Atheism and Alzheimer's disease
WebMd reported in 2005, "Religious practices and spirituality may slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease."[1]
The abstract for the 1990 journal article Spirituality, religion, and Alzheimer's disease published in the Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy indicates:
| “ | The chaplain's ministry to persons with dementia, often of the Alzheimer's type, is vitally relevant to their clinical well-being. No chaplain should even think that because someone is demented, they can no longer be reached spiritually. While few scientific studies exist, clinical experience and anecdotal accounts suggest that selected pastoral interventions can enhance the quality of life of the mildly, moderately, and even severely demented individual.[2] | ” |
Alzheimer's disease is "characterised by loss of neurons and synapses in the cerebral cortex and certain subcortical regions. This loss results in gross atrophy of the affected regions, including degeneration in the temporal lobe and parietal lobe, and parts of the frontal cortex and cingulate gyrus.[3] Some of the primary symptoms of alzheimer's disease are: memory problems, mood swings, emotional outbursts, brain stem damage which impairs function in the heart, lungs plus causes disruption of various other bodily processes.[4]
See also
- Atheism and the brain
- Religiosity and larger frontal lobes
- Religious individuals and thicker cerebral cortices
References
- ↑ Religion, Spirituality May Slow Alzheimer's, WebMD, 2005
- ↑ Spirituality, religion, and Alzheimer's disease. by SG1, Whitehouse PJ., Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, 1999;8(1-2):45-57.
- ↑ http://www.news-medical.net/health/Neurodegeneration-in-Alzheimers-and-Parkinsons.aspx
- ↑ Alzheimer's disease
