Alzheimers disease haunts our family. Could it have been prevented?

I sometimes stray from luxury homes and products under the guise of writing about quality of life. And one of the elements key to quality of life is the ability to recognize it when you have it.

We buried my mother last June, but we had lost her at least two years earlier. You see, my mother died of Alzheimers (we believe) long before she was pronounced dead of cancer and heart disease. With Alzheimers, we lost her wisdom, her outrageous sense of humor, her keen intelligence and finally, the ability to recognize the ones she so dearly loved.

It was a painful and protracted heartache for the entire family and was a disease that puzzled us all. Edith Michelson was a healthy woman, one who stayed mentally busy and for years had adhered to a heart-healthy diet–or so she believed. Missing were the precious oils our brains crave and thrive upon. But that’s another issue,

She even enjoyed occasional dancing, but was limited in movement because of multiple hip replacements. And because of this ailment that had been with her since late childhood, she was never able to engage in strenuous exercise.

This afternoon, Newsweek landed on my desk and I dropped everything upon reading the feature title: Exercise and the Brain: We know that working out is food for the body. But now research says it also makes us smarter and may help fight breast cancer and Alzheimers. Into the article, we learn that it is vigorous exercise that encourages the growth of new nerve cells.

And vigorous exercise was something my mother could not or did not know she could do because of hip and knee replacements.

This is a fascinating Newsweek article and the research could have far-reaching consequences. Most immediately, I am wondering what exercise questions are asked (on a larger scale) of those diagnosed with Alzheimers and other forms of dementia? The answers could lead everyone to become the active humans we were meant to be.

And as for me, a daily hourly dose of Yoga just may not be enough. I need to pump it up and get the heart moving!

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