Alzheimer’s Disease

What exactly is Alzheimer’s?
Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. In most people with the disease—those with the late-onset type—symptoms first appear in their mid-60s.
What is the main cause of Alzheimer’s?
Alzheimer’s disease is thought to be caused by the abnormal build-up of proteins in and around brain cells. One of the proteins involved is called amyloid, deposits of which form plaques around brain cells. The other protein is called tau, deposits of which form tangles within brain cells.
Can Alzheimer’s disease be cured?
While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease or a way to stop or slow its progression, there are drug and non-drug options that may help treat symptoms. Understanding available options can help individuals living with the disease and their caregivers to cope with symptoms and improve their quality of life.
7 Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease
  • Stage 1: Normal Outward Behavior.
  • Stage 2: Very Mild Changes.
  • Stage 3: Mild Decline.
  • Stage 4: Moderate Decline.
  • Stage 5: Moderately Severe Decline.
  • Stage 6: Severe Decline.
  • Stage 7: Very Severe Decline.
At what age does Alzheimer’s usually start?
For most people with Alzheimer’s—those who have the late-onset variety—symptoms first appear in their mid-60s. Signs of early-onset Alzheimer’s begin between a person’s 30s and mid-60s. The first symptoms of Alzheimer’s vary from person to person.
How does peanut butter detect Alzheimer’s?
The researchers discovered that those who had an impaired sense of smell in the left nostril had early-stage Alzheimer’s. They noted that the participants needed to be an average of 10 centimeters closer to the peanut butter container in order to smell it from their left nostril compared to their right nostril.
What is the best treatment for Alzheimer’s?
Medications called cholinesterase inhibitors are prescribed for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. These drugs may help reduce some symptoms and help control some behavioral symptoms. The medications are Razadyne® (galantamine), Exelon® (rivastigmine), and Aricept® (donepezil).
Can stress cause Alzheimer’s?
The link between Alzheimer’s and stress needs to be further examined, but researchers believe that stress can cause inflammation in the brain, making the brain more susceptible to health problems like dementia. Stress can also lead to depression, a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s and related forms of the disease.
Can Exercise reverse Alzheimer’s?

Combining the results of 11 studies shows that regular exercise can significantly reduce the risk of developing dementia by about 30 percent. For Alzheimer’s disease specifically, the risk was reduced by 45 percent.
Benefits of massage for Alzheimer’s Disease

There are several benefits massage therapy offers people with Alzheimer’s disease, including increased body awareness and alertness, as well as a reduction in the feelings of confusion and anxiety. “You also build reassurance and trust,” says Catlin, “and help calm agitation.”

The Phases of Alzheimer’s Disease

What is Alzheimer’s disease? According to Robert Butler, in his Merck Manual of Geriatrics contribution (“Alzheimer’s Disease – Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type”)1, it is “a progressive neuropsychiatric disease of aging found in middle-aged and, particularly, in older adults affecting brain matter and characterized by the inexorable loss of cognitive function, as well as effective and behavioral disturbances. It is a major public health issue. Treatment costs now exceed well over $40 billion/year.”

This tells us that the disease is progressive and that it destroys parts of the brain and hence is incurable. From Butler’s definition, we can also deduce that there must be several forms of the disease, because of the use of the term “Alzheimer’s Type.” His definition also implies that there are other kinds of dementia. But, according to the Merck Manual of Geriatrics, Senile Dementia of the Alzheimer Type (SDAT) accounts for over half of all dementia cases. We also come to this important sentence in the Merck Manual of Geriatrics chapter on symptoms and signs: “SDAT can be subdivided according to clinical stage, but there is great variability and the progression of stages often is not as orderly as the following description implies.”

In other words, it is difficult to even for a physician to determine if the patient really suffers from SDAT, much less what symptoms to expect or what stage he or she is in. Later on in the Merck Manual, Butler touches on the difficulties of proper diagnosis by admitting that “prior to the imposition of stricter diagnostic criteria, SDAT was misdiagnosed up to 50 percent of the time.”

