welcome to the organic green doctor blog
Friday, June 2, 2023
organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-its almost official
alzheimers news-its almost official
ALZHEIMERS NEWS-ITS ALMOST OFFICIAL
a quick review
what happens in the development of alzheimers is
amyloid accumulates in plaques in the brain killing brain cells
then
tau proteins in the brain cells unwind and forms tau tangles killing brain cells
then
inflammation sets in killing brain cells
the anti amyloid drugs bind to the amyloid plaques to remove them
by doing so it slows down the alzheimers process
this slows cognitive decline
there are 3 anti amyloid drugs that will get approval for use by the end of this year
my drug aduhelm which i have had 30 monthly infusions is approved already but is limited to research only unless you want to pay for it yourself
leqembi will get full approval by the fda next month
donanemab will probably get full approval later in the year
cms or medicare and medicaid has said that once a drug gets full approval that it will pay for it
these drugs will soon be available to all of you to take in a matter of months
there will be strict criteria for who can get it
you have to have mild cognitive impairment from alzheimers or early alzheimers
diagnosed by an amyloid pet scan or by a spinal tap for amyloid and tau
in the future blood tests will do this
then if you meet the health and age requirements you can get it
the biggest risk factor is having the apoe 4 gene or even more risk is the homozygous apoe 4 gene like i have
it puts you at a higher risk of microhemorrhages in the brain or major bleeds
anticoagulation is another risk factor also eg being on coumadin
there will be multiple other risk factors also
you if you get treatment will be monitored closely for bleeds ie mris of the brain
so
if you have one of these diagnoses of mci or early alzheimers you may qualify for early treatment to maybe slow down the disease
i feel like that the earlier you start treatment the longer effect it will have on slowing down the disease
eg
if this had been available in 2010 i would have gotten on it and received 13 years of treatment so far
this would potentially slow down the disease some
could it allow me to see ms b graduate from high school
maybe
but i have will only have gotten 4 years of treatment when i end my study next year
the treatment with one of these 3 drugs will probably be done until the measurable amyloid plaques are gone from the brain
then
some maintenance dose will be given long term
eg it might be once twice three times four times a year
it probably will be based on what the amyloid pet scans show
some folks including me feel like that by removing the amyloid you also slow down the tau tangles and the inflammation
new drugs to attack the tau tangles are starting to be studied now
as are new drugs to attack the inflammatory process that happens also
so
i could easily be on two other drugs
one to attack the tau tangles
one to attack the inflammation that ensues
the secret will be to treat this all as early in the process as possible
there are studies like the ahead study ongoing now and looking for volunteers that will identify folks with amyloid in the brain who have no symptoms
they will be treated with one of these drugs before symptoms start
this is where the treatment will eventually be done
its like treating cholesterol
you treat the cholesterol in your middle age to prevent a stroke hearty attack or alzheimers disease later in life
for me
i will finish my embark aduhelm study next year
then
i will follow the research on which of these works the best and has the fewer side effects
then
i will get regular maintenance dosing to keep my amyloid plaque levels down
then
when the anti tau drugs become available i will take those also
plus
i will
control my cholesterol with a statin
control my blood pressure with a drug if i need it
stay active mentally physically socially
get adequate sleep
eat a well balance diet like the mind diet
avoid stress anxiety
stay happy
maintain a normal weight
avoid excessive alcohol
avoid smoking
also
new treatment centers will pop up everywhere to give these infusions
so they should be available eventually everywhere
instead of kidney centers we will have brain centers
hopefully all of this will slow down the disease
the organicgreen doctor
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
organicgreendoctor: my story #178-then and now
my story #178-then and now
MY STORY #178-THEN AND NOW
these pictures above are of amyloid pet scans of the brain form the phase 1 aducanumab study from nature
on the left is the scans when the study was started
on the right is the scans 1 year after treatment
that red stuff is amyloid
the first one on the right is a placebo patient after one year
i was a placebo patient after 18 months
my amyloid pet scan probably looked like this after those 18 monthly infusions of saline
it would be full of the red stuff
then i got the real drug
so far i have had #30 aducanumab or aduhelm infusions
my amyloid pet scan i will be getting in two weeks should look like the 10 mg/kgm one
ie there should be no red stuff showing up
below i wrote a blog to ms b my granddaughter of around 3 at that time
i wrote
ms b look over at that chair
if this stuff works then i will be sitting in that chair when you can read this
if it doesnt work then that chair will be empty
well 6 years later today as she reads this it looks like that chair has me sitting in it
02-28-2017
DEAR MS B-TODAYS IT
now ms b
i hope when you read this
well my guess is that you will probably be around 10-15 years old
when you first read this
as you sit on the couch with your laptop or your whatever is being
used then
as you read this blog today
i hope you will be able to look over at the easy chair in your
living room
there sitting in that easy chair will be me
ill look at you
smile
ill understand
i we made it
you see ms b
i have or may have alzheimers disease
i hope by the time you read this
you will know a lot about the disease
we should have a good treatment or maybe a cure
when you read this
today ms b
your gma and i make the drive up to ut southwestern in dallas
a 3.5 hour drive
i drive up there
your gma drives home
today we are going there to get a scan
called the amyvid pet scan
its a scan that will show the beta amyloid if its there
hopefully you will know a lot about this disease and
will understand what this means
a quick summary
i have a strong family history of alzheimers disease
i have a gene apoe 4 that puts me at risk for getting alzheimers disease
i have abnormal levels of beta amyloid and tau protein in my
spinal fluid which is associated with alzheimers disease
i had a normal memory tests 8 years ago then 3 years later
it was abnormal
so i probably have alzheimers disease
i take medicine called aricept donepezil for it
i am aggressively doing healthy things to help
but
i need one more thing
i need the final picture the final piece of the puzzle
the amyvid pet scan for the beta amyloid
