How Music Helps People With Alzheimer's Disease

Guys if you aren't aware of it,So Don't worry
What is Alzheimer's Disease

• Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. 
• Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging, although the greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer's are 65 and older. But Alzheimer's is not just a disease of old age. Up to 5 percent of people with the disease have early onset Alzheimer's (also known as younger-onset), which often appears when someone is in their 40s or 50s.
• Alzheimer's worsens over time. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimer's, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Those with Alzheimer's live an average of eight years after their symptoms become noticeable to others, but survival can range from four to 20 years, depending on age and other health conditions. 
• Alzheimer's has no current cure, but treatments for symptoms are available and research continues. Although current Alzheimer's treatments cannot stop Alzheimer's from progressing, they can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life for those with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. Today, there is a worldwide effort under way to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, and prevent it from developing. 

"Where words fail, music speaks."

The famous phrase penned by writer Hans Christian Andersen rings true for many people with Alzheimer’s disease – even in the very late stages. Ezinma Ramsay, 24, a classically trained violinist in New York City, performs weekly for a man with the disease, fulfilling a request from his daughter. “He can’t remember what day it is sometimes when I perform, but he knows the music,” Ramsay says. “He’ll whistle along, and sometimes his caregivers say he’ll whistle for the whole week. It’s amazing.” Indeed, music therapy can promote wellness and enhance memory among those with the disease.

What is music therapy?

Al Bumanis, director of communications at the American Music Therapy Association, which represents roughly 4,000 certified music therapists nationwide, says much of music therapists' work is geared toward the aging population. You’ll find music therapists in nursing homes, hospitals, rehabilitation facilities and at community centers. Bumanis defines music therapy as a health profession that uses music as a treatment tool to address non-musical goals. For example, music can be used to elicit a happy or memorable moment from someone's past, which may decrease anxiety by promoting relaxation or give an otherwise sedentary person enough energy to get up and boogie.

The science of music memory

Music can connect people and enrich their lives, says Ruth Drew, director of family and information services at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago. “Many people with Alzheimer’s disease may not be able to initiate meaningful activity, so music can be a big part of that,” Drew says, adding that music can affect someone’s level of boredom or agitation, calm them or lift their spirits. “I can tell you that caring for someone in a great mood is a lot easier, fun and safer than caring for someone who’s scared, upset and unhappy.

Affection and closeness

Later forms of the disease can affect a person's ability to interact with loved ones through emotional closeness and expressing affection through speech, according to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. However, music can reinvent this closeness between someone with Alzheimer's disease and his or her spouse, friends and family. The foundation says music can prompt hugs, kisses and caresses, plus lead to gentle, rhythmic movements such as rocking in a chair or patting their leg to the beat. 

Different strokes

Don’t push your musical tastes on your loved one, Bumanis warns. “I don’t know if they’re going to go for the Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead, but you never know,” he says. If you’re caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, play music that the person enjoyed when they were 18 to 25 – whether it’s classical or country, Cher or Ol’ Blue Eyes. If they say it sounds terrible, try something else, and keep track of what they like most. Another option is to load their favorite music into an old iPod or MP3 player so they always have music handy

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Red Meat and Cancer: 6 Expert Nutrition Tips You must Focus

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you'll know that earlier this week the World Health Organization declared processed meat as definitively carcinogenic to humans and red meat as "probably" carcinogenic. As a nutritionist and an avid follower of dietary trends and analysis, I found this one interesting. Vegetarians and vegans rejoiced and the media cranked out a combination of sensationalist and alarmist headlines
Firstly, the news that processed meat is carcinogenic (cancer-causing) is not new but has been brewing for decades. That shouldn't necessarily be surprising - especially if you've seen documentaries like "Food, Inc." (essential viewing.) So you mean Spam and hot dogs aren't good for us? No way! Come on everyone, whether you want to believe it or not, it's hard to see how processed meat can be either health-promoting or nourishing in any shape or form.

