Blood type a factor in memory loss?

Important quotes from the article …

Type AB Blood? You May Be More Prone to Memory Loss

“How sharp you are at age 65 may be tied to something totally out of your control: your blood type. And people with Type AB blood — the least common type — may face a particularly high risk of memory loss later in life, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Neurology.

The researchers asked more than 1,000 people age 45 and older to perform cognitive and memory tests — learning and then recalling a list of 10 words, for example — and then took a blood sample from each study participant. After following the participants for an average of 3.4 years, the scientists found that those with Type AB blood had an 82 percent higher risk of cognitive decline.”
…
“So should Type AB people panic about preserving their memory? Cushman thinks not — at least not yet. “The association we saw was relatively small, and the findings need to be confirmed in other studies,” she said. “However, everyone can work to maintain their cognitive function through leading a healthy lifestyle, in terms of diet, physical activity, and not smoking, as well as controlling cardiovascular risk through optimizing blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes treatment.”

Read the whole article here:

https://www.yahoo.com/health/type-ab-blood-you-may-be-more-prone-to-memory-loss-97230693847.html

Benadryl, Excedrin PM, Tylenol PM – over the counter drugs that destroy the aging brain; surgeries that seal the deal.

ALLERGIES ARE PART OF WHAT’S SWIMMING IN MY GENE POOL.

I’ve gone into anaphylactic shock twice; I don’t have health insurance.

The first time it happened – about five years ago – my son and his family were visiting. We stopped at Taco Bell on our way back to the airport. I happened to kick some litter near the curb and felt a tiny pin prick between my toes. Thought nothing of it. (Fire ants are pretty prevalent here in SW Florida.)

He was at the counter placing our order as I sat with my DIL and granddaughters; suddenly I thought I was having a stroke. It’s so hard to describe. Your pulse races and you think you’re going to pass out. I had to lie down.

They were going to call an ambulance, but I imagined a bill in the thousands. I asked my son to call my mom instead. Her allergies are so bad she doesn’t go anywhere without epipens. She has nearly died from bee stings; her throat closes up.

She told Shawn to get me liquid Benadryl and chug some ASAP. Said it works nearly as fast as an epipen.

We rushed to a drug store and I swallowed a gulp in the car. Long story short, we called a friend, the family got to the airport and I survived. Only I knew my life was forever changed; I had to be careful.

The second time I stepped out of my kayak onto the beach and felt a tiny bite; again. On top of my foot. Different type of bug this time, not a fire ant.

I knew what to expect and I was with the friend we called the first time. He got me home, I chugged the liquid Benadryl I kept for emergencies and I was out for the rest of the day. (Photo above.) We thought it was sort of funny. But really, it’s not.

Benadryl knocks me OUT. I can give my 13 lb. Shih Tzu 1/2 to calm her down for a plane. If I take a whole tablet I can’t function. Maybe that’s a good thing.

MOM DECIDED SHE SHOULD TAKE A BENADRYL EVERY NIGHT.

It would help her sleep. (She’s wound pretty tight.) It sounded like a good idea.

Fortunately I don’t have any trouble sleeping. My allergies usually strike during the day and I take Sudafed as needed.

This week my allergies are horrific. It’s jungle in south Florida, the weather is soup and everything is growing. My lips and eyes are swollen and itchy. Google says “go to a doctor.” I was thinking I should start taking Benadryl; then I remembered her memory problems started around the same time as her nightly Benadryl.

I googled “Benadryl” and “memory loss” and found this. I like that it names the drugs. And it’s backed up by many other medical articles on the topic.

“These drugs, called anticholinergics, block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter, and are widely-used medical therapies. They are sold over the counter under various brand names such as Benadryl®, Dramamine®, Excedrin PM®, Nytol®, Sominex®, Tylenol PM®, and Unisom®. Other anticholinergic drugs, such as Paxil®, Detrol®, Demerol® and Elavil® are available only by prescription. Older adults most commonly use drugs with anticholinergic effects as sleep aids and to relieve bladder leakage problems.”

