Connecting Aging and Memory

Connecting Aging and Memory

It is a well-known fact that aging will affect memory for many different reasons. Family members, friends, spouses, and careers all suffer because of aging and memory loss. Loss of memory seems to be a part of life that may sneak up on a person, gradually growing worse until it is finally acknowledged as being serious to warrant attention.

One of the least-heard-of ways people are affected by loss of memory is called male menopause. It seems to be more of an issue to keep the health problems affecting men a secret than it is for women. The male pride can be extremely sensitive in the areas of failing health.

The first memory that seems to be affected by aging is short-term memory. It is easy to assume that one may be in the first stages of Alzheimer's when memory loss begins to occur. Indeed, some may laugh at the idea of male menopause. After all, everyone knows menopause is something women endure, right?Unfortunately, this is not at all true. Most men just never seek help for this condition because of not being aware of their feelings on a conscious level. Men are taught to put their emotions aside because to openly acknowledge them is perceived as a sign of weakness.

Forgetfulness is at the beginning of the list of changes occurring later in life. The mental processes are slowing down. We begin to run low on hormones after the age of 40.

There is a steroid hormone that the body will normally produce, using cholesterol as its main raw material. It converts into other steroids the body uses. The level of this hormone declines with age. Low doses such as 10-30 mg a day has been shown to be a memory enhancer with a punch! Possibly the most powerful memory enhancer of all, it is also an anti-inflammatory aid which helps arthritic conditions when given at high doses of 400-500 mg per day. Other benefits of this hormone are increased energy levels, balanced hormone levels, and repair to the sheath that covers neurons in the central nervous system.
Many women are able to laugh and joke with others about the effects of menopause, especially the memory loss. It may be harder to notice memory loss caused by menopause simply because women and men are both caught up in working and rearing their children. This causes preoccupation of the mind, due to the busy lifestyles.

Aging and memory loss are no joke, certainly, and even those who are able to find the humor in it may secretly be covering for the frustration it actually causes in their day-to-day lives. Forgetting can be a scary, intimidating part of the aging process. Once it becomes such a problem that the elderly are faced with their loss of independence, it is certainly no longer a joke to one of them. It can cause life-threatening confusion, sometimes causing them to wander away from home and get lost, cause a vehicle accident by wandering into the street, or subject them to the fierce elements of nature.
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Brain Food

Brain Food

Our brain controls so many functions of our body besides being the powerhouse of information. Few vital functions of our brain are motor control, visual processing, auditory processing, sensation and learning. Considering all the functions of our brain there is no second thought that it is the most vital organ of our body beside our heart. Any kind of brain malfunction can be well understood if related to the current technology that is used in computer. The hard disk contains all the vital information of the computer and without it, the computer is as good as dead. If the hard disk crashes it is tough to recover it back and in most cases it cannot be recovered. Similarly if  Amnesia  or  Alzheimer  disease affects our brain it first destroys our brain cells and affects our memory. Loss of memory renders us useless, as we tend to forget all the skills that we have learnt over the period of time including language too. Any such disease can turn a human being into nothing less than vegetable.

All the medications used to regain the memory back are used for brain nourishment. This can only be achieved thru universal nourishment of body and brain. In order to have them work both in tandem with each other we must feed our body properly at the same time keeps it active by participating in physical and mental activities such as jogging and memory games. Children in their early stages should specifically be taken care of. Right nutrition can ensure their physical as well as mental well being. Right from the stage of pregnancy, future mothers are administered the right dosage of multivitamins and folic acid to help the brain of fetus grow. In cases where folic acid and dietary supplements are not taken low or no mental growth is observed. In their growing phases children are feeded with health drinks as they become choosy and eat what they like. This leads to various deficiencies affecting growth. This has given rise to so many health capsules and drink but the best and trusted supplement is Cod liver oil. It is rich in Omega 3 fat that helps in better growth of brain. Research proves that children who have been given cod liver oil on a regular basis display good memory and active body.

Over the period of time we barely make use of such supplements and the drug interference makes it worse along with the day-to-day life stress. This makes us prone to several mental disorders such as confusion, attention problem, foggy brain etc. We must not forget that the core brainpower has been derived from the nutrition given at early age and this would not last lifetime. We need to supplement it on a regular basis. There are many over the counter supplements available that are fortified with zinc, magnesium, folic acid and other essential nutrients for brain. But taking these supplements alone will not work wonder over brain hence we need to put in adequate exercise too. Try to challenge the memory often by engaging in memory games and other mentally challenging activities to ensure adequate supply of blood and oxygen to the brain. Taking care of heart and keeping the cholesterol and blood pressure in check also helps in clearing the arteries of any block to allow good flow of blood. Hormones, specially estrogen level should be kept in check as it affects our brain and leads to various diseases in longer run.

