Alzheimer's Disease- Facts You Should Be Aware Of


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Home \| Health And Wellness Alzheimer's Disease- Facts You Should Be Aware Of By: Robert William Locke, Posted on: 2007-11-18 It is usually in the 60's that symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can start appearing. Very often they are dismissed as just 'getting old'. In many cases unfortunately, these symptoms have much more serious consequences thanjust getting forgetful or just getting old. When a person has difficulty in performing a normal daily task, then this may be a warning sign that Alzheimer's may be present. These tasks could be opening a window, using some appliance at home or a simple household task. In the later stages, behvioural problems emerge and loss of memory will begin to create problems for the sufferer and those around him/her. This,coupled with anxiety and depression and even hallucinations will create futher problems. Many people assume that diagnosis is simple and easy. If only it were ! First of all, other possibilities have to be excluded. Before the diagnosis is confimed the patient is put through various laboratory tests and asked to take medical tests as well. Sometimes the diagnosis can be confirmed in one day but in other cases it may take up to several weeks. The brain contains a vital chemical compound called acetylcholine which preserves the neurons in the brain. When the disease starts to take hold, another enzyme starts to attack - this is called acetylcholinesterase and will destroy the healthier enzymes. The drugs are aimed to stave off this attack and preserve the healthy enzymes. But these drugs have some side effects and the results vary a lot but in many cases, they do slow down the disease. Other drugs too have been tried with mixed success. NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs ), the most common ones being aspirin and ibuprofen have been found to offer some protection. Another potential preventative drug is estrogen, but this can give rise to strokes. Gingko biloba, a popular plant extract associated with improving brain function, can have dangerous side effects too. How long does the disease last ? The course of the disease and how rapidly the Alzheimers symptoms progress from simple forgetfulness to severe dementia, can take anything from five to ten years. About 70% of the 4 million with Alzheimers disease (in the USA) live at home receiving care from family members. Although there is no cure currently for the disease, the primary Alzheimer treatment is medication as well as concerned care giving. Patients and families both go through a traumatic time during the progress of the disease. The fact that the disease is a degenerative one provides challenges for all carers. When the final stages occur, the patient will not be able to communicate at all with his or her loved ones which only increases the stress on the health care proxy. Is there anything you can do to prevent this disease ? Research now shows that diet can be very important in preventing this disease but obviously this needs to be thought of before the age of 65. Lots of fruit, vegetables and omega-3 foods have been shown to reduce the risk of this disease by as much as 60%. Beat-carotene (carrots, for example) have been shown to have the same effect. One of the most effective diets known to mankind is the Mediterranean Diet which has been the diet of millions of people in the Mediterranean area. The incidence of degenerative disease among these people is lower than many other countries and as a result, it has been the subject of much research. Article Source: http://www.allthebestarticles.com For Health Tips To Make You Feel Good visit The Wellness Bible Please Rate this Article Not yet Rated Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Health and Wellness Articles Via RSS! 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