Prevention Against Alzheimer’s Disease - What You Can Do

Perhaps you’ve witnessed close friends or relatives become a shell of their former selves as their mental abilities wither away from the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s disease. It is a truly tragic occurrence to endure. If you haven’t been in this unfortunate position, consider yourself very lucky.

Currently, more than 5 million people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease in the United States. Approximately 12.5% of Americans older than 65 are at risk for Alzheimer’s, and that figure jumps to a staggering 50% for those over 85. As the baby boomer generation approaches their mid 60’s, you will most likely see these figures rise even higher.

Currently, there is no 100% proven method of prevention against Alzheimer’s disease. It is a complex and nuanced disorder, and while doctors and researchers are making great strides, they are still not fully certain as to all of the causes and best prevention practices.

However, recent discoveries point to the fact that prevention against Alzheimer’s disease lies mainly in how you live your life. As with many other devastating diseases such as cancer, heart disease and stroke, adapting healthy lifestyle practices has been found to be the best way to prevent Alzheimer’s.

4 Pillars of Alzheimer’s Prevention

‘We have to realize that the era of the magic bullet - drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease - is over. We need to take an integrative approach, like they do for heart disease. What works for the heart, works for the head,’ contends Dr. Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., President and Medical Director of the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation.

Dr. Khalsa has been working to fight Alzheimer’s disease with the non-profit ARPF since 1993. He has developed his ‘4 Pillars of Alzheimer’s Prevention’ which he asserts are the most effective way to avoid developing the disease.

Pillar 1 - Diet and Vitamins

According to Dr. Khalsa, a proper Alzheimer’s prevention diet should consist of 20% ‘good’ fat (including extra virgin olive oil, avocado, and flaxseed oil), 40% lean protein (especially fish), and 40 % complex carbohydrates and vegetables.

It is important to avoid a diet high in trans-fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Eating foods rich in anti-oxidants is very important. Many foods high in vitamins C and E are also rich in anti-oxidants. Blueberries, grapes, cranberries, papaya, apples, and green leafy vegetables are all a good source of anti-oxidants.

Omega-3 fatty acids, found in salmon, trout, albacore tuna, and spinach, help prevent the build-up of plaques in the brain. It’s also important for you to take a high potency multi-vitamin that contains folic acid and vitamin C.

Pillar 2 - Stress Management

High cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high cortisol levels can all lead to developing Alzheimer’s. And stress is a major factor in all of these conditions.

Cortisol is a stress chemical released in your body. In excess, it damages the cells in your brain’s memory center. And as stress and cortisol levels increase, your chances for memory loss increase dramatically.

Regular stress relaxation practice has been shown to improve focus, attention, and mental performance. Some practical stress management techniques include meditation, yoga, hypnosis, relaxation exercises, prayer, and deep breathing.

Pillar 3 - Mind and Body Exercise

It is important to engage in both physical and mental exercise on a regular basis. Research has shown a link between cardiovascular health and brain functioning. This makes perfect sense, since your heart is responsible for pumping blood to your brain.

Physical exercise has been found to reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s by as much as 50%. The following activities will provide you with a more than adequate regimen of physical activity to keep your brain healthy: 30 minutes of regular brisk walking, jogging, dance classes, swimming, hiking, and regular participation in sports.

It is also important to engage in a variety of mental activities. Mental exercise can reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s by 70%.

Stimulating the brain can increase the number of brain cells you have as well as the connections between these cells. It can also strengthen your current brain cells.

Dr. Khalsa stresses the importance of participating in a variety of mental exercises. The mind is kept sharper when activities are varied and new. Sticking to the same routine mental exercises doesn’t help maintain brain functioning very much.

Some good activities for maintaining healthy brain functioning include learning something new (a musical instrument, a foreign language, a hobby, etc.), memory games, taking a class, reading (especially challenging material), crossword puzzles and Sudoku games, and writing (stories, articles, poetry, memoirs, etc.).

Pillar 4 - Pharmaceuticals

Cholinesterase inhibitors are effective in slowing down the decline in cognitive abilities brought on by Alzheimer’s. Other drugs that are commonly used to treat the disease include Aricept, Exelon, Namenda, and Razadyne.

