October is the month of outings. As the weather continues to be good for outdoor activities, various festivals are becoming popular. In fall, viewing the autumn leaves is also a must. When we get together in groups of three and five and go on an autumn outing, we relieve stress and feel healthier. In fact, it is better for your health to go outdoors and be active rather than staying at home due to daily temperature differences during seasonal changes. This not only improves physical strength but also helps prevent dementia. According to a research team at Kyushu University in Japan, the overall brain volume of people who did not have a lot of social contact with others was found to be smaller than those who did not. In particular, the volumes of the hippocampus and amygdala, which play an important role in memory, were also small.
WHO, American Medical Association recommend power walking
Dementia, along with cancer, is considered the disease that modern people fear the most. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of people aged 65 or older in Korea is 9,447,274, and the number of patients estimated to have dementia is 976,923. One in 10 elderly people is suffering from dementia.
Dementia causes significant disruption in daily life due to a decline in intellectual ability and memory. There are various types, including vascular dementia and alcoholic dementia. The most common type is Alzheimer’s dementia, accounting for approximately 70% of all dementia patients. The main cause of Alzheimer’s dementia is the ‘amyloid hypothesis’, which states that symptoms worsen as the connections between brain cells are broken and destroyed. Dementia develops as a defective protein called ‘beta-amyloid’ gradually accumulates in the brain.
Experts believe that the time when beta-amyloid protein begins to destroy brain cells is 15 to 20 years before dementia symptoms appear in earnest. This is why the medical community emphasizes the need to make efforts to prevent dementia starting from middle age in the 40s and 50s. Chronic cardiovascular disease, which occurs frequently in middle-aged people, also has a negative impact on dementia. This is because high blood pressure can make cerebral blood vessels vulnerable. Therefore, it is best to manage blood pressure so that it is below 130 mmHg systolic. To reduce the risk of these chronic diseases, regular sleep, diet, and appropriate physical activity are necessary.
In particular, physical activity is so important that the World Health Organization (WHO) uses it as a guideline for dementia prevention. Above all, aerobic exercise such as walking helps ensure smooth supply of blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the brain. This leads to stimulation of various nerve factors and promotes nerve growth. According to a study introduced in JAMA Neurology, people who walk an average of 9,826 steps a day have a 50% lower risk of developing dementia within 7 years. In particular, the researchers recommended brisk walking, similar to power walking. This is because if you walk at a speed of 40 steps or more per minute, the risk of dementia decreases by 57% just by walking 6,315 steps a day. It was analyzed that the risk of dementia was reduced by 25% when walking about 3,800 steps a day, even if it was not at a fast pace.
In addition to exercise, receiving help from Oriental medicine to activate brain function can also be a good option. In Oriental medicine, Alzheimer’s dementia is believed to be caused by ’empty vision.’ Heojeung Dementia is caused by aging of the brain, and herbal medicine and acupuncture treatments are used to activate brain nerves and improve blood circulation. Gongjindan is mainly prescribed to improve memory and prevent aging.
The effectiveness of Gongjindan in preventing dementia has been proven through research. According to a paper recently published by the Spine and Joint Research Institute of Jaseng Oriental Medicine Hospital in the SCI(E) level international journal ‘Nutrients’, Gongjindan helps protect and regenerate nerves by increasing the expression of ‘citruin 1’, known as a longevity gene. It was found that This is the first time that Gongjindan’s mechanism for improving brain function has been confirmed through cell experiments. In addition, the researchers confirmed that Gongjindan has an antioxidant effect and prevents damage to brain nerve cell DNA, and increases the expression of brain-derived nerve factor and nerve growth factor.
An animal experiment study conducted jointly by Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine and the University of Irvine in the United States in 2004 also revealed the effectiveness of ‘Yukgongdan’, which is a combination of Gongjindan and Yukmijihwang-tang, in activating brain function and preventing brain cell damage. The researchers administered Yukgongdan to some of the rats that had suffered cerebral ischemia and then conducted a water maze behavioral experiment. As a result, the maze passage record of rats fed with meat complex was nearly twice as fast as that of cerebral ischemic rats. This was similar to the recordings of normal rats without cerebral ischemia problems. The research team also found that the Egr1 protein, which restores brain function by regenerating and proliferating brain cells, significantly increased in mice fed meat complex.
Efforts should be made to prevent dementia starting in the 40s and 50s.
Acupuncture also has the effect of improving cognitive function by increasing blood flow to the brain. According to a research paper published by Daejeon University Dunsan Oriental Medicine Hospital and the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine in the SCI(E) level international journal ‘Frontier in Aging Neuroscience’, acupuncture treatment showed a positive effect in improving mild cognitive impairment. It was confirmed that There is a high possibility that mild cognitive impairment will progress to Alzheimer’s dementia within a few years. In addition, research has shown that electroacupuncture reduces beta-amyloid protein production and alleviates damage to hippocampal nerve cells.
The best way to treat dementia is to alleviate symptoms or delay its progression. Prevention and early diagnosis are that important. Recently, the Supreme Court ruled for the first time that “oriental medical doctors can also diagnose dementia using the medical device ‘electroencephalography (EEG)’.” As a result, it is expected that Oriental medicine will be able to use modern devices more freely, which will help the public diagnose dementia early. The Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine also developed a technology that can select people with reduced cognitive function using only prefrontal brain waves.
With the advent of a super-aging society, we have reached an era where the number of dementia patients is approaching 1 million. In addition to memory loss, dementia patients may also experience various behavioral and psychiatric symptoms, such as depression. Problems in controlling and expressing emotions cause pain not only to the patient but also to their family, guardians, and people around them. Ultimately, dementia is not just an individual’s problem, but a problem for society as a whole. It is time to seriously think about what efforts each member of society can make.
Wang Oh-ho, Director of Mokdong Jaseng Oriental Medicine Hospital
2023-10-14 10:00:00
#risk #dementia #reduced #Exercises #recommended #American #Medical #Association
