SIGNS OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

     With normal aging, our brain begin to shrink a few cells at a time, which slows brain functioning. In patients with early-stage Alzheimer's, however, a much more insidious process occurs. For reasons that are not well understood, abnormal accumulation of protein fragments and cellular material that contain an insoluble protein called beta-amyloid develop, as do brain-damaging bundles of neurofibers known as neurofibrillary tangles.

     When memory lapses occur as a result of normal aging, the information can almost always be retrieved at some point later. With early-stage Alzheimer's, however, memories of recent events-those that have taken place in past weeks, days or even hours - completely disappear.

     Symptoms that also characterize Alzheimer's in its early stages are the following:

• Loss of initiative. The person may lose interest in what had been favorite activities, such as gardening, or taking walks. He/she may become passive and spend more time sleeping or watching television.
• Loss of smell. One study linked Alzheimer's to an inability to identify certain smells - specifically strawberry, smoke, soap, menthol, clove, pineapple, natural gas, lemon and leather.
• Language problems. Finding the perfect word or phrase becomes increasingly difficult, and vocabulary is diminished.
• Difficulty reasoning. This affects a persons to do things such as read and understand an instruction manual, balance a checkbook or follow a recipe.

     People who have early - stage Alzheimer's also may have trouble making even simple decisions, take longer to perform routine tasks.. or experience a change in personality (such as a person who is ordinarily very sociable becoming a recluse).

     Many early-stage Alzheimer's symptoms are similar to those caused by depression. Imaging test, as wells as a family history of either condition, can be used to distinguished the two.

     During moderate-stage Alzheimer's Disease, the patient may become less concerned with personal appearance.. confuse the identities of family members.. hear, see or smell things that are not there... and/or need help with basic hygiene.

     Late-stage Alzheimer's is typically characterized by loss of bladder and bowel control... an inability to recognize close family members.. difficulties chewing and swallowing... and a need for total assistance with activities of daily living, such as eating, using the toilet, bathing and dressing.

CAUSES AND RELIEF FOR LEG CRAMPS

     Many people over age 50 experience recurrent lower leg cramps, usually in the evening. Their calf muscles seem to tighten up into a knot. Stretching does not alleviate the pain, though massaging the calves often helps.

     The culprit is usually mineral deficiencies. This can happen even if your taking a multi-vitamin. The three most common deficiencies, in order, are magnesium, calcium and potassium. All three are involved in nerve and muscle contraction.

     The first thing to do is to consume foods rich in these minerals. Magnesium is found in whole grains, legumes and green leafy vegetables. Good source of Calcium include broccoli, collard greens, kelp, yogurt and milk. Potassium-rich foods include apples, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, and potatoes.

     However, many people get the best results by taking a combination supplement. Take a calcium (500 mg) / magnesium (250 mg) complex after dinner. For most people, this will resolve the problem within a day. If that doesn't help, a potassium deficiency may be the problem. Drink eight ounces of vegetables juice a day, such as low-sodium V8 juice.

Vegetables: Protect Development of Alzheimer's Disease

     As we go older, we lose our memory slowly, but the  experts found out that vegetables, particularly green leafy vegetables will preserve our mental edge. According to the experts, people who continued two or more vegetable a day has a 35% to 40% decrease in the decline in thinking ability over six years. That's the equivalent of being five years younger in age.

     Experts suspects that vegetables may help protect memory and thinking speed because they contain high amounts of vitamin E, an anti-oxidant that can help reduce the damage cause by free radicals, unstable oxygen molecules that can damage neurons in the brain and contribute to dementia. They also found out that vitamin E in Food, protected against cognitive decline and development of Alzeimer's Disease.

     When we eat vegetables, we tend to put the good fats on them, such as an oil-based salad dressing on salads, healthy-fat mayonnaise on coleslaw, and healthy fat margarine on vegetables. Such fats help absorb the vitamin E, and perhaps are also beneficial to the brain,

Types of Fat

     Did you realize that your body makes from an eight to a quarter teaspoonful of pure cholesterol daily, and that is as much as you need? Any extra cholesterol eaten increases your body's total cholesterol. High cholesterol gives rise to atherosclerosis, a condition in which excessive cholesterol is deposited in artery walls. In time it blocks the blood flow to vital organs.

     Some fats are "friendly" to the heart and blood. These are called high density lipoproteins (HDL). They actually remove cholesterol from the various places where it has been deposited and take it back to the liver for disposal. "Oleic acid", found abundantly in olives, avocados, peanuts, and sesame seeds, for example, seems to help maintain or increase the HDL concentration in the body. Taking regular exercise and avoiding alcohol and rich desserts are other important ways to improve one's HDL level.

     Other "good fats", called the "omega 3 acids." are thought to help somewhat in reducing breast and colon cancer. Healthful food sources of omega 3 fats are soy beans, turnips, spinach, beans, bananas, rye grain, and nuts.

     Based from the book of "Eight Secret of Health by Ethel R. Nelson, M.D."

Danger of Fat

     Besides being linked to atherosclerosis, fats are also under heavy suspicion as a contributing cause of cancer. Cancer of the breast appears to be related to excessive use of highly refined corned corn and vegetable oils. Laboratory studies in animals have shown that the more fat consumed, the more cancer observed. When research animals were fed both high-fat and high-protein at the same time, they showed a higher incidence of cancers than when fed only high-fat or high-protein alone.

     Studies from research laboratories have led to the following conclusions:

1. Virus-caused cancer is promoted by excess fat.
2. Chemically-caused cancer is promoted by excess fat.
3. Cancer, secondary to X-ray radiation, is promoted by excess fat.
4. Transplanted tumors in animals are promoted when excess fat is given.

     The ideal diet is to eat fat as it occurs naturally in whole grains, vegetables, nuts, and seeds (the latter two in moderation). Remember, vegetable fats contain no cholesterol and no viruses. However, one should not eat excessive amounts of refined vegetable oil, nuts, or seeds.

     The right fats in the right amounts are absolutely essential for every cell of the body.

     From the book of "Eight Secrets of Health by Ethel R. Nelson, M.D."