organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-a discrimination disease

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-a discrimination disease: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-A DISCRIMINATION DISEASE an example of a discrimination disease is hiv if you follow the history of hiv you can easily see w...

alzheimers news-a discrimination disease

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-A DISCRIMINATION DISEASE

an example of a discrimination disease is hiv
if you follow the history of hiv you can easily see why its called a discrimination disease

i was reading an article this morning and the writer called alzheimers disease a descrimiation disease
it was about a younger person with the disease that was paying out of pocket for one of the antiamyloid drugs aduhelm the one i have had 32 infusions of 

now
in 2023 the top discrimination disease is alzheimers disease
its a fatal disease like hiv was 
until recently there was no real treatment for alzheimers disease
now hiv can be controlled with medication and patients can expect a long life with treatment

with alzheimers disease there is a gradual decline until the patient goes down that slippery downward slope to slide into the abyss of the final stages of alzheimers disease

the fact that there has been no treatment and no real hope for alzheimers disease patients and the fact it happens in mostly older folks i think thats why there is disease discrimination against alzheimers disease

the cms or medicare and medicaid and private insurance will pay for an older patient with a likely terminal cancer to be treated with chemo and radiation to slow down the disease some
the patient will die from the disease just weeks or months later

the cms or medicare or medicaid and private insurance will not pay for the new antiamyloid drugs which is shown to slow down cognitive decline by 25-30+%
not a cure but it slows things down for awhile

i think cms etal would rather just pay for hospice and be done with us sooner

i do expect that when long term studies are done 5-10-15 years out from treatment that these drugs will make a bigger difference the earlier in the disease they are started
thats my hope for me since i was diagnosed and treated so early in the disease

now finally hopefully next month  cms or medicare and medicaid and hopefully soon to follow the private insurances will agree to pay for these antiamyloid drugs

that is
they are going to be less descriminatory against alzheimers disease
its taken pressure from the alzheimers association alzheimers patients and their families and finally politicians to make this happen

here is hoping that alzheimers will be removed from the descrimination disease category soon

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story #179-how early is too early

organicgreendoctor: my story #179-how early is too early: MY STORY #179-HOW EARLY IS TOO EARLY that picture is of my wife she and i doing the walk to end alzheimers in santa barbara virtual style it...

my story #179-how early is too early

MY STORY #179-HOW EARLY IS TOO EARLY

that picture is of my wife she and i doing the walk to end alzheimers in santa barbara virtual style
it was in 2020  during the pandemic
a friend made this embroidery on the jacket for my wife she
those pants i was wearing that day were quite baggy as i was about 40 lbs lighter due to what i think was covid with the symptom of loss of appetite
i now fill out those shorts having gained back 30 of those lbs

in 2015 i was asked to watch the movie still alice at the alamo drafthouse in austin at a special viewing  for alzheimers texas
afterwards i was asked to answer questions about alzheimers along with a local neurologist

i cried throughout the movie
the moderator asked me a question first but i couldnt answer it since i teared up a lot but later i was able to answer them ok

i thought a lot about my mother and my younger brother during the movie
i also thought a lot about me and what i would do as i progressed in this disease

lucky so far now 8 years later i havent progressed with symptoms 
however
the disease is marching on upstairs im sure
hopefully the aduhelm infusions and the aricept or donepezil and healthy living have slowed things down some
__________
WHY SO EARLY
it can hit early
this alzheimers disease


if you watch the new movie
still alice
thats what its about
alzheimers disease hitting at too young of an age
way too young


my younger brother was stricken early
like still alice
he was still joe

but like still alice
he looked so healthy and alert
you really didnt notice it unless you were really around
him a lot
then over time it all got worse

i watched a video recently of my parents 50th anniversary
from the late 1980s
i looked closely at my mom and dad
dad died just a few years later he was probably stricken even then
then
my mom was my age i am now
she was just 10 years away
i looked at her closely for signs in the video
for the disease was rampant as she smiled
and
as she seized the moment
then
still joe
was there at 40 years old
laughing and joking pulling pranks on me
having a good time
it was sad to think that at that moment in time
he was just about 10 years away also
the disease had been working on him for several years now
then
i looked at my older brother
handing my parents their 50th anniversary plaque
thinking as i watched all of us
he also was affected even then
he didnt know it

