Battle Against Alzheimer's Rages On

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The battle against Alzheimer's disease and dementia is ongoing.

Certainly, there have been advances and there are medications that can help prolong the amount of time from diagnosis to full blown symptoms.

Unfortunately despite all of the research and efforts being made in the battle against Alzheimer's, we still are at a point where we do not have an effective treatment or anything close to a cure.

But that does not mean all is lost.

There definitely are studies which are allowing us to understand the etiology, or cause, of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

In the case of vascular dementia, we have learned that by controlling blood pressure throughout life, exercising regularly, and eating well, it can make a big difference.

This is only one form of dementia and not the classic Alzheimer's type, but what we understand is we need to look at each and every cause to do whatever we can to reduce the incidence of dementia.