DEMENTIA-THE QUEST FOR THE CURE Memory loss is common, even sometimes among young people! However, with advancing age we all expect it to get worse. My own memory has been deteriorating since age forty. I am now 72 so one would expect further deterioration, but my own was fading so fast that I finally took medical advice and I was horrified to be told by my doctor that I was now suffering from dementia. I suppose that I should have expected it, but I didn't. I as profoundly shocked and even more disturbed to be told that there was no known cure and the best that medical science could offer was the possibility of delaying deterioration. A search of the net confirmed this analysis, although a friend told me that he had heard of a case where the disease had been reversed by eating macedemia nuts and drinking coconut oil. Obviously one will grasp at any straw and so I have started taking these and we must see if there is any improvement. My Doctor also put me on vitamin B tablets and so with these and a plan of prayer and meditation I am determined to fight. After having been told by the quack I spent a lot of time reflecting and sure enough as I thought about things I looked back and could see the slow deterioration, not only in my memory, but also my mental faculties. Difficulteis in sorting out problems with the internet. Difficulty in entering password numbers etc. The more I thought, the more I realised that not only had my memory deteriorated, but also my mental faculties. According to the net I now have a 75% possibility of dementia moving into alzeimers disease. This is a very scary thought and I remembered the blank spells that had prompted me to visit the quack. I thought about the difficulty that I was having in just coping with life.f For me as for many others it is a depressing prospect. I have led a blessed and crowded life and for the past few years turned from business to writing. At present I am still able to write and I am working on my fourth book and I will continue to do so. This will be the third in the Bolandville stories, I hope that I can complete it. I believe that I will. It occurred to me that the some of the millions of others similarly effected with dementia might be able to offer their input about possible ways of slowing the 'enemy' down. Also a record of any changes in myself might be interesting and so I will write at least a weekly blogg about my situation. If my condition deteriorates as badly as is possible my dear wife Julian will take over the blogg I was tempted by my mischevious nature to call the blogg 'The Diary of a Madman', as it is a form of madness that the enemy is visiting upon us, but I was persuaded that this might be inapropriate. So it will just be David's blogg. I'll write again next week. Any input would be much appreciated. You can communicate with me directly by e mail dwheater@lantic.net. God bless. David Barnato. South Africa