How Stress and the Body's Immune Response May Lead to Alzheimer's Disease

This is a really important article about the roles stress (and the attendant emotions of anxiety and depression) play in the development of Alzheimer's Disease. We've known higher incidents of anxiety and depression are associated with dementia for decades. And I've talked about it on this blog a lot. What we haven't understood is the physical aspects of this connection (the immune system response) and whether there is actual cause and effect. Now science is saying there is.

There's a lot to unpack in this article which is why I recommend clicking on the link. My takeaway, however, is that Alzheimer's disease involves multiple systems in the body that work hand in hand to create the conditions that lead to dementia. Chronic emotional states play a BIG role, especially when not mitigated by exercise and social involvement. None of this has been unknown. The news is that now that there is scientific proof maybe we can get more effective non-pharmaceutical treatments to address these factors in addition to whatever medicines can help soothe people and control the symptoms.

Rosemary is For Remembrance

"There's rosemary; that's for remembrance.
Pray, love, remember."
~Shakespeare, Hamlet

Paul's mom sent us a nice article about aromatherapy that she clipped from Prevention Magazine. In it was reported that a study with college students at the University of Northumbria showed a significant increase in memory and feelings of alertness for those who used rosemary essential oil as compared to a control group. Oddly, the Prevention Magazine article did not report that the study also showed that rosemary slowed memory recall for the same test subjects. In other words, the students outperformed other students in two different kinds of memory tests (and felt more awake doing it) but took a little longer to come up with the results. Hmmm. Could it be that if we stay awake and slow down our brains function better?

I took a quick look around the internet to see if I could find more about this. According to research done by the Burnham Institute for Medical Research there are ingredients in the rosemary herb that protect the brain from the injurious effects of free radical production. Free radicals are thought to contribute to a wide variety of neurological conditions such as stroke and Alzheimer’s in addition to what is considered "normal" age-related memory loss. You can read more about free radicals in another blog I wrote here. In that post I was talking about antioxidants such as those found in blueberries that have a useful effect in counteracting free radical reproduction in the human body. It turns out that the carnosol and carnosic acid found in rosemary are powerful antioxidants. In addition to having a significant effect on memory loss they have been shown to have a protective effect against cancer.

Scientists are hard at work trying to use these findings to create powerful drugs which could be used for the same purpose. Meanwhile it couldn't hurt to add a little rosemary into your life. I like it in my garden--I can't seem to resist picking a little bit and rubbing the leaves between my fingers whenever I can. The smell is irresistible. I use it in my Mama Love for Focussed Attention perfume.

Mama Love Perfume

In a previous article I mentioned that I started doing my current work as a Spiritual Counselor and Flower Essence/Aromatherapy perfume maker directly as a result of the work I did as a Family Consultant. All the perfumes I make were designed for healing benefits. Several of them are appropriate for family caregivers and their patients.

The first one, "Mama Love for Healthy Boundaries," was originally named "For Balanced Caregiving". I specifically designed it with family caregivers in mind. Anyone who spends a lot of time helping others through difficult experiences needs to know how to be loving and kind yet able to remain clear-headed, grounded and firm in their own boundaries. How else can you give to others without depletion? This formula uses two different kinds of Yarrow flower essence (described in the previous article) and Yarrow essential oil, with Sandalwood and Patchouli.

"Mama Love for Releasing Worry and Fear" has been one of my best-sellers. It's a good one for both caregivers and patients. (Be sure to try a small amount first to be sure.) Try rubbing some on bunched up shoulders or back muscles, pour a tiny amount into a bath, or add several drops to a spray bottle with water and mist yourself or your patient. By the way, I have no idea if using this perfume as a spray with an agitated patient would help calm them down. If you'd like to try it send me an email. If you have a patient who tends to have episodes of extreme anxiety and agitation I'll send you a bottle free of charge as long as you promise to let me know how it works for them.

"Releasing Worry and Fear" can be a great sleep formula if anxiety is at the root of your insomnia. Another great sleep formula is "Mama Love for Restful Sleep." It's not like a sleeping pill -- for most people it won't put them right down. And for chronic cases of insomnia it really makes a difference if you use it twice a day -- once in the afternoon and then again before bed. The effect accumulates with regular use but it is not recommend as a daily practice for more than three weeks at a time. (It's wise to take a break from ALL aromatherapy products for a little while from time to time to gauge how your body is handling it and whether you even need it anymore.) "Restful Sleep" contains Chamomile, Nicotiana and Spikenard for their powerful healing effects.