Memory

I am posting tonight because I am going out of town tomorrow and am leaving right around the time I normally have a cup of coffee with you. So, let's call this a nightcap (even if it is still kind of early).

After my earlier blog today, I started thinking more about potential types of volunteering that would probably be satisfying, such as helping abused people rebuild self-esteem, etc. But then I thought more about Alzheimer's patients. A couple I have known since I was a child both are both in the early stages of the disease. And what an amazingly helpless feeling I have about it. These are two brilliant people (as are a lot who suffer with this). However, their doctor seems interested to see what hypnosis could do for them. There may be potential for slowing it down or increasing memory capacity. I have read a few articles on the subject and someone out there feels that if you can motivate early suffers to increase their memory capacity by stimulating the idea of doing something fun (Sudoku has potential), it may give them some mental longevity. So, that is what I am currently pondering.

The more I have learned about Alzheimer's, the more I am convinced that there are things we can do to help those with it. For all those What the Bleep people out there, remember all the talk about neurons? Well, get to know them. The Alzheimer Foundation has a very good description of the disease and how it works. Our power little friends, the neurons, nerve cells, are part of the process. These neurons communicate with others to form networks (clicky bastards, aren't they). These networks take on job functions that help run our body and mind. The association relates these to the analogy of a factory that keeps us up an running, and like in the factory world, back up, system failures, and worse happen and communication breaks down. As the damage happens certain brain cells stop functioning and die, causing memory loss and eventual death. Scientists are still trying to learn where this process starts. I am hopeful.

A little outside the realm of actual hypnosis, there is another way to help the association on its quest for a cure. It is the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk, which is the nation's largest fundraising

effort, along with raising awareness, for Alzheimer care, support and research (go hypnosis, go!). They are currently looking for team captains and I thought I would share this with you. If you have an office or influence at one (for the corporate level), you may want to consider being a team captain for a Memory Walk . Team captains can also be members of the community, organizing a group of friends to participate, and these can be people of all ages. They are recruiting now so that captains will have plenty of time to set-up their teams. The Walks take place in the Fall in over 600 communities, so there is bound to be one near you. And if you take the time to see what is needed to do this, it has all been organized nicely and sounds like you would get a fair amount of support from the association.

The past Walks, since 1989, have risen over $225 million dollars, and remember that includes research. Research may include hypnosis, so we may learn how to help these people even more.




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