organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-the new facts and figures on alzhe...

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-the new facts and figures on alzhe...: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-THE NEW FACTS AND FIGURES ON ALZHEIME the new facts and figures on alzheimers is out from the alzheimers association at www....

alzheimers news-the new facts and figures on alzheimers

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-THE NEW FACTS AND FIGURES ON ALZHEIME

the new facts and figures on alzheimers is out from the alzheimers association at www.alz.org
the one fact or figure that stands out over all of them 
is
there are almost 7 million folks living with alzheimers disease 
when i was diagnosed in 2010 that number was
almost 5 million folks

it will only climb



this video summarizes things some

then here is the link to the comprehensive facts and figures on alzheimers in 2024

on page 12 of this is a section on treatments
on page 10 is a discussion on the continuum from normal memory to the final stages

all you need to know is in this 149 pages of facts and figures

it also can be accessed at www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures

since 2010 when there was only 5 million of us we have learned a lot and it seems a lot of progress has been made in the alzheimers world
there is
more recognition of this disease
folks are seeking care early in the disease process
this will be the secret to treatment in the future
we now have 3 drugs that has or will be given early in the disease to slow things down some

leqembi my drug aduhelm and soon to be approved donanemab
drugs to treat inflammation in the brain and to treat tau tangles in the brain are in clinical trials now
new lab tests that are as accurate as the amyloid pet scan will be here eventually so the disease can be more accurately diagnosed

more federal funding for alzheimers research has been available over the last 14 years since i was diagnosed
more emphasis on the caregiver is being done
more emphasis on prevention the main treatment for the disease

watch the video
look at the facts and figure booklet
what you need to know about alzheimers is in those 149 pages

yes
we are making progress
lets keep up the good work of figuring this all out

for ourselves and our loved ones

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #202-The advice has changed some

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #202-The advice has changed some: MY STORY REVISITED #202-THE ADVICE HAS CHANGED SOME i am in a different phase in my journey with alzheimers disease i am in the sit and wait...

my story revisited #202-the advice has changed some

MY STORY REVISITED #202-THE ADVICE HAS CHANGED SOME

i am in a different phase in my journey with alzheimers disease
i am in the sit and wait phase
i have done all i can do to slow things down
including receiving those 34 monthly infusions of aduhelm which removed all of the amyloid plaque from my brain

i am going on with my life
volunteering as the garden manager of our community garden
blogging
grandparenting

just waiting to see what effect my drug aduhelm will have on my disease progression

now
i may have to wait for the next new drugs to come along to slow down the alzheimers
i am presuming it will be an antitau drug and or an antiinflammation drug
probably 5 years from now they might be available outside of clinical trials

so
im just waiting
doing all the healthy things one does to slow down the disease some
see below blog

now today in 2024
i would add to the evaluation one does these things
get evaluated early before symptoms worsen
these treatments will work best when started early in the disease

its like cancer
treat it early and you can have good results
treat it later and you have less good results

exam labs good memory test mri amyloid pet scan

until you have had these you cant rule out alzheimers disease as a cause of your memory issues
unless
something is found like medications mental health issues sleep problems stress drug or alcohol abuse as the cause
these have to be corrected first since they may be the cause of your memory issues

my blog stats as of today are 

i have posted 4100 blogs
i have 1760 comments
i have 1740835 page views
i had 2244 page views yesterday
__________
08-07-2015

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-WHAT TO DO
this is the 5th anniversary of this blog
this will be the 1314th blog ive written
there have been 557,585 page views of the blogs

thanks to those who read this blog

someone contacted me recently about some memory loss
the symptoms were mild but noticeable

they read my blog and sent back a message
i think it may be my parkinsons thats causing it

they are correct that a people with parkinsons may
develop memory issues similar to those with alzheimers
and
sometimes the two diseases can actually overlap

however
this person should probably see their medical provider
to look for other causes for memory loss
like
medications prescription and over the counter ones
eg
antihistamines like benadryl or sleep aids can cause memory
issues
sleep problems like sleep apnea or restless legs
stress especially new stress
anxiety depression
a decrease in physical and mental activity
excessive use of alcohol or drugs legal or illegal
meds such as pain meds or nerve pain meds
i was on an antibiotic that affected me
stopping it cleared up the symptoms

