Memory Decline, What America’s Aging Population Must Tackle
January 18th, 2012 by admin | No Comments | Filed in UncategorizedBaby Boomers facing memory decline may not receive as much attention in the news as their impact on Social Security and the retirement issues they’ll encounter, but it is a potential problem. The mental health of America’s population as it ages will impact us all.
As more Americans reach their golden years and beyond, not only will our nation have to face the issue of the economics of a large retired population, but we’ll have to deal with the health care issues that come from an older demographic. It is not just the problem of how to keep Social Security and Medicare up and running that we need to be concerned with, but also how do we deal with the effects of aging like brain cognitive decline?
The effects of age on the body can create a number of health care issues that will have economic and social impact when multiplied by a large generation. The mental care issues may be even more dramatic in their impact. As medicine has become more adapt at helping the body to live longer, we run into the issue of how to help the mind keep up with the increase in years. Memory decline being one of the top issues to deal with as we live longer.
The intervention and care required to assist people with degenerative brain issues can in many ways be more intensive then other physical ailments. It may be that there will not be enough facilities and healthcare workers out there qualified to handle the increase in mental health issues faced by the baby boomer generation.
As brain cognitive decline become more prevalent, we may have to turn to alternative or historical means of dealing with an aging population. We may have to turn to family supported care for our aging loved ones and find ways to cope with the care of our older family members ourselves. Trying to increase the number of facilities and healthcare workers may not be enough or even possible. As we are beginning to see with the nursing shortage, throwing more into the system has yet to provide any noticeable gains on the lack of qualified nurses. Schools simply cannot produce enough new RN’s to keep up with the growing need and the number of existing nurses retiring themselves.
Unfortunately, one of the best ways of dealing with this issue may be the one least understood by the general population. Working on the health of our brain now may be the best preventative medicine for memory decline.
The root causes for memory decline are varied, but much of what happens in the brain as we age is impacted by the nutrients we get in our diet and the amount of activity we give our minds. As with any other part of our body, eating healthy is important for our brains. Getting sufficient levels of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals is critical to keeping our brains working well as we age.
Research is beginning to suggest that many of the brain cognitive decline issues we face as we get older are in part caused by cellular damage from free radicals. Free radicals are particles that can cause cellular destruction as well as damage to the DNA of normal cells. Antioxidants are your best bet for reducing or eliminating these particles from your system. Eating foods rich in antioxidant vitamins C and E as well as Manganese and other nutrients that act to protect brain cells is the first step in safeguarding our brains.
Reducing fats and other harmful substances from our bodies is huge as well. The brain consumes more oxygen than almost any other organ in the body and as such is especially susceptible to reduced blood flow due to clogged arteries. Controlling the fats in our diet will not only help our bodies, but our brains too.
Using natural remedies may also be a powerful tool against memory-enhancement-guide.com/enhancing_memory.html brain cognitive decline. As researchers discover more about the health properties of various herbs and other substances, the better we can utilize them to bolster our brains. Scientists are discovering that old time favorites like Ginkgo Biloba and Ginseng are indeed potent in their effect on the brain. Their ability to increase cerebral blood flow, improve mood and enhance recall has been touted for years, but that is being bore out by recent studies.
Remedies that provide huperzine A, L-Tyrosine and 5-hydroxytryptophan help the body produce neurotransmitters and various other chemicals the brain needs to function and in the case of huperzine A, keep those neurotransmitters from being destroyed in the body. Looking for supplements that include those ingredients may be another way we can combat the aging process in our minds.
Nobody enjoys the thought of memory decline as we age and it is certainly something that most will have to face as our society continues to age. However, it is not a battle that we are helpless to fight. With the right steps now, including diet, exercise and even supplements we can hold out as long as possible. If enough people are proactive in protecting their minds then we may even reduce the impact of an aging population on the economy and the rest of society.
J. Wall has an avid interest in natural remedies for the treatment of memory loss. He is a regular contributor to the memory-enhancement-guide.com Memory Decline section of memory-enhancement-guide.com www.memory-enhancement-guide.com, a site dedicated to improving mental ability and cognitive function.
Tags: antioxidant, diet, memory loss, mineralRelated posts
Tags: antioxidant, diet, memory loss, mineral
