A Few Lifestyle Changes Can Help Prevent Alzheimer's Disease! {With a footnote about Preventing Alzheimer's Homeopathically}

Today is World Alzheimer's Day. I always remember on this day one of my lady patients, age around 65, who always loathed life back then. She was diagnosed by progressive senile dementia by her psychiatrist and she was prescribed nothing but tranquilizers and an anxiolytic drugs that made her drowsy. Slowly but surely she developed Alzheimer’s disease that was hard to handle by her family.

Well, Alzheimer’s sadly is becoming a household name in this twenty first century when more and more elders are falling prey to this cumbersome problem. There are many reasons / causes behind this Alzheimer’s or we can say risk factors. But instead of going into those details, today I would like to bring readers’ attention to some of the best possible preventive factors that can actually take you miles away from this disease.

And let me tell you that very basic lifestyle changes can help you get rid of this problem in your twilight years, which I am sure you want to spend enjoying with your family. Therefore, today, on this day, let’s take a vow to stand true to the lifestyle changes mentioned below and age gracefully!

1) Regular exercise- You will say I always keep on writing about the benefits of exercise is preventing almost all diseases. But the fact is fact and I must stress that. The peculiarity of regular exercise is that more than its benefit to your body, it yields benefit to your mind and intellect. Antioxidants released during exercise are extremely important for normal and optimal brain function. In one observational study, investigators looked at the relationship of physical activity and mental function in about 6,000 women age 65 and older, over an 8 year period. They found that the women who were more physically active were less likely to experience a decline in their mental function than inactive women. This shows you how important regular physical activity is! Also exercise is credited as being a mood enhancer, so that the depression is kept at bay. Less depression during adulthood, less likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s! 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 5 times a week should be sufficient to keep you away from this problem.

2) Active social life- Man is a social animal. More he remains aloof, more troubled is his relation with self. Reach out to your peer group of that age, join a club or community center, make weekly date with friends, call your friends often and enjoy outing in public places. Your brain no doubt will feel rejuvenated and exercised!

3) Protecting your head- People with head injury are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, study says. Therefore, wearing helmets while on drive will not only protect your head but will also enhance your chances of leading a healthy old age!

4) Stress management- More the stress, more burden on your brain. Take a relaxed approach, let the things go and flow the way they want and rejoice in the life you had been bestowed with! Concentrate on your inner peace than the external attributes and you will surely fight the upcoming Alzheimer’s and/or dementia!

5) Healthy diet- A diet rich in whole grains, fresh veggies, fruits etc works marvelously well to keep your brain active and ticking. Never be on empty stomach for more than 4 hours. Remember a golden rule- What’s good for your heart is also good for your brain!

6) Healthy mental stimulus- Solving a puzzle if tires you up, your brain surely needs that tiring! Keep your brain activated, shun the usage of calculator at times, test your quiz ability or just teach Math to your grandson or granddaughter. You will not only stay away from dulled intellect or Alzheimer’s but even stress won’t dare affect you!

7) Sleep- Last but not the least sleep is a priority as you grow old. Well not only for elders, but healthy sleeping habit since adulthood or childhood helps brain get its sufficient resting period. Be smart to nap whenever you get time. Develop a bedtime ritual that will relax and soothe your senses.

I am sure those who will read this post will inculcate the above mentioned tricks to trick your brain and maintain an ideal brain health through the years! Herewith I am also giving how homeopathy can be helpful in preventing Alzheimer’s.

Homeopathic prevention – (a footnote)

I have absolutely no doubt in stating that proper homeopathic treatment for any physical / mental and/or emotional illnesses in childhood and adulthood CAN PREVENT Alzheimer’s. There is also no doubt that for the people with Alzheimer’s, homeopathy offers great relief and I have seen number of cases witnessing improved cognitive faculties after the judicious homeopathic treatment. But as far as the preventing aspects are concerned, I can say assuredly that a person well treated by constitutional homeopathy should never develop something as Alzheimer’s or dementia. It is like meeting the simillimum and slowly but surely all your future problems are minimized and/or prevented!

Homeopathic Aggravation or Real Aggravation?

"Am I having a homeopathic aggravation?" was one of the questions this young lady asked me on email. She was being treated for some skin trouble by a homeopath residing in her area. She was having marked aggravation of the eczematous lesions that she had on the inner aspect of her thighs. After the treatment started, the lesions had grown bigger, itching was enhanced and the redness around the lesions was very troublesome. One of the striking associated symptom was she was having extreme constipation that she never had earlier.

Well, as a homeopath one knows very well about the homeopathic aggravations some of the prescriptions lead to. It s a fact that more sensitive individuals experience bit more aggravation after the medicine. But one must understand what a homeopathic aggravation is. It is not an exaggerated aggravation of symptoms but just a mild to moderate aggravation, which gets better on its own very soon.

Also one must know that this aggravation is mostly centered around the main presenting symptom. If a person has allergic rhinitis, after a dose of say Sabadilla, he will have a very temporary aggravation of his sneezing and soon he will get rid of the sneezing altogether. In this case, the aggravation can be called as the homeopathic aggravation.

If the aggravation after administering a remedy leads to some new symptoms, it is evident that the choice of the remedy is wrong and/or the potency is not proper. Yes, as much as the choice of the remedy matters, more so matters the potency of the medicine to be administered. Especially in the cases of sensitive individuals, choice of potency goes a long way in establishing normal parameters and also to boost the confidence and compliance of the patient.

Therefore, if the aggravation lasts a long time along with some new symptoms and signs, one must think whether the line of treatment is at fault. herewith it would also be wise to state that not all cases lead to even homeopathic aggravation. Rather I would say, people who encounter such homeopathic aggravation are far less than people who directly hit the path of recovery after the initiation of the regime. Therefore, it is totally unwise to generalize that homeopathic treatment initially always leads to aggravation, which has bred a kind of fear among people to seek homeopathic treatment. With proper history taking, proper case evaluation and searching for simillimum, there are high chances that the road to recovery and cure begin as soon as the first dose of remedy is taken!

So, when you seek treatment with any homeopath, you must know whether you are facing a homeopathic aggravation or a real aggravation that may warrant the change of regime altogether!