Posted on 01/01/2016 1:48:17 PM PST by Thistooshallpass9
The Alzheimer’s pandemic has long been a dark riddle. What are its causes? Why has it apparently become much more widespread just in the last few generations? Why does it afflict some nations more aggressively than others? Why do twice as many women suffer from it than men? And what can we do to fight back against this terrible, incurable disease?
These crucial questions have long remained unanswered.
But a new study by Yale School of Public Health offers some possible answers—answers with implications for both the young and the old.
According to the study, the main cause of Alzheimer’s may be societies’ absence of respect for elderly people.
It basically says that individuals who are conditioned by society to believe that they will lose their mental acuity and health when they grow old most likely will. It says that people who succumb to worrying, negative thinking and feeling obsolete are under a great deal of stress, and this stress can actually change their brains in a way that leads to Alzheimer’s and other kinds of dementia.
The logic of the conclusion is easy to understand: When someone who is negative about aging begins growing old, they will put forth less effort. They will use fewer adaptive strategies, and will try to avoid challenging situations. And since the brain is a “use it or lose it†organ, avoiding challenges and reducing effort leads to physical deterioration.
The study, called “A Culture–Brain Link: Negative Age Stereotypes Predict Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarkers,†was published on December 7 in the journal Psychology and Aging. (You can read more about the methodology here.)
This study’s findings are important because they help explain why rates of dementia are so much higher in Western nations like the United States and Britain than in such countries as India, Cambodia and Greece—where aging is celebrated and elderly people are respected.
America’s ‘Forever 21′ Culture
The societies of America, the United Kingdom and most other Western nations today are not only obsessed with youth, but also openly hostile toward aging.
“Institutionalized prejudice against aging is condoned by our society,†wrote Todd D. Nelson, an associate professor of social psychology at California State University–Stanislaus. “Americans shun older people because they are obsessed with youth and beauty,†he said.
American sociologist Jean Potuchek said, “Our society seems to assume that youth is a time when we are developing and when our bodies and minds are sharp and capable. Age, by contrast, is seen as a time when we are declining and our bodies and minds are dull and losing their capabilities.â€
Experts say the media plays a major role in these perceptions. The elderly are usually painted as irrelevant, slow-thinking, chronically ill, unable to work, and burdensome. Their wisdom—if they are shown to have any at all—is depicted as outdated and useless.
In Social Issues in America, author James Ciment said: “The media, in particular, emphasize the positive attributes of the young.†By contrast, “the elderly are generally excluded from the media, except as figures of amusement or ridicule.â€
In Learning to Love Growing Old, Jere Daniel explains: “Influenced by the fairy tales we hear as children, and what we see on television and hear in everyday life, we develop negative stereotypes about aging by the time we are 6 years old .… These stereotypes persist as we grow up, completely unaware that we even acquired them or granted them our unconditional acceptance. With our understanding of the subject forever frozen, we grow into old age assuming the stereotypes to be true. And we live down to them.â€
Far too many people in America, Britain and most other modern societies buy into the negativity about aging—with devastating results. But some cultures hold a far more positive view of aging and of elderly people.
Societies Esteeming the Elderly
In parts of India the elderly usually live with their children and grandchildren for life. And all members of the family hold them in high regard.
Achyut Bihani of the Institute of Management Calcutta explained: “In a typical Indian joint family … the eldest members head the household. Advice is always sought from them on a range of issues, from investment of family money to nitty-gritties of traditional wedding rituals and intra-family conflicts. And this is not just passive advice; their word is final in settling disputes.â€
Bihani said that disrespecting the elders of the family or sending them to live in a nursing home has a strong social stigma.
The situation is similar in Cambodia, where elders live with their extended family for life and the younger members demonstrate great respect toward them. CambodianWelfare.org says, “Elders are respected by all age groups; they stay with the family for comfort and support. In many families, elders are expected to prepare meals and take care of grandchildren while wife and husband work.â€
In India and Cambodia, the reported rate of Alzheimer’s deaths is 0.46 people per 100,000.
Compare that to a rate of 24.4 in the United Kingdom, 35.5 in Canada, and 45.6 in the United States.
This means a British person is 53 times more likely to die of Alzheimer’s or dementia than an Indian or Cambodian. A Canadian is 77 times more likely, and the life of an American is 100 times more likely to end in that tragic way.
What About Differences in Life Expectancy?
Some may say the only reason the U.S. and UK have higher Alzheimer’s rates than places like India and Cambodia is simply because people live longer in the Western nations. Since more Americans and Brits live to reach old age, more develop age-related diseases.
It’s true that life expectancy often plays a role in the differing rates of Alzheimer’s between nations. But the example of Greece shows that is not always the reason for the vast disparity.
The average Greek person lives to be 81 years old. That’s two years longer than the average American, and about the same as the average British person. Yet, the rate of Alzheimer’s/dementia in Greece is only 2.74 per 100,000 people. That is 8 times lower than in the UK and 17 times lower than in the United States!
