organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-what she said

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-what she said: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-WHAT SHE SAID my wife she wrote this blog entry for the local alzheimers association telling my story sorry but she uses pun...

alzheimers news-what she said

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-WHAT SHE SAID

my wife she wrote this blog entry for the local alzheimers association telling my story
sorry but she uses punctuations and capitals

the picture above is from 2020 in the middle of the covid pandemic
it was cold that day and the walk was postponed but a short ceremony was held at the santa barbara mission
i was about 45 lbs lighter than i am now due to what they thought was covid affecting my appetite

i thought at the time that i was going to go from covid instead of alzheimers

We missed one walk to end alzheimers in 15 years

thats my goal what is on the back of her jacket
_________

1 December 2025 

Dear California Central Coast Alzheimer's Association, 

We’ve walked for 15 years - at least one walk per year and sometimes 2 or 3 in different towns.  

My partner was a beloved family practice doc in Austin Texas.  ALZ came for his beloved family: his preacher dad, Charles W; his nurse mom, Nell; his fireman & sheriff baby brother, Joe.  Seeing the writing on the wall, my husband, Dr Nash signed up to be in an ALZ study in Dallas.  “Sorry,” they said when he was tested, “You don’t qualify to be in the control group as planned… you already have Mild Cognitive Impairment.”  On December 20, 2010, one of the last prescriptions Dr Nash wrote as a practicing physician?  Aricept for one of his ALZ patients.  24 hours later in Dallas, his new neurologist was handing over a script for Aricept to my husband.  To say our family was devastated was an understatement.   

My Santa Barbara sister immediately shared a book, Zen Shorts, with us. The story within, The Farmer’s Luck. (See insert below.)

This diagnosis, an ALZ precursor? Such bad luck? Maybe.  

But my husband dedicated his new life to one ALZ study and then another and another.  He became a vocal advocate for the Alzheimer's Association (including a daily blog),  https://www.organicgreendoctor.com/2025/11/organicgreendoctor-alzheimers-news-do.html

a deliverer of Meals on Wheels,and a home builder with Habitat With Humanity.  When we moved to Santa Barbara in 2017 to be close to family support, he dedicated his volunteer work as a community gardener.  In addition to doing all the preventative things he could possibly do to buy us precious time, he also began clinical trials of Aduhelm at UCLA.  State-of-the-art brain pet scans confirmed the naughty amyloid plaques had indeed deposited in his brain.  Bad luck? Nope.  Good luck that qualified him for the maybe magic bullet Aduhelm.  After 34 monthly infusions, the amyloid plaques were gone.  Gone! Gone! Gone!

We, including my healthy hubby/perhaps survivor of ALZ, will walk Saturday Dec 6, 2025 in sunny Santa Barbara surrounded by donors, advocates, patients, care-givers, friends and family,  including our FOUR precious grandchildren. Good luck, indeed.    

As Samuel L Jackson says in his ads for The Alzheimer's Association, “Enough is enough!  Alzheimer’s, you came for my family. Now I’m coming for you.” 

Jo Nash & Dewayne Nash https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Walk2025/CA-CaliforniaCentralCoast?team_id=1004923&pg=team&fr_id=18431

       all i have to say is such bad luck maybe

such good luck maybe plus what she said the oganicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-do all of these to slow it down

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-do all of these to slow it down: A LZHEIMERS NEWS-DO ALL OF THESE TO SLOW IT DOWN that is me looking for an answer to slow down alzheimers disease scientists are looking at ...

alzheimers news-do all of these to slow it down

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-DO ALL OF THESE TO SLOW IT DOWN

that is me looking for an answer to slow down alzheimers disease
scientists are looking at all kinds of new treatments to slow it down or stop it when it starts
there are several new treatments in clinical trials that will help do that

now they are looking backwards
how can you slow it down or prevent it yourself
what prevention things have they found that may do that
the younger you start it the better
no age is it too late to start

here are their top 15 things to do 

1 eat a plant based diet or at least the mind diet

2 exercise regularly
walk at least 3000 to 5000 steps more if you can
even that number can delay cognitive decline by 3 years
i use gardening as my exercise and i get 5000-10000 steps a day

3 get vaccinated
especially flu covid rsv pneumonia and shingles if you are older
these prevent inflammation that can occur in the brain from certain viral infections

4 take a daily multivitamin
this may slow down alzheimers some
i dont take a multivitamin since i take folate vitamin d vitamin b12 and iron since my levels are low if i dont take supplements
i have my levels checked yearly to make sure my levels are kept normal
most folks dont need to do that but may be helped by a daily vitamin supplement
dont take it without discussing with your doctor

