A Complete Read on Dementia

It may be an early warning sign of dementia if you’re becoming increasingly forgetful. In reality, dementia isn’t a specific disease, but a word used to describe a set of symptoms that follow when the brain cells stop functioning properly. Dementia is attributed as the loss of mental ability. It deteriorates thinking and remembering abilities of the affected individuals. Dementia is progressive in nature, which means the symptoms would steadily get worse as the brain cells get older. It is treatable up to some extent and becomes incurable for irreversible symptoms. This article gives you a brief overview of the symptoms, causes and types of dementia along with its treatment approaches.

Symptoms of Dementia

Unlike other diseases, dementia has a set of two groups of symptoms: reversible symptoms and irreversible symptoms. These symptoms depend on etiologies of the disease and are usually subtle. Sometimes, it is hard to recognise them for a number of years. The most commonly seen symptoms of dementia include: memory loss, problems with language and abstract thinking, difficulty in performing routine tasks, reduced or poor judgment, disorientation of place and time, frequent changes in mood, behavior and personality, misplacing things and loss of initiative. The speed at which symptoms get worse is based on the causes of dementia that may vary from person to person.

Causes of Dementia

Dementia is primarily caused by damage to the brain cells. If the brain cells don’t communicate normally, thinking power, feeling and behavior can be affected. Different types of dementia are linked with certain types of the brain cell damages. Most changes in the brain that cause dementia are enduring. Thinking and memory problems are caused by medication side effects, depression and excess use of alcohol, vitamin deficiencies and thyroid problems. Dementia could be categorised in different ways and are clustered by what they’ve in common. Categories of dementia that aren’t reversible include: lewy body dementia, vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia.

Treatments for Dementia

In most cases, dementia can’t be reversed. Treatment programs for dementia depend upon its causes. There is no treatment for progressive dementias including Alzheimer’s disease, but drug treatments may temporarily improve symptoms.  Non-drug therapies could also be used to alleviate some symptoms of dementia. A few cases of dementia are caused by medical conditions that could be treated. The basic treatments prescribed by doctors are:

• Administration of thyroid hormones for hypothyroidism
• Conducting surgery if the cause of dementia is a tumor
• Antake of vitamins for cases with deficiency of vitamin B12
• Medicines are prescribed to treat infections affecting the mental state
• Medicines such as memantine, inhibitors and antidepressants are prescribed to ease agitation, aggression, anxiety and hallucinations

Pros and Cons of Prohibiting Alcohol in India

Pros and Cons of Prohibiting Alcohol in India

Banning alcohol in India has been one of the major issues since many years. Authorities need to consider the influence of regulatory frameworks, and the social and economical forces to be able to make a condemnatory analysis. Prohibiting alcohol is a subject of healthy debate under the grounds of its benefits and shortcomings. The most direct consequences of banning are on the demand and supply side of the commodity. Prohibition leads to rising in the distribution costs as suppliers in the illegal market face legal punishments for producing, supplying and selling alcohol beverages. People may stop consuming alcohol as they have to pay legal penalties for possession.
From the legal view point
Prohibiting alcohol reduces the demand if consumers exhibit respect for new regulations, and increases both violent and non-violent crime. People in an illegal trade can’t use the legal and judicial system to resolve disputes, so they definitely follow other methods such as violence. Enforcement of ban is nothing but decreased resources for enforcement of non-prohibition laws, which entails reduced deterrence of crime. Prohibitions may increase income-generating crime by raising prices if consumers finance the alcohol consumption from such crime.  Banning alcohol gives black market suppliers an incentive to corrupt the law enforcement officials and politicians.
The impact on the economy
A ban on alcohol is impractical and offers an illegal platform for participants. Alcohol beverages can be easily produced when compared to drugs, and can be easily sold to the consumers from all communities. The opportunity cost of banning alcohol is the income that can be derived in the form of taxes and duties. It not only infringes the civil liberties of the citizens, but also causes great financial loss to the government. People may face problems with unemployment that in turn affects the economy of the nation. A ban on alcohol would take away a major source of revenue which can be used for public services.
The Impact on the social health
Prohibiting alcohol offers many significant benefits to the society. People can lead a meaningful life with no mental and physical health issues. It strengthens the personal relationships among family members.  Psychological studies have shown that a large number of children from alcohol abuse families face problems like loneliness, guilt, fear of abandonment, low self-esteem and chronic depression. These problems can be overcome by prohibiting alcohol. It also allows people to stay away from underlying diseases that can cause from alcohol addiction, and reduces the financial burden caused by health problems among the alcoholics.