alzheimers news-keep the low low

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-KEEP THE LOW LOW



i can remember asking my mother what our relative died from
why she lost her memory when she got older
oh she said
she had hardening of the arteries to the brain

years later when my mom died
she had hardening of the arteries to her extremities
that led to decrease circulation
that led to the development of gangrene in her foot
that had no chance of healing
this is what was the immediate cause of her death

she also had im sure hardening of the arteries to the brain
as probably did my younger brother
as probably does my older brother
as probably do i to some degree

im hoping i have reversed mine over the years
or at least slowed it down some
once i began aggressively to change my diet exercise
acontrol my weight and my blood pressure
all contributors to
hardening of the arteries

one of the big contributors to this is high cholesterol
especially high ldl cholesterol
ldl stands for low density lipoprotein
better known as the bad cholesterol
im sure of you know what yours is

i looked at my initial ldl cholesterol done in the late 1980s
it was around 240 with a total cholesterol of 340 with
a triglyceride of over 800
my clear serum well it was suppose to be clear
but it was all milky looking

all that was floating around my body my brain for years
40 to be exact
doing damage
until i decided to do something about it
i have maybe 40 years to undo what got done in the first 40 years
hopefully i got to it in time

i also when i was tested carry a gene called apoe 4
i have the double version called homozygote apoe4/apoe4
it gives you an increased risk of 10-20 times
of developing alzheimers
i got one gene from mom and one gene from dad
they could have had just one apoe 4 or they could have had both
like me
my guess my younger brother who died with alzheimers disease
probably had the apoe4/apoe4 like i did

the apoe gene also affects the cholesterol level

so whats a guy like me to do with this shotgun of bad genes
aimed directly at my head
well the same as my sibling my other relatives with these issues
well the same as all of you that may have this
especially the high bad ldl cholesterol

if you have a high ldl cholesterol the bad one
you need to be aggressive about keeping it under control
if not to keep from getting alzheimers
maybe prevent a heart attack
maybe prevent a stroke
maybe prevent hardening of the arteries in the legs called
peripheral artery disease

you better listen to you medical provider
do what they say
get this under control

now if i had a choice
i would rather conk over dead with a heart attack
as i tell my wife
if you find me laying face down on our pasture
even better in my garden
just know
that i died a happy man

maybe let me go with a massive stroke
just
i dont want to go into that alzheimers abysss
and
die with alzheimers
let
me
go
sooner please
with something quick and painless

a recent study showed that having a high bad ldl cholesterol was
associated with an increased level of beta amyloid in the brain
that is thought to be the cause of alzheimers
so
having a high bad ldl cholesterol was
associated with an increased level of beta amyloid
making you at risk of getting alzheimers disease

so
im doing all i can to alter all this
if you are kin to me in any way
if our genetic trees are somehow linked
jump on board now
while you can

even if you are one of those
new babies in our family
elementary kids
high school kids
college kids
young professionals
old folks
hop to it and get this under control

remember
for you young folks
the cure and treatment may be around the corner
you want to be in good shape when it gets here

you can help now by doing this



lets put a boot to alzheimers
www.txalz.org/walk

donate and or join my team organicgreendoctor
for the alzheimers texas williamson county walk on september 24th

to join the team you will need to register first
to only donate just hit the donate button

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-grapes of wrath

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-GRAPES OF WRATH



inside red grapes red wine raspberries and dark chocolate is
a chemical called resveratrol

there is this barrier in the brain
called the blood brain barrier
that keeps chemicals and cells and infections out of the brain
like body guards standing at a gate not letting folks in
that dont need to go in

originally it was thought that the inflammation that triggers
the reaction in the brain that leads to alzheimers
was caused by substances inside the brain
now its thought that immune attackers may be coming from
elsewhere in the body doing some of the inflammation
via a leaking bbb blood brain barrier

wikipedia
eg some folks think that inflammation in our gut
may be one of the sources

a recent study showed that resveratrol increases a substance
called sirtuin 1
which increases another chemical mmp 9 in the spinal fluid
that makes the bbb block immune attacks against the brain
to keep bad things out

folks like me with the double apoe 4 gene
thats associated with the increased risk of developing
alzheimers disease
have a lowered sirtuin level
thus taking resveratrol by us affected folks may help

it appears that immune attackers may be one of or may be
the cause of alzheimers disease

so it seems by taking resveratrol
you may block the attackers
slowing down the onset or projectory of alzheimers disease

so add these foods in your diet
there is a lot of work being done to produce a pure form
of resveratrol that may work better

in the meantime
i am taking it every day
its also on the reversal of cognitive decline protocol that
i am on

plus it gives me another reason to drink a glass of red wine
each evening

it takes 1000 bottles of red wine a day to get enough
resveratrol to have this effect
so i also take the pill



lets put a boot to alzheimers
www.txalz.org/walk

donate and or join my team organicgreendoctor
for the alzheimers texas williamson county walk on september 24th

to join the team you will need to register first
to only donate just hit the donate button