they should consider having labs done to look for
causes of memory loss
thyroid level b12 level metabolic chemistry lab for electrolytes
glucose kidney function and liver function tests
things that could affect the memory
i had my labs repeated in the last two years
and
and my vitamin d levels and vitamin b12 levels were low

they should have a memory test done by a medical provider
the commonly used one in the office is called a moca test
some doctors use a mmse test but the moca test is more
sensitive to early changes
eg my initial mmse was normal but the moca was abnormal

an mri may or may not need to be done
this would be based on what shows up in the history and examination
and labs and memory tests

then at the end of the evaluation
if its parkinson's as the probably cause
then at least you know why the memory loss is present
and
what can be done about it

also
maximize you control of your blood pressure cholesterol
diabetes
do regular exercise
get adequate sleep
avoid excessive stress
control anxiety and depression
eat correctly
avoid excessive alcohol and drug use
then
enjoy life
_________
the best thing you can do to prevent yourself from getting alzheimers is
prevention

you should start these on the first day you are born
the same for your kids

those prevention things to do are listed above in my old blog written about 9 years ago

prevention is still the best medicine

the organicgreen doctor
 

organicgreendoctor: she caused an earthquake

organicgreendoctor: she caused an earthquake: SHE CAUSED AN EARTHQUAKE time magazine taylor swift is making a seismic effect on multiple things in our society heck she encouraged her swi...

she caused an earthquake

SHE CAUSED AN EARTHQUAKE

time magazine

taylor swift is making a seismic effect on multiple things in our society
heck
she encouraged her swifties to go vote and they will go vote
thats a good thing any time anyone votes

she has improved the economy wherever she has her concerts
by the millions
singapore even paid her to come there to sing in her concerts

now 
she is causing earthquakes
not really 
but
they semiologists have been able to measure the seismic activity from her concerts
the most notable one was the sofi stadium in los angeles where the chargers play football
thats the one that was on the era tour in her documentary 
that night mr h and ms b and my wife she was there
it was loud very loud they said
they could feel the vibrations through their bodies as she sang her songs

the song that received the most seismic activity was
guess it
you probably guessed right
shake it off

it shake it off would have measured a 2.2 on the seismic scale
if it was an earthquake it would have been a 2.2 one

it the energy was measurable out to 6 miles from the arena
there were over 70 thousand swifties jumping yelling singing dancing all at once
the energy was enough to cause all that

what other person or event could do this 
alter the earth

this energy from her concerts carry out into the world 
mostly for the good 

yes
she can change the world
in more ways than one

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-a shuttle for the brain

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-a shuttle for the brain: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-A SHUTTLE FOR THE BRAIN alzheimers develops by first having amyloid plaques deposited in the brain then tau proteins in the ...

alzheimers news-a shuttle for the brain

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-A SHUTTLE FOR THE BRAIN

alzheimers develops by first having amyloid plaques deposited in the brain
then
tau proteins in the brain cells unwind and form tau tangles
these tangles spread through the brain
where the tangles show up in large numbers is where symptoms start occurring
eg if its the frontal lobe it may be all behavioral symptoms 
then
neuroinflammation occurs as the body starts trying to fix all the damage thats being done
it only damages things more

the goal now is to treat each of these
treating tau tangles and neuroinflammation is available only in clinical trials
maybe in 5 years or so they will be available to treat these two

now in 2024 we have drugs that will remove amyloid plaques
in fact the drug aduhelm i took for 34 months has removed all the plaques from my brain
now
i just need my tau tangles and my neuroinflammation treated

it may be awhile before i can do that

an aside to get in the clinical trials for treating tau tangles and neuroinflammation you have to have a positive amyloid pet scan
mine is normal now so i dont qualify
doesnt seem right does it

