Education And Cognitive Health
Receiving more education in early life mayreduce risk of dementia. According to Lon Schneider, an author of the report and professor of psychiatry, neurology, and gerontology at the University of Southern California, the more we learn, the more cognitive reserve we build up. While connections between brain cells, also known as synapses, may falter due to aging and sickness, You have more reserves to start with, so youre more resilient against illnesses, said Schneider.
Heres what you can do: Engaging in intellectual activities later in life can potentially help maintain cognitive abilities. One study in China which found people older than the age of 65 who read, played games or bet more frequently were less likely to develop dementia. Another study showed that people who participated in intellectual, physical and social activities in midlife were more likely to have better cognition in old age.
Read more about past research on the link between early childhood education and Alzheimers disease, the most common form of dementia.
Can Senilife Be Used As A Preventative
The makers of Senilife believe you should start giving it to your dog as soon as he or she reaches senior status, but what age is that? Opinions vary, especially with all the mixed breeds out there, so this is the guide provided by the company.
- Dogs up to 21 lbs 8 years
- Dogs 22-49 lbs 7 years
- Dogs over 50 lbs 6 years
Will it guarantee your dog wont get dementia? I dont think anyone is in a position to make that claim, but it may postpone it, slow down its progression and lessen the symptoms.
Researchers Continue To Seek Answers
The idea of Alzheimers as a metabolic disease that affects the brain, and Alzheimers markers such as glucose metabolism, have led scientists in various directions. Besides the Mediterranean diet and its variations, they are looking at other diets as well as individual foods and nutrients.
For example, the ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that prompts the production of ketones, chemicals that help brain cells work. Studies show that this diet may affect gut bacteria in distinctive ways in people with and without cognitive impairment, and may help brain cells better use energy, improving their overall function.
Researchers are seeking answers to these questions:
- Which foods are critical to brain health and should be included in diet-based interventions?
- Which groups of people are most likely to benefit from dietary interventions targeting prevention of dementia and cognitive decline?
- Can dietary interventions introduced in midlife lead to better outcomes?
These clinical trials are recruiting participants to test dietary interventions:
To learn more or to find a trial near you, visit the Alzheimers.gov Clinical Trials Finder.
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Can Naturalremedies Help To Treat And Even Reverse Dementia
The answer to this question is a definite yes!! You justneed to start treating the affected person as soon as possible . But even if they are in the latter stages of the disease, you canstill help them tremendously by using natural therapies. In fact, you wontbelieve the astounding changes that will happen, even within a few short weeks.And the best part about using natural remedies for treating dementia overpharmaceutical medications is there are no harmful side effects!
All of thesenatural treatments and home remedies are safe. You have nothing to lose by trying them, solets get started with our top 10 recommendations in order of importance
Limit Your Brains Exposure To Alcohol
The American Addiction Centers reports that drinking alcohol can increase dementia risk. A study found that people who drink 5 or more bottles of beer in one sitting were 3 times more likely to have dementia by age 65.
Action Strategy: Binge drinking is hard on your brain. Drinking large amounts of alcohol can stop your neurons from re-growing. If you choose to drink, limit yourself to one glass of wine or other favorite drink. If you are concerned about your own drinking or a loved ones, seek professional help.
Recommended Reading: Does Smelling Farts Help Prevent Dementia
Pillar #: Stress Management
Chronic or persistent stress can take a heavy toll on the brain, leading to shrinkage in a key memory area, hampering nerve cell growth, and increasing the risk of Alzheimers disease and dementia. Yet simple stress management tools can minimize its harmful effects and protect your brain.
Breathe! Quiet your stress response with deep, abdominal breathing. Restorative breathing is powerful, simple, and free!
Schedule daily relaxation activities. Keeping stress under control requires regular effort. Learning relaxation techniques such as meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, or yoga can help you unwind and reverse the damaging effects of stress.
Nourish inner peace. Regular meditation, prayer, reflection, and religious practice may immunize you against the damaging effects of stress.
Make fun a priority. All work and no play is not good for your stress levels or your brain. Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your bike.
Keep your sense of humor. This includes the ability to laugh at yourself. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress.
Treatment For Dementia Behaviors
Treatment for dementia behaviors like mood changes, sleep problems, and aggression may include a combination of approaches.
- Behavior management strategies can help caregivers provide a more structured environment, identify and avoid triggers for problematic behaviors, and learn how to gently redirect their family members attention. Doctors generally prefer to try non-drug strategies for difficult dementia behaviors first, Hashmi says.
- Medications such as sleep aids, mood stabilizers, antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, anticonvulsants, or antipsychotics may help control symptoms in some people. However, these medications can have serious side effects, so its important to discuss their safety and risks with an expert, says Hashmi. As geriatricians, we try to use these medications sparingly, he says. They need to be matched to the behavior. Its not one size fits all.