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-they both do good

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-THEY BOTH DO GOOD



this symbol above is the old central texas chapter of the alzheimers association
who this last year like other large cities chapters withdrew from the
alzheimers association to become totally independent
austin san diego chicago new york etc
why
all the funds raised use to go to the national association the alzheimers association
which sent some of the funds back to the local level for local use

now as an independent chapter 100% of the funds raised stays locally
eg in the central texas area and can be used for local causes
alzheimers education caregiving classes seminars etc
the percentage of funds use for administrative costs are much much
lower for the alzheimers texas group
a higher percentage goes into research locally in texas now

so
that why i am supporting the
alzheimers texas
all the funds are kept locally
i personally see what they are doing
i feel better knowing my efforts will lead to local uses

now
both of these do good
one is local good
the other is national good
the alzheimers association supports research education lobbying on
a national level

so
i am doing
two of the local alzheimers texas walks
and
one of the alzheimers association walks in another state

not all states have strong local chapters like the central texas one
its been around for over 25 years

there is i think room for both groups
much like the cancer fund raising groups
think american cancer society and susan komen race for cure

what ive noticed looking at the numbers is that
the amount of money raised now for alzheimers will be increasing this year
because there are two different organizations raising money
for the fight against alzheimers

so in summary
locally
i support the texas alzheimers
nationally
i support the alzheimers association



lets put a boot to alzheimers
www.txalz.org/walk

donate and or join my team organicgreendoctor
for the alzheimers texas williamson county walk on september 24th

to join the team you will need to register first
to only donate just hit the donate button

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-willie wont get it

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-WILLIE WONT GET IT



thats what i tell everyone
especially after some recent studies that show that
marijuana may slow down or prevent alzheimers

lucky willie
he has been treating himself for years
hes even been jailed for it
treating himself to prevent alzheimers
what a martyr

so what do you do if you catch grandma
stoking a joint

well after reading the study
i say
keep her supplied
she will know who you are a little longer

it seems the brain makes thc the chemical in marijuana that makes
it make you feel good
the chemicals made in the brain are shall we say
first cousins
the chemicals it appears may slow down or prevent the production
of beta amyloid
the culprit they think that causes alzheimers

these chemicals are called endocannabinoids

so in the lab when they gave the marijuana chemicals
to growing nerve cells that produced beta amyloid
it wasnt produced and they continued living

those that didnt get the weed chemicals they died

so the theory is that using thc chemicals from marijuana
may work to slow down or if started younger
may prevent the disease

oh thats right
there are so many controls on marijuana research
that it is hard to do
at least in the usa

its only grown on a farm controlled by the federal government
its hard to obtain the plants for research
even though as all of us know its readily available
no matter where you live

it will be sad if this stuff does work
and
we cant do the research to find out

hopefully some foreign country is doing it for us
this research mentioned above is being done overseas

thanks guys

now willie we are happy your brain will be around for us
in the future
just hope you voice and lungs hold up
thanks
for pretreating yourself to prevent this horrible disease

i say
no matter what drug it takes to cure or prevent this disease
lets do it
quit putting limits on its research



lets put a boot to alzheimers
www.txalz.org/walk

donate and or join my team organicgreendoctor
for the alzheimers texas williamson county walk on september 24th

to join the team you will need to register first
to only donate just hit the donate button

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-mend the mind

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-MEND THE MIND



i was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment amnestic type
the precursor stage to alzheimers disease
in 2010
i was placed on aricept (donepezil) at that time
i stopped practicing medicine
i decided i would do anything and everything i could to slow
this down

when someone is diagnosed with memory loss
they most of us undergo a good evaluation
of
good history and physical seeking causes of the memory loss
labs
memory tests some end up getting a full lengthy neuropsychological exam
to better delineate their type of memory loss
for me it was short term memory loss
then a mri is done looking for things like masses brain shrinkage strokes etc

all of this usually defines your diagnosis

my workup also included
a positive genetic test for apoe 4 showing apoe 4 apoe4 double gene
making me at increased risk for alzheimers disease
a normal memory test followed in 3 years with an abnormal one
a spinal tap that shows abnormal levels of the thought to be causes of
alzheimers disease beta amyloid and tau

