alzheimers news-what does apoe4 mean for me and you

 ALZHEIMERS NEWS-WHAT DOES APOE4 MEAN FOR ME AND YOU
the apoe gene handles lipids think cholesterol in the body and in the brain
apoe stands for apolipoprotein e

we all have two of these genes
apoe2 the good one
it protects you from alzheimers
apoe3 is in the middle 
it protects you some from alzheimers
apoe4 puts you at risk for getting late onset alzheimers
the apoe4 gene is called the late onset alzheimers gene

if you are really lucky and have apoe2 and apoe2 you probably will not get alzheimers
1% have this one
if you have apoe4 and an apoe2 or an apoe3 then your risk of late onset alzheimers is increased 3 times
about 25% of yall have this one
if you have an apoe4 and an apoe4  then your risk of late onset alzheimers is increased 12 times
1% of us have this one

the good thing is that if you live a good healthy life doing things i will mention below then you can mostly counter the effects of being apoe4 or apoe4/apeo4
its important to start early in your life

i have the apoe4/apoe4 gene
i had an increased risk of 12 times
well i got alzheimers so i would say my risk must have been 100%

i inherited one apoe4 gene from my mother and one from my father
to get apoe4/apo4

this means my children are like 25% of you are they have at least single apoe4
if their mother has no apoe4 then they just have the single apoe4 gene

their kids if their kids mom has no apoe4 gene then they have a 25% chance of having apoe4 and a 75% chance they do not have it

so what if they did have one apoe4 gene
so what if they did have two apoe4 genes

will they get alzheimers
maybe

maybe not

its according to how they live their life starting when they are young
things i aggressively have being doing for 16 years

apoe4 does damage by mishandling lipids and cholesterol and lipids in the body and brain
it also seems to alter some biochemistry and metabolic pathways in the brain and alters the removal of the bad stuff beta amyloid from the brain

studies are being done to alter the apoe4 to convert it to apoe3 or apoe2 but those are in the early stages and could be years away before it reaches clinical trials

i suspect that eventually if you have apoe4 that there will be some type of treatment that will be done plus have you do all those healthy things below

so what do they do what do you do if you get it the apoe4 gene
at least 25% of you have it

you live a healthy life starting as soon as you are born

maintain a normal blood pressure normal cholesterol or lipid levels normal blood sugar
maintain a normal weight

eat a Mediterranean diet or mind diet
stay active mentally socially and physically

dont smoke
dont drink alcohol or limit alcohol
dont use addictive drugs
avoid certain drugs that can affect memory

get adequate sleep
if you have sleep abnormalities like sleep apnea get it evaluated and treated

control anxiety depression and stress

avoid head trauma as apoe4 individuals may be more susceptible to it

treat early on hearing loss or vision loss

if you chose to not do these healthy things and you have the apoe4 gene
then
you may get late onset alzheimers disease

if you do chose to do these healthy things and you have the apoe4 gene then you may not get alzheimers disease or a stroke or a heart attack or diabetes or certain cancers

having the apoe4 gene is not a good thing but it doesnt have to be a bad thing

so what did i do
i started all these things aggressively at 60 years old less so when i  turned 40

i wished i had done them years early like in my 30s or 40s

once i was diagnosed with mci or mild cognitive impairment due to alzheimers in 2010 i got aggressive with all of the  healthy things
i got put on aricept or donepezil which slows down symptoms and may prolong ones life some
i got treatment with intravenous antiamyloid antibodies called aduhelm which is now not available but its sister drug leqembi is available and another one called kisunla
there is even more treatments coming in the future

it is said that alzheimers is becoming a not untreatable disease

that is me talking and crying with the crowd at the walk to end alzheimers a couple of years ago
my wife and i have done the walk to end alzheimers for the last 16 years

join us or donate to our team or join and donate to a local team for your local walk to end alzheimers

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-what if you could get a vaccine ag...

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-what if you could get a vaccine ag...: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-WHAT IF YOU COULD GET A VACCINE AGAINST IT  fda when i was first diagnosed 16 years ago i read about the idea of an alzheime...

alzheimers news-what if you could get a vaccine against it

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-WHAT IF YOU COULD GET A VACCINE AGAINST IT 
fda

when i was first diagnosed 16 years ago i read about the idea of an alzheimers vaccine
you could get a shot on a regular basis to prevent you from getting alzheimers 
sort of like you do when you get your flu shot or covid shot

it was exciting to think of that happening
however
16 years later it still has not happened yet

when i first started talking and writing about alzheimers i wrote that the new vaccines were here but what they were was not vaccines but were infusions of antiamyloid antibodies  

one of the first to appear was my drug aduhelm or aducanumab
it was derived from older people who did not get alzheimers
so they made large quantities of this antibody these folks had in the lab
then
gave them to me and others in clinical trials

i identified this drug aducanumab later called aduhelm when it was in early clinical trials 15 years ago
there were other promising ones that that did not finish clinical trials
this happens to a lot of drugs

about 5 years after i discovered aducanumab i received 34 monthly infusions of aduhelm or aducanumab in a clinical trial i was in off and on for 6 years
once it was paused for covid and another time to look at the accumulated data
it took that long before it was available in a phase 3 trial
it would be 6 years before i finished my treatement
thats 12 years from when i first read  an article on the drug and tracked down the clinical trial

my initial amyloid pet scan in 2016 was positive for amyloid plaque
my final amyloid pet scans 2 years ago in 2024 was negative for amyloid plaque
a 2 year follow up amyloid pet scan done this year 2026 was still negative for amyloid plaque

hopefully removing this amyloid plaque will slow down the disease some
estimates are is a 30% slow down
not prefect but i will take it