The Merck Manual of Geriatrics goes on to describe the three stages of the disease as follows:

“The early stage of SDAT is characterized by recent memory loss, inability to learn and retain new information, language problems, mood lability, and changes in personality. Patients may have difficulty performing activities of daily living (e.g. balancing their checkbook, finding their way around, or remembering where they put things). They may be unable to think in the abstract and use proper judgment. Irritability, hostility, and agitation may occur in response to the loss of control and memory. Other patients may present with isolated aphasia or with visuospatial difficulties. The early-stage may not, however, compromise sociability. Patients may be alert, making it difficult for the practitioner to uncover problems with cognition. However, families may be reporting strange behavior (e.g. the patient’s getting lost on the way to the store or forgetting who a recent dinner guest was). This may be accompanied by the onset of emotional lability.

“The intermediate stage of SDAT finds the patient completely unable to learn and recall new information. Patients frequently get lost, often to the point of being unable to find their own bedroom and bathroom. Although they remain ambulatory, they are at significant risk for falls or accidents secondary to confusion. Memory of remote events is affected, but not totally lost. The patient may require assistance with activities of daily living (e.g. bathing, eating, dressing, toileting). Behavioral disorientation occurs in the form of wandering, agitation, hostility, uncooperativeness or physical aggressiveness. At this stage, the patient has completely lost his sense of time and place, since normal environmental and social cues are ineffectively utilized. Neuroleptic agents or antianxiety drugs may be required to stabilize the patient.

“The severe or terminal stage of SDAT finds the patient unable to walk, totally incontinent, and unable to perform any activity of daily living. Patients may be unable to swallow and require nasogastric feeding. They are at risk for pneumonia, malnutrition, and pressure necrosis of the skin. They are totally dependent on their family caregiver, or a long-term care facility. Eventually, they become mute. Recent and remote memory are completely lost. The patient cannot relate any symptoms to the physician. In addition, since there may be no febrile or leukocytic response to infection, the clinician must rely on experience and acumen when the patient looks ill.

“The progress of the disease is gradual, not rapid or fulminating; there is a steady decline, although some patients’ symptoms seem to plateau for a time. No motor or other focal neurologic features occur until very late in the disease. The end-stage of SDAT is coma and death.”2

Looking at this bleak scenario makes it obvious the disease is not just a catastrophe for the patient, but for their family. Since the course of the disease extends over many years, it is especially hard on the spouse who often becomes the caretaker of the patient at home, especially if the patient is a man. Convalescent hospital care is frequently beyond the financial capacity for the whole time-span. Sometimes grown children can make themselves available, but there is a heavy emotional price to pay when a child sees the respected head of the family slowly becoming an incontinent, incoherent stranger.

Understanding Alzheimer’s and dementia

Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases.

Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging. The greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer’s are 65 and older. But Alzheimer’s is not just a disease of old age. Approximately 200,000 Americans under the age of 65 have younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease (also known as early-onset Alzheimer’s).

Alzheimer’s worsens over time. Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimer’s, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. On average, a person with Alzheimer’s lives four to eight years after diagnosis but can live as long as 20 years, depending on other factors.

Alzheimer’s has no current cure, but treatments for symptoms are available and research continues. Although current Alzheimer’s treatments cannot stop Alzheimer’s from progressing, they can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life for those with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. Today, there is a worldwide effort underway to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, and prevent it from developing.

 

 

more info at:

https://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20000918/massage-may-soothe-alzheimers-patients#1

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/treatments/alternative-therapies/aromatherapy-massage

https://www.massagetherapy.com/articles/massage-and-alzheimer%E2%80%99s-patient

https://www.amtamassage.org/publications/massage-therapy-journal/massage-and-alzheimers/#:~:text=There%20are%20several%20benefits%20massage,%E2%80%9Cand%20help%20calm%20agitation.%E2%80%9D

PRO Massage by Nicola. LMT
PRO Massage by Nicola. LMT

*Disclaimer: This information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider.
Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.
The information provided is for educational purposes only and is not intended as diagnosis, treatment, or prescription of any kind. The decision to use, or not to use, any information is the sole responsibility of the reader. These statements are not expressions of legal opinion relative to the scope of practice, medical diagnosis, or medical advice, nor do they represent an endorsement of any product, company, or specific massage therapy technique, modality, or approach. All trademarks, registered trademarks, brand names, registered brand names, logos, and company logos referenced in this post are the property of their owners.