A couple of weeks ago, the world lost a great actor, Charlton Heston.  Although the cause of death hasn't been officially announced, Mr. Heston did suffer from Alzheimer's disease.  Below is Charlton and his wife, Lydia, being interviewed by Peter Jennings in 2002, just after Charleton announced to the public that he had the disease (more following the video):


Alzheimer's is a progressive and fatal brain disease that was discovered by (and named after) German physician Alois Alzheimer who first made note of the condition in 1905. The disease destroys brain cells and is the leading form of dementia, with over 5 million people suffering from the disease.  No one reason can be cited for causing the disease, but there are certain risk factors to be aware of:

  • Age-persons over the age of 65 are at the greatest risk and once a person reaches 85, the risk of contracting Alzheimer's jumps to 50%
  • Family History- Persons having a close blood relative that has Alzheimer's, such as a child, sibling or parent, are at greater risk for contracting it
  • Genetics- Genes play a role in determining whether someone will contract the disease and scientists have identified a gene called apolipoprotein E-e4 (APOE-e4) which contributes and they believe there are many others that have not yet been discovered.

Alzheimer's has no cure, but it is one disease where alternative and complementary treatments are being experimented with.  The herb Ginko Biloba is showing great promise so far and is being studied for use in treating dementia and Alzeimer's by the University of Pittsburgh as well as several other facilities.  Huperzine A, an extract from moss that has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries is also showing great promise.  Small studies show that it may be as effective as some of the medications currently being used to treat the disease.  Furthermore, Omega 3 Fatty Acids may play a role in preventing the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's and further studies are merited.  To read about these treatments and others that have been examined, take a look here.  Until next time, stay healthy!