my drug aduhelm and the fully approved drug leqembi and the soon to be approved drug donanemab are given as infusions 
they are monoclonal antibodies that bind to amyloid plaques and remove the plaques
there are some risks
folks like me with the apoe 4 apoe 4 gene were at risk for brain bleeds
luckily i didnt have any brain bleeds

recently i wrote about the researcher who used ultrasound to blow open the blood brain barrier to allow my drug aduhelm to enter the brain so it could all get into the brain
it worked

now roche has a new drug called trontinemab
it uses a drug that is a transferrin molecule which can cross the blood brain barrier
transferrin is used to move iron around in the body
they then attach a fragment of a monoclonal antibody against amyloid plaques to the transferrin
it is given as an intravenous infusion

its is called a brain shuttle since it moves the antibody through the blood brain barrier allowing the antibody to work faster

in early studies of a few patients it removes the plaques in just 3 months without any of the severe side effects that the three antibodies mentioned above have
ie edema and bleeding

again the drug is called trontinemab
it will be starting clinical trials in larger numbers soon
this is one to watch as it moves through these clinical trials

this is what you do 
find a drug in the early clinical trials that shows promise and start tracking it
thats what i did with my drug aduhelm or aducanumab 
i tracked it for several years before i entered the treatment trial

this is how to be proactive with your medical care and get your disease treated years before a drug becomes available on the market

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #201-we are there now

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #201-we are there now: MY STORY REVISITED #201-WE ARE THERE NOW when i wrote this blog in 2015 i predicted that by 2018 i would be starting infusions of aduhelm or...

my story revisited #201-we are there now

MY STORY REVISITED #201-WE ARE THERE NOW

when i wrote this blog in 2015 i predicted that by 2018 i would be starting infusions of aduhelm or aducanumab which binds amyloid plaques and removes them from the brain
i was off by a year
i got my first infusion in 2017 and my last one last year in 2023
18 placebos then 34 monthly infusions of the real drug
the result is no amyloid plaques are left in my brain
will it make a difference
well
ask me in 10 years
if i give you a coherent answer or if i can answer at all then i would say yes it made a difference
until the next 10 years pass by we wont know

this was really on my mind that month in 2015 since i wrote several blogs about it
it still is 

during this time i also was on several walk to end alzheimers committees and gave a short talk at each of them
i also was doing several alzheimers talks or conferences as i mentioned above

if you are in the alzheimers world i recommend you keep up with the research since a lot will be happening over the next 5 years
_________
07-31-2015

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-WE ARE CLOSE NOW
by 2018 i might be able to start treatment with monthly infusions
of a new alzheimers drug
if
studies continue to show positive results
that will slow down the progression of alzheimers in my brain

if it had been available 10-20 years ago
i could have started then
when i was at the peak of my career as a doctor
or
even when i first started full time private practice at the age of 40

the time may be now when we can do something to
really slow down and prevent this disease

so what can you do
exercise may be the best prescription for right now
as well as
controlling your weight blood pressure cholesterol diabetes
then
do the other healthy things like diet sleep stress control
anxiety depression control stay mentally active socialize
and
watch the news for whats on the horizon

and

we need your help
consider donating or walking with us at the walks in your area
this is where the alzheimers association gets its funds
for
research
education of family patients and health providers

my team
organicgreendoctor
will be walking in the
williamson county walk to end alzheimers on
saturday september 26 2015 at san gabriel park in
georgetown
here is the link for my team organicgreendoctor
donate and or join us for the walk

we also will be walking in the
bell county walk to end alzheimers on
saturday november 7 2015 at pepper creek trails in
temple
here is the link for my team organicgreendoctor
donate and or join us for the walk 

i will be the honorary chair for the bell county walk
and will say a few words before the walk starts


on tuesday september 22 2015 i will be a guest speaker
at the senior expo at the belton expo center
talking on alzheimers disease and answering questions
from the audience
my talk starts at 1030 am

on friday october 9 2015 i will be the guest speaker
starting at 1130 am for the burnet county extension club
at the first lutheran church fellowship hall in burnet texas

