Why Are Nervous System Diseases On The Rise?

"...the average proportion of all-cause mortality
that is due to mental and neurological diseases
has gone up sharply since the early 1970s."

Judging by the events and restrictions that have defined 2020, you would think that the greatest threat to our health and well-being is a virus.  Fortunately, we have an innate defense mechanism, which is quite efficient when it comes to most infectious diseases.  Meanwhile, countless other health problems are being essentially ignored or downplayed.  One very important example is the fact that for over 30 years now, diseases of the nervous system have been on a steady rise, especially in developed countries.  This includes debilitating and chronic conditions, such as Alzheimer's, dementia, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, and motor neuron disease.  Some would argue that this is due to an ageing population, but many of these diseases are now also affecting people in their forties and fifties.  One study found that the highest incidence of disability resulting from neurological disease was in people less than 49 years of age.

So what could be causing this disturbing trend and what can we do about it?  While no single cause can be blamed on almost all diseases, it is quite clear that lifestyle and environmental factors are playing a major, synergistic role.  According to a review published last year in the journal Medical Hypotheses, "Evidence comes from studies that point towards multiple-interactive-environmental factors.  A number of occupational groups have been associated with raised ALS (Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis).  With similar associations in regard to occupations and exposure to a range of chemicals and solvents in regard to Parkinson's Disease.  Also, there have been indications of background Electro-Magnetic Fields being associated with various neurological conditions."  While the conveniences of our modern lifestyles have become an essential part of our normal activities of daily living, it seems that limiting our exposure to these things, wherever possible, is vital.  There are many other lifestyle habits which must also be incorportated, lessening the effects of this stress on the nervous system, many of which we've covered in this blog in the past.  I encourage you to make these changes a part of your new normal, as the future health and longevity of your brain and nervous system appears to be at stake.

by Dr SJ Nana

DrNana.co.za

References:

• The rise of mortality from mental and neurological diseases in Europe, 1979–2009: observational study
• Are rises in Electro-Magnetic Field in the human environment, interacting with multiple environmental pollutions, the tripping point for increases in neurological deaths in the Western World?
  
• Why modern life is making dementia in your 40s more likely
• The trend of incidence and burden of neurological disease in Iran between 1990 and 2017: Based on global burden of disease estimations
• Global, regional, and national burden of neurological disorders during 1990-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015
• Younger/Early-Onset Alzheimer's
• Mortality from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease Among Different Occupation Groups — United States, 1985–2011
• What we truly know about occupation as a risk factor for ALS: A critical and systematic review