Dementia and Alzheimer's disease overtake heart disease as the leading cause of death in America

Sunday, November 20, 2016 by: J. D. Heyes
Tags: dementia, Alzheimer''s, causes of death

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(NaturalNews) When you see a substantial shift in what is causing most humans to die, there are many questions scientists and researchers should be asking – about changes in the environment, changes in the food and changes in the way we treat illnesses (Big Pharma comes to mind).

So it's likely researchers are now asking questions about why dementia and Alzheimer's disease have taken over heart disease as the world's leading cause of death. Hint: They may want to start with the fact that our wired world is having a really negative effect on our brains.

In any event, the BBC reports that in England and Wales, the latest figures show that dementia is now the leading cause of death. Last year, figures show that more than 61,000 people died from dementia, or 11.6 percent of all recorded deaths.

As per the Office for National Statistics, the change from heart disease to dementia as the primary killer is likely due to an aging population. But that doesn't jibe, considering that heart disease – especially in the West – is tied to aging and several other lifestyle choices (like bad diets) that have not changed much.

'Dementia is not an inevitable part of aging'

Still, the office said, people are living longer, and so deaths from other causes, including heart disease, have declined. And officials say that doctors have gotten more skilled at diagnosing dementia, so the condition is now given much more weight in death statistics.

The BBC noted that dementia deaths were seen in higher numbers in women than in men. In all, 41,283 women were found to have died from dementia-related illnesses, compared to 20,403 men last year.

Including Alzheimer's disease, dementia accounted for 15.2 percent of all female deaths, an increase from 13.4 percent in 2014.

Overall, heart disease remained the number one cause of death in men last year, however. And as a group, all forms of cancer remained the most common cause of death overall. In the youngest age group, aged 5 to 19, suicide was the leading killer. Breast cancer was the leading cause of death among women aged 35 to 49.

"These figures once again call attention to the uncomfortable reality that currently, no-one survives a diagnosis of dementia," Hilary Evans, of Alzheimer's Research UK, told the BBC. "Dementia is not an inevitable part of ageing, it's caused by diseases that can be fought through research, and we must bring all our efforts to bear on what is now our greatest medical challenge."

Other medical experts agree. Martina Kane, also of the Alzheimer's Society, said it was vital that people are given access to the proper support and healthcare services in order to help them live better lives with dementia. Also, Kane said that it was important that "research into better care, treatments and eventually a cure remain high on the agenda."

Earlier research says that microwaves are causing neurological damage

In the UK, about 850,000 people are living with dementia. In the United States, that figure is about 5.4 million, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

In December 2014, Natural News reported that the BioInitiative Working Group, which consisted of 29 experts from 10 countries, with 10 holding medical degrees, 21 PhD's and three MsC's, MA's or MPH's, said that there is mounting evidence that wireless technology is causing brain damage, tumors and other chronic health conditions.

Based on a review of research that was published in 2012 and 2013, Dr. Lennart Hardell, MD, PhD, of Orebro University in Sweden, said he saw a "consistent pattern of increased risk for glioma" – a malignant brain tumor – as well as acoustic neuroma "with use of mobile and cordless phones."

Adds Barry Trower, a retired British military intelligence scientist and expert in microwave technology, "We know that microwaves can cause genetic damage."

Sources:

BBC.com

NaturalNews.com

ALZ.org