organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #209-apoe 4 then and now

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #209-apoe 4 then and now: MY STORY REVISITED #209-APOE 4 THEN AND NOW tomorrow morning i will do an hour zoom interview with being patient.com about my having the apo...

my story revisited #209-apoe 4 then and now

MY STORY REVISITED #209-APOE 4 THEN AND NOW

tomorrow morning i will do an hour zoom interview with being patient.com about my having the apoe4 apoe4 gene
its called the late onset alzheimers gene
some recent researchers think that if you have the homozygous apoe4 apoe4 that you will get alzheimers later in life
not everyone believes that
it does increases your risk significantly 

the article below is about maybe why we evolved to have the apoe 4 gene
it in this article provided a evolutionary advantage against intestinal worms
read the below article

being patient is interviewing a group of us with the apoe4 gene to get our thoughts about our having it

they would like you to take a survey on the apoe4 gene
here is the link
i did the survey today

my story is i volunteered in 2010 to be in the adni alzheimers research study 
i was to be in the normal control group
when i had my memory testing it showed i had memory loss thought to be mci or mild cognitive impairment that has turned out to be due to alzheimers disease
i stopped my medical practice and was started on aricept to slow down symptoms

as part of my work up i did my apoe4 genetic test
it showed i have homozygous or double version of the apoe4 gene

i got one from my mom and one from my dad

that gene affects cholesterol metabolism
it is associated with an increased risk for late onset alzheimers
and
high cholesterol
and
because of the high cholesterol
an increased incidence of heart disease and strokes

not a good thing to have this apoe 4 gene
unless
you are in a primitive tribe who dies young it protects your brain
see blog below
__________
01-13-2017

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-IT FIGHTS WORMS
 
the apoe 4 gene
if you have it increases your chance of developing
late onset alzheimers disease
what that means is that
you tend to get the disease later in life
in your late 60s or 70s or sometimes in your 80s

if you get the single variant apoe 4
your chances are doubled or some say increased 5 times
same as someone who has diabetes they dont control

if you get the double variant apoe 4/apoe 4
your chances are increased from 5-20 times
based on which source you read

i have the double variant apoe 4/apoe 4 gene
putting me for high risk of developing late onset
alzheimers disease

those with the apoe 4 gene also have
elevated cholesterol levels
leading to more heart disease and strokes

the percentage of the apoe 4 gene is about 25%
in the white us population

the percentage of the apoe 4 gene is about 33%
in norway

so
why did evolution have this gene be so prevalent
in our population

usually bad genes kill you off early
so
its prevalence stays low

so why evolution did you create this damn
apoe 4 gene to cause us and our families such misery
why
was it naturally selected to be here now

now years and years and years ago
well
folks didnt live to be 70 and 80
they died in their 20s and 30s
so
the apoe 4 gene causing alzheimers disease
well
it was a non factor

so
scientists have found in the amazon
no not the drone people
the amazon river place in brazil
there is a population of folks
isolated from the world
that go about their business as they have for
hundreds or thousands of years

they get intestinal parasites or worms real bad
it seems that those with the apoe 4 gene
for some reason
seem to have better memory as they age
the apoe 4 gene provides some protective measure
to these individuals brain

scientists think that the apoe 4 carries the cholesterol
to the brain but keeps the worms from getting any of it

so
isnt fate strange
a gene protects folks in a primitive tribe
but
kills folks in a more advanced society
where there is sanitation clean water and refrigeration

now the natural selection is going the other way
there is less advantage to have the apoe 4 gene
i say none
there is now more advantage to have the milder gene apoe 2 or apoe3

makes you wonder huh

here is an article that discusses this 

__________
some people who have their apoe4 done get terrified
it ruins their lives

i have a different perspective
it makes you or it should refocus you on maintaining a healthy life style
controlling your weight your blood pressure your cholesterol your blood sugar
not smoking
not drinking or limiting alcohol
staying active socially mentally physically
eating the mind diet or similar diet
controlling stress anxiety depression
getting adequate sleep

these are things that we all should be doing anyway
many think you can counter the apoe4 gene effects by doing all these during your lifetime

it will be interesting to see what questions the interviewers ask me tomorrow

my view of apoe4 then and now have changed

back in 2011 when i had my apoe4 test done and i got my results i was quite melancholic after i got the results

today i dont feel that way 
i am glad i know
like i am glad i know i have alzheimers so i can deal with it and maintain my health 
it does incentivize you some well a lot actually to know you have apoe4 apoe4

then it scared me
now not so much

post interview entry
i had a good interview with the being patient director 
it lasted over an hour
we spoke a lot about my journey over the last 14 years
and 
discussed how i felt to have done my apoe4 status
i said what i wrote above
i was melancholic for awhile 
it took me several weeks to months to really understand the apoe4 gene and what affects it can have on your health

many folks dont want to know 
i am glad i did mine and know

she also would like me to write a couple of articles on my story and my thoughts on having the apoe4 gene for her website
ill post those when they are printed

being patients would like for you to fill out a survey that is anonymous on the apoe4 gene

here again is the link to take the survey
it takes only a few minutes

i am glad i have had my apoe4 status done
plus i have had an amyloid pet scan and lots of memory tests so i know where i am at in the disease process
now i just wait for science to tell me when to get treated again

there are now a lot of people who have been treated like me to remove all our amyloid plaque
we are just waiting to find out what to do next

