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Memory loss is not enough for a diagnosis of the dreaded disease. Relying on clinical symptoms of memory loss to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease may miss other forms of dementia caused by Alzheimer’s that don’t initially affect memory, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study, according to newswise.com. “These individuals are often overlooked in clinical trial designs and are missing out on opportunities to participate in clinical trials to treat Alzheimer’s,” says first study author Emily Rogalski, associate professor at Northwestern’s Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center. Now here's the truly scary part. There is more than one kind of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer’s can cause language problems, disrupt an individual’s behavior, personality and judgment or even affect someone’s concept of where objects are in space. If it affects personality, it may cause lack of inhibition. “Someone who was very shy may go up to grocery store clerk -- who is a

Depressed? Don't exercise much?  Have high blood pressure?  A new study has found that, even if you're just18, your memory could start failing.  Even worse, it may put you at higher risk for Alzheimer's later in life. UCLA researchers and the Gallup organization polled more than 18,000 people about their memory and a variety of lifestyle and health factors previously shown to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, according to newswise.com. They found that many of these risk factors increased the likelihood of self-perceived memory complaints across all adult age groups. If you have high blood pressure , you're at even greater risk. New research suggests that high blood pressure in middle age plays a critical role in whether blood pressure in old age may affect memory and thinking. Risk factors in the population studied -- people ages 18-99 -- included depression, lower education levels, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, diabetes, o

It's not exactly new.  We've known for some time that exercise and crossword puzzles can slow down, or defeat, Alzheimer's.  But now a new study has found that a healthy lifestyle can improve memory, even under 40. I've been getting worse and worse at remembering things (though I'm well past 40!).  I walk into a room and say, "Now, what did I come in here for?"  Fortunately, I have a son, who, once he stops snickering, says, "Your keys, Mom." But there are ways to improve -- or sustain -- your memory Cathy Payne at USA Today writes, "Healthy eating, not smoking, and exercising regularly were linked to better self-perceived memory abilities."  Even those engaging in just one healthy behavior -- across all age groups -- were 21% less likely to report memory problems than those who didn't. And it's not just us aging Baby Boomers complaining about memory.  A shocking 14% of those from 18 to 39 also have problems with it (thou

As we baby boomers continuue to age, hearing loss is often a part of it.  I know I have to strain sometimes to hear when I'm in a nosy room.  Both my mother and grandmother went deaf at early ages so it's possible it's in my destiny, too.  (It irritates me no end when my husband can hear the song playing on the restaurant's sound system, and I can't!) But even more upsetting than hearing loss is what it could lead to.  Big-time memory loss. According to a story at The New York Times, people who have to struggle to hear spend so much brain power just trying to make out the words that the other parts of their brains wear out,and shut down.  http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/11/straining-to-hear-and-fend-off-dementia/

No, you're not imagining it.  And it's not just age. If you're around smokers, that memory loss that's been terrifying you may very well be attributable to being around smokers, according to Fox News, while the Mail Online in the UK notes that the same study found that non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke forgot 20% more than non-smokers who were not exposed. But before you panic, those studied "reported being exposed to second-hand smoke for an average of 25 hours a week for an average of four and a half years."  They included people who lived with smokers or spent a lot of time in designated smoking areas (euw).   http://radio.foxnews.com/2012/09/23/housecall-for-health-second-hand-smoke-memory-loss/ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2202636/Non-smokers-regularly-exposed-second-hand-smoke-risk-damaging-memory.html#axzz2Kbc0SHYx