Always make sure to consult your doctor before using these medications, and go for regular check-ups to make sure that your body isn’t experiencing any harmful side effects from these drugs.

It’s never too early to start your program of prevention against Alzheimer’s disease. By adopting healthier lifestyle practices when you are young, you can enjoy better mental functioning as you reach the later years of your life.

By: Susan Nickerson

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

There are scientific advancements that look promising for preventing and even reversing the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive deterioration of the brain, first described in 1907 by the German neurologist Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915). It is the most common form of dementing, or mind-depriving, illness, affecting cells in an area of the brain important to memory.

Alzheimer’s disease or Alzheimer’s syndrome most commonly strikes elderly adults, but it has also been known to afflict people in their late twenties.

People with Alzheimer’s experience difficulties communicating, learning, thinking and reasoning - problems severe enough to have an impact on an individual’s work, social activities and family life.

Alzheimer’s is the most common neurodegenerative disease in the number of people affected. It is emerging to potentially become the largest medical problem facing the elderly in the 21st century.

Currently there are as many as 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s and that number is expected to grow to as many as 16 million by 2050.

A new person is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s every 71 seconds, and because people are living longer Alzheimer’s disease has become a serious health problem that governments must face; this disease is now the sixth leading cause of death in America alone. Alzheimer’s disease is becoming tragically common.

Over 12 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. The direct and indirect cost of caring for Alzheimer’s victims in the United States alone is more than $100 billion a year.

With these startling statistics, can anything be done to save our brains from this horrific deterioration? Will more seniors be able to avoid falling victim to Alzheimer’s as the elderly population increases? Are we finally getting close to a cure?

The conventional medical approach is limited to pain relief and controlling some of the related symptoms by using expensive prescription drugs riddled with side effects.

But in reality, extensive research reveals that proliferation of Alzheimer’s disease in society is a direct manifestation of our changed lifestyles. When people around the world experience similar problems, it’s not a random incident but a methodical process spreading across cultures and borders.

You see, our lifestyle choices have gotten us into this mess. We need to make the right choices to get us out.

The fact is the exponential increase in Alzheimer’s disease is really the result of the way our lives have changed. The bad news is we are used to living a certain way now and it isn’t easy to change. The good news is that change is in our power and with it better health.

Specialties in dementia services in speech and language therapy are expanding as a result of the growing age dementia symptoms being exhibited in the population. There is a growing market for online test for alzheimer’s. One way to help lower the risk of dementia and one that you can have responsibility for is to change your habits of life, eat healthily and take regular exercise. Currently, researchers studying Alzheimer’s patients have noticed that those who stay healthy and take specific nutritional supplements have slowed down and even reversed the decline.

Yes, Alzheimer’s may be a curable condition. Alzheimer’s is some instances may not be curable but it can be slowed down  and can  be almost reversed.

Every day now more and more people are finding that they can start to reverse their Alzheimer’s. In some cases starting with dementia services in speech and language therapy.

(guest article writer today)

By: Matt Traverso

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Alzheimer’s Disease Progessive Dementia and Prognosis

As your age increases so do the number of problems that are going to affect you and by far  the most common form of dementia among the aging is and has been for years  Alzheimer’s disease. The gradual loss of memory is a very scary and awful and with at least 10% of people aged sixty five and over affected it is quickly becoming the single most major age related concern of medical and public health officials. 

Research goes on at an ever increasing rate into the issue of progressive dementia and prognosis.  

The medical community of the entire world started focusing on Alzheimer’s disease only about 30yrs ago and still its effects are not fully understood today, the disease which was first discovered or more accurately was first defined early in the twentieth century by  German physician Alois Alzheimer. Early studies had only shown something obvious to any close to a victim that getting older is the main reason for contracting this degenerative disease. This of course was far too simplistic and turns out to be an attitude that did not serve well the population. It is important to get the message out that your habits when younger will have an impact on your experience with the disease if you have any. Early recognition of Alzheimer’s is  delayed due to  the person having the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease themselves, when they either fail to recognize the various signs or even worse choose to ignore them. Something like waves of dizziness and  memory loss are easily ignored by some as normal part of aging.

