30 Mar How To Prevent Dementia
Dementia can be a devastating and scary disease for everyone involved. Many do not know that dementia is not only caused by genetics and old age but that there are other risk factors included as well. If you are looking for a neurologist in Suffolk County to help you take the necessary steps to preventing dementia, Three Village Neurology is there for you.
What many do not know is that maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle can reduce one’s risk for dementia by up to 30 percent. By keeping your health in check over the years, through regular exercise, a healthy diet, maintaining healthy body weight, and limited use of alcohol and tobacco products, these will decrease your risks for dementia significantly. Our Suffolk County neurologists will show you what tips you need to take in order to keep your brain healthy.
It is also essential to know the symptoms of dementia. While many only associate dementia with memory loss, at least two of the following mental functions must be significantly reduced:
- Communication and language skills
- Ability to focus and pay attention
- Reasoning and judgment
- Visual perception
Just because somebody suffers from memory loss, does not necessarily mean this person has dementia. Dementia often begins with short-term memory problems, like forgetting where you placed your keys or forgetting simple tasks. Dementia is progressive and becomes gradually worse over time.
Many people use the terms “dementia” and “Alzheimer’s” interchangeably, but Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia. The most common form, sixty to eighty percent of dementia patient suffer from Alzheimer’s. Other common forms of dementia include:
- Vascular dementia – caused by lack of blood flow to the brain
- Lewy body – caused by protein deposits in the nerve cells
- Parkinson’s disease-related dementia
- Frontotemporal dementia – affects the front and side of the brain, the areas which control language and behavior
- Pseudodementia – caused by psychological factors, most commonly depression
If you know someone who has dementia or think you might be at risk for developing it, it is vital that you seek treatment. Our neurologist in Suffolk County, Dr. James Bruno, can show you the necessary steps you need to take to decrease your chances of developing dementia, and we can educate you about the different symptoms and types of dementia. Contact us today!