[Perfectlap]

Off topic (health and wellness) -- mods feel free to move but since many here are in their late forties and have elderly family members it seems like a good warning. My retired father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I was skeptical. Family members were devastated. The primary care doctor was not a neurologist. I took him to a neurological institute that was conducting a clinical trial for a new Alzheimer's treatment. After a battery of examinations it was ruled not to be Alzheimer's but a vascular condition, most likely from high cholesterol that was not addressed sooner that led to a night time stroke. The stroke affected the brain in such a way that symptoms appeared similar to early onset of Alzheimer's. But you don't see the same sort of deterioration like with Alzheimer's (ie. in one ear out the other). But I couldn't help to wonder how many millions of families are given this Alzheimer's death sentence needlessly.

So another reason to get your cholesterol under control if being proactive is your thing. and seek out the best neurologist in your area, I always consult the U.S. News and World Report rankings by specialty. And definitely consult a neurologist before under going any surgical procedure as there can be devastating speech and other physical side effects once the anaesthesia wears off if the patient has any known or unknown conditions like mild dementia or Alzheimer's. Which is what happened to my father following benign prostrate surgery. No warning was made about this possibility before surgery despite going to one of the top urology groups in the state. And the doctors at the hospital offered virtually no specific explanation or remedy and seemed reluctant to acknowledge the trauma in a formal way (hospital neurologist did not come by until nearly the fifth day for what was supposed to be a three night hospital stay. He seems to be moving in the right direction towards recovery but it just makes me think what a long tail of consequences can come from or become aggravated by cholesterol mismanagement.