Dr Ming | Dr Tara Rakareekul
Specialist physician in the nervous system and the brain

Alzheimer's and the prevention of dementia

Thai society is stepping into a state of ageing rapidly. A state of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's, not only affects the quality of life of the patient, but also has a heavy effect on the carer, the people in the family, and society as a whole. Dr Tara Rakareekul, or Dr Ming, a physician expert in the nervous system and the brain, has emphasised the importance of caring for "the capacity of the brain", or cognition (Cognitive Function), and that prevention is therefore the strategy that is most effective and most worthwhile.

Alzheimer's disease is a disease met often, since it is a disease that arises from the degeneration of the brain cells, and as one grows older, the brain is one of the organs that degenerates normally like the other organs. Not only does this disease make daily life more difficult once one has it, but making the symptoms come back to being as good as before is also extremely difficult.

"When a person already has Alzheimer's, or the symptoms have already become many, making the symptoms come back to being as good as before is extremely difficult."

– Dr Ming

This indicates that what we should focus on is prevention rather than treatment: how to make the brain strong for a long time and make the degeneration of the brain proceed as slowly as possible.

Caring for the health of the brain with the principle of "holism" through 7 keys

Dr Ming has summarised the 14 risk factors that world-level research indicates are causes of Alzheimer's into a principle of self-care that is easy to remember and covers 7 areas, namely the eyes, the ears, the nose, the mouth, the brain, the body, and the mind. And caring for the health of the brain with the principle of "holism" through these 7 keys is something that everyone can begin to do immediately, in order to maintain the capacity of the brain as well as possible. And if a state of risk or abnormal symptoms are found from the initial stage, the doctor will be able to give care and plan to slow the decline in good time, which ultimately means that reducing the number of patients with dementia in the future is building strength and returning resources to society as a whole.

Technology and expertise in caring for patients

Dr Ming accepts that technology is extremely important in the medical field, because it helps make diagnosis and treatment more precise and the side effects fewer. However, achieving the highest goal in caring for patients does not depend on technology alone.

"What is important is that there must be expertise, knowledge and understanding in using that technology as well… not only using it, but knowing whom it should be used with, when it should be used, and in which cases it should be used."

– Dr Ming

This is the important heart of modern medicine: combining advanced instruments with the deep knowledge and understanding of the doctor.

Dr Ming believes that a state of dementia is a matter for everyone, and so is prevention, and that a good brain will be the starting point of a good society. If we can reduce the number of patients with dementia in the future, society will be able to save an enormous amount of budget and resources, and take them to do many other good things.

Caring for the brain so that it is strong does not mean living a perfect life, but means paying attention to and reducing the risk factors that can be controlled as fully as possible, so that everyone can live with quality for as long as possible.

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