Defying Dementia: Understanding and Preventing Alzheimer's and Related Disorders

(Hardback)

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Written to encourage defensive action, Levine's book is meant both as a guide and a reference to understanding and preventing dementia. It is intended for lay people interested in learning about dementia and the measures that can be taken to repel its onslaught, as well as for caregivers and family members of impaired patients. Defying Dementia is presented in two sections. First, Levine explains the various types of dementia, its increasing incidence and current treatments, and the treatments being tested and on the horizon. The role of physiology and fresh insights from the field of genetics are included. The second section focuses on methods that can be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle to help avoid dementia. How do we motivate individuals to take action or change behavior in response to a possible threat that has not yet materialized When the threat is dementia, argues longtime neurologist Robert Levine, it is an issue of considerable importance. The earlier the campaign is initiated to defeat this lurking foe, the greater the chances the combatant will emerge victorious. Written to encourage such defensive action, Levine's book is meant both as a guide and a reference to understanding and preventing dementia. It is intended for lay people interested in learning about dementia and the measures that can be taken to repel its onslaught, as well as for caregivers and family members of impaired patients. Defying Dementia is presented in two sections. First, Levine explains the various types of dementia, its increasing incidence and current treatments, and the treatments being tested and on the horizon. The role of physiology and fresh insights from the field of genetics are included. The second section focuses on methods that can be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle to help avoid dementia. Vignettes illustrate how dementia in its many forms can be recognized as it emerges. With proper actions on our part, we can achieve mastery, Levine writes. The transformation may not be easy, but recognizing the scourge that dementia is, and the way it devours the humanity of its victims, may inspire us to move ahead. Preparation is the key word; building solid defenses over time. And while any moment is worthwhile to begin this task, the earlier the better.

Reviews

Dementia, in its many forms, exerts a huge emotional, physical, and economic toll on victims, their families, and the social and health care delivery system. Gerontologists predict that by 2050, the number of people with these diseases will double. In this book, neurologist Levine provides an overview of the state of knowledge regarding Alzheimer's and related dementias. Written in a sophisticated but accessible style, the book is divided into two sections. The first explains the anatomy and physiology, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of the full spectrum of dementias. The second section, titled Lowering the Risk, features four chapters offering evidence-based lifestyle changes and interventions that could potentially decrease the risk of developing dementia and/or maximize cognitive functioning. Levine's intended audience is the intelligent layperson, but the book would be equally appropriate for selected health professionals or social service students seeking general coverage of the topic.[t]his succinct, credible resource on these devastating diseases sums up the present-day state of affairs and hints at the future. Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates, two-year technical program students, professionals/practitioners, and general readers. * Choice *
Defying Dementia is an informative book that might be useful to clinicians familiar with the disease and who would like to know more. A good deal of important dementia-related research is summarized in a succinct and readable way given a background in neurology or related fields. * Metapsychology *
How do we induce people to address a potential problem on the distant horizon when they currently feel well' asks Dr. Robert Levine in his book Defying Dementia. Dr. Levine argues that readers must understand dementia and related disorders and then take action to prevent them before they occur. With this approach in mind, Dr. Levine has divided Defying Dementia into two sections: one that explains what dementia is; the other that focuses on the types of preventative action readers can take to avoid it. Throughout, the book is filled with short vignettes that illustrate how others can recognize the early signs of this devastating disorder. * Solutions *
This guide to understanding and preventing dementia is aimed at general readers, caregivers, health professionals, and family members of impaired patients. Levine provides an overview of types, causes, symptoms, and diagnosis; discusses normal aging, mild cognitive impairment, and pseudo-dementia; and examines Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease, Parkinson's disease with dementia, Dementia with Lewy bodies, and vascular and mixed dementia. Preventative measures, such as exercise, cognitive stimulation and socialization, and diet, are preceded by a discussion of causes of accelerated brain aging and other factors. * SciTech Book News *

Author Bio

Robert Levine, MD, is former Chief of Neurology at Norwalk Hospital and retired Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine.