That's Fit

You suddenly cannot recall your phone number. You find the phone in the fridge. Your new sandals are sitting in your kids' shoe tree. You're starting to Google the key phrases "early dementia" and "early Alzheimer's."

It's a frightening concept, losing your marbles. Many Boomers have faithfully been married to physical fitness for years, but as they gray around the temples they're starting to worry their noggin' may someday ask for a divorce. According to a recent study of older Boomers (born 1946-1955), a growing number believe in the plasticity of the brain -- calisthenics for the mind, if you will.

Beyond $1,000 genetic tests to examine risk factors such as Alzheimer's by 23andMe and deCODE genetics, there are also brain health products such as Posit Science's $395 computer cognitive exercises, MindFit's $149 assessment/personalized cognitive training software and Nintendo's $19.99 Brain Age 2 video game offering math/memory exercises. As I reported earlier, brain fitness is a young industry poised for big growth.

I can see it now, Boomers Aerobics where the instructor shouts cognitive training directives from the podium. How about a Cardio/Cranium Theatre challenging your memory from the big screen? Don't forget the monthly brain massage.

What if you could get a home kit for testing your DNA: all you had to do was spit into a vial and send it off. The results would be posted on the Internet for your own viewing pleasure. Would you pay $1,000 to do this? Well it's not just hypothetical -- a company called 23andme based out of San Francisco is doing just that by using only people's saliva.

The company likes to brag that "genetics just got personal," and if you haven't made the connection yet, the name comes from the number of chromosome pairs humans have. After sending in your saliva sample, they conduct dozens of tests to assess your risk factor for just about anything. Breast cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, even heart attacks are addressed using this method.

But critics think getting potentially disheartening news about your health right off the Internet at home could be doing the consumer injustice. They say because there's no doctor there to talk you through it, or because saliva was the only thing tested, the accuracy may not be as reliable. That's not stopping some people, however. Even an executive at Pixar took the plunge. If the thought of grappling this kind of news sounds scary, there's always the traditional doctor's office. For others wanting a new way to engage their medical information, this proves how personal the Internet is making every facet of our lives.