this treatment took me 6 years of over 50 trips of 9 hours to first the university of texas southwestern in dallas and later ucla

my drug aduhelm was taken off the market since its sister drug leqembi worked better and now leqembi can be given as injections at home instead of going to an infusion center

another drug called kisunla works similar and is available

if i need retreatment i plan on take leqembi injections at home

what if
what if 

you could just take an alzheimers vaccine that removes the amyloid and if it works would slow down the disease by removing amyloid from the brain

you could get one every year

that time may soon now be here

a company called neurovax has developed a vaccine called av-19558r

it was given to 16 patients 4 were placebos
the 12 that got the real drug developed antibodies against amyloid
the study did not look at did it remove the amyloid

now they have a phase 1 study of 160 participants with amyloid in the brain and they will be given av-19558r and followed longer to see if it removes the amyloid

if that works then on to phase 2 then phase 3
if it really works it might be available in 5-10 years

just think in a few years if you have amyloid plaques without memory loss you might be able to get a vaccine that will remove the amyloid plaques from the brain like aduhelm did for me

without doing all those lengthy infusion visits

Just a shot in the arm like a flu shot
or
it might not work at all 

we are getting closer
when looking at early research you never know where it will lead
the potential is there for this one for sure

Here is the link to an article on the neurovax vaccine

now we wait

if you are in the alzheimers world i suggest you follow beingpatient.com to keep up with what is happening in the alzheimers world

i daily read articles on alzheimers and follow beingpatient.com looking for the next treatment that may help

yes
i would take this vaccine in a study if i could

that is me talking and crying with the crowd at the walk to end alzheimers a couple of years ago
my wife and i have done the walk to end alzheimers for the last 16 years

join us or donate to our team or join and donate to a local team for your local walk to end alzheimers

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-ptau 217

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-ptau 217:   ALZHEIMERS NEWS-PTAU 217 write this test down ptau 217 it will be coming to your doctors office soon it may tell you if you have alzheimer...

alzheimers news-ptau 217

 ALZHEIMERS NEWS-PTAU 217

write this test down
ptau 217

it will be coming to your doctors office soon

it may tell you if you have alzheimers or if you might get alzheimers if you are having symptoms of memory loss
it may save you from having to have a spinal tap or get an amyloid pet scan

first you have to deicide if you want to know
i thought about it a lot and if i was 40 or 50 i would have liked to have known if i was headed into the alzheimers world

i could have done a better job of planning for what was coming for me

i was lucky i guess since my rainwater brother who was a certified financial planner or cfp advised me to get my long term care insurance in my late 50s

i did what he said and applied and passed the memory testing with a 100% and received my insurance

about 3 years later i was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment that has turned out to be alzheimers based on positive memory testing spinal fluid for amyloid and tau and a positive amyloid pet scan

Nowadays they might have done a ptau 217 blood test which would have been positive

if i had done my ptau 217 earlier and it was in my medical records i might not have gotten my long term care insurance
i did have disability insurance with the medical group i was with
had i not had that insurance i would probably have gotten it before testing or done the testing and not let it get on my medical records until i had full coverage in place for life and long term care and had i not had disability i would have gotten that first
luckily i was covered via a group disability  plan

these are things to think about before getting this test
other diseases are this way eg huntington's disease
my friend purchased all of these plans before he was tested for huntington's
his huntington's test was positive
he died about 18 years later from the disease but had full insurance coverages that paid medical care and long term care and he received disability checks

put some thought into this before you get tested
once its on the record its there forever

eventually blood testing will be done before symptoms start
those clinical trials are ongoing now

Now i had these blood tests in clinical trials but do not get to see those results
knowing what i know now they were probably all positive

besides this do you want to get tested do you want to know
for me
i would want to get tested as soon as its recommended to do it

I would have loved to have known at 40 or 50
for some they dont want to know

it makes you change your lifestyle which long term can make a big difference when it strikes you
you could watch for clinical trials of new drugs that are being tested in folks who test positive but have no symptoms
that would be me when i was 50 i would have gladly done that 
i did in fact start a study at 60 then a treatment study at 66 that has now left me with no measurable amyloid plaque in my brain

for me knowing at 50 i would have been aggressive in modifying my lifestyle which i did when i was 60
that 10 years of healthy living might have made a difference

some people do not want to know 
so where does this test fit into the workup for memory loss

if you have memory loss
you need to see your primary care or specialist like a neurologists to do

a history and physical exam 
labs
memory testing
a mri of the brain

this may show something like depression or sleep apnea or anxiety or medications or low thyroid or low b12 as the cause of your memory loss

if the screening memory test is abnormal a longer neuropsychological exam is done
if the memory testing is abnormal and the labs and mri are negative

then they nowadays would do a ptau 217 blood test
if it is positive you probably have alzheimers disease

they might then do a amyloid pet scan 
if you have alzheimers the test will be positive

if you are early in the disease process
you need to be placed on aricept or donepezil or other meds
consider taking the antiamyloid drugs leqembi or kisunla 
be aggressive about taking care of your health like
diet
blood pressure
blood sugar
cholesterol
be active socially physically mentally
treat and control mental health issues like anxiety depression stress
get adequate sleep

avoid head injuries
avoid alcohol use
avoid tobacco use
treat hearing loss
correct vision 
get immunizations especially shingles
treat early or premature menopause

we are getting to the point where alzheimers is not an untreatable disease
in the next few years it will be like some of the cancers 
it will be treatable 

doing all of these above can slow down symptoms and can in the case of antiamyloid drugs like lequembi and kisunla they can slow down the disease some

i do feel lucky to have been able to access all of this early in my diagnosis so that 16 years later i am sitting here writing this blog with my cognition or memory intact
Had i not done something in 2010 i might not be here today mentally

if you are early in memory loss you can do all of this now that its all out in the research world into private medical practice

the timing has to be right for the testing and for when to use the meds

i am better
because i did all of those healthy things listed above
took aricept or donepezil as soon as i was diagnosed
took aduhelm which removed all of the amyloid plaque

next
i am waiting on clinical trials to be completed on new treatments

so dont go out and do the ptau 217 without an evaluation
it can only be interpreted in the context of a full memory loss workup

