From May 23, 2005

* Memory Joke 

* Welcome--Mission Statement 

* This Week's Comments on Memory

* "USE IT OR LOSE IT"

* Stop Brain Damage from Strokes & Avoid Alzheimer's at the

 Same Time and--Don't Hesitate to Question Your Doctor (Articles)

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* Memory Joke

Dave & Madge were both suffering from memory loss. At a doctor's appointment, their doctor suggested they might want to start writing things down. The first night the couple was at home watching TV, and Dave got up from his chair.

"Where are you going?" asked Madge. "To the kitchen." "Okay. Can you get me something while you're in there?" "Sure. What?" "I'd like some ice cream please."

Dave started to walk into the kitchen. Madge asked, "Shouldn't you write it down?" "Nah. I don't need to. You want ice cream. I can remember that." "Wait. I just remembered. I want strawberries on it too. Shouldn't you write it down? I'm not sure you can remember all of that." "I told you, I've got it. So you want ice cream with strawberries on top?" "Yes. And oh! I'd like some whipped cream too if we have some. Are you sure you don't want to write that down?" On that note, Dave became a little irritated. "Yes! You want ice cream with strawberries and whipped cream! Geez!"

Dave walked off into the kitchen muttering to himself. Twenty minutes later, Dave came out of the kitchen with a plate of bacon and eggs, which he placed in front of Madge. Madge just kind of stared at the plate for a minute, then she looked up at Dave and said, "Where's my toast?"

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* Welcome to "TheMemoryDoc.Com," the Internet magazine for people of all ages who want to learn more about preserving and protecting the brain from memory loss and also for those who want to help persons who already have memory loss to recover and overcome this problem.

* The Memory Doc's Mission Statement is: To inform people in simple terms about ways to prevent and overcome memory loss using the most professional and therapeutic methods possible by offering awareness, education and new research.

* This Week's Comments On Memory

In spite of the stream of jokes about memory loss affecting our elders, by now all of you know--memory loss isn’t just a problem of elderly people--nor is it only about Alzheimer’s, strokes or head-injuries.

For that reason, this web site attends to problems which occur in the middle and youthful stages of life as well as those of the elderly stage.

Last week we covered cell phone dangers and the need for all ages to be protected from its radiation as a method for avoiding Alzheimer's.

The good news is if people learn how to prevent memory loss in general, they can avoid a final destination that includes Alzheimer’s.

Other types of memory loss may seem to be unrelated, yet, it has been determined that they often contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s.

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* “USE IT OR LOSE IT!”

May these words-—“use it or lose it”—-be a strong reminder to you—-challenge your memory every day. What may be a challenge for one person is not a challenge for another person, so find something to engage in mentally each day that is a challenge to YOU!

If it is not for your own reasons, but for another person who has lost memory abilities that you are visiting this website, remember this mental challenge is for you as well as for them!

When people care for others with problems like memory loss, they are often greatly stressed. Stress affects memory very negatively.

Cortisol develops, which attacks the memory center. So please be mindful of your own daily mental inclinations and preoccupations as well as theirs.

Take time daily to reflect, interact, study something, read, write or at least do a crossword puzzle!

Get out a bit regularly for a support group with other families or caregivers or just meet friends who understand for some needed interaction time!

If the person you are concerned about with memory loss is well enough and capable of performing some mental exercise each day, help them to begin such endeavors.

Offer them light reading and writing tools, or the use of a computer. Anything similar to activities they used to engage themselves in is helpful. If you pick out activities that are too hard for them now, you will know, because they will probably not attempt to do them.

Just be sure to ask them later what they thought of the activity you provided. Their answer will tell you if you are on the right track.

You may need to make the work easier or harder. You may need to give them a larger pen, maybe a felt tip--or a larger font to work with.

No expectations or judgments are necessary regardless, just offer them opportunities to use their mental abilities and try to help them find an avenue they can still relate to.

