05/10/2019 / By Edsel Cook
Contrary to conventional knowledge, Alzheimer’s disease does not start months or years before its effects on the brain became visible enough for healthcare providers to notice. Instead, the neurodegenerative disease starts many decades before its symptoms become apparent.
Alzheimer’s is usually diagnosed in older people who are in their 70s or 80s. However, the brains of those patients have actually been failing for dozens of years.
Modern medicine does not have any effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. The best way to handle it is to take good care of the brain. Doing so reduces the chances of Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia to get a foothold in the first place.
A fading memory is not a normal part of the process of aging. It is not natural for the memory of a person to deteriorate over the years. Indeed, a person should not lose any memories or experience brain fog during the 40s, 50s, and even the 80s.
Rather, the loss of memory is a sign that the brain is starting to fall apart. In the future, this destructive process of neurodegeneration can lead to Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. (Related: Cinnamon bark phenylpropanoids can potentially prevent amyloid formation.)
There are many causes that contribute to the loss of memory. Excessive consumption of alcoholic drinks, Parkinson’s disease, physical injuries to the head, and vascular diseases are just some of the other possible sources of brain deterioration. All of these disorders lead to the same thing – they take away the memory of a person until there is nothing left.
Amen Clinics founder Dr. Daniel Amen says that patients suffering from attention deficiency disorder (ADD) and other mental disorders are much more prone to developing Alzheimer’s disease during their lifetimes. He also notes a number of other unhealthy factors that contribute to dementia risk.
People who fail to exercise both their brain and their body on a regular basis are practically welcoming Alzheimer’s with open arms. Then, there are patients who have a personal history of serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, or stroke. Other potential sufferers include people who are recovering from a head injury or struggling with depression.
There are 5.4 million cases of Alzheimer’s disease in the U.S. alone. It is one of the top 10 causes of death in the country and the only member of that list for which Western medicine can offer no treatment.
However, Amen claims that more than half of these Alzheimer’s cases can be prevented by taking certain steps. His recommendations are based on research conducted on the disease over recent years.
People should first figure out their level of risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Then, they should make sure that both their brain and their body are active throughout their life.
Furthermore, people need to drop unhealthy lifestyle habits that encouraged the formation of plaques in the brain. Brain plaques are sticky substances made from the protein beta-amyloid. They cause short circuits in the neurons of the brain. As brain plaque builds up, the short circuits become more common, leading to loss of memory and brain fog. Understandably, brain plaques are one of the leading causes for the appearance of Alzheimer’s disease.
Increasing the intake of magnesium and vitamin E can support the health of the brain. Both nutrients have been linked to reduced risks of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Amen also recommends increasing the amount of natural antioxidants in the diet.
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aging, Alzheimer's disease, Alzheimer's research, brain function, brain health, dementia, elderly, mental health, old people, prevention, seniors
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