"Who are you? Granddaughter? Candy?"

My grandfather is 78 years old and has Alzheimer's disease. Every time I go to my grandfather's house, he always finds the snacks he usually collects from a tin box and stuffs them for me to eat.

But after a while, he would ask me vigilantly: "Who are you? Why are you in my house?" However, most of the time, he looked out the window with dull eyes, forgetting himself, his family, and his surroundings. everything of......

In fact, grandpa's Alzheimer's disease is a symptom. About 3 years ago, my grandfather kept forgetting things, had frequent headaches, and couldn't sleep in the middle of the night...but we all thought it was just because of age. It wasn't until a year ago, when the situation got worse and worse, that we took my grandfather to the hospital for a check-up, and the diagnosis was Alzheimer's.

This is a story from a reader received backstage. It is said that every 3 seconds, there is one more Alzheimer's patient in the world. Many people think that Alzheimer's is a normal phenomenon of aging. In fact, some normal manifestations that you think are just "old people" may be a precursor to Alzheimer's.

10 early warning signs of Alzheimer's disease, don't ignore it

In the World Report on Alzheimer's Disease 2021, the World Health Organization clearly listed 10 early warning signs of dementia and emphasized that dementia is not normal aging.

1. Sleep disorders: difficulty falling asleep, less deep sleep, easy waking up and more dreams, daytime drowsiness, dizziness, etc.;

2. Memory loss: For example, forgetting to bring the key when going out, or forgetting what you just did when you turn your head;

3. Often misplaced items: decreased awareness of items, put irons in the refrigerator, rice cookers on the gas stove, etc.;

4. Confusion of time and space: can't remember the time, can't tell the difference between day and night; decreased spatial awareness, often get lost, or often overflow when pouring drinks;

5. Language confusion: the familiar words cannot be spoken, the words do not express their meaning, and they cannot express their needs normally;

6. Can't do familiar work well: for example, suddenly can't put on or take off clothes by oneself, people who cook often suddenly forget how to cook;

7. Damage to computing power: For example, simple calculations such as 1+1=2 cannot be calculated, and bills cannot be read;

8. Impaired Judgment: Loss of judgment about the value of money, paying large sums of money to buy things, or lending money to strangers at will;

9. Decreased interest in social activities: you will lose interest in your original hobbies, and you will not like to go out and communicate with people, and become closed;

10. Mood changes: becoming moody, crying and laughing suddenly, even becoming irritable and indifferent.

Alzheimer's generally goes through the stage of subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive decline, and dementia, and the above symptoms generally appear in the first and second stages, which is still the golden treatment period, although symptoms begin to appear. However, the lesions have not spread widely, and receiving regular treatment at this time can delay the progression of the disease, improve the patient's future quality of life, and reduce the burden on the family.

Therefore, the elderly must pay attention to the performance of their own health conditions. If they are worried that they or their family members are at risk, they can also take the following methods for regular testing.

Thumb self-assessment method: touch the left thumb with the index finger of the right hand. Alternate this movement with both hands without interruption, the faster the better.

If the speed is very slow, or two fingers always miss, you need to be alert to the abnormal brain function, and it is recommended to go to the hospital for further examination.

The Lancet: Changing 12 risk factors could prevent Alzheimer's

For Alzheimer's disease, preventive measures are currently mainly aimed at modifiable risk factors.

In 2020, the international authoritative journal "The Lancet" published a new report "Alzheimer's Disease Prevention, Intervention and Care", pointing out that changing 12 risk factors in life can delay or prevent 40% of Alzheimer's disease cases.

The 12 triggers were: lower education level, high blood pressure, hearing impairment, smoking, obesity, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, lack of social interaction, excessive alcohol consumption, traumatic brain injury and air pollution.

It can be seen that, apart from the educational factors in early life, common chronic diseases such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, brain injury and other common chronic diseases in middle-aged and elderly people, as well as lack of exercise, social interaction, and depression in later life can increase the risk of dementia. It is controllable, and we should start to control it in advance.

Manage risks in advance and do these 2 things well

1. Do a good job in chronic disease management and maintain brain health

In the decades before the advent of Alzheimer's disease, we should do a good job of health management for the common chronic diseases of middle-aged and elderly people such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes, etc., and alleviate the fragility of middle-aged depression caused by deep sleep and other factors. Brain damage, or blood and oxygen for brain decline to reduce the risk of dementia later in life.

There is a classic famous prescription in Chinese traditional medicine - Kaixin Powder developed by Sun Simiao, the "King of Medicine". On this basis, the modified Sunshine Lao Lao Lao Lai Bao is a classic prescription for the treatment of chronic diseases of the elderly. The effects of nourishing qi and nourishing blood, strengthening the body and strengthening the brain, the "smart medicines" in its prescription: Shichangpu, Polygala, Fushen, can be happy and intellectual, soothe the nerves and strengthen the brain, and enhance memory; and the lecithin and vitamin E it contains can be Remove free radicals in the brain, promote the metabolism of brain cells, and enhance brain vitality.

The upgraded prescription is a special medicine for middle-aged and elderly people. It has more accurate and prominent effects on improving sleep quality, nourishing qi and blood for the brain, and taking into account the reduction of adverse reactions. In addition, it also adopts "one nest at a time" Design, one litter is one dose, and a reminder of the time of taking the medicine is marked to improve medication compliance.

2. Practice a healthy lifestyle

In response to the risk factors in daily life, middle-aged and elderly people should actively participate in social activities and do physical exercise, cultivate an optimistic and positive attitude, and cultivate certain hobbies, such as painting, calligraphy, photography, etc., which will help improve brain sensitivity and delay The rate of aging of the brain.

The prevention of Alzheimer's disease is not just the efforts of a single person or a family. Creating a positive and healthy environment for the elderly and improving the awareness of Alzheimer's disease prevention also requires the joint efforts of our entire society.

At present, the national middle-aged and elderly calligraphy and painting photography exhibition activity "Hello, Sunshine Elderly", sponsored by People's Daily Online, co-organized by Hebei Baishan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and supported by the Drug Safety Cooperation Alliance, is in full swing. To achieve more exercise, more brain activity and more social interaction, while enriching the cultural life of the elderly, it also improves spiritual and health literacy.

All middle-aged and elderly friends are welcome to participate actively. The link to participate in the competition: arsn.cn/U4sG2h, which can be copied to the browser to open.

> > References: >

> > 1. Wang Zhan. The manifestations of Alzheimer's disease [J]. Everyone Health. 2013, (12): 50. >

> > 2. The cause of Alzheimer's has finally been found out! It may be too late when these situations occur. Two methods are used to self-assess risk. Popular Science China. 2021-01-14 >

> > 3. "The Lancet": Intervention of these 12 lifestyles can prevent or slow down 40% of dementia. Chinese Science Journal. 2020-08-04 >