Retirement news: Doctor shares Alzheimer's warning signs, treatments

One of many explanations we belief for retirement is that all of us know our health may no longer extend. Or no longer it is an grotesque thing to think, however whereas we belief for our golden years, we additionally deserve to take note that no longer each person will get to be healthy of their retirement.

Broadcast Retirement Files' Jeffrey Snyder dug into this execrable matter with Dr. Manisha Parulakar of Hackensack University Clinical Heart on the May 23 edition of BRN.

And, whereas the matter is no longer roses and bubblegum, Dr. Parulakar shares heaps of priceless advice and makes it obvious that slowing down and excessive illness are no longer the identical thing.

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BRN May 23, 2025 transcript

Jeffrey Snyder: This morning on BRN Science, it is time to rob your memory loss seriously and becoming a member of me now to chat about this and powerful extra Dr. Manisha Parulakar of Hackensack University Clinical Heart. Dr. Parulakar, great to peep you. Thanks for becoming a member of us in the program this morning.

Dr. Manisha Parulakar: Thanks for engaging me.

Snyder: Yeah, it is great. We're speaking about memory and I guess my first test is, how plot you figure out whether or no longer or no longer forgetfulness wants to be taken extra excessive and that it will outcome in a potential Alzheimer's or dementia diagnosis?

Parulakar: Prior to, I old to jokingly repeat my patients that must you put out of your mind what you forgot, now we have a achieve and we desire to salvage a proper overview and formal review. The matter has changed a tiny little bit of bit extra now, especially because we plot have the new therapy choices on hand, that are for patients with restful cognitive impairment. So no longer basically the dementia diagnosis, the pre-pre-dementia stage of restful cognitive impairment.

And what that looks fancy is must you are having achieve doing your day-to-day job, one thing that you'll were doing for years and had no issues, however now all of a surprising, you wish a for a lot longer time to total that job. Perchance that is paying the bills, managing your calendar, managing a project. Whereas you obtain yourself having a extra difficult time and that you may per chance very neatly be requiring for a lot longer time and heaps extra assets to enact it, per chance there may be one thing going on and it is best to seek the advice of with your doctor about it.

Snyder: And so as that takes some private awareness. Nonetheless what a couple of family member? I mean, is this one thing that a family member may gaze advice from their cherished one to peep if, hiya, they're true no longer ending the projects the way in which they old to total the job?

And additionally, doctor, we decelerate a tiny little bit of bit as we age. I do know I'm a lot slower than I used to be in my 20s.

Parulakar: Absolutely. And these are two small print. And one is that some slowing down does happen to all of us.

That is the inability of mind plasticity. And all of us are going to have that as we age. Being said that, it silent should no longer intervene with our activities that we were doing so neatly.

So we should silent be in a region to pay our bills the identical way that we were doing 10 years in the past. I may want a advanced time realizing organising a new task. So if I used to be organising a new story to plot that, that may per chance rob a tiny little bit of bit longer.

Nonetheless if I used to be doing one thing fancy handwriting my checkbook, I need with the procedure to plot that in a neatly timed system. So if I'm taking for a lot longer and if I'm asking many extra questions, and that is one thing the family members can gaze, is that the cherished one, are they asking heaps of questions for their long-established sing? Are they no longer in a region to plot the cooking that they were doing with out going lend a hand to the recipe or asking questions about recipe?

Are they true repeating questions that they are forgetting the dialog that they'd no longer that long in the past? So these are all warning signs that, OK, there's one thing going on.

Snyder: So, doctor, must you conception one thing going on, what's the first, and that you may per chance very neatly be a cherished one, let's true dispute, or a particular person, you may per chance very neatly be feeling one thing's no longer true. What's step one it is best to rob? Whereas you name your internist, your classic practitioner?

Or plot you wander directly to any individual fancy yourself who's a specialist in cognitive functions and Alzheimer's and dementia?

Parulakar: I would dispute it is a long way dependent on what salvage entry to it is best to have. So must you plot have salvage entry to to a memory style out you, reaching out to them and making an appointment is an excellent understanding because they've the entire assets. And moreover they are able to definitely, especially when it involves restful cognitive impairment, which is a definitely, it is an appropriate diagnosis.

It does require heaps of a couple of steps to salvage there. So must it is best to have salvage entry to, that is per chance great. Nonetheless unfortunately, we plot no longer have these many memory centers round.

So talking to your critical care doctor is an excellent first step. And moreover they'll starting up with one of the most most fundamental testing and then make a resolution whether or no longer extra investigation is wished. Yeah.

Snyder: After which they may refer you to any individual fancy yourself or any individual else to abet address and think what the root reason in the lend a hand of it'll be. Doctor, you mentioned as we age, the mind is no longer as elastic, I maintain is the term you make sing of. Nonetheless are there issues that we are in a position to plot to execute better elasticity and make stronger the longevity of our thoughts, of our brains, of our reminiscences?

