Alzheimer’s Disease: Dementia Symptoms and Treatments

Alzheimer’s disease, or simply Alzheimer’s, is a disease that causes dementia in older people. Alzheimer’s dementia usually affects people who are older than 65 years of age, and is degenerative in nature. This condition is marked by forgetfulness, which affects not only difficulty in remembering the names of people and places but even words, and the consequent inability to communicate with others, frustration, anger and unpredictable mood swings, confusion, withdrawal and similar personality disorders. Lapses of memory in which a person is unable to recall recently acquired information is one of the earliest symptoms Alzheimer dementia manifests itself through. Alzheimer’s cure is not possible since it is a terminal disease that impairs the mental health of a person gradually in stages. The different stages of Alzheimer’s are predementia, early dementia, moderate dementia and advanced dementia. The first stage is characterized by symptoms like forgetfulness, difficulty in abstract thinking and distraction, which are often mistakenly assumed to be the natural signs of ageing. In the second stage the patient begins to have difficulty in grasping new concepts and using language meaningfully and coherently. In the third stage the linguistic inability becomes more chronic as the patient loses the ability not only to use words properly but also to string them together into sentences. Difficulty in coordinating complex body movements, delusional experiences and incontinence also occur at this stage. In the fourth and final stage the patient often loses his skill with language completely, and often becomes mentally and physically debilitated completely.

Alzheimer treatment basically involves management, as it is not possible to cure this disease once it has set in. Alzheimer’s cure, in that sense, can consist only of preventive measures, though there is a good deal of debate regarding these too. It has been suggested that involving the brain in regular and rigorous exercises from childhood onwards keeps it in good health and makes it less prone to debility in old age. Food rich in vitamins and proteins is also supposed to be important for maintaining mental health. A generous daily intake of turmeric is supposed to keep this disease at bay. Blueberries are now believed to keep Alzheimer’s in check, as they are a rich natural source of vitamin E, which heals worn out nerves and restores general mental health. Pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds also help prevent Alzheimer’s. Besides these, inhaling a few drops of lemon juice added to hot water or, alternatively, heated sesame oil, through the nostrils helps relieve exhaustion in the patient.

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