{"id":719,"date":"2019-09-10T01:17:35","date_gmt":"2019-09-10T01:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthchicchatter.com\/?p=719"},"modified":"2022-02-22T18:44:46","modified_gmt":"2022-02-22T18:44:46","slug":"brain-health-and-aging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/HealthChicChatter.com\/?p=719","title":{"rendered":"Brain Health and Aging"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I spent the better part of the last year immersed in reading, researching and trying to better understand what we call the \u201caging process\u201d as it relates to health.\u00a0What I learned is: the term \u201caging\u201d is really more a misnomer…<\/p>\n

The truth is, 80% of disease\/illnesses \u201cattributed\u201d to aging are environmentally based. In other words, WE can choose and control most of what impacts our health and longevity. That\u2019s pretty powerful, right?<\/p>\n

Some folks may not want to hear this. Changing habits may mean\u00a0letting go<\/em>\u00a0of fast food, cheap convenience and hours of blue screen entertainment.\u00a0I have one thing to say about that: choosing that crap (and it IS crap\u2026) is\u00a0choosing<\/strong>\u00a0weight gain, metabolic syndrome, creeping obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer\u2019s and a slew of other health challenges. If you find yourself a bit reluctant to change habits, then consider the people you love. What I mean is\u2026 illness is\u00a0expensive <\/em>people need the best hospital attention for this purpose and the use of hospital beds<\/a> is the best for this. It causes financial drain. It causes physical and emotional stress on the caretaker. If you don\u2019t care enough about yourself, consider the impact your choices have on the ones you love.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today, let\u2019s talk about Alzheimer\u2019s. So, what is Alzheimer’s exactly? The short answer is it’s a disease resulting from\u00a0a protective response from different insults and is sometimes referred to as \u201ctype 3 diabetes\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cCognitive decline is a major concern of the aging\u00a0population, and Alzheimer\u2019s disease is the major cause\u00a0of age-related cognitive decline, with approximately 5.4\u00a0million American patients and 30 million affected\u00a0globally [1]. In the absence of effective prevention and\u00a0treatment, the prospects for the future are of great\u00a0concern, with 13 million Americans and 160 million\u00a0globally projected for 2050, leading to potential\u00a0bankruptcy of the Medicare system. Unlike several\u00a0other chronic illnesses, Alzheimer\u2019s disease prevalence\u00a0is on the rise, which makes the need to develop\u00a0effective prevention and treatment increasingly\u00a0pressing.\u00a0Recent estimates suggest that AD has become\u00a0the third leading cause of death in the United States [2],\u00a0behind cardiovascular disease and cancer. Furthermore,\u00a0it has been pointed out recently that women are at the\u00a0epicenter of the Alzheimer\u2019s epidemic, with 65% of\u00a0patients and 60% of caregivers being women [3].\u00a0Indeed, a woman\u2019s chance of developing AD is now\u00a0greater than her chance of developing breast cancer [4].\u00a0<\/strong> (Link<\/a>\u00a0to abstract if you want more!)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Those are alarming stats. How lucky we are that we can take positive steps NOW to help reverse and prevent brain health and so called \u201caging\u201d.\u00a0If we are to combat Alzheimer\u2019s, then we must identify the \u201cinsults\u201d causing inflammatory responses within our bodies. While one size doesn\u2019t fit all, there are common inflammatory causes to consider (or test for).\u00a0 For example, you may be more affected by mercury. If so, remove the fillings, cease eating fish high in mercury and get assistance from a holistic\/functional doctor to cleanse your body.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The biggest factor impacting most of us is insulin resistance because our bodies were not made to take in the amount of simple carbs we\u2019ve been ingesting.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Insulin resistance leads to metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes, and other health challenges.\u00a0 Another possibility is chronic inflammation from other organisms. Until those are addressed, that inflammation is negatively impacting your brain. For other folks, hormonal imbalance (vitamin D levels, testosterone, thyroid, etc.) is a contributing factor.<\/p>\n

If you are starting to think about the costs of multiple tests\u2026stop. Many of these can be done at home or through the mail. It isn\u2019t likely you need an entire battery of tests. HOWEVER, when you consider the financial cost of long-term care, spending a few dollars on a test or two hardly compares. And that\u2019s not considering the impact on loved ones. According to\u00a0national averages<\/a>, long term care costs about $250\/day or $8,000\/month. Spending well under 1% on tests hardly compares. Even without testing, you can take steps NOW to avoid\/address the things that cause bodily harm and work on enhancing your immunes system.<\/p>\n