Keith Everett
positive thinking

Can Positive Thinking Help Prevent Dementia?

You often hear me talk about positive thinking, there is a strong reason for that. It’s because I’ve seen the damage caused with my own eyes that negative thinking can have on a person’s well-being, both mentally and physically.

According to trusted medical website WebMd, Positive thinking may increase lifespan, reduce stress, lower the chance of having a heart attack, and lower blood pressure. I think it’s pretty common knowledge that if you live a stressed lifestyle you are likely to cause damage to your body and your mind.

What causes stress?.

Worry. and what is worry?

The way you feel or cause to feel anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems.

But, can positive thinking prevent Dementia?.

I know something that won’t prevent it. Negative thinking. The problem is, we live in a world where it’s quite normal to be negative and quite normal to poke fun at optimistic people. I’ve been accused myself (by family) for being overly optimistic.

To them, I say this. SHUT UP!.

According to CNN Health There are two proteins that are formed in the brain to create the most common cause of dementia. Tau and Beta-Amyloid. After testing 350 people over 50, The scans showed that people who spent more time thinking negatively had more tau and beta-amyloid buildup, worse memory, and greater cognitive decline over a four-year period compared to people who were not pessimists.

This was one study. Here is another.

This study was carried out in 2017 on behalf of the National Institute of Aging, USA

The cohort consisted of 4,765 Health and Retirement Study participants who were aged 60 or older and dementia-free at baseline. As predicted, in the total sample those with positive age beliefs at baseline were significantly less likely to develop dementia, after adjusting for relevant covariates. Among those with APOE ε4, those with positive age beliefs were 49.8% less likely to develop dementia than those with negative age beliefs. 

Positive Thinking

It’s not the be-all and end-all. Positive thinking is not a cure-all for everything. Positive people get sick too. However, I do believe that the more positive you are, the less likely you are to encounter mental and physical health problems. Some people seem to enjoy knocking everything and everybody, they may even get a kick out of it, but deep down, I am convinced that they are causing long-term damage to their health.

This goes for any medical condition, mental or otherwise. The body is listening to your thoughts. Stress kills, and I think we all need to be a bit more kinder to ourselves, and others. In a world filled with stress, bad news and constant cynicism, we as people need to start filtering out the bad vibes transmitted by the media and other individuals.

Look on the brighter side of life.

Habits take a while to form. Negative thinking over a sustained period can cause all kinds of problems. Depression is just one of them. Medication may be the answer short-term but most medication is just a band-aid masking the real truth.

The truth is, how we think is everything. Your brain is either the master of your destiny or your total undoing. Toxic thinking is behind most crimes, it’s also behind many illnesses. Isn’t it time you rethought your thinking?

I hope this post has been useful. If it has, please give it a share and leave a comment below.

This article is not intended to give any medical advice, always consult a medical professional.

Have a great day.

Keith

P.s People who liked this post also liked this one. “Selling Yourself Short At 60

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