Alzheimer’s is a brain disorder that severely affects one’s memory, thinking, learning, organizing, reasoning, and analyzing skills; and the ability to carry out simple daily activities. It can take many years for the first symptoms of the disease to start appearing. But the condition starts minimally harming the brain and causing microscopic changes long before that.
These symptoms worsen over time and vary individually, with memory loss being one of the earliest.
As the condition gets worse, the patients face difficulties with-
- Caring for themselves
- Recognizing their friends and family
- Carrying on a conversation or finding the right words
- Remembering recent information, events, places, and time
- Performing simple daily tasks and activities like reading, writing, walking, swallowing, etc.
- Falling asleep
Alzheimer’s causes over 60-80% of all dementia cases (a general term for a decline in mental abilities like reasoning, thinking, memory, etc.). Over 6.5 million Americans aged 65 or older are estimated to be suffering from Alzheimer’s, while the worldwide prevalence of this condition is estimated at over 24 million people!
While common prescription medications can worsen the existing Alzheimer’s symptoms with their adverse side effects, Ayurvedic medicine helps alleviate the condition and prevent symptoms from worsening more safely and effectively. Read ahead to discover how you can leverage Ayurveda.
What Causes Alzheimer’s?
Alzheimer’s disease occurs due to an abnormal buildup of toxic proteins in the brain. Factors like improper dietary habits, lack of regular exercise, excess stress, high cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure can decrease the blood flow inside the brain and cause the blood vessels to become stiff and tight. This enables the sticky proteins to start accumulating there.
Though the risk of this condition increases with age, it is not a normal part of aging. There are over 100 billion neurons (nerve cells) and other cells in the brain that regulate all its functions. The toxic proteins responsible for Alzheimer’s include amyloid and tau. Amyloid protein forms plaque (abnormal clumps) in the spaces between the nerve cells in the brain, while the tau protein forms tangles (twisted bundles of fibers) within the brain cells.
They lead to slow and ongoing cell death of the neurons that start in the brain area responsible for regulating memory and then spreads to the other regions. This hampers the brain’s vital processes and interferes with the communication and connections between the nerve cells.
This explains why Alzheimer’s affects mental and other aspects of bodily function. Nerve cells in different parts of the brain transmit messages among each other, as well as from the brain to the other parts of the body. Hence, blocking the communication between them severely affects various vital bodily processes.
Alleviating Alzheimer’s With Ayurveda
Ayurvedic medicine has always emphasized proper dietary and lifestyle habits. It places high importance on eating healthy, nutritious, fresh, and balanced home-cooked meals; rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, and dietary spices.
Ayurvedic doctors prescribe avoiding junk, frozen, preserved, and processed foods. These foods are rich in oils, grease, fats, sodium, sugar, and other harmful ingredients that can cause obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
Avoiding them is essential to alleviating Alzheimer’s symptoms and improving one’s overall brain function. It is essential to include regular exercise in one’s schedule to enhance blood circulation throughout the body and the brain and aid the proper digestion and assimilation of food.
A study by the University of California, Los Angeles, shows that proper diet and exercise can effectively reduce protein buildup in the brain- a condition linked to Alzheimer’s. It also mentions that many vital lifestyle factors, including BMI (body mass index), levels of physical activity, and a healthy diet, are all linked to lower levels of plaques and tangles in the brain scans of Alzheimer’s patients.
Old age is the most prominent and non-modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer’s. As people age, their bodily functions weaken, and the system becomes more prone to severe diseases. This reinforces the importance of inculcating healthy dietary and lifestyle habits early on to prevent not only Alzheimer’s but other harmful health conditions too.
Trailokya Vijaya Vati: An Essential Ayurvedic Medicine
Trailokya Vijaya Vati is one of the most potent and effective Ayurvedic medicines. Ayurvedic doctors highly prescribe it because it can effectively alleviate Alzheimer’s symptoms and improve overall mental health and function among patients. Its primary ingredient is the hemp plant or Vijaya, hence the name.
Besides Vijaya, Vansh lochan or Bambusa arundinacea is another prominent ingredient in this Ayurvedic medicine. Both these herbs are highly revered for their vast therapeutic properties, especially their direct and effective influence on the brain.
A study found that Vansha lochan prevents nerve cell death in the central nervous system. It does so by increasing the GSH levels in the body. GSH or glutathione is an important chemical compound in the body essential for alleviating cell damage, repairing tissues, and enhancing immune function.
The study further showed that the herb significantly reduced the levels of AChE (acetylcholinesterase) and MDA (malondialdehyde) in the brain. These two enzymes are responsible for blocking the communication and signaling between the nerve cells in the brain.
Vansh lochan can regulate the brain’s vital processes and prevent the buildup of toxic proteins within its cells. Another study found that Vansh lochan also helps alleviate mental health conditions like anxiety and stress because it is rich in phytochemicals.
Research affirms that Vijaya can help alleviate Alzheimer’s symptoms and slow down the progression of the disease. The THC in the herb significantly decreases behavioral symptoms like agitation, aggression, irritability, mood swings, and delusions.
It represses the function of AChE, increases cell survival, and prevents the buildup of amyloid and tau proteins. In addition, the herb stimulates the growth of new nerve cells in the brain. Vijaya binds with the CB1 cannabinoid receptors in the brain and the spinal cord and activates them when consumed.
This allows it to-
- Regulate the function of the body’s central nervous system
- Enhance the communication between the nerve cells
- Control the vital processes of the brain
- Alleviate mental health conditions like stress, anxiety, and depression
The efficacious and holistic action of these two essential Ayurvedic herbs on the brain makes Trailokya Vijaya Vatia must-have ayurvedic medicine for Alzheimer’s patients. To know more about this classic herbal formulation and its function, contact Hempstreet and begin your journey to better health naturally.
References
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9164-alzheimers-disease
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-alzheimers-disease
https://news.usc.edu/124540/why-dementia-causing-plaques-become-trapped-in-the-brain/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160816084740.htm
