This site will begin to educate you about Alzheimer's disease and help lay the foundation to understand the causes, treatments, and effects this disease has on the body. Also, this site will summarize how this disease is studied and understood by medical professionals and researchers from the five sectors of Medical Anthropology. Each page listed in the tabs above will walk you through each of these approaches one by one to help you more clearly understand this disease.
I chose to focus on Alzheimer's disease because it is a disease that has always interested me. First of all, despite the years and years of research that has been dedicated to this topic, relatively little is actually known about the disease. Medical professionals and researchers still have trouble pinpointing exactly what causes some adults to suffer from Alzheimer's and some to never be affected in their lifetime. Although there are some treatments to slow the progression of Alzheimer's, we still have no cure for the disease. Throughout my schooling at Michigan State University, I have at least briefly talked about this disease in almost every class involving clinical medicine. There is so much information to know about this disease, and after researching this topic on my own, I have found a lot of new information that I would love to share! My future goals are focused on Public Health School where understanding this disease on an anthropological level will come in handy.
It is extremely important to look at non-medical factors when studying this disease because research show that outside, environmental factors can have an effect on the materialization and progression of Alzheimer's. According to the Mayo Clinic website on Alzheimer's disease. besides age, the greatest risk factors for Alzheimer's is genetics. If a close relative has suffered from the disease, you are much more likely to see symptoms as you age. Also, women are more likely to suffer from the disease than men. Also interesting, recent research shows that there is a correlation between the prevalence of this disease is people with moderate cognitive impairment during their lifetimes, poor lifestyle and heart health, and past head trauma (2). Although researchers have made great strides in understanding this disease, they have often come to dead ends when trying to understand this disease in great detail. By looking at this disease from an anthropologists point of view, some interesting observations come to light. Continue on to the first tab discussing the Biological and Ecological approach to understanding this complicated disease.
(1) Janicki, Matthew . "Facts on Dementia." Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing. http://www.jccpahk.com/en/facts_on_dementia/what_is_dementia/about_dementia/index.php (accessed August 15, 2014).
(2) National Institute on Aging. "About Alzheimer's Disease: Alzheimer's Basics." Turning Discovery into Health. http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/topics/alzheimers-basics (accessed August 14, 2014).
I chose to focus on Alzheimer's disease because it is a disease that has always interested me. First of all, despite the years and years of research that has been dedicated to this topic, relatively little is actually known about the disease. Medical professionals and researchers still have trouble pinpointing exactly what causes some adults to suffer from Alzheimer's and some to never be affected in their lifetime. Although there are some treatments to slow the progression of Alzheimer's, we still have no cure for the disease. Throughout my schooling at Michigan State University, I have at least briefly talked about this disease in almost every class involving clinical medicine. There is so much information to know about this disease, and after researching this topic on my own, I have found a lot of new information that I would love to share! My future goals are focused on Public Health School where understanding this disease on an anthropological level will come in handy.
It is extremely important to look at non-medical factors when studying this disease because research show that outside, environmental factors can have an effect on the materialization and progression of Alzheimer's. According to the Mayo Clinic website on Alzheimer's disease. besides age, the greatest risk factors for Alzheimer's is genetics. If a close relative has suffered from the disease, you are much more likely to see symptoms as you age. Also, women are more likely to suffer from the disease than men. Also interesting, recent research shows that there is a correlation between the prevalence of this disease is people with moderate cognitive impairment during their lifetimes, poor lifestyle and heart health, and past head trauma (2). Although researchers have made great strides in understanding this disease, they have often come to dead ends when trying to understand this disease in great detail. By looking at this disease from an anthropologists point of view, some interesting observations come to light. Continue on to the first tab discussing the Biological and Ecological approach to understanding this complicated disease.
(1) Janicki, Matthew . "Facts on Dementia." Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing. http://www.jccpahk.com/en/facts_on_dementia/what_is_dementia/about_dementia/index.php (accessed August 15, 2014).
(2) National Institute on Aging. "About Alzheimer's Disease: Alzheimer's Basics." Turning Discovery into Health. http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/topics/alzheimers-basics (accessed August 14, 2014).