Alzheimer's Disease, How Does the Disease Develop?
5/11/2008 ·
Alzheimer's is a neurodegenerative disease that is typified by progressive weakening of cognitive skills, affecting all aspects of day to day activities. A person suffering from Alzheimer's is likely to undergo severe behavioral changes . Emil Kraepelin was the first person to identify the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Alois Alzheimer, who was a German psychiatrist, studied typical neuropathology for the first time in the year 1906.
The distinct and the most striking symptom of Alzheimer's disease is amnesia. In the early stages, a victim of Alzheimer's is quite often found to be in a confused state, and facing problems with short-term memory. There are usually problems with paying attention and in terms of spatial orientation.
The personality of the person affected usually undergoes a massive change coupled with frequent mood swings and the language of the patient may be affected. However, it should be noted that Alzheimer's disease does not affect everyone in the same way,and this can make the disease quite difficult to diagnose.
In the early stages of the illness, patients tend to lose energy and their alertness of mind decreases but this change is hardly noticeable. Also, there is loss of memory and the person may become moody. Overall, the affected person becomes slow in responding to everyday stimuli. Eventually, due to the significant memory loss the patient tries to shields himself or herself from anything that they find unfamiliar, as a result the person can become highly confused and get lost easily and frequently.
In the next stage, the victim of Alzheimer's starts seeking assistance to carry out those tasks that require heavy lifting. Their speech starts getting affected and quite frequently they stop abruptly after saying half a sentence. Depression, irritation and restlessness are some of the common traits during this stage of illness.
Slowly, the individual becomes disabled. They may remember past incidents but can't recall the very recent ones. In the advanced stage it becomes difficult for the patient to distinguish between day and night or even recognize the faces of very near and dear ones.
In the last stage of the disease, patients merely exist. They experience total loss of memory and they are unable to eat properly and cannot control themselves to any great extent. Constant care is needed for a patient at this stage. The individual also becomes prone to other diseases such as pneumonia, infections, etc. Ultimately they become confined to bed and this fatal stage leads to death.
Alzheimer's disease is not curable but there are treatments available that can slow its progress and there is promising research that may lead to a cure.
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Alzheimer's Disease -- How To Slash Your Chances Of Getting
5/11/2008 ·
Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that causes gradual loss of a person’s mental abilities. It initially affects the cerebral cortex and often starts off as simple forgetfulness.
As the disease progresses, the person’s personality may undergo a complete transformation for the worse. The ability to think and function normally may be almost fully lost.
Is there a way to reduce one’s chances of getting the disease? There are no definite answers, partly because the disease itself is not fully understood yet.
It is thought that maintaining a healthy lifestyle with lots of mental activity may help prevent Alzheimer’s. There are no absolute safeguards against it, though.
Here are some steps you can take to minimize your chances of falling prey to this disease.
* Remain mentally active.
Mental activity stimulates the brain neurons. The more you use your brain, the more it creates new neurological pathways and connections. In this respect, the brain is quite like the rest of the body, because if you use it, it tends to remain healthy. And if you don’t, the brain deteriorates.
Do crossword puzzles and word games. Take up public speaking or debating. Learn to play a musical instrument. Learn about art forms you were not familiar with before and attend cultural and other functions.
Anything that engages your brain and keeps you alert and active may help.
* Get regular physical exercise.
The benefits of moderate physical exercise are well documented. Exercise results in increased oxygen flow to the brain and releases chemicals that make you feel good.
Plus, of course, exercise boosts your physical stamina and fitness levels. It helps reduce your weight, lowers your blood pressure and many other positive effects.
Go with any exercise that suits you, after taking your doctor’s advice. Choices include aerobics, gym workouts, tai chi, stretch exercises, yoga and more.
* Eat healthy food.
Your chances of getting Alzheimer’s disease are lower if you cut down on cholesterol and fat in your diet. That means, avoid junk food and eat lots of fruits and vegetables. The latter helps build up your brain cells. Besides, fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants which are supposed to be good for the whole body.
Foods like leafy vegetables, fish and nuts may be excellent. Consult a doctor or nutritionist and come up with a diet that suits you.
* Cultivate excellent family and social relationships
Having great relationships dramatically improves your experience of life. And there are many studies that show that longevity is linked to having good social relationships.
Involve yourself in hobby groups. Join a neighborhood walking club or canasta group. Go to block parties. Get active in community organizations. Go on weekend trips with friends. There are many ways to stay involved socially.
In the end, leading a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle will contribute immensely to your quality of life. And it can help slow or perhaps even halt the progress of Alzheimer’s disease in people who are predisposed to it.
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Behaviors With Types Of Dementia – What To Watch
5/11/2008 ·
Typically, there are many behaviors with types of dementia that can be a major indication that a problem is occurring. Often, forgetfulness and other problems thought to be associated with dementia are the focus, while other behaviors are overlooked.
If you believe that you or a loved on is beginning to suffer from the effects of dementia, strive to seek medical treatment immediately.
Although there is currently no cure for dementia and the signs of dementia cannot be reversed as of yet, the progression of the disease can be dramatically slowed, allowing you to continue to enjoy a high quality of life.
Furthermore, continual progress is being made in the medical field, so the treatments continue to advance year after year.
* Types of Dementia *
There are numerous types of dementia, each of which will have different symptoms and behaviors most often associated with the disease.
Types of dementia include Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease (coming from the related drugs), which are also two of the most widely publicized.
Also, there are dementia behaviors that are associated with other illnesses, so what you perceive to be dementia is actually a side effect of a larger problem.
Something as simple as an inappropriate drug interaction can cause dementia as a negative side effect, so it is imperative that you provide your primary healthcare provider with all of your medical information so that he or she will have the best opportunity to find the root of your dementia behavior.
