The heart changes as we age. Find out what your senior loved ones need to do to keep their hearts happy and healthy as they enter the golden years.
Wernicke Korsakoff Syndrome – What happens when you heavily drink?
What happens when you drink heavily? Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome is a serious issue for our parents who heavily imbibe now or were heavy drinkers earlier in their life. Basically Wernicke can level out but it does not completely go away. Korsakoff is the second part of a two part syndrome and it changes the gait of their walk and weakens them to the point that they are very wobbly and unstable while standing. This is when alcohol effects have really taken the body and this part rarely goes away. The syndrome together is the effect of alcohol damage to the brain and is terminal. Drinking alone does not cause it. Excessive drinking over a prolonged time is the cause. Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome (WKS) is one name for 2 conditions that often happen together. Wernicke is encephalopathy and it is often accompanied by Korsakoff syndrome. It is thought to be different stages of the same disease. A deficit of vitamin B1 or thiamine is the culprit. Thiamine or vitamin B1 helps the brain turn sugar to energy. When there is a deficit of this vitamin the brain does not function well. It typically comes on suddenly and immediate treatment is needed. Symptoms include …
Life Transitions: Alcoholism and Aging
Alcoholism and Aging Alcoholism comes with many issues. Life Transitions regarding Alcoholism and Aging can cause senior challenges. High levels of alcohol in the body can result in headaches, severe dehydration, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and indigestion. Drinking excessively, even on a single occasion, increases a person’s risk of detrimental heart effects. If threat of illness does not detour the consumption of alcohol think of what it does to your skin. Alcohol dehydrates the skin, depriving it of the moisture and nutrients it needs to keep the complexion looking radiant, supple and youthful. Deprivation of moisture increases the appearance of wrinkles, dryness and sagging skin. Alcohol is a diuretic which means it actively draws water away from the body, significantly lowering the body’s water level causing dehydration. Dehydrated skin can look dry and unhealthy both in color and texture. It causes increased redness or flushing of the skin, acne, blotchiness, puffiness and rosacea. Women are more vulnerable than men to many of the medical consequences of alcohol use.