The massive difference may well be because of the positive view Greeks have of aging and the aged. The 2006 book On Becoming Fearless says: “[I]n all of Greece … the idea of honoring old age, indeed identifying it with wisdom and closeness to God, is in startling contrast to the way we treat aging in America.â€
Even still, the findings of this new study are not the last word on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. From nation to nation, there are stark differences in diet, lifestyle and medical reporting methods. These and numerous other factors could contribute to the differing rates from nation to nation.
Nevertheless, the evidence saying that the main factor is societies’ attitude toward aging is strong.
And a look at the Bible makes clear that viewing aging and the aged negatively is contrary to God’s law.
The Young Should Honor the Aged
God says younger people should “rise up before the hoary head†and “honor the face of the old man†(Leviticus 19:32).
God sees gray hair on a person as a “crown of glory†(Proverbs 16:31). And He wants people of all ages to view elderly people as He does.
When young people fail to respect the aged members of society, they miss out on some invaluable resources: “With the very aged is wisdom, and with length of days understanding,†says Job 12:12 (Young’s Literal).
Numerous other Bible passages reiterate this same truth.
God’s plan allots most individuals about 70 years or so to live, to make decisions, and to learn about life. That doesn’t mean age always leads to wisdom (see Ecclesiastes 4:13 and Job 32:6-9). But in general, people who have lived longer will have acquired more wisdom. And younger people would benefit immensely from integrating that wisdom into their lives.
If younger people learn to respect old age, they will also benefit later in their lives when they themselves grow old. Rather than succumbing to feelings of negativity about aging, they’ll be grateful to live through the latter chapters of their lives. With a positive view of aging, they will be likely to retain their mental health and acuity for their entire lives.
If young people want to obey God and reap the benefits of living life the way He designed it, we will go out of our way to reverence our senior citizens. And we will rid our thinking of the toxic negativity about aging that society instills in us.
Wear Your ‘Crown of Glory’ Proudly!
The findings of the new Yale study also carry a clear message for older people: No good comes from believing the negativity about aging—no matter how deeply that negativity is entrenched into society.
Buying into such beliefs becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. View old age as a problem, and it will be a problem. Expect your memory to fade, and it will fade. See aging as an incurable disease, and it may well lead to incurable disease.
If a person puts forth less effort, uses fewer adaptive strategies, and avoids challenging situations, his brain will suffer. The quality of his thoughts will decline, his memory will dull, and his mental ability will wane. In some cases, Alzheimer’s will even set in.
The solution is to reject society’s negativity about aging and to wear the “crown of glory†proudly!
Do you want to believe the writers of The Simpsons or the Writer who inspired the book of Psalms?
Psalm 92:14 says that “even in old age,†people can “produce fruit†and “remain vital and green†(New Living).
An Inspiring Example
The Bible also shows us dozens of amazing examples of specific men and women who accomplished this. And it shows how they did it.
When Caleb, son of Jephunneh, was 85 years old, he was every bit as strong and sharp as he had been at age 40!
“I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me … to explore the land. … Here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then†(Joshua 14:7-11; New International).
That is an amazing statement. At age 85, Caleb felt no decline at all from how he had felt during his prime. In light of that, you could say, his prime was actually still happening at age 85!
Because of his confidence and strength, 85-year-old Caleb asked to be given a swath of land adjacent to a nation of powerful people who were hostile to the Israelites. He was not afraid to confront them to defend his inheritance. In fact, he was eager to do so! (verse 12).
How could an 85-year-old man be just as strong and sharp as he had been at age 40?
It was for three main reasons. First, it was because Caleb was highly active from age 40 to 85, wandering in the wilderness, fighting vigorous battles, walking many miles on most days, and pressing toward the goal of the Promise Land. He was pushing himself physically and mentally.
The second reason Caleb remained mentally and physically strong ties in in to the new Yale study: He lived in a society that respected its elders. The above-mentioned passage from Leviticus 19, in which God commanded younger people to “rise up†before their elders was a command given to the society Caleb lived in. And it was enforced in that society. The elders were respected.
In this one way—respecting elders—Ancient Israel was more like modern day India, Cambodia and Greece than it was like modern day American and Britain. Caleb was respected. His wisdom was valued. That contributed to the fact that he did not deteriorate from age 40 to age 85.
Both of these factors greatly contributed to Caleb’s vigor. But Caleb pointed to a third factor which he said was the major reason why he retained his vitality: I am still as strong today because “I wholly followed the eternal my God†(Joshua 14:8).
If we are following God with our whole hearts, we’ll never retire from spiritual labor. If we are following God with our whole hearts, we won’t buy the lies that media and society tell us about age. Instead we will continually push ourselves to be growing. Instead of trying to avoid challenges and stressful situations, we will seek them out! If we are following God with our whole hearts, we will wear our gray hair proudly, as a “crown of gloryâ€!
