Aging Myths: Reversible Causes of Mind and Memory Loss

Memory loss often has a reversible cause and is not necessarily part of growing old: this is the principal message of this comprehensive review of aging by a professor at the Yale University School of Medicine and author of Is Surgery Necessary? Claiming that senility and dementia are often neither permanent nor irreversible, Kra attributes them in large part to environmental factors, chronic depression and, most frequently, to improper medication. Citing case histories, he describes forms of dementia caused by medical conditions, e.g., hypertension, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular, kidney and lung ailments, along with chronic infections such as meningitis and AIDS. Alcohol abuse, he reminds us, may cause serious mental impairment, as may head injuries and tumors. On an encouraging note, Kra adds that unless we are afflicted with disease, a regimen of constructive activity, proper exercise and food should maintain emotional and intellectual health. February 10