One way science and memory connect is through the side effects of a medication that may cause memory loss. Another way is through trying to improve memory.
Take Alzheimer's for example. It is now a well recognized disease that has been under much scientific study. In this disease, memory loss begins when the entorhinal cortex, an area of brain involved in building new memories, loses neurons faster then they are being replaced. The human brain was once thought to have all the brain cells possible at birth. Now science has uncovered the fact that human and primate brains can generate new nerve cells (neurons) after birth. These nerve cells are made in the cerebral cortex throughout the life span. The number of neurons stays fairly constant, but the ones lost in each area are replaced anew. If the production of new ones can't keep up with those dying or being removed, the brain function begins to decline. Science has found that when the number is reduced by one-third, the short term memory begins to fail, hence Alzheimer's.
It is thought that certain antioxidants have the ability to significantly delay the effects of Alzheimer's. In people under the age of 80, the chance of developing this disease could be reduced by 50 percent by taking low doses (200 to 400 mg) of ibuprofen for two or more years. There are also certain activity programs that can delay the progression of the disease. Scientists believe the progression can be delayed by regular exercise.
Lifestyle behaviors must be altered to age in a healthy way. This healthy aging includes retaining healthy memory function. The way one eats, sleeps, drinks, smokes, lacks adequate physical and mental exercise, and allows an overabundance of stress on a regular, long-lasting basis all affect good health.
Illegal use of drugs has long been known to affect memory function. It kills brain cells, as does the long-term overuse of alcohol. Two prescription drugs that have had memory loss as side effects are Prozac and Zoloft. The patients' symptoms would improve as far as the reason they were put on these drugs, but once memory loss began to develop, the patients would have to be taken off them.
The process of knowing and perceiving is called cognition. Alzheimer's and disorders related to it all have one thing in common: cognitive impairment. As long as only one symptom exists, the diseases are distinct from each other. If not treated early enough and effectively, other brain areas begin to be affected and the symptoms make it hard to diagnose which disease is present.
One disease similar to Alzheimer's disease is dementia. There are different types of dementia. There is Parkinson's Dementia, Frontal-Temporal Lobe Dementia, Vascular Dementia, Subcortical Vascular Dementia, dementia due to head injury, and dementia from cancer and cancer treatment.
One thing is certain, regardless of your reason for memory loss, science and advanced technology are making it easier every day to single out and treat the problem.
If you've ever felt like you're losing your mind because you're drawing mental blanks more often it's time to examine your cause for memory loss. Sometimes there is more than one change to be made for a person to get back to normal with their ability to remember.
Are you stressing yourself too much by taking on too many projects at once? This will cause you to become preoccupied, and you may feel as though you can't afford to take the time to relax and recharge your brain. But to do the best job no matter what the job, one must take care of oneself. Besides the physical damage of overworking, over-thinking will lead to mental meltdown. Your short-term memory will begin to suffer, causing you to forget even the simplest of words.
So, first consider if there is anything you can do to ease your burden, like learning to say no when you already have too much on your agenda. Let someone else take over when possible, delegate responsibilities, learn to stop giving so much of yourself that you begin to suffer because of it. It's easy to do too much for your loved ones, especially. Mothers (or fathers) decide that something may be done faster or done in a more satisfactory way, so they neglect to allow their children to handle things they are really quite capable of doing. Hence, an overworked and harried mother, who begins to lose her keys or wallet, forgets to put gas in the car, neglects to put the school gym clothes in the wash, can't remember a neighbor's name that they have seen and spoken to often, or calls his or her child by their other child's name. Maybe the children won't do the chore exactly as you do or as quickly as you or as well as you, but the child can't learn how to perfect their efforts unless they perform trial and error. Give them the benefit of the doubt and accept their imperfect achievements whenever possible. Gentle guidance and praise are the keys here.
There are health reasons that can cause our words to escape us. Short-term memory loss is one of the drawbacks to having diabetes. If you struggle with your blood sugar levels, you are sure to have memory challenges from time to time. Motivation, the proper diet and medication, along with strict self-discipline will get the situation back under control and the memory should return to normal.
There is an old phrase that goes 'Use it or lose it'. Sometimes we can retain our sanity and our memory loss just by making the effort to exercise our brains. Besides the benefits of physical exercise, mental exercise is also essential to overall health. Take up a new activity, something to make you think, some way to present a challenge to your mind. Of course, you want to avoid having to try too hard or you'll just become discouraged. Take baby steps if necessary, keeping up with each accomplishment and making each new challenge a bit harder. Besides improving your ability to recall words, this will boost your self-esteem.
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