Head of Emergency Medicine Department of Bikur Cholim
I have been asked to write on Alzheimer's disease and I have
written on it in the recent past. Alzheimer's usually affects
people who often do not recognize necessarily that they are
becoming more confused. Often they get lost on the way home
and can't remember where they live. They may forget articles
of clothing. Those who recognize the decline in function may
suffer from depression.
Older people can get confused as well and it is normal to
become more forgetful as the years go by. Multiple strokes,
mini-strokes, Parkinson's and excessive drinking can all also
cause earlier dementia. I wouldn't worry about forgetfulness
at an advanced age. As a senator in the USA once said, "Three
things come with age: One is that you forget, and for the
life of me I cannot remember the other two."
What about the silent killer: high blood pressure and
obesity. If you are fat you will have high blood pressure,
and this can even be at an early age. Salt intake may make
blood pressure worse but not all people are salt
"responders." We do tend to be addicted to salt. Let's face
it. Salt makes food taste really good, and there are some
times I think you should use salt. For example, I prefer you
to use salt on corn on the cob instead of butter or
margarine.
But I think the problem of obesity is more serious, and
exercise and dropping weight will go a long way to lowering
blood pressure. If you need to take medication, most will not
meet with success without taking two different drugs. High
blood pressure can cause heart disease and stroke, so it is
best to measure this regularly, but not to get alarmed if one
or two readings are high. Keep in mind that the elderly need
higher blood pressure in general.
Obesity causes Type Two diabetes, and you do not want that.
It can cause poor circulation with resultant amputations of
legs. The bottom line: think about losing weight today. Write
me in care of the Yated.
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