From the desk of Rosemary Laird, MD
Founder of Navigating Aging Needs (NAN), LLC
Eating Your Way to a Healthier Brain
When I wrote recently about a new study suggesting that levels of lithium in the brain may be a factor in Alzheimer's, I was careful to emphasize that real-world application of the research may be far away into the future.
But in fact, there are lifestyle changes you can make, right now, that numerous studies have shown helps manage the disease and even prevent it — and a new study, out this month, even more strongly reinforces those findings. As exciting as this ability to slow or prevent Alzheimer's disease is, I understand it may be bittersweet news as you think of your loved one. So far, none of these strategies has been found to reverse the damage of Alzheimer's disease or significantly slow the disease.
A Potential New Direction in Alzheimer's
Now comes a study from Harvard University that, if true — and that’s still a big if — could totally change medicine’s thinking about what causes Alzheimer’s disease, and how to treat it.
Hope on the Horizon
Amid the everyday challenges of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, there is often an overarching concern that every caregiver carries: How to stay hopeful for your loved one’s benefit.
The Power of Family
As the poet Walt Whitman once wrote, “I contain multitudes.” And indeed, as you go through your daily rounds of caregiving, remember the role that you and your loved one play in your family’s legacy, and how you each may be one of those 1,000-plus people that are related to a little baby that is born a century from now.