if you have a club or group who would like for me to speak
on alzheimers disease please contact me
__________
there are 4 parts to attacking alzheimers disease
first and the most important is
prevention which should start the day you are born
if you are middle age you should look closely at your health
it may determine whether you get alzheimers or not

second
reduce or remove amyloid
in the near future folks will be screened before symptoms start and will be started on treatment like the infusions i was on
soon these will be given as injections you can do yourself
soon there will be pills to take to prevent amyloid accumulation

third
remove tau tangles
there are drugs now in clinical trials that do this
they should be finished in 2-3 years

fourth
treat or prevent inflammation in the brain
there are drugs now in clinical trials treating this neuroinflammation

my guess these treatments will be eventually started on patients before they develop symptoms
sort of like we do now by controlling our blood pressure and cholesterol and diabetes with medication o we wont have a stroke or heart attack
now add alzheimers to that list

if you or a loved one has mild cognitive impairment due to alzheimers disease or mild alzheimers then you may qualify to receive the drug leqembi and soon donanemab as infusions to remove the amyloid plaques
medicare covers the testing and most of the cost of receiving the drug
the problem is finding a place that gives it

so 
yes
i would say we are there now
treatments and better diagnostic tests will be here soon

im glad we are finally getting there

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: they didnt spring forward neither did i

organicgreendoctor: they didnt spring forward neither did i: THEY DIDNT SPRING FORWARD NEITHER DID I not everyone sprang forward early sunday morning the states of arizona and hawaii they kept their ti...

they didnt spring forward neither did i

THEY DIDNT SPRING FORWARD NEITHER DID I

not everyone sprang forward early sunday morning
the states of arizona and hawaii they kept their times the same
all those folks living there dont feel tired or drained or sleep deprived this morning

their kids teachers arent dreading this week at school
other places like puerto rico virgin islands and guam dont do daylight not savings time
now
add mexico to the list
they all leave their time at standard time
so
now the migrants crossing over the border lose an hour of sleep

now
im no advocate of daylight not saving time
i prefer the old like it use to be standard time

i read that if they kept daylight not savings time all year round that in places like chicago the sun wouldnt come out in the winter until 9am

there is a propsed law to keep things standard time all year round
but
you know how well congress gets things done 
they dont

right now the time change doesnt really affect me much
i get up early so whether its 300 or 400 doesnt matter to me
the sun is coming up early enough so that at the new 800 in the morning when i go to the garden the sun is hitting our condo good and is over most of the garden and mountains in the distance

i did notice i got a little sleepy at the end of the oscars last night and the sun was still up 
i persisted and made it through the ocars unitl the sun set so i didnt fall asleep until it was dark

im like our chickens in the garden 
the daylight not savings time doesnt affect them any

i would hate for them to make daylight not savings time here all year round 
in the winter i would be going to the garden when its dark
something i dont like to do
i like to hit the garden after the sun has bursted over the trees and are shining on the distant mountains
it helps my inner soul when that happens

so 
i am with arizona hawaii and mexico
lets leave the time alone
standard time all year is my choice

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #200-we got there finally

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #200-we got there finally: MY STORY REVISITED #200-WE GOT THERE FINALLY i mentioned the a4 study in this old blog below using solanezumab it went on for 10 years it fa...

my story revisited #200-we got there finally

MY STORY REVISITED #200-WE GOT THERE FINALLY

i mentioned the a4 study in this old blog below using solanezumab
it went on for 10 years
it failed to work using the monoclonal antibody in patients who were prealzheimers ie they had positive amyloid plaques in the brain the hallmark of alzheimers disease but had no symptoms

i also mentioned the colombian study using the monoclonal antibodies in patients who have the gene for early onset alzheimers disease 
those with the gene get early onset alzheimers disease
these antibodies did not work in these patients over several years

both studies were a disappointment in the alzheimers world

i also mentioned the aducanumab study i was trying to get into
i first applied online via the biogen website but was turned down
later
i applied for the biogen aducanumab later called aduhelm clinical trial at the university of texas southwestern medical school
i was accepted into the study
i found out my amyloid pet scan was positive for amyloid plaques
my diagnosis was mild cognitive impairment due to alzheimers disease
i received 18 placebo infusions followed by 34 infusions of aduhelm

