Thursday, July 8, 2010

Is There A Connection Between Alzheimer's Disease And Complementary Health

As there is an increase in natural health remedies, many types of trials were conducted on Alzheimer's disease too. As everybody knows that Alzheimer's as of now do not have any cure. So many researchers took different approaches to reduce the pain and discomfort caused by Alzheimer's.

Can Complementary Health Approaches Help Alzheimer's Patients?

All research answers this question with a resounding yes! Complementary health approaches are those which are used in conjunction with other medical and health interventions. They are not intended to be used on their own or as replacements to more prescribed or traditional interventions.

Herbal remedies, acupuncture, massage, and exercise are some of the health remedies. It is very important with Alzheimer's patients that their caretakers know everything about the treatment as some these natural treatments are not monitored as the regular treatments.

Apart from that it should also be mentioned that there was much research done regarding to health remedies and many more researches are following. The outcome of these researches are that the regular treatments are very effective when it is combined with thesenatural health remedies.

The available complementary health approaches are as follows

Supplements from herbal Even though many herbal supplements are researched for Alzheimer's disease. Nothing has given promising result like gingko biloba. That is because gingko biloba is very effective with memory function.

This is because this herb will increase the memory functions. This will also sharpen the brain areas that controls memory power. But it is also important to remember that gingko biloba may also have some side effects. It is proved by researchers that gingko biloba can cure people with some kind of dementia.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical treatment that has been used for thousands of years in Eastern culture and has actually been widely accepted in Western culture as a potentially effective treatment with several disorders such as migraines and chronic pain.

A recent study at both the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women in Wellesley, Mass. and the University of Hong Kong, did report positive and promising results in small studies on the effect ofacupuncture on Alzheimer's patients.

Ten people with Alzheimer's disease and one with vascular dementia were treated with acupuncture twice a week for three months during the Wellesley study. Measuring cognitive functioning and mood, the study demonstrated that theacupuncture positively affected the patients and improved both mood and cognitive function. The study at the University of Hong Kong treated eight patients Alzheimer's for 30 days each and demonstrated significant improvements in cognitive function, verbal communication, gross and fine motor coordination as well as a decrease in the overall severity of Alzheimer's symptoms.

Massage

Massage is another approach that can be very therapeutic for many health conditions, and there has been a great deal of research documenting its benefits in general health. However, there has not been the same kind of research into its use as a complementary therapy with Alzheimer's disease patients. The studies that have been done, though, have shown that massage therapy may decrease behavioral symptoms such as aggressiveness, agitation and anxiety as well as wandering.

Exercise

The benefits of exercise as a alternative health approach is marvelous. The same is true for Alzheimer's patients as long as a trained professional is advised and supervising the program and exercises. Light exercises, as well as those specifically designed forAlzheimer's patients, can be extremely beneficial in improving mood, coordination, and even behavior.

The complementary health interventions can be found here.

Many of the doctors who treat Alzheimer's know the importance of having many approaches to the treatment. Most of the doctors do recommend alternative treatments. The first best place to start is to consult with your physician. You family doctor will be able to guide you in the right direction.

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