5 avoid air pollutants
this is important if you live in a heavy smog area or near fires
air pollution contributes to dementia risk

6 protect your brain from trauma
i have had 3 concussions and at least one car wreck with head trauma
these didnt help me any 

7 save your hearing
wear hearing aids if you need then
hearing loss increases your dementia risk

8 reduce loneliness feelings
control anxiety and depression

9 ensure you have normal blood pressure normal cholesterol and normal blood sugar
do this as early in your life as you can
heart kidneys and brain will be helped if you do 

10 get a good nights sleep
deep sleep is when your brain repairs itself
avoid sleeping meds if you can
i struggle with this one since the donepezil interferes with my sleep
you will find me napping every afternoon from 1-3 so i can get my 7-8 hours of sleep

11 reduce or stop alcohol intake
bad things socially and physically happen if you drink too much
it exacerbates health issues like diabetes hypertension heart disease stroke and memory issues

12 dont smoke
it damages your brain heart and lungs

13 avoid sleep medications
many folks are masking other problems like sleep apnea that needs to be treated
they may influence your dementia risk

14 do crossword puzzles or other mentally stimulating activities like reading writing social interactions and play board games
keep your brain active 

15 maintain your social connections
the pandemic was not good for this

the younger you start these things the better chance they will help to slow down or prevent you from getting dementia

we are getting close to the point where when you are younger say 30s or 40s you can get a dementia risk evaluation done if you want to know if you have it or will get it

the mayo clinic has a study that has done that

the testing is available now 
the problem is there is no definite treatment in 2025 if you find you are at risk to get dementia

oh wait

yes there is

its those 15 things that i wrote about above

for me

I was diagnosed in 2010 with mild cognitive impairment that is due to alzheimers
over the last 15 years i have aggressively done those 15 things above

something all of you can easily do

i also added donepezil or aricept to my regimen
this slows down symptoms but does not slop the disease

i also took 34 monthly infusions of aduhelm or aducanumab which removed all of the measurable amyloid plaques from my brain

add all that up
here 15 years later my memory seems to be normal for a 75 year old male

i am waiting for what to do next
maybe i will get on a maintenance dose of one of the antiamyloid antibody meds like leqembi to keep the  plaques from returning

i am also watching all the clinical trials that are ongoing some using medications that are already on the market that are used for the heart and for cancer treatment

yes
do all of these as soon as you can like today

Join and or donate to your local walk to end alzheimers

our walk to end alzheimers in santa barbara is saturday november 15th
this will be our 15th year to do the alzheimers walk

here is the link to my team organicgreendoctor
note the walk is postponed today due to the weather


Today at 1200 noon cst we start our year ending fundraiser for the community garden which i manage and have my garden plot
feel free to make a donation to help us reach our goal

read our story at the seedmoney.org fundraiser site for our community garden

donate.seedmoney.org/11939/trinity-gardens

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: they did not do it again

organicgreendoctor: they did not do it again: THEY DID NOT DO IT AGAIN i looked at my watch and its said 200 i looked at my digital clock and it said 200 i looked in the mirror and it sa...

they did not do it again

THEY DID NOT DO IT AGAIN

i looked at my watch and its said 200
i looked at my digital clock and it said 200
i looked in the mirror and it said its 200

however
i looked at the time on my computer and it said 100
i looked at the time on my phone and it said 100

my body says its 200

when i do my moca memory test i have to draw a clock with a certain time on it
i bet if i was doing my memory test today i would not pass that part of the test
and
wont for several days

lets see
i have to sit and figure this out every time
so at 700 when the sun usually comes up here in november then its really now 800 or is it 600
it says on ai that its really now 600
so
i dont leave now for the garden until 600 or should i wait till 700 now which is really 600
im confused again

so
ill just go by what my phone says
not by what my body says or the birds say 

i always feel like i fell back and hit my head and i am in a daze for several days

my biorhythms and internal time clock will get all messed up

I know i will go at 700 the new not daylight savings time and see what the chickens are doing in the garden
i wonder if they will quit laying eggs
or
does this not affect them
they dont have a clock in their coop

the politicians were suppose to fix this
but
of course they did not fix this

i wonder if in march i will have to write again about the daylight not savings time change

i will not no longer vote for a politician who does not favor eliminating daylight not savings time

now
i wish they would leave it like it is as of today with more morning sunlight
i know others want more afternoon sun

im ok with picking either as long as the time doesnt change each year

politicians you need to keep your promises

the organicgreen doctor
 

organicgreendoctor: dont be at a disadvantage

organicgreendoctor: dont be at a disadvantage: DONT BE AT A DISADVANTAGE it is that time again to sign up or renew you medicare plans as someone who worked in the medical field since i wa...

