The epidemic of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease effects countless numbers of families worldwide, mine included. In an effort to understand the root cause of this relatively new phenomenon, I spent over 80 hours reading through scores of research studies and the data that I uncovered may startle you, but also give you hope. Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease is not "normal" or our fate. There are clear causative factors which can be mitigated once you understand them. There is a lot of information to cover so this exposé is being presented make it easier to digest. It is estimated that more than 5 million people in the US currently have Alzheimer's disease, the 6th leading cause of death in the US. Those numbers don't include other types of dementia. The Alzheimer's Association further states that 1 in 3 seniors will have one form of dementia or another when they die.
[1] These numbers are staggering and expected to grow as the baby boomers age. We are so used to the elderly being afflicted by dementia that many accept it's our fate, as if our minds have an expiration date. However, as the World Health Organization and Alzheimer's Association explain, older age may be a risk factor, but dementia actually isn't a normal part of aging.
[1, 2]Much is written about how to diagnose, treat, and manage dementias, as well as warning signs and risk factors. But that's not what I want to discuss in this 3-part series. Instead,
I want to talk about the "elephant in the room" namely the correlations between dementia, heavy metal toxicity, and microbes. Many in the scientific community agree that there should be more research into these areas, but did you know that there already has been a great deal of research completed with compelling results? Probably not, because it's not routinely discussed in the doctor's office or mainstream media. This series will take a look at the relationship between dementia and just two toxic metals, mercury and aluminum, as well as the role microbes may play. However, lead, arsenic, cadmium, and copper in our environment may also be entering our bodies and causing harm to our brains and central nervous systems.
Comment: It comes down to the old axiom - use it or lose it! It would be interesting to see the different results from different types of exercise, like cardio versus weight-bearing exercise, but clearly there is some benefit just from using your body regularly in regards to aging.
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