Recently, an urban emotional drama "Everything is Fine" ended wonderfully. In the end, his father Su Daqiang showed signs of Alzheimer’s disease, but he only remembered to save money to buy a problem set for Xiao Mingyu. This scene drew tears from many viewers.
In fact, Alzheimer’s disease is a common disease among the elderly, which has a serious impact on their quality of life. The main symptom is memory loss. So, what should Chinese medicine do to prevent Alzheimer’s disease? Gui Ping, director of the Second Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Encephalopathy, jiangjin district Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, made a detailed analysis.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer disease (AD), which we often talk about, is a degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Its onset is insidious, and the course of disease is chronic and progressive, mainly manifested as neuropsychiatric symptoms such as progressive memory disorder, cognitive dysfunction, personality change and language disorder. This disease can be complicated with depression, anxiety and psychosis. Its pathological changes can involve nervous system, motor system, urinary system, etc., leading to patients’ gradual loss of self-care ability, which has a great impact on their families and seriously affects their social, professional and living abilities.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the pathogenesis of senile dementia is mostly deficiency of kidney essence. Deficiency of kidney essence, congenital deficiency, decreased qi and blood metaplasia, weak qi and blood transport, and poor blood circulation lead to blood stasis, thus aggravating the aging of human viscera and brain; At the same time, eating too much fat and sweet or invading from external evils will damage the spleen and lungs, which will lead to obstruction of phlegm in the middle, obstruction of brain collaterals in the upper direction, blinding and clearing the orifices, which will lead to the loss of nourishment of the orifices, disorder of the spirit, and the interaction with blood stasis and toxin, which will hinder the movement of qi and blood, thus aggravating the injury of healthy qi. In addition, the injury caused by seven emotions, liver depression and qi stagnation, poor qi movement will lead to blood astringency, qi stagnation and blood stasis, which will blind the resuscitation and obstruction; Excessive worry can damage the heart and spleen, which leads to deficiency of the heart and spleen, loss of nourishment of the brain and loss of use of the mind. Generally speaking, its pathological mechanism involves heart, liver, spleen and kidney, and it is a disease of deficiency in essence and excess in substance, with excess and deficiency mixed.
How to prevent Alzheimer’s disease
For the elderly, brain aging is an irresistible natural law, such as memory loss, vocational skills decline, clumsy movements, dizziness, insomnia and mild decline in various feelings. There are still no effective and reliable methods to prevent brain aging, but diligent use of brain, smooth mind and skillful exercise can delay brain aging and play a positive role in preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that although the location of Alzheimer’s disease is in the brain, the root cause is the dysfunction of heart, spleen and kidney, especially the kidney. The brain is the marrow sea, and the kidney stores essence, governs bone and produces marrow. If the essence in the kidney is sufficient, the marrow will be biochemically active and the brain will be strong. With the aging of the human body, the kidney essence is constantly declining, which leads to the weakening of brain power and forgetfulness. "The heart is the official of the monarch, and the gods are out of the way", which means that people’s memory, cognition, emotion and language are dominated by the heart. "Spleen storing meaning" means that thinking and memory are based on qi and blood, so the spleen and stomach are healthy and full of qi and blood, so the memory is strong and the thinking is agile; On the other hand, memory loss and slow thinking. Therefore, Alzheimer’s disease is closely related to heart, spleen and kidney. In the treatment, we should not only treat the brain, but also treat the disease for the root cause, and adopt many therapeutic methods, such as tonifying the kidney and replenishing essence, invigorating the spleen and resolving phlegm, nourishing the heart and calming the nerves, soothing the liver and regulating qi, clearing away heat and purging fire, and promoting blood circulation and dredging collaterals.
Long-term research has proved that the factors of this disease have a great relationship with people’s usual lifestyle, so the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease should start from daily life. If you develop good eating habits, rest habits and brain habits, try to avoid suffering from some chronic diseases, including hypertension and diabetes, and you should also control blood lipids and avoid brain trauma. At the same time, we should keep a good mood and avoid excessive pressure.
For patients with Alzheimer’s disease, comprehensive preventive and therapeutic measures can generally be adopted, including drug therapy, diet therapy, physical therapy, emotional therapy, entertainment therapy, etc., and the specific methods are very rich, depending on the person and the time. Drug therapy mainly refers to taking anti-aging products, such as Liuwei Dihuang Pill and Bawei Dihuang Pill, and diet therapy can be supplemented by yam, poria cake, walnut, sesame, Polygonum multiflorum Thunb, hawthorn soup, etc., but it should be applied in a proper amount under the guidance of a doctor and must not be abused. Physical therapy refers to insisting on proper exercise, taking part in outdoor activities, such as Qigong, Tai Ji Chuan, ballroom dancing for the elderly or simple and interesting group activities, so as to maintain physical and mental health. Emotional therapy and recreational therapy have a wide range of contents, including listening to radio, music, watching TV, often talking with old friends and colleagues, and rehabilitation training for language and limb dysfunction, all of which are helpful to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
Sticking to three methods of Chinese medicine daily can also prevent Alzheimer’s disease. One is moxibustion on the top of the head. Light one end of the moxa stick and hang it on Baihui point (in the middle of the head) for 5 ~ 8 cm for warm moxibustion, 10 minutes each time, once a day. Moxibustion on Baihui point has the effect of refreshing the brain and inducing resuscitation, enhancing memory and improving brain sensitivity, which can keep away from Alzheimer’s disease. The second is to pinch the instep. Pinch the same Taichong point (the front depression of the first metatarsal joint on the dorsum of the foot) with the thumb of one hand, and it is appropriate to feel slight pain. 3 minutes each time, then switch hands twice a day. Pinching Taichong point can reduce acetylcholinesterase in brain, increase acetylcholine secretion, improve brain spatial position perception, and delay the process of Alzheimer’s disease. The third is to rub the back of your hand. Press and rub Hegu point of the other hand with the thumb of one hand (between the first metacarpal bone and the second metacarpal bone of the back of the hand, about the midpoint of the second metacarpal bone), and the strength is appropriate to feel slight pain, 3 minutes each time, and then switch hands once a day. Pressing and rubbing this point can enhance brain sensitivity.
interlinkage
Six types of people are high-risk groups.
Lonely old people The older they get, the more likely they are to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. If the elderly themselves don’t like to communicate with the outside world, they will feel lonely and easily depressed, pessimistic and depressed. This kind of lonely elderly people are particularly prone to Alzheimer’s disease.
Patients with high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia are prone to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, which make the brain lack of blood supply, affect the normal work of the brain, lead to a large number of nerve cells weakness and severe brain atrophy, and accelerate the emergence of Alzheimer’s disease.
Obese people are prone to metabolic syndrome when they are fat, and they are also likely to become "three highs" people, and they are prone to Alzheimer’s disease in the future.
People who drink and smoke for a long time are prone to liver failure, and liver damage will also affect the circulation of the brain; Secondly, smoking will accumulate a lot of harmful substances in people’s bodies, which will cause abnormal blood supply to the brain, damage brain tissue, accelerate the aging of the brain and easily lead to Alzheimer’s disease.
Hereditary Alzheimer’s disease can be inherited in families. If someone in the family has suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, the chances of future generations suffering from Alzheimer’s disease will increase.
People with brain injuries, people who have suffered brain injuries or brain diseases, will suffer brain injuries, leading to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.