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Archive for the ‘Alzheimer’ Category

Alzheimer’s disease, also known simply as Alzheimer’s, is a neurodegenerative disease that, in its most common form, is found in people over age 65. Approximately 24 million people worldwide have dementia of which the majority is due to Alzheimer’s.

Clinical signs of Alzheimer’s disease are characterized by progressive cognitive deterioration, together with declining activities of daily living and by neuropsychiatric symptoms or behavioral changes. It is the most common type of dementia. Plaques which contain misfolded peptides called amyloid beta (A?) are formed in the brain many years before the clinical signs of Alzheimer’s are observed. More than 4 million Americans today are affected with Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to escalate to approximately 12 million within the next 30 years. This serious disease is plaguing America in such a way that just about every individual has had an experience with someone with Alzheimer’s in one way or another. Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that affects the mind, and more specifically your memory. 1 in 8 individuals over the age of 65 will develop it.

Risk Factors:

We currently don’t know what exactly causes Alzheimer’s, and it remains a disease that is diagnosed by eliminating other possibilities. However, experts have found a number of factors that reoccur in Alzheimer’s patients. It is believed that a combination of the following factors can cause a person to be predisposed to develop Alzheimer’s.

1. Family history of the disease – especially a parent or sibling.
2. Heart-disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, and diabetes.
3. Previous head injury
4. Environmental toxins
5. Advancing age
6. Stress- high levels of anxiety

What Are the Symptoms of AD?

AD begins slowly. At first, the only symptom may be mild forgetfulness, which can be confused with age-related memory change. Most people with mild forgetfulness do not have AD. In the early stage of AD, people may have trouble remembering recent events, activities, or the names of familiar people or things. They may not be able to solve simple math problems. Such difficulties may be a bother, but usually they are not serious enough to cause alarm.

However, as the disease goes on, symptoms are more easily noticed and become serious enough to cause people with AD or their family members to seek medical help. Forgetfulness begins to interfere with daily activities.
Main Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease:

Experts have identified a number of stages to help define and group people suffering from this devastating and difficult disease. With no cure the best thing you can do is be aware of what this disease may bring in the future and use this knowledge to help plan care for your loved one.

The following are the Three Main Stages:

1. Early-State – In the early stage, the individual will suffer memory loss and possibly some other cognitive difficulties, however, they can continue to function independently.

2. Mid-Stage – In the mid-stage, the disease has progressed past basic memory troubles and the individual’s mental abilities have continued to decline. They start to suffer personality changes and physical problems, and in turn become more dependent on caregivers.

3. Late-Stage – The late-stage is the most severe. Individuals will suffer complete deterioration of the personality and loss of control over bodily functions. They will become totally dependent on caregivers for even basic daily needs.

There is no set time as to when a person will progress from one stage to the other. One individual may move quickly from the early-stage to the mid-stage, while another may stay in the early-stage for several years. Every person is different. Here is a basic break down of the types of symptoms and their severity for each stage:

How is the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease made?

As of June 2007, there is no specific “blood test” or imaging test that is used for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed when: 1) a person has sufficient cognitive decline to meet criteria for dementia; 2) the clinical course is consistent with that of Alzheimer’s disease; 3) no other brain diseases or other processes are better explanations for the dementia.

Treatment

Currently, there’s no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Doctors sometimes prescribe drugs to improve symptoms that often accompany Alzheimer’s, including sleeplessness, wandering, anxiety, agitation and depression. But only two varieties of medications have been proved to slow the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s.

What can I do to help myself?

The first thing is not to worry unnecessarily. A problem with forgetfulness doesn’t mean that you have dementia.

If you find yourself forgetting certain things, you could try to give yourself memory prompts. If (for instance) you find that you forget to buy food, leave notes in your kitchen cupboards near the back, reminding you to go to the shops. So when you come across the notes, keep them on you until you have bought more food.

This may seem cumbersome, but it’s only an extension of the ‘to do’ lists that people make in everyday life.

About the author: Read out for Anxiety. Check out blood pressure and stress
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There are more than 75 million baby boomers in the United States. And as the biggest portion of this generation approaches retirement age, more and more of its members are becoming concerned about memory problems, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. If you belong to the baby boomer generation, you should be concerned too; the common form of Alzheimer’s disease can afflict anyone who is at least sixty years old. This disease can be more sporadic rather than hereditary, which is why Alzheimer’s has become the most common cause for dementia and other ailments characterized by the decline in brain functioning.

Causes Of Alzheimer’s Disease

Doctors have been continually baffled by what causes Alzheimer’s. But one thing is for sure, as people age, a waxy fibrous stuff called amyloid starts to accumulate in the brain. Amyloid plaque is responsible for the degeneration of various tissues in the body; you can just imagine what this substance can do when it gathers in your brain.

On top of this, as you count the years that you have lived, millions of neurons found in the brain simply stop to send and receive impulses which are the primary means of communication for your brain cells. The overall effect is a total decline in your brain’s ability to organize and handle thoughts. The obvious solution is for your brain to create new perfectly-functioning cells. But before you can even say replacement, your brain tells you that when you are sixty, it is already having a hard time or no longer capable of creating new cells.

Is It Really This Hopeless For Aging People?

The good news is that, various studies and researches about nutrition have been found to directly affect the brain’s functioning. With the right kind of diet, you can protect your brain from Alzheimer’s and reverse the effects of aging to your brain. Although these findings are relatively new, the link between food and the brain sounds promising.