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* Stop Brain Damage from Strokes & Avoid Alzheimer's at the Same Time

An important point to remember is that research has shown that persons at risk for Alzheimer’s, even ones who were found to have the Alzheimer’s gene, did not acquire the symptoms of Alzheimer’s if there  were no strokes in their past ("Aging With Grace," by David Snowden).

Wow! So if you avoid strokes—-you avoid Alzheimer’s, also!

That’s right! And it’s true that if you protect memory in general you support the prevention of problems like Alzheimer’s from ever being able to visit you.

The following is from p. 33 of  my book, Don’t Forget: What Drug & Insurance Co.’s Don’t Want You To Know About Memory Loss:

"An important, often unknown fact about stroke, also called cerebral vascular accident, CVA, or brain  attack, is that it requires emergency room attention before THREE hours passes. But only at a hospital with acute stroke care administration of medications which can stop the ongoing brain damage.

Thrombolitic medications like alteplase, also called tissue plasminogen activators (TPA, Activase) are used and are extremely successful in reducing and preventing further brain damage, but again, I stress ONLY when they are administered within the FIRST THREE hours.

This is a MUCH SHORTER grace period than the SIX hours available to reverse heart attacks.

Antiplatelets (plavix, ticlid, dypyridamole, aspirin) and anticoagulants (heparin and coumadin) differ from the TPA hospital emergency room treatment in that they can only help prevent upcoming strokes and do not arrest ongoing ones.

TPA is an expensive hospital emergency medication. Be sure to call in your local area to learn in advance which facility carries this program if you or family members are at risk for stroke--because, I repeat, not every hospital has these meds!"

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* Don't Hesitate to Question Your Doctor

[This important article is taken from an essay written by Dr. Robert E. Willner, who has practiced medicine  for 40 years and refers to himself as an insider of traditional medicine.]

"The foundation of the medical profession lies in the hands of the pharmaceutical industry and remains a profession riddled with conflicts of interest.

Too often, true disease prevention is referred to as too time consuming or as a barrier to economic profits. Traditional doctors engage in a simple and profitable practice. They first spend a limited amount of time with their patients, charge them an exorbitant fee, then fill out a script for a prescription without looking into the possible side effects of the medication.

Rather than simply accepting your doctor's opinion regarding a treatment or diagnosis, ask him or her the source of information they are basing their opinions on.

Inquire about natural and alternative therapies. Most doctors are open to new ideas, however are oblivious to the fact that a barrier has been put up around them based on what they've been exposed to for years in the traditional medical industry.

The power of the AMA has clearly left an impression upon the practice of modern medicine today. Not only has it stifled the doors to creativity but has also created a conformist way of thinking among doctors.

A huge force behind the narrow-minded thinking of doctors has been the pharmaceutical industry, which has brought success to doctors a miniscule less than 10 percent of the diseases they attempt to treat.

Pharmaceutical industries have their hands in many influential areas such as research grants, contracts and advertising support for thousands of published medical journals, which are used as reference guides.

As long as the medical industry remains under the grip of the pharmaceutical industry, the public will continue to be denied other treatment options for their health care and disease treatment."

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Now, my thoughts about Dr. Willner’s article: I am very concerned that help becomes available to those with memory loss needs sooner rather than later.

If we wait for the drug company promise of a cure, we give up ground we can hold on to if only we educate ourselves about the true nature of memory loss prevention and recovery.

One very important problem alluded to above, is that we must be aware of the prescriptions that persons with memory loss take.

Please write to me in your emails at the email center about the concerns that you have had in dealing with medications for memory loss!

Often the combinations are not monitored well enough and turn out to be creating worse memory losses instead of helping them!

This is especially true when psychiatric medications are mixed with other mainstream medical prescriptions. Make sure your doctor is aware of the effects of the combinations provided to a memory loss person.

If their memory is worse or they are more confused, question your doctor about the mixture of medications, especially if there is no other logical answer.

Comments about this serious topic of medications causing memory loss will be deeply appreciated.

Thank you! Have a wonderful week!

Dr. Jill

http://www.TheMemoryDocVits.com

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