Misperceptions About Alzheimer’s Disease

Dr. Gayatri Devi, board-certified neurologist and author of The Spectrum of Hope: An Optimistic and New Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease, discusses the most common misperceptions about Alzheimer’s disease. The biggest misunderstanding is that Alzheimer’s is a single illness. In reality, it is multiple illnesses across a spectrum. There are mild forms of the disease that are slow to develop and severe cases with rapid onset. Dr. Devi notes that these worst-case examples are rare, affecting only a small percentage of patients. Do not let the disease’s stigma discourage early screening and prevention. There is much that can be done to slow Alzheimer’s progression, including simple lifestyle interventions.