DO you work long hours, endure great stress and get little sleep? Then this book may be for you.
It'll scare the living daylights out of you but it will also spur you into action, providing all the tools, including a prescriptive diet and exercise program, to avoid joining the world's army of Alzheimer's sufferers.
- The Anti-Alzheimer's Prescription, by Dr Vincent Fortanasce. Ebury Press, rrp $34.95
Not that it promises you'll avoid this terribly debilitating form of dementia, but the professional observations and personal experience of Californian neurologist and psychiatrist Dr Vincent Fortanasce have led him to believe that diet and exercise, plus a good brain work-out, are a solid start.
The book's cover says "reduce your chances of Alzheimer's by 70 per cent".
It opens with Fortanasce's devastating realisation that his own father had the disease that had driven so many patients to his door for decades.
Without a cure, he sets out to work on prevention.
In this book he explains what Alzheimer's is, its signs, symptoms and stages, how to determine your risk factors including the genetic link, some easy brain tests to do and then a guide to ward off the potential risk factors.
The author's prescription includes eradicating stressors, taking things a day at a time, finding purpose, strengthening meaningful social ties, exercising daily and working on sleep quality.
The final section deals with treatment and diagnosis and explains why getting the right doctor and obtaining proper diagnostic tests as early as possible are vital.
He names and describes the tests patients should seek.
Fortanasce says rates and degrees of Alzhimer's deterioration can be slowed and minimised with early treatment.
Who wouldn't want that?
This is a practical guide, written in plain language, with medical information clearly explained.
Families who suspect they may have an Alzheimer's sufferer in their midsts or those with a genetic link will find it helpful.
The message is clear. Change your life now to stay vital later on.
