The Disease You Can Really Fight Against

Are you afraid of things? Are there things you avoid so you don't have to face unsettling situations? Or are you one of those people that just faces things head on?

I guess you could say I am an "avoider" of things that scare me. I will do just about anything I can do avoid scary or potentially hazardous places or occurrences.

I'll just put it out there... I am scared to death of one disease. Well, there are several. But one in particular that just sends chills through my body at the thought. It is... Alzheimer's. With other diseases I feel I would at least try to alter my diet diet, lifestyle and use other natural methods to help or control the disease... with Alzheimer's, it goes out of your control.

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. In most people, symptoms begin to appear after the age of 60. Research states that damage to the brain begins at least a decade before symptoms appear.

Current research states that although Alzheimer's disease may be genetically to blame, but there are studies that are proving abundant routes to prevent it as well.

Along with exercise and keeping your mind active, here are my simple strategies on how to do your part to fight Alzheimer's...

1. Consume fish oil. The DHA in fish oil is found to increase the production of LR11, a protein that is found at reduced levels in Alzheimer's patients. LR11 is known to destroy the protein that forms the plaques associated with the disease. Best methods to consume DHA is either through wild salmon and tuna, ground flax and hemp seeds or supplementation.

2. Eat Berries. Berries contain a cocktail of chemical compounds including anthocyanins and polyphenolics. These antioxidants have been proven to inhibit oxidative stress in the brain to protect against age-related diseases, mostly Alzheimer's. They are also known to "mop up" and recycle certain cells blamed for memory lapses and other mental decline, keeping the mind sharp into old age. Choose deep or bright colored berries such as strawberries, blueberries, boysenberries and blackcurrants.

3. Eat a diet low in saturated fat. According to the Natural News website, "people with high cholesterol, high blood pressure and who are obese are far more likely (600% more) to lose healthy brain function and be diagnosed with Alzheimer's than people who maintain a healthy body weight, and who eat a healthy diet."

4. Embrace Indian food (ie: turmeric). Turmeric is the deep orange-yellow colored ingredient found in curry spices and has been used as a powerful medicine in the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine for centuries. A characteristic of a brain diseased with Alzheimer's is a build-up of the protein amyloid which causes inflammation. The oil in tumeric (curcumin) crosses the blood-brain barrier and binds to amyloid protein fragments, preventing them from aggregating together into plaques. According to the Livestrong website, "a study investigating curcumin's effects on amyloid plaques in the brains of mice demonstrated how effective it can be by reducing 30 percent of the plaques in a single week".

5. Avoid aluminum. Let's just cut to chase...

• In 1993, the World Health Organization said, "There is a suspected link between Alzheimer's disease and the toxicity of aluminum."
  
• The Agency for Toxic Substances and & Disease Registry reports that "Exposure to high levels of aluminum may result in respiratory and neurological problems.

Aluminum is most commonly found in cookware, beverage and food cans, some foods, prescription and over-the-counter medications and deodorant. Inside the body, dementia is seen when a brain has a plaque substance in it - and aluminum is often at the center of these plaques.

Ways to Avoid Aluminum:
Find aluminum-free deodorants. I love Jason's.
Use cast-iron cookware.
Choose fresh or frozen fruits/vegetables over canned.
Avoid canned beverages.
Be an avid food label reader.

What are you presently doing to avoid disease and illness?