Alzheimer's

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disorder that causes brain cells (neurons) to degenerate and die. It is the most common cause of dementia, a continuous decline in thinking, behavioral and social skills that disrupts a person’s ability to function independently. In fact, it accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases of dementia. Additionally, Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Contrary to popular belief, it is not only a disease of old age, as almost 200,000 Americans have early-onset Alzheimer’s.

While a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s means that the patient will eventually succumb to the full effects of the disease, there are things that we can do to reduce our risk of being diagnosed.

When we worry about aging, many of us focus on things like greying hair, or developing wrinkles in our skin. But in addition to our external body growing older, our insides — including our muscles, skeleton and organs — also experience wear and tear over time.