Alzheimer’s disease is neurodegenerative disorder that causes the brain tissue to reduce in size, leads to a slow, irrevocable loss of memory and eventually the ability to care for oneself.
It also gradually decreases the life of essential cognitive functions like the ability to produce rational speech or understand spoken or written language, the ability to process and interpret visual information as well as ability to plan, make sound decisions and perform complex everyday tasks.
Today Alzheimer’s disease is recognized as the most prevalent cause of the loss of mental function in those aged 65 and over.
At present, it is projected that there are 26 million people worldwide with Alzheimer’s disease and this figure is projected to grow to more than 106 million people by 2050.
Alzheimer’s disease can not be cured. However, there are some alternative forms of treatment that can mitigate the symptoms and make the patient feel an improvement. Psychotherapy, Counseling and herbs supplements together can bring about a level where the patients can deal better with their condition. No diet supplement can relieve the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, but some others like chamomile tea, green tea or many others such as vitex are good enough to cure many hormone imbalances on their own.
An estimated 5.1 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease in 2007. Every 72 seconds someone in America develops Alzheimer’s disease.
It was the seventh leading cause of death for people of all ages and the fifth leading cause of death in people age 65 and older. Being spending over $100 billion per year, Alzheimer’s disease is the third most costly disease in the U.S. after heart disease and cancer.
Symptoms
Common symptom pattern begins with memory loss for recent events. Besides it confused thinking, weakened judgment, need help with bathing, dressing, eating, using the bathroom, slowly losing the ability to communicate, fail to identify their family-members.
Stages
In the early stage, Alzheimer’s patient has become less energetic and inactive. He felt problem in remembering and learning new information, often forgets common objects like his key or valet.
In the middle stage, patient may need help with more difficult activities (such as paying bills). He may have difficulty in remembering date and month or finding the way around well-known surroundings.
In the final stage, patients will not be able to perform even simple tasks alone and will require regular care. He will lose the capability of walk and eat without help. Language becomes seriously incompetent, and then is lost altogether. Gradually, he loses the ability to eat food and drink water and it eventually leads to his death.
Causes
The critical cause of Alzheimer’s is unknown, but the maximum risk factor is advancing age. Approximately, 5-10% of its cases developed inherently. Generally, high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure may develop the disease. One study indicates that brain trauma can generate a degenerative process that results in Alzheimer’s disease. One study suggests that high levels of aluminum in the brain may be a risk factor.
Treatment
Eat fresh fruit and vegetables like apples, grapes, berries, broccoli and beans, etc daily. Do physical exercises regularly. Always execute Intellectual stimulation like playing chess to avoid mantle stress.
Don’t forget to left the patient alone as it develops an Alzheimer’s disease in late life. So a regular social interaction is effected and very useful for the patient.
High quantity of Vitamin E has been observed to decrease Alzheimer’s risk in sampling studies, but not in a arbitrary trial. The reasonable consumption of alcohol (beer or wine) is critical in certain situations.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs reduce Alzheimer’s risk in observational studies.
Risk Factors
General risk factors include advancing age, smoking, head injury and poor cardiovascular health including high cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes. Home-based care may demand great economic, emotional, and even psychological cost. Family caregivers often sacrifice their time from work and spend 47 hours per week on average with their loved one who frequently cannot be left alone. From a survey of patients with long term care insurance, direct and indirect costs of caring for an Alzheimer’s patient average $77,500 per year.
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I’ve been dealing with AD for several years because my Mother started showing symptoms at age 65. I’ve studied information on this disease almost daily since then and I have to add to some of the information that was given here.
Researchers are just now beginning to understand the underlying mechanics of AD and why some people develop it and some do not. The risk factors mentioned above such as cholesterol or hypertension are not viewed as general risk factors. There are studies being done now that may label AD as a third form of diabetes, but if someone has the diabetes that most people are familiar with, they are no more susceptible than anyone else.
Regarding treatment, your doctor will be more likely to prescribe one of the five FDA approved drugs used to treat the symptoms of AD such as Aricept. These drugs resupply the brain with a neurotransmitter that AD robs it of and helps decrease memory loss for a period of time. However, they are not a cure and the benefits are not permanent. Other treatments that may work on the underlying cause of AD are still in development. Flurizan is one of them that
may be approved in 2008 and become available in 2009.
It does help to live a healthy lifestyle by exercising and eating fruits and vegetables.
There is also research being done on certain herbs and fruits. The grapes from
red wine for example used to make pinot noir wine may have some benefit. Cranberries and blueberries are other examples. Turmeric from curry spice is another. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain and lower your risk.
Other things that may help include exercising your brain through reading, playing Brain Age (Nintendo) & other games, learning a new language, doing math, working crossword puzzles, playing video games, doing everyday chores with the opposite hand, learning memory techniques and more. An active social life and a positive outlook on life also helps.
It is true that age is the number one risk factor. Anyone over the age of 60 has a 10% chance of developing AD, anyone over 85 has a 50% chance. If you have a parent that has AD, your risk goes up. It goes up even more when multiple family members develop it. In my family, my Mother has it and so did her Uncle, so my risk is more elevated than someone with no family history of it.
Right now Alzheimer’s is the 7th leading cause of death in the US and that is why it is so important for our government to increase funding for more research and decrease the amount of time the FDA takes to approve new treatments for AD.
Alzheimer’s disease is a terminal illness and the 5.1 million Americans who have it right now deserve the best of what medicine has to offer right now.