1. Avoid processed meat the vast majority of the time. 

Remember this includes ham, bacon (cue weeping), sausages and any meat item (turkey/chicken included) that has been salted/cured/fermented/smoked or otherwise "preserved". If you are going to have it, try choosing an ethical brand such as Applegate or Niman Ranch. But do note that according to the IARC, the Applegate/Niman Ranch deli meats and sausages would still fall into this category as they are either salted, smoked or contain nitrites (albeit naturally occurring nitrites from celery.) If you or your children rely on deli meat for lunch boxes, it's time to start branching out. Try hummus and cucumber, nut butter and fruit-only jam, home roasted organic chicken, avocado and tomato.... there are lots of options! We're in this one together friends, it's going to mean a change in my house too.

2. Pick good quality, grass-fed (and preferably organic) red meat options, occasionally.

Every food purchase you make casts a vote at the checkout so buying organic and grass-fed supports animal welfare. If you think that's pointless (given that your meat, after all, is ultimately dead, then watch this video and get back to me!) If you like red meat, try grass-fed beef or lamb in small portion sizes (1/4 of your plate max). Grass-fed meat tastes different - it is more rich and has an intense flavor, so a little goes a long way. You may also find it more tough. That's not because there is anything wrong with it, but rather we are used to corn-fed beef which is softer (and less healthy.) It's more expensive so to manage the costs, dilute it with beans, lentils and vegetables - and have it less often.

3. Always eat your vegetables!

Regardless of whether you are having red meat or not, always fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables or salad. These are packed full of cancer-preventing antioxidants that help to neutralize oxidative damage in the body.

4. Be careful how you cook red meat.

Processing red meat triggers the formation of cancer-causing chemicals such as n-nitroso-compounds (NOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Cooking even good quality red meat at a high temperature also forms PAHs and herterocyclic aromatic aminos (HAAs) too. I have written a column with specific recommendations on this previously (especially regarding BBQ!)

5. Be a healthy vegetarian.

If you're vegetarian or vegan, be a healthy one! There's no animal products in french fries or soda but they are arguably disease-promoting too (especially on a large scale.) Get your veggies in and stick to good quality vegetarian protein instead of processed veggie burgers and sausages.

6. Manage your health holistically. 

Remember, although it's a huge part of the picture, nutrition is not the whole picture when it comes to cancer prevention. Managing stress, taking exercise and staying well hydrated (with water!) are all important too.

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Go Ahead and Have Fun: Sex Doesn't Cause Heart Attacks, Study Finds

• Patients with heart disease can worry about one less thing: German researchers find sex doesn't seem to trigger heart attacks, strokes or other unpleasant events.

The American Heart Association advises that sex after a heart attack is OK.

But patients don't always get that message, says Dr. Dietrich Rothenbacher, who led a small study at Ulm University in Germany.

It seems very unlikely that sexual activity is a relevant trigger of heart attack," Rothenbacher said in a statement.

"It is important to reassure patients that they need not be worried and should resume their usual sexual activity."

They questioned 536 heart disease patients aged between 30 and 70 years about their sexual activity before and after heart attacks, strokes and other types of sudden cardiovascular death.

About 15 percent of the patients said they'd had no sexual activity in the 12 months before their heart attack, 25 percent said they'd had sex about once a week and 55 percent said they had sex more than once a week, the team reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Over the next 10 years, there were 100 heart attacks, strokes or other adverse events in the group.

The researchers looked to see what type of sexual activity had been going on before these events. Less than 1 percent of the patients said they'd had sex within an hour before.

There is one thing to watch out for, the researchers aid. Erectile dysfunction drugs work on blood flow and they can interact with some heart medications. Nitrate drugs for chest pain, for instance, can mix with the ingredients in Viagra, Cialis or similar drugs and cause a serious, sudden drop in blood pressure.

And so can drugs used to treat low blood pressure or prostate problems by increasing urination.

So don't Worry and have fun guys.Enjoy the Fullest.

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Short Sleepers May Catch More Colds

Want to avoid catching a cold this winter? Start by getting more than six hours of sleep a night.

In what may be the first study of this kind, researchers say they found that adults who sleep less than five or six hours a night are four times more likely to catch a cold than than those who get at least seven or more hours of sleep.

“Sleep plays a role in regulating the immune system, and that’s how we think it influences susceptibility to the common cold,” said Aric A. Prather, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, who is the lead author of the study, published this week in the journal Sleep.

