Alzheimer’s Disease – causes, side effects and treatments at NaturalPedia.com

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia among the elderly in the U.S. and other countries around the world. It is a slowly progressive disease of the brain that seriously impairs a person’s ability to carry out even the most basic everyday tasks.

Alzheimer’s starts slow. It first impacts the parts of the brain that handle language, memory, and thought. Alzheimer’s disease-afflicted people may not remember things that have happened recently, or the names and identities of people that they know. Then it creates disturbances in reasoning, planning, and perception.

A related issue, which is called mild cognitive impairment (MCI), gives rise to more memory problems than what is usually normal for people of the same age. Most people with MCI will acquire Alzheimer’s when they get older.

The symptoms of Alzheimer’s get worse over time. They usually start at the age of 60, and usually affect around 50 percent of people over the age of 85. The main risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease is increased age. A person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease increases if he or she has a family member with the same affliction.

The accumulation of the protein amyloid is also seen as a probable cause of Alzheimer’s disease, because such a scenario can lead to nerve cell death. Certain genes also increase the risk – but do not directly cause – Alzheimer’s disease, such as the one that encodes apolipoprotein E (apoE).

Some studies have discovered that women are more prone to developing Alzheimer’s disease than men. While it is a fact that women live longer than men, that doesn’t seem to explain why the disease is more frequent in women, leading researchers to study the role of estrogen in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Recent research found out that estrogen should not be prescribed to women of post-menopausal age so as to reduce the risks of Alzheimer’s disease.

Other risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease are having heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and elevated levels of blood cholesterol. People who have completed less than eight years of education are also found to be more prone to risks of the disease, as well as people who have had traumatic head injuries earlier in their lives.

A majority of people with Down syndrome are susceptible to the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease when they reach the age of 40.

Unless modern science cultivates new treatments to decrease the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease in the United States is expected to be 13.8 million by 2050.

Known side effects of Alzheimer’s disease

Individuals who are afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease exhibit the following symptoms:

• Disorientation to time and place (for instance, forgetting where they are, which season it is already, which date it is)
• Misplacing things (not being able to find things, forgetting where they placed a particular item)
• Changes in mood, personality, or behavior
• Problems with communication and writing (may struggle to find the right words for items or names of people or places)
• Memory loss (forgetting important dates or events)
• Difficulty doing familiar tasks (driving to a familiar place)
• Poor judgment
• Vision problems (problems reading or judging distances)
• Problems with planning
• Loss of initiative or withdrawal from work or social activities

Body systems harmed by Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is bad for the nervous system. People afflicted with it may encounter difficulties when it comes to speaking, reading, or writing. They may forget even the most minute processes, such as how to brush one’s teeth or comb one’s hair. They may be prone to anxiety attacks or to bouts of aggression. They may decide to leave home for no reason at all.

Food items or nutrients that may prevent Alzheimer’s disease

Food items that may prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease include leafy greens such as kale, spinach, collard and mustard greens; beans and legumes; almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts and pecans; cinnamon, sage, cumin and turmeric; cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, bok choy, broccoli and Brussel sprouts; whole grains such as quinoa, kammut and gluten-free oats; berries and cherries; and squash, asparagus, tomatoes, carrots, beets and pumpkin.

Treatments, management plans for Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease can be managed via medication-based and nonmedication-based treatments. Two different classes of pharmaceuticals are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating Alzheimer’s disease: cholinesterase inhibitors and partial glutamate antagonists.

Other medications that have been approved by the FDA for Alzheimer’s disease treatment include Namzaric, memantine marketed under the name Namenda XR, and Namzaric.

Meanwhile, nonmedication-based treatments for Alzheimer’s disease include making the patient participate in activities such as walking, dancing, and singing. The patient should also be exposed to cognitive rehabilitation (whereby a patient practices on a computer program for training memory).

Where to learn more

• Alzheimer’s Patient Reverses Symptoms by Applying Coconut Oil On A Daily Basis
• New AI can diagnose Alzheimer’s 10 days before human doctors
• Alzheimer’s: The Need for Nutritional & Social Change
• Alzheimer’s is really just ‘type-3’ diabetes, new research shows
• Alzheimer’s and insulin – Identify the hidden connection

Summary

Alzheimer’s disease can be managed via medication-based and nonmedication-based treatments.

Some studies have discovered that women are more prone to developing Alzheimer’s disease than men.

Alzheimer’s disease first impacts the parts of the brain that handle language, memory, and thought.

Sources include:

MedLinePlus.gov

MedicineNet.com

MindBodyGreen.com