Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment
Some of the home treatment for Alzheimer’s disease include meditation, placebos, Gingko Biloba, maintaining blood pressure, and eating food with antioxidants. Alzheimer’s disease, a degenerative brain disorder, is named after Alois Alzheimera, the German physician who described this brain disorder in 1906. It is the most common form of dementia found among older people, but a limited form of early onset Alzheimer’s also exists.
In its initial stages, the disease manifests only as mild forgetfulness, but it is one of the most degenerative and terminal diseases that can drastically change a person’s life. At present, there is no concrete cure for this dreadful disease, but it is necessary to initiate immediate medical treatment if the disease is suspected.
What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?
Alzheimer’s is basically a brain disorder that slowly destroys the brain’s ability to imagine, remember, and learn. According to the Stanford/VA [1] Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disorder of the brain that affects approximately four million Americans. Those suffering from Alzheimer’s eventually fail to recognize their own image and everything happening around them. There is no clear cut time line that differentiates between the normal symptoms of aging and those of Alzheimer’s. Therefore, it’s very important to get an immediate check-up when the level of personal functioning begins to change.
Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms
The prominent symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease are as follows:
Memory loss
Difficulty in executing simple and easy tasks
Language problem
Disorientation in relation to place and time
Deceased and poor judgment
Problems in terms of abstract thinking
Misplacing things
Personality change
Frequent changes in behavior and mood
Lack of initiative
The regular treatment involved in Alzheimer’s disease basically makes use of anti-anxiety and sleeping medications. The research centers, like Alzheimer’s Research Trust in the UK, are in a continuous process of conducting research on this disease. Most of the patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease also suffer from insomnia and have the habit of wandering out from their beds during the night. In case of being prescribed any medication, it is necessary to regularly reassess the developments of the disease on a frequent basis. In addition to this, the consumption of nutritional medications and supplements can interfere with the regular, prescribed treatment.
Home Remedy For Alzheimer’s Disease
Some of the home remedies for Alzheimer’s disease include meditation, placebos, Ginkgo biloba, mental exercise, normalizing blood pressure, herbs, and food with antioxidants. The prescribed medical treatment can be combined with home remedies to get better results. Most of these home remedies have no side effects, except to improve your quality of life!
Mental Exercise
To tone and nourish your memory, mental exercises can be quite effective. Word puzzles, crosswords, Sodoku, reading, and writing are just a few of the mental exercises that relax the brain and make it sharper. Motivate Alzheimer’s patients to memorize a poem and recite it back to you. Also, the patient can take part in Community Theater and try and memorize the dialog. These sort of exercises can keep the mind steady and sharp, by forming new neural pathways and preventing a sedentary state of mind.
Food with Antioxidants
Antioxidant-rich food is extremely beneficial for an Alzheimer’s patient. High-calorie and fatty foods, however, should be strictly off limits. They must desist from drinking alcohol and smoking, as well as eating salt, processed foods, environmental toxins, and refined carbohydrates. Chili powder, pepper, oregano, and sagecan be used normally to add taste to their food. Green tea and food sources rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin Cmust be included in the diet as well. They should eat carrots, blueberries, pumpkins, sunflowers, and sesame seeds, as they all help in memory enhancement. Orange juice is quite helpful in improving the memory too!
Recent research conducted in the exploration of innumerable aspects of this disorder reveals that regular mental and physical activity, along with adopting a healthy lifestyle, helps in delaying the advent of Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, the same health measures can also reduce the chances of cardiovascular diseases.
Meditation
Meditation is one of the easiest and simplest ways to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Start with a five-minute session and slowly build up from there. Make your duration reach twenty to thirty minutes twice a day. Meditation helps you to relax your senses and gather your strength as well.
Healthy Diet and Exercise
Healthy diet, regular exercise and healthy lifestyle can help prevent dementia. Research also suggests that activities such as climbing a tree and balancing on a beam may help to improve cognitive skills.
Blood Pressure
It has been noted that high blood pressure is one of the causes behind memory loss. Try to maintain your blood pressure as much as possible. Leonurus cardiaca, also known as the motherwort tincture, can be taken to control your blood pressure. A daily walk and a healthy diet also result in the normalization of your blood pressure.
Placebos
This psychological approach has been known to give positive results. It is so effective that in most cases, it becomes doubtful whether the person was actually suffering from Alzheimer’s earlier. Take an empty bottle, put in nuts and candies. Then label it “Memory Pills”. Take one each time you forget something. This is like a magic potion for certain sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease, truly showing that the mind is a powerful tool, but it can be tricked.
Ginkgo Biloba
This is well known to treat dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. This tincture helps in regulating normal and healthy circulation of the blood. It provides strength to the heart and clears blocked arteries. This also provides relaxation to the nerves of the brain, helping them relax. Furthermore, it helps in memory enhancement.
Herbs
Other than Ginko Biloba, there are many other herbs that have shown themselves to be quite effective in treating Alzheimer’s disease. Phosphatidyserine, Vinpocetine, and Huperzine A protect the cells of the brain from any sort of damage as they have powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.