André Luiz Alves Jr.

Alzheimer, from the Spirit to Matter

It was on a Monday, November 25, 1901, that Auguste Deter, a lady, 51 years old, was admitted to the Hospital for Lunatics and Epileptic, in Frankfurt, Germany, under the care of Dr. Alois Alzheimer. She was a Reformed Protestant, married to a railroad administrator and mother of a daughter. Auguste D. began, six months before, a process of memory loss, confusion and hallucination.

The primary symptoms were restricted to excessive crisis of jealousy regarding her husband. Later there were progressive amnesia signals. Auguste D. did not find the way back home and got lost in the streets of the neighborhood; she carried with her some of her belongings and hid them in inappropriate places; most of the time she believed she was being followed and sometimes shouted imagining that someone wanted to kill her.

In a short period of time, the state of dementia progressed significantly and now in the final stage of the disease the patient was bedridden and totally dependent on nursing care. She did not talk, was confused most of the time, her legs and arms atrophied, because she remained confined to bed and consequent pressure ulcers appeared. Soon she began to show urinary and fecal incontinence and her immunity was low making room for opportunistic diseases. After 5 years of hospitalization, Dr. Alzheimer's patient died.

At necropsy, Alois Alzheimer had the opportunity to analyze the nervous tissue of Auguste Deter and soon found a significant atrophy in the cerebral cortex, with the formation of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The neuroscientist realized he was facing a new discovery. It was then that Alzheimer drafted carefully a scientific paper and presented it at the 37th Congress of the German Southeast Psychiatry (South - West - German Society of Alienists) held in 1906, with the title: "A Peculiar Disease of the Neurons of the Cerebral Cortex". The disease, which was hitherto unknown, later received the name of the researcher, who described it, becoming known as Alzheimer's disease. 

Pathophysiology

Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative neuropathology, progressive, incurable, which causes a marked atrophy of the cerebral cortex. In other words, there is a gradual death of nervous tissue, which consequently causes a structural change of the brain. The brain decreases in size and loses the connections between the neurons resulting in dementia. Dementia is characterized by the absence or reduction of brain functions, changing the cognitive part, memory, reasoning, language and even personality.

Currently, Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia in people over 65 years. It is estimated that 44 million people worldwide are living with some form of dementia, of which 50 to 60% of these cases are triggered by Alzheimer's disease. The disease is strongly related to age, and as the world population tends to age, the number of cases is expected to double every 20 years.

Causes

Science is still studying the causes of the disease, but it is believed that the accumulation of beta-amyloid and tau proteins in the brain, associated with decreased acetylcholine neurotransmitter, can be the triggering factor. The formation of these proteins stops neuronal messages in the brain that becomes permanently damaged. Other risk factors, such as genetic influence, but not necessarily hereditary; contamination by heavy metals (aluminum and manganese), head trauma, age and low education, can also be related to Alzheimer.
 

Personality features that tend to Alzheimer

• Introspection, authoritarianism;
• Selfishness;
• Depression and isolation;
• Lack of social interaction;
• Difficulty regarding behavioral changes, conservatism;
• Routines and manias that lead to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD);
• Lack of reading and brain stimulus, mental laziness;
• Difficulty to deal with emotions, feelings and frustrations;
• Exaggerated attachment to material goods. 

Symptoms

The symptoms vary according to the stage of the disease, which evolved over the years. Earlier, the patients show signs that can be confused with senility, poor concentration and episodes of loss of recent memory. At this stage it is common forgetting birthdays of people, who are close, dates for payment of bills, or even not knowing what day of the week it is. Also disorientation in space is frequent. They are lost in the street of the house itself, or hold objects in unreasonable places. Some show apathy, withdrawal, and aggressiveness.

With the development of the disease, individuals face problems when trying to perform simple everyday tasks. To comb their hair, eat and brush their teeth becomes a challenge. Amnesia evolves sharply, to the point where patients do not recognize their own children. In the final stages fail to eat and there is a decrease or absence of movements and also of consciousness, resulting in a state of total dependence. The weakness of the immune system facilitates the development of other diseases, further aggravating the situation. At this stage death will come soon.

Alzheimer and Spiritism 

Is Alzheimer related to a delicate atoning process, or is the origin of this disease purely organic with no relation with the Spirit?

It is important to emphasize that this issue in discussion requires further study by researchers on the field of Science and also of Spiritism. There are no conclusive studies about this disease.

Spiritist clarifications on this matter are mainly based on surveys conducted by the Spiritist Medical Association of Brazil. There are no specific records attributed entirely to Spirituality that can describe this disease. The sources of Spiritist studies rely on the works of the Spirit Andre Luiz, through the medium Chico Xavier psychographics. Some of his books deal with the influences of the Spirit over matter and vice versa.

According to Spiritism scholars, Alzheimer's disease can be caused by conflicts in the Spirit reflected in the matter, what psychology calls somatization. In the book In the Domain of Mediumship, psychographics by Chico Xavier, Andre Luiz explains that "just as the physical body can ingest poisonous foods that intoxicate its tissues, also the perispiritual body absorbs elements that degrade it, affecting the materials cells."

There are basically two spiritual causes that may be linked to the development of Alzheimer.

Let us see:  

Obsession: Individuals involved in serious obsessive processes and for long periods can suffer organic consequences emanated from sickening thoughts both from the one who obsesses him, as from himself printing on matter the consequences of these vibrations. This can explain the strongly marked atrophy of the brain which is a characteristic of Alzheimer. We remember that the brain is where thought is located and therefore it is the material structure more affected by the low spiritual vibrations.

Self-obsession: This seems to be the main cause of Alzheimer attributed to spiritual origins. Self-obsession is a harmful process initiated by the very Spirit, very common in people with character rigidity, introspective, self-centered and suffering from ill feelings and the desire for revenge, pride and vanity. Invariably guilt instilled unconsciously in the Spirit and that sometimes goes on for several incarnations is the determining factor. The Spirit is called to accomplish several adjustments to one's conscience, requiring isolation and the temporary forgetfulness of his past actions.

People with Alzheimer may often be involved in the two above mentioned situations, since evil thoughts attract Spirits of the same vibration, and thus they begin a process of mutual obsession, a sort of symbiosis. It is clear that this process should drag on for a long time to trigger a physical condition, and this is why Alzheimer is so common in the senile stage. Anguish and mental torments that last a lifetime, often originated in previous lives, succumb at the end of physical life translated into several diseases of the matter.

Regardless of its origin, the disease is a great opportunity to moral improvement, not only for the patient but also for all those who are directly involved in the care process. Family members, who are reunited to rescue contracted debts among one another, face painful trials with the disease, however repairing. The one, who cares today, was certainly a tormentor in the past and needs to adjust their behavior or even develop feelings that they still do not have. For outsourced caregivers, the opportunity is to exercise patience, develop compassion and love of neighbor, accomplishing the mission chosen in spirituality.

Prevention

There is no vaccine or medicaments for the prevention of this disease. It is believed that the practice of healthy habits, mainly related to mental health, may reduce the percentage of Alzheimer. People with higher levels of education are less likely to develop dementia. It is recommended to read, practice reasoning exercises, leisure and establishing healthy emotional bonds. Any activity that keeps the active neuronal connections contributes to the mental hygiene. 

From a spiritual point of view, it is suggested to practice charity, to develop love of neighbor, the tireless exercise of good and the uplifting work as prophylaxis for diseases of the Spirit. A good character and elevation of thought contribute to the improvement of the Spirit and prevent disorders of all orders. Let us not forget the recommendation of Christ: "Watch and Pray".