…Why do some of us develop dementia?
There seems to be no definitive answer although, as with many diseases or conditions, our genes can certainly tell us what we could fall prey to. We know this, well most of us do! And there are tests to determine where our jolly old DNA could take us.
Frequently we’re given the hint by our parents and grandparents – their weaknesses may well turn up in us. We need to keep an eye on our health and, if there’s any hint of a similar problem, get help PDQ. In some cases, we should alert our doctors/specialists up front. For instance, my mother had glaucoma, so I go for regular check-ups.
If there’s Alzheimer’s (AD) in our family history and we’re fearful for our own future health, we can have our genes checked. This may be very helpful information BEFORE we fall victim, but finding out too late could be just that – TOO LATE! For those who already have the disease, I can’t see how useful this would be but that’s a matter of opinion. It’s best to ask our neurologist/gerontologist what they think.
So why should some of us develop AD or another form of dementia? I was surprised to learn that the list of risk factors is long and, frankly, it’s amazing there are those who manage to get to the end of the road unaffected.
According to expert Dr. Dale Bredesen’s book ‘The End of Alzheimer’s’, in addition to physical conditions, pharmaceutical drugs and lifestyle choices are contributory factors. Some are obvious, others not. In random order, any of the following could put us in the danger zone:
• head injuries
• dental amalgam
• surgical implants
• STDs
• leaky gut
• tick bites
• sleep apnea
• certain medications (we need to gen up on the possible side effects before taking pharmaceutical drugs)
As to lifestyle choices – use or consumption of:
• cigarettes
• processed foods
• non-organic or genetically-modified foods
• toxic household products
• chemical-based cosmetics and hygiene products
• too much alcohol
Please note this is not to suggest that any or all of these will inevitably lead to cognitive functional disorders!
Smoking and drinking we know about, but are we taking the dangers of the rest seriously? In the long run, these can cause serious problems too. There’s only so much our bodies can deal with.
Perhaps it’s time to take a good look at our lifestyles and not just because we might one day contract AD or other form of neurodegenerative disease. The wrong choices are also known to leave us wide open to cancer, heart disease and/or diabetes.
Comments
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caroline says
Very interesting Sue. Keep the blogs coming 🙂
Thanks, will do!