Alternative Healing

Of all the different types of dementia that affect the elderly, it is Alzheimer’s disease which causes the most concern; other forms of dementia are often forgotten even though they are all important. The current figures show that of people aged 65 and over, 10 percent are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease; diagnosis of the condition has improved dramatically and is now approximately 87 – 94 percent accurate. Although discovered just over a century ago by Alois Alzheimer, it is only during the last 30 years that research into this disease has increased; despite a great deal of scientific investigation, not that much is known about this awful disorder.

Studies show that your greatest risk of acquiring Alzheimer’s is advancing age. Unfortunately, the person experiencing the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s will know something is wrong but won’t admit it to others or even to themselves; this can be a difficult time for family members who need to know what is wrong.

As far as treatment is concerned, Alzheimer’s disease is treated in the same manner as other types of dementia. Despite the studies, there is no permanent treatment for the condition but there are a number of drugs which can help with the condition. Most Alzheimer’s disease sufferers will be prescribed one of the following drugs Donepezil, Tacrine, and Rivastigmine; these have helped many patients with improvements in their mental faculties although this is only in the short term.

Memantine is showing a degree of success with sufferers in the later stages of Alzheimer’s; patients with mild to severe Alzheimer’s who are already receiving Donepezil are now given Memantine as an alternative. Fortunately, Memantine has few side effects and so far it is the only drug that has proved to be of real benefit to patients with severe symptoms; most of the drug is passed out again when the patient urinates (about 80 percent), virtually without any change taking place.

Because people are living longer Alzheimer’s disease has become a serious health problem that governments must face; it is a major cause of death in America. There is also an economic aspect of caring for patients to consider, something that will affect governments everywhere; it is already costing 40 billion dollars every year in the USA, with this figure expected to increase. Another large body, the National Institute on Aging spent almost half of its yearly research fund into the condition; there are currently hundreds of substances being tested for treatments around the world.

To help you reduce the chance of contracting dementia, it’s important to adopt a healthy lifestyle, choose carefully what you eat and drink and take more exercise. Although not full proven yet, researchers studying Alzheimer’s patients have noticed that those who stay healthy and cheerful have slowed down the rate of decline. Luckily, early-onset symptoms of this disease are very rare because it primarily affects the elderly; nevertheless, there have been occasional incidences of people contracting it before the age of 60.

Barbara Williamson