Everyone with a Brain is at Risk: How to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease without the use of Medication
As an engine needs fuel to function our brains require food to thrive. Alzheimer’s disease kills more than breast and prostate cancer combined. Alzheimer's disease is also the only disease in the top 10 diseases that can not be slowed or stopped but can be prevented. The youngest person that is known to have Alzheimers disease is 31 years old. The link below is a video of Rebecca Doig that is 31 years old and has been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbtLUChdUlc
The video above shows how very important it is for all adults and elders to become aware of this disease, since it is slowly creeping into the younger generations. As we age we need to become aware of the many diseases that may effect us. With Alzheimer’s disease effecting elders and many young adults it is important to know what lifestyle changes one can adopt in order to prevent being diagnosed with this disease. The information below is useful to both the elderly and the younger generations. Unlike many diseases, Alzheimer’s disease is not genetic; however, factors such as diet and exercise can effect the occurrence of the disease.
6 simple things can be done to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. They are known as the 6 pillars of a brain healthy, the Alzheimer’s prevention lifestyle. They include obtaining a social life, stress management practices, mental stimulation, having a healthy diet, and participating in regular exercise. Although vitamins and many other pills can help in brain and organ function they will not have the full benefit that these 6 pillars will have.
Do you have a Social life?
Having a social life is very important to have for those who are aging and the younger generations. Our brains function best when we communicate and interact with others. Many think that having a social life is not needed in the prevention process, but it very much is. Communication stimulates our brains and causes it to respond. When we communicate we are encoding, transmitting, receiving and formulating a message. Since we do this naturally, many are unaware of its effects. However, this keeps our brains active and continuously working. If you don't use it you’ll lose it, as an engine that hasn’t been used. As an elder, volunteering, joining clubs, speaking on the phone, emails and weekly lunch dates are great ways to maintain a social life as well as staying involved in the community.
How are your stress levels?
Those who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in the past were found to have elevated cortisol levels in the brain due to stress. Therefore, It is very important to keep stress levels to a minimum. The main organ that is effected when stress levels are high is the brain. High stress levels causes a chemical imbalance in the body and in the brain. When chemicals are not balanced in the body they cause diseases. This is due to hoemostatic balances. The body works extra hard trying to balance chemicals and often causes many diseases as a byproduct. It is important to meditate and practice breathing exercises during stressful times. Scheduling times for relaxation and daily activities is important in order to keep stress levels low. The link below by UCI Mind is a great article that states the importance of keeping stress levels low.
http://www.mind.uci.edu/stress-and-its-influence-on-alzheimer’s-disease/
Are you Participating in Brain Fitness?
Keeping busy with brain games is also a great way to keep the brain stimulated and at work. Brain activities such as battleship from brain HQ and posit science are great sites to use in order to work the brain out.
In addition, according to the Archives of Neurology, brain exercises, like playing Sudoku or crossword puzzles that are found in the morning paper, have been shown to help improve not only intelligence, but also help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. The link below shows the importance of mental stimulation. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/10/15/brain-exercises_n_1966861.html
I do research at the Cognitive Aging lab at the University Of South Florida. Our research focus on the effects that brain games has on the elderly and on cognition. It has been found that the games from posit science enhances the functional abilities of adults as well as enhances their functions with activities of daily living, such as balancing a checkbook, cooking, and personal hygiene. This has been shown to improve their quality of life by improving their cognition, this is why I am such an advocate for brain fitness programs. Below is a link to Dr. Edwards published article on brain fitness programs and cognition. https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=4yda-t4AAAAJ&cstart=20&pagesize=80&citation_for_view=4yda-t4AAAAJ:k8Z6L05lTy4C
Are you Eating Healthy?
In addition to brain games healthy diets are also very important in the prevention process of Alzheimer’s disease. Many diets promote weight loss but aren’t as brain-healthy as people think. Different diets such as the Mediterranean diet, which promotes eating high-fiber food that are low in carbohydrates are not brain-healthy. Other diets such as the Atkins diet, which insists on the consumption of an extremely low carb, sugar count and a high protein count, which deprive the brain of many necessary nutrients. Juicing is also a great way to include all of the necessary nutrients, which may include, spinach, bananas, grapes and cranberry juice. Good diets are those that allow a balanced amount of veggies, fruits, protein and carbs. You have to think to eat to protect your glial cells, which are cells that protect and support brain function. Consuming tea and omega-3 fatty acids are great glial cell protection.
Are you Lifting?
In conjunction with brain activities and healthy eating, regular workouts are very helpful as well. Aiming for at least 150 minutes each week of cardio and light weight lifting has been shown to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Working out causes more oxygen to be sent to the brain, which causes the brain cells to work more effectively. This is great for the neurons and cells in the brain since they live off of oxygen. Regular workouts also help maintain balance, and promotes a stable and solid sleep cycle. Exercise helps with balance, which in turn decreases the number of falls that occur per year. The articles below show how very important this is.
http://www.alz.org/we_can_help_stay_physically_active.asp
To wrap things up…….
In conclusion, It is important that young adults and the elderly are aware of all that can be done to prevent Alzheimer's disease. Having a schedule that allows them to follow all of these 6 things will promote better sleep, and brain function. All of these together build up brain power and support cognition and their quality of life. It is important that the neurons and cells in the brain communicate effectively and these 6 pillars allows that. I hope that these 6 pillars have allowed the audience to self-reflect on their lifestyles and helps them know what should be changed. I also hope to open the eyes of all generations about this disease, but knocking out the idea that “Only Grandpa and Grandma can get it”. It is vital to understand how to prevent Alzheimer’s disease due to the increasing number of diagnoses each year. 5.3 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, an estimated 5.1 million people are age 65 and older, and approximately 200,000 individuals between the ages of 40 and 50 are living with Alzheimer disease. Below is a link to a great article that discusses these occurrences.
