Healthy Brain Wisdom

According to a recent CNN news report, Alzheimer's death toll may be much greater than reported. The following is the news:

Alzheimer's True Toll

(CNN) “Alzheimer's disease ravages the brain, robbing its victims not only of their memories but often their ability to do things as basic as swallowing.

Now, a study of aging patients suggests its true toll may top half a million lives a year -- a figure that would put Alzheimer's just below heart disease and cancer on the list of America's top killers.

The incurable, degenerative brain disease was blamed for 83,000-plus U.S. fatalities in 2010, making it the sixth-leading cause of death that year.

But its true toll may be as much as six times that, said Bryan James, an epidemiologist at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago.

"Death certificates are well known to underreport deaths from Alzheimer's and other types of dementia," said James, the lead author of the study published Wednesday. "The more immediate causes of death, such as pneumonia or heart attack, are usually listed, and the underlying causes of death are usually left off."

The eight-year study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Neurology, followed more than 2,500 people over 65. Of those, nearly a quarter developed Alzheimer's, and the disease was the cause of death in about 400 people, James said.”

Avoiding Alzheimer’s Disease

Given that 30 percent of your brain is made up of blood vessels, brain health involves keeping your brain blood vessels healthy through diet and exercise (what is good for the heart is also good for the brain). In addition, you need vitamin B12 and folic acid (yogurt, fish, and cereals). Maintain active social life (even after you have retired from work).There are 3 things you can do to activate your mind: learning a new language, playing a musical instrument, and writing (diary, journal, blog).

As you continue to age (e.g. the beginning of senility, whether you like it or not), it takes you longer to recall things, as well as longer time to process new information. Things could even get worse with time: you develop the common tip-of-the-tongue problem in remembering a common word, or a familiar name. The term is "senior moments." Mental deterioration will continue if you live long enough: for example, you don't remember directions, or recall lists, among other daily annoyances and frustrations. Poor memory is associated with old age and a deteriorating brain.

Learn different ways to improve your memory skills so as not to unduly stress yourself when you don’t remember what you want to remember. Increase your mind power and empower your brain holds the key to keeping your dementia at bay.

You may not have dementia or Alzheimer's disease if your brain is still healthy. But you do want to avoid, or at least defer, for as long as you possibly can, the occurrence of memory-lapses.

Although you may have an amazing brain, you still need to learn how to harness its power and potential. You can Make Your Brain Second To None.

1. Memory has to do with your senses: sight, sound, smell, and taste, and touch. They are your memory skills too, that is, tools for you to remember, store, and process information. Therefore, sharpen your senses to sharpen your mind. Protect and preserve your senses, for example, take care of your vision health, which is critical to having good memory, because sight is an important tool for remembering, storing, and processing information. There is a saying: "A picture is worth a thousand words." You still need good vision to see that picture.

2. Avoid emotional upheavals, such as depression or stress, which can adversely affect your brain power. Practice daily meditation to calm your nerves, and let your brain relax and rest. Meditation is a powerful tool to optimize your memory skills. Learn how to meditate from my web page: Meditation Techniques. All you need is patience and consistency.

3. Avoid pharmaceutical drugs wherever possible, especially over-the-counter ones, such as cold remedies and sleep aids. Drugs are dangerous chemicals that may damage your brain cells. Remember, brain cells, unlike other cells, do not regenerate, although you have trillions of them. Use natural herbs and home-made medicine, which are less toxic and have fewer side effects than the chemicals of pharmaceutical drugs.

4. Good nutrition enhances brain health. The rule of thumb is: What is good for the heart is also good for the brain. Eat a diet low in animal fat to avoid clogging blood vessels in your brain.

5. Try not to do too many things too quickly at the same time. This not only creates time stress but also disorients the mind. Learn to live in the present. Most of us don't; they talk on the cell phones while driving (they are supposed to be driving, not talking about things in the future).

Your brain is one of the most valuable assets in your life. You can keep it functional for as long as you wish. If there is a will, there is a way. Make it your first priority to sharpen your mind and protect your brain health.

For more information on mind wellness, visit my newsletter Wellness Wisdom Newsletter to get more tips and information on wellness of the mind.

Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau

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