The bottom line on this article –

“Simply put, we have confirmed that anticholinergics, something as seemingly benign as a medication for inability to get a good night’s sleep or for motion sickness, can cause or worsen cognitive impairment, specifically long-term mild cognitive impairment which involves gradual memory loss. As a geriatrician I tell my Wishard Healthy Aging Brain Center patients not to take these drugs and I encourage all older adults to talk with their physicians about each and every one of the medications they take,” said Malaz Boustani, M.D., IU School of Medicine associate professor of medicine, Regenstrief Institute investigator and IU Center for Aging Research center scientist.” Read more at: http://phys.org/news198238000.html#jCp

The article is from 2010. Let me say, from personal experience, my mother RAPIDLY developed (and was diagnosed with) cognitive impairment and there IS no hope for improvement.But wait – there’s more.

SURGERY MADE IT WORSE.

Knee replacement surgery shoved her right off the effing cliff. She yanked all her IVs and tried to leave her hospital bed TWICE the night of the surgery.
https://www.mysciencework.com/news/8206/could-surgery-accelerate-alzheimer-s-disease

In the morning hospital staff asked my stepfather why he didn’t tell them she had dementia. Heck, he couldn’t even deal with the diagnosis of “cognitive impairment.” But bless him for living longer than he wanted in order to take care of her. She’s so hostile she makes his life living hell.

This death spiral all happened within about 3 years.My Gram had dementia for about ten years. Her decline was gradual and she transitioned at 96. Not the most loving person when she was “normal” – paranoid and bitchy at her worst, my mother has been furious about her decline and enraged at me for being the first to recommend a neurologist. I am not welcome in her home.I hear she’s better now that she’s “on medication.” Not so hostile.I may drive up for Thanksgiving; she’s already forgetting grandchildren when they come to visit. So I doubt she’ll remember me.

1500 Miles South of Good-Bye

I was born in 1950. My mom was just a kid. They could have had me aborted or put me up for adoption, but they – probably my Gram – decided to keep me. (Mom married when I was two and covered her tracks. The family secret held for a very long time. )

Ultimately Gram was the only unconditional love I’ve ever had in this world.

She would have loved the colors on this blog. In our last days together I found the only way we could really connect was through pretty pictures. I used to take decorating magazines to the Dementia Ward on Sundays and we would look at the pictures together. “You had zinnias in your garden.” “These blues were your favorites in your living room.”

Her brain was pretty much gone, but she was still visual. She still appreciated colors and could create lovely paintings.

I last saw her five years ago. I was moving to Florida because Michigan winters and Lyme Disease do not mix. The Lyme was – is – a scary thing because relapses sometimes come with a fearsome fog. I was sick for two years before I backtracked and remembered “the bug” I clawed from my leg. I spent some of that time thinking I was getting Alzheimer’s. I could not focus. I could barely drive.

Fortunately, IV antibiotics cleared the fog; but the weather was hell on my physical health. I had to head south.

I expected I would see Gram when I came back for visits because nothing ever killed the Energizer Bunny. She was a vain woman who kept herself physically fit. As a result, her body outlasted her mind by many years.

But she died within two weeks of my leaving.  My cousin called. She had one last evening where she was fully lucid and could remember everyone’s names and tell them she loved them. What was that??? I was broke, sad and lonely 1,500 miles south of I love you and good-bye.

I had joked that when she passed, she would be the first to visit me in my new place. And she did. But those are stories for another kind of blog.

I love my Gram and my Gram loves me.

Love never dies.

Prevention: Celery Seed Extract

(From an article by doctormurray.com)

“Celery contains a unique compound, 3-n-butylphthalide (3nB), that is responsible for both the vegetable’s characteristic odor and its health benefits. In animal studies, 3nB has been shown to:

Lower blood pressure by acting as a diuretic and vasodilator
Improve blood flow to the brain, protect against brain cell damage and enhance energy production within the brain
Produce dramatic recovery in neurological and brain function studies that simulate a stroke
Significantly increase lifespan in animal studies
Exert anticancer effects and aid detoxification processes
Improve cognitive performance and memory

Clinical research also indicates that celery seed extract appears to be particularly helpful for sufferers of gout, as 3nB appears to significantly lower the production of the uric acid that causes gout.”

PLEASE TAKE TIME TO READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE:

http://doctormurray.com/2011/09/celery-seed-extract-for-protection-against-alzheimer%E2%80%99s-and-parkinson%E2%80%99s-disease/