Make Sure You Retain Your Short and Long-Term Memories

As you get older, your memory isn’t going to respond as quickly when you search your brain for information. This is normal and isn’t necessarily anything that should cause you any anxiety.

This is simply forgetfulness and it just happens. But there are things that can affect the memory that you should pay attention to if you start experiencing any symptoms associated with them.

Recognizing Signs of Dementia

Dementia is a condition that goes much deeper than any temporary forgetfulness. This is a long-term condition that can cause older people to act completely opposite a way that they’ve been like their whole lives.

It can cause someone who was always calm to become agitated. It can cause someone who was always so meticulous about their personal hygiene and their financial life to suddenly show signs of not taking care of either.

People that have dementia can’t always make sense when they try to speak or to think about a situation. That’s because something has affected their brain’s ability to function.

Dementia is usually brought on by the appearance of another medical condition. The major sign that someone has dementia is that anything other than simple conversations and doing simple things becomes too hard for them to manage.

Each case of dementia can be at different levels and should be treated with the individual’s symptoms in mind. Not only can dementia be treated, but the symptoms associated with it can be reversed.

Since dementia is a by-product of another medical condition, you’ll want to get checked for the possibility that you have something contributing to the cause of dementia.

Certain nutritional deficiencies can cause you to mimic the signs of dementia - such as a deficiency of Vitamin B12. Problems with the adrenal glands can do the same.

If your body’s metabolic system is out of whack, it can cause confusion, forgetfulness and brain fog, all of which are often associated with dementia. Thyroid problems and low blood sugar can also mimic dementia.

In the JAMA Internal Medicine Journal, there was a study published which showed that people having hypoglycemia stood a greater risk of developing dementia.

This is low blood sugar and it can cause cognitive problems if it’s a long term health issue. Some people are confused as to the inclusion of other symptoms and dementia.

Dementia does not include other symptoms such as losing the ability to control one’s bowels or chronic short term memory loss. This could be a sign of Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus which has symptoms that can mimic not only dementia but Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease as well.

NPH is often mistakenly attributed to dementia in older people. What you can do about dementia is to visit the doctor and have your genes tested to see if you have the gene APOE e4.

This gene can be identified to help your doctor stave off dementia. If correctly identified, you can begin an individualized treatment plan including but not limited to nutrition, treating inflammations and deficiencies. Individualized treatment can help to reverse dementia.

New Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease

Most people associate Alzheimer’s Disease as being a disease that affects someone’s memory. They believe that this is often the first sign that someone has the condition.

But memory loss is not always the first sign. There are other signs that can determine the presence of this disease. Irritability, anxiousness, confusion and depression are common moods associated with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Because of the way that their moods are changing, people in the early onset of this disease prefer to be around familiar people and places. The disease causes people to forget things, people and places and leaves them with the inability to retrieve this information from their brain at a later time.

It can also cause people to become isolated as they avoid doing things they used to love to do. They can struggle to keep up with their financial obligations or show signs that they can’t remember how to follow simple instructions.

People showing signs of this disease can forget where they are, who they are and who their loved ones and friends are. They may lose the ability to speak words they once knew.

Their decision-making skills become impaired and they become suspicious of others if they misplace something. Alzheimer’s Disease is caused by plaque building up on the brain and this buildup can easily be identified on brain scans.

These plaques on the brain are responsible for causing the thinking impairment and changes in behavior in people with Alzheimer’s. However, a recent study done by Lancaster University has shown a lot of promise in reversing Alzheimer’s and the effects the disease has on the brain.

In this study, the drug Liraglutide, which is commonly used to help people who have been diagnosed with diabetes, was shown to reduce plaque on the brain. The study, performed on mice, also showed that it was possible the drug could turn back the memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s Disease.

There are many things you can do to maintain your memories. Playing games that require brain strength help fortify your mental health. Puzzles and games such as Sudoku are perfect, as are many strategy games – board games or online.

If you’ve ever wanted to engage in a hobby, pick one that has you learning new skills or information. Learn a second language, or instance – this keeps your mind sharp and your memories intact longer.