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2004-08-10 -Short Attention Span Theater-

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Posted by 2% 2004-08-10 10:10|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 I don't pretend to be an expert in the field, but having seen Alzheimer's up close and personal as an EMT and later watching my wife's mother go through it, I doubt that brainwork will do much to stave it off. Certainly Ronald Reagan was no mental slouch. My wife's mother worked for some years as an accountant, which also takes a significant amount of brainpower.

I think what the research might reflect is that Alzheimer's has a long gestation period, and that the changes in the very early stages are slight enough to be taken as mere mental fatigue. But I don't think any amount of "exercise" is going to prevent the physical deterioration of the brain that is characteristic of the disease.

Posted by Fred">Fred 2004-08-10 10:29|| 2004-08-10 10:29|| Front Page Top

#2 you can't stave off alheimers, the nurons get coated with some stuff (yeah been a while since I looked it up)

my grand father used to do radar work for the military... built his own house & securty system, owned lots of land in maine, was always futzing around with heavy equiptment or a computer.. he was the kind of guy who never had to advertise for work, he was so good people came to him, very few people could match his brain...

he died not too long ago as a terrified 2 year old who did not even know how to use the bathroom. He was convinced that little people (invisible aparently) were out to get him and he always wanted to go home, but we could never take him there because 'home' was the world were he understood everything and could do anything. It was almost a relief when he died, finally at peace.

Posted by Dcreeper 2004-08-10 15:13|| http://]">[http://] 2004-08-10 15:13|| Front Page Top

#3 It's not just "brainpower" but what sort of tasks you perform with that ability, Fred.

I'm unable to find a link for an article titled "The Evergreen Mind." It was a well written piece detailing how to make the human mind resistant to the ravages of Alzheimer's disease. Here are some of the pointers I remember:

1). When driving someplace, predict where your parking spot will be.

2). Find new ways to arrive at regular destinations.

3). Learn a foreign language. (I love swapping tongues!)

4). Do crossword puzzles. (I've cranked the big Sunday NYT in 45 minutes, in ink.)

5). Predict what apparel your friends will have on when they come to visit.

6). Extend foreplay during lovemaking.

7). Learn to play a musical instrument. (I play a dozen of them.)

All of these mental gymnastics tend to interconnect existing knowledge within the brain. It is much akin to weaving a safety net for yourself. The more densely your safety net is woven, the more strands that can snap without you falling through it.

Posted by Zenster 2004-08-10 15:17|| 2004-08-10 15:17|| Front Page Top

#4 I'll get to work on #6.

Posted by dreadnought 2004-08-10 16:29|| http://]">[http://] 2004-08-10 16:29|| Front Page Top

#5 I agree with Fred. The article is junk science. In fact virtually every science article written by the MSM is junk science.

By the way, my mom did crossword puzzles and other stuff every day because she believed it would make her less likely to get Alzheimers. She got it anyway.

Posted by mhw 2004-08-10 18:09|| http://]">[http://] 2004-08-10 18:09|| Front Page Top

#6
he always wanted to go home,
I've a hunch this is a universal feeling at some point.

The article is junk ass science. Global warming of the mind.

Posted by Shipman 2004-08-10 18:30|| http://]">[http://] 2004-08-10 18:30|| Front Page Top

#7 1). When driving someplace, predict where your parking spot will be and if it's not there when you arrive predict the next's day spot price of inanity.

2). Find new ways to arrive at regular destinations, cabbage is good for this.

3). Learn a foreign language. (I love swapping tongues!) Learn to speak turtle.

4). Do crossword puzzles. (I've cranked the big Sunday NYT in 45 minutes, in ink.) Forget the ink do it in your mind, and then levitate the pen.

5). Predict what apparel your friends will have on when they come to visit. Plaid.

6). Extend foreplay during lovemaking. That'w why why chronometres were invented/

7). Learn to play a musical instrument. (I play a dozen of them.) I can play 3 dozen of them but most of them are a variation of the noseaphone.

Posted by Shipman 2004-08-10 18:36|| http://]">[http://] 2004-08-10 18:36|| Front Page Top

#8 That's cold, Shipman.

Spot on though Heh heh

Posted by safely anonymous 2004-08-10 18:39|| http://]">[http://] 2004-08-10 18:39|| Front Page Top

#9 Shipman, when you're drooling in your shoe, I'll drop by to laugh ~~with~~ at you. My girlfriend reduced her five mile commute time by fifteen minutes using method #2. She especially enjoyed my rigorous and diligent application of method #6.

Posted by Zenster 2004-08-10 19:17|| 2004-08-10 19:17|| Front Page Top

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