Alzheimer's Disease
Common Myths About Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer’s is a commonly misunderstood disease. It affects many people and their families each year, but there are many misinterpretations and myths associated with the disease. There are five common myths associated with Alzheimer’s and dispelling the myths can help many individuals find better treatment for the disease. The first myth involves memory loss and the aging process. Many people believe that memory loss is a natural part of aging, and some believe Alzheimer’s is also a natural part of aging. However, Alzheimer’s is not a part of aging; it is a serious disease that does not affect every elderly person. Severe memory loss is recognized as a symptom of serious illness. It has never been proven that age causes memory loss, but many individuals will admit that their memories decline as they grow older. If an aging person experiences excessive memory loss, it should not be passed over as a normal part of aging.
If an elderly person forgets simple and common things, then they may be showing clear signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The second common myth about Alzheimer’s disease is that the disease is not fatal. However, many people should know that Alzheimer’s is a fatal disease. Victims of Alzheimer’s may live for 3 to 20 years, but the disease is fatal for all victims. The disease begins with the destruction of cells in regions of the brain that are important for memory and thinking functions. Eventually, the loss of cells in other regions of the brain will occur, and will lead to the failure of essential systems in the body. The disease will also eventually cause the complete loss of all brain functions. If a person with Alzheimer’s has no other serious diseases, then the disease will be the single factor in the death of an individual.
The third myth about Alzheimer’s is that drinking from aluminum cans or cooking with aluminum pots and pans can lead to the disease. Disposing of aluminum products will not protect anyone from getting the Alzheimer’s disease. Aluminum’s role in causing Alzheimer’s disease is currently being researched and debated. However, there isn’t any sufficient evidence to show that aluminum is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s or a cause for dementia. Another common myth is that aspartame causes memory loss. There is no scientific evidence that supports the theory that aspartame affects cognitive function and memory loss. The aspartame product is used in foods and beverages, such as NutraSweet® and Equal®. So, consumers are able to consume these sweeteners without worrying about the products causing the Alzheimer’s disease.
The final myth is that natural therapies are able to stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but there are several treatments available. The treatments may be effective in slowing down the declination of cognitive functions, but they are not able to completely stop the process. The FDA-approved drugs are effective in temporarily improve or stabilize the memory and thinking skills in individuals. There are also alternative medicines to the FDA-approved drugs, but they have not been proven effective in treating the disease.
Ten Common Signs of Alzheimers
It is common for aging individuals to experience problems with memory, but many of the symptoms may not be the common signs of aging. Memory lapses are most commonly associated with the early stages of Alzheimer’s, and in aging individuals, these problems should not be overlooked. Individuals with Alzheimer’s experience problems communicating, learning, thinking, and reasoning. These problems are so severe that they affect a person’s ability to work and socialize. Although there no effective way of diagnosing Alzheimer’s in the early stages of the disease, there are ten warning signs that will help victims receive early care and support for the disease.
The first sign of Alzheimer’s is memory loss; a sick person will often forget learned information, which are the early signs of dementia. The Alzheimer’s victim will not be able to recall forgotten information later. The second sign of the disease is experiencing difficulty performing familiar tasks. People with Alzheimer’s will have a difficult time planning and completing daily tasks. Sick persons may also lose track of the steps involved in preparing a meal or playing a game. The third warning sign involves problems with language.
Alzheimer’s victims often forget words, or substitute unusual words, making their speech or writing hard to understand. They might replace common words with abstract descriptions, such as replacing the word toothbrush with “that thing for my mouth.” The fourth warning sign is disorientation to time and place. Sometimes individuals with the diseases become lost in their own neighborhood, and forget where they are and how they got there, and don’t know how to get home.
Another sign of Alzheimer’s is having poor judgement skills. Alzheimer’s victims commonly dress inappropriately. People with the disease may wear several layers on a warm day and vice versa; they may also wear pajamas over normal clothing. They may also show poor judgement in money management areas, and may be willing to give money to almost anyone. The normal aging person may make a questionable decision occasionally. The next warning sign involves having problems with abstract thinking. A sick person may have incredible difficulty performing complex mental tasks, such as counting back from 40 by 4s.
