7 Natural Preventative Treatments For Alzheimer’s Disease

As of this writing, there is no known “cure” for Alzheimer’s disease. It is sometimes misdiagnosed as simple senility and appears to be the most misunderstood of all the conditions on the dementia spectrum. Patients can live for more than a decade within its stages (ranked 1-7 in degrees of severity) before finally succumbing to its effects. The disease destroys brain cells as well as the neurons in them, resulting in memory loss and later, the inability to function. It’s a chronic disease that gets worse as time passes. There are some natural products and alternative therapies that could slow the progression or even help prevent the disease.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil contains caprylic acid, which is similar to a prescription medication that has patients displaying increased memory performance and a decreased decline in cognition.

Coenzyme Q10

Also known as “Co-Q10,” it’s an over-the-counter supplement that acts as an antioxidant and helps to increase energy levels, which people lose as they age.

Omega-3 fatty acids

There is some conjecture about Alzheimer’s resulting from fat loss and nourishment around the brain; in effect, a “shrinking” effect. Omega 3s purportedly keep the body functioning smoothly, and you can add them to your diet naturally by eating salmon, nuts and other oils or by taking oral supplements.

Turmeric

Medical debates about Alzheimer’s disease suggest that it could result from inflammation in the brain, the same inflammation that, in the body, causes autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and fibromyalgia. Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory herb and could work to reduce levels in Alzheimer’s patients.

Acupuncture

Eastern medicine includes acupuncture, meditation, and other non-invasive practices. Acupuncture is an alternative practice that involves placing ultra-fine needles along the body’s “meridians” or invisible energy pathways to “clear” or “unblock” them to improve the energy or “life” force.

Light therapy

Alzheimer’s patients often stay awake at night and sleep during the day because the disease throws the body’s Circadian rhythms out of balance. As a result, patients tend to wander around (and even out of) their houses at night while their caregivers are asleep. Light therapy could help to restore the Circadian rhythm. Research published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information suggests that exposing patients to light therapy could work to better regulate the sleep/wake cycle as well as reduce evening agitation.

Music therapy

How many times have you stumbled upon a song that you haven’t heard in years but remember all the lyrics to it as if it was yesterday? Even though there is no present cure for Alzheimer’s, patients who are exposed to familiar music can become lucid and “present” even in the later stages of the disease.

Alzheimer’s affects mostly people over the age of 65, but there are some who experience “early onset” Alzheimer’s that are as young as their 40s or 50s. Some in the medical field have postulated that it’s a genetic disease, while others have blamed unhealthy lifestyle habits or mental “laziness” for its presence. Striving to keep mentally and physically active (although there’s no proven direct link) can only serve to enrich your overall health.