My husband Mike Adamle and I constantly remind the people we engage with as part of The Mike Adamle Project: Rise Above that eating right and exercising are two of the more obvious and important components of a healthy lifestyle. But did you know socializing and staying connected with friends and family may also help your brain fight against Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)?
Dr. Robert Stern, Director of clinical research at the Boston University CTE Center, says staying socially engaged wires the brain in a way that may help slow down or even prevent it from getting damaged. This can be as simple as picking up the phone to call an old friend, joining a book club, or any other method of maintaining a social network. These connections are crucial in helping the brain protect against degeneration.
Mike and I have experienced the power of socialization firsthand. Watch the below video to learn more about how staying social has helped improve Mike’s mood, energy level, and overall mindset as he lives with what doctors believe is probable CTE.