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Sidestepping Senility
| Article
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10055 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
4 / 1986 |
2,101 Words |
| Author
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Rise Jill Miller
Rise Jill Miller, a former network radio correspondent, is a
freelance journalist living in Washington, D.C. |
How many times have you forgotten where you dropped your car keys or put your check book? Ever put the milk container back in the food cabinet instead of the refrigerator? If so, you probably thought, no matter what your age, that senility had finally gotten an iron grip on your memory. It may be that more people are concerned with senility than with your ailment. Not to worry! Chances are that you're a little bit forgetful, but not the least bit senile.
Senility is generally thought of as a condition characterized by forgetfulness, confusion, anxiety, and irritability. It is not a normal part of aging. In fact, many of the so-called "symptoms" of actual senility may be related to specific physical and psychological causes, and older people may, in fact, be victims of "pseudo-senility."
Memory loss or mental fuzziness might be caused by Valium or other prescribed drugs. Emotional problems like depression can also be mistaken for irreversible brain disease.
The two most common incurable forms of brain deterioration are Alzheimer's disease and dementia, caused by a series of minor strokes. But most people do not develop these diseases. Some one hundred reversible conditions may mimic their symptoms.
Robin Marantz Henig, author of The Myth of Senility: The Truth About the Brain and Aging, emphasizes that there are ways to compensate for most of the changes in an aging brain which are often mistaken for senility. What exactly can be done about warding off or preventing memory loss, depression, irritability, and anxiety? Can we nip Old Father Time in the bud? Let's take a look at some current forms of research and treatment which include: biochemicals, blood thinners, high nutrient diet, exercise, and mental motivation.
Biochemical Boosts
There are differing theories about popping vitamins, nutrients, minerals, and chemicals as a way to bolster an already adequate diet and help prevent senility. Some researchers contend that it helps. Others say it makes no difference, or that it can hurt. But U.C.L.A. biochemist Sandy Shaw and M.I.T. physicist Durk Pearson say it could make all the difference in the world.
Shaw and Pearson teamed up to write the best-selling book Life Extension, a detailed account of how we can stay younger longer with aid of
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