Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a serious brain disorder that impacts daily living through memory loss and cognitive changes.  Alzheimer’s is a degenerative disease, progressing from mild forgetfulness to widespread neurological impairment and ultimately death. Chemical and structural changes in the brain gradually destroy the ability to create, remember, learn, reason, and relate to others.  As critical cells die, drastic personality loss occurs and body systems fail.

There are symptoms that mimic early Alzheimer’s disease such:

• Central nervous system and other degenerative disorders-, head injuries, brain tumors, stroke, epilepsy, Pick’s Disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease
• Metabolic ailments- hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia, malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, dehydration, kidney or liver failure
• Substance-induced conditions-drug interactions, medication side-effects, alcohol and drug abuse
• Psychological factors- dementia syndrome, depression, emotional trauma, chronic stress, psychosis, chronic sleep deprivation, delirium
• Infections- meningitis, encephalitis, and syphilis

Discuss with your doctor any of the following symptoms:

• Memory loss
• Difficulty performing familiar tasks
• Problems with language
• Disorientation to time and place
• Poor or decreased judgment
• Problems with abstract thinking
• Misplacing things
• Changes in mood or behavior
• Changes in personality
• Loss of initiative

Although there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, an early detection will slow down the progression of the disease. Medications can delay the onset of more debilitating symptoms as well.

Alzheimer's disease symptoms do not appear suddenly and it does progresses through stages lasting from 8 to 10 years or even longer. It is important to remember that each individual progresses differently and that not all patients experience all symptoms.

Stages of Alzheimer’s disease:

• Stage 1 – No impairment. Memory and cognitive abilities appear normal.

• Stage 2 – Minimal Impairment/Normal Forgetfulness. Memory lapses and changes in thinking are rarely detected by friends, family, or medical personnel.  Half of those over 65 begin noticing problems in concentration and word recall.

• Stage 3 – Early Confusional/Mild Cognitive Impairment.  Subtle difficulties impact functions.  Try to hide problems. Problems with word retrieval, planning, organization, misplacing objects, and forgetting recent learning affect home and work environments.  New learning, complex planning and organization may be impacted. Depression and other mood disturbances can occur.  Duration:  2-7 years.

• Stage 4 – Late Confusional/Mild Alzheimer’s.  Problems handling finances result from mathematical challenges.  Recent events and conversations are increasingly forgotten.  Still know selves and family, but have problems carrying out sequential tasks, including cooking, driving, and home management tasks.  Ordering food at restaurants, independent shopping, and other sequential tasks are affected. Often withdraw from social situations, become defensive, and deny problems.  Need increasing assistance with the “business” of independent living.  Accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease possible.  Lasts roughly 2 years.

• Stage 5 – Early Dementia/Moderate Alzheimer’s disease- Decline is more severe, and requires assistance. No longer able to manage independently in community. Unable to recall personal history details and contact information.  Frequently disoriented to place and or time.  A severe decline in numerical abilities and judgment skills leaves patients vulnerable to scams and at risk from safety issues.  Even if able to dress, feed, and perform other basic daily living tasks, require supervision.  Loss of current information is inconsistent and personal history is no longer reliably recalled.  Duration:  average of 1.5 years.

• Stage 6 – Middle Dementia/Moderately Severe Alzheimer’s disease- Total lack of awareness of present events and can’t accurately remember the past. Progressively lose ability to dress and bathe independently. Bowel and bladder incontinence often occur, repetitive verbal or nonverbal behaviors are present, wandering, suspicion, and other dramatic personality changes are common.  Can’t remember close family members but know they are familiar.  Agitation and hallucinations are particularly present in the late afternoon or evening.  Late in this stage, need care and supervision but can respond to nonverbal stimuli, and communicate pleasure and pain behaviorally.  Lasts approximately 2.5 years.

• Stage 7 – Late or Severe Dementia and Failure to Thrive.  Severely limited intellectual ability. Communicate through short words, cries, mumbles or moans.  When speech is lost, also lose ability to ambulate without help.  Health declines considerably as body systems begin to shut down, swallowing is impaired, and the brain is no longer able to interpret sensory input.  Generally bedridden, increased sleeping, seizures possible. No longer responds to environmental cues and requires total support around the clock for all functions of daily living and care.  Duration is impacted by quality of care and average length is 1-2.5 years.