Although there are many areas of dementia, Alzheimer’s treatment is the same as other degenerative brain disorders. Unfortunately because of this, there isn’t an exclusive Alzheimer’s treatment available presently although there are just a few drugs that can help some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.  Alzheimer’s disease sufferers are usually prescribed atleast one from among the following drugs Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine which have been approved for use by the FDA and have shown that they can improve the cognitive abilities of the patient for up to six months. Now among the drugs currently used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s is Memantine but the research community is hoping to add more effective drugs to the list of those available soon.

Alzheimer’s disease is considered to be a major public health challenge as the average age of the developed world’s population is increasing and is now the fourth largest cause of death in America. The economic cost to treat and provide care  for Alzheimer’s disease is currently in the billions each and every  year. The National Institute on Aging, spends almost half of its annual budget on research into the causes and treatment of Alzheimer’s. As a demonstration of global concerns surrounding the apparent epidemic qualities of the disease, research is being carried out on over three hundred different compounds from around the world. There is great hope that some of these will prove to help with the disease in either prevention or treatment. 

You can change yourself to alter your risk of developing Alzheimer’s if you choose to maintain a new and healthy lifestyle. Additionally, researchers believe the happier and healthier someone with Alzheimer’s disease is, the slower his or her ultimate decline. We may think that fortunately Alzheimer’s disease is still mainly affecting the aging people in our society but there have been recent occasions where younger persons have developed it and the fact is that we are all aging and one day this might be an issue in our lives. We must do what we can to encourage research and to take the measures available to us that are indicated to cut our risk of the disease.

Legal issues being addressed by Corpus Christi south texas memory loss injury attorneys have brought some issues to my attention and I will report here on them soon.

 U.S GOVT ALZHEIMER’S INFO

MAYO CLINIC ON ALZHEIMER’S

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE RESEARCH

WEB MD

Alzheimers Disease Can It Be Slowed

(guest article writer  today.)

To slow the progession of Alzheimers you must accept the fact that it is serious health issue and take proper care of yourself and body. Don’t just take a few pills each day prescription drugs or not. Focus on that your brain has a disease and it is progressive so commit time to tackle the problem and if nothing else lets slow the disease.

If you, any family members or friends are diagnosed with Alzheimers Disease which is a brain disease that slowly but surely devastates mental,emotional and finally even the physical functionality. Alzheimers is the leading cause of denemtia in people over the age of 63 and affects over 500,000 people. Most of the conventional neurologists will in all likelyhood offer you just two treatments. The prescription drug Aricept is one it increases the levels of acetylcholine in the body it is a brain chemical responsible for memory. Vitamin E is the other it is and antioxidant that slows the destrction of our brain cells. Now even though neurologist used to believe that treating Alzheimers’s Disease with vitamin E was of no use recent studies show that the nutrients in vatamin E are effective in the slowing of the progression of the disease.

These two treatments although very helpful, there is much more you can do for Alzheimers. There are natural treatments that can also potentially slow down the progression of this disease and possibly even prevent it’s later stages. Your brain is an organ just like your heart, just as there are treatments plus ways to slow the progression of heart disease, like dietary changes, nutritional supplements, stress reduction and excercise as an example. , so there are ways to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.If diagnosed with Alzheimers you must accept the fact that it is serious health issue and take proper care of yourself and body. Don’t just take a few pills each day prescription drugs or not. Focus on that your brain has a disease and it is progressive so commit time to tackle the problem and if nothing else lets slow the disease. All the natural home remedies here should be part of your regime to fight this but because of the seriousness of Alzheimers do so only with the approval and supervision of your physician with a full range of tests and treatments needed to diagnose Alzheimers.

HUPERZINE A: Slow Memory Loss without Side Effects.

This is the active ingredient in Chinese herb club mass which has a similar effect on the brain to the drug donepezil, but without the cost or the nasty side effects which include gastrintestinal upsets and liver damage. The purified ingredients of club moss blocks the breakdown of acetylcholine the neurotransmitter important for memory.