dont be at a disadvantage

DONT BE AT A DISADVANTAGE


it is that time again to sign up or renew you medicare plans
as someone who worked in the medical field since i was 16 years old and someone who has been a physician for over 40 years 
my advice to you is do not i repeat do not sign up for the medicare disadvantage plan

i am speaking as an insider and outsider

these plans are only a good choice for those who meet these criteria
you have no health issues and will not ever have any health issues

that friends
are none of you

john oliver did a spill on this on his hbo show last week
you might not like his politics but you should listen to what he says
he speaks the truth
there is no politics in the video

if you or someone you know wants to know the truth about the medicare disadvantage plans listen to this video 

its the facts you need to know to make a decision on what to do

sadly close to 50% of yall chose these medicare disadvantage plans
congress is pushing these plans on yall
why i ask
it costs medicare more if you are on this plan than if you are on regular medicare

all of what john oliver says in this video is true

all of it



these medicare disadvantage plans are an advantage to someone
its the insurance companies mainly

think of them as a really restrictive hmo insurance with copays and prior authorizations and out of network issues and more
none are good

this doesnt happen with regular medicare

you may pay less each month on the medicare disadvantage plan but may pay a lot more if you get sick

my wife she and i have regular medicare and a medicare supplement and a drug plan
we pay some for our  meds probably about $150 a year

i have never paid for any extra for my care in the last 15 years
neither has my wife she

she just recently had heart valve surgery
our out of pocket was zero
if she had been on a medicare disadvantage plan she would have had to pay extra and would have had to go through referral and prior authorizations and probably some denials
there was none

dont let them take advantage of you

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: garden news-my fall garden

organicgreendoctor: garden news-my fall garden: GARDEN NEWS-MY FALL GARDEN last night the charlie brown pumpkin movie was shown in the pumpkin patch at our community garden it was dark coz...

garden news-my fall garden

GARDEN NEWS-MY FALL GARDEN

last night the charlie brown pumpkin movie was shown in the pumpkin patch at our community garden
it was dark cozy and chilly but all there had a great time


a big ole pumpkin was there that weighed around 350 lbs for all to enjoy

our main garden is being transformed from the summer garden to the fall garden
i am also redoing my garden plot
it is about 400 square foot in diameter

i have 8 3ft x 7ft beds that are framed with wooden 2x4s
i also have 15 30 gallon grow bags 
i also have a 3ft square bed that i grow a walking stick kale/collard or kale/collard tree
it produces big leaves that are like collards
they are tender and cook like regular collards

i also have a 3ft x 8ft bed that has concrete blocks around it 
i grow strawberries in the holes in the blocks

i have a 4ft x 4 ft bed that i grew cherry tomatoes in the summer and this fall i have planted a vine snap pea there

after i removed my summer crops i added  4 inches of compost 
either compost we buy for the garden or compost we make in our big compost bins or compost i make myself in my garden using buried 5 gallon buckets with holes on the sides and bottom

i add compost material from our kitchen in the buckets and worms come through the holes into the bucket to eat the compost materials
i produce about 30 gallons of this compost every 6 months
it is added to the beds when i prep them for the season

after i cover the beds with compost i add a scattering of an organic fertilizer
this is forked in with a garden fork
raked smooth
and
a soaking of a fish emulsion seaweed molasses mixture is added
the bed is then covered with a layer of pine straw
the pine straw holds in moisture
when i plant the bed i remove the pine straw

each of the beds are prepped this way
i never dig or till the beds

i do the same for the grow bags

on the back row is two beds that are 2ft x 7ft
they have a permanent 6 foot fence on t posts
these beds are used for peas in the winter and beans in the summer


in my grow bags this winter i am growing potatoes in 5 of them
lettuce carrots and garlic in the others
our soil here is clay so potatoes dont do well in the ground so i use the grow bags with good success

for the potatoes i get an organic red potato and leave it in our window until it makes sprouts from its eyes usually about 2 weeks
i then plant the whole potato in the bags


in my beds shown here i plant
dino kale and curly kale
cauliflower
cabbage
swiss chard
and
then on the back row i plant tall telephone shelling peas


