Most people are familiar with the common forms of dementia that are involved with will contests, and those that we have talked about here on this blog — Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia with Lewy Body and Vascular Dementia. But there is another type of dementia that is quite common and often eludes diagnosis. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), formerly called Pick’s Disease, is a form of dementia...
News
BREAKING NEWS: A Promising Advance in Alzheimer’s Treatment
On Wednesday, the search for a drug to treat Alzheimer’s reached a hopeful crossroads. For the first time in a large clinical trial, a new drug both reduced plaques in brains of sufferers with Alzheimer’s and slowed the progression of dementia. These results were presented on Wednesday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Chicago. More trials are needed if the drug is to...
Causes of Dementia: Dementia & Toxic Substances
There are many causes of dementia, some of which are probably not preventable. On the other hand, dementia that originates from toxic substances—a form of degenerative dementia—is one we may be able to avoid by limiting our exposure to those toxins. Here we will define dementia derived from toxins, explore the causes, symptoms and treatments. Toxic encephalopathy is a general term that...
Seek Shelter — Heat Stroke and Cognitive Impairment
A heat wave is upon us in San Antonio this week, with temperatures climbing into the triple digits. When heat strikes, that primordial part of our brain screams for us to get shelter and cool off, and for good reason. We all know that heat stroke, and even heat exhaustion, are dangerous conditions and a real risk for anyone living in Texas, with small children and the elderly being the most...
Surprising Dementia Risk Factors
Almost everyone has someone in their life who has been touched by dementia and the number of diagnoses continue to grow at an alarming rate. It’s estimated that 82 million people worldwide will have dementia by 2030, according to the World Health Organization. In the U.S., an estimated 14 million will have Alzheimer’s disease, a leading cause of dementia, by 2050, doubling the current number....
Bill Gates Wants to Change How Alzheimer’s Is Diagnosed
For most diseases, there’s a good test for detecting it, and it’s usually early on when there’s a good chance of favorable treatment. This holds true for cancer, heart disease, hypertension and even some mental illness. Unfortunately, this is not the case for Alzheimer’s disease, the neurodegenerative condition that was first diagnosed in 1906. Yet 100+ years later, there still is not a single...