The Challenge of Aging

Dementia and Challenging the Mind

As we live longer, there are risks to your health if you don’t stay healthy. Dementia is one such risk. Dementia is a loss of cognitive function due to disease or trauma. This affects decision-making, memory, reasoning and communication. The changes can come over you slowly or very quickly. It may be reversible depending on how the changes occur or if you suffer from an incurable disease like Alzheimer’s. While this can be genetic, evidence has shown that a healthy lifestyle is your best defense.

The National Institute for Neurological Studies categorizes different types of Dementia:

"Cortical dementia - dementia where the brain damage primarily affects the brain's cortex, or outer layer. Cortical dementias tend to cause problems with memory, language, thinking, and social behavior.

Subcortical dementia - dementia that affects parts of the brain below the cortex. Subcortical dementia tends to cause changes in emotions and movement in addition to problems with memory.

Progressive dementia - dementia that gets worse over time, gradually interfering with more and more cognitive abilities.

Primary dementia - dementia such as AD that does not result from any other disease.

Secondary dementia - dementia that occurs as a result of a physical disease or injury."

In a study from Group Health Research Institute one doctor is quoted saying:

" 'We considered blood glucose levels far into the normal (nondiabetic) range, and even there found an association between higher glucose levels and dementia risk,' Paul K Crane, MD associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, and affiliate investigator at the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle"

This got me thinking on ways to help prevent Dementia. In an article on webMD they list eight ways to help protect you from dementia. They are as follows:

1.      Stay Physically Active – keep your brain oxygenated.

2.      Challenge Your Mind – keep your brain exercised with reading or puzzles.

3.      Eat a Vegetable and Fruit Diet – antioxidants can be found in many foods and they are beneficial to the brain.

4.      Control Blood Pressure – damage to blood vessels will inhibit oxygen flow to the brain.

5.      Keep Blood Sugar Levels Normal – diabetes has been linked to a decline in mental flexibility.

6.      Keep Cholesterol in Check – high levels can damage brain cells.

7.      Take Depression Seriously – depression can permanently alter the brain by inflammation.

8.      Stay Connected – friends and family are a benefit to your mind body and soul.

At Health Communities I found some excellent exercises to stave off dementia. Some of them are:

·        Reading

·        Brain Teasers

·        Pets

·        Cooking

·        Volunteering

·        Lectures

·        Writing

The causes of Dementia are varied, from Alzheimer’s to Multi-infarct disease, which is a series of strokes that affect cognition. Late stage Syphilis, alcoholism and chronic drug use as well as metabolic disorders like low thyroid levels or high blood sugar levels are also linked to Dementia. All in all, it pays to stay wholly healthy by considering all dimensions of health!