We all notice, from time to time, that we tend to forget, misplace, confuse, or misstate things. We call our kids by their siblings' names, and once in a not-so-seldom while, we forget a name, especially when we are trying to introduce its owner.
This usually happens at the most embarrassing times. And our forgetfulness seems to occur more frequently as we age. From the ages of 40 or 45 onward, our first reaction to these lapses of memory is that mentally we are on a downhill slide and Alzheimer's is awaiting us. We've all heard that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks!" Just what happens to the aging mind? Why do we forget? Why can't we keep on learning? When does memory quit and senility begin?
Well, get ready for a little surprise! The aging mind can actually learn easier than the young mind, it reasons far better than a young person's, and it can remember just as well.
Furthermore, Alzheimer's affects a very small percentage of our population.
Over 100 problems can mimic Alzheimer's and can cause mis-diagnosis, and most of these problems are curable. Fortunately, memory loss and age are not necessarily related and the aging mind can be as sharp as ever. As we age, our memory does not have to suffer. You don't believe it? Let's look at a couple of facts: The average age of all Supreme Court justices is 72 and the average age of Fortune 500 CEOs is 62.
From the forthcoming book "5-HTP" Amazon Kindle books by Othniel Seiden, MD
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