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could there be a genetic link?

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Aluminum has NOT been proven to produce dementia, although other toxic metals are proving suspect (i.e. copper). The recent 90+ research study on people in CA who live in a retirement community have records dating back to 1981, when they first moved there. A special on 60 minutes was done about two Sundays ago, and what they are finding is surprising most doctors. Even people with brain tangles which was almost always associated with dementia at autopsy, did/do not have dementia. The PET scans are much more sophisticated now and research is getting more money to map the brain. So, stay tuned. My husband will be a research subject using the Israel made and approved machine called the NeuroAD with 6 weeks of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) trial to see if there is improvement. There are many centers doing this research ending in Dec.2014, to be submitted for approval by the FDA in 2015. The jury is still out as to the exact cause, so just take care of yourselves the best that you know how, and if you get dementia, you get it. So far, no one has found a cure nor real culprit. Best of health to you all!
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There's probably a genetic connection. I think the most significant factor in the increase in Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia is that people, n average, are simply living longer. Women who would have died in childbirth if they'd lived in previous centuries are now living into their seventies or eighties. The older the population, the more dementia you'll see.
Interestingly, I read somewhere that the average marriage used to last about twelve years, back in the eighteenth century. That's because it wasn't uncommon for women to die giving birth. Look at some of the gravestones in old burial grounds and you'll see guys who buried three or more wives. That's partly why divorce was uncommon back then; couples weren't married long enough to get tired of one another!
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I know I'm not normal!
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Also- aluminum. Its in all deodorants. Heavy metals- found in lots of products.
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Keep in mind that Alzheimer's and other age-related dementias are extremely common. So instead of stressing over genetic links, the effort is better spent recognizing that we need to take good care of ourselves and plan thoughtfully for our future no matter who our parents are.
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To ellenjay - try Ancestry for your family relatives, and I am sure you will find past ancestors. I've mapped several generations already! Good luck!
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LOL, Captain! You managed to make me chuckle on a pretty crappy day, Thanks!
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im counting on developing alz or dementia at a point. right now theres no plausible excuse for my belligerance..
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I am not in a research study, but would really like to be. I watched my grandfather with dementia/Alzheimer's and his youngest daughter (recently passed away) and my mom also has it, his oldest daughter. My siblings and cousins are certainly not looking forward to watching each other get this disease!! (Grandfather's family was killed in WWII bombing so we cannot trace any farther back than him.)
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Just visited the Sun Health Research Institute's facility yesterday in Sun City, AZ to enroll my husband in a new research project. Yes, there are genetic links of children of those of us with parents/grandparents with dementia. Although the exact cause, chromosome and chemicals involved have only been hypothesized, you may or may not be at risk. Take very good care of yourself, and enroll in a research study if you have one available in your area. I have been in Mayo's research study for over 11 years and I get to be tested every two years to see how I am doing. Plus, they buy me lunch at their chef-prepared meals in their cafeteria!
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There's a lot of debate over genetic links. At one point researchers thought they nailed it when they found the breast cancer gene. After years of following women with that chromosome, they found out most of them never get the cancer. They found that diet and lifestyle and stress factors were just as important.
Although a blood test can identify which genes a person has, it cannot predict who will or will not develop Alzheimer's disease. It is unlikely that genetic testing will ever be able to predict the disease with 100 percent accuracy because too many other factors may influence its development and progression.
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