my grandma has dementia and parkinsons.is there anyway i can do something to not be like that when im old?

Lucy,

While there are things that you can try, there are no guarantees only some possibilities. I am sorry about your grandma and I do have a question. Which developed and was diagnosed first: the Parkinson's disease or the dementia? This may seem silly but there is a difference. PDD is Parkinson's with dementia and there is dementia with parkinsonism and dementia with lewy bodies (DBL) and treatments and causes can vary. Alzheimer's disease has many parkinsonian symptoms although they may develop at different times than in PD.

Back to what you can do. There was a huge study in Hawaii which covered many men who were observed for many years. This was a caffeine study. What was found is that caffeine intake seemed to delay the onset of PD and apparently even prevent the onset. This is because there is a binding to receptor effect which proves to be protective for PD.

There are also studies which show that caffeine might be protective in a similar way for Alzheimer's and for dementia in women. That's about 3 cups a day although I have seen 5 cups a day in some studies.

The next overall consideration beyond the caffeine containing beverages such as coffee, green and black teas is total diet. Limiting unhealthy fats, meals which are high in animal protein, concentrating on foods which have specific vitamin and mineral content and are high in antioxidants might prove to be helpful...whether or not you might have a genetic predisposition for PD and/or dementia.

http://parkinsonsfocustoday.blogspot.com/2009/06/m...

http://parkinsonsfocustoday.blogspot.com/2009/08/i...

You're going to hear the gingko is brain food but studies have not shown it to be effective for dementia at this point.

The next thing is not to stress about whether or not you are going to inherit your grandma's conditions. Stress and depression can play a big role in development of PD. At this point, most of the PD cases are considered to be idiopathic in origin. That suggests that the specific cause is unknown. The remaining 15-20% of the cases are felt to be genetic in origin. Although that figure has been changing (increasing over the years) as new genes are identified, it still suggests that your worry risk factor should be reduced as even the genetic cases are thought to have environmental triggers.

There are several environmental triggers such as environmental toxins (prolonged exposure to pesticides and herbicides), severe head trauma (creating lesions in the brain) depression, certain heavy metal exposure, chemical exposure, certain street drugs and medication interaction and even medications such as the antipsychotics.

Because families are not always living in the same areas, the risk of similar environmental exposure is reduced. However, there is always the risk of new exposures.

You can do some other positive thinks for yourself:

Exercise your brain. Read, think, do puzzles which challenge more than just memory.

Exercise your body. Get those endorphins going. (They'll help you to "feel good")

Do a broad scope of exercises for flexibility, relaxation, range of motion, strength, endurance.

And by the way, you can help your grandma by finding exercise that will help her. Not only find them, do them with her. Lead her. These are very important for her well being, fo keeping the stiffness at bay.

Help her with hand and finger exercises to maintain fine muscle skills which she need for daily life. Lead her in voice exercises which will ease the swallowing problems and the risk of choking.

Try Yoga for relaxation and good breathing habits.

Be aware of the precursor symptoms because early intervention can help slow progression which is vital for any disease.

None of us come with a guarantee nor a warranty. I don't know how old you are but there are some potential treatment's in the pipeline which may provide more hope for your future.

It is not clear what causes Parkinson's disease. However, Parkinson's appears to be more sporadic than herditary so you should not worry too much that you may have an increased chance of developing the disease because of your Grandma. Dementia is often a component of Parkinson's disease and I would treat it as a symptom of Parkinson's and not a separate condition (dementia is merely a set of symptoms).

Currently there is no prevention for Parkison's disease. However, adopting a healthy lifestyle (exercise, healthy eating etc.) is a good start and at the moment the best route to take.

Hey there,

A very good, eye-opening site about this problem is: http://memoryloss.toptips.org/

Memory loss may be due to many conditions such as small strokes in the brain, diabetes, high blood pressure, nutritional deficiencies, reactions to medications and alcoholism. The symtoms of more severe forms of Dementia / Alzheimer are mainly: poor judgement, poor decision making, masplacing things, difficulty having a conversation, losing track of dates, etc. If you notice any of these signs visit your doctor.

Bye

Do you know if anyone else on your grandmother's side of the family has been diagnosed with dementia/parkinson's?

First try doing a family history search to see if there are any others with this diagnosis. Then if you need any more help, I suggest genetic testing and biochemical marker testing. BTW: it's very expensive.

The Parkinson's Reversing Breakthrough?