This ptau 217 test is not a screening test so dont use it that way

i just wish it had been available in 2010 and i might not had to get those two spinal taps

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: screwworm it

organicgreendoctor: screwworm it: SCREWWORM IT several months ago this little varmint showed up along the border i thought to myself  this is not a good thing why funding cut...

screwworm it

SCREWWORM IT

several months ago this little varmint showed up along the border
i thought to myself 
this is not a good thing
why
funding cuts for public health programs and agricultural programs that monitor these things among other reasons

yes preventative public health and agricultural programs getting cut 
well they have consequences

this little varmint has consequences

they got dodged
thank you elon

this is the consequences of not funding things that are important to control these outbreaks

now these worms have entered the united states in greater numbers
attacking cattle sheep goats horses deer

even the wild feral hogs that roam the southern united states are getting hit

i predict that the feral hogs will be the source to harbor these varmints for a long time in our country

the blowfly is the one that lays eggs on open wounds on animals 
they hatch and the screwworm buries  into the flesh of the animals making it rotten

it can devastate the animal industry

they use sterile blowflies to mate with the females  to prevent the fertile eggs from being production

you guessed it they cut that program some too
now
they are playing catch up 
im not sure if they are winning

wait there is more

measles considered eliminated in the united states now has made a huge increase in cases
why
i think we all know why

the last case of measles i saw in my medical career was
i never saw one
i was in practice for 30 years and never saw a case
except when i got measles as a child was the last time i saw someone 
that was when i looked in the mirror

then there is the cyclospora outbreak
thanks to maybe contaminated lettuce

it seems each week it gets worse
if you have it you know how miserable it is

why now
funding cuts for preventative and adequate inspections
maybe even lying about the source
in 2025 the cdc made surveillance for cyclopspora optional
we all know optional means its not done

leaving us with 11000 cases in 41 states per the cdc

It causes waves of explosive watery diarrhea
doesnt sound good does it

then there is a new salmonella outbreak from contaminated eggs
luckily it salmonella gis run their course but they can make the youngest and oldest and vulnerable real sick
same reason as to why probably
it took 7 months before the egg recall occurred from the time the contamination occurred

there was the hantavirus outbreak on the ships that sickened and killed a few folks
it was a new strain that could be transmitted from person to person

Then finally the one that scares me is the ebola outbreak in africa
what if someone gets through the screening process at the airports
then what

there were a lot of cuts to programs that prevent and control the outbreaks in africa

are they going to be thought to have cyclospora instead of ebola
the survival rate for ebola is about 50% and if you survive 90% have long term complications

all of these infestations or infections can be totally prevented or well controlled by well funded programs and in some cases immunizations

cuts to personal and programs have added to this increase in cases
mostly prevented or controlled by these government services

i always say i dont want to die from something that could have been prevented

you get what you pay for 
we arent paying 
so we are getting
those who are affected or should i say infected are getting more than what we didnt pay for

we need to fund public health and agricultural programs that keep us healthy
and
make those politicians who allow this to happen lets hold them responsible

all of these diseases have the same thing in common
funding cuts
non believers in science
preventable

today
i go to my organic garden and harvest my healthy not illness causing lettuce
i dont eat much meat so i dont have to worry about eating screwworm meat

yep
screwworm it
we need to fix it
for all our health

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: garden news-pumpkin patch 2026

organicgreendoctor: garden news-pumpkin patch 2026: GARDEN NEWS-PUMPKIN PATCH 2026 each spirng in june or july we plant about 120 pumpkins in our pumpkin patch in our front field of our commun...

garden news-pumpkin patch 2026

GARDEN NEWS-PUMPKIN PATCH 2026





each spirng in june or july we plant about 120 pumpkins in our pumpkin patch in our front field of our community garden
this year were planted them early in june
we planted the seeds in late march or early april in our greenhouses

this year we have multiple varieties like the usual pumpkins
we have big ones and small ones and orange ones yellow ones red ones and this years some one gave us some blue one seeds to plant
we also plant several gourds and squashes to add to the color and greenery

alas we usually lose about 25% to gophers

man in texas we didnt have gopher issues but here they can wipe out a lot of crops
we lost two rows of beans and a row of kale to those varmints

luckily we have new ones on standby pumpkins not gophers in the greenhouse to replace the lost pumpkin plants that the gophers destroyed

dang gophers

the first photo is right after we planted all of them
the second photo is a few weeks later
today one month later the plants are all touching each other and have a few small pumpkins
yes we have lost about 10% so far

we also plant a row of sunflowers along the front and a row of corn 

In that first picture see the 7pm-7am on the curb
thats for safe parkers to park
there are about 15 slots for them to park
they are for unhoused folks who can safely park their cars in the parking lot and feel safe
security guards come through during the night to check on things
they have access to water and a portapotty that is kept locked

each fall we have over 500+ mostly kindergarteners visit our pumpkin patch and gardens to see the pumpkins to pick their own pumpkin and to do a 2 hour educational program on seeds and pumpkins and squash and rainbow food choices and nature appreciation and bee sessions