in these beds shown here i plant 
onions that i get from dixondale farms in texas called  texas 1015 and early white onions
they make a nice bulb onion that you can store for several months
these we will harvest around next april or may
next is a bed for leeks
i get these from dixondale also
they will be harvested in april or may of next year
both the onions and leeks i will chop up and freeze for use in soups beans stews casseroles etc
next is a row of broccoli
next is a bed with celery with room for more veggies
i usually will plant a vegetable that we have extra in our greenhouse or maybe something i dont usually plant like red cabbage

at the back is a bed with a fence that i will plant magnolia snap peas a multicolored pea that tastes yummy off the vines
i eat a lot of my peas while im working in the garden

so
this is my fall winter garden that i will have fully planted soon
it will produce a lot of produce for us to use in our kitchen

the same thing is happening in our main garden
we are now prepping our beds there and will soon have it all planted for the winter also

we have an online fundraiser event that will start on november 15th and run to december 15th
it will be live starting november 15th
it is a garden go fund me like site
based on how much we raise we can also get a partial matching grant
all of the funds raised go to our garden

the link is seedmoney.org 
the link to our garden will be live on november 15th

If you have a community or school garden you might consider posting your site on this seedmoney.org site

our garden has raised over $5000 using this site
part of this was matching grants

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #221-la bobera wasnt helped

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #221-la bobera wasnt helped: MY STORY REVISITED #221-LA BOBERA WASNT HELPED i wrote this blog 10 years ago a few months before i started the aduhelm or aducanumab clinic...

my story revisited #221-la bobera wasnt helped

MY STORY REVISITED #221-LA BOBERA WASNT HELPED

i wrote this blog 10 years ago a few months before i started the aduhelm or aducanumab clinical trial at ut southwewtern
i received 18 months of placebo as it turns out and later took 34 months of the real drug aduhelm

it removed all of the measurable amyloid from my brain as shown on my last amyloid pet scan almost 2 years ago

about the time i started getting my aduhelm infusions researchers started giving similar drugs to these folks below in colombia 

I have late onset alzheimers
they have the genetic familial early onset alzheimers caused by the presenilin gene

the drug did not work on them at all and didnt work on others with the same condition in research centers elsewhere in the world

for me and those like me the drugs may slow down the disease some
for those folks it didnt do anything
__________

11-15-2015
ALZHEIMERS NEWS-LA BOBERA

there is early onset alzheimers disease
it less common
its what alice had in the movie still alice

basically if you inherent the gene for alzheimers
you will get the disease
a cruel way to pass down your genes
a lethal one

dailymail.com.uk
a researcher at uc santa barbara has looked closely at the genetics
of a town in colombia
called
yarumal in the state of antioquia
well known for the wrong reason
for the worlds largest population of folks with alzheimers disease

5,000 carry the mutation for early onset alzheimers
1/2 of them will be diagnosed with alzheimers at 45
the other half will die before they are 65 with
what they call
la bobera
the foolishness

the researcher drew blood on 102 folks from antioquia and found
72 folks with the mutation gene for alzheimers disease
all 72 destined to die from this awful disease

using genetic analysis and historical data
like a super ancestry.com
the conclusion based on the fact the dna was tracked to
western europe
was that there was a common ancestor to all those folks
in antioquia who had the awful alzheimers gene

a spanish conquistador who had the mutation gene in his dna

an infiltration into their society that has harmed generations and
generations of folks

now this area is an hot bed of research on alzheimers disease
many of the new treatments that are being tested
are tested here
a large population of folks all of who are going to die from
alzheimers

one problem with the study
all those tested who were positive were not told they had the disease
since genetic counseling was not available to the population

whether this was ethical is another discussion

one boy asked to be told if his was positive

why
the researcher asked
there is no treatment

the boy took his hand shaped it like a gun
cocked back the thumb

well you get the picture

la bobera


this is alzheimers awareness month
the clinic where i worked did an interview with me
on alzheimers
here is the link to the article they wrote
three facts you should know about alzheimers
_________
the link to the interview is no longer available

later researchers have given the drugs these antiamyloid drugs to these genetic early onset alzheimers patients who have no symptoms yet and followed them for several years and it seems to be slowing down symptoms slightly
when given after symptoms started it did nothing

if you had la bobera what would you do


Join and or donate to your local walk to end alzheimers

our walk to end alzheimers in santa barbara is saturday november 15th
this will be our 15th year to do the alzheimers walk

here is the link to my team organicgreendoctor

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: nature appreciation

organicgreendoctor: nature appreciation: NATURE APPRECIATION this is a photo someone sent to me looking across our community gardens you see flowers kale malabar spinach and lots of...

