Health Expert Christine Kennard shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/57548/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/57548/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/57548/index http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/153042/gene-increases Mon, 21 May 2012 17:42:00 -0400 Christine Kennard Exciting new research, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has identified a variant ApoE4 gene that triggers a cascade of events that damages the brain's vascular system (blood supply ). Dr. Zlokovic and his team at the University of Rochester, the University of Southern California, used several different lines of mice that have been genetically engineered to produce their findings.   The ApoE gene has been linked to the risk... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/153042/gene-increases http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/152913/10-caregivers Mon, 14 May 2012 11:45:00 -0400 Christine Kennard May is Mental Health Month   Depression symptoms, among caregivers of people with dementia, are reported to range from 28-55% although some studies put it as high as 60%. Depressed caregivers are more likely to have coexisting anxiety disorders, substance abuse or dependence issues, and other forms of chronic disease.   Depression often makes you feel as though nothing you can do will make you feel better. That is because depression... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/152913/10-caregivers http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/152769/caregivers Thu, 10 May 2012 12:28:00 -0400 Christine Kennard May is Mental Health Month It's often difficult to remember an exact point at which your sadness and unhappiness tipped into depression. Depression affects many more caregivers than members of the general public. Caregiving is demanding and difficult even when you love the person you look after.   One of the major problems with depression is it changes the way we think. What had been difficult but something we could cope with, changes... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/152769/caregivers http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/152487/cbt-depression Tue, 01 May 2012 14:40:00 -0400 Christine Kennard May is Mental Health Month. Caregiving to someone with Alzheimer's is one of the most difficult and demanding of roles and it can go on for years. Although there is now an emphasis on promoting a quality of life and maximizing the functionality of people with Alzheimer's and their caregivers, there are many caregivers who experience anxiety and depression either because of, or unrelated to, their role.   There is evidence to show that... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/152487/cbt-depression http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/152468/alzheimer Tue, 01 May 2012 13:38:00 -0400 Christine Kennard May is Mental Health Month and I want to talk about the very difficult and emotive issue of dangerous behavior in people with Alzheimer's. Over the years many people have asked our advice about some aggressive or violent behavior a loved one is exhibiting, and what they should do about it.   Violent incidents or threats of violence occur for a number of reasons. As Alzheimer's disease progressively causes more and more brain damage and... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/152468/alzheimer http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/152153/alzheimer Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:25:00 -0400 Christine Kennard Recently, I have been reading about psychosis, Alzheimer's disease and lots of information about brain scans. The use of brain scans in cutting edge research continues to bring us new information about how the brain works. This month, for example, saw research into the mapping of the physical architecture of intelligence. This revealed brain structures that appear vital to general intelligence and to specific aspects of intellectual functioning,... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/152153/alzheimer http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/151920/florbetapir Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:24:00 -0400 Christine Kennard April 2012 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced  their approval of florbetapir (Amyvid) a radioactive dye for use with positron emission tomography (PET) for visualization of the density of amyloid plaque build up in the brain. Amyvid, developed by Eli Lilly and Company and Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Lilly, will be used to help diagnose someone who is presenting with cognitive impairment.... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/151920/florbetapir http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/151898/risk-alzheimer Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:09:00 -0400 Christine Kennard Researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have found that exposing mice to repeated triggers of stress resulted in the production and accumulation of insoluble tau protein inside the brain cells of mice. Scientists believe that during Alzheimer's amyloid protein is produced first, and triggers the accumulation of tau, which is toxic to nerve cells.   Published in the March 26 Online Early Edition of the... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/151898/risk-alzheimer http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/151594/5-incontinence Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:17:00 -0400 Christine Kennard Urinary incontinence is a distressing but very common problem in people with mid to late-stage Alzheimer's disease. There are lots of things you can do to help.   1st-Exclude diseases and conditions that could be causing urinary incontinence Remember, people with Alzheimer's can get sick too. Urinary incontinence may just be a symptom of an underlying health problem so will require evaluation by a doctor followed by appropriate treatment.... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/151594/5-incontinence http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/151239/alzheimer-loss Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:47:00 -0400 Christine Kennard Memory loss in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a central symptom of the disease, so understanding memory deficits that AD patients experience is essential to caregivers. It gives us insights into how they see the world around them, why they behave in certain ways and, very importantly, helps us cope better and provide better supportive care.   The brain is often compared to a computer, but actually the brain is far more complex. For one thing... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/151239/alzheimer-loss