Alzheimer’s Disease
Many people have heard of Alzheimer’s disease, or AD, but they don’t know much about it. Alzheimer’s is more common in older adults, but children can get it, too. About 1 in 10 people over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s. Scientists think that as many as 4.5 million Americans suffer from AD. It kills 100,000 people each year.
Alzheimer’s is named after a German doctor, Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. He had found abnormal clumps and tangled bundles of fibers. Today, these plaques and tangles in the brain are considered signs of AD. Scientists also have found other brain changes and large amounts of aluminum in people with AD. There also are lower levels of some of the chemicals in the brain that carry messages back and forth between nerve cells. Although it was identified in 1907, it wasn’t until president Ronald Reagan was diagnosed with it that the public took notice. Now experts predict that the longer you live, the more likely it is you’ll get Alzheimer’s.
Through research, we are learning more about how the brain is affected in Alzheimer’s. We do not yet know how to prevent or cure it. But we do know how to treat its symptoms. AD begins very slowly. At first, the only symptom may be mild forgetfulness. In this stage, people may have trouble remembering recent events, activities, or the names of familiar people or things. They may not be able to solve simple math problems. Such difficulties may be a bother, but usually they are not serious enough to cause alarm. Sadly, many people think the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s are signs of normal aging. So Alzheimer’s is often not diagnosed and treated early. However, as the disease goes on, symptoms are more easily noticed and become serious enough to cause people with AD or their family to seek medical help. They begin to have difficulty doing simple tasks like brushing their teeth or combing their hair. Over time, AD patients begin to have problems speaking, understanding, reading, or writing. Later on, people with AD may become anxious or aggressive, or wander away from home. Eventually, patients need total care.
An early, accurate diagnosis of AD helps patients and their families plan for the future. It gives them time to discuss care while the patient can still take part in making decisions. Early diagnosis will also offer the best chance to treat the symptoms of the disease. Today, the only definite way to diagnose AD is to find out whether there are plaques and tangles in brain tissue. To look at brain tissue, however, doctors must wait until they do an autopsy. Therefore, doctors can only make a diagnosis of “possible” or “probable” AD while the person is still alive. At specialized centers, doctors can diagnose AD correctly up to ninety percent of the time. Doctors use several tools to diagnose “probable” AD including questions about the person’s general health, past medical problems, and the history of any difficulties the person has carrying out daily activities. Tests of memory, problem solving, attention, counting, and language, and medical tests, such as tests of blood, urine, or spinal fluid, and brain scans are more ways to diagnose “probable” AD. The course the disease takes and how fast changes occur, vary from person to person. On average, AD patients live from eight to ten years after they are diagnosed, though the disease can last for as many as twenty years. AD is a slow disease, starting with mild memory problems and ending with severe brain damage. People with Alzheimer’s often do better if they start treatment early. Death follows diagnosis in seven to ten years.
There is no definite way to prevent Alzheimer’s. But you can do a few simple things that would lower your chance of getting it. Don’t consume too much aluminum, take B12 supplements or vitamins, and by increasing fiber and decreasing fat and by adding a high quality, whole-food supplement with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and amino acids can help to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Meats are fine in moderation, but be sure to eat organic, grass fed meat whenever possible.
Scientists do not yet fully understand what causes AD. There probably is not one single cause, but several factors that affect each person differently. I can’t tell you how to prevent from getting Alzheimer’s disease. It is just a matter of time. Some people get it while others don’t. This is a very interesting disease because nobody really knows much about it. I would very much like to see this disease cured.
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