|
Geriatric Neurologist and Author Tackles What He Calls the Myths of Alzheimer’s
By Sarah Moran, Star Tribune
April 27, 2009
Alzheimer's disease is a 100-year-old myth that's over the hill. So says Dr. Peter Whitehouse, a geriatric neurologist and author of "The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told About Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis."
Whitehouse, who played an important role in brain research that led to the first four medications designed to treat Alzheimer's, has replaced the term "Alzheimer's disease" with "severe brain aging." That distinction, he says, makes all the difference. He says we need to stop throwing money at searching for a cure to what he calls "age-associated cognitive challenges." Instead of medication, the focus should be on preventing brain aging through simple strategies such as exercise, reading and eating right, he says.
We talked with Whitehouse ahead of his visit to the Twin Cities this week.
Q What myths do you want to dispel?
A The first myth is that Alzheimer's is one condition, or one single thing. There are really many biological processes that contribute to what we call Alzheimer's. The second is the notion that there's a clear separation between what we call Alzheimer's disease and the process of aging. Everybody develops brain atrophy and changes in nerve cells as they age -- some people just have more severe brain aging. They're the ones who have functional problems that get labeled Alzheimer's.
Q What's wrong with calling severe brain aging Alzheimer's?
A If you view it as a single disease, then people tend to think they have the same thing and that their course is going to be quite comparable to somebody they know with Alzheimer's. It doesn't take into account the huge amount of variability with rates of progression and so on. Making it appear as a single medical disease means you can have campaigns to find a cure. That fosters unrealistic expectations we have in medicine that everything is fixable if you spend enough money. This gets into the antiaging doctors, who think we can "cure" aging.
Q To what extent can individuals prevent brain aging?
A There's a lot people can do. Everyone has more control over their own brain aging story than they might initially imagine. This ranges from good prenatal care, to avoiding exposure to lead poisoning and other toxins, to eating a healthy diet, to staying fit. The most important things are physical exercise and diet. A close second is keeping cognitively alive, meaning keeping your mind at work, ideally in a social setting where it's meaningful work. Usually that means helping other people.
Q What type of eating habits are good for brain health?
A You might call it the Mediterranean diet. It means eating less red meat and eating lower on the food chain. We're talking about fruits and vegetables, less processed food, watching how much sugar is in the diet, eating high fiber and omega 3 fatty acids.
Q What is positive aging and how can people achieve it?
A Positive aging focuses on the contributions older people can make in society by sharing the wisdom they have gained. A sense of purpose may be the most important thing for positive aging, having a sense that there's something to be accomplished in our life that goes beyond us as individuals. A sense of purpose has a spiritual dimension to it.
Q You talk about "creating healthier intergenerational stories of brain aging." What does that mean?
A You don't start aging when you're 65 or 85 -- you are, in fact, aging your entire life and need to be taught as a child to take care of your whole body, and that the brain is part of that. When children and older adults learn together, as they do in our school, there's an opportunity for both groups of people to see human presence in the planet in a broader, more temporal way. Children can hear stories about what happened to their communities and families before they were born and similarly older people can, through the eyes of children, imagine a future they will not see. It allows everyone to see in a broader perspective and gives them a sense of values and morals that extend intergenerationally.
Sarah Moran is a freelance health writer in Minneapolis.
Q To what extent can individuals prevent brain aging?
A There's a lot people can do. Everyone has more control over their own brain aging story than they might initially imagine. This ranges from good prenatal care, to avoiding exposure to lead poisoning and other toxins, to eating a healthy diet, to staying fit. The most important things are physical exercise and diet. A close second is keeping cognitively alive, meaning keeping your mind at work, ideally in a social setting where it's meaningful work. Usually that means helping other people.
Q What type of eating habits are good for brain health?
A You might call it the Mediterranean diet. It means eating less red meat and eating lower on the food chain. We're talking about fruits and vegetables, less processed food, watching how much sugar is in the diet, eating high fiber and omega 3 fatty acids.
Q What is positive aging and how can people achieve it?
A Positive aging focuses on the contributions older people can make in society by sharing the wisdom they have gained. A sense of purpose may be the most important thing for positive aging, having a sense that there's something to be accomplished in our life that goes beyond us as individuals. A sense of purpose has a spiritual dimension to it.
Q You talk about "creating healthier intergenerational stories of brain aging." What does that mean?
A You don't start aging when you're 65 or 85 -- you are, in fact, aging your entire life and need to be taught as a child to take care of your whole body, and that the brain is part of that. When children and older adults learn together, as they do in our school, there's an opportunity for both groups of people to see human presence in the planet in a broader, more temporal way. Children can hear stories about what happened to their communities and families before they were born and similarly older people can, through the eyes of children, imagine a future they will not see. It allows everyone to see in a broader perspective and gives them a sense of values and morals that extend
intergenerationally.
A You don't start aging when you're 65 or 85 -- you are, in fact, aging your entire life and need to be taught as a child to take care of your whole body, and that the brain is part of that. When children and older adults learn together, as they do in our school, there's an opportunity for both groups of people to see human presence in the planet in a broader, more temporal way. Children can hear stories about what happened to their communities and families before they were born and similarly older people can, through the eyes of children, imagine a future they will not see. It allows everyone to see in a broader perspective and gives them a sense of values and morals that extend
intergenerationally.
More Information on US Health Issues
|
