Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month ~ Dr. Domenico Pratico', Md, FCPP

It was almost 40 years ago that for the first time June was designated as National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month. Over the years, the event grew bigger and expanded to become a global movement known as Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month.

Since its official color is purple, so this month let’s all go “purple” to show support.  

This month let’s all go “purple” to show our support. 

I believe that it is a wonderful occasion for all of us to showcase our relentless and collective effort to address the lack of understanding and knowledge about brain health and Alzheimer’s, and most importantly our dedication to providing support to those affected by the disease.

This month should be an opportunity to promote brain health for everyone and at any age. To this end, we should engage with more people with the goal of talking openly about brain health and the fact that Alzheimer’s disease is a major public health issue.

Here are some important figures we should keep alive in our discussion and make people around us aware of:

•         Over 60 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.

 •         More than 7 million people aged 65 and older in the U.S.A. are living with Alzheimer’s disease.

 •         One in 3 older adults dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.

 •         Two-thirds of Americans have at least one major potential risk factor for dementia.

 •         Over 13 million Americans provide care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias without any pay.

Here are some other facts that should be considered in our conversation.

Brain changes that cause Alzheimer’s disease begin about 20 years before symptoms start, which suggests that there is a large window of time in which to intervene to prevent or slow down the progression of the disease.

Brain health is the ability of the organ to fully complete and execute its activities.

We must remember that there isn’t a single cause of Alzheimer’s, but multiple factors could play a role.  Even in the presence of risk factors linked to our genes known to increase the risk of developing the disease such as apolipoprotein E4, we must never give in but be proactive and fight back. Research shows that in this case adopting healthy lifestyle habits – mediterranean diet, daily exercise, good quality sleep, engaging in social activities, stress management - can stave off the potential negative effect of apoE4.

Although some risk factors like age can’t be changed, as many as 35-40% of dementia cases may be attributable to modifiable risk factors, such as high blood pressure and lack of physical activity.

The compass of behavioral health with its four cardinal points.

Research shows that adopting the same healthy behaviors described above can improve brain health and significantly reduce the risk of cognitive decline.

We must be proactive in addressing memory and thinking problems.

Unfortunately, too often many individuals experiencing memory problems delay discussing them with a doctor. Studies show that early detection offers the best opportunity for care, management and treatment.

It is never too early, never too late to take charge of our brain health!

Together let’s all go purple and make this month memorable for the battle we are fighting against this disease.

Knowledge is the power that will lead to success, so the more that people know about brain health and Alzheimer's disease, the more action we will inspire in them.

Yes, we can prevent or delay the onse of Alzheimer's disease by following the compass of behavioral health.

I would like to thank everybody in advance for the part they will play during this month to celebrate this recurrence and remind everybody that we will never find a cure unless we stand united and engage more and more people in this crusade against Alzheimer’s disease.

All of us, at the Pratico Lab, strongly believe that by working together:

we will make memories last a lifetime!

If you are interested in reading more of my blogs:

Check out the recent blog: A Good Diet for the Brain  ~ Dr. Domenico Pratico', MD, FCPP

Dr. Domenico Pratico' , MD, FCPP

Domenico Praticò, MD, holds the Scott Richards North Star Charitable Foundation Chair for Alzheimer’s Research and serves as a Professor at the Alzheimer’s Center at Temple, as well as a Professor of Neural Sciences at Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

For more information on the research conducted by Dr. Domenico Pratico, please visit this link.

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Stay updated with the work happening at Dr. Domenico Pratico's lab by visiting the Pratico Lab website.