Posts by BriannaNewton:
Alzheimer’s Symptoms Made Simple
September 22nd, 2008While aging gracefully can result in a loss and concentration and difficult recalling where one has left certain items, it may be a sign of a much greater problem. Alzheimer’s disease can affect a person’s daily life and the life of their loved ones negatively, and it is important to recognize the signs of this illness in order to better treat it. Alzheimer’s requires treatment early on by a medical professional, and it is important to recognize the warning signs that it may be time to visit a doctor.
Individuals who suffer from Alzheimer’s have a hard time with even basic tasks, especially memory recall. Someone may intend to call a friend and forget, or need to attend a social function and fail to show up due to poor memory. This behavior varies depending on how active of a lifestyle that the individual leads, but a noticed increase in memory loss is a sure sign of the disease.
Unusual dress can be an obvious sign of Alzheimer’s disease where one may wear improper clothing for the season, such as a winter coat during a summer day.
Being desensitized to hot and cold can be dangerous when a person takes a shower, as they may accidentally scald themselves.
Those with Alzheimer’s disease may have a hard time remembering to pay their bills or mortgage note on time. In addition, they may lack impulse control when it comes to spending money, making foolish decisions. Control can be improved through therapy, which should allow one to maintain a reasonable level of activity.
Another common sign of this illness is when one sits in from a television set for hours on end, just staring blankly at the screen. Listlessness will result in someone suffering from Alzheimer’s to engage themselves in non-demanding endeavors such as staring out a window.
Memory loss also becomes a problem with Alzheimer’s disease, where an individual forgets places, events, or people more frequently as time progresses. In moderate to severe Alzheimer’s, individuals may end up in a place and not remember where they are and how they got there.
If a loved one suffers from these symptoms, then it may be for them to get checked out by a medical professional. Even if they do not have Alzheimer’s, there are a number of other neurological illnesses that can mimic the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Management of this illness is possible if it is detected early, so one should not delay in setting up an appointment if they recognize the signs.
Three Surprising Myths About The Cause Of Alzheimer’s
September 19th, 2008It is astonishing to see the amount of misconceptions about Alzheimer’s in the modern day and age. Factual information is essential to proper treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, in order that this illness can be properly managed. With a little education, myths such as aluminum causing Alzheimer’s are easily debunked.
For the past two decades, it was widely believed that Aspartame, a sugarless sweetener contained in products such as gum and diet soda, had a causative factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. This myth has been put to rest by the US Food and Drug Administration after over a decade of exhausting study, when the product was declared safe for human consumption in 1996. Now it is accepted that Aspartame is a safe sugar substitute and does not cause Alzheimer’s disease.
In the 1960s, there was a common myth that aluminum may cause Alzheimer’s disease, making many people wary of drinking out of aluminum cans or using aluminum cookery. Since people had these concerns, a number of studies have been conducted to put all these myths to rest, and there has been found no link between aluminum and Alzheimer’s disorder. As long as aluminum is used in average doses on an everyday basis, the metal does not pose a threat to good health.
Another concern was that flu shots increased the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease, an idea initially proposed by a doctor who had had his medical license suspended by South Carolina. In addition, there were several mainstream medical studies that linked flu shots with a slightly higher risk of Alzheimer’s.
In the past six years, it has been found that these tests were conducted improperly or had an inadequate sample size, and flu shots can actually reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. In 2001, it was found by the Canadian medical journal that elderly individuals who had received vaccinations had a much lower risk of developing the disorder than those who did not.
In fact, the study showed that those who had obtained their yearly shots had a decreased risk of dying from all causes.
With a wide variety of myths out there such as aluminum, flu shots, or NutraSweet causing the onset of Alzheimer’s, it is important to stay informed of the latest developments in the search for a cure for this disease.
Always ask a medical professional if you have any questions or concerns regarding Alzheimer’s disease, and they will be happy to answer your questions in an informative and factual manner.