Andrew Lopez
Ms. Mora
ERWC, Period 5
10
March 2015
Do
not forget to Dance! How Dancing can decrease the onset of Dementia
Approximately
35.6 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, by 2030 this number will
double, and by 2050 will triple. Not only do people in America struggle with dementia,
but it can be found everywhere and there are a numerous amount of cases that go
unreported. With some cases of dementia being hereditary and with the
affirmation that the risk of developing grows with age, it is no wonder people
live in fear of this mysterious disease. As it
is well known there is no cure for this devastating disease. A disease where
one must endure day to day confusion and constant memory loss for an array of
things such as a telephone numbers, or loved ones is undoubtingly a tragic way
to live a life. With no antibiotics or home remedies to cure this disease, one
can surely live in terror of one day acquiring dementia. Though there is no way
to make the disease perish, there are strides one can do to prevent it. Mental
health and physical activity go hand-in-hand, and in the case of dementia, one
of the best physical activities one can do to prevent its onset is dancing.
Dementia
is a rapidly growing disease and researchers are constantly trying to find new
answers, as well as a lead to a cure. As fatality statistics rise, the desideratum
to find cures or preventions for dementia rise. According to McKeeff, “ 5.4
million people in America have Alzheimer’s and 1 in 8 Americans will eventually
develop the disease” (McKeeff 1). The startling number, one in eight means that
people in America have a twelve point five percent chance of one day obtaining
the disease. With a substantial chance of obtaining the disease it is a
realistic fear for many elderly. Researchers continue to explore many potential
solutions, searching for a valid cure. “Unfortunately
there are currently no medications that effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease”
(McKeeff 1). With no medications readily available or any successful cures,
researchers are forced to explore alternative methods in treating and
preventing dementia. Dementia is caused by the death of brain cells, these
brain cells die when one has no cognitive stimulation going in the brain. “Stimulating
one’s mind by dancing can ward off Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia, much
as physical exercise can keep the body fit” (Powers 1). Dancing is a healthy
activity that not only exercises one’s body physically, but also exercises one’s
mind. Exercises such as running or lifting weights are great for the body, but
become routine the mind and offer no brain stimulation. The exercise becomes
another monotonous task such as brushing one’s teeth or locking the door. The
New England Journal of Medicine found that reading reduces the risk of dementia
by 35%, crossword puzzles by 47%, and lastly, dancing reduces the risk of dementia
by 75%. “The only physical activity to
offer protection against dementia was frequently dancing. That was the greatest
reduction of any activity studies, cognitive or physical” (Powers 1). With a
scarcity of activities, mental or physical, as effective at preventing dementia
as dancing, it is common that one might consider taking up dancing. The
findings were unforeseen, the best possible action one can take in order to
combat dementia would be to dance. The positive effects of dancing cease to be
endless.
There
is so much more depth to dancing and positive effects that the average person
is unaware of. Dancing is a physical and mental activity that works numerous
areas of the brain as well as the body. “Dancing integrates several brain functions
at once-kinesthetic, rational, musical, and emotional-further increasing your
neural connectivity” (Powers 1). Brain cells begin to die when neurons stop
connecting and receiving stimulation, so dancing can help keep those neurons
connecting at a healthy rate. Since dancing is operating multiple brain
functions at one time, it keeps the brain active and does not leave it
stagnant. The more neurons being
stimulated the more activity there will be inside the brain, with more activity
comes a healthier brain that is less likely to lose vital functions. “Making as
many split second decisions as possible is the key to maintaining cognitive
abilities” (Powers 1). Split second decisions, is what keeps the brain active,
due to this the brain can not simply go through the motions and develop a
regular feel for the activity, it is always changing. If one was simply walking
or lifting weights, it becomes repetitive and predictable, the same action is
being done over and over. On the other hand with dancing, the actions are
coming only from impulses and remain new and exciting. “No, not all forms of
dancing will produce the same benefit, especially if they only work on style,
or merely retrace the same memorized paths” (Powers 1). If a person does the
same amount of exercise every single day, after a while the body becomes
accustomed the activity and it no longer has as great as an affect as when it
was started. Dancing works the same way. It is important to change it up, the
same mundane moves or two-step dance will not do merely as much as a free style
dance where a person brings in his or her own rhythm or just move out of
impulse.