Recommended Reading: What Color Ribbon Is Alzheimer’s
Tips For Cutting Down On Alcohol
- Set yourself a limit and keep track of how much youre drinking.
- Try low-alcohol or alcohol-free drinks.
- Try to alternate between alcoholic and soft drinks.
- Take advantage of particular dates and events to motivate you. For example, you could make a new years resolution to drink less.
Risk factors you can’t change
Discover how age, genetics, gender and ethnicity can affect your risk of developing dementia.
Four Ideas To Slow Down Dementia At An Early Age
The mere thought of dementia and other cognitive problems can frighten the best of us, especially if you have witnessed a loved one battling the condition. While you may have been told to wait until researchers find a pharmaceutical cure to this ailment, the truth is much more encouraging.
We are all well aware of the fact that the symptoms of dementia are irreversible and unfortunately, as time passes, behavioral, mental and physical problems tend to progress. It is also commonly known that age is the biggest risk factor of dementia and that theres no cure for it.
The good news is that there are certain lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your risk of developing dementia. We all know that its never too young or too old to develop good habits, but mid-age is the best time to start making healthy lifestyle choices . This will not only help you live a healthier life but doing so will also slow down any early symptoms of dementia .
More than 5.5 million Americans of all ages are living with dementia. While the 5.3 million are estimated to be above the age of 65 years, 200,000 individuals are said to be younger than 65. Although the disease is still incurable, promising research suggests that the condition can be prevented or slowed down by making some lifestyle changes.
Here are our top tips that will help you reduce your risk of dementia
Some activities to try include:
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Natural Remedies For Dementia And Alzheimers Treatment Option #: Foodsto Avoid Foods To Eat
Certain foods definitely help with the prevention and treatmentof dementia, while other foods are guaranteed to make this condition much worse.
The foods and liquids you should be eating and drinkingmore of are the staples. These include
- Filtered water Helps to flush toxins from the body andhydrate the cells .
- Green tea or Matcha tea Both contain powerfulantioxidants known as catechins which remove harmful toxins and chemicals fromthe body. A component in these teas has also been shown to decrease brainbeta-amyloid plaque formation.
- Turmeric, Ginger, Cinnamon, Black pepper, Chillis , Rosemary, Coriander and Garlic All of these herbs and spices are potent anti-viral,anti-inflammatory and immune boosting foods .
- Reishi and Cordyceps mushrooms Both are immune boostingand contain strong neuro-protective properties.
- Probiotics Needed for healthy gut function, which inturn produces healthy brain function and healthy immunity. You can learn how tomake your own fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha and yoghurthere Cultures for Health.
- Whole foods Eating plenty of organic mixed berries,green leafy vegetables, liver , nuts and seeds such aschia and flaxseeds is vital. When it comes to buying these, fresh isdefinitely best.
For the foods you should be avoiding or not eating atall, heres the top ones
Consider Primehealths Prevention Program
We stand behind Dr. Dale Bredesens revolutionary KetoFLEX 12/3 diet program for patients with cognitive decline. We have seen it work wonders, particularly in combination with other beneficial lifestyle changes.
As more research is published on the KetoFLEX 12/3 diet, we cant wait for more professionals to hear about this super effective diet plan.
How can you reverse dementia naturally? You can reverse dementia naturally with simple lifestyle and dietary changes. This mainly works in the very early stages of dementia and cognitive decline.
Let PrimeHealth create a plan to put that knowledge into practice. With our Prevention Program, we will work side-by-side to create an individualized plan for slowing and reversing cognitive decline.
Schedule a free phone consultation with us to learn more.
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S To Reverse Dementia And Memory Loss As You Age
RECENTLY, I SPOKE on a panel for PBS TV at the American Association of Retired Persons convention in Boston. The topic was dementia.
There was a woman with mild cognitive impairment on the panel. Her condition is sort of like pre-Alzheimers disease. Everyone on the panel including the Harvard neurologist agreed that memory loss is NOT a normal part of aging. The sad part was that the panel didnt have much to offer people in the way of prevention. Their only solution was just a very bad and pretty ineffective selection of drugs with lots of side effects.
But there is another way to think about brain aging. The brain responds to all the same insults as the rest of the body stress, poor diet, toxins, lack of exercise or sleep, nutritional deficiencies, and more. All we have to do is give the brain a tune-up and we can see miracles. In todays blog I will give you nine tips that will allow you to do that. But first, lets look a little more closely at the magnitude of this problem.
Dementia on the Rise
Dementia is a big problem and growing every day. Ten percent of 65-year olds, 25 percent of 75-year olds, and 50 percent of 85-year olds will get Alzheimers disease at a cost of $60 billion a year to society. Worse, the number of people with Alzheimers is predicted to triple in the next few decades. It is now the seventh leading cause of death.