The Antioxidant Story

The most prominent subject in the study about the connection between food and the brain is the one about antioxidants. Basically antioxidants are organic substances that are secreted by plants as a protection from cellular destabilization caused by free radicals. Antioxidants have been also found to effectively counter the oxidative deterioration that happens in the brain as you age.

Where do you find antioxidants? Well, if you take a look at fruits and vegetables that have bright appetizing colors, you have found your ticket away from Alzheimer’s and other brain malfunctions. The bright colors exhibited by certain fruits and vegetables are actually caused by antioxidants; theoretically, the brighter and richer the color of a fruit or vegetable, the higher concentration of antioxidant substances.

If you eat fruits and vegetables that have high levels of antioxidants, you absorb the same substances that protect plants from elements like pollution and extreme weather conditions. Antioxidants in your body will help you reverse most of the effects of aging. From painful joints, to wrinkly skin, to ailing organs, up to a malfunctioning brain, antioxidants seem to be the real fountain of youth.

Generally speaking, foods rich in selenium, vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene are also rich in antioxidants. In the case of vitamins C and E, they boost your immune system in defending against any bacterial or viral attack. Selenium on the other hand has been known to help fight oxidation in the cells. But the most famous of all antioxidants is beta-carotene which can protect you from the harshness of solar radiation.

You can also improve the health of your brain by taking up supplements, such as Neurovar, which are specially formulated for your brain. For more details about brain supplements, visit www.Neurovar.com

About the Author: Sharon Bell is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premiere online news magazine http://www.healthnfitnesszone.com.
Source: http://www.articlesbase.com

While it is not yet clear if Alzheimer’s can be prevented, there is increasing evidence that you can take specific steps to help reduce your risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease.

Head First

Good health starts with your brain. It’s one of the body’s most vital organs and it needs care and maintenance.

Ongoing mental and physical exercise

Exercise keeps the brain healthy. Either use it or lose it. Regular physical activity increases the blood flow to the brain and provides the nutrients necessary to render its tissues resistant to Alzheimer’s. Exercise also increases the number of connections among the millions of brain cells needed for normal mental function. Get into the habit of walking for thirty or sixty minutes a day as briskly as possible. Stair climbing is particularly effective, so take the steps when going up or down one or two flights and leave the elevators and escalators to the kids.

Education

Several population studies have shown that the more schooling you have, the greater are your chances against Alzheimer’s. That may be because the educated are more likely to eat more nutritiously and receive better medical care throughout their lives. However, like physical exercise, ongoing intellectual challenges stimulate the formation of nerve connections. Even if you are destined to develop Alzheimer’s, the more neutrons you develop when you are young, the more you can afford to lose before symptoms set in.

Many retired seniors sign up for classes in accounting, law, art, music, economics, or whatever else interests them to stay mentally active, and not necessarily to start a second career. The longer you continue your education at any age, or keep your mind busy in some other way, the more likely your neurons are to connect with each other later on.

Reduce stress

Chronic stress (as well as anxiety and depression) raises your body’s production of the adrenal hormone cortisol. High levels of cortisol have been shown to lead to memory impairment and atrophy of memory centers in the brain. Stress reduction techniques such as exercise, meditation, yoga, Tai Chi and biofeedback may help to combat chronic stress, anxiety and depression.

Diet

Eat as little animal fat as possible to reduce your vulnerability to Alzheimer’s. The incidence of Alzheimer’s in different countries correlates with the consumption of total fat. Fro example, in the United States, 5 percent of all persons over the age of sixty-five have the disease, while in China and Nigeria, where the fat intake is much lower, the incidence is only 1 percent. Japanese who move to America and double the amount of fat in their diet have twice the incidence of Alzheimer’s than do those who do not emigrate and presumably maintain their old eating habits.

Nicotine

Nicotine is a prime example of how new research data can supersede and negate previously acquired information. We used to believe that smokers were less likely than non-smokers to develop Alzheimer’s. But the anti-tobacco community is now breathing easier because more recent studies indicate that smoking doubles the risk of getting Alzheimer’s.

Vitamin E

Hardly a day does by without some favorable report about vitamin E. I can’t think of any downside of this vitamin, with the possible exception of its raising blood pressure and causing some extra beats in some people. Vitamin E increases fertility in rats; it’s good for the heart; and many doctors prescribe it for the treatment of vascular disease, particularly for narrowing the arteries in the legs. Now comes word that vitamin E may also delay the onset of Alzheimer’s, presumably by virtue of its antioxidant properties. Antioxidants, of which there are many, are said to neutralize the harmful effects of free radicals, the byproducts of bodily process that involve oxygen. These radicals carry an extra electron that can damage the protein in the brain and other organs and accelerate the aging process. The body’s own antioxidant normally neutralizes these free radicals, but this defense can be enhanced by supplemental vitamin E.

Hold off on heavy metals

Heavy metals such as mercury and lead are known to cause brain injury that may not be reversible. Sources of heavy metals include large fish (such as swordfish, tuna steaks, tilefish, king mackerel, shark, halibut and mahi-mahi), which are high in mercury and “silver” dental fillings. Lead exposure may occur from old paint and some calcium supplements, which have recently found to be contaminated with lead.

Along the way, neurologists have discovered that the brain is much more adaptable as it ages than they realized. They have determined that the so-called plasticity of the brain, which allows the formation of new neurons as well as new connections between those neurons, can last a lifetime. “As far as our brains are concerned, learning something new or even retrieving something from memory is a plasticity response,” says Molly Wagster of the National Institute on Aging

About the author: Read out for Alzheimer’s treatment. Check out blood pressure and stress
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