austin american statesman yesterday
doctor keeps alzheimers at bay
and
responded with your kind words
why i may have alzheimers
i had a normal mental status evaluation that changed in 3 years to
being abnormal
i personally noticed those changes
my parents and younger brother had alzheimers disease
i carry the apoe4/apoe4 gene that carries up to a 20x increased risk
of getting alzheimers disease
the levels of beta amyloid and tau protein in my spinal fluid are
abnormal
the pet scan for beta amyloid or amyvid will be done soon
for those who asked
here are the studies i am in
the alzheimers disease neuroimaging initiative or adni study
the largest most important alzheimers study ever done
i get lots of blood drawn neuropsych tests mri scans pet scans for
glucose metabolism pet scans for beta amyloid or amyvid and
spinal taps for beta amyloid and tau protein
a study of the new alzheimers blood test which may be 90%
accurate in predicting if you will get alzheimers disease
itprobably will be available in 5 years
then hopefully in december
a study of solanezumab an alzheimers vaccine infusion that may
remove beta amyloid from the brain
first
i am not doing anything different really than thousands
of americans who volunteer to help other folks every day
i know at the habitat builds and the meals on wheels there are
those dedicated folks who are always there doing their part
there are many ways to volunteer
even helping an older neighbor or friend
a disabled one
or
someone temporarily in need
do volunteer
i can speak from experience now after 4 years
the one that benefits the most from volunteering
is that person in the mirror
you
what i am doing to ward off alzheimers disease is not some
secret treatment
its been researched and documented and written about
for years
its mainstream medicine
now one thing to remember is that
in my opinion this doesnt really stop alzheimers disease
once it get rolling
its going to win eventually
but
it slows it down a lot and hopefully makes the symptoms
that you see in people less severe
kinda like
a snowball going down a hill that hits against obstructions
along the way to slow it down
but
eventually it will get to the bottom of the hill
but
it will not be as big
i do think that if a person can start all this preventative stuff
when they are young
even when they are babies and infants and toddlers and
little kiddos and teenagers and young adults
they can maybe prevent themselves from getting alzheimers disease
or
slow it down so much that they will die from something else
when they get real old
eat a heart healthy diet or mediterranean diet
or
if you are so inclined a gluten free diet sorry i cant do that one
or be a vegetarian or vegan
dont do excesses in your life like eat too much gain weight
drink too much smoke at all use drugs
exercise
get an adequate sleep each day
this one is turning out to be important
control diabetes blood pressure cholesterol
be happy stay mentally active stay socially active
do this and we are talking about a lot of disease prevention
besides alzheimers disease
i have also got a lot of questions about this vitamin and supplement
thing im doing
if you arent going to do this stuff above then dont worry about the
supplement and vitamin thing
i first read the article on the research that was done
here is the full article
then
i discussed this with my primary care doctor and my neurologist
then i had screening labs done looking for problems
i found a low vit d and low b12 which i wasnt expecting
and am taking replacements for them
had my levels not been low i wouldnt have taken those supplements
my homocysteine level was quite elevated
it may be associated with an increased risk of alzheimers disease
its not definitely proven but i as i have said before i dont have
time to wait for it to be proven
so im taking folate b12 vit b6 each day to lower that number
since i know that i have abnormal levels of beta amyloid in my
spinal fluid and will soon know if my amyloid pet scan is positive
i have elected to take stuff that may lower beta amyloid levels
remember this isnt proven these supplements do this yet
but in animal studies they do
one resveratrol was used in a big study whose results will be out
later this year or next year which will say yes or now if this works
this is the stuff from grapes
it takes tons of grapes to get enough for a daily dose so thats why
its been put in a pill
if its disproved with this study i will probably stop taking it
some of the supplements i cant tolerate like melatonin
and ashwaganda which may lower beta amyloid and help
some with sleep
i got these god awful disturbing dreams with it
there are 7 things to do that we all should be doing anyway
like those mentioned earlier
so i didnt just start taking this stuff without looking at each
one individually as to whether it fit my circumstance
i look at the side effects and interactions with my medications
like my blood pressure medication or cholesterol medication
if i could access nilvadipine for my blood pressure i would
change to that drug
see last fridays blog
plus
remember there are not many options right now for me
except to do these things
if im wrong this may help then i havent lost much
if im right this may help then ive done myself and my family
some good
please do not just start taking this stuff without looking
at each one closely discussing it with your medical providers
remember these are as much medicines as those prescriptions
you are taking
and also remember this is not a cure for alzheimers disease
its like aricept (donepezil) it slows down the symptoms
but probably doesnt stop the disease
so what do i notice
i feel better
i feel more alert
i have gained more sleep
i dont get leg cramps like i did ( a side effect from the aricept)
i dont feel as tired later in the day
i have less morning nausea
so something is helping in this regimen
im not sure what it is
but its enough i plan to keep on taking it
so again i say
thanks for the interest
dont worry if a cure comes i will be overposting about it
vote tomorrow even if you dont vote like i do
the oganicgreen doctor
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