.: Maintain Your Brain - Strategies to Help Prevent Alzheimer's Disease
By:Deb Powers
Category:Home / Family / Elder Care
It's almost become a joke. Forget the word you wanted to use and joke 'Must be early Alzheimer's.' Lose track of where you left your keys? "Doh! Guess I'm getting Alzheimer's." Alzheimer's Disease is no joking matter, though, and we know it even under the casual, joking jabs at our own memory problems. I suspect that more than one of us, when those occasional lapses of memory happen, wonder if we really ARE starting to lose our memories to one of the most baffling and devastating diseases we know.
According to the Center for Disease Control statistics, 20% of adults who are in nursing homes have a primary diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease - over 214,000 people. For many of us who are approaching the far side of middle age, that's a frightening statistic. Those jokes have the air of gallows humor. There is good news on the Alzheimer's front. Research into risk factors and predisposition have turned up some interesting correlations between general health, social well-being and Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimer's Association has some suggestions that may help lower your risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease, and even slow its progression among those who have already started showing symptoms.
- -- Eat your fruits and veggies.
Mother always told you to eat all your veggies, and this is one more good reason. In one study of over 1,800 elderly men and women, researchers found that those who drank fruit or vegetable juice at least three times a week had a 75% less risk of developing Alzheimer's than those who drank less than one glass per week. Why?
The answer probably lies in the effects of antioxidants. Fruit juices - especially berry juices - are among the highest sources of antioxidants around. Dark green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, berries and citrus juices are all up there as excellent sources of antioxidant goodness. Get out the juicer and drink up!
- -- Eat a healthy, balanced diet - and don't forget your fats.
A healthy diet is basic to a healthy brain. Whole grains, vegetables and fruits should be your major source of calories, but doctors are starting to take a closer look at fats again. One source of fat that appears to be vital to rebuilding and maintaining brain cells is fish. The omega-3 fatty acids that are found in high concentrations in cold-water fish like tuna and salmon, as well as in shellfish, are an important ingredient in building neural pathways that function properly. Nutritionists suggest including a source of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet at least three times a week. Tuna casserole, anyone?
- -- Get social!
In a study of over 2,500 men, those who had the least contact with friends and family were nearly 3 times as likely to develop dementia as those who had more active social lives. Social activity and maintaining family and social ties seem to stimulate the brain cells and keep them from atrophying. When's the last time you had coffee with your sister, hm?
- -- Exercise your brain.
Recent studies strongly suggest that elderly people - including those with Alzheimer's Disease, can improve their memories with practice. Researcher suggest that activities like crossword puzzles, memory games and challenging mental activities could help the brain create new neural pathways as old brain cells die off. Get out the word-search books and have some mental fun!
- -- Stay physically active.
In one study of almost 500 adult children of parents with Alzheimer's Disease, researchers found that those who exercised regularly scored better on memory and problem solving tasks than those who were sedentary. It may be that exercise, which promotes healthy circulation and gets the blood flowing through your entire body, helps nourish the brain by getting more nutrients to it on a regular basis. Take a walk or take up swimming - or join a fitness group to combine social AND physical activities in one.
The bottom line? Doctors and researchers aren't sure what causes it, so there's no surefire way to prevent Alzheimer's Disease from developing. They do know that people who share certain traits are much less likely to develop the symptoms though. Stay fit, get active, get out with your friends often and do what you can to enjoy your life. As a prescription for preventing Alzheimer's disease, it sounds like a great way to live! Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl
Article keywords: alzheimer's disease, alzheimer's, preventing alzheimer's, freelance writing, original content
Article Source: http://www.articles32.com
Deb Powers is a freelance writer who has written numerous articles on wellness and fitness, the health care industry and other health related topics. Deb often writes for FreelanceRite, a provider of quality original content for all uses. FreelanceRite offers SEO and keyword optimized articles, as well as press releases, book reviews, travel reviews, specialized web content and more. Whether you need one article or one thousand, FreelanceRite has a package that will suit your needs for content. Visit www.freelancerite.com for more information on purchasing articles like this one for your web site.