then i looked at myself
wow it was just starting on me that year
i just didnt know it either

it was like with the movie
hard to believe  
still joe had alzheimers
he looked so healthy
look hes driving was working
doing a lot of the things he was doing before he was diagnosed
but
like alice
he got worse

tragic it is when it strikes so young
its not fair
cant life just let them live another 10 years or so
to finish up their productive years
but
no life is not fair is it
early onset alzheimers disease

i feel like if i do have alzheimers disease that i am lucky
i got to finish my career
enjoy some of my retirement
have a chance to squeeze all out of each day
something
i wouldnt be able to do if i was
still alice or still joe

when it strikes early like this
dementia
its more likely due to alzheimers disease
but
it also could be a disease called frontotemporal dementia
something happens to the frontal and temporal parts of the
brain
they shrink
and that part of the brain its function quits working right
they loose inhibitions
then they dont live long just a few years and they are gone

then

theres dementia of lewy bodies
probably the worst to have
it comes quick and can be and is i guess the worst to have
i call it alzheimers disease on steroids
paranoia hallucinations sometimes violent behavior
meds sometimes dont help
it seems when family members talk about their love ones
they seem so despondent
its the bad one
deposits form in the brain called lewy bodies thus its name

but
most will be alzheimers disease though

none are good ones

leaving friends and families all saying
they are so young
why so early


i hope that everyone will go see still alice when it
appears in your area
you if you have not had to experience what its like
on
the person with the disease
and
their families
then you need to feel it and see it
then
you will see why we all who are affected are so passionate
about
finding treatment
and
a cure

as soon as the special showing by the alzheimers association
link for buying tickets is available for this weekend
ill post it here and on facebook

come see the movie this saturday at 100pm
at the alamo drafthouse south lamar in austin
stay afterwards
ask me a question

see the movie
bring tissues
feel it
like those affected do
__________
when i wrote this i still didnt have confirmation that what i had was alzheimers for sure
the next year i had my amyloid pet scan to get into the biogen aducanumab or aduhelm clinical trial
it was positive for amyloid plaques
thats when my medical diagnosis became
mci or mild cognitive impairment due to alzheimers disease  

if you are in the alzheimers world still alice is a movie you should watch
you get some insight into the disease

soon you will be able to go to your primary care and get a blood test for amyloid and tau
if its positive you will more than likely develop alzheimers disease

what do you do
if it was me i would seek early treatment with the new antiamyloid drugs like aduhelm or leqembi or soon to be approved donanemab
its not approved yet for use this early but eventually it will be
clinical studies are ongoing now
early on in the disease i would get started on aricept or donepezil

i would also get quite aggressive with
maintaining a normal cholesterol even if it requires taking a statin drug
maintaining a normal blood pressure even if it requires taking a blood pressure medication
maintaining a normal weight
eating the mind diet
staying active physically mentally and socially
limiting alcohol intake
no smoking
meditatjng
treating any mental illnesses like anxiety or depression

also this all helps your heart 

hopefully doing this all before you develop symptoms will probably slowed down the disease

i say 
how early is too early to get alzheimers

any age is too early

the organicgreen doctor 

organicgreendoctor: an attribution to its origins

organicgreendoctor: an attribution to its origins: AN ATTRIBUTION TO ITS ORIGINS in may june 2020 this drawing caught my eye we were walking from our condo to visit my motherinlaws a half mil...

an attribution to its origins

AN ATTRIBUTION TO ITS ORIGINS

in may june 2020 this drawing caught my eye
we were walking from our condo to visit my motherinlaws a half mile away
as we were walking we came upon this drawing on the driveway of a house

it caught my attention as it seemed to catch the essence of the covid 19 pandemic
i was recovering from what is thought to be covid leaving me with no appetite and a 40+ weight loss a lot of palpitations and shortness of breath
it took me awhile after i was sick to make that trip to my motherinlaws house

this drawing was mentioned in our local online newspaper but i guess it didnt register with me
it was part of the i madonnari street drawings that is done usually at the santa barbara mission sidewalks each memorial day
this year 2020 because of the pandemic it was spread throughout the city at various driveways
to be safer 

we thought it might belong to the owner of the house where the picture was drawn but wasnt sure

i took a picture of it and wrote this blog about it
i used it in all my blogs about covid
it seemed like i said to catch the essence of the covid pandemic
oh my what a black hole it was

here is what the website linked above said about it

Russ Carter finished a large painting on Sunday afternoon. The black-and-white display featured a smaller illustration of the coronavirus, shown with a red color.