after my 18 placebo and 7 aduhelm infusions my amyloid pet scan was still positive
then i received 27 more aduhelm infusions until the study was ended last month
my last amyloid pet scan was negative for amyloid plaques

i also mentioned the reversal of cognitive decline article linked below
all 30+ things he did was more than i wanted to do so i attacked the ones that were more mainstream
like
controlling your blood pressure cholesterol blood sugar weight
staying active mentally physically and socially
getting adequate restful sleep and treating any sleep issues like sleep apnea
taking b12 for a low b12 level taking vitamin d3 for a low vitamin d3 and taking folate and b12 for a high homocysteine level
controlling mental health issues like depression anxiety stress
checking your hormones levels like testosterone for men and estrogen progesterone for women

many of his recommendations are now being recommended for evaluation and treatment
some of them are not they are sort of off on the edges of treatment
he and others have also commercialized his protocol
i do the ones that have been scientifically shown to maybe be helpful

read below to see where we were just 8 years ago
________
ALZHEIMERS NEWS-THIS WEEKS CONFERENCE
in washington dc this week they are having the
alzheimers associations international conference

below are some of the things that have been in the
news this week

many ive written about in the past


el lillys drug solanezumab reports some results from
their studies
solanezumab is what i call an alzheimers vaccine
given as an infusion or injection
anibodies in the body grab the bad stuff beta amyloid
and remove it from the brain
if it works the memory gets better

the results of recent studies are a 30%  reduction in
the decline in memory

several studies are being done using this drug
one the a4 study is using it on folks with normal memory
but who have positive scans for beta amyloid in the brain
those results will be out in a few years
and
will give the final answer
will this drug prevent or
slow down the development of alzheimers disease

in the colombian study its being given to folks
who have the gene for alzheimers who will be
getting alzheimers 100% of the time
if it slows down or prevents the disease it will be
a significant game changing finding


the other study was the biogen study
it reported the results of a small group given
a higher dose of the drug aducanumab
the results were not as promising as results of
an earlier study on lower doses that
showed both a decrease in beta amyloid
and and improvement of memory

the biogen company will be launching a new study
on folks with mild cognitive impairment
the precursor stage to alzheimers disease
some neurologist consider it as early alzheimers disease

this upcoming study is the one that i am waiting to
hear from
i am on the waiting list when it starts signing up
its the one new treatment study that i may qualify
since
im too early to qualify for some studies
and
too far along for other studies like the a4 studies

go to biogen.com website for more info
www.aducanumabclinicaltrials.com

other reports from the conference
women are affected for some reason more often
than men
and
its not just because women outlive us men
which was thought previously

exercise may be one of the best treatments for
slowing down the disease

the incidence of alzheimers like heart disease and stroke
is decreasing
because of better control of blood pressure cholesterol
diabetes obesity and increased exercise
also more emphasis on better diet and healthy living
seems to be paying off

so there is some hope each year as research progresses

also
for those who asked
here is the link to the reversal of cognitive decline article
dont do this regimen without discussing it with your
health care provider
as it can interfere with certain medications and health conditions
_________
you have to be proactive when you are approaching diseases like alzheimers disease
you will find many providers primary care and even neurologists are not up on whats new in the research world

for me
i followed the research and sought out the aducanumab study
now that im finished with that one im looking for the next treatments out there
eg i need my tau tangles treated and my neuroinflammation treated
those studies are ongoing now

one problem i have is you have to have an amyloid pet scan that is positive to qualify for these studies
mine is negative since the aduhelm or aducanumab removed all of my measurable amyloid plaque
making me ineligible for these studies

i have tau tangles and have had at least two tau pet scans
i have requested to get the results of these scans
if i could get into the clinical trials i could get the tau tangles removed from the brain

it may be 5 years before these anti tau drugs make it on the market

so
i have to wait hoping things dont pick up again in my brain or that the tau doesnt progress too far before it can be treated

its a conundrum 

the organicgreen doctor