Grace He Provides

There is so much to be learned about dementia and Alzheimer’s, and there are so many wise scientists scrambling for answers-- many with conflicting opinions on what does and doesn’t help, but there is an emerging consensus that some identifiable contributing factors seem to be duplicated in raising the risks of the development of the disease and lifestyle and environmental factors that can likewise lower one’s risk. At this point I feel if there are lifestyle changes I can make that have been found to be helpful, I’m going to do everything in my power to make them and I wish I had known about these things when my father was younger and things could have somehow turned out better for him. But in reality in looking at many of the things that may have effected how, why and when he developed the disease I realize he had many factors going against him and I along with the neurologist he saw and John Gorman believe some of those factors could have been controlled.

The journey of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is a painful one, but I truly believe there is hope. It is a journey of research and discovery. I must admit after my father died I didn’t want to hear anything about Alzheimer’s. I cringed at the word and actually avoided even hearing about it for a long time. I suddenly became an ostrich. A popular story came out--a romance involving a loving couple whose later life was effected by the disease and some urged me to check it out.

The topic of Alzheimer’s had become such a painful issue that my wounded heart couldn’t handle even thinking about the disease until much later. But I have since realized knowledge about the disease and learning all I can about Alzheimer’s is empowering. When I first reentered this world of thinking about it, I was overcome with fear. Fear it would hit my family again, fear it would duplicate itself in my own life and I was deeply affected by the prospect. But I have been learning all I can and the knowledge is helping me to realize because you may have the genes in your DNA that is not a death sentence. It does not conclusively mean you are destined to become one of its victims. Now it’s not painful to study it—and I do read about it, watch presentations and learn as much as I can. The things I have learned motivate me to improve my own life, teach my loved ones and others that there are things we can do. The more I learn the more equipped I am to do all I can to push it back in my own life and hopefully the lives of others. I am very supportive of the health benefits of living a healthy life style, reducing negative stress as much as possible, living a life you have peace with, living a life in peace with my maker, tapping into the anointing and power of prayer and the Word of God ( it in itself is life ), caring for my body—the temple of God, avoiding situations that cause depression or isolation, reaching out and getting help when I need it, working toward balance and stability in my life, adhering to sound nutrition and taking nutritional supplements and am personally fascinated with their potential. However, I don’t look at them as ‘magical’ and after caring for my Dad realize more than ever the importance of working on nutrition early and throughout one’s life to build a healthy brain and body. Perhaps it gives me hope that I can do something to prevent this horrid disease from robbing me of life. I’d like to remind you that supplements are not regulated by the FDA and some may have possible interactions with your medications, so again if you choose to take them, please consult your primary care physician!