Would You Want to Know if You Were Going to Get Alzheimer's?
Recently, researchers presented information about a blood test that was able to fairly accurately predict if someone would develop Alzheimer's disease in the next two to three years. The test measures levels of lipids in a person's blood and was approximately 90% accurate in its predictions. If this test is further developed and repeated with accurate results, some day it could be easily available for the public to use. While this is a step forward for researchers, we need to consider the ramifications of such as test, before it is available. First, there are personal preferences. Some people are planners and like to or...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - May 25, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Margie's Tribute to Her Mother with Alzheimer's Disease
A while back, a reader wrote to me about the loss of her mother. I asked her if  she would be willing to share her journey of watching her mother battle dementia, and she said she would. Her hope was two-fold: one, that by reading her story, others would know that they weren't alone and they wouldn't despair in the depths of the disease. Her other motivation was simply- she also wanted to tell others how much she loved her mother, and that she missed her. In light of Mother's Day, here's her three-part story: Alzheimer's from a Daughter's View: Part 1 Alzheimer's from a Daughter's View: Part 2 Alzheimer's from a Daugh...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - May 10, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Does Alzheimer's Affect Men & Women Equally?
Do you know the statistics regarding who (men or women) develops Alzheimer's disease? A common sense guess might be that half of people who get dementia are women and half are men, but common sense is wrong here. Or, perhaps you're aware that the average lifespan for a women is longer than for a man, and you guess that the breakdown is 55% women to 45% men. Closer, but not there yet. The truth? Two-thirds of people who develop Alzheimer's or a related dementia are women- a two-to-one ratio. That's a significant difference, and one that recently has been highlighted by advocacy groups. Why? We don't have the full answer y...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - April 20, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Does Alzheimer's Affect Men & Women Equally?
< p > Do you know the statistics regarding who (men or women) develops < a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc & zu=http://alzheimers.about.com/od/whatisalzheimer1/a/What-Is-Alzheimers-Disease.htm" > Alzheimer's disease < /a > ? A common sense guess might be that half of people who get dementia are women and half are men, but common sense is wrong here. Or, perhaps you're aware that the average lifespan for a women is longer than for a man, and you guess that the breakdown is 55% women to 45% men. Closer, but not there yet. < /p > < p > The truth? Two-thirds of people who develop Alzheimer's or a < a href="http://clk.abou...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - April 19, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Young Children + People with Alzheimer's Disease = Victory
Have you ever seen the reaction of someone with dementia when a young child comes near? This is one of my favorite interactions to observe. Why? Because the vast majority of time, the dementia takes a back seat to the presence of the child. For me, the type of interactions I witness between someone with Alzheimer's disease and with children is one of those victorious moments in the battle against dementia. Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia and other types of dementia rob abilities, memories, words and so much more. But for many people, their reactions to kids remain or even intensify. Although not...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - April 13, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Vitamin D: Good for More than Just Your Bone Health
When it comes to vitamin D, most of us are familiar with the thought that it's helpful in keeping our bones strong. But did you know that it has many other benefits as well? Adequate levels of vitamin D have been associated with a lower risk of diabetes, certain types of cancer and muscle and bone pain. Of particular interest, vitamin D has also been connected with brain health. Low levels of vitamin D have been correlated with a higher risk of cognitive decline and with symptoms of mild cognitive impairment. Research has also shown some possible benefit from using vitamin D to treat dementia as well, but more studies ar...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - April 6, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Friendships- Good for Your Heart and Your Brain?
I recently wrote an article about the benefits of social interaction, specifically outlining what research says about how friendships and the act of socializing and interacting with others impacts our risk of developing dementia. Here's the article: Does Social Interaction Prevent Dementia? As I reviewed data for that article, I found some interesting research that was published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. The short version of the research is that after 15 years of studying more than 2000 participants' cognitive status and administering socialization questionnaires, researchers determined that social interactio...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - March 30, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Coping with the Challenges of Being a Long-Distance Caregiver
Ask caregivers about the ups and downs of their role, and you'll hear a variety of responses. In addition to a list of challenges, you may also hear some positives, including the feeling that it's a privilege and that they wouldn't want to have it any other way. What you probably won't hear is the phrase, "It's easy." There are many reasons being a caregiver can be a challenge, and not the least of these is living far from the person who is receiving the care. Caring from a distance can involve guilt feelings, emergency trips, worry, time off work, disagreements with siblings, unfamiliarity with the resources that may be ...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - March 23, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Is There a Time When Alzheimer's Medications Should Be Stopped?
