Journal of Health Care and Research | Volume-5 | Issue-2 | Year-2024

To maintain health and achieve longevity, an adequate diet is crucial, such as the Mediterranean diet (MD) and the low-carbohydrate diet (LCD). The MD is characterized by whole grains, fruits, vegetables, less red meat, more fish, and four eggs per week. The MD may reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, and depression. The LCD shows remarkable weight reduction in a short period, but there may be a probable rebound effect within six months. In Japanese cuisine, the intake of fermented soy foods such as natto and miso can lower the risk of death. As a recommendation, the LCD can be started first, followed by the MD for the long term.

In the context of aging and neuropathology, recent topics in music therapy and related advancements are introduced. The authors have managed the Shikoku division of Integrative Medicine Japan (IMJ). Lifelong engagement in music activities can help maintain cognitive reserve, thus promoting brain health. Musical instrument training has been shown to improve executive function, processing speed, and verbal memory. Playing a musical instrument was associated with a significantly decreased risk of dementia, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.64 among the elderly. A comparison between playing an instrument and karaoke showed dementia risk HRs of 0.70 and 0.90, respectively, for elderly males. Musicians were 64% less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia.

The Tokyo University Egogram (TEG) has been recognized as a valuable psychological tool for transactional analysis (TA). TEG has been revised from version 2 to version 3, and the authors have investigated its use in research involving university students. The key findings were as follows: a high prevalence of AC-dominant (dependent) types, a high occurrence of CP-low (gentle) types, dominant child (C) types were more common than parent (P) types, and few cases of A-dominant types were observed, regardless of whether students were in the science and technology departments. The occurrence rate of composite types was low, while that of single ego factors was high. First-year students tended to exhibit low CP and high AC, indicating a need for lifestyle guidance.