dementia is an umbrella
under which there are several different types of dementia
the most common is alzheimers disease
then there is vascular dementia mixed dementia frontotemporal dementia
parkinsons dementia
then there is
lewy body dementia
abcnews
thats the final word on what robin williams had
which explains his behaviors and his death
so many people were logging on the lewy body website
that it crashed this week
i always tell folks when asked that lewy body is the worst
dementia to have
if you have had a loved one who has had alzheimers disease
you know how bad that disease can be
a slow painful drift downwards that speeds up at the end
well i think of lewy body dementia as alzheimers disease
on steroids
its all sped up so that it all happens in a shorter time
think of all the bad things that happens in alzheimers disease
except its all scrunched up together
and happens more powerfully
its all devastating to all involved
at least with alzheimers it gets spread out over a longer
period of time so its not as traumatic
although not pleasant
the symptoms of lewy body can be fast and furious
if you ever talk to a family member whose loved one has had this
disease
they usually start crying and talk about how bad it was
an emotionally traumatic disease that i would wish only on
my worst enemy
in lewy body dementia there is this accumulation of this
protein throughout the brain
called
alpha synuclein
thats causing all this disruption in the normal activity of the brain
early on in the disease there are movement problems like
parkinsons but then all the bad things start happening
there is variability from day to day on patients alertness and
confusion
there are visual hallucinations and delusions
there is acting out sometimes violently their dreams
there is autonomic motor dysfunction with low blood pressure
dizziness and urinary incontinence
there is memory loss that is usually milder than alzheimers
the diagnosis is clinical
based on symptoms
until the patient dies and an autopsy can be done
medications like i take aricept (donepezil) may help some
antipsychotic drugs can make symptoms worse
antidepressants may help the depression
for the rem sleep disorder benzodiazepines like clonazepam
may help
but
really there is no treatment
there is nothing to do to slow dementia of lewy body down
they usually live less than 8 years after it develops
death is merciful for all involved
its just a bad experience for all those involved
the worse affected is the patients family
rip robin williams
november 7 bell county in temple
team organicgreendoctor
i will be the honorary chair for this event
tomorrows walk has been moved inside because of the
potential for flooding rain
the walk will occur inside the baylor scott and white research building
next to the pepper creek trail
we are close real close to a treatment or cure
we need your help
the organicgreen doctor
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