Dancing
is conclusively the best possible way to prevent the onset of dementia, but not
all styles of dance can be as beneficial as others. One of the best dances one
can do to prevent dementia is ballroom dancing. Ballroom dancing can bear
resemblance to a monotonous activity that is boring and repetitive, but there
are actually is a substantial amount of thinking and rapid responses involved.
“In addition to physical exercise, ballroom dancing is a cognitive activity
that requires concentration” (Ballroom Dancing Helps Fight Against Dementia and
Alzheimer’s Disease 1). Ballroom dancing has more concentration than one might
suppose, the steps involved help cognitive activity. “According to the
research, ballroom dancing seems to be one of the few physical activities that
can delay the onset of dementia and actually re-wire the cerebral cortex” (Ballroom
Dancing Helps Fight Against Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease 1). The cerebral
cortex is the biggest part of the brain, and with as much brain activity that
goes on inside, it is very important of keeping this area active and it can not
be stressed enough. In addition to being physically healthy and delaying the
onset of dementia, ballroom dancing can actually re-wire the neurons in the
cerebral cortex. Re-wiring comes from changes in behavior, emotions,
environment and learning new things. Dancing can offer a whole new way of life
to a person with all the new movements and effects it has on one’s body. However,
when dementia is already acquired ballroom dancing cannot solve the problem
completely. Ballroom dancing can only prevent the problem. “Thirty percent of
non-ballroom dancing individuals eventually developed dementia, while only 19
percent of the ballroom dancers developed dementia” (McKeeff). The statistics may not appear to be as
startling as one would hope, but when it comes to protection against dementia,
every advantage offered should be taken. Those who do not partake in this
activity potentially have a greater likelihood of developing the disease.
Nothing but positive advantages can come out of ballroom dancing and dancing in
general. As people grow older it is critical they know these advantages of
dancing for their over all health. Ballroom dancing is definitely a wise first
step for elderly citizens trying to prevent dementia, but it is not the only
dance to dodge the onset of dementia.
When
it comes to dancing, doing the same routine over and over becomes tedious and
quite useless to the brain and does no service to someone trying to avert dementia.
The more spontaneous and unmethodical the dance movements are the better. Free
style dancing is also one of the best because the brain is challenged trying to
keep up with your body’s motions. “Freestyle dancing requires constant
split-second, rapid fire decision making, which is the key to maintaining
intelligence because it forces your brain to rewire its neural path ways”
(Serlin 1). An intelligent brain is one that stays alert and has to be kept
alert from beneficial activities. If the brain is caught off guard when a
person is dancing, this can really help the brain stay healthy and continue to
work efficiently. The more decisions one makes the more brain activity is going
on helping maintain a healthy brain and body. “Frequently freestyle dancing was
shown by the study to reduce the risk of dementia by 78 percent-twice as much
as reading-and playing sports or practicing choreographed dance sequences which
had no benefit at all” (Serlin 1). As with anything else, the frequency of dancing
can determine how well it efficiently protects someone. Practice makes perfect
and when it comes to protecting oneself, the more dancing that occurs, the
better. Having a good dance partner who shares the love and interest of dancing
is a beneficial factor, but the same partner can become too familiar. “With different dance partners you have to
adjust much more and be aware of move variables” (Powers 5). If a person dances
with the same partner for a long period of time, the activity becomes familiar
and whether the people dancing notice it or not, it is not new and transforms
into monotony. As opposed to when a
person is dancing with someone that they have never met before, they are forced
to adjust their method of dancing and way in which they are used to in order to
match their partner’s rhythm. Not only does using a partner help with the
dancing, if someone dances in a group setting the benefits sky rocket.