for many its the only field trip they get to do that year

i have students in elementary and middle school tell me they remember coming to our garden for the field trip and how much they enjoyed it

they also see chickens and worms and a resident monkey in our small banana grove
the monkeys name is george
he is a stuffed monkey that lives in a tree in the banana grove
many of the kids believe he is real

we do the educational programs in october each year
if we have any pumpkins left they are sold in our fall plant sale for halloween or thanskgiving decorations

to do all of this we utilize around 40-50 volunteers to plant harvest and make the fall field trips successful

kudos to the volunteers

look for somewhere to volunteer where you live
there are lots of places available 
it will make you live longer

our gardens grow about 8000 lbs of produce each year
we donate all of it to charities to those in need
eg
an organic soup kitchen a hospice for the undeserved homeless shelters half way houses and food kitchens

a seed in april makes a pumpkin some child enjoys in october
thanks to funds raised and volunteers that make it happen

i feel like we do a lot of good for those in need in our community garden location

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-my update

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-my update: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-MY UPDATE that is me talking before the walk to end alzheimers here in santa barbara about 3 years ago at that time i was st...

alzheimers news-my update

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-MY UPDATE

that is me talking before the walk to end alzheimers here in santa barbara about 3 years ago
at that time i was still in biogens aduhelm study where i was receiving monthly infusions of aduhelm for 34 months

in 2010 when i was diagnosed if you had asked me would i be standing up their telling my story making myself other panel speakers and hundreds in the audience cry i would have not believed you

but here i am writing my blog 16 years later

here is why

the aduhelm is an antiamyloid antibody given iv that removes amyloid plaques

amyloid plaques is where it all starts
later tau proteins unwind and forms tangles that destroys brain cells 
later inflammation sets up in the brain in kills brain cells

aduhelm removes the amyloid plaques and slows down the disease by about 30%
aduhelm is off the market after being replaced by its cousin leqembi
later kisunia another antiamyloid drug became available

for these to work to slow down the disease they have to be started early
preferably before the tau tangles havent spread

luckily i got treated early  in the disease process

my hope for me is that it was caught early before the amyloid plaques did too much damage and before tau tangles spread around the brain

so
to really find out you need an mri of the brain then an amyloid pet scan to check for amyloid plaques
then if you are early in the disease process a tau pet scan can be done for assessment for the spread of the tau tangles

if the tangles are wide spread these antiamyloid drugs probably wont help

for me
i had all of these scans early on in clinical trials
they dont let me see them though since they are hidden behind code numbers without my name
the drug companies ie biogen and eisai have them and maybe two univesities

my initial mris and subsequent mris about 10 for some reason i am able to access them
luckily my scans havent changed much in 16 years

the rest of the scans i cant see them

my initial amyloid pet scan was one in 2012ish in the ADNI 2 study
i never have seen that one nor was i given the result

it would be nice to know now 16 years later to know where i started at

my next amyloid pet scan was done at the beginning of the biogen aduhelm study in 2016
to get into the study the amyloid pet scan has to be positive
i was told my scan was positive but i never got to see the report or the scan

I had about 5 or 6 amyloid pet scans during my time receiving 18 placebo infusions and 34 real drug aduhelm infusions
on my last visit after the study was canceled i was told my last amyloid pet scan was negative

i had 2-3 tau pet scans with the last one being at the tail end of the study in 2024
i was never given the results

It would be quite helpful for me to know where i started in 2012 in regards to my amyloid plaques at the beginning
they measure plaques in centriloids
it would be helpful to know that number

it would really be useful to know my tau tangle burden on my tau pet scans
that number tells me how aggressive i need to be in regards to future treatments
tau scans show where tau tangles are in the brain which means where the alzheimers has spread

those scans are stored somewhere i just need to try to access them since they may be quite useful in my future care


i did locate my old spinal fluid level results done  in 2011
these were done in a private lab
my amyloid levels were low and my tau levels were high but were just short of  being in the alzheimers disease categories
it was in the mild cognitive impairment or mci range

interesting is that the ptau level can now be done on a blood test and is used as a screening test now for memory loss
if you have alzheimers it will be elevated
if the blood test was available in 2011 it would have been positive for me

to find out where i am now i either need to get a tau pet scan which may be hard to do outside of a research study or i could undergo a spinal tap to get my amyloid and tau levels in my spinal fluid like i did in 2011

i saw my neurologist who said i was a unicorn a clinical trial of one
not may follks have my 16 year history with full treatment of my amyloid plaques

i recently had a mri that was really unchanged from all my other ones
there has been some small changes that are age related

then finally i got my amyloid pet scan in may
this week we had a video conference with the neurologist and i got to see my amyloid pet scan
but
it was negative 

there were no plaques left
there were some subtle changes
my centriloid reading was 21 which is negative
it needs to be 24 to be positive
she feels like my tau level may also be negative or low

but
of course
she has no 2011 or 2016 or 2018 or 2022 or 2024 amyloid pet scan to compare it to

nor a tau pet scan to look at even though i have had two or three of these done

so
our plan
i will enter a longitudal study where they monitor you long term
she will attempt to obtain my old scans from biogen or the 2 universities where i had them done 

i am looking always for a treatment study somewhere that i might qualify for

but
at least i am amyloid pet scan negative and my memory is improved a lot since i was diagnosed in 2010 as she told me you are memory normal for your age

i guess ill take that

what can you do 

if you are middle age take care of your health
maintain a normal weight
consider using meds to control your weight
these meds are going to get better and better with less side effects
i predict they will may allow folks to live longer and healthier
exercise mentally physically and socially
get adequate sleep
control anxiety depression and stress
limit alcohol intake or dont drink at all
dont smoke
eat a mind diet yes meat is on it
control your blood pressure keep it below 120/80
the younger you start the better
control your cholesterol
dont be afraid to get on medication for cholesterol
your heart and brain will appreciate it 
control your blood sugars

