Taking Preventative Measures Towards Alzheimer's Disease

I have you watched the film The Notebook? If you did, then you are probably aware of how a person with Alzheimer's disease acts. The lead female character, Allie, struggles with Alzheimer's disease – she does not recognize her husband, she does not remember her past, and she keeps having panic fits when she lapses back into her demented condition. Though the movie was a romanticized take on Alzheimer's, it nevertheless depicted how everyone suffers from this depressing condition.

What Is Alzheimer's?

Considered to be the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer's disease is an illness that usually afflicts older people, aged 65 and above. However, there are also evidences of early-onset Alzheimer's, wherein the illness can start as early as 30 years of age, though these cases are extremely rare. Alzheimer's disease has a poor prognosis, since it is incurable and degenerative. In the end, a person with Alzheimer's loses the means to live independently and properly take care of oneself.

The disease starts with a gradual onset and progresses over time. It is difficult to diagnose Alzheimer's during its early stages because the initial symptoms include memory problems that are considered to be a normal part of aging. However, these memory problems start to interfere with the normal functioning of the patient, and that's when the patient's family realizes that it's not normal anymore. Examples of these memory problems include forgetting what he ate just a while ago, or forgetting events that he just attended the day before. These can be coupled with personality changes, like having the tendency to be less sociable and more withdrawn.

As the disease progresses, problems regarding cognitive functions and abstract thinking start to surface. There are also problems with regard to behavior and physical appearance. During the latter stage of the disease, the patient may lose the ability to properly take care of himself, thus having a deteriorated state of health. The patient may die due to complications, although this is not exactly a leading underlying cause of death among elderly people.

The Four Stages Of Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's disease can be divided into four stages, which shows how the patient's functioning deteriorates over time.

First, the predementia state shows the early symptoms of Alzheimer's, which are considered as part of the normal aging process. Memory loss is the key symptom during this stage, and there are also some abstract thinking and attentiveness problems involved. Patients in the predementia state are observed to be apathetic.

When a patient enters the early dementia state, there is increased learning and memory impairment. This is usually the time when a person is officially diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Language problems and deterioration in performing fine motor tasks may also be present. However, those in the early dementia state can still perform tasks independently and may only need supervision in the most demanding tasks.

In moderate dementia, complete independence is already out of the question as the condition of the patient deteriorates. Speech difficulties are already present, and there are problems involving reading and writing skills, complex motor activities, and performance of daily living activities. Long-term memory starts to get affected, and behavioral changes are apparent. Some people even develop delusions and urinary incontinence.

Finally, in advanced dementia, the patient cannot function without his caregivers. There can be complete loss of speech, although the patient can often understand emotional signals. All tasks need to be assisted, and the patient may even lose the ability to feed himself. Death comes as a result of being bedridden, such as pneumonia or pressure sores.

Causes

There are different theories that seek to explain what causes Alzheimer's disease. One of these theories is the cholinergic hypothesis, which states that the lack of the acetylcholine causes the disease. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter in the autonomic nervous system responsible for excitatory actions. However, this theory is not widely supported, since medications used to increase acetylcholine have not been particularly effective in treating Alzheimer's.

Another theory is the amyloid cascade hypothesis, stating that the excess production of the protein amyloid beta in the brain is responsible for the development of Alzheimer's disease. This is the most widely discussed Alzheimer's theory nowadays.

Finally, the tau hypothesis works on the idea that the abnormalities found in tau protein are what starts the Alzheimer's cascade. Until now, the real cause for Alzheimer's is unknown.

Risk Factors

People aged 65 years old and above are more at risk in developing Alzheimer's disease. The older a person is, the more at risk he becomes, even though there are growing evidences of early onset Alzheimer's.

Women are also found to be more at risk for Alzheimer's disease. Estrogen is somehow linked to the development of the disease, though its actual connection is not clear and is still under research. Alzheimer's is also associated with people with low educational level, reflecting a decreased "cognitive reserve."

Treatment

There are different medications that are available for Alzheimer's disease nowadays. However, these pharmaceutical options are usually symptomatic and palliative, meaning they only manage the symptoms and not necessarily cure the disease. These drugs are cholinesterase inhibitors (donepezil hydrochloride, rivastigmine, galantamine, and tacrine) and partial glutamate antagonists (memantine). Psychosocial interventions are also available.

