Is An Alzheimer’s Memory Test Enough to Diagnose?

May 4th, 2010

Alzheimer’s Disease is a very complex condition. In an effort to quickly diagnose the disease, some may use an alzheimer’s memory test to attempt to discern whether someone is suffering from the condition or not. But, how reliable are these test?

To make a long story short, an alzheimer’s memory test is not enough to accurately diagnose a patient. Even though there are a certain number of very common memory functions that may seem to lead to a positive diagnosis, much testing is needed to truly understand what condition someone may be suffering from. There are to many other conditions that have symptoms in common with AD to be able to tell quickly.

For instance, an alzheimer’s memory test may be given to someone who is suffering from early dementia – the results may seem to point to an AD diagnosis but that would not be the case. Parkinson’s Disease is another example of an illness that may resemble Alzheimer’s, but is something completely different.

The test for AD needs to go much further than simply asking questions about memory. There are other symptoms of the condition including mood changes and personality changes. The only type of person that can make a completely accurate diagnosis of AD is the patient’s physician.

If you feel like a loved one may be suffering from this debilitating disease, it is important that you act quickly. If it is diagnosed early, there are medications that may help slow down the progression of the disease. It can sometimes be an uncomfortable subject to bring up, but if you truly care about someone you owe it to them to bring the topic of AD up to them, expecially because they may not be able to see that they are suffering from common symptoms.

How To Improve Intelligence Of Your Children

May 3rd, 2010

Certainly most of us have wished that we were smarter at some point in our lives. But you most likely do not want your children to ever feel this way. That’s why you should start right now and learn some methods that deal with how to improve intelligence of your children.

1. Read To Them
There is no shortage of evidence that points to the fact that children who are read to are able to develop better communication, language and learning skills. You should think about giving story time a permanent spot on the schedule. You can even start when your children are not yet even born. Many people read stories to their unborn children. It will help them recognize your voice.

2. Play Games With Them
If you are concerned with how to improve intelligence of you children, then it is likely that you already play games with your kids. But, you need to understand how important it is for them to play games that challenge their thinking. You should invest in learning games for you kids all the way from infancy to young adulthood. Have your younger children play games that will help develop their motor skills, like ‘Hungry, Hungry Hippos’ or games that challenge their memory like ‘Go Fish’. When your children get older, encourage them to play trivia games.

3. Feed Them Healthy Foods
This is where many parents make big mistakes as far as how to improve intelligence of their children. Diet is extremely important in the development of a healthy brain and mind. Your children need a healthy amount of protein from meat and dairy foods. This will help their brain function well. You should also help them take a multi-vitamin each day. Important vitamins for brain health like vitamins B, D, and E should be included.

If you set your children on the path to intelligence, they will eventually grow up to be amazing and smart adults.

Interested In Improving Working Memory? Check This Out

May 2nd, 2010

Think of the last piece of important information that you learned. If it takes you more than just a few seconds to answer this question then there is a good chance that you need for improving working memory.

Working memory is another term for short term memory. It is the part of the memory system that stores information for just a little while – as opposed to your long term memory that hold thoughts and information for longer periods. Many factors can affect the way that your working memory acts. Some of those factors include heredity and health.

If you want to remember things better in the short run, try using a method like chunking to help you remember information. With chunking, you will remember smaller bits of information rather than one larger piece. It’s kind of like how you remember a phone number as three groups of numbers instead of one large number.

If you are a senior citizen, there are a lot of activities that have been shown to improve your working memory. You can just engage your brain in some way everyday. You can do things like read a new book about a new subject or play memory stimulating card games like Gin Rummy or Thirty-One. Studies have shown that senior citizens who stay socially active also have better working memories.

No matter what your age is, you could consider taking a memory supplement like gingko. Ginkgo is a leaf that has many memory enhancing properties. Many different type of memory and concentration supplements are created from the extracts of the leaf. However, many of these supplements have not undergone much testing, so you will be using them at your own risk.

Improve your working memory a little bit each day by using these methods. If you stay on top of a healthy memory, then you most likely will not be bothered by memory problems in your old age.

Memory Loss Treatment – What Are The Options

May 1st, 2010

As we age, our brain processes begin to slow down. One of the most noticeable problems are a loss in memory functions. If you are experiencing episodes of memory lapse, then you should know that there are methods of memory loss treatment that you can do in the privacy of your own home.

First you should decide how severe the problem really is. If you are experiencing several episodes of memory loss each week, or you are losing hours of the day and not remembering what you have been doing – you should seek the help of a physician because this could be a sign of something more severe.

If you are just experiencing some annoying forgetfulness, you should try to wake up your brain and do some memory loss treatment yourself. You can start by engaging your brain with a card game each day. You can play a game by yourself or you can grab friends. It may even be better to play with friends, since research shows that people are actively social have better memories.

Try playing a game of ‘Memory’ – just lay some pairs of card face down on the table and flip them over two by two trying to find pairs. If two cards that you flip over do not match, then turn them face down again and look for a matching pair. Games like this will spark and strengthen the areas of your brain that deal with memory.

You could also look into taking a few over the counter supplements as memory loss treatment. Some good ones include fish oil, which is DHA that removes memory deteriorating proteins, or multi-vitamins that contain vitamin B. Vitamin B increase the amount of oxygen that flows to you brain and will help aid in your memory strengthening.

Keep an eye on your memory loss and do take it seriously. If it continues to get worse, think of seeking the assistance of a health care professional.

How To Enhance Memory Of Your Children

April 30th, 2010

The mind of a child is an exciting thing. There are so many new things that a child can learn every day. It is important that parents know how to aid the development of their children’s brain functions, specifically how to enhance memory development of their children.

The most important thing for a child’s memory and overall brain health is a healthy amount of sleep every night. Experts recommend that adults get about eight hours of sleep each night. For children up until young adulthood, they suggest that they get closer to nine or ten hours of sleep. That means that help your child to stick to a specific bed time every night. When their mind is rested, their brain will be more healthy which is a good first step in how to enhance memory in the child.

The next thing that you can do is feed your child brain food that will encourage a great memory. It can sometimes be difficult to get a child to eat it, but spinach has great memory benefits. It is very high in magnesium which has been linked to the health of the hippocampus – a part of the brain that deals with creating and storing memories. If you child refuses to eat spinach, try other leafy greens like cabbage.

You should also make taking a multi-vitamin a part of your child’s daily routine. Make sure that there is a full amount of vitamins B, D, and E. All of these vitamins will aid in healthy brain development.

Make it a point to challenge your child’s memory. Play mind stimulating games that include memory concepts like matching or recalling. Keeping you child’s mind engaged will help them develop to their maximum potential.

Knowing how to enhance memory development in your children is not knowledge that we are born with, but it still something that you should pay special attention to.