how you control all these when you are younger may help delay the onset of dementia 

then if you have memory issues get evaluated 
not all memory issues are dementia
i have heard from several people who turned out to have treatable medical issues that was causing their memory loss

then if it could be dementia get a full workup

a good history and exam
labs
memory testing 
advanced memory testing if necessary
mri
if indicated a blood ptau217
maybe an amyloid pet scan 

in 2026 you usually can define why you have memory loss and whether you have alzheimers or other dementias

if caught early like mine was consider treatment with leqembi or kisunia with the understanding of risks and only the 30% slowing of memory loss

do all those healthy things also mentioned above
i would do those heathy things now

yes i will take that plan for me for now
i feel lucky


the organic green doctor

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-today is scan day

organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-today is scan day:   ALZHEIMERS NEWS-TODAY IS SCAN DAY this is an amyloid pet scan the top one is a normal elderly control without alzheimers there is no red s...

alzheimers news-today is scan day

 ALZHEIMERS NEWS-TODAY IS SCAN DAY

this is an amyloid pet scan
the top one is a normal elderly control without alzheimers
there is no red stuff there that shows up in the brain
the red stuff is amyloid plaques

the bottom one is someone with alzheimers
see all that red stuff in the brain
thats amyloid plaques 

it gets highlighted when a radioactive tracer is injected in the vein
then after about 30 minutes+ an amyvid or amyloid pet scan is done

if there is amyloid plaque in the brain it is highlighted by the red stuff on the scan

the first picture is negative
the second picture is positive
if you have alzheimers disease your amyvid or amyloid pet scan will be positive

in the theory of alzheimers amyloid plaques accumulate in the brain killing brain cells
then
tau protein in the brain cells unwind and form tau tangles
these tangles kill brain cells
then
inflammation sets it and kills more brain cells

we now have meds leqembi and kisunia that removes the amyloid plaques
these amyloid antibodies are now available in the private world

meds to treat the tau tangles are being studied in clinical trials
meds to treat inflammation are in clinical trials

before i started the biogen aducanumab or aduhelm study my amyloid pet scan looked like that second picture
it was positive
i was accepted in the clinical trial where i got 34 monthly infusions to remove the amyloid plaque

studies show treating with this med and similar meds ie leqembi or kisunia will result in about a 30% reduction in memory loss

not great but i will take it 

then after finishing my clinical trial about 6 months later i had an amyvid or amyloid pet scan that was read as negative for amyloid plaque

it probably looked like the first scan above
no red stuff seen

now i have never seen my scans
all 5 of them have been in clinical trials so they dont let you know the results or see the scans

i was verbally given my first and last scan reports but was never allowed to view them

it has been two years since my last treatment and my last amyvid or amyloid pet scan
so has this stuff reaccumulated in two years
is my scan still negative
do i need retreatment
do i need to be on a maintenance monthly infusions

aduhelm or aducanumab is off the market now
however
lequembi and kisunia is available now 
leqembi is a cousin to aduhelm 
it worked better and had slightly better results
kisunia is about the same but it may have more side effects
like
brain bleeds or aria
so did aduhelm and so does leqembi
i did not have any aria or brain bleeds when i took aduhelm

i am homozygous apoe4 apoe4 which puts me at a higher risk of bleeds

apoe 4 is the late onset alzheimers gene
about 25% of us have apoe4
about 1% of us have apoe4 apoe4

apoe4 regulates lipid metabolism

you can counter the effects of having apoe4 by healthy living and good cholesterol control

i recently was reevaluated at cedars sinai neurology to see what my status was and to consider retreatment or maintenance treatment

these meds do not work unless you are early in the disease like mild cognitive impairment like me or early alzheimers
if you are advanced too far with the disease they dont work

there are large studies being done now giving these to people who have no symptoms but have positive amyvid or amyloid pet scans
they will be treated long term to see if the meds slows down or stops the disease

amyloid  plaques start accumulating 20 years before symptoms starts

the neurologist who headed the study i was in when i transferred to ucla is the neurologist i am now seeing at cedars sinai
she was also the neurologist i saw at ucla for my private neurology care

i had transferred to a local neurologist who does not give these meds to patients who are apoe4 apoe4 positive because of the risk of brain bleeds
she recommended i go to a tertiary care center

so thats why i am at cedars sinai for my care

she my neurologist was excited to see me
she said there is not many of you out there who are this early in the disease and has been treated
she said i was a clinical trial of one

so the plan is
i just had an mri this week to make sure nothing has changed structurally in my brain since my last mri 2 years ago

then today i will have an amyvid or amyloid pet scan done


thats my arm after the radioactive stuff is injected in my arm
the 3 purple bracelets represent
my mother who died from alzheimers 
my younger brother who died from alzheimers
me who is still fighting the disease
i wear them 24/7

if my amyloid pet scan  looks like that first scan above ie negative then i will just wait unless research says i need to be on a maintenance dose of leqembi
if its positive like the second scan then i will probably get treated with leqembi since aduhelm is no longer available

i also am very excited to have this amyvid or amyloid pet scan today since i will be able to finally see the scan 

none of the 5 or so i have had done have i got to see the scans

so
i am excited today and will be anxious to see if that amyloid  has reappeared

if you are early in the disease like i am then you are a good candidate for this treatment
you just have to understand
its not a cure
it only slows things down 30%
there are risk for brain bleeds or aria especially if you are apoe4 positive

