Alzheimers chess
Is E4-E5 the First Move Towards Curing Alzheimer’s?
Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the country. The disease is the only cause of death among the top ten in American that can’t be prevented, cured — or even slowed down.
Mortality information from 2000-2008 shows that death from most major diseases has declined.
Deaths from Alzheimer’s rose over 65 percent in the same timeframe.
A partial solution may be found on sixty-four black and white squares in a world populated by horses, clergy members, royalty and foot soldiers.
Symptoms
Signs of Alzheimer’s include memory loss — that disrupts daily life, problem-solving challenges, and time/place confusion. Brains of Alzheimer’s patients have plaque and tangles along with a protein build-up between nerve cells and protein build up inside nerve cells. Although plaque and tangles develop normally as people age, patients with Alzheimer’s have more than average.
Does Chess Fill the Gap?
Researchers have found a link between playing chess and reducing the possibility of developing dementia, Alzheimer’s and other debilitating mental illnesses.
The New England Journal of Medicine, in the article, “Use It or Lose It”, reported on a study where officials found that individuals older than 75, engaged in leisure activities including chess, were apt to delay developing signs of dementia when compared to people who didn’t play.
Games such as chess exercise, or stimulate, the parts of the brain that typically atrophy as we age. The aging process is also slowed by activities like watching television.
The study, which lasted five years and included almost 500 participants, indicated that involvement in at least ten mind exercising activities per group, delayed early onset of Alzheimer’s by nearly 1.5 years, says NYC physician Dr. Gafanovich.
Individuals who played board games were over 35 percent less likely to develop dementia that those who participated in board games only occasionally or even rarely.
People like Napoleon and Karl Marx are just two of the intellectuals who have been captured by the struggle between two people on a chess board. The planning involved in chess stimulates certain parts of the brain that “decode” symptoms. Chess’s Grand Master, Viktor Korchnoi celebrated his 80th birthday and still maintained a FIDE rating of over 2500.
Signs of Alzheimer’s include memory loss — that disrupts daily life, problem-solving challenges, and time/place confusion. Brains of Alzheimer’s patients have plaque and tangles along with a protein build-up between nerve cells and protein build up inside nerve cells. Although plaque and tangles develop normally as people age, patients with Alzheimer’s have more than average.
As exercising the body strengthens the muscles, stretching the brain stimulates the mind in ways in which it ordinarily doesn’t experience.
The study’s principal author, Dr. Robert Freidland, shows that people who don’t exercise their gray matter stand to lose cognitive skills.
Toys/Games for Alzheimer’s
Simon Says is a fabulous route to spur the brain and recall without being overwhelming.
Playable Art
Besides being helpful to Alzheimer’s patients, Playable Art also helps with manual dexterity.
Green Tones Stirring Xylophone
Elders seem to perk up when they hear music. With GTSX, they can create music and keep their hands busy.
Logic Links Puzzle Box
Adults with a variety of health issues are given this toy to stimulate thoughts as well as problem-solving abilities.
The board is created with divergent hues that appeal and are easy to distinguish.
Alzheimer’s patients normally employ repetitious hand gestures. Utilizing excess energy that needs to be directed, the Tangle Relax Therapy works for all senility sufferers. The ease of use also helps build a feeling of achievement.
Presently, medication and behavioral approaches to dealing with Alzheimer’s are showing mixed effectiveness; they are not a complete cure.
Since evidence also suggests that caffeine consumption may help prevent Alzheimer’s, the logical question is:
If the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s can be fought by a daily chess game and expresso, why not?
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