Could our own behavior help us avoid Alzheimer's? - Sentinel and Enterprise

Your editorial and article about Alzheimer's was disturbing, and not just because I'm part of the aging baby-boomer generation who worries every time I misplace my keys. What's disturbing is that, because there's no cure, the focus of the Alzheimer's Association is on "the five major areas of concern: caregiver support, diagnosis, treatment and care coordination, public-health safety and awareness, and quality of care."

And, of course, there's all the money going to research for a cure. But what about prevention? The Alzheimer's Association says that's not possible, but the past several years have seen an explosion of research indicating that a lot of the damage that we do to ourselves by smoking, bad eating and inadequate physical activity can increase the Alzheimer's risk by a tremendous amount. Studies have shown changing that, even later in life, can make a big difference, particularly the smoking part.

So while saying nobody knows the origins or the cure of Alzheimer's may free us from individual responsibility for our own health problems, it's costing all of us huge amounts of money to control and find a cure for a disease we can prevent or mitigate through self-control. You owe it to your readers to get the other side of the story -- the one not told by the medical establishment.

PRISCILLA LANIGAN

Worcester

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