How Dr. Sharon Sha of Stanford University Helped Chris Hemsworth Protect His Brain During The Filming of ‘Limitless’

An Interview with Savio P. Clemente

So I always say my top three are exercise, exercise, exercise. I’m going to add some more though too. We all know that exercise is important for our brain, but also the diet that we eat. The Mediterranean heart healthy diet has been the most studied, but sleep is so important for brain health.

The term Blue Zones has been used to describe places where people live long and healthy lives. What exactly does it take to live a long and healthy life? What is the science and the secret behind longevity and life extension? I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Sharon Sha who offered her brain health expertise during the filming of ‘Limitless with Chris Hemsworth’ from National Geographic on Disney+.

Dr. Sharon Sha is a Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University, where she has become a leading light in the field of dementia and neurodegenerative disease. As a doctor, she helps and cares for patients with Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases on a daily basis, in her clinic. As an academic, she is also at the forefront of research into understanding and finding treatments for these disorders.

Sharon’s key message about Alzheimer’s (with regard to Limitless) is that although there is no cure, there are many lifestyle practices that can boost brain health and potentially test cut our risk of developing Alzheimer’s in the first place, including cognitive stimulation, exercise, and good sleep.

Thank you for joining us in this interview series, Sharon. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?

I’m a behavioral neurologist which means that I see patients with dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases and have expertise in memory and other cognitive functions. I work at Stanford University and I do research on clinical trials trying to find the next cure for Alzheimer’s disease and other related disorders.

To begin, can you share with our readers about your unique contribution to the world of health and wellness?

I really value my opportunity to educate patients and families and walk with them through the journey of this disease process and help them understand it better.

We don’t have a cure as of right now, and I’m hoping that will change in the next five years. But I feel like my expertise helps them navigate through this process as well as understand it with my special skills of personableness.

Based on your research or experience, can you please share your “5 Things You Need To Live A Long & Healthy Life”?

So I always say my top three are exercise, exercise, exercise. I’m going to add some more though too. We all know that exercise is important for our brain, but also the diet that we eat. The Mediterranean heart-healthy diet has been the most studied, but sleep is so important for brain health.

Socializing both intellectually and interpersonally. We’ve learned through the pandemic how important socialization is for our wellness and our brain health. All of those factors play into the health of our brain and throughout life.

Life sometimes takes us on paths that are challenging. How did you help Chris Hemsworth bounce back from physical, mental and emotional setbacks during the filming of the ‘Limitless’ series from National Geographic on Disney+?

My goal was to teach him how to keep his brain healthy and to prevent any sort of degenerative disease with the science that we have now. So we talked a lot about exercise and we know Chris exercises a lot, but how do we exercise our brain?

Let’s think about our brains. A lot of times we think about our body, our physique. We’re not thinking about our wellness and how that interplays with other parts of our quality of life. You know, he wants to live a long, happy life with his wife and his kids. Sleep is a major part of that. I know he’s healthy and is eating, so we really tapped into the areas that maybe he could develop further and discussed ways to have a daily routine that could help his brain stay healthy for longer.

Are there any myths around brain health during the filming of ‘Limitless with Chris Hemsworth’ that you would like to dispel?

I think people are looking for supplements or that miracle drug and you know, it’s so much easier to just say, give me the pill. This is going to fix all my memory problems. But it really takes work and it’s the common sense stuff that really does work for our brain. So we know we can’t be a couch potato as much as we’d love to. We know that we have to eat healthily. We can’t just eat cookies every night like I did during the pandemic, which is a terrible thing. We just have to really take it into our own hands, but that can really be preventative medicine for the future.

Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your expertise, Sharon.