Alzheimer s Disease, Cancer, And Stroke - 3024 Words

First described by German physician, Alois Alzheimer, in the early 1900s, Alzheimer’s disease is now the fourth most prevalent cause of death- after heart disease, cancer, and stroke (AD- a guide for families). Most common in adults 65 or older, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is regarded as â€Å"a loss of intellectual abilities sufficient enough to interfere with everyday social and occupational functioning† (AD- a guide for families). Victims of AD are unable to think abstractly, find similarities and differences between related words, and have trouble defining words and concepts. Other common symptoms include disturbances in language, or aphasia, an inability to carry out motor activities, or apraxia, and a failure to recozinge or identify†¦show more content†¦Some physicians also prescribe high doses of vitamin E for cognitive changes. The most common treatments today are cholinesterase inhibitors (FDA-approved drug), memantine (FDA-approved drug), vitami n E, and many alternative herbal treatments including caprylic acid, coconut oil, and coral calcium. With all of the treatments out there though, it is difficult to discern which is the best one. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the different treatments available today in order to find the best line of treatment for AD. In order to do so, we will be looking at the efficacy, side effects, cost effectiveness, availability, dosage, and those most likely to benefit from each treatment. Before we can look at these treatments, however, we must first look at how the brain communicates in order to understand how these treatment work. The brain is made up of a network of nerve cells, or neurons, that communicate with each other through electrical impulses. These neurons communicate at synapses, or where two neurons â€Å"meet.† At the synapses, small bursts of chemicals called neurotransmitters carry information from one cell to another. AD disrupts this process, damaging the brain’s communication network by destroying synapses and killing neurons (http://www.alz.org/research/science/alzheimers_disease_treatments.asp#future). Current FDA-approved cholinesterase inhibitors help to combat the destruction of