PHOSPHATIDYLSERINE: Boost Mental Capacity

Phosphatidylserine helps regenerate the outside layer of neurons, reversing the chronological age of these cells by as much as 12 years and improving the mental capacity in Alzheimers patients 300 milligrams per day divided into 3 doses with meals is recomended.

VITAMIN E: Regenerate Brain Cells.

Vitamin E helps shield neurons from free radicals the unstable molecules that can damage your cells. It can also help regenerate the areas on neurons where neurotransmitters the chemicals that relay the messages from one neuron to another to enter. Alzheimers patients it is recommended 2000 international units a day of the d-alpha tocopherol form of the nutrient it is the most effective. Also important is keeping active, regular physical excercise can help an Alzheimers patient form new brain cells. Even a daily walk if possible is helpful if necessary have a friend relative or caregiver go with you even if it just around the back yard!

Start today and slow or halt the progress of Alzheimers Disease with all natural home cures and alternative remedies to slow this progressive disease.

 U.S GOVT ALZHEIMER’S INFO

MAYO CLINIC ON ALZHEIMER’S

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE RESEARCH

WEB MD

Smoking Has an Impact on Alzheimer’s Disease

We certainly didn’t need any more reasons to quit smoking or better yet never take it up. Even though this habit causes hundreds of thousands of deaths in the United Staes and almost 100,000 in Canada people still do it. What a powerful force for evil nicotine is.Here is just a little more incentive to give up the cigarette habit….

 By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older adults who smoke may face an elevated risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests.

In an analysis of two dozen previous studies, UK researchers found that older adults who currently smoked were at greater risk of Alzheimer’s than were non-smokers. When the results of the studies were pooled, current smokers had a 79 percent higher risk of the memory-robbing disease.

There was also evidence that smokers had higher risks of other types of dementia, as well as age-related mental decline. However, those links were not statistically significant — meaning the findings could have been due to chance.

The bottom line, the study’s lead researcher told Reuters Health, is that smoking "is likely to be associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease."

That should give people one more reason to quit the habit or, better yet, to never start, said Dr. Ruth Peters, of Imperial College London.

She and her colleagues report the findings in the online journal BMC Geriatrics.

Smoking may contribute to dementia in the same way that it affects cardiovascular health — by damaging the blood vessels and impairing blood flow. As people age, this may accelerate damage to the brain tissue.

On an encouraging note, Peters and her colleagues found that while current smokers had a higher Alzheimer’s risk across the studies, former smokers did not.

It’s not clear what this means, according to Peters, but it is possible that the excess risk of Alzheimer’s declines once smokers quit.

"In any event," she said, "ceasing to smoke is already known to be beneficial in terms of other health outcomes and it is possible that this could apply to dementia also."

SOURCE: BMC Geriatrics, online December 23, 2008.

U.S GOVT ALZHEIMER’S INFO

MAYO CLINIC ON ALZHEIMER’S

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE RESEARCH

WEB MD

The Truth About Senior Moments

Copyright 2006 Mary Desaulniers

We all have our moments when the word stays paralyzed in our throat. We can see the face, hear the voice, but we struggle to name who it is we have in our mind. Most of us have dismissed such moments as senior moments. After all, we reason, they are part of aging. However, a new study that emerged from Chicago recently suggests otherwise. Senior moments might not be as innocuous as previously thought. The study suggests that in a disturbing number of cases, embarrassing senior moments such as forgetting a word, name or recent conversation are really hallmarks and signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

After performing autopsies on the brains of 134 older people who had appeared to be normal except for some moments of forgetfulness, Chicago scientists have found that one third of the participants had brains riddled with plagues, waxy protein clumps and scarred tissues that were all signs of Alzheimer’s disease.Their senior moments were pathological. Despite the fact that their brains showed marked deterioration similar to those who succumbed to Alzheimer’s, these participants had been able to lead functional normal lives; that is, they were able to take care of personal, household, social and daily living needs. Their ability to do so has prompted the inevitable question: why is that that some people are totally incapacitated and indisposed by brain deterioration while others (who had similar levels of deterioration in the brain) are able to function normally?

