welcome to the organic green doctor blog

i am a family physician who was diagnosed with
early mild cognitive impairment(mci) amnestic type on december 21, 2010
this is a precursor to alzheimers disease
because of this diagnosis i have opted to stop practicing medicine
this blog will be about my journey with this disease
please feel free to follow me along this path
i will continue blogging on organic gardening, green living,
solar power, rainwater collection, and healthy living
i will blog on these plus other things noted to be interesting

Thursday, March 21, 2013

not again

NOT AGAIN

as a physician you are always trying to keep up with the
new recommendations for treatments
then whats the gospel turns out not to be later on

vitamin e was recommended for the heart and for stroke prevention
and in high doses to help with alzheimers disease
it was recommended for years
then
nope dont take it became the recommendation
you may be killing people with that stuff
thanks for letting us know

it was a whole adult aspirin to prevent a heart attack
then it was changed to a baby aspirin
then some groups said no go back to the adult one then
others said go to the baby one
so i take the baby one until they decide for sure
i even saw in some writings not to take it at all
guess they cant make up their mind
ill just stay on the baby one

then there was the hormone replacement therapy that was
aggressively pushed for a while
all those women were pushed to get on it
prevent those heart attacks prevent those strokes
protect those bones

seems if i remember correctly it was based on false data
from one of the drug companies that made one of the pills
profit over profession
the influence of lobbying in the medical field
all those free meals for staff and meetings didnt hurt any
or those free trips
lets see it was breast cancer heart attacks strokes and
uterine cancer it caused
now that one was a bad one

now here comes another one
this one is almost sacrilegious
the us preventative task force looked at all available research
and made the recommendation
that older women shouldnt take vitamin d supplements and
calcium supplements to prevent broken bones and probably
anyone else wouldnt be helped either

now that is definitely not right
all those women thousands (60+-% of women over 60 take this stuff)
who have suffered taking this stuff all those years and who have
suffered from bad constipation and from kidney stones and indigestion

if this is true
i want to personally apologize to each of you that i made this
recommendation
luckily statistically only half of you listened to me and did it
and of those who did many didnt take it regularly

interesting is that the companies that make all this stuff and
advertise it on tv the internet and in newspapers and magazines
dont agree with this new recommendation

so its with all of this in mind i looked at my handful of supplements
i was taking
and started chunking stuff away
if it wont fit in a small pill box then its gone
no vitamin d and calcium no folic acid no cumeric no multivitamin
no fiber tab

just down to my statin niacin aricept (donepezil) yes my baby aspirin
and my stomach pill omeprazole
it all fits nicely in my small weekly pill box i can easily fit in my hand

there has to be proof and real good proof and general consensus
among everyone that something really works before i will
add another pill into that small box

maybe thats what we should all be doing and try doing these things
exercise
eat right
drink in moderation
maintain a normal weight
sleep well
stay happy

no that wont work
no one can patent it and make money off it
can it really be that simple

yes it can

the organicgreen doctor

2 comments:

  1. Yes, my sister was one of those who died of breast cancer after taking the lethal combination of hormonal replacements.

    I think you are on the right track in reducing the pills – but might want to consider reducing further.

    Statins have a negative impact on cognitive abilities – see here: http://www.westonaprice.org/cardiovascular-disease/dangers-of-statin-drugs

    Same with baby aspirin, which can cause micro-bleeds in the brain – see here: http://www.alsearsmd.com/pdf/AspirinReport.pdf

    I believe that much of the improvement people see with Aricept, may occur even without the drug – because the improvement is actually from life style changes post diagnosis: reducing stress, increasing exercise, etc. I believe the minimal benefits of Aricept are not worth the side effects. But, I admit I may change my mind at some point depending on my husband’s decline.

    Wish I could master that "eat right" & "maintain a normal weight." Chocolate and peanut butter are my go to stress relievers - not good!:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mary
      100% of patients with alzheimers dont get better
      of those who take aricept (donepezil)
      1/3 will show improvement in their symptoms for awhile
      1/3 will stay the same
      1/3 will show no improvement
      so 2/3 will get benefit from taking it
      granted the time of its effects can range from
      6 months to as much as 5 years
      ive chosen to take it since the earlier you take it the better it works
      the side effects after you take it for awhile are bearable
      ive been on it for 2.5 years and tolerate the
      side effects
      besides the best practices you mentioned there are no other options available

      diabetes cholesterol and high blood pressure are the three most important diseases to treat to
      possibly prevent or slow down alzheimers disease
      the statins are an important part of controlling
      the cholesterol levels
      its benefit outweighs its side effects also

      as far as apirin is concerned if i am going to skip my medicine on a particular day i never ever
      miss taking my baby aspirin
      a heart attack or stroke prevented is important
      especially in my case since thats how all the men in our family die
      its role in alzheimers disease may be important also
      ive read before about the microbleeds but until
      it can be shown that aspirin should not be used
      then im taking it every day

      togd

      Delete