We once thought that heart disease and artery-clogging plaques couldnt be reversed , I believe dementia can be reversed
Pillar #: Regular Exercise
According to the Alzheimers Research and Prevention Foundation, regular physical exercise can reduce your risk of developing Alzheimers disease by up to 50 percent. Whats more, exercise can also slow further deterioration in those who have already started to develop cognitive problems. Exercise protects against Alzheimers and other types of dementia by stimulating the brains ability to maintain old connections as well as make new ones.
Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week. The ideal plan involves a combination of cardio exercise and strength training. Good activities for beginners include walking and swimming.
Build muscle to pump up your brain. Moderate levels of weight and resistance training not only increase muscle mass, they help you maintain brain health. For those over 65, adding 2-3 strength sessions to your weekly routine may cut your risk of Alzheimers in half.
Include balance and coordination exercises. Head injuries from falls are an increasing risk as you age, which in turn increase your risk for Alzheimers disease and dementia. As well as protecting your head when you exercise , balance and coordination exercises can help you stay agile and avoid spills. Try yoga, Tai Chi, or exercises using balance balls.
Read Also: What Color Ribbon Is Alzheimer’s
High Blood Pressure And Dementia Risk
High blood pressure can cause blood clots in arteries, blocking blood flow to the brain. Stroke and the loss of brain cells may follow, and the brain could subsequently shrink.
People with high blood pressure in midlife are more likely to develop dementia later in life .
Heres what you can do:Make sure you know your blood pressure if you are 40, Livingston said. The Lancet team recommended aiming for a systolic blood pressure the pressure of the blood against artery walls as the heart beats of 130mm Hg or less in midlife, though Larson cautioned against reaching an overly low blood pressure.
Experts say managing stress and sleeping well, maintaining a stable weight and eating a healthy diet of less sugary foods, exercising regularly and refraining from smoking can help control blood pressure.
Read more about past research on the link between hypertension and dementia, and insights on how hypertensive treatment may reduce risk of cognitive decline
Activities To Help Prevent Dementia
24th August 2017
Dementia is considered to be the leading cause of death for elderly people in the UK. The Office for National Statistics report for 2017 states that 1 in 6 people over the age of 80 are diagnosed with dementia. As of now, over 850,000 people are living with dementia, which is expected to rise to 2 million by 2050. Additionally, 70% of individuals who are looked after in Care Homes have dementia or memory difficulties that severely impact on their daily lives.
The cost of care for dementia patients can often exceed the combined cost of treatment and care for cancer, stroke and heart disease. Research continues relentlessly for a cure and to pinpoint the specific causes of dementia.
Given the damage that dementia can have on individuals, their families, and the high cost of care, we can adopt a positive approach that will help reduce the risk of dementia.
Research has shown that the risk of dementia decreases by making some simple yet effective lifestyle changes may help prevent dementia, slow it down or even reverse some of the symptoms. In the simplest of terms, dementia affects the way that messages are relayed to and from the brain resulting in some or all of the following symptoms:
Additional sources:
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Tips For Stopping Smoking
- Talk to your GP or pharmacist about different ways to stop smoking.
- Try using a date or event as motivation for stopping. For example, you could make it a new years resolution, or give up during October as part of Stoptober.
- Consider using a less harmful alternative nicotine-containing product such as e-cigarettes, lozenges or gum.
- Try using NHS Smokefree support services, which include a helpline, app and local support services.
Drugs For Memory And Cognition
Certain medications can temporarily relieve and help manage dementia symptoms related to memory and cognitive function.
- Cholinesterase inhibitors, including donepezil , rivastigmine , and galantamine , attempt to slow the rate of memory decline in dementia patients. These drugs work by preventing the breakdown of acetylcholine, a chemical that helps brain cells communicate with each other. This type of medication is most often used to treat people with mild to moderate Alzheimers disease. Side effects of cholinesterase inhibitors include weight loss and digestive problems, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
- Memantine helps protect against further brain cell damage in patients who have vascular dementia. This drug regulates glutamate, a chemical messenger in the brain associated with learning and memory. Dizziness is a common side effect of memantine. Memantine is approved for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimers disease.
Regarding aducanumab, theres still a lot of science that needs to be done, Hashmi says.
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Natural Remedies For Dementia And Alzheimers Treatment Option #: Omega
Omega-3 fatty acids are yet another fat that are incrediblyhealthy for the brain and nervous system. They contain the EPA and DHA essentialfatty acids, which help to prevent brain cell damage and keep the nervoussystem in peak working order. And they dont just help to slow down the progressionof dementia diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons either, theyalso help to lower ones risk of developing the disease in the first place.
Best sources of omega-3s are fish oil, cod liver oil andkrill oil. Krill oil is probably the pick of the bunch because it contains asubstance calledAstaxanthin, which is a potent brain foodand has been shown in studies to help prevent neurodegeneration of the brain.