Dr. David Bennett, an Alzheimer’s researcher at Rush University Medical Center acknowledges that much can be gleaned from this discrepancy: ‘There’s something about these people that allows them to have large amounts of pathology without obvious memory problems. We need to understand why that is so.’ His research suggests that certain factors seem to prevent us from being incapacitated in our daily lives despite the build up of plaques and protein in our brains. These factors include a) high levels of education and b) feelings of social connectedness.

Mentally stimulating tasks such as learning a new skill or language, doing crossword puzzles, reading and writing all help to diminish incidents of senior moments and prevent Alzheimer’s by enabling the brain to compensate for the incapacitating elements of the disease. Just as moderate aerobic activity( like running or speed walking) can build arterial reserves that prevent heart attacks, so mind building activities can create a ‘neural reserve’ that enables people to tolerate Alzheimer’s-induced brain deterioration without succumbing to dementia.

The next question we need to ask then is, what activities can we cultivate to preserve our neural reserves?

1. In the famous Nun’s Study, researchers noted that the sisters who had a dense linguistic style in their early journal entries (which demonstrated an ability to manipulate complex ideas and images within a single sentence) were the most untouched by Alzheimer’s. Writing is an activity that demands correlation between the right and left hemispheres of the brain; translating emotions and ideas into words demands the bilateral engagement of both hemispheres, mind and senses. So by all means writeand write everyday. Make it as much a daily activity as exercise. Write from your mind; write from your heart and write from your gut. Don’t worry about what others think. Just write!

2. Learn a new skill or language. Assimilating something new, especially something that is unfamiliar terrain helps the brain to build new neural reserves. The language can be in the realm of music or csenioromputer ; as a matter of fact, so much has developed these days in the area of programming that the whole online arena of systems protocol and programs has literally opened up all kinds of possibility for growth. One Fellow I know became an expert on the Plantar fasciitis foot brace because he suffered from heel spurs.

3. Learn to play a new instrument another example of assimilating new terrain. When we attended a recent violin concert where my grandson( age 4) performed the repertoire with the members of his Suzuki school, we were impressed by an elderly gentleman who stood up with the children ( ranging in age from 3 to 17) and performed his solo piece. The applause was thunderous.Non- senior moments like this inspire us to step outside our comfort zone and work through whatever it takes to learn a new skill.

4. Travel widely and far. By the same token, traveling to different cultures can enhance the activity of brain functions. When my partner and I traveled to France and Italy last fall, we could feel the neurotransmitters firing in our brainsespecially in Italy. We had to learn how to ask for food, time, directions to the subway station, to the washroom. The city became a physical puzzle we had to tame and nowhere was this more evident than in Venice, where safely ensconced in the ferry that carried us to the Piazza del San Marco, we struck up conversations with a gentleman from Latvia, a lady from Capri and a couple from Korea . We were worlds apart linguisticallybut somehow we managed to understand each other quite well. This was a situation when eyes, hand and gestures spoke more than words!

5. Exercise daily. Not only does aerobic and cardiovascular activity strengthen our muscles, joints and bones, it improves the brain tissue density in older adults. During the normal human aging process, the average brain loses 15% of the cerebral cortex and 25% of white brain matter, a loss that is linked directly to reduced cognitive performance. Aerobic and cardiovascular exercises benefit the areas in the brain that are most susceptible to the ravages of aging.

6. Last but not least, bless all you encounter and love what you do; forget details that are not essential to your spiritual growth, such as your senior moments. Leaving your ego self has the same dynamics as learning a new language. Know that we are shadows and that our real home lies elsewhere; this knowledge will catapult us into learning the language of spirit.

By: Mary Desaulniers

Physical Fitness Improves Brain Health

Copyright 2006 Simon Evans

Everyone knows that exercise is good for them. It contributes to weight loss and weight management. It’s good for your heart and your cardiovascular system. And it generally keeps you fit and healthier.

