Alzheimer's disease is a chronic, degenerative and fatal neurological disease that destroys the memory and mental capacity of sufferers. Although medication can slow its progress, there is no cure. At a certain point in the disease, there is no way to improve memory loss. Fortunately, Alzheimer's is not an inevitable result of aging. The good news is ?there are practical ways to prevent Alzheimer's Disease.
Dharma Singh Khalsa, MD, President of Tucson's non-profit Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation or ARPF, believes prevention is actually the best treatment. "We have to realize that the era of the magic bullet ? drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease ? is over," asserts Dr. Khalsa. "We need to take an integrative approach, like they do for heart disease.
" The ARFP works tirelessly to educate the public and the medical profession about ways to prevent Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Khalsa has created a holistic memory loss prevention program that combines the best of Eastern and Western medicine to improve the memory loss that can progress to full Alzheimer's. Here are Dr. Khalsa's Four Pillars of Prevention: Pillar 1 ? Diet and Vitamins. A diet rich in vegetables and fruits reduces free radicals that damage brain cells.
Dr. Khalsa recommends avoiding red meats, as they induce swelling that releases free radicals. He also recommends 'superfoods' for the brain, such as blueberries and spinach. Pillar 2 ? Stress Management. When the brain is under chronic stress, stress hormones like cortisol remain constantly high.
The chance for memory loss grows, because cortisol blocks blood flow to the memory regions. Pillar 3 ? Physical and Mental Exercise. Performing physical exercise 20 minutes a day, three days a week lowers your Alzheimer's risk by 50%.
Mental exercise in the same amount can reduce Alzheimer's risk by 70%. Pillar 4 ? Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Khalsa believes that Western pharmaceuticals such as Aricept, Exelon, Namenda and Razadyne may play a necessary role in a holistic prevention program and improving memory loss. The ARFP promotes these Four Pillars of Prevention ? proper nutrition, stress management, mental and physical exercise, and medication to improve memory loss ? as a major breakthrough in how to prevent Alzheimer's disease.
Now I would like to invite you to visit the non-profit Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation website at www.alzheimersprevention.org to discover even more strategies on how you can improve memory loss and prevent Alzheimer's disease.