if its positive
well i got it that alzheimers disease
the good thing though is that if this thing is positive
like i expect it to be
then i qualify for the aducanumab study
i then will receive monthly infusions that has a chance to slow it down
or
if we are lucky stop it in its tracks
so ms b
todays important to us
so ms b
as you read this look over at the chair
if its empty
this stuff didnt work
but
if i am sitting over there smiling at you
well
then
this stuff worked
__________
yesterday i had a tau pet scan at ucla
i was there for about 5 hours
i have had 3 of these
i have one more to go next year at this time in this study
if i could see it i could tell where the alzheimers was active in my brain allowing me to predict where my symptoms would show up first
next week i have a day long of memory testing and neurological exams and end the day with a mri of the brain
looking back i feel like it was a good decision to be in this study
this week i can sit in ms b and mr hs living room and they will look over and ill be there
the organicgreen doctor
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
organicgreendoctor: censorship at its worst
censorship at its worst
CENSORHIP AT ITS WORST
npr.org
i remember watching her read her memorable poem over 2 years ago
tearing up some as she read it
i knew that this was a reading of a poem that will be remembered well in history
it was maya angelouish
it was shown and read in schools and homes across the country
i wanted my grandkids to read it and watch her reading of it when they got old enogh to read
ms b was there 2 years ago
i want her to know who amanda gorman is
her generations maya angelou
i watched her read it this morning and read along as she read it
what
i said
is in there that needs censored by that elementary school in florida
this is censorship at it worst
take the time to reread this historical poem and watch her reading of it
whats wrong with us
__________
01-26-2021
A ONCE IN A LIFETIME POET
every generation has its lifetime poet or author
my generation the baby boomers have maya angelou as its lifetime poet or author
other generations had robert frost
i can still hear maya angelou as she so eloquently read her poems
leaving a lasting impression on my brain and in my heart
so now
enter amanda gorman
this generations lifetime poet
the harvard graduate national youth poet laureate
she also like maya angelou has left a lasting impression on my brain and in my heart
i want ms b and mr h and mr n to know who she is and to appreciate her artistry
listen to what she wrote
and
listen to her read those words
and
follow what she wrote
for us all to make our lives better
she spoke so eloquently even though she started her life with a speech impediment
she overcame that as she also overcame a lot in her life
to be
the next lifetime poet or author of this generation
i sat down and watched the video below of her speech
as she spoke
i read the words that are posted below her video
to make it easier to appreciate what she is saying
this is the answer to what ails us as a society
this twenty-two year old gives us the road map to the future
its up to us to follow it
ms b read and enjoy
click this link to the video if it doesnt show on your feed
the hill we climb
“When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry,
a sea we must wade
We’ve braved the belly of the beast
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace
And the norms and notions of what just is
Isn’t always just-ice
And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it
Somehow we do it
Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed
a nation that isn’t broken
but simply unfinished
We the successors of a country and a time
Where a skinny Black girl
descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of becoming president
only to find herself reciting for one
And yes we are far from polished
far from pristine
but that doesn’t mean we are
striving to form a union that is perfect
We are striving to forge our union with purpose
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us
but what stands before us
We close the divide because we know to put our future first
we must first put our differences aside
We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
That even as we grieved, we grew
That even as we hurt, we hoped
That even as we tired, we tried
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious
Not because we will never again know defeat
but because we will never again sow division
Scripture tells us to envision
that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree
And no one shall make them afraid
If we’re to live up to our own time
Then victory won’t lie in the blade
But in all of the bridges we’ve made
That is the promise to glade
The hill we climb
If only we dare
It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit,
it’s the past we step into
and how we repair it
We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation
rather than share it
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy
And this effort very nearly succeeded
But while democracy can be periodically delayed
it can never be permanently defeated
In this truth
in this faith we trust
For while we have our eyes on the future
history has its eyes on us
This is the era of just redemption
We feared at its inception
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs
of such a terrifying hour
but within it we found the power
to author a new chapter
To offer hope and laughter to ourselves
So while once we asked,
how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?
Now we assert,
How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
We will not march back to what was
but move to what shall be
A country that is bruised but whole,
benevolent but bold,
fierce and free
We will not be turned around
or interrupted by intimidation
because we know our inaction and inertia
will be the inheritance of the next generation
Our blunders become their burdens
But one thing is certain:
If we merge mercy with might,
and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy
and change our children’s birthright
So let us leave behind a country
better than the one we were left with
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,
we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one
We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the West,
we will rise from the windswept Northeast
where our forefathers first realized revolution
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the Midwestern states,
we will rise from the sunbaked South
We will rebuild, reconcile and recover
and every known nook of our nation
and every corner called our country,
our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,
battered and beautiful
When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
by
amanda gorman
__________
our hill may be higher to climb than we realized
dont let a few ruin it for the rest of us
enjoy her writings ms b
the organicgreen doctor