Alzheimer’s is one of the most dreaded diseases of our age. It is estimated that more than 5.5 million people in the United States alone suffer from its debilitating effects. Since the vast majority of those afflicted are over sixty-five, there are tens of millions of spouses, children, and grandchildren who sadly must learn how to deal with a loved one who is slowly slipping away.
I had always thought that there was little one could do to prevent or slow the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. However, in this amazing book, Defeating Dementia, Dr. Richard Furman explains in an easy-to-understand and detailed way that there are actually things you can be doing right now to decrease your odds of developing Alzheimer’s dementia.
I have been friends with Dr. Furman for more than four decades. I have known him as an outstanding surgeon who has spent many years operating on patients whose arteries were clogged with damaging plaque, one of the known high risk contributors to the eventual development of Alzheimer’s. When his mother-in-law, Mrs. Dell, contracted Alzheimer’s, he began exhaustive research into managing the risk factors of the disease, and he found that there are a number of simple preventative measures one can take to successfully fight Alzheimer’s.
What I like about this book is that it is written based on a careful review of the medical literature and is explained in such a way that everyone can understand. What I especially like is that it is a great book of hope. It gives hope that you don’t have to spend the latter years of your life not recognizing or knowing your children’s names, not recognizing your best friends or your spouse, and eventually becoming completely dependent on someone else to care for all your needs.
This book offers more than just hope for defeating dementia—it shares the hope for life Eternal. In the epilogue, after sharing the story of Mrs. Dell’s journey with Alzheimer’s, Dr. Furman relates the story of Mrs. Dell’s husband at a time several years before her passing. Mr. Dell realized he himself could be on his deathbed and talked about where he planned to spend eternity. The obvious reality is this: everyone is going to die. No one can defeat the grave, but everyone can have a new body, including a new mind, by accepting Jesus as their personal Savior.
This book can change the way you live. It can give you a new hope and practical steps to deal with—and even help prevent—Alzheimer’s. I encourage you to not only read it as if you were reading medical literature but also study the entire material presented—especially Mr. Dell’s decision in the epilogue.
Franklin Graham