Treatment of Dementia Dementia is an organic brain disease caused by underlying diseases, such as brain tumors, environmental contaminants, or drug related factors. The goal of treatment of dementia is to control the symptoms, and treat any underlying disease if present, which can also be nutrition or hormone related. Treatment for reversible organic lesions such as tumors or drug related dementias may be reversible to some extent but not completely. Treatment for stroke related to dementia begins by minimizing the risk for further strokes, by using specific pharmacological agents used specifically to improve symptoms or delay the progression of dementia syndromes. However, thee are no treatments that can reverse the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive form of dementia that affects a significant number of the older population. According to various reliable online sources, the symptoms of dementia may be treated with a combination of medications, psychotherapy, and environmental modifications to increase safety and comfort while decreasing agitation. For example, installing bed and bathroom rails where appropriate, lowering hot water temperatures, and placing child-proof latches on cabinets can reduce injuries significantly and keep patients safe. Pharmacological treatment of dementia is an effective intervention, but it can be complicated by forgetfulness, especially if a prescribed medication must be taken several times daily. Several behavioral approaches may also be used to reduce the frequency or severity of problem behaviors, such as aggression or socially inappropriate conduct, which may be reaction to frustration or over-stimulation. It helps the patient tremendously if there is a friend or family member close by that can help them relax and get re-oriented. Two pharmacological treatments commonly prescribed for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are Cognex and Aricept, which provide temporary relief in cognitive functions for a significant number of patients with mild to moderate symptoms. Other therapies such as smoking cessation, aspirin therapy, estrogen, and vitamin E are currently being evaluated for their ability to slow the rate of progression of the disease. Antidepressants are also used, in addition to several drugs that are currently being tested for use in the treatment of dementia, and their ability to slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease. If psychotic symptoms are present, including paranoia, delusions, and hallucinations, treatment with antipsychotic medications such as, Haldol and Risperdal can be used in addition to other drug therapies. The goal of the treatment of dementia is to improve memory and concentration, reduce psychiatric problems, and improve the quality of life for both the patient and their families.

When I was a kid, sunbathing was practically a national pastime. Sunless tanning spray was just starting to come out, but no one used it. The idea of using sunless tanning lotions was absurd when you had the real sun out. Of course, I am sure some people used sunless tanning lotion in the winter time, but for most part people avoided it. You see, it was awful. The original sunless tanning lotions were not well made. They would turn the skin orange instead of tan. They were basically a spray on tanning lotion meant to simulate the color of sun tans. Needless to say, they did a very poor job at simulation. No one was impressed.

Since then, however, sunless tanning lotions have come a long way. There are many different sunless tanning sprays, but they all seem to work better than the original ones. Rather than working like a spray on tan, They cause the skin to secrete the same chemicals that it does when it is exposed to sunlight. Although sunless tanning lotions do not cause the same smooth, even tan as natural sunlight, they do come close. They certainly are better than going to a tanning booth.

Nevertheless, tanning booths do have their advantages as well. Although they increase the risk of skin cancer, they can be very refreshing during the off-season. You see, I am currently living in the Pacific Northwest. For several months at a time, it is dark, gray, cloudy, and constantly raining. sunless tanning lotions give you a little taste of the summer, but tanning booths do a lot more. When you go for a tan, you can feel the sunlight beating into your skin. It warms you up and makes you feel more relaxed again.

Of course, as I have grown older, I have stopped using sunless spray tan as much. When I was a kid, I thought sunless tanning lotions were great. My mom would not let us go out in the sun without sun block, so using sunless tanning lotion was the only way to get a good tan. Nowadays, however, that seems sort of silly and vain. Everyone looks pale during the off-season. Why shouldn't I as well? I don't need to look like I just returned from a trip to California to be confident in my appearance. I feel fine just the way I am.

Stay Well Tashi

Everyone seems to have their own style and standards when it comes to personal hygiene. There are the parameters that are established by the culture that one grows up with and lives in, but individuals add and subtract from these standards. I am an advocate for person choice and expression, but people do need to be aware how there choices affect those around them.

One thing that many of us seem to forget or not realize is that as we age our facial hair grows longer. Unfortunately our eye sight becomes weaker so we may not always be aware of these hairs. To me one of the more repulsive things is people with long nose hairs. The hairs tend to catch nasal drip and the result is quite unpleasant to look at. A nose hair clipper is easy and safe to use. Unfortunately by time long nose hairs become an issue people are already set in their hygiene routine. For some reason we find it embarrassing to point out to someone if they have disturbing facial hair. I have noticed that during the holiday season there are more nose hair clippers as well as other personal hygiene items on display in gift sets. There are also more advertisements on television at holiday time showing new and convenient hygiene devices.

In a way I find this quite amusing. We are not going to say to Uncle Fred that his long nose hairs are disturbing, but we are going to wrap up a nose hair clipper and give it to him as a gift. I have a friend that is a person care attendant in a facility for the aging. She has a very easy going manner and most of the elderly people she works with look forward to her pleasant smile and personality. She is very matter of fact with the elderly about getting rid of unwanted hairs. She has a tweezers, nose hair clipper and neck hair trimmer in her supply bag at all times. She will tell the women if they have facial hair and she will help them pluck them out. She will show the men how to use the nose hair trimmer and if they are too poor sighted or unsteady with their hands she will do it for them. She laughs that her goal is to rid the world of unwanted facial hair one person at a time. She said that most of the residents that she works with are grateful to her for pointing this out to them. She said for most of them once she has mentioned something they will ask her if the hairs are back. She believes that the problem is not that the elderly no longer care what they look like, it is that they cannot see good enough to notice.

Children are an amazing part of life. Whether or not you choose to have a few of your own is completely up to you. This statement can be interpreted in a couple different ways. Clearly you can make a choice regarding marriage and kids at some point in your life. But what if a pregnancy happens unplanned? Again, you have a choice to make. Are you going to give birth to the child and raise him/her like a parent, or do you turn to abortion? In America at least, this is totally up to you. However, statistics show that unwanted pregnancies tend to end poorly for the innocent children far too often. Around 75 million unwanted pregnancies occur each year. This statistic applies to the entire global population. Imagine if every one of these pregnancies resulted in natural birth, but only a small fraction of the parents kept the children. Where do all the others go? Sadly, many people don't consider this aspect of unwanted pregnancies. Who will take care of all these children? Possibly a foster parent that could care less about the child's well-being, but wants to get his hands on a monthly government check. This happens all the time. While it may sound like a horrific scenario out of a movie, it's as real as it gets. I recently watched the local news and saw that two foster parents locked a small boy in the closet and went off on vacation. The boy died. What kind of person could do something like that? A popular solution to many unwanted pregnancies is abortion. Now, just to be clear, I'm not completely endorsing abortion. However, I think there is a time when abortion is the most realistic option. For example, if a woman is attacked, we can't expect her to carry around the child of her rapist. That would be absurd. There are a number of unwanted pregnancies such as this each year. This is what makes pregnancy and abortion such touchy topics. It's not cut and dry. There's plenty of grey in there. The key is to educate your loved ones regarding unwanted pregnancies and teach them about safe practices. Remember, abstinence is the safest option around.

Tashi