Doctor who diagnosed his own Alzheimer’s advises to NEVER ignore these warning signs

Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurological disorder that mostly affects elderly people, often resulting in memory loss, mood issues, and personality changes. But the recent evidence has suggested that the disease could have very early symptoms decades before the actual diagnosis. Early detection can delay progression of the disease and improve the quality of the patient to a great extent.
Dr Daniel Gibbs from Portland, Oregon USA who diagnosed himself with Alzheimer’s shared the warning signs to look out for with Daily Mail.

Initial symptoms and signs

Dr Gibbs started to lose his sense of smell at the age of 55 and he mentioned that this was the first symptom that made him understand that Alzheimer’s is around the corner. The doctor is now 74 years old and after his diagnosis a couple of years back, he witnessed a gradual decline in his memory, and other symptoms denoting this form of dementia prevailed more.
To reduce the impact and speed of Alzheimer’s, Dr Gibbs introduced lifestyle changes like exercise, dietary changes, Tai Chi among other things. He said the lifestyle changes he made reduced the impact by 20%. He shared how these changes slowed down disease’s progression.

Dr Gibbs’ personal experience

Though Dr Gibbs lost his sense of smell, but certainly not his sense of humour. On a lighter note, he added that now it’s easier for him to do certain jobs like picking dog poop as he isn’t easily disgusted by it.
Speaking to the Guardian, Gibbs noted that early studies have suggested that losing the sense of smell is not permanent, and that it can be improved through repeated exposure to strong-smelling, and that it will improve cognitive performance instead of completely shutting down the sense of smell.
Dr Gibbs also stressed that being active helps too, and shared an example of heart and lung health and asked people to focus on cardiorespiratory fitness as well. Quoting a study, he shared the findings of it and said that it is important for preserving cognitive functioning (heart and lung) in older adulthood.

Early symptoms

Alzheimer’s is a chronic disease and instead of increasing the risk overnight, it slowly attacks the individual’s mind. The early stages of Alzheimer’s include memory loss and the brain finds difficulty in solving complex problems often creating confusion.
The symptoms increase with mood changes, anxiety, depression, high aggression, and sometimes even showing difficulty in recognising friends and family. Alzheimer’s in the final stage creates an inability to communicate.
While there is no complete cure, treatment focuses on symptom management and can reduce the impact that Alzheimer’s causes on the neurological system.

Prevention

There is no guaranteed prevention for Alzheimer’s, however, it can reduce the risk if certain habits are followed. Maintaining a healthy diet and regular physical exercise is important. It is also necessary to manage cardiovascular health. It is also necessary to be socially active as it can keep one’s brain active.