The seventh sign of Alzheimer’s is the common misplacement of things. Individuals may place things in unusual places, or in places they don’t belong. Misplacing valuables is also a common symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. The next sign of the disease is changes in mood or behavior. Rapid mood swings are common in people with Alzheimer’s, the sick person may move from a calm mood to an angry or agitated mood for no apparent reason. Victims of Alzheimer’s may also seem subdued and withdrawn in socially challenging situations.
The ninth sign of Alzheimer’s involves changes in personality. The person with the disease may experience a dramatic personality change. A sick person may become often confused, agitated, paranoid, and anxious. The normal sign of aging involves a mild personality change, but people typically remain the same with age. The final sign of Alzheimer’s is a loss of initiative. People with the disease may become passive, and may watch television for hours without communicating with others. Sick persons may also sleep more than usual, and may shy away from normal activities.
Understanding the Stages of Alzheimers Disease
Alzheimer’s is a serious illness that affects many people every year. Although Alzheimer’s has a widespread effect, many people don’t understand the disease. Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disorder that gradually destroys the memory, the ability to learn, reason, make judgements communicate and perform daily activities. The disease causes anxiety, paranoia or agitation, delusions and hallucinations. There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but there are new treatments. The Alzheimer’s illness can last from 3 to 20 years. If a person has no other serious illnesses, then the loss of brain function from Alzheimer’s will cause their death. The staging systems provide frames of reference for understanding how the disease may unfold, and helps patients make future plans.
The first stage of the disease is defined as no impairment or the normal function stage. During this stage diagnosed individuals will experience no memory problems, and the evident signs of the disease will no be visible at this time. In the second stage, individuals will have a mild cognitive decline. During this time, the sick person may have memory lapses. In this stage, it may be difficult to diagnose the disease, because many of the symptoms are common to the aging process. The third stage of Alzheimer’s involves mild cognitive decline. In this stage, problems with memory or concentration are evident, and can be measured through clinical testing. Some of the most common problems during the third stage include word-or name-finding difficulty that is noticeable to people around the sick person. There is also a decreased ability to remember names after being introduced to new people, and there will be noticeable performance issues in social or work settings.
During stage four there will be visible signs of deficiencies. Patients will experience decreased knowledge of recent occasions or current events; there will be an impaired ability to perform challenging mental arithmetic. Individuals may also experience a decreased capacity to perform complex tasks, such as paying bills and managing finances. There will also be a reduced memory of personal history, and may seem withdrawn in socially or mentally challenging situations. In stage five patients will experience moderately severe cognitive decline. In this stage, it is essential for patients to have assistance with daily activities.
During the fifth stage, patients may also become confused about where they are, about the date, day of the week, and about the time of year. However, in this stage, patients retain knowledge of their own names and the names of certain family members. The memory difficulties worsen during the sixth stage, and there is a significant personality change. Extensive assistance for daily activities is needed during this stage. It is common for patients to lose awareness of recent experience and events as well as of their surroundings. Commonly, patients will experience disruption of their normal sleep cycles. Patients will also need assistance with using the bathroom, and may have increased episodes of urinary of fecal incontinence.
At this stage, patients will begin to have delusions and hallucinate. A person with Alzheimer’s in this stage may also begin to wonder from home, and get lost. The final stage of the disease involves severe cognitive decline. Individuals lose the ability to respond to their environment, the ability to speak, and the ability to control movement. In this stage, using the bathroom and eating must be assisted. Patients are also unable to walk without assistance, and reflexes become abnormal and muscles grow rigid.
Common Treatments of Alzheimers
Alzheimer’s is a serious disease that causes memory loss, disorientation, confusion, and problems with reasoning and thinking. The condition is the most common form of dementia, and eventually causes total loss of mental function. Currently there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but there are many treatments available. The drugs available for treatment cannot alter the progressive loss of cells, but they can stabilize the symptoms of the disease. Using the medications may also delay the need for nursing home care. The treatments for the disease include Cholinesterase inhibitors, Memantine, and Vitamin E. The Food and Drug Administration(FDA) approved two classes of drugs for treatment of cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Cholinesterase inhibitors were the first of two Alzheimer medications approved by the FDA. The three common cholinesterase inhibitors prescribed are donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine. Donepezil(Aricept®) is approved by the FDA for use in all stages of the Alzheimer’s disease. Rivastigmine(Exelon®) is approved for treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. Galantamine(Razadyne®) was also approved for treatment of mild to moderate stages of the disease. Another cholinesterase inhibitor was approved by the FDA in 1993, but it is rarely used. Tacrine(Cognex®) was the first cholinesterase inhibitor, but it is rarely used because it may cause possible liver damage, and other dangerous side effects. The inhibitors were designed to prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine, which is a chemical messenger in the brain that is essential for memory and thinking skills.