It’s normal to worry and feel tense or scared when under pressure or facing a stressful situation. Anxiety is the body’s natural response to danger, an automatic alarm that goes off when we feel threatened.

Although it may be unpleasant, anxiety isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, anxiety can help us stay alert and focused, spur us to action, and motivate us to solve problems. But when anxiety is constant or overwhelming, when it interferes with your relationships and activities—that’s when you’ve crossed the line from normal anxiety into the territory of anxiety disorders.

Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety Disorder:

• Are you constantly tense, worried, or on edge?
• Does your anxiety interfere with your work, school, or family responsibilities?
• Are you plagued by fears that you know are irrational, but can’t shake?
• Do you believe that something bad will happen if certain things aren’t done a certain way?
• Do you avoid everyday situations or activities because they make you anxious?
• Do you experience sudden, unexpected attacks of heart-pounding panic?
• Do you feel like danger and catastrophe are around every corner?

Because the anxiety disorders are a group of related conditions rather than a single disorder, they can look very different from person to person. One individual may suffer from intense anxiety attacks that strike without warning, while another gets panicky at the thought of mingling at a party. Someone else may struggle with a disabling fear of driving or uncontrollable, intrusive thoughts. Still another may live in a constant state of tension, worrying about anything and everything.

But despite their different forms, all anxiety disorders share one major symptom: persistent or severe fear or worry in situations where most people wouldn’t feel threatened.

Treatments for Anxiety Disorders:

• Exercise – Exercise is a natural stress buster and anxiety reliever. Research shows that as little as 30 minutes of exercise three to five times a week can provide significant anxiety relief. To achieve the maximum benefit, aim for at least an hour of aerobic exercise on most days.
• Relaxation techniques – When practiced regularly, relaxation techniques such as mindfulness meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, controlled breathing, and visualization can reduce anxiety and increase feelings of relaxation and emotional well-being.
• Biofeedback – Using sensors that measure specific physiological functions—such as heart rate, breathing, and muscle tension—biofeedback teaches you to recognize the body’s anxiety response and learn how to control them using relaxation techniques.
• Hypnosis – Hypnosis is sometimes used in combination with cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety. While you’re in a state of deep relaxation, the hypnotherapist uses different therapeutic techniques to help you face your fears and look at them in new ways.
• Medication - A variety of medications, including benzodiazepines and antidepressants, are used in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Anxiety medications can be habit forming and cause unwanted side effects, so be sure to research your options. It’s important to weigh the benefits and risks so you can make an informed decision about whether medication is the right treatment approach for you.

The people affected by Alzheimer's disease is predicted to nearly double in the next 20 years. Alzheimer's, a slow progressing fatal brain disease, will have a serious impact on your lifestyle so you should be aware of its onset signs. Many people, especially eldely, will ignore many of them saying that "it is old age" but it is best to see your doctor if you experience one or more of these signs.

Alzheimer's Association made a list of 10 warning signs of Alzheimer's disease:

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life: One of the most common signs of Alzheimer's is memory loss, especially forgetting recently learned information. Others include forgetting important dates or events; asking for the same information over and over; relying on memory aides (e.g., reminder notes or electronic devices) or family members for things they used to handle on their own.
 

What's normal? Sometimes forgetting names or appointments, but remembering them later.

2. Challanges in planning or solving problems: Some people may experience changes in their ability to develop and follow a plan or work with numbers. They may have trouble following a familiar recipe or keeping track of monthly bills. They may have difficulty concentrating and take much longer to do things than they did before.
 

There's a bus stop located outside the Benrath Senior Centre in Dusseldorf, Germany. People occasionally walk up to the stop and stand there, waiting for a bus, but a bus never comes. In fact, the stop is on no bus route. It's a faux bus stop, purposefully created by the local department of transportation as a lure designed to deceive Alzheimer's patients from the senior centre. “It sounds funny,” said Old Lions Chairman Franz-Josef Goebel, “but it helps." Our members are 84 years-old on average. Their short-term memory hardly works at all, but the long-term memory is still active. They know the green and yellow bus sign and remember that waiting there means they will go home.” The result is that errant patients now wait for their trip home at the bus stop, before quickly forgetting why they were there in the first place.“We will approach them and say that the bus is coming later today and invite them in to the home for a coffee,” said Mr Neureither. “Five minutes later they have completely forgotten they wanted to leave.” The idea has proved so successful that it has now been adopted by several other homes across Germany.