nature appreciation

NATURE APPRECIATION

this is a photo someone sent to me looking across our community gardens
you see flowers kale malabar spinach and lots of flowers 
in the background is our banana grove

this is where i spend up to 2-3 hours almost every day
usually 4 days i have the 3 acres all to myself
just me and the bees and the chickens and the birds and the butterflies and the dragonflies and an occasional squirrel

i read this article linked here about how folks are not out in nature very much
in fact our connectedness to nature has decreased by 60% since the 1800s
many of us dont get much nature exposure

in the month of october our community garden will bring almost 600 kindergarten students into our garden for 4 educational classes and a chance to pick their own sugar baby pumpkin

we do a session on pumpkins and squash in our pumpkin patch
after that session they wonder through the patch and harvest their own pumpkin

they then walk to the next session walking by our chickens
many have not seen chickens live before

next they sit under our big oak tree to listen to our talk on rainbow foods getting to taste fruits or veggies of different colors
their favorites so far are carrots blueberries melon and oranges


from this session they go to my session 
nature appreciation

in this session we walk through the citrus orchard and see the beehives
we talk a lot about bees and how important they are
they are warned not to grab a bee or mess with its hives
otherwise a bee will not harm you
they help you
we show them an enlarged picture of a worker bee and a large piece of honeycomb

we sit under the shade of the big old pepper tree

then i read the a book called the earth is good

in the book a little boy and his dog play outside climb trees walk in a creek go to the beach barefooted
on one picture the boy has his shoes off and his shirt off and is standing with his arms up to the sky with his mouth open

i asked
how many of you have done that and also tasted the rain

not many had ever done that
ahhh they are missing one of the pleasures of childhood

many of these kids havent planted a seed or pulled a carrot from the ground or pulled a leaf off a head of lettuce or eaten a sweet pea off a vine
much less tasted rainwater on their tongue

then they go to the last session
called seeds

they learn about the life of a seed and at the last of the session get to plant a sweet pea in one our garden beds
they are encouraged to come back in a few weeks to harvest a sweet snap pea to munch on

i always tell them after they plant the seed to pat the ground close their eyes lift their heads up to the sky and make a wish for the seed and for themselves

we need more nature appreciation in our world
hopefully exposing these 600 kids to our garden for 2 hours will get them started on a life of nature appreciation

maybe this is what is wrong with the world today

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: does it?

organicgreendoctor: does it?: DOES IT? this is tylenol the brand name it is also called by its generic name acetaminophen or in other countries paracetamol is it proven t...

does it?

DOES IT?

this is tylenol the brand name
it is also called by its generic name acetaminophen or in other countries paracetamol

is it proven to cause autism if taken during pregnancy
i wrote proven
the answer is no

there are long term studies being done that will eventually answer that question
most studies the good ones are saying no

here is the autism website autism speaks view on this 

is autism non existent in cuba
no its as common as in other countries
they dont have the diagnostic capacity we have in the us for diagnosing autism
they have acetaminophen its called paracetamol

the definition of autism has expanded over the year which has increased its numbers in the us
and we have better diagnostic tools available to patients and better medical and social care of these patients
unless the upcoming cuts to medical care affect these

in the alzheimers world alzheimers being another neurological disease there are a lot of medications and unproven causes that creep into the news media
i have learned to turn those off
let science prove something is causing autism or alzheimers then we can accept it as fact

just because a study hints as a cause doesnt mean its the cause 
the same as treatments 
let science do its job

I have had several patients with autism and like many of you have relatives with it
its a tough thing for families to deal with
lets not make it worse for them

in pregnancy you tell women not to take medications unless you have to
sometimes though you have to
high fever in pregnancy can harm the fetus
severe pain in pregnancy can harm the fetus

dont take away this pain and fever reliever from pregnant patients
there arent safer alternatives
aspirin and ibuprofen lowers fever but its definitely not safe in pregnancy

most women who are pregnant probably took acetaminophen

like with vaccine recommendations americans may have to rely on national medical organizations to get accurate recommendations like
american academy of family physicians
american academy of pediatrics
american college of obstetrics and gynecology
society for maternal and fetal medicine
american college of physicians
world health organization
other countries health organizations

autism has multiple causes like genetics environmental causes and mothers health during pregnancy and acetaminophen is probably not one of them
the reasons a mother takes acetaminophen during pregnancy can cause harm like a high fever

the information on acetaminophen being given us on autism is not accurate by yesterdays white house announcement 

wait on the science
leave politics out of medicine

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #220-my story revisited

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #220-my story revisited: MY STORY REVISITED #220-MY STORY REVISITED That is me at ucla before i restarted my infusions i  think in about 2021 a lot has changed since...

