Treatments for Alzheimers Essay

Submitted By ericdang8
Words: 1122
Pages: 5
Open Document
Treatments for Alzheimer’s
Almost all of us are or will be affected by Alzheimer’s disease, either directly or indirectly. The main symptom of Alzheimer’s, dementia, which is characterized by severe loss of mental capacity and change of personality, makes it tough for friends and family to cope with. Signs of dementia typically arise from people of older age. It is estimated that 1 in 20 people between the ages of 70 to 79 are affected by dementia. The odds increase for people between 80 and 89 to 1 in 6. For people who are over 90, the odds are 1 in 3.
Alzheimer’s is a disease in which the brain cells degenerate over time due to various processes. Just like there are stages in cancer, there are stages in Alzheimer’s. Dementia in a patient can progress over time into something more severe. It can begin as something like forgetfulness, but other symptoms arise as Alzheimer’s progresses. The patient’s short term memory becomes a lot worse. Their orientation of time and space become skewed. As a result, they do not have a firm grasp on understanding certain processes and assessing situations. The patient can also suffer from change of personality, restlessness, depression, and see hallucinations as the disease progresses.
Is there a cure for Alzheimer’s disease? The answer is not really. Although scientific advances have been made, there is much left to be learned on how exactly Alzheimer’s works. Treatments for this disease are very limited and there is no real cure. One study tested the effects of Ginkgo biloba. The trials were ran as double blind experiments with participants that were between the ages of 65 and 78. The tests were designed in general, to test people’s ability to remember things and if they were able to carry out daily activities. All in all, the people that took the 240 mg dosage of Ginkgo showed signs of improvement. The trials also indicated that it could reduce psychological related symptoms and improve the ability for people to remember things.
The downside of this experiment is not all people showed the same amount of improvements so it is still not certain how many people could benefit from Ginkgo or how strong its effect on Alzheimer’s patients is. Also, it is not well known how this plant reacts with other medications. Studies on Ginkgo biloba is still in its infancy stage but so far there is potential for this drug to play a significant role in treating Alzheimer’s patients.
Other drugs set out to reduce the progression of Alzheimer’s. The drug called memantine aims to prevent of a substance called glutamate from further damaging the brain. Glutamate is an important substance that carries out nerve signals and assists us in remembering things. People with Alzheimer’s disease however, have a permanent excess of this substance, which causes their nerve cells to die. Memantine helps by trying to prevent this process from happening without interrupting the normal transmissions of nerve cells.
To assess if memantine is effective in delaying the deterioration of certain abilities in Alzheimer’s patients, researchers set out to do an experiment. The researchers set out to do trials involving 2,300 participants. Their ages ranged from 72 to 85 years old. The researchers wanted to observe if memantine had any effect on the abilities important in everyday life, mental performance, and psychological symptoms.
What researchers found out was the abilities important for everyday life got worse for the participants regardless of taking memantine or not. There is evidence however, that memantine can delay this process. There is some evidence that shows that this drug can delay the deterioration to remember particular things or to learn something new. One in ten people who have taken memantine in a period of 6 months showed signs that their mental deterioration had slowed.
The downside of memantine is too little is known about this drug to know its true potential. Since none of the participants were tested
Show More

Related Documents: Treatments for Alzheimers Essay

The Cause Of Alzheimer's Disease

have estimated that roughly five percent of men and women between the age of 65 and 70 have Alzheimer, and almost half of those aged 85 or greater. However, Alzheimer is not considered a normal part of the aging process. It is my belief that there are factors that can contribute to on-set of Alzheimer. I will be looking at several areas that I found to be a great interest. They will be the cause, the treatments, and the caring for an Alzheimer’s…

Words 1028 - Pages 5

Alzheimer's Disease Research Paper

Augustine D), who died of an unusual mental illness, Dr. Alois Alzheimer found abnormalities in the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex hemisphere separates into four main lobes. The frontal lobe which is responsible for decision making, solving problems and planning. The parietal lobe use and process all the sensory…

