For those looking to avoid alzheimer’s / dementia, there’s evidence linking it to metabolic dysfunction, and intermittent fasting has been shown to help in mice.
https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/the-growing-science-...
'I am mine': Alzheimer's at 41 (2018)
21–30 of 103 posts
Re: 'I am mine': Alzheimer's at 41 (2018)
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
> good articulation of the circumstances where I would rather die than continue living. I did my alternative civilian service in a nursing home for people with dementia when I was 19. I have noticed 6 stages: 1) Fear that something is wrong with their memory and incredible efforts to hide it (this is usually before they live in a nursing home). 2) Anger, shame and desperation. 3) Internalization, they then either mak…
This doesn't sound all that bad. There are people who lost the will to live in Nazi extermination camps or who died of radiation sickness from the atom bomb. Compared to those two, this is a very pleasant way to exit life.
It's more tough for the family than anything. My girlfriend works with elderly with dementia and says her residents are all still mostly happy despite the disease.
Re: 'I am mine': Alzheimer's at 41 (2018)
#23For those looking to avoid alzheimer’s / dementia, there’s evidence linking it to metabolic dysfunction, and intermittent fasting has been shown to help in mice. https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/the-growing-science-...
Yeah, sure. Just don't eat, and that'll prevent alzheimer's.
If you study history, you have to reconcile these views with the fact that we've been wrong about every medical development until recent history. At one point we were killing cats to curtail the black plague, when in fact it was the fleas that were the cause.
We just don't know. And it's fine not to know. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42QuXLucH3Q
Re: 'I am mine': Alzheimer's at 41 (2018)
#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
Same. I'd also love to know. Especially for those among us that don't live in places with compassionate assisted suicide.
Here’s another idea. Let’s figure out a way to cure, or simply slow, the disease. Think it can be done within two decades? The mRNA Coronavirus vaccines were produced in under a year. That was after years of R&D, of course. Now maybe it’s possible to convince people to spend more on fundamental medical research. UPDATE I see my comments are not appreciated. We’re going with “just shoot me if this happens to me” Anywa…
It’s great that people are working to treat or cure this terrible disease.
However in the meanwhile, there is unbelievable damage and burden on family members that the sick person least of all wants, as articulated by Jo when he still had his faculties.
And there’s a long tail of other diseases. I believe we’ll make progress on those too, but this does not preclude mercy for the victim of the disease.
Re: 'I am mine': Alzheimer's at 41 (2018)
#25One of medicine's most elementary failings is providing a reasonable framework for death in these diagnoses. I have to suspect the inability to die on one's terms stems from the economic incentives of powerful interests who profit from housing these patients for years, sometimes decades.
My grandfather died like this of Alzheimers. My dad vowed to not follow his path should it come to that.
Re: 'I am mine': Alzheimer's at 41 (2018)
#26Earlier quoted context omitted.
There isn't a framework. One of the things the article talks about is that the assisted death law in Canada requires competency at the time of death. Without looking, I expect it's often similar in other places. When my mom's dementia progressed from a state where she needed a bit of help to where she needed regular attention, I had no qualms about removing myself from the equation, because I think that if she were h…
Also, right now in Canada, assisted death is not available if your pain is from mental illness.
does alzheimer's really count as mental illness though? I would think it was more of a disability.
Re: 'I am mine': Alzheimer's at 41 (2018)
#27I've recently discovered Everywhere at the End of Time by the Caretaker (James Kirby). It's a series of six music albums exploring and depicting memory loss, Alzheimer's disease and dementia. I wish I had the writing skills necessary to convey the emotional turmoil I went through by listening to the six stages in one sleepless night. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJWksPWDKOc I also appreciated the attention to the details from the track titles to the choice of album covers. The last image – a broken canvas seen from behind – is especially haunting. It's the kind of experience that makes you re-evaluate many life choices.
Re: 'I am mine': Alzheimer's at 41 (2018)
#28For those looking to avoid alzheimer’s / dementia, there’s evidence linking it to metabolic dysfunction, and intermittent fasting has been shown to help in mice. https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/the-growing-science-...
Yeah, sure. Just don't eat, and that'll prevent alzheimer's. If you study history, you have to reconcile these views with the fact that we've been wrong about every medical development until recent history. At one point we were killing cats to curtail the black plague, when in fact it was the fleas that were the cause. We just don't know. And it's fine not to know. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42QuXLucH3Q
Replying to an article that lists a variety of studies with "we just don't know" doesn't really do your audience here justice tbh
Re: 'I am mine': Alzheimer's at 41 (2018)
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
Here’s another idea. Let’s figure out a way to cure, or simply slow, the disease. Think it can be done within two decades? The mRNA Coronavirus vaccines were produced in under a year. That was after years of R&D, of course. Now maybe it’s possible to convince people to spend more on fundamental medical research. UPDATE I see my comments are not appreciated. We’re going with “just shoot me if this happens to me” Anywa…
It’s great that people are working to treat or cure this terrible disease. However in the meanwhile, there is unbelievable damage and burden on family members that the sick person least of all wants, as articulated by Jo when he still had his faculties. And there’s a long tail of other diseases. I believe we’ll make progress on those too, but this does not preclude mercy for the victim of the disease.
Yes, my aunt who died in late 2019 had some form of dementia. She was only in her mid 70s.
Sure, we’ll make slow progress and eventually get a treatment. However, this is likely a very difficult disease to treat.
I’m simply pointing out that we have another option to make faster progress.
Re: 'I am mine': Alzheimer's at 41 (2018)
#30For those looking to avoid alzheimer’s / dementia, there’s evidence linking it to metabolic dysfunction, and intermittent fasting has been shown to help in mice. https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/the-growing-science-...
Yeah, sure. Just don't eat, and that'll prevent alzheimer's. If you study history, you have to reconcile these views with the fact that we've been wrong about every medical development until recent history. At one point we were killing cats to curtail the black plague, when in fact it was the fleas that were the cause. We just don't know. And it's fine not to know. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42QuXLucH3Q
"There's evidence that..." does not equal "To prevent Alzheimer's, do...." Science does not work that way. We start from a hypothesis ("Alzheimer's is a type of metabolic dysfunction."), to test that hypothesis ("Intermittent fasting may delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer's."), to finally saying "There's evidence that...." Eventually, once there's enough evidence, we can say with some certainty "To prevent Alzheimer's, do....", but we're not there yet.