i understand the risks
i understand the chances of it helping

i accept these

the amyvid pet scans mris and the medications are covered by medicare and some insurances as well as the office visits

medicare disadvantage plans might have some prior approvals or as i call them prior disapprovals

leqembi and kisunia are now available outside of research and is in the private world

the neurologist told me that my memory had improved to a normal level so that if someone didnt know my story and history they probably would not do further testing or treatments

now i do notice some things that could be attributed to my age 
i am 76

word recall and name recall has seemed to changed some
all can happen with aging
i seem to be acutely aware of it when it happens since i am always waiting for this disease to just take off again

i realize that all i am doing only is delaying things and doesnt cure it

i can accept that
30% is better than 0%

If you think you are a candidate for these drug  see your primary care provider or consider seeing a neurologist

if you are really interested you might consider a facility that has a memory care clinic like most tertiary care centers like here in california  usc, uci ucsd ucsf cedars sinai stanford or most large university systems with medical schools

in texas ut southwestern in dallas ut san antonio ut houston baylor scott and white ut galveston and ut austin

in arkansas the university of arkansas medical center

your state will have a memory center and probably gives the drugs to those who qualify 

there are a lot of people who are getting them that are too late in the disease
these folks will not benefit from taking them
they need to be given early in the disease

it is important whether or not you seek treatment with these to have your memory issues evaluated
not all causes are alzheimers and many are treatable

wish me luck
stay tuned

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: gardening is good for the brain

organicgreendoctor: gardening is good for the brain: GARDENING IS GOOD FOR THE  BRAIN i already knew this before i read this article i can feel it every day when i go to the garden especially ...

gardening is good for the brain

GARDENING IS GOOD FOR THE  BRAIN

i already knew this before i read this article
i can feel it every day when i go to the garden especially in the early morning
i feel my brain relaxing 

when i garden i dont listen to music or podcasts or the radio
i just think and soak in the smells sounds and things i can see
birds chickens hawks crows squirrels wind and the smells and tactile sensations as i go about the morning doing my garden duties

whenever i can i reach in and grab the soil or grab a handful of compost preferably with my work gloves off
sometimes i even dig in the soil with my hands
like with a handful of compost i can almost feel something being transferred from my hands to my body to my soul

those gardeners know what i am talking about

its all probably in my head but thats where i want it to me

yes i knew all of this before i read this article linked here titled  
this surprising springtime activity is good for the brain

according to this article gardening challenges the brain and reduces the stress levels
plus it activates all of your senses

you get physical activity mental engagement stress reduction sunlight and vitamin d and lifetime gardeners tend to have better mental health and cognition when they get my age

also you get to eat all those organic healthy vegetables and fruits that you grow 
all are on the mind diet we should all be on

There are lots of good reasons to garden all your life
now
i am glad that i have done that for years

maybe i will add that gardening all my lifetime to the reasons i am doing better now
i do garden more the last 16 years since i was diagnosed

so 
i am adding gardening to my treatment plan for slowing down mental decline

you are never too young or too old to start

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my amyloid office visit

organicgreendoctor: my amyloid office visit: MY AMYLOID OFFICE VISIT yesterday i had my first office visit at cedars sinai neurology in los angeles to help me decide whats next for me i...

my amyloid office visit

MY AMYLOID OFFICE VISIT

yesterday i had my first office visit at cedars sinai neurology in los angeles to help me decide whats next for me in my battle with slowing down my alzheimers disease

here is my story on how i got here
i must say after an hour of memory testing i am wandering is all of this worth it
my wife she and i both think so

as i told the neurologist yesterday i was accidently diagnosed in 2010 when i volunteered to be in the adni2 research study in the normal control group
during the neuropsychological exam i was found to have memory loss greater than it should be
i was sent to a neurologist who diagnosed me with mild cognitive impairment that was later confirmed to be alzheimers based on positive spinal fluid analysis and later on an amyloid pet scan

after this i was placed in the mild cognitive impairment wing of the study
i received 2 amyloid pet scans multiple mris of the brain multiple memory testing two spinal taps and lots of blood tests

in 2015 i finished the adni2 study
 
in 2016 i qualified for the aduhelm or aducanumab clinical trial because of my memory testing and an abnormal or positive amyloid pet scan

in the theory of what happens in alzheimers
amyloid plaque builds up and damages brain cells
tau proteins in the nerve cells get damaged and unwind and form tangles killing more brain cells
inflammation then sets it to kill even more brain cells

right now we have drugs leqembi and kisunia that are antiamyloid antibodies that remove the amyloid from the brain
it looks like doing this slows down memory loss by about 30%

these two are on the market now and available for use in mild cognitive impairment and mild alzheimers

the earlier you start one of these two drugs the better they work
if you wait too late well its too late they dont help

in 2016 i was accepted into the aduhelm or aducanumab study where i received 34 months of aducanumab
the study was stopped in 2024 since aducanumabs sister drug leqembi worked better
so the study was stopped and aducanumab was taken off the market

my last study visit was 2025 which showed my memory was back to normal for my age

my last amyloid pet scan was negative for amyloid plaques per a verbal report

now enter yesterday
i was waiting for what to do

i am ready to make the next move 

is it to start leqembi maintenance dosing to keep the amyloid plaques from reoccurring

leqembi aducanumabs cousin is given for 18 months then a monthly dose is given to keep plaques from reaccumulating

kisunia is given for several months to remove the amyloid plaques then no maintenance is given

