http://www.care2.com/greenliving/memory-trouble.html
Memory Trouble?
By Paula Spencer, Caring.com senior editor
Mayo Clinic researchers reported that men are one and a half times more likely than women to have memory problems. You may wonder, then, how it can also be true (which it is) that more women develop and die from Alzheimer’s?
The kind of memory loss in the study is called mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Scientists theorize that in men, there’s a delayed progression from MCI to dementias like Alzheimer’s. Or possibly dementia in women progresses faster. Nobody’s sure.
What is certain is that memory disorders are plentiful enough to be hard to keep straight. Seems like a good time for a recap:
Normal memory loss: Everybody’s brain ages. As the connections and chemicals in the brain alter with time, many people forget things like names, keys, and what the heck they went in the next room to get. Normal.
Mild cognitive impairment: Problems with memory, language, or other mental functions are noticeable to others (and show up on tests) but don’t interfere with daily life. Dad continually loses his keys and forgets the neighbors’ names but he can still pay bills and drive around. Psychiatric News reports that 1 in 5 people over 70 have MCI�more than previously thought. Some develop Alzheimer’s, some don’t.
Early Alzheimer’s: In addition to pronounced memory problems (Mom can’t remember what happened yesterday or major news events), there’s cognitive trouble–she can’t count backward by 7s, messes up planning meals or managing finances, gets lost. It’s diagnosed through testing and a complete medical exam to rule out other problems.
Mid Alzheimer’s, Late Alzheimer’s: Always follow in progression after early-stage. There are no improvements, only periods of stabilization and gradual decline.
Early-Onset Alzheimer’s: Not to be confused with early-stage Alzheimer’s, early-onset starts before age 65. New wrinkle: Researchers now say earlier dementia, before age 45, is almost never Alzheimer’s-related.
Dementia: Not a disease itself, but a set of symptoms including memory loss, cognitive problems, and other effects of deteriorating brain function. Alzheimer’s is just one type of dementia. Others include vascular dementia (caused by tiny strokes) and Lewy Body Dementia (of which Parkinson’s Disease Dementia is a subset).
Senile dementia: An outdated term that usually referred to what we now call Alzheimer’s.
Other causes of memory loss: Depression, stress, insomnia, alcoholism, brain tumors, medication, or many other things can be the culprit. Common incontinence drugs can confuse memory in older people.
And once you have all these straight comes an idea to turn them on their heads: Some scientists question whether normal memory loss, MCI, and Alzheimer’s are distinct conditions — or even that Alzheimer’s is a single “disease.” Peter Whitehouse, an acclaimed neurologist and Alzheimer’s expert who wrote The Myth of Alzheimer’s (a must-read that came out in January) is one. We just don’t know enough about the disease processes to be sure. He prefers a new (and, he says, less stigmatized) term for these degrees of memory impairment: “brain aging.”
Caring.com was created to help you care for your aging parents, grandparents, and other loved ones. As the leading destination for eldercare resources on the Internet, our mission is to give you the information and services you need to make better decisions, save time, and feel more supported. Caring.com provides the practical information, personal support, expert advice, and easy-to-use tools you need during this challenging time.
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8 comments
add your comment »Alzheimer is truly a sad thing for anyone, but there are ways to slow it down and to manage it. It's something we all have too think about in life.
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I noticed that my mom is starting to become forgetful, but according to Dr.Oz, it is fine to lose your keys, but not fine at all if you dont even remember you had keys in the first place.
So I assume she is just....busy!
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Stress contributes to mine. As soon as I feel anxiety or stress coming on I start to forget everything. This is a great article though :)
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Oxygen loss to the brain is the number one problem in aging. Alcohol will deplete it quickly. Yoga and the deep breathing associated with it will help you out on all levels. Simply charge up the brain with oxygen continually and eat and drink food encouraging that. My grandmother and her twin lived in the same house. The twin who worked lived to 93 without a spouse and the twin who didn't work and had a spouse died early from Alzheimers. It is proven that a routine with meaning will enhance your life and keep you sane. Programs in group homes like this show improvement to alzheimers. See CBS Sunday News for details on this program.
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I have read various news articles in the bbcnews.com science about all the new research that points to some protein being responsible for the specific disease named Alzheimer's.
Not all forms of dementia can be called Alzeihmer's when they don't present the typical deterioration inside the brain caused by this protein. One of the latest studies suggested Alzeihmer's was a type of diabetes of the brain.
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Clinical studies that test potential new treatments are the best chance we have for fighting Alzheimer’s Disease. Current therapies treat the symptoms associated with it, not the disease itself. The goal of the ICARA Study is to explore if an investigational drug, called bapineuzumab, can help slow the progression of Alzheimer's. It is important for patients and families affected by Alzheimer's to consider participating in clinical studies. Patients and families affected by Alzheimer’s can visit www.icarastudy.com to see if they’re eligible to enroll.
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There are hundreds of studies that support the use of several herbs and supplements with regards to slowing or stopping the progression of dementia. see: www.statisticalnature.com the site is free and has many sorted lists based on in vitro and in vivo evidence.
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Really is a scary thing that we don't know more about Alzheimer's and memory loss. But the brain is such an amazing thing. There are studies being done that are said to help keep the brain "fit"... I guess it includes exercises and a brain challenge intended to test your memory strength.
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