Prevention

Although there is no proven way to prevent Alzheimer's disease, it wouldn't hurt if one still takes an active role in preventing Alzheimer's. There is growing evidence that antioxidants have the potential to protect one against Alzheimer's disease. Antioxidants can be found in fruits and vegetables, and one of the fruits that is known to be high in antioxidants is acai berry.

Acai berry is rich in vitamins C and E, which are the main antioxidants that may prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease. There have been studies in the past that show that a combination of vitamins C and E in one supplement can actually assist with the prevention Alzheimer's by protecting the brain against free radical damage. They might also contribute to the slowing down of the disease process for people already afflicted with Alzheimer's. However, these studies still need more conclusive evidence in order to be counted as a fact. Still, consuming vitamins has never been considered bad for the health, right?

What Acai Berry Form Is Better For Me?

Acai berry supplements are best taken in powder form, since this is the most concentrated type of acai berry supplement. Unlike the liquid form, the powder or capsule form does not contain preservatives, so consumers are assured that they are getting 100% acai berry. Of course, it is better if you can eat the acai berry in its raw form. However, exporting the fruit exposes it to radiation, which is required by the law in order to kill microorganisms. This radiation may do more harm than good to your health, so the best recommended way to take acai berry is through its freeze dried or powdered capsule form.

Source References

• Alzheimer's Disease: Unraveling the Mystery. US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Aging, NIH. 2008.
• Can Alzheimer's Disease Be Prevented?. US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Aging, NIH. 2009.
• Caring for a Person with Alzheimer's Disease: Your Easy-to-Use Guide from the National Institute on Aging. US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Aging, NIH. 2009.
• Cummings JL, Frank JC, Cherry D, Kohatsu ND, Kemp B, Hewett L, Mittman B (2002). "Guidelines for managing Alzheimer's disease: Part I. Assessment". American Family Physician.
• Cummings JL, Frank JC, Cherry D, Kohatsu ND, Kemp B, Hewett L, Mittman B (2002). "Guidelines for managing Alzheimer's disease: Part II. Treatment". American * "Alzheimer's Association". Alzheimer's Association. 2011.
• "UCSF Memory and Aging Center". University of California San Francisco. 2011.
  
• Brookmeyer R., Gray S., Kawas C. (September 1998). "Projections of Alzheimer's disease in the United States and the public health impact of delaying disease onset". American Journal of Public Health 88 (9): 1337–42.
• "Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Trials". US National Institutes of Health.
• "Can Alzheimer's disease be prevented" National Institute on Aging. 2006-08-29.

AS REQUIRED BY THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION CONCERNING THE USE OF TESTIMONIALS AND ENDORSEMENTS IN ADVERTISING, PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING: Testimonials appearing on this site are actually received via text, audio, video and through the use of our survey feedback form. They are individual experiences of those who have consistently and faithfully used our products for 90 days or longer. They are not typical results that our clients will generally achieve. Most of our client testimonials come from those who are living a healthy and nutritious lifestyle consisting of a well balanced diet, exercise plan, additional supplements, conventional doctor prescribed prescription medication and/or our Natural Home Cures Homeopathic Website that offers a variety of tips, tricks and suggestions for achieving their optimum health goals. Approximately 19% of our clients have reported no difference in improvement in their overall health after using our products. In extremely rare cases (less than 0.5%) of our clients have reported feeling worse using our products during the first 30 days, due to detoxing: Detoxification is the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from the body and is perfectly normal. Some common detox symptoms include: headaches, lethargy, temporary muscle aches, mucus or other discharge, a coated, pasty tongue, flu-like symptoms, irritability, difficulty sleeping, weakness, cravings, nausea, constipation, diarrhea and gas. You may even find that the detoxing process causes you to suffer old symptoms that your body once had. You may think that you are becoming ill but typically this is not the case. The testimonials displayed (text, audio and/or video) are given verbatim except for correction of grammatical or typing errors. Some have been shortened. In other words, not the whole message received by the testimonial writer is displayed, when it seemed lengthy or not the whole testimonial seemed relevant for the general public. AS REQUIRED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please consult your primary care provider professional before taking our products or any other homeopathic and/or naturopathic products; our products do not contain any prescription ingredients or prescription supplements.