The coronavirus is falling into the vortex — the piece is called “Death to COVID.”

russ carter is a local well known artist who did this drawing
it apparently was his wifes idea to put the red covid virus in the drawing
it made the drawing i think

this last week as my wife she was walking to her moms she walked by the house
the artists wife was unloading groceries 
my wife she said you know we loved that covid picture
she told her how i took a picture of it and used it in all my covid blogs

from that meeting we were able to identify for sure who the artist was
so
i want to give him the attribution he desires for his thoughtful drawing

thank you russ carter for your thoughtful artistry
a lot of my blog readers have seen your drawing and appreciated its meaning

your picture is now faded away from your driveway
much like the covid pandemic has

thanks again

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: which bum paper is the best

organicgreendoctor: which bum paper is the best: WHICH BUM PAPER IS BEST why is this called bath tissue its a mess if you use in in your bath water shouldnt it say toilet paper we are alway...

which bum paper is the best

WHICH BUM PAPER IS BEST

why is this called bath tissue
its a mess if you use in in your bath water
shouldnt it say toilet paper

we are always in search of the best toilet paper 
my wife she has her favorites
sometimes though we have to buy it from trader joes
they have a regular and a soft version

the non soft version i bought and used to sand my paint job before i applied a second coat of pant
it said to use a fine sand paper so i used this one instead

during the pandemic when toilet paper was hard to find you sort of had to take what you could get
i noticed even the leaves on our shrubs and trees in our condo courtyard were missing

i was excited to see this article linked here about the best toilet paper to use
i looked at the list
there was my wife shes favorite brand
it got an f
then
there in the top 4 was the fine sandpaper toilet paper from trader joes

what the heck i said
then 
i read the article

it was about the most eco friendly toilet papers
ecofriendly didnt equal best to your bum i guess

best means they dont use virgin sourced paper ie straight from the tree
the best ones used recycled paper
heck i recycled paper during the pandemic
magazines
newspapers
ads
mail
you name it 
it got used
i guess those would get an a rating
you know like the old sears roebuck catalog use to be used for
if you ever used an outhouse during the 50s you know what i mean

the other thing is using chlorine think clorox to bleach the paper
that releases chlorine gas into the air
it makes the paper white
why dont they just leave the paper its natural color
brown

so i looked at the top four
they got an a+ rating
i have already xed off number three
that leaves
green forest
natural value
trader joes
365 everyday value

ill work my way through these to see if they qualify as sandpaper also
if they do
ill x them also

i wonder if an extra fine 3m brand would work
its brown

the organicgreen doctro

organicgreendoctor: my story revisted #178-it is now continued

organicgreendoctor: my story revisted #178-it is now continued: MY STORY REVISITED #178-IT IS NOW CONTINUED that is me being interviewed on our front porch of our condo for a newspaper article on alzheime...

my story revisted #178-it is now continued

MY STORY REVISITED #178-IT IS NOW CONTINUED

that is me being interviewed on our front porch of our condo for a newspaper article on alzheimers disease. i think this one was from our local paper or from the ny times article
last week i was interviewed by the washington post about my involvement in the clinical trials in alzheimers
it will be published soon before the vote by the fda on full approval of leqembi for use in treating mci due to alzheimers and mild alzheimers.