• Myth: Memory loss is a natural part of aging

Reality: In the past people believed memory loss was a normal part of aging, often regarding even Alzheimer’s as natural age-related decline. Experts now recognize severe memory loss as a symptom of serious illness.

Whether memory naturally declines to some extent remains an open question. Many people feel that their memory becomes less sharp as they grow older, but determining whether there is any scientific basis for this belief is a research challenge still being addressed.

• Myth: Aspartame causes memory loss

Reality: This artificial sweetener, marketed under such brand names as Nutrasweet and Equal, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in all foods and beverages in 1996. Since approval, concerns about aspartame's health effects have been raised. 

According to the FDA, as of May 2006, the agency had not been presented with any scientific evidence that would lead to change its conclusions on the safety of aspartame for most people. The agency says its conclusions are based on more than 100 laboratory and clinical studies.

• Myth: Silver dental fillings increase risk of Alzheimer's disease

Reality: According to the best available scientific evidence, there is no relationship between silver dental fillings and Alzheimer's. The concern that there could be a link arose because "silver" fillings are made of an amalgam (mixture) that typically contains about 50 percent mercury, 35 percent silver and 15 percent tin. Mercury is a heavy metal that, in certain forms, is know to be toxic to the brain and other organs.

Many scientists consider the studies below compelling evidence that dental amalgam is not a major risk factor for Alzheimer's. Public health agencies, including the FDA, the U.S. Public Health Service and the World Health Organization, endorse the continued use of amalgam as safe, strong, inexpensive material for dental restorations.

      - March 1991, the Dental Devices Panel of the FDA concluded there was no current evidence that amalgam poses any danger.

      - National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1991 funded a study at the University of Kentucky to investigate the relationship between amalgam fillings and Alzheimer's. Analysis by University statisticians revealed no significant association between silver fillings and Alzheimer's.

      - October 30, 2003, a New England Journal of Medicine article concluded that current evidence shows no connection between mercury-containing dental fillings and Alzheimer's or other neurological diseases.

• Myth: There are treatments available to stop the progression of Alzheimer's disease

Reality: At this time, there is no treatment to cure, delay or stop the progression of Alzheimer's disease. FDA-approved drugs temporarily slow worsening of symptoms for about 6 to 12 months, on average, for about half of the individuals who take them.

• Myth: Flu shots increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Reality: A theory linking flu shots to a greatly increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease has been proposed by a U.S. doctor whose license was suspended by the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners. Several mainstream studies link flu shots and other vaccinations to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and overall better health.

      - A Nov. 27, 2001, Canadian Medical Journal report suggests older adults who were vaccinated against diphtheria or tetanus, polio, and influenza seemed to have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than those not receiving these vaccinations.

      - A report in the Nov. 3, 2004, JAMA found that annual flu shots for older adults were associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes.

• Myth: Alzheimer’s disease is not fatal

Reality: Alzheimer's disease has no survivors. It destroys brain cells and causes memory changes, erratic behaviors and loss of body functions. It slowly and painfully takes away a person's identity, ability to connect with others, think, eat, talk, walk and find his or her way home.

• Myth: Only older people can get Alzheimer's

Reality: Alzheimer's can strike people in their 30s, 40s and even 50s. This is called younger-onset Alzheimer's. In 2009, it is estimated that there are as many as 5.3 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States. This includes 5.1 million people age 65 and over and 200,000 people under age 65 with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

• Myth: Drinking out of aluminum cans or cooking in aluminum pots and pans can lead to Alzheimer’s disease

Reality: During the 1960s and 1970s, aluminum emerged as a possible suspect in Alzheimer’s. This suspicion led to concern about exposure to aluminum through everyday sources such as pots and pans, beverage cans, antacids and antiperspirants. Since then, studies have failed to confirm any role for aluminum in causing Alzheimer’s. Experts today focus on other areas of research, and few believe that everyday sources of aluminum pose any threat.