missing although as part of the study ive had one
but cant get the result though is the beta amyloid pet scan called amyvid
that shows if beta amyloid is accumulated in the brain
if you have alzheimers it should be positive

so i am waiting for a treatment study which i may not qualify for
im falling between the cracks
i have a mci amnestic type diagnosis
however my memory is now normal
so
i dont really fit into one of their treatment study groups

so my plan
get the amyvid pet scan this summer to know if its positive
if its negative
i got a reprieve
if its positive i just hope i can make it until the new treatment drugs arrive
in about 5 years or so

so
two years ago after becoming aggressive in taking care of my health
i saw this article called reversal of cognitive decline
a 36 point regimen from uclas dr bredesen that was used on ten folks
with memory issues of different stages
9 of the 10 got better on it
the one that didnt had moderate alzheimers
what we are finding if you get advanced far enough you have gone over
the cliff and things dont help you much

so
when i looked at it the vast majority of the stuff i was doing anyway
most folks diagnosed with memory loss get most of these tests done
and start on much of this recommended regimen

i would say i was on over 24 of them myself
i now am on all 36 of them

so
is it helping
something is
i as of last october had normal memory
my moca test was 28 which is as good if  not better than some of
my relatives with normal memory

i feel like it is the mend protocol i am on from ucla
now picked up by muse labs who does an online protocol with
your primary care doctor using your medical history your labs your scans
your memory tests to set up a regimen based on the ucla study using
your unique information

this is what they did in the original study also

the muse labs will then follow folks for two years
collecting information from the patients doctors memory test etc
on a regular basis
it looks like every 3 months

the research at the university level is not being done on this
its to complicated to get all of this protocol through the research system
which can be long and cumbersome

so
private enterprise is doing it in conjunction with dr bredesen

somewhere in here someone must pay for this and someone has to make
money off it
i cant quite figure out how thats happening

its possible that if this study shows its working then it may be then
sold to the medical community
but
im not sure how it will work after this is all done

so
i last week signed up for the mend protocol from muse labs
i signed a waiver
i filled out a lengthy medical history form
i completed a several page well known memory test
my wife she filled out her part answering questions about me
then it was faxed in to muse labs

if i am accepted
i will involve my neurologist or pcp to order what labs and studies that
i have not had
i think though that i have had them all
they will then look at what i am doing and based on all the data they have
upgrade a recommendation for me to follow
my guess is that i am already doing all of them now
but
i would like another person or organization to follow me also

i must say though that medical researchers form universities dont like
this type of research
my thoughts are
then suck it up and do it yourself then

something has made my mind memory get mended some way
i feel like its this mend regimen and the aricept (donepezil)
if i get off it and the supplements i must say that i can tell a difference
the best way i can explain it is
if you have ever gone without adequate sleep
several nights in a row and you notice your memory is not as good
you arent as sharp as you should be
thats the way i feel if i get off the mend regimen and especially if
i add missing my aricept (donepezil)

so my recommendation to you
if you have a memory loss diagnosis
you consider the muses labs mend protocol

now
as a physician and as a knowledgeable alzheimers research person
i was able to on my own weave my way through all the information
to do my regimen

here is a link to an article on the mend regimen from alzheimers weekly
or
click here

i am doing all 25 of the categories listed

reminder and warning
dont do this without the approval of your doctor
remember i have had all the testing done that is recommended
and have analyzed each of the points and supplement to make sure
they cause me no harm
some i couldnt tolerate eg coconut oil and omega 3 made me to sick
at my stomach to tolerate them
ashwaganda made me have these god awful violent dreams

i do feel someway this regimen is why i got better

another warning
if i have alzheimers which i will probably know for sure soon
as sure as you can be in 2016
i realize that this only slows things down it doesnt stop the disease
unless maybe you take good care of your health all your life

eg pat summitt did many of these things
probably not as much as i did
did they help her
maybe slow things down some
or
was she to far gone when she was diagnosed

it didnt stop the disease from winning in the end

also
get involved with your local alzheimers walks

here is the major one i am involved in
donate and or join us for our walk



lets put a boot to alzheimers
www.txalz.org/walk

donate and or join my team organicgreendoctor
for the alzheimers texas williamson county walk on september 24th

to join the team you will need to register first
to only donate just hit the donate button

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-a physicians personal connection