Parulakar: Absolutely. And I maintain that is the reason why it is a long way so mandatory for us to starting up desirous about our mind in our 40s and 50s. And no longer because we definitely know that Alzheimer's is a definitely long task.

Or no longer it is about, it is going on for roughly 10, 15 years sooner than it starts producing these memory symptoms. So it definitely is vital for all of us to work on the plasticity and to rob care of our feature of the mind. And the enormous threats for our mind health are our chronic prerequisites.

So managing your excessive blood stress, managing your diabetes, managing your ldl cholesterol are definitely mandatory to rob care of that mind health. The 2nd big probability is our mobility. So no longer engaging satisfactory is a definitely vital be troubled element.

So true having any mobility is better than none, however continuing to transfer. And more fresh records is suggesting that we are making an strive to be cell at some stage in the day. So no longer true hitting the fitness center for one hour, however then staying sedentary for the relaxation of the day, that doesn't abet both.

So staying energetic and no longer sitting at one field for too long is important. Managing our sleep, which is one thing else that we plot no longer basically hear to. Heaps of folks will hotfoot round pronouncing, oh, I plot curious with four hours of sleep.

Every person knows that is the time that our mind spends in managing our deep reminiscences, creating new reminiscences. So we desire to have, that says, six to seven hours of sleep, ideally seven to eight hours of sleep with the procedure to recharge the mind for the next day. After which, of course, staying a long way from substances.

We're finding increasingly extra proof that alcohol is largely no longer good for us. Even small portions of smoking, every other substances fancy marijuana, they all have detrimental effects to your mind. So staying a long way from substance sing is every other good way to rob care of your mind health and managing.

Heaps of times the substance sing is associated to behavioral health issues. So managing the behavioral health issues by getting the true abet. Meditation, yoga are great methods to abet almost all behavioral health issues as a classic step.

So addressing all of them collectively, we are in a position to technically push the be troubled of dementia to a powerful, powerful later a part of our life.

Snyder: And final test for you, doctor. In phrases of therapy, are we extra along in phrases of the compare and medications that per chance can extend or even reverse one of the most most outcomes of this disease?

Parulakar: So heaps of, yes, we plot have new medications, especially for Alzheimer's or primarily for Alzheimer's, that can also be old in that restful cognitive stage of the disease or very early dementia disease. And it does have potential of slowing down the progression to a diploma. We plot no longer have the rest true now that basically reverses the disease, so we're silent engaged on that.

And heaps of compare are showing that the non-pharmacological interventions that we true talked about, the sing, the sleep, the mind exercises, can be equally significant in slowing down the progression. And most frequently even per chance reverse it, especially must you may per chance very neatly be in the restful cognitive part. And must you address all of these, that can also be likely significant.

Alzheimer doesn't deserve to be inevitable

Snyder: Yeah, I mean, and Alzheimer's, it sounds fancy, doctor, Alzheimer's, must you rob the true steps, Alzheimer's doesn't deserve to be the terminate outcome of aging. It doesn't deserve to be the article that in a roundabout way all of us salvage.

Parulakar: Absolutely. And there are folks telling us that that is true. Whereas you peep on the blue zone, the place folks dwell to be 100, and heaps of them have their memory intact.

So as that tells you that following these non-pharmacological interventions, socializing and having that enhance construction can defend our mind health and likely abet us prevent or no longer much less than push it to a powerful, powerful later a part of our life.

Snyder: Properly, doctor, you talked about therapy. And I are making an strive to demand you about per chance the, demand you about the blood test the place we peep at biomarkers. How winning is that blood test?

And can I wander elope out to the retailer and rob it or to the doctor and rob it and salvage it?

Parulakar: Okay. So yes to first test, no to the 2nd test. So yes, now we have completed significant progress in serving to in constructing biomarkers in Alzheimer's.

And now we're the sing of the same records to peep at Lewy physique and different forms of dimensions as neatly. So now we have powerful extra, now we have gotten powerful extra sophisticated to have that appropriate diagnosis. And yes, now we have moved from doing the cerebrospinal fluid to now blood to in a region to abet us with these, with the appropriate diagnosis.

Nonetheless these blood tests deserve to be ordered in the context of if any individual has memory issues, has had some workup and there may be a imaginable diagnosis of Alzheimer's. So it is no longer a screening test. We mustn't be true going and getting it.

And we should no longer definitely be asking our medical doctors to notify that, hiya, you may per chance very neatly be doing my blood work. Can you add that screening test for Alzheimer's as neatly?

Snyder: Yeah. Or no longer it is no longer going to be showing up on the LabCorp menu anytime rapidly, I guess.

Parulakar: It's on the LabCorp and Quest menu. And that's the reason I'm making a level even extra that please plot no longer demand for it true because it is on the menu.

Snyder: Yeah. Very, very orderly. Properly, doctor, thanks so powerful all all over again for becoming a member of us.

And we peep forward to having you lend a hand on the program all all over again very rapidly. Thanks so powerful.

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Till then, I'm Jeff Snyder. Discontinuance safe, have on saving, and plot no longer put out of your mind, roll with the modifications.