by TheLichfieldBlog

The natural health researchers at Institute for Vibrant Living (IVL) have investigated the natural remedies and preventatives available for Alzheimer’s. Here is one in a series of reports on this subject:

Alzheimer’s is a dreaded disease affecting the brain that significantly interferes with the ability to function on a daily basis.  Resulting in the degeneration of healthy brain tissue, Alzheimer’s causes a gradual decline in memory and mental function. Eventually, patients may have trouble reading, writing, speaking, and recognizing others.

While scientists have not fully established an actual cause of Alzheimer’s disease, new research shows that there are a number of natural treatment options that can help slash your chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease.

Reduce metal contaminants in the body - Aluminum can cause neurological damage linked with Alzheimer’s disease, according to research from the National Institute of Health.  Restrict the use of aluminum cookware and other products that contain aluminum like specific antacids, aspirins and antiperspirants read labels!

Avoid Mercury – According to the journal Neuroreport, mercury is also linked to Alzheimer’s. The study reported that neurological damage caused by mercury is very similar to that which occurs in Alzheimer’s patients. Avoid vaccines with the preservative thimerosal and amalgam dental fillings.  Also, limit consumption of long-living, wild-caught fish, such as marlin, tuna, shark, swordfish, king mackerel, northern pike and lake trout.

Supplement the diet with omega-3 fatty acids - These important fatty acids significantly slowed the progression of Alzheimer’s disease when added to the diets of mice, as shown in a study published by the Journal of Neuroscience.  Omega-3 fatty acids, which enhance the health of the nervous system, can be found in flaxseed oil, salmon, and walnuts.

Get plenty of folic acid a B vitamin found in citrus fruits and leafy greens.  Research sponsored by the National Institute of Aging and published in the Journal of Neuroscience showed that a diet high in folic acid can help prevent damage to DNA in the brain caused by Alzheimer’s disease.  Folic acid has also been shown to reduce high homocysteine levels in the blood which can nearly double the chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease.

Stimulate the brain on a daily basis!  Another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine determined that brain-stimulating activities like reading, playing cards, and solving puzzles were shown to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in people over age 75. And, the more time spent with this type of stimulation further reduces the risk of contracting the disease!

Exercise regularly!  Physical exercise has been associated with the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, and it helps to ensure a healthy weight. Research has shown that people with a healthy weight in mid-life are less likely to contract Alzheimer’s disease later in life. The reverse is true for those who are overweight in mid-life.  Dr. Ronald Petersen, the director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Research Center, believes physical exercise to be one of the best natural ways to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Finally, give these natural substances a try:

Curcumin- Inflammation is a process thought to increase the risks of Alzheimer’s disease. Found in the curry spice turmeric, curcumin is an anti-inflammatory.  In a 2009 study, researchers discovered that curcumin may help to combat Alzheimer’s when combined with vitamin D.

Ginkgo biloba - An herb that is said to enhance brain health, ginkgo biloba has been shown to have promising results in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease in many clinical trials. 

Although much more research is needed in the use of natural methods as a treatment for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, many of these methods show promise. However, it is always a good idea to discuss any treatment options with your health care provider.

Question by Bottom Contributor: How do you care for someone with Alzheimer’s without being too intrusive?
I just got a job working part-time taking care of an elderly gentleman with Alzheimer’s. His wife says that the main thing she wants me there for is to prevent him from falling and wondering outside of the home. So, I basically followed him around the house, but I could tell he was really uncomfortable with that, and I was too. If anyone has any experience or suggestions of how to handle this, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by orderstogo
# Share laughter as much as possible. Although a person with Alzheimer’s Disease may not be able to say who you are, or recognize even the closest relatives or friends, often their feelings can be expressed through interactions geared towards their current capabilities. Almost everyone is capable of receiving love and kindness.
# Maintain yourself. Try to maintain a sense of compassion, humor, and a willingness to learn new strategies to assist the person with AD, as well as yourself. The person with Alzheimer’s Disease (and you, as their caregiver) will experience many changes over the course of time. This can be frightening and requires flexibility. You are both experiencing unknown territories. Be kind to the person with AD and yourself.

What do you think? Answer below!

by SFU Public Affairs and Media Relations

About Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative brain disorder named after German physician Alois Alzheimer, who first described it in the year 1906. Dementia is a general term used for the depicting loss of memory and other intellectual abilities which are serious enough to interfere with daily life.

Alzheimer’s Disease: The Most Common Form of Dementia
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia among older people. Alzheimer’s disease first causes progressive cognitive deterioration which involves the parts of the brain that control thought, memory and language. It is later accompanied by declining activities of daily living and by neuropsychiatric symptoms or behavioral changes. People suffering from Alzheimers disease often find it difficult to remember names of the people they know and tend to forget recent happenings. They might not recognize even their family members and may have trouble doing activities like speaking, reading or writing. Sometimes the condition of Alzheimer patients becomes so severe that they wander away from home.

The human brain contains 100 billion nerve cells or neurons. Each of these nerve cells communicates with each other to form a network like structure. These nerve cell networks coordinate the neural activities such as thinking, learning, remembering, smelling, hearing & seeing. To do their work, the brain cells operate like tiny factories. In Alzheimer’s disease, parts of the brain cell’s factory stop functioning properly. Scientists are still unsure as to where exactly the trouble starts from.