But did you know that exercise is also good for your brain? It can actually make you smarter. Not only that, but exercise can help prevent disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and depression. It can even increase your chances of recovering from a stroke or traumatic brain injury.

Exercise improves learning and memory.

It turns out that physical activity actually turns on hormonal support systems in your brain. The activation of these systems strengthens brain circuits that you already have and helps you develop new ones.

Exercise causes a rise in several growth factors in the brain that are responsible for helping brain cells survive and divide into new brain cells, or neurons. Only a couple of brain regions can produce new neurons and exercise increases the amount and rate of neuron production in these regions.

Exercise also increases the blood supply in the brain. In laboratory studies, exercise increased the number of blood vessels that supply several brain regions. This has the effect of improving nutrient delivery and waste removal from critical regions that effect mental function.

One of the brain areas producing new neurons is the hippocampus. The hippocampus plays a critical role in learning, memory and attention. Exercise induces new neuron growth in the hippocampus and improves performance on several types of cognitive tasks.

Exercise improves mental health.

Another important role of the hippocampus is in the response to stress. In fact, studies show that war veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder have a smaller hippocampus. Stress actually damages the hippocampus and can cause neurons to die, the opposite of what happens when you exercise.

Folks that exercise regularly know that they are much more capable of handling stress throughout their day than they are when they don’t exercise. This is, in part, because exercise and stress have opposite effects on the hippocampus and exercise improves your ‘buffer’ to handle the stress.

Interestingly, anti-depressants work in a similar manner. Although, we don’t completely understand the exact mechanism of anti-depressant action, we do know that several classes of anti-depressants increase new neurons in the hippocampus. They do the same thing that exercise does!

Anti-depressant drugs activate the same growth factor systems in the brain that exercise activates. They also induce new neuron growth in the hippocampus, similar to exercise routines. Psychiatrists have known for a long time that patients experiencing depression respond much better to therapy if they combine it with regular exercise. In some cases, exercise alone is sufficient to alleviate depressive symptoms.

With so many kids and adults on anti-depressants today, I have to wonder what proportion of them could get off these medications with more physical activity. Of course, anti-depressant therapy is both beneficial and necessary for some folks. But the rate of prescriptions today, especially in kids, is out of control.

Exercise protects the brain from damage and disease.

Studies also show that exercise protects the brain from aging and injury. Older adults that regularly exercise perform better in cognitive tasks and have lower rates of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. They also recover stronger from strokes and from accidental brain injury.

One can argue that people that exercise have many factors in their lives that can contribute to these findings. For example, they smoke less, eat better, etc. However, studies in laboratory animals also support the idea that exercise is protective. Animals that are exercised are protected against traumatic brain injury in laboratory tests and don’t develop the extent of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease in model systems.

Studies also show that in addition to exercise’s protective role, it is a valuable therapeutic tool for brain function. Fitness training improves cognitive functions relative to planning, scheduling, task coordination and attention. Adults that exercise have more grey matter, representing more brain cells, than adults that don’t exercise.

Focus on the young family.

All of the beneficial effects of exercise are compounded by starting early in life. It’s kind of like compound interest in the bank. The earlier you start saving, the more money there is to earn interest in the end. Yet, unfortunately, schools are cutting physical education for budgetary reasons. Soccer moms must unite and get exercise back in our schools.

Inducing physically active behavior in our kids is crucial. Studies show that people tend to continue the lifestyles they are exposed to at an early age. Ignoring the value of physical activity now will make them more likely to do so as adults. In order for our kids to be cognitively active adults all the way through life, we must instill the importance of physical activity today. If we do not, we are doing them a huge disfavor.

Many of us as parents forget about looking far into our kid’s futures. We have so much to worry about in day-to-day activities that keeping our kids from premature entry into the old-folks home is not at the forefront of our minds. Unfortunately, 2 out of 3 adults age 65 or older don’t engage in any regular physical activity and are not getting the brain protection they could be.

The actions that we take with our kids now and the behaviors that we promote will have a huge impact on their life long success. Yes, once they are out of our homes they are their own people and can choose to live their lives how they want. Nevertheless, we have to give them the leg-up now to set them up for the successes they deserve.