Anyone think that maybe it appears to be wider spread and epidemic simply because so many more people are living longer than they used to? Must it be a question of morals?
Article is sophomoric on many levels along with lacking insight on the way things really work. For example, comparing Alzheimer’s Disease as a cause of death between third world and first world countries — Alz can only be definitively diagnosed in most cases after death with an autopsy. How many 90 year olds do you think get autopsies in India? In third world countries they think of dementia as just getting old with no fancy diagnosis.
Men are more frequently the victim of Alzheimer’s than women. Maybe they just get tired of all the nagging and retreat into it.
(donning flameproofs...INCOMING!)
The chief cause may well be not dying of something else first. The human body, and particularly the brain, evolved very quickly, and was not really designed to live 80 or 90 years.
The simple cause is that people outlive their brain. In the past and in other cultures, people (on the average) died earlier. If they began to get dementia, they could succomb to something else easier before the effects of dementia became so profound.
Today, we do everything humanly possible to extend physical life. By the time people are 60, they taking a medicine cabinet full of drugs every day for every possible ailment that might shorten their life. If someone dies from a heart attack at age 80, we will chalk it up to “heart disease” instead of “old age” or “natural causes”. We don’t accept “natural causes” anymore. You had to die from something and with the right drugs, it could have been “prevented”...for a little while at least!
So, in the end, the brain expires while the fake knees, Lipitor, BP meds, boner pills, diabetes drugs, NSAIDs, BPH meds, and Prednisone keep the body running. Like a zombie.
Here is something that is probably closer to the truth than the article’s youchy-feely theory: Those evil white males have extended women’s life span by many, many years (women used to die younger than men). I suspect that women’s Altzheimer’s rates reflect the fact that they are living beyond their service life.
Yale has done a fine job of showing how their standards have gone as of late. This study appears to have all the scientific validity of alchemic transmutation. Good show, Yale. Being those haughty STEM types down to the subterranian level of your lib arts departments.
No. We’re living longer, but that doesn’t generate clicks.
This is one more variation of the mind over matter fallacy that is constantly being debunked by real scientific study. The read was a waste of time.
The article addresses this question with the example of Greece. The average Greek lives two years longer than the average American, yet they have about one 18th as many Alzheimer’s deaths.
Did you read the Greece section of the article? That’s not a 3rd world nation.
Yeah, synapses and axons and dendrites just don’t work as well as they used to, and blood flow is diminished. Got to tell you though, we have had some remarkable results with curcumin, which happens to be an old Indian treatment for dementia. I found this out from an Indian neurologist. Turmeric in standardized capsules happens to have a rebate as Costco right now.
One symptom is that when you read, you see strange symbols.
A lot of it can probably be traced to inactivity. Previously, old people lived with their children until their death and participated in family responsibilities as they were able.
However, in our age where the generations no longer share the same roof, when responsibilities become too much, the elderly largely just stop doing them instead of doing what they can and their children taking over when it proves to be too much. That inactivity is what contributes to mental decline.
Give the haters 10 years and then we'll see who's laughing.
Greece is a bankrupt nation and certainly doesn’t have much money for elective autopsies. And it sure seemed third-world while I was there. But Mediterranean diets do have advantages.
I’ve also seen it referred to as Type 3 diabetes. Cause - a lifetime of high carbohydrate food intake. IIRC it has to do with advanced glycation end products (AGE)/protein tangles in the brain.
It's as stupid as saying a certain type of parenting causes schizophrenia. Or autism.
My parents were wealthy, young minded, busy, and active. Heck, they built a central CA mountain home in their early 70s in between traveling to their other homes or just trips with friends. They had very active social lives, some deep, close friends and plenty of acquaintances who thought the world of them. They spent time and money giving back to those less fortunate or ill.
In their very late 70s, my dad clearly was showing early signs of Alzheimer's. He had to give up all his investment overseeing and professional work; like everyone else with Alz he started to cognitively decline and lose the power of speech. A few years in, mom started to show signs as well. She has kept her communication skills but also continued on the direct line of degeneration. They are in their mid 80s and dad is near the end, mom is in the late middle of the path.
They ate meat, they loved fruits and veggies, they didn't drink much (mom not at all), didn't smoke. They walked. They had a lot to live for, kids and grandkids. They didn't feel old. They had no health problems at all. There is no cancer or heart disease in our family. And yet it happened to them.
Alzheimers is an epidemic. It's not just that we are living longer. 4 of my grandparents lived into their 90s. My parents probably won't.
I believe Alzheimers is caused by something or things in our environment. Neurotoxic chemicals? Bacteria? We are doing something wrong, and I don't have the answer.
But this article is BULL. My parents were SMART and they exercised their brains doing really tough things. My dad did bookkeeping for medical practices after he retired his own. He could do the most amazing math calculations in his head. My mom traveled the world giving speeches at the height of her career.
It's not a social thing or a perception thing. Alzheimers is your brain being destroyed, nothing else.
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