It’s a scary situation: When your mother who cared for you all through your life does not remember you anymore. Dementia is a condition caused by weakening of neurons thereby causing loss of cognitive ability, symptoms of which lead to memory loss, mood swings, and communication problems.Well, scientifically there are many kinds of dementias; so many you could most probably write a short book just citing a small introduction about it.
Most people would associate the ‘disease’ with old age, however the latest study shows that the modern lifestyle, riddled with the evils of technology is causing dementia to strike even young people. In fact most experts are now going as far out as to label it as a “Hidden Endemic.” As per the recent stats, India (like most other developing nations) will see a steep rise in the number of cases of dementia. It is always strange that people depend on these studies putting out these statistics but what we do not realise, is that this is only half the truth, the other half is never published.
Like the fact that many kind of dementias are also caused by technology and/or by drugs. For the purposes of this article we would be focusing on the latter. Drugs as mentioned herein above are not of the kind as procured by shady drug dealers, but medicines prescribed by doctors. There is not much difference between the two; most people are addicted and dependent on these drugs. Let a person just sneeze and they run to the doctor to pop a few coloured pills, a bad day at work signals an onslaught of depression and there would be a slew of medicines piled up to be had with the other regular morning medicine. The medicines probably might suppress your cold and you might no longer be depressed, but long after the cold is gone and you’re not as depressed, you might be facing dementia and forget all about your past history. Different people react to different medication differently, so while dementia may occur as a reaction to a single medicine it could also be due to the concoction of different medicines and how they react to each other.
Most experts would say that dementia caused by medicines is reversible but continued use of drugs that impair cognitive ability may, in some cases, lead to permanent damage. So if there is no end to this vicious cycle to medicine, then probably the beginning to end this could be to understand the genesis. Taking a step back apart from the fact that we run to medicines every single time we even sneeze and they are one of the causes of dementia, one of the main causes are also our indulgences. It is a by-product of all the bhog we indulge in our lives. We are so stuck in the material that we forget everything else. We are so consumed by the bhog that we cannot see beyond it, thus that along with the harm done to our bodies with chemicals.
It is, therefore, imperative for us to take time out to realise where we are headed, more so in the present kaliyug. With hectic work lives, sedentary lifestyles and convenient health choices we are bringing upon ourselves the impending doom that is sure to hit us sooner than later. We must understand all aches and pains that we experience are actually just symptoms of a much deep-set disease, and medicines only suppress the symptoms. The only way out is to bring our body in balance and an effective way to do so is by practicing Yog in its authentic sense and adhering to principles of nature. The Ashtang Yog prescribes – Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayam, Pratyahaar, Dharna, Dhyan, Samadhi. It is a known fact that a practitioner of yog never falls sick as is evident in practitioners of yog at Dhyan Foundation.
Unless we find a way to permanently solve the root cause of our problems, the body is bound to move towards ageing and further imbalance faster. Our ancestors were way stronger and healthier than we can even expect ourselves to be. And they certainly did not depend on medication for that. It is time we realise that modern day medication may be doing more harm than good. We may have gone wrong somewhere in our judgements and perceptions adhering to all things natural. The way out thus would be only and only the route of following a niyam, one niyam all your life to follow the path of yog to move forward, and service and charity to help others.`
A list of drugs that cause dementia or dementia-like symptoms is long put. Please find below a list of a few:
(i) Sedatives
(ii) Anti-depressants
(iii) Anti-parkinson medicines
(iv) Antihistamines
(v) Cardiovascular drugs
(vi) Anti-anxiety medications
(vii) Anticonvulsants
(viii) Corticosteroids