Even if you are a new parent for the first time, please be aware that you are influencing many decades by what you deem important today.

By: Simon Evans

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Dr. Simon Evans is a neuroscientist studying the interaction between nutrition, exercise and stress. He also also a passionate youth sports coach and is concerned about current trends in children’s health. Visit Dr. Evans blog at www.feedingdreams.com to read previous articles and contribute your feedback.

The Neurological Causes Of Alzheimer’s Disease

The true causes of Alzheimer’s disease remain elusive. However, researchers have made progress in understanding the neurological roots of this debilitating condition.

The disease is named after Alois Alzheimer, who was the first to identify the peculiar plaques and tangles in the brain, which is characteristic of the illness. Till the final decades of the twentieth century, Alzheimer’s could be diagnosed accurately only by a post-mortem examination.

Nowadays, scientists are beginning to uncover precisely what is happening and why those characteristic tangles and plaques crop up in the brain.

Many of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are caused by neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. Microscopic filaments clog the neurons. These filaments are made up of an abnormal kind of Tau protein.

In a normal brain, Tau protein bonds into microtubules and enables transmission of messages from one neuron to another. But in an Alzheimer brain, instead of bonding into message pathways, Tau protein bonds with itself. And the neuron messages go nowhere.

Since the neurons are clogged, signals from the environment are no longer transmitted the way they should be. That is why severe cognitive impairment is one of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

Scientists speculate that Tau protein malfunction which results in neurofibrillary tangles is caused by beta amyloid protein, but this is yet to be conclusively proved.

It is beta amyloid protein that causes plaques between neurons, which is the other main damage to the brain in Alzheimer’s disease.

The plaque deposits are sticky patches in the brain which contain beta amyloid protein. Plaque blocks communication pathways between neurons, which results in the memory problems and learning inabilities associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

The degree of cognitive impairment depends on the amount of plaque present. Plaque acts by interfering with the normal functioning of acetylcholine, which helps to transmit nerve messages.

Treatment for Alzheimer’s disease involves using acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, which works by blocking enzymes that consume the acetylcholine. This medication is effective during the early stages of the disease before too much plaque has already built up.

Some research seems to indicate that plaques cause tangles. One study took proteins from mice to eliminate the plaque-causing beta amyloid. They found that the proteins got rid of the tangles as well. Similar effects have been brought about by other medications as well.

Others believe that both plaques and tangles are the result of other processes. One possible culprit is swollen axons. Axons are critical for transmitting messages between neurons. When axons swell, they may block message transmission and perhaps lead to the plaques and tangles which bring on Alzheimer’s disease.

Scientists are working hard at uncovering the causes of Alzheimer’s disease, which may sooner or later lead to a comprehensive cure for this dreaded condition.

By: Jane Peters

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Jane Peters is a researcher and has written on several topics. For must-have articles on vitamin E treatment in Alzheimer’s disease and other facts on Alzheimer’s syndrome, see the foregoing links.

(HealthDay News) — U.S. researchers have spotted two proteins that deliver a double hit to the brain function of Alzheimer’s disease patients.

The U.S. National Institute on Aging has more about Alzheimer’s disease.
– Robert Preidt

SOURCE: University of Rochester, news release, Dec. 21, 2008P

Source: One Healthy Lifestyle

If you suspect that a loved one may be experiencing one or more symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease, it is important to see a doctor. He or she will find out if the symptom you are concerned about is an indicator of the disease or of another condition. While the condition is always fatal, early diagnosis allows the patient’s family to prepare for the care he or she will need as the disease progresses.

There is no litmus test that proves the existence of the disease, but a diagnosis of the condition is correct 80 to 90 percent of the time. A medical doctor will evaluate the patient’s medical history and administer a number of tests. These tests include a physical exam and blood tests to help rule out other contributing conditions. A mental test will also be administered, requiring the patient to perform simple memory and processing tasks. In some cases other specialists may be involved in the diagnosis, and brain imaging can be used to evaluate the progression of the disease.

Earlier diagnosis giving Alzheimer’s a new voice

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