June signifies a lot of things—the beginning of summer, father’s day, and warmer weather. But it also signifies an important cause: Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month.

Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that affects one in nine people older than the age of 65. An estimated 5.4 million Americans, and 50 million people worldwide, are currently suffering from the disease. There are a lot of myths about the disease, one being that Alzheimer’s is not fatal. Unfortunately, the disease is fatal, and it’s more than just memory loss.

Though most people experience some type of cognitive decline as they age, Alzheimer’s disease is not simply cognitive decline. “Alzheimer’s disease is a universally fatal disease of the brain that actually causes neurons to die over the course of time until the person ultimately passes away from the Alzheimer’s pathology,” explains Dr. Keith Fargo, director of scientific programs and outreach at the Alzheimer’s Association.

As Gil Rabinovici, MD of the University of California in San Francisco said, “Alzheimer’s disease does not cause imminent death, in the sense that most patients live for more than five years and some for 10 to 15 years from diagnosis if they are otherwise healthy. In the end stages, however, Alzheimer’s impacts balance, walking, and swallowing. The cause of death is usually related to complications of immobility such as falls, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, pressure sores, or aspiration.”

Caretakers of patients with Alzheimer’s also suffer, both emotionally and physically. Many people close to people with Alzheimer’s go through denial, anger, social withdrawal, anxiety, depression, exhaustion, sleeplessness, irritability, and health problems. Oftentimes, caretakers neglect themselves because they focus most of their energy on their loved one.

For many of us, this disease hits close to home. I have a grandmother with Alzheimer’s, and it’s painful to watch her decline. My grandmother always had a smile on her face, she was always laughing, only happy. Now, if we’re lucky and she’s having a “good day,” she will smile and occasionally laugh. But everyone who knows someone with advanced Alzheimer’s knows that bad days mean sullenness, mood swings, and oftentimes silence and unresponsiveness.

Everyone who cares about someone with Alzheimer’s also knows to appreciate the good moments. I am thankful that my grandmother still remembers who I am. Every time she sees me, she hugs me, holds my hand, and says I love you. These moments, though fleeting, give us strength.

Though Alzheimer’s is a sad disease, there is some hope for a cure. Just last year, a new study was conducted by researchers at the Queensland Brain Institute at Australia’s University of Queensland. Using a focused therapeutic ultrasound on mice, a team of scientists was able to open up the blood-brain barrier, which is a layer that protects the brain against bacteria. This then stimulated the brain’s microglial cells, or “waste-removal” cells, so that they could clear out the beta-amyloid clumps that are responsible for the worst symptoms of Alzheimer’s. 75 percent of the mice displayed fully restored memory function with no damage to the surrounding brain tissue. The team said that they would move on to testing higher animal models such as sheep and hope to start testing on humans in 2017.

Researchers at Stanford University also had success in 2014 when they boosted the immune systems of mice, which stopped a toxic protein called EP2 from functioning, and therefore allowed the microglia cells to clear the brain of bacteria, viruses, and dangerous deposits.

A possible cure to Alzheimer’s makes me hopeful, though many scientists in the field still claim to have a murky idea of exactly what causes Alzheimer’s, as there appears to be many factors.

Alzheimer’s is also a costly disease not just in its debilitating effects, but on the economy as well. According to the National Institutes of Health, Dementia is the most expensive disease in the United States, and with the aging of the baby boomers, costs for treatment of the disease are expected to skyrocket. The disease already absorbs 20 percent of Medicare spending.

Though Alzheimer’s isn’t completely avoidable, you can reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementias by practicing some important habits:

1. Regular exercise:

Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week. The ideal plan involves a combination of cardio exercise and strength training. Build muscle to pump up your brain. Combining aerobics and strength training is better than either activity alone. For those over 65, adding 2-3 strength sessions to your weekly routine may cut your risk of Alzheimer’s in half. Include balance and coordination exercises. Head injuries from falls are an increasing risk as you grow older, which in turn increase your risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

2. Healthy diet:

Enjoy a Mediterranean diet (veggies, fish, whole grain, olive oil). Limit dairies and meats.Consume foods such as ginger, green tea, fatty fish, soy products, blueberries, and other dark berries. Get omega-3 fats, found in salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel, and sardines. Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, and berries. Maintain consistent levels of insulin and blood sugar. Eat several small meals throughout the day. Avoid packaged, refined, and processed foods, especially those high in refined carbs such as sugars and white flour. Enjoy daily cups of tea. Regular consumption of green tea (2-4 cups a day) may enhance memory and mental alertness and slow brain aging. White and oolong teas are also particularly brain healthy.

3. Mental stimulation:

Learn something new. Study a foreign language, learn sign language, practice a musical instrument. The greater the novelty and challenge, the larger the deposit in your brain reserves. Practice memorization. Create rhymes and patterns to strengthen your memory connections. Enjoy strategy games, puzzles, and riddles. Brain teasers and strategy games provide a great mental workout and build your capacity to form and retain cognitive associations. Do a crossword puzzle, play board games or cards, or do Scrabble or Sudoku. Practice the 5 W’s. Keep a “Who, What, Where, When, and Why” list of your daily experiences.Follow the road less traveled. Take a new route or rearrange your computer file system. Varying your habits regularly to create new brain pathways.

4. Quality sleep:

Establish a regular sleep schedule. Going to bed and getting up at the same time reinforces your natural circadian rhythms. Your brain’s clock responds to regularity. Be smart about napping. If you must nap, do it in the early afternoon, and limit it to thirty minutes. Set the mood. Reserve your bed for sleep and sex, and ban television and computers from the bedroom (both are stimulating and may lead to difficulties falling asleep). Create a relaxing bedtime ritual. Take a hot bath, do some light stretches, or write in your journal. As it becomes habit, your nightly ritual will send a powerful signal to your brain that it’s time for deep restorative sleep. Quiet your inner chatter. When stress, anxiety, or negative internal dialogues keep you awake, get out of bed. Try reading or relaxing in another room for twenty minutes.

5. Stress management:

Breathe! Quiet your stress response with deep, abdominal breathing. Schedule daily relaxation activities. Keeping stress under control requires regular effort. Make relaxation a priority, whether it’s a walk in the park, playtime with your dog, or yoga. Nourish Inner Peace. Regular meditation, prayer, reflection, and religious practice may immunize you against the damaging effects of stress. Make fun a priority. All work and no play is not good for your stress levels or your brain.Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy.Keep your sense of humor. This includes the ability to laugh at yourself. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a number of ways.
An active social life: Commit to spending quality time with people you care about on a regular basis. Volunteer. Join a social club. Make a weekly date with friends or significant other.

6. No smoking, get your blood pressure and cholesterol levels under control, watch your weight, and drink only in moderation.

This info is from Helpguide.org, which outlines these pointers in even more detail.

These practices seem obvious, but how many of us can say we achieve all six of these things all the time? I can’t say that I always eat healthy and work out six days a week. But as we age, making these regular goals will make us feel better and reduce health risks that may present themselves in our later years.

We can help the Alzheimer’s cause by simply making people aware of the disease.

We can also help by participating in events with and joining organizations like Alzheimer’s Association and Alzheimer’s Foundation. The Alzheimer’s Association organizes walks all over the country to raise money.

Alzheimer’s debilitating effects have taken so many victims and caused pain to their loved ones. If we can help achieve treatments or cures, millions of people would lead happier, healthier lives, even into older ages.