my story revisited #220-my story revisited

MY STORY REVISITED #220-MY STORY REVISITED

That is me at ucla before i restarted my infusions i  think in about 2021

a lot has changed since i took my memory test for my long term insurance in 2007
i was 57 
I decided to go ahead and buy my long term insurance because of my strong family history of alzheimers
i got all of the memory questions correct and a few weeks later received my long term care insurance
if i had waited 3 years i might not have qualified to receive it.

at 60 i decided since i had a strong family history of alzheimers that i wanted to be followed annually by a neurologists to monitor me
if symptoms started i would stop practicing

i hooked up with the alzheimers center research center at ut southwestern in dallas
they would follow me annually with labs and memory testing and a baseline mri

oh by the way they said we have this 5 year study called the adni 2 study where we do regular labs spinal taps mri scans of the brain pet scans of the brain and the new amyloid pet scan for amyloid

so i added that to my testing

it changed my life as described below in my old blog
__________
11-30-2015

MY STORY REVISITED
last week as we were driving up to dallas to the alzheimers research center at ut southwestern
thats where all this started five years ago
unsuspecting i was then
i thought about how i felt driving up in 2010
compared to a few weeks later
compared to how i felt driving up last week
compared to how i feel today writing this blog

8 years ago i underwent a mental testing for my long term care insurance
that took about 30 minutes
i got all the answers correct
normal is to even miss a few
i didnt miss any

5 years ago i volunteered for the adni study
and
to be followed yearly at the alzheimers research center
because of my familys history of alzheimers disease
i was to be in the normal control group of the study
as i sat taking the memory test
some questions similar to the ones i had answered 3 years previously
all correct
now those answers were just not there that day
thats
when i realized there was a problem

a few weeks later i met with a neurologist
received the diagnosis of amnestic mild cognitive impairment
known as amnestic  mci
the precursor usually to full blown alzheimers disease

thinking back
it was a devastating diagnosis to me
and
to my wife she and my family
i immediately stopped practicing never to return
it turned my life our life upside down

all i could think was the terrible awful fight my mother
and younger brother had with the disease
i and we werent ready to be there yet
later that year a lengthy lengthy several hour evaluation by
our long term disability insurance confirmed the diagnosis again

so what did i do
what would you have done
luckily finances were not an issue with us

in regards to finances i put all my investments in our iras into a
target date fund only one making it easy for my wife she
to manage whenever i could not do it anymore
before with the help of my financial planner rainwater brother
my investments were more complicated and required more
regular interventions
so i simplified them knowing my wife she would never figure it out

i made sure all our legal documents were done
will power of attorney power of attorney for health care living will
no cpr when the time comes

now if i pass out
dear my wife she remember that time is not here yet

i did lots and lots of reading on alzheimers
i at times realize i know more about whats happening in alzheimers
research than many neurologists and most primary care doctors

i decided to find those things that have been possibly shown to
make me better make this disease process slow down
if you had noticed the problems i had the first time i did the memory
tests at the alzheimers center in yourself
you would have been very very concerned about having dementia
there was no doubt in my mind after that day that
my time had arrived

so heres what i did
i decided to be actively involved with the alzheimers association in
their walks to end alzheimers
knowing they were the big fund raisers for the fight against this disease
our government had drastically cut funding for this disease
actually delaying potential treatments by several years

i decided to be up front and personal with this disease
talking freely about my diagnosis what i feel about it
about my families fight with this disease
mother father brothers aunts uncles now maybe myself

i decided to do talks and answer questions about this disease
for folks seeking answers
ive done lots and lots of these over the last few years
as well as
helping families navigate the medical system to get the proper workup
diagnosis and treatment

i decided to be active socially mentally and physically
so i volunteer at meals on wheels habitat for humanity alzheimers association
and help with some school gardens
as well as maintain my own garden and ten acres

i decided to get aggressive with my health
get max control of my blood pressure
get max control of my cholesterol
get active doing my country n aerobics
get my blog to write at least once a week on alzheimers disease
for others to read and learn
get my weight and diet under good control
which ive maintain a normal weight and an almost vegetarian diet
the mind diet
get the most of life out of each day that i can without being too ocd
about it
i rarely sit around wasting time
sometimes i think i need to do more of that
get myself to relax and meditate some
i do this commonly when i work outside

