Overwhelming Majority of the Public Want to Know If They Have Alzheimer's
Be sure and click on the above link and read the article claiming people want to know if they have Alzheimer's. Then come back here and comment whether you agree.
My husband is angry now that he knows. I am wondering if I did the right thing urging him to seek help for his confusion, agitation, and rage, which was more of a problem than memory loss. I didn't care if he couldn't remember doodley-squat, as long as he didn't yell at me about it.
Another thing: articles are showing up claiming Alzheimer's is a lifestyle disease in more than half the cases:
"More than half of all Alzheimer's disease cases could be prevented through lifestyle changes and managing certain chronic medical conditions, says San Francisco VA Medical Center psychiatrist Deborah Barnes, who analyzed global data involving hundreds of thousands of participants.
The biggest "modifiable risk factors" for the disease are physical inactivity, depression, smoking, midlife hypertension, midlife obesity, low education and diabetes, which account for 51 percent of Alzheimer's cases worldwide and 54 percent in the U.S.
"What's exciting is that this suggests that some very simple lifestyle changes, such as increasing physical activity and quitting smoking, could have a tremendous impact on preventing Alzheimer's and other dementias," Dr. Barnes says.
Well, phooey on that. My husband has the APOE4 gene, one of the markers that spell big trouble ahead. My head is spinning with concerns about Alzheimer's becoming another shame-producer, when people are beginning to speak out about it. I'll bet this Dr. Barnes is a skinny blond runner who skis.