* Behaviors with Types of Dementia *
Typically, the behavior most associated with dementia is forgetfulness. However, this forgetfulness varies from patient to patient.
This forgetfulness can begin with something small, for example misplacing your glasses or forgetting where you parked your vehicle in a parking lot. However, this forgetfulness can expand past the typical and enter into the worrisome when individuals forget to lock doors or turn off cooking appliances.
The forgetfulness associated with dementia typically deals with the short term memory. Things that take place within a few minutes, hours, or even days can be difficult to remember, while events that happened decades ago are crystal clear in the mind. This is because the mind separates short term and long term memory.
Other behaviors associated with dementia include confusion or frustration.
When an individual's mind is affected by dementia, everyday tasks can become ordeals. When the mind is not working clearly, completing tasks as simple as retrieving an item, cook dinner, or even take a bath can become difficult and frustrating.
The mind is simply unable to keep track of these tasks, although they have been readily performed for years. When individuals become confused, they can often vent their feelings toward others around them.
For this reason, individuals who suffer from dementia can often be difficult to live with or care for, which is why many caretakers turn to facilities outside of the home .
These facilities geared towards individuals who suffer from dementia often have specific treatment programs in place that will allow the individual to get the medical attention that he or she needs in addition to ensuring his or her safety.
Sadly, one of the most devastating behaviors associated with dementia is meanness . As the disease continues to advance and ravage the patient's mind, their persona and demeanor can drastically change.
Kind, caring personalities can quickly change into mean and harsh ones, which makes the disease that much more difficult for those around the patient.
Keep in mind that this behavior is not intentional, yet unfortunately is one of the most painful parts of the disease, for family, loved ones and caretakers, and is directly caused by the disease. A dementia patient's confused and muddled mind can cause them to become defensive and unpleasant.
In addition to protecting the memory and the mind, the personality and behavior of the patient is critical for caring for the disease as a whole.
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Antioxidant In Green Tea Helps Fight Alzheimer's Disease
5/11/2008 ·
Scientists from the University of South Florida found that high doses of the antioxidant epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) found in green tea prevented Alzheimer's-like damage in the brains of mice bred to develop symptoms of this disease.
One of the possible causes of Alzheimer's disease is the harmful accumulation of beta-amyloid, which is just a very small protein fragment of a larger protein in brain cells. After several months of injecting the mice with pure EGCG on a daily basis, the nerve cells of the mice generated 54% less beta-amyloid proteins than not-treated mice.
In the case of humans, we would need a daily dose of 1,500 to 1,600 mg of pure EGCG to achieve the similar effect experienced by the mice and this daily dose has been studied in healthy human volunteers and was found to be safe and well tolerated. The drinking of green tea alone would not be sufficient to have this particular effect.
Reference: "Green Tea Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG) Modulates Amyloid Precursor Protein Cleavage and Reduces Cerebral Amyloidosis in Alzheimer Transgenic Mice" Kavon Rezai-Zadeh, et al. Journal of Neuroscience (2005) 25(38):8807-8814
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Discover How To Becoming A Successful Alzheimer's Disease Ca
5/11/2008 ·
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease in which the condition worsens over time. As more parts of the brain are being damaged, the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease become more severe. Patients experience frustration and grief as they struggle with gradual loss of function and fading memory. Their family members grieve as well, as they observe their loved ones losing their abilities, personality and function. Anger, confusion, sadness and depression are common reactions in families experiencing anticipatory grief. Being an Alzheimer’s caregiver takes energy and courage. As the patient’s mental abilities decreases, the caregiver’s responsibility increases. Thus, the caring for a patient with Alzheimer’s disease could become increasingly difficult and stressful over time. Many Alzheimer’s disease caregivers experience intense stress as they struggle to understand the patient’s behavioural changes and determine what interventions will work for the problems that arise each day. This stressful task can have a detrimental effect on the caregiver’s emotional, social and physical well-being.
One possible way that the caregiver could reduce the stress of caregiving and cope with the task more effectively is to develop skills in caregiving. As Alzheimer’s disease progresses and the behavior of the patient become more complex, caregivers need to understand the patient’s changing behaviors and learn techniques to manage the behavioural difficulties. Thus, it is particularly important that the caregiver acquire knowledge about the Alzheimer’s disease and its progression, skills and strategies for managing the challenges, and information on the available resources to turn to when the need arises. This is even more essential if the caregiver is new to the task. If a new caregiver has totally no knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease and is greatly lacking in coping skills, the task of caregiving is even more difficult. Along the way, as the caregiver encounter more and more unexpected new challenges, the caregiver will definitely feel overwhelmed by these problems. The stress experienced by the caregiver would certainly be greater and could result in a detrimental effect on the caregiver’s well-being, which in turn could result in an adverse impact on the patient’s situation.
It is also important to note that every patient deserves the highest standard of care possible and an equipped caregiver is more able to provide the high standard of care required for the patient. At times, although an elderly person with severe impairment in memory and mental function may need to be communicated with at the primary functioning level of a small child, but he or she also needs, and has a right to be respected as an adult. A trained caregiver would learn the communication skills required to interact with the patient and be more equipped to provide proper care for the patient. Hence, training is necessary for the caregiver to acquire the appropriate skills needed for the job and enable the caregiver to provide the standard of care required. The patient will benefit from the quality of care provided.
Thus, the importance of developing skills in caregiving should not be overlooked. It would certainly help the caregiver to cope with the task and reduce the stress of caregiving. At the same time, the caregiver will be able to provide the standard of care required and the patient will benefit from it. Furthermore, if caregivers find that their approaches are effective, they will gain confidence and increased satisfaction doing the task. In this way, hopefully, caregivers would end up finding meaning and purpose in the difficult task of caregiving instead of finding the task a daunting one.
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