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-A PHYSICIANS PERSONAL CONNECTION



a few weeks ago i gave this presentation below to a large group of folks
on alzheimers disease

i explained the theory of what causes alzheimers disease
i told my story of how i was diagnosed
i went through all the testing that someone should have if they have
memory loss
i went through all the testing that is done in the large study i am in
i reviewed the alzheimers graph
i reviewed the new treatment studies that show promise for treating
or if we are lucky curing alzheimers disease
many of you who read this blog qualify for these studies
i reviewed things folks could do to prevent or slow down the disease
i reviewed what i was doing that i think made my memory return to
normal
i reviewed sources to get information on clinical studies no matter
where you live

i also answered a ton of questions on alzheimers

one point i made was this
if someone could tell you that you have cancer would you like to know

if you then had cancer and was offered a new treatment for it that was
promising to work
would you do it

yes i think most of you would

however
if someone could tell you that you might have alzheimers
and if so
there was a new possible treatment for it
most sad to say would not jump for that chance

how do i know
because that time has arrived now
people arent or wont sign up for these clinical studies that offer
treatment promising treatment if the tests show they have alzheimers

i myself am begging bugging folks to get on these treatment studies
since i see how important the potential is for these new drugs

to find out more on all this watch this video
of my presentation

next week i will write on the
mend protocol
which is the regimen that i am following
either this regimen or the aricept (donepezil) has made my memory
return to normal


lets put a boot to alzheimers
www.txalz.org/walk

donate and or join my team organicgreendoctor
for the alzheimers texas williamson county walk on september 24th

to join the team you will need to register first
to only donate just hit the donate button

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-time capsule

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-TIME CAPSULE

in the theory of alzheimers
its is thought that it is caused by the accumulation of
beta amyloid protein in the brain

something happens what we dont know
but the brains production of this stuff goes awry
its either overproduced or some control mechanisms breaks
or a beta amyloid protein is made that doesnt work right

whatever the cause
the brain accumulates this beta amyloid
it leads to brain cell destruction
plaque formation
the eventual accumulation of tau proteins destruction
which leads to tangles and inflammation and
total brain cell destruction

so the theory goes
stop this wrong beta amyloid production
you stop alzheimers
so the theory goes

now this theory is being tested across the world
including here in texas
using infusions of antibodies called immunoglobulins
that attack this bad beta amyloid
and
removes it from the brain

its the big hope
maybe the only hope thats out there
for slowing down or maybe curing this disease

its here now
the studies five year ones are ongoing now
we should know by 2020
if this works
it will be the treatment for thousands
who have the disease
or
who are destined to get the disease

you can go to clinicaltrials.gov to find the locations of the studies
near you

many of you who read this blog qualify for these promising studies
you or your family could be cured
or
at least have you disease slowed down enough that you or they
will die from something else

a cure
maybe
i sure hope so

now in switzerland
there are mice who are programmed to get alzheimers disease
they have the human gene for alzheimers embedded in their dna
they all get alzheimers
i always wonder what a alzheimers rat would be like
im sure they are easy prey for cats

just like in humans with alzheimers
they accumulate bad beta amyloid in the brain
get plaques etc etc
thus they all get the disease


researchers there have designed a capsule
thats embedded under the skin
it slowly releases antibodies against beta amyloid
the stuff is removed
the rats dont get alzheimers

just like the infusions do

seems like a good solution to me for our problem

im ready when they are
to get that time capsule inserted under my skin
lets speed this up
i and others dont have much time left


you can you know help with this
donate and or walk with us at one of our local
alzheimers texas walks
www.txalz.org/walk

here is the one my team is walking in

to
donate click on donate
to
join our team
in this fight to find a treatment or cure
click on register

100% of our donations stay in texas
for education and research

help us put a boot on alzheimers

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-neuro

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-NEURO

these researchers are doing research to see if doing these
healthy things over 18 months can slow the progression
of mild cognitive impairment thats my diagnosis from
converting to early alzheimers disease

it also appears to be good for all of us to do this
even those without memory issues or family history of memory loss

here is the link to the article

i think they can
i actually hope they can
i wonder if this is why my memory got better
i thinks so
i believe so

they use the acronym
n e u r o

n is for nutrition
eating the mind diet a combo of the mediterranean diet and dash diet
just doing this may push back symptoms for 5 years
if thats true
my five years may be up since ive been doing this for 5 years
i hope the good continues for a little longer

e is for exercise
i think of exercise as the newest drug to treat memory loss
it
increases blood flow to the brain
brings in oxygen nutrition and increases new blood vessels
all make memory better
plus you feel better doing it

now my exercise routine is not a gym thing
i move a lot working here at the country n
gardening
doing a lot of manual labor at habitat for humanity
eg i worked 4 hours this week cutting down trees
and stacking brush

u is for unwinding
meditation yoga are the best to do
relieving stress lowers the stress hormones cortisol in the
brain
these hormones can hasten the onset of alzheimers disease