then with the consultation with my neurologist
i decided to take aricept or donepezil for the possibility of this
being alzheimers disease

now ive had the side effects
initially they were severe but most are tolerable now
i mostly just shrug them off
nausea dizziness blurred vision leg cramps burst of energy in the am
loss of energy in the afternoon and evening restless sleep
real vivid non disturbing dreams
but
the worst side effect
the one that makes me at time not want to take the aricept
the lack of sleep it causes every night
as i told my wife she this weekend
imagine if you got only 5 hours of sleep a night
i know what you would be doing
riding a broom is what you would be doing

now i compensate for that loss of sleep by taking afternoon naps
without them i would be a zombie
now i have had bad zombie dreams where they were about to
get me but those have gotten better

i have incorporated these naps into my life
sometimes they interfere with things
but
thats a sacrifice ive made
knowing what could happen if i stopped the aricept or donepezil
i might come crashing down to a lower level of mental capability
that i would not recover from

for people like me with amnestic mci who carry the double barrel
apoe 4 gene
the gene that puts you at risk for late onset alzheimers
taking aricept or donepezil early on may delay the onset of symptoms for several years
the onset of that drop off a cliff that eventually occurs with alzheimers

those without the apoe 4 dont get as much benefit
i guess thats one good way to look at having the double apoe4 gene
i guess

this last week as i was taking my memory test
the same or similar ones ive taken before
i knew as i was taking it that i was definitely better than 5 years before

lets put a number on it
30 being perfect
for my long term care evaluation i was a 30
for my initial memory test at the alzheimers center i was a 23
trust me if your result was this low it would bother you
now
5 years later my score is 27 which is consider in the normal range

so basically i have returned back to a normal evaluation

why
i think its because of all the things ive done to improve my health
both my wife she and i agree that it may be partially due to the
benefit of the aricept or donepezil
i take 12 different supplements that have been implied to possibly
help with improvement of cognition or memory
basing it on a recent research study form the alzheimers center
at ucla

so putting it all together
i feel like i probably have early early alzheimers disease
based on going from normal to abnormal memory over 3 years
having a strong strong family history of the disease
having the double apoe 4 gene that puts me at risk
having low beta amyloid in the spinal fluid and elevated tau protein
in the spinal fluid both are associated with alzheimers disease
to be done in jan or feb a amyloid pet scan which if positive
means that what i have is more likely alzheimers disease

so my wife she and i have some hope now compared to 5 years ago
hope that this thing has been slowed down some
actually hopefully a lot
making our future more promising

yes
we have hope for the future

thanks to all of you who have supported us over the last few years
thanks to all of you who read my blog and share it
and
help spread to the word on alzheimers

yes
my wife she and i
had a very happy thanksgiving
_________

here is where i am since i wrote that blog 10 years ago

i had that amyloid pet scan which showed amyloid plaques in my brain
this solidified my diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment due to alzheimers disease
my spinal fluid showed amyloid and tau changes compatible with that diagnosis

my last memory test in july called the moca test showed a score of 29 but as the neurologist said it was probably a 30 which is normal 
my scores have come up from a 23 to a 30 over the last 15 years

i qualified for the aducanumab or aduhelm treatment study with 34 monthly infusions 
my final amyloid pet scan showed all measurable amyloid plaque was removed

i only take those supplements that are based on abnormal labs
mainly b12 folate and vitamin d

i stopped all of the supplements that were  not based on good scientific studies

i have been on aricept or donepezil for 15 years
it may be one of the reasons my symptoms are being delayed

i maintain good health doing all those healthy things i have mentioned numerous times in my blogs

i still have an issue with sleep but still take afternoon naps

my next plan of attack is to get an opinion from a neurologist in la about starting me on leqembi shots each week to keep the amyloid from reaccumulating

then i wait for the next clinical trials to be finished so the new meds can be used 

i dont qualify for the clinical trials since my amyloid is all gone
you have to have amyloid plaques to qualify for these studies
there is more and more of us waiting like this to know whats next

i do have the apoe4 apoe4 gene that puts me at risk for brain bleeds when i take these meds
the local neurologist doesnt want to use leqembi on me since i am at the higher risk to have a brain bleed

i did take aduhelm which is a first cousin to leqembi and i didnt have any brain bleeds
 
so
i wait
for whats next


Join and or donate to your local walk to end alzheimers

our walk to end alzheimers in santa barbara is saturday november 15th
this will be our 15th year to do the alzheimers walk

here is the link to my team organicgreendoctor

the organicgreen doctor 

organicgreendoctor: my story revisted #219-still a sad story

organicgreendoctor: my story revisted #219-still a sad story: MY STORY REVISITED #219-STILL A SAD STORY that is me talking at our family reunion about alzheimers this was about the time my younger broth...