Words 1372 - Pages 6

Living With Alzheimer’s disease Essay

I. ABSTRACT A. Introduction B. Brief Topic Summary II. ORIGINS AND HISTORY OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE A. Dr. Alois Alzheimer III. WHAT IS ALHEIMER’S DISEASE? A. Definition B. Warning Signs C. Symptoms D. Diagnosis IV. WHO’S AT RISK? A. Risk Factors B. Biological & Genetics C. Other Possible Causes V. TREATMENTS A. Pharmacological Treatments B. Surgical C. Therapeutic VI. THE FUTURE OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE VII. CONCLUSION VIII. REFERENCE LIST Abstract As per the Alzheimer’s…

Words 2826 - Pages 12

A Brief Note On Cultural And Disease

Phoenix Mrs. Ruth Grendell HCS/245 October 27, 2013 Everyone has heard the saying that a good mind is a terrible thing to waste, one would never have thought that was remotely possible. But in the 1906 when the first ever recording of Alzheimer a form of dementia doctors and researchers found that the human mind can indeed revert to early stages of no memory. Dementia is a term used in describing a vast array of symptoms related to the decline of mental function, starting with memory loss…

Words 1301 - Pages 6

Occupational Therapy

Make Life Better with The Time Left Antonio Livingston Jr. Keiser University Abstract It has been well established that occupational therapist practitioners have a spot in the hospice setting. And a spot for the emerging setting of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia patients. With a systematic review of evidence based research and advocacy for client centered practices this essay will show the definite need for occupational therapist practitioners in this emerging setting of Alzheimer’s disease…

Words 1092 - Pages 5

Alzheimer's Disease Research Paper

including signs and symptoms sufferers will endure , it will then follow on to identify how this condition can effect caregivers and families of sufferers also. It will also look at key issues concerning the condition such as key policies involved, treatment/ prevention plans and the epidemiology of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a form of Dementia a term which is used to describe cognitive and intellectual deterioration (Gelder, et al, 2012, pg333-337); it has been chosen for this essay…

Words 2342 - Pages 10

Alzheimer's Disease Research Paper

Alzheimer’s Disease Causes and Treatment Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most mysterious and yet researched diseases in the world. This disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer a German famous psychiatrist who discovered the pathological disorder of dementia. People should learn about this disease because of the high percentage of morbidity among the old people. The numbers of Alzheimer’s patients around the world are rapidly increasing. The purpose of this paper is to discover the probable…

Words 903 - Pages 4

Alzheimers: Alzheimer ' s Disease and Amyloid Precursor Protein Essay

believe it is chemically related to changes in the human brain. In this paper many elements of this disease will be discussed and defined. The disease definition, diagnostics of this disease, the epidemiology of Alzheimer’s, many things related to treatment, as well as resources available to those affected by Alzheimer’s disease is all included. Alzheimer’s Disease Senile dementia which is also known as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. When the brain loses function and…

Words 2180 - Pages 9

Alzheimer's Disease

could be a sign that you or a family member has Alzheimer’s disease. The prevalence of Alzheimer’s is only going to rise as the baby boomers age. Alzheimer’s disease affects the brain. This disease was first described by a doctor named Alois Alzheimer in 1906. He discovered unusual clumps (now called amyloid plaques) and tangled bundles of fibers (now called neurofibrillary tangles) in the brain of a woman who passed away from a rare mental illness. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative…

Words 1112 - Pages 5

Evaluation: Alzheimer ' s Disease and Ones Brain Functions Essay

disease stemming from age-related concerns or a manifestation of an abundance of stress. The common first symptoms usually revolve around having difficulty remembering recent events. When noticeable by the peers of the individual, the possible Alzheimer candidate must go in for a brain scan. In addition, certain tests to determine behavior and thinking abilities will usually follow. As the disease worsens in the brain, noticeable symptoms occur regarding the behavior of ones mood: Irritability…

Words 606 - Pages 3