The drugs are used to keep acetylcholine levels high, even when the cells that produce the chemical messenger continue to die. Approximately, half of the individuals who take cholinesterase inhibitors experience a moderate improvement in the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Memantine(Namenda®) was approved by the FDA in 2003 for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease. This drug is classified as an uncompetitive low-to-moderate affinity
N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, which is the first Alzheimer treatment of this type approved in the U.S. Memantine works by regulating the activity of glutamate, which is one of the brain’s specialized messenger chemicals involved in information processing, storage, and retrieval.
The messenger chemical, glutamate has an essential role in learning and memory. The chemical triggers NMDA receptors to allow a controlled amount of calcium to be released into a nerve cell, creating the chemical environment needed for information storage. If there is an excessive amount of glutamate, then the NMDA receptors will be overstimulated, and too much calcium will flow into nerve cells, causing disruption and death of cells. Memantine can protect cells against excess glutamate by partially blocking the NMDA receptors.
Vitamin E supplements may also be used as treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, because they may help protect brain cells against attacks. Cell functions may create free radicals, which are a type of oxygen molecule that can damage cell structures and genetic material. The damage done by free radicals is called oxidative stress, and may have a role in Alzheimer’s disease. Aging causes some of the bodies natural defenses to decline, including the body’s ability to create the antioxidants vitamin C and vitamin E. Taking vitamin E supplements can help effectively fight the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
The Ineffective Side of Alternative Alzheimer Medications
Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that affects millions of people every day. A cure for Alzheimer’s has yet to be found, but there are many treatments available. There are also many alternative treatments available for individuals with Alzheimer’s, but there are many facts about the alternative medicines that many people are unaware of. Herbal remedies and dietary supplements are promoted as effective treatments for fighting against Alzheimer’s, but there is no real proof of their effectiveness. Many claims of the products effectiveness are based largely on testimonials, tradition, and a small body of scientific research. The same extensive research required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) for the approval of prescription drugs, is not required for dietary supplements.
The alternative drugs may be valid for the treatment of Alzheimer’s, but there are many concerns about using these types of drugs as an alternative to physician-prescribed therapy. The first concern is that the supplements may not be effective in the treatment of Alzheimer’s. The effectiveness and safety is unknown, because makers of dietary supplements are not required to provide the FDA with evidence on which the company bases its claims of safety and effectiveness. The purity of the supplements is also unknown. There is no authority over supplement production, and bad reactions to the treatments are not commonly monitored. The manufacturers of the alternative medicines are not required to report any problems consumers may have with a certain product. The FDA provides reporting channels for manufacturers, health care professionals, and consumers to issue warnings about products when there is a concern. However, many of the potential side effects for the alternative medicines for treating Alzheimer’s are unknown.
Dietary supplements may have serious interactions with prescribed medications, and there are many supplements that cause concern. Some of the supplements that cause concern, include Coenzyme Q10, Ginkgo biloba, and Huperzine A . Coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant that occurs naturally in the body, and is needed for normal cell reactions to occur. This supplement has not been proven effective for the treatment of Alzheimer’s, and may be dangerous if too much is taken, and there isn’t a common dosage prescribed to patients. Ginkgo biloba is a plant extract that contains several compounds that may have positive effects on cells within the brain and the body. This supplement has been proven ineffective in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, although it may work to improve some cognition in social behavior.
There are few side effects associated with the Ginkgo biloba supplement, but it may reduce the ability of blood to clot, which can lead to internal bleeding. The risk of internal bleeding may increase if Ginkgo biloba is taken in conjunction with other blood-thinners, such as aspirin and warfarin. Huperzine A is a moss extract that has properties similar to FDA-approved Alzheimer medications. This supplement is promoted as an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, and has been accepted as a treatment for mild to moderate symptoms. When used in combination with other Alzheimer medications, a person could experience serious side effects.
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