Alzheimer’s Disease : Causes
The greatest known cause for Alzheimer’s disease is increasing age. The statistics reveal that the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease doubles about every five years after age 65. The other major cause of Alzheimer’s disease is family history or heredity (genetics). When Alzheimer’s disease tends to run in families, either heredity (genetics) or environmental factors or both may play a major role. Alzheimer’s disease may also be caused by a serious head injury or severe heart diseases that damage the heart or blood vessels.

Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease
There are no medical tests currently available to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease with definite accuracy. The first step in following up on the symptoms is to go and see a doctor with whom the patient feels comfortable. The patient’s mood and mental status is evaluated along with a detailed review of the patient’s medical history. Later on a couple of clinical diagnostic tests are performed to ascertain conclusive evidence on whether the patient suffers from Alzheimer’s disease or not.

Home Care and Treatment for Alzheimer’s disease
At present, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers are looking for new treatments and care techniques to alter the course of the disease and improve the quality of life for people suffering with Alzheimer’s disease. It is important to take ample care of yourself if you have to take care of someone suffering from Alzheimer’s disease because taking care of Alzheimer patients can be quite challenging and overwhelming. You can talk to other people who have taken care of Alzheimer disease patients within their own family. But the most viable option is to get in touch with professional caregivers who are specialized in providing home care support to people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Assisted-living facilities especially for people with Alzheimer’s Disease.
Assisted-living facilities for people with Alzheimer’s disease are often referred to as “Special Care Units (SCUs).” SCUs are staffed with individuals who are specially trained to work with people who have Alzheimer’s disease. As such, the environment is designed to be very safe and comfortable, and the activities are designed to benefit the person with Alzheimer’s disease.

SCUs can differ in the level of care they provide along the continuum of the disease. For instance, some assisted living facilities will accept people with Alzheimer’s until they need skilled care (nursing home care) whereas others will only accept people who are in the early stages of the disease.

Get Help.
Our LTC Network of companies are premier providers of home care and senior housing services for people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia and can safely help your loved one with the activities of daily living. Please consider our home health care and senior housing services specializing in Alzheimer’s Disease to take the strain off your back.

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More Alzheimer’s Articles

Question by Brian L: What is the youngest age a person can get alzheimer’s?
I am normally not a hypochondriac but I do have a history of AD in my family and I suffer from frequent memory loss. I am 35.

Best answer:

Answer by Pico
Not sure what the earliest age is for ‘early onset’ Alzheimer’s but my uncle got it at 53. It took him out very fast and he was in a nursing home with in a year or two. He passed away last year at 65.

Give your answer to this question below!

by peter hindmarsh

Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting over half of all dementia sufferers. Alzheimer’s disease is caused by a loss of brain cells, probably related to an imbalance in the chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) in the brain.

Alzheimer’s Disease Medications [Sorted by Popularity]

Reminyl®, Exelon®.

» View medications: Alzheimer’s disease

How are people affected?

Over time, their mental abilities deteriorate, gradually progressing through forgetting important matters, getting confused about where they are and what day it is, to becoming lethargic and withdrawn and starting to neglect personal hygiene.

The sufferer may tend to dwell in the past and mistake friends and neighbours for long-departed family members. Conversation may become repetitive and the personality may alter as people develop odd or uncharacteristic behaviours.

In the later stages of the illness, sufferers lose insight and may not be aware of their plight, which makes the disease particularly hard for carers to bear.

Who develops Alzheimer’s disease

The main risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is increased age. As a population ages, the frequency of Alzheimer’s disease continues to increase. Ten percent of people over 65 years of age and 50% of those over 85 years of age have Alzheimer’s disease. Unless new treatments are developed to decrease the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease, the number of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States is expected to be 14 million by the year 2050.

There are also genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. Most patients develop Alzheimer’s disease after age 70. However, 2%-5% of patients develop the disease in the fourth or fifth decade of life (40s or 50s). At least half of these early onset patients have inherited gene mutations associated with their Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, the children of a patient with early onset Alzheimer’s disease who has one of these gene mutations has a 50% risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

There is also a genetic risk for late onset cases. A relatively common form of a gene located on chromosome 19 is associated with late onset Alzheimer’s disease. In the majority of Alzheimer’s disease cases, however, no specific genetic risks have yet been identified.

Other risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease include high blood pressure (hypertension), coronary artery disease, diabetes, and possibly elevated blood cholesterol. Individuals who have completed less than eight years of education also have an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. These factors increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, but by no means do they mean that Alzheimer’s disease is inevitable in persons with these factors.

All patients with Down syndrome will develop the brain changes of Alzheimer’s disease by 40 years of age. This fact was also a clue to the “amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer’s disease”

» Learn more: Alzheimer’s disease

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What is Alzheimer’s disease?

Related Alzheimer’s Articles

Question by Reagan-Jeffersonian Party: Are progressives afraid they will get Alzheimer’s since it’s a progressive disease?

http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp

Best answer:

Answer by Funding Mosques w/your taxdollars
They caught the Liberalism disease when they were young – Alzheimer’s would benefit these people.

Add your own answer in the comments!