Vascular Dementia

A post by Blanche Scharf http://www.yourhealthupdates.com I have been studying natural healing modalities for the last 25 years. In that time I have had the privilege of working with some of the greatest minds in Natural Healing including Naturopaths, Scientists, and Energy Healers. I have seen people miraculously heal from all kinds of dis-ease thru non-invasive methods. Personally, I have experienced all kinds of diets from Macrobiotics to Raw Foods. Now is a very important time to start sharing this health information with as many people as possible, so people can make well informed decisions about their health and not fall victim to a sickcare system based on profit, rather than one of supporting wholeness, compassion and love To see more posts by Blanche Scharf, click here

Walking away from vascular dementia is literally just putting one foot in front of the other. People 65 and older who walk on a regular basis, and do some moderate exercise appear to have a lower risk of developing vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia. Alzheimer’s has the number one spot. This came from a published study in the December 2007 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Exercise such as walking has been shown to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and depression. These are risk factors for dementia. In animal studies exercise increases the blood flow, stimulates nerve cell growth in brain regions associated with memory.  Some studies have seen a correlation of being physically active and a lower risk for dementia. Activities such as walking are known to improve general health. Walking about two-and-a half hours a week will  offer some protection.

There is no doubt that physical activity produces results. The Journal of the American Medical Association published an 18 month study, conducted by the University of Western Australia, of 170 men and women over the age of 50 who reported experiencing memory problems, but were not classified as having dementia. The volunteers were divided into two groups. One group did their usual activities; the other group participated in a 24 week physical activity program that encourages participants to walk for 50 minuets three times a week.

This was a six month trial and the exercised group scored better on cognitive and memory test at completion of the trial. The results continued six months later and again after retesting twelve months later.  “We know that exercise is the one intervention that has the most powerful and consistent effect on the prevention of dementia and Alzheimer’s,” says William J. Evans, director of the Nutrition, Metabolism and Exercise Laboratory with the Institute for Aging at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Not only does exercise promote the growth of new neurons in the brain, so does mental exertion. There was a four year study of 749 men and women in Italy who were 65 and older. Researches tracked the amount of energy exerted in the participant’s weekly physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, and house and yard work, gardening and carpentry. The study found the top one-third who exerted the most energy walking were 27 percent less likely to develop vascular dementia, than those in the bottom one-third of the group.

 “Our findings show moderate physical activity, such as walking, and all physical activities combined lowered the risk of vascular dementia in the elderly independent of several sociodemographic, genetic and medical factors,” said study author Giovanni Ravaglia, MD, with University Hospital S. Orsola Malpighi, in Bologna, Italy. “It’s important to note that an easy-to-perform moderate activity like walking provided the same cognitive benefits as other, more demanding activities.” Walking away from vascular dementia is a way to tone your body while protecting and stimulating your brain power.

Related posts:

• Large Stomachs are tied to Dementia
• Exercising Your Way to Health
• Walking Away From Diabetes
• Peripheral Vascular Disease in Younger People
• Sedentary Lifestyle’s Risks