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 7, 2024

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

Related image
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

Image result for aducanumab
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 

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