my story revisited #204-do this

MY STORY REVISITED #204-DO THIS

over the last 14 years since i was diagnosed i have had folks reach out to me for advice on what to do
my advice hasnt really changed much in the last 14 years
i would maybe emphasize trying to find clinical trials for new medications to prevent alzheimers or to slow it down
one drug leqembi is available now in most states 
its a cousin to my drug aduhelm
it may slow down memory loss by 30%+-
it is covered mostly by medicare but maybe not by private insurance

another thing i would add to a work up is an amyloid pet scan that can give you a definitive diagnosis of alzheimers
if you have it and you qualify you might consider getting treatment with leqembi as long as you understand the risks and how effective it is

soon there will be blood tests probably in less than 5 years that will be used to screen folks instead of doing the amyloid pet scan

there is even better meds in clinical trial

so make sure you or your loved one has had a thorough evaluation
then maximize your health
_________
08-28-2015

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-WHAT TO DO
thats what they ask me
via facebook email phone calls this blog
or
via friends and family

i try to take the knowledge and experience i have
accumulated over the last 5 years

from dealing with this in my family
mother father two brothers and myself
from reading several articles a day on alzheimers
from doing presentations and answering countless
questions from folks seeking answers
from following closely the research thats going on
from being involved in that research as a study subject
from being involved with the alzheimers association
from being involved on a statewide committee
on how to properly evaluate a patients memory loss
from being a family doctor for years caring for patients
when i say caring i mean really caring for their well being


its with all this combined together
i try to help them figure out what to do for themselves
or
their love ones to get the treatment evaluation
and
knowledge to care for the person

so in comes a series of questions
my husband cant remember where he is going
he forgets important things
he gets lost when he is driving
he is in is early 50s
these are not good symptoms to have at this age

he apparently had a stroke that left him with speech problems
and
use of one side and numbness and tingling
but
most of this has resolved over time
but
these symptoms above are interfering with his ability
to work

he
is morbidly obese
has high blood pressure not completely controlled
has high cholesterol that takes high doses 4x what i take
has sleep problems with what is probably sleep apnea
does not exercise
doesnt eat right
definitely not a blue zone person-see last blog


so when i heard the story and got the medical history
eg there is evidence of the stroke on mri
he probably has already had most of the labs that are needed
i made some recommendations for the spouse and the patient

first
he is sort of lucky that this will not probably due to alzheimers
disease
its probably vascular caused memory issues
which
if he gets real aggressive he might be able to stop the progression
or at least slow it down significantly
for if he doesnt
his fall into the dementia abyss will be rapid and disturbing
for him and his family

he needs to see a neurologist which he has an appointment
for a good complete evaluation
to include all the labs he hasnt had
like cbc metabolic profile-electrolytes kidney test liver test sugar
vit d level vit b12 level folate probably homocysteine level etc
a good baseline in office memory test with maybe a
full neuropsychological test to complete define his memory issues
a complete sleep evaluation
his wife going with him to the appointment with a list of
the specific things he is having memory problems
warning dont let them go alone
fill out the 21 question questionnaire about what he is doing
then score it and take it to his appointment

i warned them that he might be a candidate for aricept even
though this may not be alzheimers disease
each neurologist thinks differently on using it in these cases

let the neurologist do the evaluation and monitor and treat
his memory loss
then
the treatment that really will make a difference
is in the hands of the patient
he is lucky in that what he does for his health
will determine if this is stopped or improved

control aggressively his blood pressure
his cholesterol
his weight
move and move and move as much as possible
aggressively do his speech therapy and physical therapy
get on the  mind diet
correct any sleep issues since sleep is where the toxins
in the brain are removed each night

so
his future for himself and with his family
is in his hands
get a grip is what my advice to him is



here are the walk to end alzheimers we are participating in
click the links to donate and or join our team
or
one in a walk to end alzheimers in your area

september 26   williamson county in georgetown
team organicgreendoctor

october 10   travis county in austin 
team austin regional clinic

october 17   little rock
team #joe nash

october 31   hays county in san marcos
team organicgreendoctor

november 7   bell county in temple
team organicgreendoctor
i will be the honorary chair for this event

future speaking engagement
senior expo belton texas
september 22 at 1030am
i will be speaking and answering questions on alzheimers

we need your help
we are close to a treatment and cure
its in your hands
_________
now i only do one alzheimers walk a year
the one here in santa barbara
its nice to walk and be able to look out over the ocean as you walk

if i could start over 
when i was in my 30s and 40s i would go on the mind diet
start a statin for my cholesterol 
watch my blood pressure and if it was not under 120/80 get on meds
middle age blood pressure control is important
exercise regularly which i usually did
get adequate sleep
avoid more than one drink a day
stay active mentally physically and socially
luckily my job kept me mentally and socially active
had a baseline b12 vitamin d3 and homocysteine level
since i am not sure when mine became abnormal 
i discovered these were abnormal at 60
i have treated these with replacement treatment since then

an extremely low b12 can cause memory issues and other health problems
a low vitamin d3 may be involved in memory issues
a high homocysteine may be associated with heart disease stroke and alzheimers

so 
do this 
get evaluated if you have memory issues
get a good evaluation
then
do all these healthy things
consider treatment if you have alzheimers
keep a close eye on alzheimers research

the organicgreen doctor