The millions of dollars of research into the scourge of Alzheimer’s disease has brought a modest return on investment. We now know most of the primary causes include lack of nutrition, exercise and brain stimulation, diabetes, high blood pressure, inflammation, chronic stress and a significant absence of meaningful social connections.
Other
research has yielded the concept of personalized medicine as the most effective
way to treat Alzheimer’s:
“When people have a specific combination of these drivers, which
interact differently from one person to the next, the signs and symptoms of the
disease emerge. Because there seem to be multiple pathways to developing
Alzheimer’s, there may also be multiple ways to slow or even thwart the
progress of the illness, says James Galvin, a neurologist and founding director
of the Comprehensive Center for Brain Health at Florida Atlantic University in
Boca Raton.
“‘This is
where big data can come in,’ Galvin says. ‘You can look at patterns, and when
you have a cluster of patterns, you can tailor therapies based on an
individual’s profile. Outside of age and family history, these are risk factors
that we could actually do something about and design interventions on a
personalized basis. Address brain health using lifestyle modification and
medication, and treat any underlying diseases, like diabetes or heart disease.
And that’s what we’re doing — using a precision medicine-like approach that
looks at each individual’s risk factors and creating a treatment plan to slow
or prevent the onset of disease.’”
Preliminary results look promising but
much more groundwork needs to be done:
“Based on
their risk factors, patients are prescribed a regimen of exercise, methods to reduce
stress and get more restorative sleep, prescription and over-the-counter
medications, and even nutritional supplements to compensate for their deficits.
In people who dutifully follow the program, Richard Isaacson (founder and
director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at New York Presbyterian Weill
Cornell Medical Center) says early research indicates that cognitive function
does improve in critical areas such as executive functioning and processing
speed, or how fast information can be absorbed. ‘Intuitively, we thought this
would work,’ says Isaacson. ‘But now we actually have proof.’
“While the
evidence remains largely preliminary, these individual cases have reached a
critical mass, which indicates something is happening that needs to be explored
in a more rigorous way. In September, nearly a dozen physicians — from Puerto
Rico, Kansas City, Alabama and New York — met in Chicago to share what they’ve
learned, what seems to work and what doesn’t, and begin the arduous process of
figuring how best to test a treatment platform that can be used everywhere. ‘We’re
trying to lay the groundwork for Alzheimer’s prevention and figure out what
tools we should be using and what works best,’ says Isaacson. ‘But the field is
still in its infancy, so we literally learn every day.’”
A few of the more prescribed
activities for reducing brain deterioration include:
“----Optimizing
sleep and getting at least eight hours of shut-eye every night.
----Fasting
at least 12 hours a day; patients usually don’t eat anything after 7 p.m. until
the next morning.
----Aerobic
exercise for 30 to 60 minutes, at least five times a week.
----Brain
training exercises for 30 minutes, three times a week.
----Eating a
mostly plant-based diet: broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, leafy green
vegetables (kale, spinach, lettuce).
----Eliminating
gluten and sugars. Cutting out simple carbs (bread, pasta, rice, cookies,
cakes, candy, sodas).”
For the
complete list seethe link to the Discover
magazine article below.
The future of effective Alzheimer’s treatments is not as far off as we
may think:
“These approaches offer hope to the millions at risk for Alzheimer’s and
their families. In the near future, these physicians believe Alzheimer’s could
become a chronic but manageable disease, much like diabetes or heart disease.
Like these life-threatening ills, if Alzheimer’s is left unchecked, it can be
severely debilitating and deadly. But proper treatment and lifestyle changes
may be able to stave off symptoms for years, enabling people to live more
satisfying, productive lives. ‘Alzheimer’s is a life course disease, meaning
that cognitive health starts in the womb and is influenced by what we do
throughout our lives,’ says Isaacson. ‘By treating the underlying conditions,
we can have a positive effect on brain health, reduce risk and even prevent the
disease.’”
Source
Linda Marsa, “A New Treatment for Alzheimer's? It Starts With Lifestyle”
Discover, December 2018 http://discovermagazine.com/2018/dec/alzheimers-under-attack
Find
Clinical Trials
ClinicalTrials.gov is a database of privately and publicly funded clinical studies conducted around the world https://clinicaltrials.gov/
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Digital Caregivers: Someone To Watch Over Your Aging Parents http://www.mybestbuddymedia.com/2018/01/digital-caregivers-someone-to-watch.html
Reality Check: Inflammation Cures & Cons http://www.mybestbuddymedia.com/2015/12/reality-check-inflammation-cures-cons.html
Photo: https://www.mybiosource.com/learn/alzheimers-and-other-neurodegenerative-disorders-seek-attention-awareness-and-cure/
Jerry De Luca is a Christian freelance writer who loves perusing dozens of interesting and informative publications. When he finds any useful info he summarizes it, taking the main points, and creates a (hopefully) helpful blog post.
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