Fact or Fiction

By: Michelle Remold

There are often stories on the news or on-line about things you can do to prevent a wide array of diseases. It often seems that soon after we hear about the things we can do to ward off the different diseases, there is another story discounting the first one.

I used to get really excited when I heard news stories about what was thought to be a new way to prevent Alzheimer’s. After hearing follow-up stories that either discounted the earlier stories or stated that more research would need to be done, I started to become more critical about and really think about what I was reading or hearing.

While preparing to write this blog, I did a little research to see if I could find some commonalities among what is out now on methods to prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia. Eating well and exercising seem to be popular prevention techniques along with coconut oil and fish oil. Exercise and eating well make sense to me, as they can help with preventing many other diseases as well. I am a little more skeptical on how much fish and coconut oils work to prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia.

I am not saying that none of the things that are said to prevent Alzheimer’s or dementia don’t prevent it, but that it is important to look more into what research a person is reading or hearing about. There are many stories and articles that are not credible and can give false hope to people fighting diseases. Thinking about the credibility in what one hears or reads is very important. It is important to learn as much as possible when it comes to looking at things to help prevent any disease and to make sure that they are healthy for you to try.

Michelle graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with her Bachelor of Arts in Gerontology: Social Sciences and a minor in Family Studies. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Aging Studies and Nursing Home Administration from Minnesota State University Mankato.