alzheimers disease » Beyond Prescriptions

I found this statistic very alarming. I had no idea Alzheimer’s Disease was so prevalent; basically, one in eight older Americans have the condition. My post this week is about ways to protect our brain from this deadly disease.

We cannot prevent getting older just as we can’t change the genes we inherited from our parents. But we can do something as simple as moving our bodies. According to Dr. Oz, exercise may not only protect the heart, they may protect us from Alzheimer’s. In fact, in animal studies, exercise has been shown to clear beta-amyloid better than any pharmaceutical we know of. (Beta-amyloid circulates in human blood and in cerebrospinal fluid and is deposited into plaques and found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease).

Dr. Oz recommends 20 minutes of aerobic exercise 6 or 7 days each week. In fact, new research actually shows increased growth of the brain’s “memory center” in people who exercise regularly. All the more reasons to hit the gym or take that extra set of stairs instead of the elevator! Research presented at the Alzheimer’s Association’s International Conference in July suggests that strength training could be the best exercise intervention.

Among the small studies presented, one demonstrated that women between ages 70 and 80 benefited from weight-lifting, walking and balance exercises, but those who used weights showed the most improvement. I was excited to read this as I have been lifting water weights 3 days a week at the Y!

Did you know that Alzheimer’s Disease is now being called type 3 diabetes? Check out this post for more information about this. According to Dr. Oz, in his book YOU:Staying Young, this is because Type 2 diabetes (the kind associated with being overweight) increases the risk of Alzheimer’s, probably by increasing inflammation or arterial aging, but also because too much of the hormone insulin in the brain can stimulate beta-amyloid buildup.

We are definitely talking about lifestyle changes here; obviously diet plays an important role as well as exercise. One study even indicated that the more negative your overall demeanor the more it will affect your health, possibly leading to cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s. Avoiding sugar and highly processed refined foods is critical in establishing optimal digestive health and improving our immune response, yet another lifestyle choice to preventing this disease. Neurofibrillary tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease contain aluminum (an element that makes up 14% of the earth’s crust) according to Dr.Oz. He suggests that although there is no evidence suggesting that aluminum causes memory problems, it’s better to try to avoid it. Use sea salt instead of table salt, which is processed with aluminum to avoid caking. Other things that contain aluminum include nondairy creamers, antacids, cans, certain cookware and antiperspirants.

One of the best ways to feed our brains are omega-3 fatty acids – the kinds of fat found in fish like wild salmon. These healthy fats not only help keep your arteries clear but improve the function of your message-sending transmitters. Eating about 15 ounces of fish each week can achieve this or simply take purified, pharmaceutical-grade omega-3 fish oil capsules with DHA.

What about you? Are you concerned about memory loss? What are you doing to prevent this from happening?

According to the American Diabetes Association, 23.6 million children and adults suffer from diabetes - 7.8% of the total population. This does not include the 5.7 million people undiagnosed, and 57 million people predisposed to diabetes. These figures were compiled in 2007. Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death listed on U.S. death certificates in 2006. In the U.S. the incidence of diabetes has increased 70% among people in their thirties, in large part because of the obesity pandemic.

What does Alzheimer’s Disease have to do with this? . A study conducted by the American Academy of Neurology concluded that impaired acute insulin response at midlife was associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer disease (AD) up to 35 years later suggesting a causal link between insulin metabolism and the pathogenesis of AD.

So now not only do the diabetes 2 population have to deal with the prospects of kidney disease, nervous system disease (Neuropathy), amputation, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure….they have to face the prospect of lost memories, lost cognitive abilities, and eventual death, all coming from the effects of AD.

We often think of adult-onset diabetes as a condition that affects us in the middle years. And of course when most people are prescribed medications to lower their blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar, they are usually told, “You will have to take this for the rest of your life,” often in ever-increasing doses. According to Dr. Oz (You Staying Young), our bodies are designed to run on a relatively low level of glucose, and when we overeat and indulge in a sedentary lifestyle, we are unable to process the extra glucose – thus pickling ourselves in all the excess – and our metabolic system malfunctions. Eventually, our pancreatic beta cells, cells that produce insulin, cannot keep up because of exhaustion after years of working against the relentless insulin resistance. And that’s how we become diabetic.

With the prospect of “Diabetes 3″ facing those with diabetes and all of those not yet diagnosed , it certainly seems appropriate to consider what changes we can make to avoid all of this. Just a small of amount of weight loss can make the difference between elevated blood sugar and normal blood sugar. So keeping our waist thin, exercising (30 minutes daily) and keeping our blood pressure under control are positive changes we can make. I have found that by drinking a “smoothie” each morning for breakfast is a great way to start the day. I have even made it “green” by adding organic kale and frozen organic fruit with it. It has been a great way for me to eat less calories and start the day out healthier.

Instead of investing our monies into surgical procedures and drugs, let’s concentrate on making different choices in what we eat and how we live. Our bodies have the remarkable ability to heal themselves with proper diet, exercise and less stress.

I often catch myself pondering about the subject of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease whenever I misplace my keys again, or so often find myself walking into a room and then wondering for what purpose was I there. I know I am not alone with this fear.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s report, “2010 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures”, 5.3 million people are living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The data examined covered the years 2000 to 2006 and found that deaths from Alzheimer’s increased by 46% compared with heart disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer deaths, all which have decreased in their numbers.

Another disturbing fact from this report discovered that African Americans are almost twice as likely as whites to have Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, and Hispanics are about one and a half times more likely to be stricken with it.

So what do we do with this new information? Alzheimer’s expert, Steven DeKosky, Senior Vice President and Dean of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, gives us the following preventative tips to reduce the risk of developing dementia:

Exercise…I am working on developing that habit now!
Watch our lipids (cholesterol), blood pressure and abdominal girth…hopefully my success with CINCH is helping with that abdominal girth!
Exercise our brain by staying active (challenge yourself with puzzles, etc.) Just being on the internet daily seems to be exercising my brain quite a bit!

Another good reason to watch our weight is the connection between diabetes and Alzheimer’s, two diseases that are increasing at an alarming rate within the U.S. Diabetic patients have a 30% to 65% higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease compared to the non-diabetic individual.

So, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, if we are forgetting recently learned material, have problems staying organized (that one scares me!) losing track of steps in making a call or playing a game, forgetting simple words more often, putting a watch in the sugar bowl (??) and paying bills twice or not at all…..perhaps we need to realize these are not normal behaviors and may be a cause for concern. But not to worry if we are just misplacing the keys. (Well, that’s a relief!)

Beyond Prescriptions

Tips To Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease.. Can it be “Diabetes 3″?

We All Need To Be Worried About Dementia