i noticed on my analytics of my blog that a lot of people were looking at this blog below so i reviewed it

i wrote this blog about 6 months after i stopped practicing since i was diagnosed with mci and started on aricept or donepezil
it was felt to be due to alzhiemers disease but it wasnt proven yet
it has since been proven

i had a spinal tap for the adni alzheimers disease neuroimaging initiative study i was in at this time
i was given extra fluid to have it analyzed for amyloid and tau
it was positive for amyloid and tau levels thats seen in alzheimers disease

later like around 2016 i had a amyloid pet scan done to qualify for the biogen aducanumab now aduhelm clinical trial
my amyloid scan was positive for amyloid plaques 
this solidified my diagnosis of mci due to alzheimers disease

i have been on aricept or donepezil now for 12 years
the fact i got on it early in my disease probably is one of the reasons i am still cognitive intact
the earlier you get on it the better it seems

tomorrow i will have another amyloid pet scan at ucla
it should show that the amyloid plaque that can be measured is gone
my last mri did show some brain shrinkage which could be due to the removal of all this plaque
or
could be the advancement of the alzheimers disease causing the brain to shrink as brain cells are damaged

i hope its the first reason
__________
05-11-2011
REVIEW
the new diagnostic criteria guidelines for alzheimers were
published recently

they are
preclinical alzheimers  there are no outward symptoms but mild
changes on biomarkers such as spinal fluid markers (tau protein,
beta-amyloid protein) and changes on research pet scans
this category is important not clinically but in research to find
individuals who can be used to test preventative techniques to
see if drugs or diet or bp control or cholesterol control can
slow down, stop, or prevent this disease progression

this stage classification is not used in the doctors office for any
reason right now but will be used a lot in research studies

this is where i was before i was diagnosed with the next stage
would have been a good research candidate in my 40s and 50s
if all this stuff was known then

mild cognitive impairment (this is my diagnosis) in which mild
changes in memory and thinking appear but do not impair every
day activities and functioning
i am very early in this phase and although symptoms are not
evident to others they are noticeable to me
i feel like these did start to interfere with my practicing of medicine
and the fear of harm to patients is why i discontinued practicing
i have also been placed on aricept (donepezil) which will slow
down the symptoms over time

the biomarkers mentioned above are positive in this category
i will be tested for all of these outside of the research study i am
in at this time (any studies done in the research study remain
blocked from review by myself or my doctors-part of the deal)
i have to do my testing outside of the research studies in a private
medical practice
i will report them when they come in this summer

remember it was my occupation that was the reason i
stopped working
had i been in another profession i would have continued to work

dementia is the final stage
this is where most people are diagnosed
medications are used to slow down symptoms but the disease will
march on
this stage as it progresses starts to affect the caretaker as well as
the patient

in the initial video above you can see the number of people with
the disease is high
well there are similar numbers in each of these categories so the
numbers of people affected is even greater-most dont know it yet

hopefully a drug can be developed that will slow the disease down
eg a drug to stop amyloid deposition in the brain if thats the cause
of this disease which will prevent or slow down or stop the disease
similar to what the statin drugs have done in slowing down or
preventing the development of arterial blockage in the heart

thats the goal here with these new classifications is to find a
preventive treatment for those at risk eg for my children or
grandkids or nephews and nieces and great nephews and
great nieces and maybe yours

to be continued
_________
since i wrote this 12 years ago my memory has improved to a normal level and remained there
i have had 31 infusions of the drug aduhelm which probably has removed the amyloid plaques from my brain
hopefully doing that will slow down my cognitive decline ie memory loss

if i could see my tau pet scans i would know if my disease has progressed since i started the study 
as where the tau tangles accumulate in the brain determines what symptoms you have

we can now diagnose folks with prealzheimers disease before they have symptoms by
doing a spinal tap for amyloid and tau
doing an amyloid pet scan
doing blood work for amyloid and tau which isnt available yet in the private world but will be soon
it the blood work is used now in research studies to screen clinical trial subjects

so 
soon if you want to know if you have it you can

they are treating patients who are prealzheimers now in clinical trials with the drugs like i am on
aduhelm
leqembi
donanemab 

i know one person who is prealzheimers and is already taking aduhelm in the private world
they have to pay for it

so hopefully in 12 years i can write about the fact that these drugs worked to slow down cognitive decline
if they dont work i wont be able to write anything

yes
we have come a long way in 12 years
and again
its to be continued

the organicgreen doctor