my story revisted #219-still a sad story

MY STORY REVISITED #219-STILL A SAD STORY

that is me talking at our family reunion about alzheimers
this was about the time my younger brother had died in the awful final stages of alzheimers

below is another sad story about jim garner a veteran and father who died from alzheimers not long after i wrote this blog below
his wife wrote a blog about their journey with the disease
i teared up many a time when i read her blog

he has since died like my younger brother in the final stage of alzheimers
he left like my brother kids a wife a lot of bad memories of his journey with the disease

in my blog below many of the links i used are now not available
here is a link to an article about jim garners story 

we now have 7 million people with alzheimers in the usa
up from 5 million when i wrote this blog
__________
11-13-2015
ALZHEIMERS NEWS-A SAD STORY

alzheimers affects 5 million+ people in the usa
alzheimers is the 6th leading cause of death in the usa
some think its the 3rd and of the top 10 causes
of  death its the only one without a treatment or cure
alzheimers will develop in 5 people in the usa
while you are reading todays blog
alzheimers will break medicare soon in the usa
if a treatment or cure is not found

those are some alzheimers facts folks

this week was veterans day on wednesday
i saw a lot of pictures and posting about veterans
many were my relatives
some were my siblings


then this week on his wifes facebook page
up pops this picture
and
an article about the plight of this veteran
as he and his family struggles with the financial
and emotional devastation this disease causes
he is in his 50s

here is the newspaper article of jims story

read it
and
weep

his wife writes a blog called
missing jim  confessions of an alzheimers wife
a gut wrenching read
it is on my list of blogs i follow on my blogs home page

read it
and
weep

i think his story resonates so much with me
since
it seems to mirror so close
my younger brothers course with this terrible
alzheimers disease

both were young and robust
there cant be anything wrong with these guys they said
they look so healthy
they were wrong of course

now he is a veteran
retired after his 20+ years with full benefits
except
apparently none of these benefits are helping them
with the expenses of his care
since he now has to be placed in a long term facility

he has two young children
you can imagine the devastation they feel from
losing their dad to this awful disease

he has reached that stage where he has become a
danger to himself
if youve had a loved one with this disease so affected
you understand what im writing about

the point is reached where its best for all involved
to move them out of the home to the facilities
a gut wrenching decision that has to be made

like most americans they are not prepared or able to
provide the monies it is taking to provide for his care

take a few moments and read this story from
the newspaper article

if you have it in your heart make a donation to his
gofundme page

www.gofundme.com/jimgarner

their goal will be to raise $60000
this will pay for about 333 days of his care
in a regular nursing home
a true memory care center where he needs to be
is much more than that

he im afraid will probably need several more years of care
as he falls down that downward slope of
the alzheimers decline that all with this disease takes

yes
a sad story
that im sorry to say
will have a sad sad ending
__________

since i wrote this blog there is starting to be hope for slowing down the disease
research studies have shown that aggressively taking care of your health like i started when i was diagnosed in 2010 can slow down the disease or if you start doing it even earlier in life can actually prevent the disease

i have spent a lot of time thinking about when i reach the stage that jim reached and my brother reached in that last stage
i guess it doesnt matter since i wont be around mentally 
but
i hope my family and friend are prepared

i have gotten a good 15 years out of life since i was diagnosed in good health with my memory intact
if i can get 5 more years like this i will be happy 
real happy

i have removed all of the amyloid plaques from my brain
luckily i stared the antiamyloid treatment real real early in my disease so thats when it can have its greatest effect
so far it looks like these drugs are effective in slowing down the decline as we now have people who have taken them for over 5 years

coming soon are approval to use leqembi as an injectable you can give at home each month to keep the amyloid plaques from reforming
thats a treatment i am waiting for approval 

also their are several drugs in clinical trials that remove tau tangles and treat neuroinflammation

these combo of drug may even slow the disease down more

my most recent memory test ie moca test is normal as it has been now for several years
it was not normal at the beginning of all this 

i just hope that my disease doesnt take off before these new treatments become available

when i die from alzheimers disease in the future and you read about my story dont feel sad
feel happy 
feel happy that i seemed to have slowed down the disease enough to enjoy at least another normal 15 years

i dont want my story to be a sad sad story 

yes be happy for me

the organicgreen doctor