Dear Doctor: My mother-in-law just turned 70. Physically, she's great, but when it comes to memory stuff, like remembering new names or shopping without a grocery list, she's not doing so hot. Do you have any mental tricks or exercises to help her? Her doctor says it's all normal and there's no sign of dementia, but my wife is still worried.

Dear Reader: Whether it's forgetting the name of a new acquaintance, where we left our sunglasses or whether we unplugged the coffee pot before leaving the house, we've all had our memory fail us. We agree with your mother-in-law's doctor that some degree of memory loss is indeed a normal part of aging. The volume of the brain, after peaking in our early 20s, then begins a gradual decline. Nerve cells in the brain begin to shrink or even atrophy, and interconnections between neurons become less numerous. Add in the changes to blood flow that occur as the cardiovascular system goes through its own aging process, and occasional struggles with memory come as no surprise.

Memory changes often begin with subtle episodes when you're in your 40s and progress from there. Although these changes have been a recognized part of aging for thousands of years -- the Greeks wrote about it in 700 B.C. -- the fear of dementia can turn each new lapse into an occasion for worry. It's understandable that, despite a doctor's reassurances, your wife and her mother are concerned.

The good news is that her doctor is monitoring your mother-in-law's symptoms and sees no cause for alarm. However, cognitive changes are often gradual. We think it's wise to remain aware of your mother-in-law's mental state.

In the meantime, there has been some interesting new research into improving memory for people of all ages.

According to a study published a few years ago in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, a powerful tool in the memory arsenal turns out to be drawing. Researchers asked participants in the study to remember a certain word. One group was asked to write the word down, the other to draw it. When it came time to remember the word, the group that made drawings was markedly better at recall than those who simply wrote the word down. What's really interesting is the drawing technique boosted memory not only of specific words and objects, but also of complex ideas and abstract concepts.

When it comes to remembering names, memory experts advise saying the name aloud as you meet the new person. More recent research found that you boost the memory effect if you use the name of a new acquaintance in conversation moments after you meet. That is, saying the name aloud to a third party helps you to remember it.

Finally, we've known for some time that exercise can help memory. Now a recent study in Nature Medicine suggests irisin, a hormone produced during exercise, is part of the reason. Irisin appears to not only improve brain health, but researchers say it may also lessen the damage that occurs during Alzheimer's disease.

Try sharing these facts and techniques with your mother-in-law. You may also find them to be useful in your own life.

(Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)

Dear Doctor: Is it true that there's a link between the appendix and Parkinson's disease? I thought all an appendix ever does is burst sometimes. Does this mean we should get our appendixes removed, the way our parents used to get their tonsils taken out?

Dear Reader: The appendix has always been a bit of a mystery. It's narrow pouch, between 2 and 4 inches long, that sits in the lower-right quadrant of the abdomen near where the small and large intestines meet. The fact that the appendix serves no obvious purpose in adults had led it to be considered a vestigial organ. That is, an organ that has lost its function over time. As you point out, the appendix is mainly known for its ability to become inflamed. Since perforation then becomes a risk, which would cause infectious materials to spill into the abdominal cavity, an inflamed appendix is often surgically removed.

Ongoing research has shed new light on the appendix. It's known that during gestation, the appendix makes certain types of cells that play a role in normal fetal development. After birth, the appendix takes on some immune functions. And though it was believed the appendix becomes inert in later adulthood, newer studies suggest that one role of the appendix is to harbor beneficial bacteria that are important to intestinal health. Now, with a study recently published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, a potential link between the appendix and Parkinson's disease has emerged.

Parkinson's is a progressive disorder of the nervous system. It arises due to the loss of cells in the brain that produce dopamine and which control movement. Why this happens is not yet known. The symptoms of Parkinson's disease emerge and progress gradually. They include tremors, muscle stiffness, movement that becomes progressively slower, problems with balance, changes to speech and handwriting, and a loss of facial expression.

The brain cells of many people with Parkinson's have been found to contain a protein called alpha-synuclein. This protein clumps together into structures known as Lewy bodies, and is believed to be so toxic to brain cells that it causes their death. This same protein has also been found in the intestines of Parkinson's patients. That's significant because some researchers believe that the vagus nerve, which runs from the gut to the brain, may serve as a pathway along which the toxic proteins can travel.

Because certain gastrointestinal symptoms often precede the motor effects of Parkinson's disease, researchers specifically designed this latest study to explore the potential of a gut-brain connection. In one section of the study, which analyzed the long-term hospital data of 1.7 million Swedish individuals, they found that people who underwent an appendectomy as young adults had a 20 percent lower risk of developing Parkinson's decades later. The study also found accumulations of alpha-synuclein, the protein mentioned earlier, in 46 out of 48 appendixes of healthy individuals.

As to whether all of this points the way to preventative appendectomies, the answer is no. While this research does open up new avenues of study into the causes of Parkinson's disease, it doesn't reach any conclusions. For now, unless it's inflamed, the appendix stays.

(Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)

Dear Doctor: Yes, it's totally predicable, but my New Year's resolution was to lose 15 pounds. I wanted to do the keto diet, but my friend (a physician assistant) said to concentrate on healthy eating instead. What do you think? Does it really have to be a choice between weight loss or wellness?

Dear Reader: You're asking an excellent question, and you are far from alone in your quandary. Since the holidays, we've seen an increase in the number of stories on this very topic. Where once post-holiday diet discussions focused on austerity and sheer willpower, the conversation has shifted to health and well-being. Sure, restrictive eating plans like the ketogenic diet, which revolves around fat and protein, still hold sway. It's hard to argue with the allure of eating bacon, cheese, meat and butter and still losing weight. When you look at the history of dieting, which stretches back thousands of years, we humans have always sought one magic formula to make weight loss easy, fast and painless.

Now, however, the tide is turning. The term "wellness" has quietly migrated from the medical world and into common usage. Even Weight Watchers, the venerable diet company, has rebranded itself to WW, in one fell swoop erasing its decades-long connection to restrictive eating.

Still, simply switching to a healthful diet does not automatically translate into weight loss. The connection between how much energy we take in and how much energy we expend remains. Consistently overeat, even on a healthful diet, and you'll gain weight.

In our experience, the approach to weight loss that has the best odds of success is a plan that is gradual, deliberate and long-term. That's not nearly as gratifying as the high-protein blitz that sends the numbers on the scale into a nosedive, but it also has lower odds of the rebound weight gain that often leaves dieters heavier than when they started.

We agree with your friend that your initial focus should be on a healthful and well-balanced diet. But we don't think that when you get up tomorrow morning, you have to face a brand-new dietary landscape. Instead, start with a clear-eyed assessment of what you actually do eat. Keeping a food diary for one week -- a relentlessly honest one -- is an eye-opener. Write not only what you eat, but also how much and at what time. We guarantee that a pattern will emerge, including days and times that you find yourself most susceptible to poor choices. Once you know that the doughnut you easily ignored at breakfast sings a siren song at 3 p.m., you can plan ahead with a healthful substitute.

Make any dietary changes gradually. (And please, do add an exercise component to your plan.) Ease added sugar out of your life. Wean yourself from processed and snack foods. Focus instead on lean proteins, a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes, and healthful oils. It can be tough, but make peace with the idea of incremental weight loss. With just 5 ounces of weight loss per week, you'll exceed your 15-pound goal by the time 2020 rolls around. And with the new habits you've developed, odds are you'll be able to maintain it.

(Send your questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla.edu, or write: Ask the Doctors, c/o UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024. Owing to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.)