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #208-the future is now

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #208-the future is now: MY STORY REVISITED #208-THE FUTURE IS NOW it is always interesting for me to go back and read my old blogs the one below from 2015 was writt...

my story revisited #208-the future is now

MY STORY REVISITED #208-THE FUTURE IS NOW

it is always interesting for me to go back and read my old blogs
the one below from 2015 was written about a year before i was accepted into the biogen aduhelm clinical trial where i eventually received 18 monthly placebo infusions and 34 monthly aduhelm infusions that removed all the measurable amyloid plaques from my brain

What a difference 8 years can make 
in 2015 i wrote the future was brighter than it was 5 years ago
in 2024 its even brighter
_________
09-04-2015
ALZHEIMERS NEWS-A BRIGHTER FUTURE
i think thats true
the future is brighter than it was 5 years ago
progress has been made

as i am preparing for two large presentations on alzheimers disease
i stopped
and
contemplated how much things have changed in the
last 5 years
and
how much potential there is for the future
for
those with memory loss due to alzheimers disease

when i was diagnosed with amnestic mild cognitive impairment
that may be due to alzheimers disease five years ago
it was sort of overwhelming
i could only think of what it was like as my mother and
younger brother were at my stage
they probably werent as aware like i am of the problem
and
what the future held for them
an awful one

all i could think was what course they had
and
how bad it was for the family and friends and
for themselves

i worried a lot about my future
my wife she and i our future
what it would be like

now as i look back and can look forward
i feel more hope
and
thats important
hope

personally i feel better both physically and mentally
my cholesterol and blood pressure are under good control
my weight and physical conditioning is under good control
my diet is the best its ever been
i take a boatload of supplements that have been implied
to help slow things down but not definitely proven to help
yet
i stay very active socially mentally and physically
i drink red wine each night and 2-3 cups of coffee each morning
both may help
i dont sleep well at night 5-6 hours of sleep is all i get
but
luckily since im retired i am able to do an afternoon nap
which helps immensely
maybe we all should be doing this
im happy and contented
i still take aricept (donepezil) and plan to continue it long term
and
i am afraid to stop it as i might deteriorate some with my memory
if do

then
looking forward
for myself and others

memory issue folks can now get a very thorough evaluation
done
so that they will know why they have memory loss
and
if its alzheimers disease
by
a good history and physical
labs for anemia chemistry abnormalities like electrolytes kidney
and liver functions and glucose vitamin b12 vitamin d folate
homocysteine levels which are associated with an increased
risk of alzheimers stroke and heart attacks
thyroid levels
these lab abnormalities are all treatable

bloomberg.com

memory tests easily done in the office and online
mri scans
genetic tests for dominant alzheimers and for apoe 4 gene


spinal fluid analysis for the bad beta amyloid and tau protein


amyvid pet scan of the brain for the presence of beta amyloid
if yours is positive there is a good chance you will get or now have
alzheimers disease

coming soon within maybe 2 years a blood test that may be
90-100% accurate in telling you if you got it or not

so soon
like now you can find out if you have it if you have symptoms
but
some of the tests arent covered by insurance

then once diagnosed
if not sooner
get your self motivated to do those things to stay healthy
get on medicine like aricept as it may slow down symptoms
but at times the side effects suck big time
then
look into the future
as
real soon
there may be a pill called a bace inhibitor that you take
and or
a vaccine given as a regular infusion
both if  they are proven to help
will prevent or slow down the disease
you will be able to take them long term

so
i see hope in the future for myself my siblings
and
those of you affected now or soon to be
__________

the evaluation for memory issues hasnt changed much in the last eight years
 
history and exam
labs
memory testing
mri of the brain

now amyloid pet scans are more readily used instead of spinal taps to help diagnose alzheimers disease

soon the blood tests i mentioned 8 years ago will be available in your doctors offices
they are being used in clinical trials now to screen patients for the studies
they the good ones are as accurate as the spinal taps and amyloid pet scan
commonly if your blood test is positive they will do an amyloid pet scan to verify the finding

the bace inhibitors i mentioned didnt work 
in fact it made things worse

now the moncolonal antibodies are approved to remove the amyloid plaque
my drug aduhelm was approved and later taken off the market since it didnt work as well as the other two that were approved
for me the aduhelm worked by removing all the amyloid plaque seen on my amyloid pet scans

the two now available are leqembi and kisunia
they both work faster and remove the amyloid plaque
they provide about 30% slowing in memory loss

studies are being done to treat patient with no symptoms but who have amyloid plaque
so called prealzheimers or prodromal alzheimers
this recommendation to treat these prealzheimers patients will be coming soon

for me i would have received these drugs in my mid 50s if they had been available

other drugs are being studied now to treat amyloid plague and tau tangles and inflammation

eventually its thought folks will be given at least 3 drugs to treat alzheimers
an anti amyloid drug like leqembi or kisunia
an anti tau drug in studies now
an anti inflammatory drug in studies now

maybe these will do the job in really slowing down the disease

adding of course
healthy living
eating a mind diet or similar one
staying active mentally physically and socially
avoiding excessive alcohol
not smoking
getting adequate sleep
treating any mental health issues like anxiety and depression
meditating someway 
maintaining a normal weight blood pressure cholesterol and blood sugar

I still take the aricept or donepezil
i no longer take all those supplements
i do all those healthy things mentioned above
sleep is still an issue but i program in an early afternoon nap

some things didnt change over the last 8 years
but some new things are added or will be added in the future

yes the future is now

the organicgrreen doctor