20 Things To Know About Alzheimer's Disease

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Alzheimer's facts

( medicine has let us cheat death )

The average life expectancy is 80, whereas 100 years ago it was 52. Yet now, if these other illnesses don’t get us, it seems that dementia will. More than 800,000 Britons suffer from some form of the disease, with 75 per cent of them having Alzheimer’s. All lead to mental decline, memory loss, speech and movement problems, and death. The world’s bestselling medication for Alzheimer’s (AD) is donepezil, marketed as Aricept until its UK patent ran out last month – and it’s now 80 per cent cheaper as a result. But while donepezil improves memory function in patients with mild to moderate AD or with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) – minor memory problems that may be a precursor to dementia – it helps only a third of full AD sufferers; others will get no benefit or suffer side effects.

For those for whom it works, the drug improves quality of life for a year or two. After that, since the brain damage caused by the disease progresses, patients may show a marked decline. Modest as its effects are, it is widely used because it is the best drug of its kind. But I believe if we are to beat this horrific illness, a more broadminded approach is needed.

It’s a folly that such huge amounts are pumped into searching for a ‘new Aricept’. While donepezil has had some success, countless other similar drugs have foundered. The fundamental problem with Alzheimer drug research is that it is almost entirely based on the ‘amyloid hypothesis’, a theory about what causes AD that appears increasingly invalid. Continue to read: dailymail.co.uk

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2012/02/07/2047945/obama-to-seek-more-alzheimers.html#storylink=cpy

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Folic acid, B vitamins, homocysteine, antioxidants, and exercise can lower your risk factors for a heart attack

There is some evidence that B vitamins, including folic acid, B₆, and B₁₂, may help lower blood levels of a substance called homocysteine. Why is this important? A good deal of research has implicated high homocysteine levels in heart disease and stroke. Read more: health.harvard.edu

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