Now all of us forget things---and perhaps more so as we age. Not recalling names, or misplacing things are considered to be normal. However, the more serious kinds of lapses are putting car keys inside the refrigerator. That, now, is crying for screening for Alzheimer's, say experts.
Now, what was that again, do you ask?
In case you do not remember, we are talking about Alzheimer's disease.
There are 5 million people in the US who are affected by it. In 30 years, the number is expected to increase three times!
"If memory loss prevents someone from doing activities that they had no trouble handling before-like balancing a checkbook, keeping up with personal hygiene, or driving around----that should be checked," says John Hart, Jr., M.D., professor of behavioural and brain sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas and medical science director at the Center for BrainHealth.
If you're confused, you can check this list that has been put out by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It lists the types of memory problems that indicate the need for a check-up:
1. Memory loss disturbing everyday activities such as personal hygiene or carefully maintaining a checkbook.
2. Forgetting appointments or the area where you parked your car.
3. Not recalling names of close friends or family members.
4. Not remembering complete conversations.
5. Repetition of your words, sentences or questions in the same conversation.
6. Deteriorating memory.
There are different kinds of memory losses. The milder forms or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may be slight in the beginning, but can lead to dementia, or the risk of developing Alzheimer's.
Dementia is a severe kind of memory loss and disrupts daily activities gravely.
Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common reason for dementia, leads to a "progressive loss of brain cells accompanied by abnormalities in the brain."
However, it may not just be Alzheimer's and dementia, but may be stoked by lifestyle factors such as "unhealthy diet, smoking or abusing alcohol, high cholesterol and blood pressure, being socially isolated, allowing your brain to go out of shape by not reading and learning new skills such as gardening, and so on.
"Stress, depression, some medications, HIV, herpes or syphilis infections, concussions, sleep loss, thyroid problems, B1 and B12 vitamin deficiencies may also be behind recurrent memory lapses."
You can address the problems through the following methods:
1. Pull down your cholesterol and blood pressure levels and keep them low.
2. Do not smoke or drink too much.
3. Maintain a healthy diet.
4. Socialise with a lot of people.
5. Keep your mind active by writing, reading, learning new skills, gardening or playing games.
Personalised and intensive treatment can help to boost the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Just remember that your health is in your hands, and don't forget to keep a rein on it.