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Alzheimers

Alzheimers

Alzheimers affects that part of brain that control thought, memory, and language, it is one of the most common form of Dementia (destruction of brain cells to cause decline in mental functions)but later it spreads to all regions of brain rendering it ineffective. The onset of Alzheimer slowly progresses and alters personality and behavior. In most cases anxiety, suspiciousness or agitation, as well as delusions or hallucinations are observed to be the few changes that is caused by the disease. Memory and thinking process are marred in the initial stages of Alzheimer. It is one of the rising causes of death in elderlies, as patients diagnosed for this disease barely survive more than six years. But the duration of the disease vary between three to twenty years.

There is no permanent cure for the disease so far but effective care and support can help improve condition in the tenure of diagnosis to death. However, the condition can be avoided if healthy aging takes place in an individual. It also helps to reduce the risk of Alzheimer. The few best measure to ensure healthy aging involves constant check on cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, stress reduction, socially active lifestyle and regular exercise for body and mind. Unfortunately it takes longer to diagnose the disease as the brain damage starts much before the symptoms appear. By the time symptoms are visible nerve cells are already degenerated and extinct. The symptoms of disease vary but the first thing one notices is the loss of memory that starts interfering and affecting the regular life of an individual. Apart from this other noticeable changes are confusion and disassociation with the language and fumbling in familiar surroundings. The first sign noticed should be communicated to family or physician so that it can be identified early and the treatment is started without any further delay. Though there are no particular medical examination to conclude the disease but various tests (including physical and mental) and reviews from family and friend can benefit in diagnosis of the condition. Depression, hormonal changes such as thyroid and side effect of medication act catalyst for those who suffer from the disease and also makes prone to those who don't. Excessive drinking, unhealthy lifestyle and improper diet can also propel Dementia.

There are medication available to delay the process of brain cell degeneration but they are not known to curb or stop the process altogether. Thus it just slows down the process rather than eliminating the danger of the disease. However, improving quality of life by subtle understanding, care and altering the surrounding can tremendously help the patients suffering from Alzheimer.

The ongoing research in the field of Alzheimer is concentrated on reversal of nerve and brain cell damage. And also to further stop and reduce the degenerative condition in an individual. They are also working on the strategy to optimize the delay of disease and the role of cardiovascular and other health condition to affect the condition.
Those having a family history are more prone to the disease as the genetic makeup makes them more pronounced to be at the risk. More researches have brought forth the theory of plaques and tangles in brain tissue this considered to be more definitive way to diagnose the disease other than this brain scan is followed by tests of urine, blood and spinal fluid. It has also come to light that non-steroidal drugs can help slow the progression of Alzheimer. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant and is known to slow the progress. The hormone estrogen is also known to ease the condition.

The Alzheimer's Association has been formed with the intention to share, educate and strengthen the caregiver and family members of Alzheimer patients.

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All About Amnesia

All About Amnesia

Amnesia is a disorder of brain that affects the remembering aspect of once memory. It is caused by severe head injury or thru intake of toxic substance that affects the brain. Thought the disease can also impact those who suffer from paralysis or heart stroke. Those who suffer from Amnesia have a tough time remembering previously learnt information such as their name or language.

Amnesia victims never remember their past or anything associated with it such as people, place etc. They are often seemed to be feeling confused or disoriented. This disease unlike Alzheimer can occur at any age. And thus can lead to a partial or full Amnesia disorder. In few cases patients are never left unsupervised too as they may harm themselves. If the person remembers remembers recent events then it is partial amnesia. The recovery process involves remembering the previous or past memory before the most recent memories.

Another factor that is very important to the disease besides partial and full is the term of Amnesia as in whether it is temporary or permanent.


Support of caregiver is very important for person suffering from Amnesia though references from past can help them recover soon But if those references are disturbing to them then one should restrain from discussing them in their presence. Generally such cases are people who have been thru some kind of mental shock or agony. Such as accident victims, trauma patients or those who had to deal with a sudden death of some one close.

Another form of Amnesia is psychological Amnesia where someone takes on a new life for a few months or days and once the anxiety induced amnesia attack is over no memory remains of that period. Most of amnesic patients recover on their own not requiring much medical interference. Change of work and activity can bring along a good change along with family therapy. Hypnosis also acts as a great tool to bring back the memory of the patient. Amnesia patients not only lose their memory but also the ability to generate any memory in the time span of disease.

Stress is a major cause of concern for today's generation. Life is so fast paced that it calls for a halt to think for oneself. We have so many things to worry about in today's world and remembering things forms a major part of our life today. Be it electricity bill payment or client appointment. As the value of time has gained importance so have the getting work done on time has. Every day in our life we are faced with so many deadlines that we are stressed out completely by the end of the day. We seldom have time to meditate, exercise, engage ourselves in light activities such as games or clubbing The more our life is technologically influenced the more we are running into the danger of acquiring one or more neurotical disorders. In order to wade thru the stress that we face in our day-to-day life, we must follow a healthy diet pattern along with adequate physical exercise and supplement intake.

In earlier times the work timings were fixed and there were limited resources of available technologies that makes us sit like couch potatoes. People would interact and share their problems and worries that would act as stress buster. Hence fewer people suffered from disease such as Alzheimer and Amnesia. But now all these sufferings are becoming evident as we barely lay emphasis on improving our lifestyle and switching to a more relaxed life.

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