Alzheimer’s: A Natural Part Of The Aging Process?

image courtesy of pintrest.com

Earlier this week, I received an e-mail inquiry from WEGO Health inviting my participation in educating folks about AD and also challenging and dispelling one of the many myths that involve dementia and AD.  I choose to write about  was this one and submit a copy of my response to them.

Is Alzheimer’s a natural part of the aging process?

Patently false. In a nutshell.
This is just one of the many misguided and untruthful myths that has been swirling around for decades.

The World Health Organization 2012 Report entitled, Dementia: A Public Health Priority, had this to say about dementia (of which Alzheimer’s is but one type):

“The world’s population is aging. Improvements in health care in the past century have contributed to people living longer and healthier lives. However, this has also resulted in an increase in the number of people with non communicable diseases, including dementia. Although dementia mainly affects older people, it is not a normal part of aging (Italics added).  Dementia is a syndrome, usually of a chronic or progressive nature, caused by a variety of brain illnesses that affect memory, thinking, behavior and ability to perform everyday activities.”

The presence of this false belief worldwide serves as a roadblock to obtaining a timely diagnosis, appropriate medical treatment and helpful medications for the affected individual and educational guidance for families and caregivers.

Chapter One of the same WHO 2012 Report disclosed the following:

“There is a lack of awareness and understanding of dementia, at some level, in most countries. It is often considered to be a normal part of aging or a condition for which nothing can be done. This affects people with dementia, their caregivers and families, and their support structure in a number of ways. Low awareness levels contribute to stigmatization and isolation. Poor understanding creates barriers to timely diagnosis and to accessing ongoing medical and social care, leading to a large gap in treatment.”

The propensity for developing AD does increase with age, particularly so from age 85 onward, but it is by no means a certainty. In March of  this year, the Alzheimer’s Association released a report entitled, 2012 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts And Figures.

The following statistics were cited:
One in eight people age 65 and older (13 percent) has Alzheimer’s Disease.
Nearly half of people age 85 and older (45 percent) have Alzheimer’s Disease.

These numbers are sobering but do not support the myth that Dementia /Alzheimer’s is a normal part of aging.

What is needed is further education about the facts underlying dementia and its nearly 70 variations including  Alzheimer's. Education leads to empowerment and better choices about diagnosis, treatment and obtaining the best medications.

Two recent bright spot articles appeared in the online resource, Science Daily. Both featured studies  focusing on  older citizens who seemed to somehow be protected from the degradation of dementia.

The first article entitled, Resistance to Dementia May Run in the Family, was published on August 15th 2012. A small study of 277 male veterans that had been conducted by Dr. Jeremy M. Silverman of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. The finding revealed that people who are free of dementia and  who have higher levels of what is called C-reactive protein have relatives who are more likely to avoid the disease as well. A protective genetic element appears to be the underlying finding here.

The second article entitled, Secrets of ‘Super-Ager’ Brains: Elderly Super-Agers Have Brains That Look and Act Decades Younger Than Their Age, was published on August 16th 2012. A study conducted by Emily Rogalski, Assistant Research Professor at the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, identified a unique and perhaps, elite group of people age 80 and older who possess memories as sharp as people 20 to 30 years younger than them. In addition, brain scans disclosed that the outer layer of the brain, known as the Cortex, of these study participants closely resembled the cortex size of people between the ages of 50 to 65.

Something, as yet undiscovered and understood, seems to have conferred some kind of aging immunity to these select few seniors.

Finally, and again, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are collectively not part of the normal  aging process.

For more information, visit the following web sites:
Alzheimer’s Association  www.alz.org
Alzheimer’s Reading Room  www.alzheimersreasdingroom.com
Dementia Weekly  www.alzheimersweekly.com


Jeff Dodson
August 30th 2012

No Storm Lasts Forever: A Book Review

I have just completed reading my latest book by Dr. Terry A. Gordon entitled, No Storm Lasts Forever. 

Actually, I must confess that I don’t just read a book. I devour it. By the time I was finished with this book, it too resembled most all of the other books I have read and own: amply marked up with yellow highlighter underlining and lots of Post-It Notes crammed within, flagging pertinent passages.

Prior to choosing this book to read, I was unfamiliar with Dr. Gordon. I learned that he is a retired Invasive Cardiologist who practiced at Akron General Medical Center in Ohio for 20+ years. Dr. Gordon is also involved in “Steward’s Caring Place, a wellness facility for those touched by cancer and serves as a co-host of United Way’s “Doc’s Who Rock.” He is also the father of four children, including son Tyler whom the book is written about.

The book is written in a journal format encompassing 47 entries divided among three parts or sections. Journal writing is similar to diary writing though less structured and does not adhere to a methodical timeline of dated daily entries. Think of journaling as putting down words in black and white that help us reexamine what we have been through and what we have learned from it.

In my opinion, this work is a consummate effort by a father to share his feelings of pain and joy in coping with and supporting his seriously injured son along with his wife, family and friends. 

Dr. Gordon’s journal-book represents a testament to one’s faith in hope. Hope is and remains a choice for all of us no matter how dire our circumstances. It is a choice over the alternative which is deep despair, depletion of all of your energy and an overall disengagement from active living. Hope allows you the option to climb out of the wreckage after colliding with a stone wall. Despair, or rage will forever keep you pinned there, stuck in the pile of rubble--forever feeling your unhealed wounds. Hope is the promise that a positive outcome is within our grasp.

In the book, Dr. Gordon invokes a quote by Lau-Tzu which is: “If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” This is certainly so when it comes to the choice of hope over despair, anger and rage. 

What I liked most about Dr. Gordon’s book was how he was drawn to nature and drew strength from what he observed both while in Colorado where his son was being treated and also back home where he resides in Richfield, Ohio.

Dr. Gordon and especially his wife believe in the existence of Angels and their daily involvement in their lives. Dr. Gordon shares the experience of one of these angelic visitations to his Tyler’s bedside while he was recuperating from his paralyzing injuries. My wife and I share the same belief in their existence and assistance to us as caregivers of four aging parents.

Dr. Gordon loves music and one of his favorite musicians is Kenny Loggins. I too became a fan of Kenny Loggins in the 1970’s when he sang, played and toured with Jim Messina.

This book will teach you that the unforeseen tragedies that can strike you or a loved one down carry within them seeds of opportunity as well.  Opportunity to transform and refine your life for the better as you heal and rebound from the disease, the accident or the misfortune. We can become better people, better spirits as a result of having lived through and endured the experience.

Jeff Dodson

August 16th 2012

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are unbiased and reflect my honest judgment of the product.