There is a study starting now where patients who have no symptoms but who have plaques are given leqembi to see if by treating real early then this drug may even work better since its given early

my neurologist i saw yesterday was my neurologist when i was in the aducanumab study but now is at cedars sinai

i have not seen her as a patient since 2020

She was so happy to see my wife she and i

she could not believe i was doing so well

as i was told yesterday if i went into an neurology office and had memory testing without al the history they would have just sent me back to my primary care doctor
but
they were surprised i was doing so well 10 years after starting these treatments

they told me i was now a clinical study of one
there are not many of you like you out there they said

we were excited to reconnect with the neurologist

so yes i had to do those dang memory testing again which were normal for my age group
i am 76 so my memory is normal for my age

so the plan is 

do an amyloid pet scan to see if any amyloid plaques have reoccurred
do an mri to make sure my brain looks ok
numerous mris in the last 16 years have been normal

if plaques have reaccumulated then leqembi treatment or maintenance will be started as infusions or as at home injections

i am apoe4 apoe4 positive which puts me at risk for aria or brain bleeds
i did not have any aria with my 34 infusions so i shouldnt have an issue with the leqembi

if my amyloid pet scan is negative i will probably wait until the amyloid reaccumulates to get treated again

i might have to have a spinal tap to quantify how much amyloid and tau is in my spinal fluid

so my amyloid office visit was a good one
we are happy we reconnected with a neurologist who is up to date on these treatments

It is important to get diagnosed early probably maybe even before symptoms start
There are blood tests coming on the market this year that will be used as a screening test for alzheimers

i am living proof of that
early diagnosis can make a difference

yes
it was a good day 
i might have more time left after all

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: it is time

organicgreendoctor: it is time: IT IS TIME that is what i want to do is end alzheimers however i am realistic since i know that i can not in 2026 end alzheimers  but i can ...

it is time

IT IS TIME


that is what i want to do is end alzheimers
however i am realistic since i know that i can not in 2026 end alzheimers 
but
i can slow it down
so
that is what i am trying to do is
slow it down some

for those who dont know my story i will review it

i was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment that has turned out to be due to alzheimers disease

how do i know that

i had several neuropsychological memory tests that document that
the first was in 2010 when i applied to be in the adni 2 or alzheimers neuroimaging initiative 2
i was suppose to be in the normal control group but after my memory test i was placed in the mci or mild cognitive impairment group
i did this study for 5 years getting numerous memory tests lots of blood work a couple of spinal taps and several amyloid pet scans and several mris of the brain

during ths time i was being treated by a neurologists who placed me on aricept or donepezil did spinal fluid analysis for amyloid and tau and did genetic testing

my spinal fluid was compatible with alzheimers and my genetic testing showed i had the apoe4 apoe4 gene the late onset alzheimers gene

i maximized my health eating a mind diet controlling my cholesterol blood pressure weight and staying active mentally physically and social and all the other things should be doing

a quick review of what happens with alzheimers

amyloid plaque accumulates in the brain early on before symptoms start
this starts killing off brain cells
then
tau proteins in the damaged cells unwind and form tangles that kill more braincells
then
an inflammatory reaction occurs causing inflammation which kills more brain cells

this all starts 20 years before symptoms start

aduhelm and leqembi and kisunia remove the amyloid plaques
now
scientists are doing clinical trials which i dont qualify for to treat and remove the tau tangles and remove the inflammation

i have completed step one
my amyloid plaques are removed but they will return over time

after finishing the adni2 study i progressed to being in a clinical trial for aduhelm or aducanumab which removes the amyloid plaque from my brain
my initial amyloid pet scan was positive for amyloid

i received 18 monthly infusions of placebo then received a total of 34 monthly infusions of the drug aduhelm
at the end of the study my final amyloid pet scan was read as negative 

my diagnosis is solidified by having abnormal memory tests a positive spinal fluid and a positive amyloid pet scan
yes i have alzheimers

now what do i do now
there are treatments in clinical trials that will remove amyloid and remove tau proteins and treat inflammation but those may not be available for me for 5-10 years
thats too late for me

so what do i do now

there are probably 2000 of us in the world that has this problem
we received aduhelm which removed our amyloid plaque
now
what do we do

what i want to do is to start leqembi monthly maintenance infusions to keep the amyloid from reaccumulating in my brain
this may slow down the disease some

if i do nothing it will reaccumulate over the next 5-10 years and i will be back to where i was 16 years ago

removing the amyloid plaque reduces memory loss by 30% but the longer its used and the more its used in patients the better it seems to be working
plus the earlier you start it in the disease process the better it works
i was treated real early 

fingers crossed

so in 2 weeks i meet with a neurologist at Cedars Sinai in los angles to discuss all of this to see if i qualify to receive the leqembi infusions monthly
or
since leqembi is getting a self administered version you can use at home i would like to try eventually to get on this

i am at risk for brain bleeds since i am apoe4 apoe4 positive
our local neurologist wouldnt treat me because of this risk
she advised i go to a tertiary care center to get it done

i fear there will be a lot of red tape to go through to get this done
luckily the neurologist i am seeing was running the clinical trial on aduhelm that i was in

i really have no other options right now besides living healthy and taking my aricept

my last aduhelm infusion was almost 2 years ago
my last amyloid pet scan was almost 1 1/2 years ago

the good thing is my last moca memory test was normal in july 2025 as was my memory tests in 2024

it is time but i now have to wait to see whats next

the organicgreen doctor

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #223-i hope they did

organicgreendoctor: my story revisited #223-i hope they did: MY STORY REVISITED #223-I HOPE THEY DID this is a picture from my first walk to end alzheimers in texas around 2011 i think the child a form...

