Tag Archives: memory loss

Lower Dementia Risk With the Right Diet

French researchers have been studying diet choices in people aged sixty-five and over. The result? Certain foods can help cut your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers from the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research tracked the diets of more than eight thousand people over the age of sixty-five for four years. Out of that group, 183 developed Alzheimer’s disease and another 98 developed a different form of dementia. Here are some of the study results: People who ate a diet full of healthy omega-3 fatty acids were sixty percent less likely to develop dementia than people … Continue reading →

Alzheimer’s Disease: Forgetting Your Partner

Former U.S. Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor is happy that her husband is in love with another woman. Last year, O’Connor left her seat on the U.S. Supreme Court to look after her husband John, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. John O’Connor has been slowly losing his memories to the disease for the last seventeen years. Although the O’Connors have been married for fifty-five years, John has started a new relationship with a patient at a care facility in Arizona. Experts say that it is not common for Alzheimer’s patients to start new relationships. People who suffer from the … Continue reading →

Berry Healthy Fruits

Yesterday my 3-year-old daughter and I spent the day at our local Pick-Your-Own Strawberry Farm. (I plan to detail our adventures in an upcoming Travel blog.) She had an incredible time and we left with six pounds of plump, juicy strawberries. That’s not counting the extra pound my berry-loving tot downed in the field. Forget about covering them with whipped cream or masking them under a mound of ice-cream… my daughter practically swallows them whole. We are fortunate to live 10 miles south of a gigantic strawberry farm and 25 miles east of a fabulous blueberry farm. Perhaps, that’s why … Continue reading →

Boost Your Brain Power With Meditation

Your brain is like a muscle. Without exercise, it can begin to weaken — just like any muscle. Researchers from Harvard University have been studying the effects of meditation on brain erosion, with surprising results. In your early 20s, your brain begins to erode — specifically the areas that deal with decision making, attention span, and memory. The Harvard study compared the MRI scans of people who meditated daily with those of people who did not meditate at all. The long-time meditators had thicker brains in the areas that eroded in non-meditators: the areas that deal with attention, memory, and … Continue reading →

Let’s Talk About “Pregnesia”

Since you’ve been pregnant, have you found yourself doing silly forgetful things that you wouldn’t normally do? How about leaving your keys in the doorknob, or misspelling simple words and getting frustrated about it? If this sounds like you, take a deep breath. You may be suffering from Pregnesia! This may be a term that is new to you. Pregnesia has been coined as the word to describe the forgetfulness often experienced by pregnant women. Also known as “preggie brain” or “preggo mishaps”, symptoms may include ditzyness, discombobulation, and acts of random clumsiness. There may be a link between fatty … Continue reading →

About Alzheimer’s Disease: Symptoms and Diagnosis

Alzheimer’s disease usually begins slowly. Mild forgetfulness may be the only symptom for a long time — and it is easily confused with age-related memory loss. In the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, a person may have trouble remembering recent events or the names of familiar people or things. They may have difficulty performing familiar activities. These symptoms are bothersome, but usually aren’t serious enough to cause alarm. In the middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease, a person’s symptoms will become more noticeable. The forgetfulness will start to interfere with simple daily activities — a person may forget how to brush … Continue reading →

About Alzheimer’s Disease

You’ve probably heard of Alzheimer’s disease… but there may be a lot you don’t know! Alzheimer’s disease is just one form of dementia — a brain disorder that affects a person’s ability to carry out daily activities. It is perhaps the most common (and best known) form of dementia among older people. Quick facts about Alzheimer’s disease As many as 4.5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer’s disease usually begins after the age of sixty, though it has been seen in younger people Approximately five percent of adults between the ages of 65 and 74 have Alzheimer’s disease Nearly … Continue reading →

Skin Test For Alzheimer’s Disease

Researchers are working on a new test to help detect Alzheimer’s disease in its early stages. The skin test is being worked on by folks at the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute at the West Virginia University Health Sciences Center. The concept behind the new test is this: Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t only affect the brain. The disease has an impact on the entire body. The new skin test for Alzheimer’s looks at two different enzymes that affect proteins in the brain. These proteins are typically found in people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease; the enzymes are out of balance in the body … Continue reading →

Many Kinds of Memory Loss

There’s more than one kind of memory loss. Depending on what other symptoms you may have, there are several different things that could be to blame. Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) What is it: a rare disorder where fluid accumulates in the brain, pushing the brain against the skull What are the symptoms: memory loss/dementia, gait problems, balance problems, incontinence How is it treated: surgical insertion of a shunt to help release fluids Epilepsy Did you know: epilepsy is nearly eight times more common in adults over sixty than in any other age group What are the symptoms: gaps in memory, … Continue reading →

Caring for the Elderly: Advanced Memory Loss

Two years can seem like a very long time, or a very short time. I moved in with my grandmother in March 2004 and have since become one of her primary caretakers. Lately, my grandmother’s memory problems seem to have accelerated. Within the last few months, it seems, she’s gone from mostly capable to much closer to incapable. She’s forgotten where the silverware is (it’s been in the same drawer for as long as I can remember, which is close to thirty years). She’s forgotten where the dishes are kept. She brings the mail in, then turns around and checks … Continue reading →