A Review of Various Non-Pharmacological Treatment Options for Alzheimer’s Disease
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58445/rars.1312Keywords:
Alzheimer's Disease, acupuncture therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), music therapy, exercise therapy, donepezilAbstract
Alzheimer's disease is a neuro-degenerative disease that affects a plethora of people. It is estimated that around 44 million people around the world are living with Alzheimer’s disease. In the U.S., about 6.5 million people of any demographic have Alzheimer’s (Naqvi). The most common pharmacological treatment for Alzheimer's is donepezil, however there are many factors that prevent people from going with the pharmacological options. Methods such as acupuncture therapy, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(rTMS), music therapy, and exercise therapy are all viable options for such non-pharmacological interventions and all appeal to a variety of different people. Many factors must be considered when deciding on an intervention such as the cost, side-effects, effectiveness, time constraints, and patient's physical capabilities. This review provides a comparison of various methods of non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments in accessibility and efficaciousness. Efficacy will be measured and compared using various grading systems such as the Mini Mental State Exam(MMSE) and the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive(ADAS-Cog). Accessibility will be compared based on the monetary cost and the physical requirements of the patients to participate.
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