About those 'blond moments'
Memory slips are casually referred to as "blond moments", "senior moments" or "mental pause". Too often we shrug this early aging warning sign off as insignificant.
Typical memory problems that develop at any age but particularly after the age of 50 are loss of short term memory, judgement, abstract thought and higher mental functions and sometimes changes in personality and behavior. Dementia is a broad term describing mental decline that interferes with the person’s normal social or economic activity and can be caused by many diseases and traumas. These include head trauma, cardiac arrest, stroke, drug and alcohol dementia, and under-active thyroid disease (see my article on the thyroid Mar 31st 2000), brain tumor, Multiple Sclerosis, and ALS to name a few. Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative process with loss of cells in the brain particularly the acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter) transmitting types of brain cells. Upon autopsy the nerve fibers are found to be tangled and formed into clusters of nerve plaques. This prevents information from being transferred as the brain circuits are disconnected but does not destroy information already stored in the brain. Many complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) physicians believe the increase we are seeing in Dementia and Alzheimer’s have multifactoral causes including the not so popular concept of heavy metal and pesticide toxicity i.e. mercury, aluminum, Gulf War syndrome and nutrient deficiency. Memory lapses of any kind are an early warning sign that something isn’t right and CAM has much to offer to treat these symptoms early to slow the aging of the brain and its function.
"Mental pause" common during the peri-menopause and menopausal years is hormonally based and often these lapses improve once the woman has passed through this phase of her life change. Herbs and soy can greatly improve these women. (See my article on menopause May 10, 2000). I recommend that she consider the following information as well. "Blond or senior moments" should be taken seriously and if a given program doesn’t work in three months then a different or more comprehensive approach should be considered.
Gingko is one of the most common herbs known to the western world and is one of the most common herbs used by the public in Germany to prevent stroke. It can be very good for improving memory as it increases blood flow to the brain and works against free radicals which cause cell damage. It increases the retention of learned behavior, learning recall and short-term memory. There are some side effects that prevent some people from taking it including dizziness, headaches, digestive disturbances and allergic skin reactions.
Vitamin B12 has been commonly researched to improve cognition in the elderly in institutions. Serum levels of B12 or folic acid did not indicate deficiency nevertheless most elderly responded to regular intramuscular injections of B12 and B complex. Folic acid was very commonly deficient in those with Alzheimer’s disease.
Vitamin E has also been found to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease and of course heart disease so this is a vitamin every one should be taking no matter what their age. As is commonly known arteriosclerosis was well established in soldiers at autopsy at age 20! Arteriosclerosis is a popular theory for the cause of memory problems and is the number one killer in North America. Need I say more?
Dr. Pincott has been practicing naturopathic medicine since 1985 and is currently practicing in Campbell River. She can be reached at (250) 286-3655 or
www.DrPincott.com