A friend of mine recently wrote to me with a question regarding her mother's medications. Her mom's caregivers had suggested that she consider reducing or discontinuing her mother's medication that she takes for her Alzheimer's disease. Her mom has been gradually declining in her overall functioning and they wondered if the medicine really was still benefiting her. So, what should she do? How should she make this decision? What's the best course of action? Others in this situation have struggled with these questions as well. Some have debated whether medications are really helpful in the later stages, or they become conc...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - March 16, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Dementia with Lewy Bodies vs. Parkinson's Dementia: Same or Different?
Parkinson's disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies... Are they the same thing? I remember the first time I wondered about this question:  Were there two different disorders with two different names, or one disorder that could be called both PDD and DLB? This question came about as I was reading through the medical history of a patient and noticed that in some places in his chart he had a diagnosis of PDD, and in other areas of his records, his diagnosis was listed as DLB. In asking other professionals, I discovered that opinions varied about the answer to my question. I found that some physicians felt strongly t...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - March 9, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Study: Should Antidepressant Celexa Be Used for Agitation in Dementia?
Agitation- including restlessness, wandering, combativeness and calling out- is a common challenge in Alzheimer's disease and other kinds of dementia. So, what to do about it? A study was recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, outlining a trial of the antidepressant medication citalopram (brand names: Celexa and Cipramil) to treat agitation in dementia. Here are the results, which are both positive and negative: The participants who received citalopram showed a significant decrease in their agitation. Caregiver distress, which is increased by agitation, also significantly improved. How...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - March 2, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Sugar Might Not Be So Sweet for Our Brains
If you're a fan of sugary foods, you might want to stop reading this before you start. If, on the other hand, you're a fan of a healthy brain, proceed. (This, of course, leaves me in a quandary as I write, since I happen to be a fan of both sugar (unfortunately) and good brain functioning.) In my quest to highlight ways to reduce our risk for Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia, I came across several research studies on sugar and how it affects our brains. Some of these studies discuss the levels of glucose in our blood, and others simply look at how much sugar is consumed and how that amount affects our risk ...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - February 23, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Drink Up! 2 More Reasons to Enjoy that Morning Cup of Joe
Let me begin with a disclaimer: I'm not a big coffee drinker, although I'm starting to wish I was! I tried to learn to drink it in college when I was staying up all night studying for an exam or finishing a paper. I tried again when I was in grad school, working and completing internships, all simultaneously.  I'm sure I tried again after I was up all night with sleepless babies, though that's all a blur. (A nice blur, though.) I just don't love that bitter taste (yes, I heard that collective gasp of shock from all of the coffee lovers out there), although I do enjoy the smell of coffee. Recently, however, I've begun to ...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - February 16, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Is It Hype or Truth? Your Brain on Fish Oil and Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Conclusion? This is one claim that might not be so fishy after all. Related Reading Does Eating Fish Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease? (Learn more about fish, omega 3 fatty acids and reducing the risk of dementia.) Your Brain: Does Size Really Matter? (Does a bigger brain mean a better memory?) Reducing the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease through Physical Exercise (Here are the facts about exercise and its benefits for your brain.)Is It Hype or Truth? Your Brain on Fish Oil and Omega 3 Fatty Acids originally appeared on About.com Alzheimers Disease on Sunday, February 9th, 2014 at 21:50:33.Permalink | Comment | Email...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - February 9, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Want to Reduce Your Risk of Dementia? Go Back to School!
Want to decrease your chance of experiencing the forgetfulness and confusion that comes from Alzheimer's disease? According to several research studies, one way to do this is by increasing your education. The theory behind these findings is that increased education boosts your cognitive reserve. Think of cognitive reserve as over-training for a race; for example, running 5 miles in practice so that you can run the 3 mile race with ease and without fatigue. Even if you have a cold on the day of the race, you may still be able to run 3 miles well because of your training. It seems to be similar with our brains. If we stret...
Source: About Alzheimers Disease - February 2, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news