Going
out and dancing with friends is an activity that anyone of any age can enjoy,
but for elderly people at risk of developing Dementia, dancing in a group
setting can benefit the mind and body in multiple ways and is more beneficial
than usual. Dancing is a social activity; it can be done alone, but is much
better with a partner or a few friends. For an elderly person it may be hard
for them to stick to activities on his or her own, no matter how enjoyable it
may be. “This establishes dance as a part of life allowing one to join in group
and community expression of feelings such as grief, anger, loss, or joy, and
participation in ritual” (Coaten 1). Everyone has an outlet they go to in order
to let loose or clear their mind. For senior citizens who have lost that outlet
as a result of old age, they need some way of nonverbal expression. Dancing
becomes quite therapeutic for these senior citizens; after all they have lived
a long hard life. The exercise itself is not only a means to keep you healthy,
but a way to escape for a moment and enjoy life for a period of time and let emotions
be expressed by movement. “The motor action often sparks memories from the
past, which in turn helps confused individuals become more alert and organized”
(“Dance/Movement Therapy and Alzheimer’s Disease”). The thought of doing
exercise one can enjoy followed by a rush of old memories must be so refreshing
to a person of old age. The action of dancing can bring back past memories or
instincts that can help elderly pick up where they left off or get better
bearings with what is going on. Dancing becomes healthy yet nostalgic. One can
only imagine the feeling to remember a forgotten memory from years ago, like
finding buried treasure planted as a youth. “Disease that impairs memory also
affects self-image and esteem; persons with dementia often become depressed and
frustrated by their decreased abilities” (Dance/Movement Therapy and
Alzheimer’s Disease). Emotionally, this disease can eat a person alive, it is
so important people are properly informed about the wonders dancing can do. Dementia
can be so devastating to the mind to where not only are the patients unaware of
their surroundings, they are unaware of simple everyday life that occurs while
they are struggling with the disease. It is so important that people know that
there is ways to decrease their chances of developing the disease and there is
hope. Dancing can be helpful to the mind and should be enjoyed.
Mental
health and physical activity go hand in hand in some cases, and in terms of
dementia, the best activity one can do to prevent the onset of Dementia is
dancing. If a senior citizen is serious about preventing their chances of
getting dementia then joining a dance class is a viable option. Dancing as
often as possible, and dancing to as wide a variety of music can become
beneficial to one’s health. Dementia can be a tragic and horrifying disease,
but if people are aware of the steps they need to take in order to prevent it,
they can dance as long as they desire with a healthier future.
Works
Cited
“Ballroom Dancing Helps Fight
Against Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease.” The
Senior Connection, Web. 5 December
2014.
Coaten, Richard. “Going by the way
of the body in Dementia Care.” Community
Dance, 15 August 2011. Web. 5
December 2014.
“Dance/Movement Therapy and
Alzheimer’s Disease.” American Dance
Therapy Association, Web. 5 December 2014.
“Exercise and Physical activity for
people with dementia.” Alzheimer’s
Society, Web. 23 January 2015.
Gottlieb, Scott. “Mental activity
may help prevent dementia.” The BMJ,
28 June 2003. Web. 5 December 2014.
McKeeff, Thomas. “Shall we Dance?
Alzheimer’s Takes a Spin With Ballroom Dancing.” Every Day Health,
6 January 2014. Web. 5 December 2014.
Nordqvist, Christian. “How to
prevent Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.”
Medical News Today, 23 July 2013. Web. 23
January 2015.
Powers, Richard. “Use it or Lose
it: Dancing Makes You Smarter.” Stanford
Dance, 30 July 2010. Web. 5
December 2014.
Serlin, Ilene. “Dancing Away
Dementia.” Technology Today, 26
November 2013. Web. 5 December
2014.
Smith, Melinda. “How to Reduce your
risk and protect your brain as you age.” Alzheimer’s
and Dementia Prevention, December 2014. Web. 23 January 2015.
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