Previous research had suggested a link between less sleep and higher vulnerability to colds, but that study relied on subjects self-reporting the number of hours they slept. The new study was the first to measure actual sleep. To do so, the researchers used a technique called wrist actigraphy, which uses a watchlike device with an accelerometer that measures movement and inactivity and which, when combined with sleep diaries, provides a more accurate accounting of sleep.

“This study reinforces the notion that sleep is just as important to your health as diet and exercise,” said Dr. Nathaniel F. Watson, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. “People need to view sleep as a tool to achieve a healthy life, rather than as something that interferes with all their other activities.”

Many Americans don’t get enough sleep; a 2013 survey by the National Sleep Foundation said that one in five adults gets less than six hours of sleep on an average work night.

Poor sleep has been linked to numerous chronic illnesses, and new guidelines issued this year by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society urge adults to get seven or more hours of sleep per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health.

The guidelines say that sleeping less than seven hours per night is associated with weight gain, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke, depression and premature death, as well as “impaired immune function, increased pain, impaired performance, increased errors and greater risk of accidents.”

The new study recruited 164 men and women aged 18 to 55 from the Pittsburgh area between 2007 and 2011, and put them through extensive health screenings, questionnaires and interviews to determine their levels of stress, their general temperament and their use of alcohol and tobacco. Then the researchers measured the subjects’ normal sleep habits for a week, before sequestering them in a hotel and deliberately administering them nasal drops containing the cold virus.

The volunteers were monitored for a week and daily mucus samples were collected to see if they had become infected.

Those who slept less than six hours a night the week before the exposure were 4.2 times more likely to catch the cold compared with those who got more than seven hours of sleep, researchers found. Those who slept less than five hours a night were 4.5 times more likely to catch the cold. (Those who slept just over six hours but less than seven weren’t at increased risk.)

It didn’t seem to matter whether the sleep was continuous or fragmented, Dr. Prather said. The results were adjusted to control for differences among subjects, including pre-existing antibody levels to the rhinovirus, age, sex, race, body mass index, the time of year when the trial was done, education, income, health habits such as smoking and physical activity, and psychological variables such as stress.

“The good thing about this is that there are opportunities for people to improve their sleep, and most people admit they need more and want more,” Dr. Prather said, adding, “it’s just about looking at the barriers and making it a priority.

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Why Do Muscles Ache a Day or Two After Exercise?

After rigorous exercise, the muscle pain is more acute a day or two later rather than immediately. Why is that?

Welcome to the equivocal effects of delayed onset muscle soreness, the scientific term for aches that accumulate and intensify a day or two after a strenuous workout. Usually, D.O.M.S. involves not just pain but also “loss of strength and range of motion in the affected area,” said Scott Sailor, a professor of kinesiology at Fresno State University in Fresno, Calif., and the president of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.

D.O.M.S. commonly occurs after exercise that involves lengthening muscles while they contract, Dr. Sailor said, such as running downhill. But it can develop after any exertion that is more intense or prolonged than is normal for you.

Such strenuous workouts can cause multiple slight tears to the muscle tissue, after which a variety of cells and substances migrate to these muscles to help them start healing.

Interestingly, these substances are not necessarily the same as those that arrive after a more severe muscle injury. Molecules that promote inflammation and swelling, for instance, tend to predominate in tissues affected by a serious injury, but can be absent in tissue affected by D.O.M.S., recent studies show.

Similarly, “there was a time when we attributed the muscle soreness to lactic acid,” Dr. Sailor said. “We have now learned that lactic acid leaves the muscle so quickly” that it cannot be involved in causing D.O.M.S.

In essence, researchers remain puzzled about what cellular reactions cause D.O.M.S.

Likewise, there is controversy about how best to treat it.

“Various treatments have been attempted over the years,” said Dr. Sailor, including massage, icing and anti-inflammatory painkillers. “At best, they have decreased the perception of pain,” he said, but only temporarily. No treatment yet has been shown to actually reduce the length of time that muscles remain sore and weak.

So if you do develop D.O.M.S., accept that, for the next five to seven days, you are going to be sore. Refrain from strenuous exercise during this time, Dr. Sailor said, although gentle walking is fine.

And, if it is any consolation, your muscles should be stronger after they recover.

In your future workouts, Dr. Sailor said, increasing the duration or intensity gradually should increase strength and fitness to limit the potential of experiencing the effects of D.O.M.S.

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