Seniors need to be extra careful now that Alzheimer’s disease research and studies are panning out—close enough but not all-too-specific as we are hoping for. There have been numerous speculations and findings on how this terrible disease invades the minds of older people and how they are contracted but none too specific and targeted to prevent it altogether. Is Alzheimer’s disease genetically implanted with us since birth? Or like any other lifestyle diseases, Alzheimer’s disease is based on how we lead our lives? Is it even possible to avoid or cure this dreadful, not to mention expensive disease? Apparently, we will never know, at least for now, but it will not hurt us if we follow some minor lifestyle changes that might steer us away from Alzheimer’s disease.
Just this month, a research showed that eating curry or incorporating turmeric in your diet once or twice a week could delay Alzheimer’s disease and dementia by slowing down plaque formation within the brain. Further studies are on their way to establish if curry could prevent plaques from forming in the first place. Now, it was said that over-the-counter drugs can increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in an older person’s brain and could be potentially harmful for a person’s nervous system.
According to the University of Indiana researchers, most of the over-the-counter drugs seniors are buying nowadays could cause cognitive impairment in general. These drugs, particularly, are for aches and pains, cough and cold, anti-allergy and sleeping aids. Apparently, these drugs block acetylcholine—a neurotransmitter for both central and peripheral nervous system. FYI, there are three neurotransmitters that get affected during an Alzheimer’s disease onslaught: the serotonin, norepinephrine and acetylcholine—the latter being the most affected of the three.
Not all over-the-counter drugs can harm a senior’s brain; be especially on the look out for those containing diphenhydramine because it is an anticholinergic. This substance is usually present in antihistamine drugs or histamine blockers. If you are taking these drugs regularly, its effect could pile up overtime and could lead to Alzheimer’s disease. It is also not advisable to take these drugs for maintenance; if you are experiencing chronic pain and you need to manage it somehow, you need to consult a doctor for a more suitable maintenance drug that won’t give you such side-effect. Older adults are advised not to take anticholinergic drugs because of its effect on the brain.
