Alzheimer's Downer - Television! In the next 30 years Alzheimer’s Disease is expected to double in the world. This terrible news is accompanied by a warning that television is one of the worst contributing factors. That does not mean that people in their 70s should stop watching TV. Rather, they should stop watching TV as a child and expect to live longer, more productive lives. Even the educational channels do not mitigate these statistics. It’s the sitting numbly in front of a television for hours on end and not getting out to pursue other activities and sports which keep the brain active and supple. It comes back to the old saying “Use it or lose it.” There’s no other way to preserve brain function that intellectual stimulation, and challenging activities and hobbies are the way to do it. New drugs are coming onto the market every day for the treatment of this degenerative disease, but none of them really do anything other than treat the symptoms. There’s no regeneration of brain cells and some people respond to one drug while others will see some relief in a few years from a cocktail of three or four. There’s a vaccine now being tested to try to head the disease off at the pass and keep brains healthier longer. Vaccines are usually administered for prevention while this one will likely only change the progress of the disease or slow it down. Dr. Robert P. Friedland, associate professor of neurology at Case Western University School of Medicine in Cleveland, believes this information is deadly for the couch potato. His findings will be published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.” He states that Television is not protective and may be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. The three areas studied were Passive, Intellectual, and Physical capacities. The last two were beneficial to their health…the first not (of which Television watching was one…) This was remarked in Alzheimer’s patients and non-Alzheimer’s both. Family and friends participated in gathering the information. The study involved approximately 450 elderly people over the age of 70. They were questioned extensively about leisure activity, both current and from earlier times, including youg adulthood and middle age. The study found that intellectual activities which included chess, playing games, and musical instruments, reading, jigsaw and crossword puzzles were the most protective. The controls who participated in these and other hobbies and activities were the most mentally agile and the furthest from contracting Alzheimer’s. Dr. Friedland made an excellent analogy. He mentioned that “The brain is an organ just like every other organ in the body. It ages in regard to how it is used. Just as physical activity strengthens the heart, muscles, and bones, intellectual activity strengthens the brain against disease” and atrophy. He found that healthier brain cells control or slow Alzheimer’s process. Early intellectual calisthenics will not guarantee that a person won’t get Alzheimer’s or senile dementia (a milder condition,) but will delay onset for many years. Today we know a great deal about the symptoms of Alzheimer’s but very little about how to reverse, prevent, effectively treat or halt the deterioration. Many Alternative practitioners are having qualified success with diet and lifestyle changes. Most believe that the brain is being overloaded by heavy metals, and especially by aluminum. Few people realize how much aluminum we consume in everything from water to cookware, antacids, buffered aspirin, food additives, deodorants and shampoos. Until very recently a correct diagnosis was not available until a person died and an autopsy was performed. There are now effective tests, and patients are being treated earlier with better results. Today there are many brain nutrients available including the newest rediscovered, Galantamine. I wrote an article about that several weeks ago. Check the link at the right. Other brain “healers” are Acetylcholine, Boron, CoEnzymeQ10, Ginkgo Biloba, Lecithin, Multi Vitamins with Potassium, Pycnogenol, grapeseed extract, Selenium, Zinc and the B vitamins. Be sure to check with your health care practitioner before you try new products, though. There are a number of warning signs in ourselves or in others to watch for. These symptoms should send us off with haste to your doctor or naturopath: Memory Loss affecting daily function. Difficulty performing familiar tasks. Language and speech problems. Disorientation to time and space. Poor or decreased sense of judgment. Problems with abstract thought. Misplacing objects. Mood and behaviour changes. Character or personality alteration. Apathy and loss of initiative. A friend of mine mentioned that her husband’s memory (amongst other things) is going and he spends most of his days watching television and it’s driving her to distraction. Hopefully he hasn’t slipped so much that he can’t benefit from some of the new treatments for people like him. I, myself will be keeping this list close to my heart and will refer to it often as I get older, all the while taking my brain food! Back to the Writing Index