Investing in your brain

Shingles is a painful condition affecting the nerves, with a readily identifiable skin rash. It occurs when the dormant chicken pox (herpes)virus is reactivated.

Many will have had chicken pox as a child. Thereafter, the virus remains in the body lifelong.

Various suggestions include that the vaccine itself has ingredients that prevent against dementia. Another theory is that the herpes virus may be a risk factor for dementia.

At the moment the link is an association, rather than cause and effect. However, it may convince more of the benefits of having the shingles vaccination.

Statistics on dementia make for uneasy reading.

According to the World Health Organisation, the disease is now the seventh leading cause of death worldwide. At the present time, globally over 55 million people have a diagnosis, two thirds living in low-income countries.

Dementia can be viewed as an umbrella term for a variety of conditions which affect our ability to think and act.

The most common is Alzheimer’s, which is very well known. The second leading cause is Vascular Dementia.

Most individuals have a working knowledge of how to look after our heart and lungs. The basics are a healthy diet, regular cardiovascular exercise, stopping smoking, and alcohol in moderation, if at all.

Happily, the same applies to brain health.

Like saving money, the greatest benefits are seen when you start early and continually invest in your health at a steady pace.

A 20-year study of thirteen thousand US women identified seven factors that reduced the risk of dementia.

The authors dubbed these “Life’s simple 7”. In addition to those mentioned above, they found that having blood sugars, cholesterol and body weight in the correct range were important in lowering your risk of dementia.

They also highlighted the importance of starting early to prevent issues later on. Participants had an average age of 54 at the start of the study.

Each of the seven markers was given a zero for poor health, and a one for good health. For every one-point increase, the risk of dementia dropped by six percent.

This study is echoed by another massive project involving over 350,000 patients, published in the journal “Frontiers in Psychiatry”. It showed that the same healthy lifestyle choices that reduced your risk of dementia also helped prevent stroke and also depression in later life.

This study had a five-point scale, many being the same as those used in “Life’s simple 7”.

Dementia may present with low mood, anxiety, irritability and depression in the early stages. Sometimes it is incorrectly diagnosed as this. Inability to do the things you used to take for granted can have a significant effect on general wellbeing and self-esteem.

So, brain health can be as uncomplicated as maintaining the rest of your physical and mental wellbeing.

There is an age-related decline in mental abilities, often referred to as age related cognitive decline. However, dementia is not an inevitability of getting older. As much as the importance of physical exercise and a good diet is highlighted, being connected socially is also very important.

Engaging with the world around you, your friends and family, and having a sense of purpose and belonging is vital to good brain health.

At the present time there is no cure for dementia. Best outcomes rely on early diagnosis by a specialist. Medicines can halt progression to a degree. It is never too late to stop smoking, reduce alcohol consumption and start exercising, even after a diagnosis is made.

Perhaps the most difficult part of the puzzle is recognising what is normal age-related change compared to a significant memory condition. Dementia is still a condition that strikes fear into the heart of many due to significant stigma surrounding the illness and the perception that your rights may be taken away from you.

This is much removed from the reality, the current goal being to support those with the illness in their own environment for as long as possible.

Dr. Zakariya Waqar-Uddin, General Practitioner

USEFUL WEBSITES

https://www.dementiauk.org/

https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/

https://www.dementiafriends.org.uk/