Spirituality May Slow Alzheimer’s
Posted on April 13th, 2005 by Anthony K. Valley
Those with a spiritual presence in their life had slower progression of cognitive decline, preliminary study found.
p. [ Full Story @ Health Central ]
p(small). Source: Health Central © 2005 Health Central
p(small). Technorati: Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimers Faith Religion Prayer Health Health Central Health Central
Listen to this podcast
WEDNESDAY, April 13 (HealthDay News) — A rewarding spiritual life may help slow the devastation of Alzheimer’s disease.
“The data suggest there may be an association, meaning people with higher levels of spirituality and religiosity have a slower progression of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Yakir Kaufman, director of neurology services at Sarah Herzog Memorial Hospital in Jerusalem.
Kaufman, who conducted the research while a fellow at the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care in Toronto, was to present the findings April 13 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, in Miami Beach.
Kaufman and his co-authors, however, stressed the need for caution when interpreting the results.
“This is the first study to actually attempt to look into a relationship between spirituality and religiosity and Alzheimer’s disease,” Kaufman said. “We did not specifically look into the mechanisms, and we certainly need to replicate these results and do a larger study.”
Vincent Corso, a former priest who is now manager of spiritual care and bereavement services for Visiting Nurse Service of New York Hospice Care in New York City, said he was not surprised by the findings, however preliminary.
“People who are connected with a spiritual presence in their life, whether it takes the shape of a family member, close friend, support network, meditation or yoga, have a sense of peace and probably, by extrapolation, longevity,” he said. “What’s important to people is how much they’re able to connect with the people around them. If that creates a feeling of well-being, then that aids in the healing process.”
Other research not related to Alzheimer’s disease has started to show a relationship between spirituality and better health outcomes.
p. [ Full Story @ Health Central ]
p(small). Source: Health Central © 2005 Health Central
p(small). Technorati: Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimers Faith Religion Prayer Health Health Central Health Central
Listen to this podcast
Filed under: Wellness Center
God used Alzheimer’s as a refining fire in my mother – transforming her into a beautiful Beatitude Christian. There had been plenty of fire before, but Alzheimer’s fine-tuned the refining process to the point that Mom, at her weakest, blessed us with an example of each of the Beatitudes.
Mom was poor in spirit, thinking Alzheimer’s has robbed her of any ability to bless. She was dependent on caregivers for her most personal needs, but her contented spirit blessed others as she was heard humming God is so good . . . God is so good . . . She was blessed with breathing the air of the Kingdom of Heaven even before leaving this earth.
Mom found great comfort in quickly mourning sin. One of her caregivers remarked that if my Mom let out a complaint she repented for a month! Her dad died when she was five and she learned early to go to her Heavenly Father for comfort. Peace, peace, wonderful peace, coming down from the Father above . . . she would sing as God’s comfort billowed over her.
Mom quickly extended mercy to people who hurt her. “They don’t know God,” she would say. “I need to forgive them.” She enjoyed the fruits of living under God’s mercy, which caused her to break into song: I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever, I will sing.
In her 60’s Mom served those she called “my dears”, the elderly in her community – going far beyond the call of duty. Their response to her gentle, serving ways gave her the earthly satisfaction of being a blessing.
Her whole life she hungered and thirsted for righteousness and her Lord Jesus satisfied her. ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus; just to take Him as His word, she would sing when sleep eluded her at night.
God is the One who covenanted with Mom to make her pure in heart, and now she is experiencing the fulfillment of that promise as expressed in one of her favorite hymns. She walks with Him and she talks with Him and He tells her she is His own.