By Dr. Annie Xu
June is Alzheimer’s Awareness month. As parents and grandparents wonder if their grade school children are forgetting their lessons from the year, they may also wonder if small slips in the day are ordinary signs of an overly busy life or hallmarks of a more serious problem. Dementia is an acquired condition that gradually presents with worsening behavioral changes, such as:
- Increasing forgetfulness or an inability to remember new information
- Difficulty recalling words
- Decreased ability to perform complex tasks like organizing clothes or paying bills
- Inability to pay attention, like being unable to follow the story of a movie
- Decreased ability to interact with others in conversation due to lack of recognizing social cues
If you recognize any of these traits in yourself or a loved one, please go to your primary care physician to discuss an evaluation for dementia. Meanwhile, there are several things you can do to protect yourself and your family.
- Playing brain games and reading fiction literature has been shown to stave off the effects of aging memory.
- If you are 50 years old or older, get your shingles vaccine. This has been associated with reducing dementia risk by 20-30%.
- Avoid using Benadryl at all ages. Lifetime exposure to Benadryl and first-generation antihistamines has been shown to dramatically increase dementia risk in proportion to duration of use.
- Try to maintain a healthy body by controlling high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
Dr. Annie Xu is a local primary care physician at Hot Springs Internal Medicine Clinic, specializing in chronic care management, women’s health, and general practice medicine. Her clinic is located at 301 Exchange St, Hot Springs. To schedule an appointment, call 501-621-4222.
