Avoiding Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia

[SeaBreeze]

As we age, we can be proactive in avoiding such conditions as Dementia (memory loss) and Alzheimer's Disease. It helps to eat healthy whole foods, take necessary supplements like Omega 3s and vitamin D3, exercise our bodies, and keep our brains challenged and active. Here's some suggestions to help us keep our cognition and brain health as we enter our golden years. I'm doing everything I can now, to remain independent and functional as I get older. http://www.natmedtalk.com/wiki/Alzheimer's_Disease

 

[mabelsmith40]

I like to do crossword puzzles to stay sharp.

 

[StillSurfing]

We should all do what we can I suppose.

Our brain functions less as we get older, so the more we keep testing it, the healthier it will be.

As Mabel wrote, crosswords and puzzle games are a great way to keep the mind working.

I enjoy a game of scrabble with my family now and then also.

 

[AlbertC]

I've seen an awful lot of advertisements for products that are supposed to keep the brain sharp and avoid dementia. At the end of the day though, I think that these people are probably more interested in selling their gizmo or book than in really helping with a problem that would be hard to clinically establish a link to anyway. Seems to me that simply staying active, engaged with volunteer activities that challenge your mind and put you in situations that require thought and creativity is a much more productive way to ward off the ill brain effects of old age than poking away at some brain-teaser thing.

Posting on a forum like this is probably a good start! I also serve on the board of two charities, and the varied and interesting work that I do there is really keeping me sharp.

 

[SeaBreeze]

I read with interest this info on coconut oil helping and possibly preventing Alzheimer's Disease.
http://www.coconutketones.com/

Seems this author/doctor has a husband with the disease. Some of it seems anecdotal...however, mixing in a bit of coconut oil seems tasty and healthy. I'm going to keep an eye on this and see what shakes out.

I think a lot of information available is anecdotal, very few studies done on alternatives. I take a spoonful of coconut oil daily, and use it for baking, etc. I have an aunt that died with Alzheimer's, and I want to do what I can to avoid it. Also take Omega 3 fish oil daily.

 

[TxTwisterGl]

Just an added note about Alzheimers and dementia. Last year the University of Texas made an announcement about Alzheimers and said they had done a study that revealed that numerous people had been misdiagnosed with the disease or with dementia when in fact the cause of the loss of cognitive ability in later years in several cases could be linked to a new culprit that had never been suspected before and that is fluid on the brain.

They showed that in a majority of the patients they looked at that had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's or dementia were in fact suffering from a build up fluid on the brain and by simply putting in a shunt, a large number of the patients cognitive abilities returned to almost normal.

They are still studying their findings and are hoping to have more definitive information in the next year. Our local news in Austin did a story about this and it was amazing to see people that had been diagnosed with the disease and been on medications for a few years that now post shunt placement are almost 100% back to their prior level.

It apparently takes a special CAT scan to diagnose it if is a fluid build up issue. Too many people are misdiagnosed these days and people do forget that the only true way to diagnose Alzheimers is by autopsy.

What typically happens is people or their families report memory loss to the attending doctor who usually puts them on medications that are know to improve cognitive ability in Alzheimers. And these medications do not seem to work for everyone - well no wonder since they dont have Alzheimers.

Anyway its sure worth keeping an eye on new data.

 

[Bill.K]

Wow I'm glad there's been such progression in this nasty disease, and TxTwisterGl you said that the only way to tell if a person has Alzheimers is by autopsy? IS this true? My mother passed, but I'm pretty certain that they did not do an autopsy and they seemed to have diagnosed her before her demise...

 

[TxTwisterGl]

There is no specific test for Alzheimers and the diagnosis can only be confirmed by autopsy. If a doctor is willing to sign a death certificate stating they have the disease then the state/county will let them if they have been treating the patient, no matter what the ailment. They do not have to prove it. They can look at Cat and MRI scans and it will show atrophy but there is no pattern with the disease that can be seen on the tests. Nor is there any lab test that detects it. Alzheimers is considered a diagnosis by exclusion until proven with autopsy- basicall this means they test for other things and rule them out - if everything is ruled out then they assume it is Alzheimers and can give them the diagnosis. Thats why the study here in Austin is so important because it shows that people can be misdiagnosed with the disease. The report that I saw here in Austin showed people that were diagnosed with Alzhimers but in truth had hydrocephalgia, or water on the brain. Once a shunt was put in to drain off the excess of fluid, the patients mental state returned to almost previous condition. I am hoping that in the next couple of years we will get to see more about this so more people are able to be treated instead of basically being doomed to a life of confusion. I worked in elderly care for over 15 years and it hurt my heart daily to see these wonderful amazing people deteriorate so when in their eyes you can see them calling out for help. 3

Just to make sure I did ask a couple of friends that are still in medicine if any new testing is available for Alzheimers before I responded and they all confirmed that there is no test for Alzheimer's.

 

[SeaBreeze]

From what I've read, excessive amounts of Aluminum is found in the brains of deceased Alzheimer's patients.

 

[hearlady]

It seems there was a celebrity recently who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's but actually had Lyme disease.