.: New Elder Care Articles
1). Special Gifts for the Elderly
Giving gifts that the elderly can use and will appreciate is what everyone looks for. If it happens to supply security and offer independence at the same time it is a gift to be cherished forever.
2). Suriviving And Planning For Retirement
The financial security umbrella that most wage earners would like to shelter under after retirement is now leaking very badly indeed!
3). Have a Healthy Senior Life with These Tips
The Sixty Year Old Personality Benjamin Franklin once said that all would live long, but none would be old. What should we actually expect of ourselves after sixty years? Must we eventually become senile and mentally old, or can we have a long life and still remain alert and bright with opinions others respect?
4). Monster Terrorizes Elderly Couple
They were both subject to memory loss and other deficiences associated with aging. They repeatedly mentioned something about a monster.
5). On-Line Support Groups for Caregivers and Older Adults
Many individuals lack support through the aging years, whether they are children of aging parents or the aging parents themselves. On-line support groups are a convenient option to meet social and support needs for this population.
6). Do You Know What to Do About Arthritis?
Discover useful, practical methods of obtaining relief from the most common type of arthritis.
7). Parenting: Thought You Were Finished
Baby boomers while raising their children are finding that they are also caring for their parents.
.: Top Elder Care Articles
1). Managing Caregiver Guilt: 5 Tips To Manage Guilt So Guilt Serves You, Not Imprisons You
Guilt is a common feeling in the landscape of care giving. Guilt can propel you to be the best you can be …or it can immobilize you.
For caregivers, painful feelings -- such as guilt, sadness and anger -- are like any other pain. It’s your body’s way of saying, 'Pay attention.' Just as the pain of a burned finger pulls your hand from the stove, so, too, guilt guides your actions and optimizes your health.
2). Keep Seniors Independent and Involved -Practical Acts of Kindness
Sometimes elderly people can be fierce about maintaining their
independence - some would say downright stubborn. But it is hard
to give up taking care of oneself and give the reins over to
someone else. It can diminish their spirits to depend on others to
do tasks they used to do so easily.
How can you help without taking away their independence?
Following are five ideas from the e-book, "101
Ways to Change the World".
3). The Differences In Elder Care Services
Time marches on and so do we. Before we know it, we are older and so are our parents or loved ones. Caring for them and being sure their needs are met become a prime concern especially when they begin to not be able to care for themselves as they used to. This dilemma touches most every family. The thing to avoid is to remain under a veil of ignorance by not understanding your options and waiting until the last minute to make an abrupt and often uniformed decision.
4). Baby Boomer Healthy Aging Survival Kit
"Living longer and living better, that's what my baby boomer patients are looking for," says Dr. Steven Lamm, New York City internist and author of "Younger at Last."
While aging is a fact of life, there are many ways to stay active, healthy and energized. The problem is that there is often too much information available. Seventy-five percent of boomers say they are confused-what to take, what not to take-and every day a conflicting report only adds to their confusion.
5). Electric Wheelchair How To Pick One
An electric wheelchair is a chair powered by a motor. It is also called a power wheelchair. These motorized wheelchairs are ideal for people who need to use a wheelchair all the time. The average price of an electric wheelchair is about $3000. Some power wheelchairs are made for indoor use only and using them outdoors is rather dangerous.
Things to look at when buying an electric wheelchair
6). Hearing Impaired? Hearing Aids? Advice for “Deafies” and those who put up with us
I have always had a hearing impairment. I was born with a 70% hearing loss in both ears. While I had a mother who was sensitive to my disability, I never believed there was anything wrong wth me. As a child, I refused to wear hearing aids.
When, at 19 years-of-age, I bought one hearing aid, it was as if someone turned the sound up. I felt even more invincible.
7). What To Look For In A Nursing Home
Enrolling a loved one or a family member in a nursing home is a tough decision to make. You need to be assured that your loved one is safe and well taken cared off in that nursing home...