what's going on? Is somebody's sawing logs in there? Oh, no, that's just hubby sleeping. Snoring can be an indication that a person may have sleep apnea. There's a really good comedian, Jo Koy, who has a bit on sleep apnea, and it's basically, if you stop breathing and somebody sees you stop breathing while you're sleeping, and they have to nudge you to see if you're still alive, you probably have at least an indication to get screened for sleep apnea. The problem with sleep apnea is you're not breathing. So, the old air builds up in your lungs. So, brain health is almost always tied with blood oxygen. So, the better the oxygen that's flowing to your brain, the better your brain function. Whether that's making sure your blood is flowing well, whether that's making sure your lungs are working well, maybe that that's making sure that your urine is flowing. All of those things in your body are working to make sure that your blood going to your brain is uninterrupted and as fresh as possible.
CARMENN MILES
Makes sense. If we at some point in our sleep are not breathing, then that is not working to our advantage, right? That oxygen and the blood circulation to the brain. This just dawned on me going back to physical exercise. We hear so much about the importance of incorporating exercise into our daily routines and maintaining good muscle strength so that our bodies are strong so they function the way that we need them to, but rarely at all have I ever heard anyone speak on training the brain. The brain is a muscle, right?
DR. FRANCESCA DIGGS
Yes.
CARMENN MILES
I may be off track, but is it at all possible to train the brain? I mean, it's different from other muscles, but how do we train the brain? Is that possible?
DR. FRANCESCA DIGGS
Oh, absolutely. I mean, the second we come out of the womb we're training the brain. Even from the art classes in kindergarten, we're always trying to learn new things. Each time we get the opportunity to learn something, we build these synapses, which actually help to strengthen the brain. Much like muscles, the more we use it, the better they work. So, it's really good to do some Sudoku and crosswords, but more importantly, it's good to learn how to do new things. So, if the puzzles are changing, then that's fantastic, but I'll be honest, if we're kind of doing the same crossword every week, we're not really using that brain too much. It's just kind of like doing the same 2 pound weight for years and years.
CARMENN MILES
That's important to know.
DR. RAJAY SEUDATH
One of the things, building on what Dr. Diggs said, how do we train the brain? Social interaction is also another type of brain training. When you're talking with people, when you're looking at their facial emotions, when you're participating in the conversation, when you're interacting with people, that is also brain stimulation. Again, that is also a type of exercise. Oftentimes when patients retire, they stop working. That's one of the major social calls. People are getting out and they're meeting people and they're interacting with others. ThatÕs usually because of the job. But when they retire, they don't really have a reason to go out, to seek people, to see people. So, that can be one of the things that causes a person not to be able to have that memory reinforcement.
CARMENN MILES
Absolutely. Great stuff. We need to take just a quick break, but please stay with us as we continue this great discussion on brain health, why it's important, and how to maintain good brain health. You're listening to Docs in a Pod presented by WellMed. We'll be right back.
AD
For over 35 years, WellMed has redefined health care for older adults and people on Medicare. WeÕre physician led and nationally recognized as an Age-Friendly Health System. Our doctors take time to listen and support your unique needs, working with Medicare and select Medicare Advantage plans to keep you healthy and independent. With 24/7 nurse support, telemedicine, in-home and office visits, care is always within reach. WellMed. Compassionate care. Proven results. Visit wellmedhealthcare.com to learn more.
CARMENN MILES
We're back on Docs in a Pod. I'm your host Carmenn Miles with co-host Dr. Rajay Seudath of Tampa, Florida and our guest today, Dr. Francesca Diggs out of Carrollton, Texas. Just before the break, we were talking about the great benefits of exercise as it pertains to brain health. The brain is a muscle too, and it needs to be trained. So, let's circle back to that and talk about ways that we can train our brain.
DR. FRANCESCA DIGGS
Yes. We mentioned that it's good to interact with the community, and that is one of the most important things. Something else that we have to remember is that especially with the seniors is that they do tend to isolate. Sometimes we can see that as depression and maybe some anxiety. Being sure that we look at those and we treat those is also very important to brain health as well. So, making sure that we get them screened and that we encourage them to socialize so that we don't fall back on those.
DR. RAJAY SEUDATH
Right. Often, some patients have no social support. They're in this later part of their years and they don't necessarily have anyone in their life that they're interacting with. So, sometimes we have to be a little creative on how we can direct these people. Where can they get social fulfillment? A lot of the health care plans have Silver Sneakers. Not trying to plug any one thing here, but that can be a great way for people to interact with others, whether it's going to the gym, doing organized fitness routines, playing pickleball. Even if it's not exercise, even if it's playing bridge with other people. That used to be kind of the stereotypical grandma thing to do. Oh, I'm going to get together with the girls, and we're going to play bridge or dominoes or something. When people don't have that part of that social interaction, that can interfere with your mental capacity, and you can have some of that decline. During the break, we were talking a little bit about routines and schedules. I often bring this up for patients when we're going to do a memory test because even if it's a simple thing of going through the calendar and seeing what day of the week is it? What month is it? What year is it? I have patients who tell me, doc, I'm tired. Monday could fall on a Sunday, and I'd never know. Just like we said, it's a muscle. If you don't use your time, if you don't manipulate time and have a schedule, your body and your brain kind of forget how that works. If you look at those memory tests, the first three questions out of 30 questions are what's the day of the week? What's the what's the year? What's the season? That's 10% of that test those three questions. So, if we want to maintain our ability to control time, we need to be working with time. So, having a schedule and doing different things. So, I think that's one of the major things that we could definitely be doing. We had talked a little bit about diet. There are so many ways that we can try to improve with antioxidants and things like that as well.
