My DH was diagnosed in his thirties with a chronic medical condition. Oh, did we ever receive lots of advice-----we needed to change our diet / he obviously didn't know how to handle stress properly / we needed to spend lots of money on supplements / he had unresolved issues from his childhood and so it went. Well, guess what----some of those same people are now dealing with medical issues themselves as a result of having aged three decades. The one positive thing that I have observed currently is that people in our age group are more willing to express empathy (than they were 30 years ago). That is, some people do if they can keep quiet long enough about their own health issues to listen to ours (not always the case unfortunately).
Preventing AD. Good blog today Joan. Where does all this nonsense come from? After reading it carefully I keep seeing the authors totally (maybe intentionally?) confusing Alzheimer’s disease with all the other types of dementia including vascular dementia. Come on folks, these are all totally different pathologies. We all know that no amount of Chinese lessons or aerobic exercise is going to stop the plaques & tangles of AD or the Lewy body deposits or whatever is shrinking the frontal & temporal lobes of FTD. Maybe heart healthy living can affect the strokes of vascular dementia and certainly daily socialization will keep you more sane in your 80s than a life of solitary confinement, but come on folks! So why do they say all this stuff? My conclusion is that; 1. These people are researchers. They are paid to ‘research’ and make discoveries. No discoveries – No pay (grants etc.) So they grab at the low hanging fruit, doing easy to design studies that never show a true cause & effect but might possibly show a correlation relating any ‘dementia’ of whatever type to any human behavior whatever the type. Since there is no cure for any of this (or they cant discover a cure) the only hope is that these associations can lead to an avoidance. Remember back in the 60s there were daily studies that claimed to have discovered the ‘cause’ for cancer. Most always it was some type of food or lifestyle activities. You don’t see them as much anymore. Since we have become much better at actually CURING cancer, perhaps the causes aren’t as important anymore? I suspect it is the same reason we keep seeing these ‘cause of dementia’ studies.
2. I also truly believe that the most important reason researchers and doctors keep promoting a ‘cause’ or avoidance is that they are SCARED! They see us and our problems and they are panicked that it can happen to THEM! They know there is no cure but gosh, if it could only somehow be prevented . . . . ?
We recently changed health plans and during my wife’s first evaluation with the new doctor to write the prescriptions, he gave me the spiel about AD; stay active, do puzzles, yada, yada, yada . . . . . I asked him why we should do any of this because the NIH has written in their mega evaluation of the scientific literature that none of that stuff worked to prevent or ‘cure’ AD. Did he doubt the NIH findings? I guess it was not the best way to start a new MD/patient relationship but frankly I did not want to hear it. It is what it is and I have to deal with it. In hindsight I suspect that although he is very knowledgeable he too was scared to death by it and feels a little impotent that he really can’t do anything to cure it and personally wants to believe that at least it can be avoided somehow in his own life. So researchers keep plugging away and maybe you can somehow help folks decades from now, but until then the fright that you are feeling hoping that you don’t get it is nothing compared to the misery of those of us who actually have it.
Joan, I have dutifully updated my to-do list! My most humble thanks! I fear, however that you have left a few causes and preventions off of your list: Remember: An apple a day keeps the doctor away, always eat you veggies, drink coffee every day (between the wine and tea). And, in your spare time, add 'simple' exercise to your routine such as climbing stairs, playing a neighborly game of bowling or golf, or even just get that gardening done. And please, don't eat or drink from plastic, don't cook in aluminum and scrape that non-stick coating from your pans. If I see one more "must do" as a serious suggestion I might scream. But, for now, Bravo Joan, your blog gave me a great laugh! Sue
Joan, As I was reading your blog it seemed like maybe, in order to preserve our brains, we need a 48 hour day. There is no way one would have time to do all the things suggested without dropping dead from exhaustion......isn't that what happens to us anyway?!
At the doctor's today there was a neuro magazine and it was about Jill Eikenberry's mother who has Alz..anyway at the end was a list of things to do to avoid Alz.. exercise, avoid diabetes, keep blood sugars in control, lose wt, you name it.
Joan - I loved your blog. Your "best way to avoid Alzherimer's is to die young" is infinitely more sound than any of the other expert advice. And I can back it up with clinical data. My father died at 42; he did not develop Alzheimer's. My sister died at 52; she did not develop Alzheimer's. I think you are on to something...
Preaching to the choir......how many of our spouses with AD/Dementia have done many of the recommended activities and ended up with this terrible disease? DH was very physcially active, VERY low cholesterol, no heart disease, no diabetes, ate well balanced meals, lots of fruits, veggies, loves crossword puzzles, etc. Oh, I get it, he must have the wrong diagnosis since all these things prevent AD! I'm so sick of their babbling!
These type of articles make me so mad that I have quit reading them!
my DH did all of those things...recently a Doctor told me that because he was in such good heath (still after 11 years of AD) that is why he is lingering so long. WOW, what a reward for a healthy lifestyly...if you do get AD, you will get to live longer AD than the unfit AD patient.
Grannywhiskers, I gave up reading these pieces of rubbish some time ago. My DH is 82 and other than 10mg of Lisinopril for BP all other meds are related to Alz so there is a possibility he could outlast me!
I did the same, Jean21. DH is 87; takes Lisinopril and Sertraline. Still is continent, showers,shaves, fixes cereal for breakfast - sandwich/fruit for lunch. Unload dishwasher and hides everything from me! What fun is this?
Not much fun Vickie:-O. DH empties the dish washer and no matter how many times he watches me put casserole/veg dishes away he always leaves them on the counter for me to take care of. Drinking glasses are always in the wrong place. The only things that go where they should are dinner and salad plates and flatware other than that it is usually a treasure hunt!!!!
Good one, Joang... The best laugh I've had in a long time... Now, I can't waste another minute.. I'm off to reverse the whole mess.. By weeks end, DH be a specimen of wholeness and me, Heck, I could go either way.. Thanks, you've made all our days.. Peggy
Media doctor Dean Edell has long remined people that the extra years of life that happen from healthy living do not come in the middle (when you might like them) but at the end when you wish it were all over. (his book: Eat, Drink & be Merry)
My wife is obese and has taken BP meds her whole life. After her Dx I stopped everything but the AD meds. Recent check up and her BP is 100% normal and all her labs (includign cholesterol) are excellent. Perhaps the AD has improved her health? Maybe everybody should get a touch of it? ;-)
Thanks for all the laughs. I too am sick and tired of everyone telling me what we did wrong as if we brought this upon ourselves. I've been around AD most of my adult life and i'm sure if it could be prevented we would have done it. I agree the only sure way of preventing it is to die young but how do you know when is just the right time I wouldn't want to give up too soon.