Living with HD: Treat Your Brain to a Spa Day

We spend a fortune every year on clothing, buying the right foods, beauty products, and other things to take care of our physical bodies.  Huntington’s Disease certainly wreaks havoc on our physical well-being, but it is a neurological disorder.  When was the last time that you did something nice for your brain?

There are many things that you can do to help you deal with HD and improve your ability to function.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with HD you will be dealing with stress.  There is the stress over whether or not you’ve passed on the gene, the stress about your prognosis, and the stress about what your level of care will be.  A leading cause of death for HD sufferers is heart failure.  A major contributor to heart-related issues is, you guessed it, stress.  Evaluate how you deal with stress.

Verbalizing what is causing stress can become difficult.  Woody Guthrie was probably the most famous sufferer of HD.  As his symptoms became more advanced, his wife designed a series of flash cards to facilitate their discussions.  She presented him with a series of words and images that he could choose from to communicate his feelings.  In addition to “yes” and “no” he was given the option of a face showing a smile or a face showing a frown.  He could sort through the cards to better express what he was feeling.

HD brings with it a loss of control.  Many will present with “anosognia” which is a lack of awareness of one’s condition.  A patient with anosognia may still seem to be functioning at a relatively high level but be oblivious about things like communicating feelings, about personal hygiene, or about eating.

Someone in the early stages of HD may be unaware of their hunger or lack of suitable food.  As the disease progresses they may find it difficult to swallow, or medications may make calorie absorption a problem.  If you have HD, you get a free pass when New Year’s resolutions come around.  You get to go on a Reverse-Diet.  Increase your caloric intake!  A diet high in protein has been shown to slow the deterioration of cognitive ability.  Many of the physical aspects of the disease (chorea, spasms) also cause HD patients to burn calories at a very high level.

The posturing and chorea that comes with HD can make daily activity a chore.  Many report that trying to remain motionless is an exercise in futility.  For an exercise in non-futility, try to establish a good walking regimen as soon as possible.  HD sufferers have reported that walking eases some of the physical symptoms of the disease, it has therapeutic benefits in dealing with stress, and it’s good exercise for the heart!  People who’ve done this have also reported better sleeping habits.

Life can be difficult without a good night’s rest.  Lack of sleep leads to fatigue, higher levels of stress, confusion, moodiness, and loss of coordination.  Does this sound like Huntington’s?  Chorea, a poor diet, and stress can all rob you of valuable rest.  Instead of looking at this as a revolving door of issues, tackle it head on.  Talk to your doctors about medications that will help lessen the physical effects.   Your doctor may also prescribe something to help you deal with stress or depression.

Finally, a spiritual approach.

Studies have shown that Buddhist monks have the ability to regulate breathing, heart rate, and now brain activity, through the use of meditation.  Monks who have trained for a number of years showed neural activity that was considerably more responsive and synchronized than the scans of people who had never practiced.

We’re not suggesting that everyone become monks, but 15 to 20 minutes of practice per day can’t hurt.  All that you need is some quiet, and a cue to clean your mind.  Some use a chant, or “mantra”.  For some it is a visual cue, like a candle.  For some, it is the image of a river.  You just allow your thoughts to flow down the river.  It is very easy to get caught in a pool or eddy, but concentrate on flowing down the river.

So get creative about verbalizing your stress, and feed your brain with good proteins.  Use social interaction to give it a good workout, and meditation to give it a good rest.  Treat your brain to a Spa Day!

 

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