Community Chat

[NoelSeven]

On 1/20/2014 Lila Belle said:

On 1/20/2014 Gooday said:

As did I. If someone said the sky was blue, you would find some way to argue the point. It's just who you are. You do it all the time.

back off !

Thanks, Lila.

[pitdakota]

On 1/20/2014 NoelSeven said:

On 1/20/2014 pitdakota said:

On 1/20/2014 NoelSeven said:

Good points, PD, thanks

Hi Noel!

Hi PD!

Thank you It's not easy standing against ignorance and misinformation.

I hear ya!

I am still waiting for the literature from 57 Babe. I would honestly like to read it.

[Dilbert Deaux]

Right now the sky is black. Just saying...

[Lila Belle]

On 1/20/2014 NoelSeven said:

On 1/20/2014 Lila Belle said:

On 1/20/2014 Gooday said:

As did I. If someone said the sky was blue, you would find some way to argue the point. It's just who you are. You do it all the time.

back off !

Thanks, Lila.

No problem.

After being called a "beach" by several of her buds I'm over some of these "respected" posters calling out others for things they're 1000 times more guilty of.

I guess I said it didn't I ?

[SydneyH]

On 1/20/2014 pistolino said:

<br class="quote_author" />

I don't need the "science" - my mother is dead and science didn't help her a bit.

I am very sorry for your loss, my paternal grandmother we believe had Alzheimers back in the early '80's. Hopefully though science will help future potential patients..........

[mistriTsquirrel]

I think we can agree that there may be contributing factors that are not known at this time, right?

We know that there are people who don't smoke and who don't spend time around smokers, who still get lung cancer...so what was the cause? No one can say for sure, I guess. (I work with a lady whose mother is in this situation. Her mother was never a smoker, wasn't friends with smokers and no one in the family smokes...and no one else in their lineage has had lung cancer. She's always been a health-conscious, active lady. So where did it come from? Outdoor pollution? Some sort of incidental exposure to some chemical? Who knows. Now that I think about it...I'd like to ask her what her mother's profession was before she retired, just out of curiosity.)

There are so many things we don't really know for sure. I prefer to rely on science, for the most part...but studies cost money, so they are funded by the ones who have the money. In other words, you really must educate yourself on all views and think critically, weigh the pros and cons of what you do, etc. if you want to be your healthiest. And there still will be no guarantee...but that's life, I guess. You can do your best to avoid illness, and the rest is out of your hands.

[pitdakota]

Considering the discussion in this thread I thought I would post a link to an announcement I received via email today: RECORD 122 Million

"An unprecedented $122 million increase for Alzheimer's research, education, outreach and caregiver support stemming from the efforts of Alzheimer's Association advocates was passed swiftly by Congress today. The Alzheimer's Association commends the bipartisan work of our elected officials to make Alzheimer's disease a national priority.

The funding allocated for Alzheimer's disease includes a $100 million increase for the National Institute on Aging for Alzheimer's research, which will be added to what the National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates will be $484 million in Alzheimer's research funding across NIH in fiscal year 2013. A further $3.3 million has been provided to support Alzheimer's caregivers, $4 million to train health professionals on issues related to Alzheimer's disease, $10.5 million to expand the home and community based caregiver services and $4.2 million for outreach activities to raise awareness. Additionally, the National Institutes of Health's BRAIN Initiative will receive $30 million to support brain research that could impact several diseases, including Alzheimer's."

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/16/6078998/record-122-million-increase-for.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/16/6078998/record-122-million-increase-for.html#storylink=cpy

[focksie]

A relative of mine has dementia and his doctor said it was likely due to microvascular changes in the white matter of the brain (leukoaraiosis) as seen on his brain MRI.

An article says: "White matter changes in the brain, also known as leukoaraiosis, are commonly found on brain imaging studies in older individuals. These radiographic changes are likely the result of chronic small vessel disease in the brain as well as asymptomatic ischemic strokes. The presence and severity of white matter changes in the brain has become an important marker in helping doctors to predict which patients are at greatest risk for functional and cognitive decline."