DR. FRANCESCA DIGGS
Yes. The diet actually does lead to brain health because as we know, inflammation is the enemy to everything. Heart health, brain health, everything. So, really focusing on a cleaner diet. The Mediterranean has been a tried and true plan. It works all the time because it focuses on getting those green leafy vegetables, the lean meats, the olive oil, the good proteins. Those things really do help to give you good brain food, but they also help to soothe your gut. As we know, like people who have a bad gut or inflammation or they just don't feel good there, that translates into how our brains feel, too. So, they're tied pretty directly together.
DR. RAJAY SEUDATH
Yes. I had a patient recently where we did the two questions screen for memory. They didn't do so well. We did the full memory test, and they didn't do as well as they thought they would. They didn't get bad. It's just they were rather surprised that they didnÕt do as good as they thought they should do. So, they really wanted to know what are the things that I can do to really change my diet? That was absolutely right. Green leafy vegetables, kale, spinach, turnip greens, those kinds of things. Also, it was the antioxidant rich berries like cherries, blueberries, strawberries. In researching for this patient, there was a study where they did wild blueberry powder. It was freeze dried blueberry powder. I think it was two tablespoons daily improved dementia scores. So, people who are already diagnosed with dementia, their scores had improved I think it was after six months to a year of having that every day, just as part of a supplement to their diet. So, inflammation is real. Inflammation and how it interacts with your brain. The oxidative stress on your brain. So, those are some of the things that those types of interventions can help with. I was looking at some of the supplements that are marketed for brain health, and a lot of those types of supplements are coming exactly from the same things like kale and blueberries. All those superfoods are great.
DR. FRANCESCA DIGGS
Something you grow in the garden for sure.
DR. RAJAY SEUDATH
Absolutely. That brings us back full circle. We were talking earlier about gardening. I have no problems with rodents in my garden because I have three cats. You might want to get a cat.
DR. FRANCESCA DIGGS
I should. He mentioned the antioxidants and the oxidative stress, which leads me to alcohol. We all enjoy a very good glass of wine every now and then, but the studies have shown that overuse of that can that can slow down the brain health and can cause some deterioration there.
DR. RAJAY SEUDATH
Yes, absolutely. The other vice that usually goes hand in hand with alcohol is cigarettes.
DR. FRANCESCA DIGGS
Smoking, yes.
DR. RAJAY SEUDATH
People say, I only drink when I smoke. I only smoke when I drink. If we can get patients to stop smoking, that's a big one. If you think about it, we just talked about how anything that decreases oxygen to your brain is something that's bad for your brain health. If you think about a burning building, oh, my gosh, that person had carbon monoxide poisoning. Well, when you're smoking a cigarette, you're getting carbon monoxide poisoning. Slowly but surely, every single day, every single every single stick of that. So, sometimes you have to present it that way. This carbon monoxide is sticking to your red blood cells. It's not allowing the oxygen to get to your brain. You're slowly driving the oxygen out of your brain. Sometimes seeing it that way or listening to that way is a good way to present it. We had touched on earlier about mental health and I think for us, we talk about how depression and dementia are kind of the great pretenders. You can have one mimicking the other and then you can have both at the same time.
DR. FRANCESCA DIGGS
Absolutely. Sometimes that is what we think of as being like brain fog or that's why we don't feel like we can't socialize and we can't process. It's that we are actually a little bit depressed or we may have some anxiety. The beautiful thing is that we have so many treatment options. There's therapy. There are some fantastic, medications. There's also just getting outside and doing the old fashioned thing there. So, it's very important that people work with their, providers to get a very good comprehensive plan. Sometimes it is important to start an SSRI to help replenish serotonin, which does, of course, support brain health. The other thing that is also very good that I think we've all been told that we don't practice it all the time would be mindfulness training. Just having dedicated time to where all you're doing is just focusing on your brain. That can help to reduce anxiety. That can help to improve depression and support the brain health. There are several apps out there that can make this very easy. I think the one that I see the most is, I think it's called Headspace. That one's been very, very good.
CARMENN MILES
Great information. You both are such a wealth of information. I appreciate you joining us. I cannot believe we are out of time. Just some closing thoughts. Brain health is something you build daily through moving your body, eating nourishing foods, getting proper rest, staying mentally engaged, and managing stress. Remember, your brain supports every part of your life, and just like your heart, it deserves care at every age. Listen, don't be a stranger. Subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode. If today's show helped you, sharing is caring. Tell your friends and family where to find us on any podcast platform, and you can also catch us on the radio and several Texas markets. Thank you for listening. Until next time, stay well.
OUTRO
Executive producer for Docs in a Pod is Dan Calderon. The producer is Cherese Pendleton. Thank you for listening to Docs in a Pod presented by WellMed. Be sure and listen next week to Docs in a Pod presented by WellMed.
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