From: unk...@googlegroups.com   
      
   Worry and Obsession Linked to Alzheimer's Risk   
   October 16, 2014 | 74,958 views   
      
   Spread the Word to   
   Friends And Family   
   By Sharing this Article.   
      
   By Dr. Mercola   
      
   Are you often anxious, fearful, and moody? Do you worry often or have feelings   
   of envy, jealousy, and loneliness? These are characteristics of neuroticism, a   
   personality trait might increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease   
   significantly.   
      
   The association between neuroticism and Alzheimer's later in life was so   
   strong that researchers suggested people with such traits seek cognitive   
   behavioral therapy to help reduce their risk.   
      
   It's not that being neurotic directly causes Alzheimer's. However, it   
   certainly increases your stress levels and may drive you to engage in   
   unhealthy behaviors, like smoking, which further increase your risk.   
      
   As cases of Alzheimer's continue to rise, the finding is actually good news,   
   because if you tend to worry excessively you can do something about it now   
   rather than later.   
      
   Being Neurotic May Double Your Risk of Alzheimer's   
      
   Women who scored highest on a test for neuroticism were twice as likely to   
   develop Alzheimer's than women with the lowest scores, the new study found.1   
      
   Women who were extroverted, meanwhile, had a lower degree of long-term   
   distress, and while this wasn't directly applicable to Alzheimer's, the   
   research found women who were both the most neurotic and the least extroverted   
   had the highest risk of    
   Alzheimer's disease.   
      
   The implication is that the distress associated with neuroticism is likely   
   what's driving its tie to Alzheimer's, and this was shown in a previous study   
   conducted by the same researchers last year.   
      
   That study found that women who faced common psychosocial stressors often   
   experienced long-standing distress, and were more likely to develop   
   Alzheimer's disease, than those who did not.   
      
   The stressors included in the study were divorce, widowhood, work problems or   
   illness in a relative... hurdles that many people must overcome in their lives.   
      
   Stress Is Well Known to Promote Dementia   
      
   The connection between neuroticism and Alzheimer's isn't surprising, because   
   this type of personality is a harbinger for chronic stress. Studies have found   
   links between acute and/or chronic stress and a wide variety of health issues,   
   including your    
   brain function.   
      
   Most recently, an animal study reveals that higher levels of stress hormones   
   can speed up short-term memory loss in older adults.2 The findings indicate   
   that how your body responds to stress may be a factor that influences how your   
   brain ages over time.    
   As reported by Business Standard:3   
      
   "[R]ats with high levels of the stress hormone corticosterone showed   
   structural changes in the brain and short-term memory deficits... older   
   animals with higher levels of stress hormones in their blood have 'older'   
   frontal cortexes than animals with less    
   stress hormones, thus, stress may act as a pacemaker of aging in this key   
   brain region."   
      
   Previous research has also linked chronic stress with working memory   
   impairment.4 Other recent research suggests that stress may even act as a   
   trigger for or speed up the onset of Alzheimer's disease, which currently   
   afflicts about 5.4 million Americans,    
   including one in eight people aged 65 and over.5   
      
   Specifically, 72 percent--nearly three out of four--Alzheimer's patients have   
   experienced severe emotional stress during the two years preceding their   
   diagnosis.6 In the control group for the study, only 26 percent, or one in   
   four, had undergone major    
   stress or grief. Most of the stresses encountered by the Alzheimer's group   
   involved:   
      
   Bereavement; death of a spouse, partner, or child   
   Violent experiences, such as assault or robbery   
   Car accidents   
   Financial problems, including "pension shock"   
   Diagnosis of a family member's severe illness   
   Normalizing Your Cortisol Levels Might Help Protect Your Brain   
      
   Elevated levels of cortisol, one of your body's stress hormones, affect your   
   memory by causing a gradual loss of synapses in your prefrontal cortex. This   
   is the brain region associated with short-term memory.   
      
   Cortisol--a stress hormone--basically has a "corrosive" effect, over time   
   wearing down the synapses responsible for memory storage and processing.   
   According to researchers:7   
      
   "Short-term increases in cortisol are critical for survival. They promote   
   coping and help us respond to life's challenges by making us more alert and   
   able to think on our feet.   
      
   But abnormally high or prolonged spikes in cortisol--like what happens when we   
   are dealing with long-term stress--can lead to negative consequences that   
   numerous bodies of research have shown to include digestion problems, anxiety,   
   weight gain, and high    
   blood pressure."   
      
   The researchers suggest that you may be able to protect your future memory   
   function by normalizing your cortisol levels. Such intervention would be   
   particularly beneficial for those who are at high risk for elevated cortisol,   
   such as those who show    
   traits of neuroticism, are depressed or are dealing with long-term stress   
   following a traumatic event.   
      
   For this, I highly recommend the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). It's an   
   energy psychology tool that can help reprogram your body's reactions to   
   everyday stress, thereby reducing your chances of developing adverse health   
   effects.   
      
   For a demonstration, please see the following video featuring EFT practitioner   
   Julie Schiffman, in which she discusses EFT for stress relief. For serious or   
   deep-seated emotional problems, I strongly recommend seeing an experienced EFT   
   therapist, as    
   there is a significant art to the process that requires a high level of   
   sophistication if serious problems are to be successfully treated.   
      
      
   Did You Know a High-Carb Diet Increases Your Risk of Dementia by 89 Percent?   
      
   Stress certainly should be kept to a minimum to protect your health in all   
   facets as you age. Yet, this is only one piece of a complex puzzle. Your diet   
   also plays a very important role. In fact, neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter,   
   MD insists that being    
   very strict in limiting your consumption of sugar and non-vegetable carbs is   
   one of THE most important steps you can take to prevent Alzheimer's disease.   
   He cites research from the Mayo Clinic, which found that diets rich in   
   carbohydrates are associated    
   with an 89 percent increased risk for dementia. Meanwhile, high-fat diets are   
   associated with a 44 percent reduced risk. According to Dr. Perlmutter:   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)