My friend was on statin drugs for many years. Yet this article goes on to say regarding prevention of cognitive decline: "Consider taking a cholesterol lowering medication such as Lipitor or Crestor to prevent white matter changes or leukoaraiosis. These statin medications likely reduce ischemic strokes and small vessel brain disease by decreasing bad cholesterol levels and inflammation as well as by stabilizing plaque build up on blood vessel walls.

I'm not posting this to discount anything anyone has said about statin drugs causing cognitive impairment. In fact, I'm very much an anti-drug person myself. I just found this contradiction interesting.

[sassenach1]

On 1/20/2014 10grands said:

My sister-in-law has Alzheimers, her husband finally had to place her in a nursing home. Does your Mother recognize you? It will probably reach the point where she does not know you or anyone else in her life. It is very frightening for them, when they do not recognize you they are fearful that someone is in their home and will hurt them. I urge you to put away any knives or weapons. That probably seems extreme, but believe me it is not. Her Mother also had Alzheimers, but it was before we realized what Alzheimers was. She ran away several times and also tried to attack her husband. I do not know if all patients are like this, but it happened in both members of my Husband's family. Many things they say leads to Alzheimers, poor diet, no excercise, keeping active, etc. In my Sister in laws case, she always ate very healthy foods, took long walks all the time, had many friends, knit beautiful afghans. One thing she likes is holding a doll or something very soft such as a lightweight small blanket. It is a terrible disease and so hard for not only the person but the caretaker and everyone in their family.

Please arrange for some help so you can have some time away from your home - even to just go shopping for a few hours.

My mother still recognizes me, but not some other family members. I know the time will come when she won't know me.

Thank you for your kind words!

[sassenach1]

On 1/20/2014 mistriTsquirrel said:

On 1/19/2014 Sassenach1 said:

I have given this much thought. Because Alzheimer's is such a horrible disease and is increasing in the population, we need a laser focus on PREVENTION. Cynically, I do not think this will happen. It's all about the money and there is no money in prevention. There is money in drugs and memory care facilities.

This conclusion depresses me, but I do believe it is the reality.

Thoughts? I need hope.

I agree with you.

On a related note, I've said before that there is no money in curing cancer, and that is a big part of why no cure will be coming any time soon ...and people recoil, as if I'm some sort of monster for suggesting it. But seriously...people are willing to use the nest eggs of seniors to keep up their own lavish lifestyles, companies that sell dangerous products hide the dangers of their product until they can no longer hide it from consumers, etc. It is all about the money for big business...and I'm not some sort of monster for pointing it out.

And the other issue is the American tendency to focus on cure and not prevention. We are not raised to think about preventing things as much as we are raised to run to the doctor once something is an acute problem. And look at the system before this year...there were so many uninsured americans, who could even afford preventative doctor visits? (Not that doctor visits are the best way to prevent anything...but at least a doctor can alert you to the fact that something may become a problem if you don't get a handle on it.)

It irritates me that people poo-poo preventative measures and natural remedies that have been used for centuries in other parts of the world, but running to the doctor after your pre-diabetic condition has become diabetes is the norm here. There is a mindset that I believe the majority of us are guilty of, and we need to work to dismantle it. (I'm working on that currently; I can only hope my body isn't irreversibly trashed after years of abuse.)

We trust doctors to give us health information, but we also need to look at other cultures and see what is working for their people. Most of our doctors are only schooled in our ways...and our ways aren't all so great.

If you're looking for hope, all I can tell you is that looking critically at the medications and advice we are given, seeking out information on unfamiliar remedies and looking critically at those, improving our nutrition using clean whole unprocessed foods, minimizing the unnecessary chemicals we put in our bodies and increasing our activity levels are all ways that we can try to prevent disease. We can't prevent all disease, but living a clean lifestyle can at least make the time we have on earth more enjoyable.

As I said before, I don't exclude myself from the category of those holding the american mindset...but I'm aware of it now, and I'm trying to make changes for the better.

...wish me luck...

Mistri - great post and I agree with you. Thank you. I DO wish you luck.