my story revisited #223-i hope they did

MY STORY REVISITED #223-I HOPE THEY DID
this is a picture from my first walk to end alzheimers in texas around 2011
i think the child a former patient in that picture is now a college student

now 15 years later here i am still going strong mentally physically and socially

I wrote the blog below 11 years ago after someone reached  out to me about their spouse asking for advice on what to do

my advice hasnt changed much since then except i would add we now have some hope we did not have when i wrote that blog
i was a couple of years away from starting the aduhelm infusions that eventually removed most of the amyloid plaque from my brain

now we have two medications given as infusions that if started early enough in the disease they can slow mental decline by 30%

i was not fully diagnosed yet but i would be a year later when i had my amyloid  pet scan done for the biogen aduhelm or aducanumab study
it was positive for amyloid plaques which solidified my diagnosis
there are more drugs coming that also will help
__________
12-04-15

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-MAXIMIZE TIME AND HEALTH

that is my advice to the person whose relative developed
memory issues
she contacted me for some advice of what to do
after the evaluation the final diagnosis
that dreaded a word
alzheimers disease

maximize time and health of your loved one
would be my advice

over the last 5 years ive been contacted a lot
about folks family members who have memory issues
some i know them
some i dont know

here is my advice to this person ill call she
and for the care of her loved one i call he

now that the diagnosis is made
first there is no treatment or cure for this disease
he will not get better
he will have a slow decline which can speed up later
he like me will probably miss the true benefits of the
treatment and cure that is in the works
but
at least it will be there for his kids and his grandkids
just like it will be for mine


he will be offered meds
there will be side effects
work through them since if he is on aricept(donepezil) they get better
over time
some folks have side effects to namenda (memantine) like my older brother
did that only got worse
when that happens it has to be stopped
dont let the doctor put him on the $200+ a month namenda xr
when the $15 a month generic namenda given twice a day
works just as well

remember these do not treat or cure alzheimers
they only slow down the symptoms

there are no other supplements or medications that will make
him better
remember if i have alzheimers im real early in the process
thats why i got better
im under no illusions that its gone and that it wont get worse
for the time being im enjoying the lull before the storm

thats what you have to do with him
enjoy the moment with him

now having undergone the overwhelming sense of doom you
get with this diagnosis with myself and my mother and brothers
i understand how you must feel

maximize his health
make sure a b12 level and a vitamin d3 level was drawn on him
if the levels are abnormal he needs to take supplements
you can get them otc
dont do this though without getting levels done first

make sure his health issues like blood pressure and cholesterol
are perfectly under control

watch for symptoms of depression which are quite common
with alzheimers
dont be afraid to have him treated if he does get depressed

make sure he is getting adequate sleep
remember sleep becomes an issue with alzheimers patients as they
progress
i am already experiencing this problem

make sure he exercises every day
no not a gym
have him go for a walk hike ride a bike
make sure he gets up and moves every day

make sure he does those things he enjoys doing

make sure he stays socially active
if he goes to church have him go as long as he can
if he has other activities he likes have him continue to do it
as long as they are safe to do

one thing my sisterinlaw did with my younger brother was he did
what they did church social gatherings eat out at restaurants vacations
hunting camp no he stopped hunting but the social part he took part in
i admire her a lot for this it takes a lot of courage and love to do this

make sure he stays mentally active
if he likes to read make sure he has access to what he likes to read
as long as possible

he is lucky that he is exposed to your energetic family
the youth exposure really is helpful in folks as the disease progresses

my mother use to light up when kids came around to interact with her

remember this affects kids a lot
dont be afraid to talk with them about his condition

be ready to deal with driving if he is doing so
there are places that will do a driving evaluation to tell if he should
stop driving
but when the time comes have him stop for his safety and for others

people with alzheimers can function in many situations for a long
time
let him do things as long as he can

make sure all the legal papers are done
now
this is a mistake a lot of people make
once the courts get involved if you dont it becomes a mess
will power of attorney power of attorney for health care living will
some do a no cpr form now so when things are worse it can be used

then
there are memories still there
short term memories are gone first
but
long term memories are still intact
this will be your last chance to pull out those memories of his
childhood and family and what he thinks of things
once its gone its gone
deep regrets on my part that i didnt do this with my affected family

then
become quite familiar with this website
www.alz.org
its the website of the alzheimers association
a lot of caregiver information is there
you and your family will need it
there is a local chapter in most states
in this area
its the capital of texas branch
www.alz.org/texascapital/
these folks are there to help you in this time of need
use them

then
here is a link to a blog that i follow
this person took care of his mom through her bout with alzheimers
its one of the most read blogs on alzheimers
it has a lot of caregiving information
www.alzheimersreadingroom.com (THIS WEBSITE NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE NOW)

also if its happening in alzheimers research it shows up there also

then
every friday
i write on alzheimers disease in this blog
if it happens in alzheimers disease i know about it also
i hear from a lot of people across the us about their situations
of course i write about myself some when it has to do with
my diagnosis

also
help us find a cure

i am sorry this has happened to your loved one
this awful disease
you have some time left
it varies from case to case
make the best of it
extract all you can from the next few months and years
__________
my advice to them and to others havent changed much
i would recommend they consider the new antiamyloid drugs leqembi and kisunia if the loved one was in the early stages
it may slow things down some

i would also recommend they watch the clinical trials closely since several new drugs are in stage 2 and 3 studies

also several old drugs used for other things are being looked at
even lithium is being investigated

besides the www.alz.org website i would recommend you following beingpatient.com a great source of information that is kept up to date
you can search my name and see a 50 minute interview i did with them

start early
take care of you health as young as possible
get evaluated early in the disease 

we want someone to be able to carry that white flower at the alzheimers event one day for the first one to be cured

i want it to be me

the organicgreen doctor