Assess Your Risk for Alzheimer’s: Word Alzheimer’s Day & Quiz
Are you constantly misplacing important items like your keys or wallet?
Do you go to the grocery store to realize that you have no idea what you went there for?
Do you find yourself rereading the same page of a book several times before you’re able to process the words?
Do you know that every 66 seconds one American over the age of 65 is newly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. This is a frightening statistic.
Do you know that Alzheimer’s Disease is a form of Diabetes and is also referenced as Type 3 Diabetes.
In fact the words “Alzheimer’s” and “dementia” are frightening in their own right. We hear these words and conjure up a certain image that makes us cringe. And with rates of dementia continually rising, Americans are currently in a brain health crisis.
Maybe you are at risk and worried about the state of your brain or the brain of someone you love.
It used to be thought that dementia was inevitable and a normal part of aging, that everyone’s memory will fade as they get older, and that a decline in cognitive function is a normal part of aging.
The good news is this is not so! Alzheimer’s and other dementias are preventable!
What you do today, can actually help you protect, restore, and regain the health of your brain!
Almost all the risk factors for cognitive decline are preventable or reversible. So you can make your brain better. And when you make your brain better, your life will be better!
“Yes, Alzheimer’s is largely a preventable disease!”
With World Alzheimer’s Day right around the corner on Friday, September 21, there’s no better time to act than right now!
Read on to educate yourself about the risk factors for developing Alzheimer’s and other dementias. And be sure to grab a pencil so you can take my quiz to test your personal risk factors for the disease. Then learn what you can start doing today to regain the health of your brain. You are never too old or too young to start improving your brain.
World Alzheimer’s Day
In commemoration of World Alzheimer’s Day, I thought I’d dedicate this blog post to the disease and the countless people around the world who have been affected by its wrath. As of today, it’s estimated that approximately 44 million people worldwide are living with Alzheimer's or dementia. This number doesn’t include the many family members and close friends of those diagnosed.
According to alz.org, Alzheimer’s is a “brain disease that causes a slow decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills.”
It’s hallmark characteristic includes the development of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. As they clump together, signals are prevented from travelling between nerve cells. Eventually, nerve cells in the brain die off, and every aspect of the patient’s life is affected as a result. This includes how they think, how they feel, and how they act.
Though each person is affected by the disease differently and at different rates, there are some common symptoms that tend to manifest as the disease progresses. These include a reduced capacity to think and function, confusion, memory loss, changes in mood, emotions, and behaviour, and reduced coordination.
Eventually, these symptoms reach a point where every aspect of the patient’s life is affected, right down to their ability to perform simple day-to-day tasks.
Next Steps: What you can start doing today to improve the health of your brain
Hopefully you’ve learned something about the risk factors for dementia and now have a general idea of what your personal risk factors are. Still, we must acknowledge there’s a great deal we don’t yet know about the disease.
I’d also like you to realize that you are not stuck with the brain you have. There are changes you can implement in your life that can greatly reduce your risk of age-related cognitive decline and possibly even reverse the effects of dementia - at any age!
For starters, you should:
Eliminate the toxic factors in your diet
Retrain your brain through meditation and mindfulness practices
Exercise your brain to keep it mentally sharp
For more tips and ideas of what to eat (and what to avoid) to stave off dementia, be sure to subscribe to my blog [add link to subscribe], as I continue to discuss neuronutrition and natural ways to support brain health and cognition for life.
In addition, if you’d like more information or would like help reducing the risk factors for dementia in your life, please contact me. Alzheimer’s is a serious, life-altering condition that not only affects the person diagnosed, but their entire family as well.
I’d be happy to devise a personalized program focused on neuronutrition and lifestyle changes for you or a loved one, wether you may already be suffering from dementia or wanting to prevent it as you age.
Alzheimer’s is preventable. Let’s work to prevent it from affecting your life!
As always, I value your feedback. Drop me an email or comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
