Preventing Alzheimer's – 6 tips to counteract forgetfulnessEvery year, 300 people in Germany develop Alzheimer's disease.000 people newly suffer from Alzheimer's disease. Must be? Learn what you should know about Alzheimer's and how you can protect yourself from it in this article.
Why Alzheimer's affects more women than men?
About 70% of Alzheimer's sufferers are female. Why this is so, is not holistically clarified. Although it is known that the risk of Alzheimer's increases with age and that women are older than men, it has also been observed that the course of the disease is faster and prognostically worse in men.
– Women live longer than men. – Women survive Alzheimer's disease for a longer period of time. – Female hormones, while favoring the development of Alzheimer's disease, may inhibit. but also the speed of progression of the disease. – Differences in gene activity in older women may have an impact.
What are the risk factors for Alzheimer's disease??
Many processes in the development of Alzheimer's disease are still not clearly understood. Why one person gets Alzheimer's and the other does not is not clear. There are risk factors that promote Alzheimer's disease, but these are only risk factors. They include:
– Excessive alcohol consumption – diseases of the nervous system (z.B. Stroke, Parkinson's disease) – Craniocerebral injuries – Low mental activity and social isolation – Certain hereditary characteristics – Female gender – Higher age – Risk factors and diseases for the vascular system, such as high blood prere, diabetes, smoking or severe obesity
What happens in the brain when I develop Alzheimer's disease?
Alzheimer's causes changes in processes and brain matter in different parts of the brain. For one thing
more and more nerve cells of the brain die off. It shrinks by up to 20% in the process. On the other hand Information exchange between nerve cells impairs.
6 tips to prevent Alzheimer's disease
1. Eat a balanced diet:
Especially the Mediterranean diet seems to have a positive effect on the development of Alzheimer's disease. Mediterranean cuisine includes lots of vegetables and fruits, herbs and whole grain products, and of course virgin olive oil. Dairy products and meat are avoided as far as possible and the consumption of fish is favored.
2. Exercise is important:
Exercise not only makes for a fit body, but also for fit brain cells. Through exercise, the brain is optimally supplied with blood and oxygen and problems with weight or high cholesterol are a thing of the past.
3. Use your brain:
Train the performance of your brain and thereby increase attention, concentration, memory and coordination. The brain must be understood as a muscle – a muscle wants to be exercised so that it can also perform to its full potential. Crosswords, puzzles or learning a new language are good exercises for the brain.
4. Man is a pack animal. A social being. We need to get out and socialize to feel good and be happy. In addition, social contact ensures optimal use of speech, memory is stimulated and perception is sharpened.
5. Stop smoking:
Nicotine is a nerve, cell and vascular poison. The toxic effect of nicotine damages our blood vessels. In the long term, this ensures a reduced blood supply to the brain, which leads to an oxygen deficit in the brain tie.
6. Treat the risk factors:
Not all mechanisms of development of Alzheimer's disease are understood. Nevertheless, some risk factors are known. If you suffer from diabetes, then strive to keep the sugar levels optimally adjusted. High blood prere should also be stopped immediately. Be checked regularly.
What medications help with Alzheimer's? For years, scientists have been trying. pharmaceutical companies to develop a kind of vaccine against Alzheimer's disease. So far, all Alzheimer's vaccine research projects have failed.
Few medications are listed in the national guidelines for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. It seems to be especially important to treat Alzheimer's-promoting diseases such as diabetes, high blood prere, etc. at an early stage.
Topical are the following
3 drug groups to be found in the guidelines:
Cholinesterase inhibitors:
inhibit the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which then becomes more available again.
⇒ Aricept, Reminyl, Exelon
Ginkgo biloba:
Promote blood flow to the brain.
⇒ Gingium, Gikgo biloba, Ginkobil
glutamate antagonist:
The excessive glutamate release in the brain is counteracted.
What tricks help me get through the day when my Alzheimer's begins?
If you notice the first signs of incipient Alzheimer's, the situation is very frightening and can throw you off track. But don't be afraid that a close family member will notice some of the initial forgetfulness. Talk about it openly and consult your doctor early on.
The following 7 tips are sure to help you in the early stages of the disease. The Tips make everyday life easier and provide structure:
– Add structure to daily life by using an appointment book or weekly planner. – Small sticky notes can help to name everyday objects (sticky notes on stove or hair dryer with the corresponding name). – Always put important items in the same place (front door key, cell phone, etc.).). – Save the important phone numbers in your phone's speed dial list. – Find out about home emergency call systems, get trip hazards like carpets out of the way, and have smoke detectors checked in the home. – Register with a sports club and exercise regularly at fixed times and in a group, z. B. Nordic walking or (water) gymnastics. – Take precautions: Living will, health care proxy and power of attorney for guardianship.
Tips for the right diet for Alzheimer's
People who suffer from Alzheimer's disease often experience Loss of appetite and a Reduced sense of taste. Of course, these two phenomena cannot be simply swept off the table. Appropriately trained relatives or caregivers should keep an eye out. All too quickly, sufferers are malnourished And lose muscle mass. In addition, they are more susceptible to disease, such as pneumonia.
The following tips can help Alzheimer's patients eat properly and adequately:
– Meal times should be Regularly and take place at the same times every day. This approach creates a daily structure that gives Alzheimer's patients a sense of security. – Also a pleasant atmosphere having a neatly structured dining table can help sufferers eat better. Depending on your preference, it may be advisable to have soft background music playing. – It helps make the Favorite dishes the affected person as often as possible. Perhaps the person concerned can also help with the preparation of the food. As a rule, the handles of your own favorite food are as if burned into your skin. Affected persons can prepare the roast or soup in their sleep.
Alzheimer's is an insidious disease and not only turns the lives of those affected upside down, but also affects the daily lives of loved ones. With a lot of patience Alzheimer patients can. Relatives the difficulties of this illness however place.
Whenever a diagnosis of dementia is made, physicians are anxious to treat any possible. Finding triggers or detecting the disease masquerading as dementia. Thus find blood tests around bspw. to detect existing inflammation instead of. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) can also give an indication of a primary disease (neurosyphilis).
