The "The Most Expensive Disease In America" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Getting my breakfast when all of a sudden I realized I needed a dish for my cereal.  Took me a second or two before I remembered which cabinet held the bowls.  Reached for the bowl and closed the door.  Then it struck me.  Why did I have to think that extra second or two for something that I reached for most every morning.  Is something wrong with me?  Filled the bowl with cereal and milk and sat down on my recliner to watch channel 847, Philadelphia Sports.  So, is it time to reevaluate my health and the fact that I turned 70 a few years ago?  Opened my MacBook Air and began to read my emails as I ate my cereal and listened to how the Phillies did yesterday.  Yes, I can still do three things at the same time!  Haven't lost it yet...I hope.  As I checked my email I came upon an email titled: "These 9 behaviors could cut your dementia risk by 35 percent".  Wow, talk about timing.  Must have been a reason why I opened my email no more than five minutes after my few seconds of forgetfulness and found this posting.  Began reading it and realized that just about every one of the 9 behaviors I have under control.  Only one that I knew I had to correct, but my health just wasn't cooperating at the moment.  So what are the things I can do to help prevent, or at least slow down, my chances of getting dementia.  First of all, dementia is how we describe symptoms that impact memory and lead to a decline in cognitive performance in our daily lives.  Yep, that couple of seconds longer it took me to remember where the bowls were located might be a starting point.  The most common cause of dementia is the brain disorder known as Alzheimer's.  There are 47 million people currently living with dementia which includes about 5 million Americans.  It is the most expensive disease costing close to $215 BILLION per year.  That's more than double that of cancer or heart disease.  And worst of all...it takes just as big a toll on the caregivers of those who suffer from dementia.  In a little over 30 more years the number of people with dementia is expected to triple.  How depressing is that!  But, there is some good news.  Leading medical guys and gals got together and came up with 9 ways to cut my risk of getting dementia.  I guess you realize that the older you get, the greater the chance is that you will develop dementia, so here are the nine things that the medical people recommend that you do to slow down your chances of developing dementia.  

1. Have your hearing checked and get hearing aides if you need one.  Hearing loss, even mild hearing loss, can be a big reason that people develop dementia.  If you can't hear your brain begins to shrink which is a direct cause of dementia.  Hearing aides reduces that risk.
2. Never stop learning since "cognitive reserve", or a person's resistance to assaults on the brain, is necessary to stave off dementia.  The higher your education level, the less likely you will develop dementia.  
3. Stop smoking since it degrades cardiovascular health.
4. If depressed, seek out treatment to help lower your dementia risk.
5. Manage your high blood pressure to reduce your risk of neurodegeneration which contributes to dementia.
6. Try not to be socially isolated.  It is said that you need a cognitively enriched environment to keep the brain in good health and you get that enrichment by socializing.
7. One of the biggest causes of brain damage is obesity since it is linked with reduced blood flow to the brain which leads to dementia.  Try to maintain a healthy body weight.
8. Keep your blood sugar in check.  Having too much sugar in your blood stream means more sugar in your organs including your brain.  That will lead to dementia.  Needless to say, those with diabetes need to carefully monitor their blood sugar.
9. Finally, exercise, since it is believed that to protect your brain you need to be active which cuts vascular risk and increases the growth of nerve cells that are related to memory.

I tend to fall short in the exercise category, probably due to my bad back which hurts the more active I am.  Now, this list is just the beginning.  More research is being done to better understand the causes of dementia.  Only problem so far is that the biggest dementia risk, age, is inescapable.  When they can slow down aging, they will solve the problem.  Don't see that happening in my lifetime.  For now, I just have to hope I can find the bowls in the morning for my cereal and in the evening for my ice cream. Hey, start working on your list!   It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.