i use gardening and yard work as my form of unwinding
i frequently will stop for several minutes
listen to the birds
the turkeys the owls the whippoorwills even do calls back and
forth with quail
watch the butterflies and hummingbirds
enjoy the beautiful waves of wildflowers that are in our pastures

r is for rest
a good uninterrupted night sleep free of electronic devices
free of sleep apnea or other sleep disturbances

now i have really struggled with this over the last 5 years
the side effect of the aricept (donepezil) has left me with
only 5 hours a night
recently for the last 4 weeks i have been sleeping those
needed 7-8 hours at night
a life changing event for me
i feel so much better and am more productive
i can see looking back over the last 5 years how much this lack
of sleep has altered my life
i can only wonder how much it affected my memory
it couldnt have helped this not sleeping

i found a minimal minuscule dose of melatonin that seems
to work perfectly for me
its hard to believe that these few drops are making my life better
way below the recommended doses
i gradually tapered it down to the dose that worked
normal doses for me made be fidgety and not able to sleep

remember dont just start taking this stuff without discussing
it with your health provider
not every one can tolerate it
not everyone can safely take it

o is for optimizing social and mental activity
if you retire and become sedentary you will not do well
physically or mentally
you have to get out into the world and do things
listen to music plays concerts museums
socialize with friends neighbors

no couch potatoing allowed
when it comes to your brain

i aggressively try to do optimizing every days
all my volunteering is the conduit for optimizing
as is blogging

if you have a family history of dementia
or if you are having memory issues
you need to jump on this regimen
heck
we all should be doing it anyway
it may
like what happened to me
slow down the process


a reminder
we support the alzheimers texas
the former central texas chapter of the alzheimers association
it has always been an independent chapter
but this year it opted to go totally independent
since
all the money raised now all stays locally
all the research money goes to texas universities
all the education money stays here for programs in your communities
in the central texas area

so go to this link for more information
www.txalz.org/walk
also this is the link to the upcoming walks

the first i will do is the williamson county alzheimers walk
in georgetown
on saturday september 24th

my team is the organicgreendoctor

consider donating and or joining our team for that walk

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-common questions

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-COMMON QUESTIONS

each time i do my presentations on alzheimers disease

i get a lot of questions

well they never end those questions

once they start asking it seems this floodgate opens

all those questions that they cant find anyone to answer

starts flowing out 

like a flood running over a dam

i feel like i am a unique person to answer these questions

since

my family has been riddled with alzheimers disease

my mother and younger brother died with it

my father probably had it

my older brother probably has it now

i have mild cognitive impairment amnestic type the precursor

stage before alzheimers although my memory recently 

returned to normal levels

i am a family doctor who treated some patients with alzheimers disease

looking back i didnt do a good job so i know what some of these 

people are facing as they see their doctors

i am a research study subject in a large alzheimers study

i am awaiting new treatment studies that have promise

so they start asking questions i give answers based on my personal 

experiences and medical knowledge

i keep up with all thats going on in the alzheimers world

eg i read 10 articles on alzheimers this morning

someone always asks about aricept (donepezil)

i can guarantee that their doctors dont really know about its side effects

yes like me when i was in practice they can read about them

and have patients tell them about their side effects

but

i read about them and i personally experienced them myself

so i really understand them

most folks stop the medicine since they dont take it right

and because they dont understand that the side effects are worse

at the beginning but get better over a few weeks

its like taking chemo at the beginning of treatment

if you can get through it you will break through on the other side

with less side effects

patients just arent explained all this 

i try to go through each side effect with the audience

then someone always ask what do i do if i have memory issues

i always say

get evaluated

always

most folks dont have dementia or alzheimers they have some cause 

thats fully treatable

like

med side effects poor controlled blood pressure cholesterol diabetes

obesity sleep habits anxiety depression inactivity stress etc

a few will have abnormal labs like b12 folate vitamin d homocysteine

hormone levels

all fixable with replacements

then i tell them make an appointment for only memory loss and 

nothing else

go in prepared with list of symptoms

make sure a workup is done to include history and exam labs some

type of memory test maybe labs

if they are ignored go somewhere else

if the person may have dementia they should not go alone ever

do an online questionnaire on how they are doing

i always refer them to the 21 question alzheimers questionnaire online

fill it out and take it with you

is dementia alzheimers 

dementia is a general term 

alzheimers is one of the most common causes of dementia

others are vascular dementia lewy body dementia frontotemporal dementia

parkinsonism dementia etc

is there are cure

no i say 

not yet

but we are working on it

the best you can do to prevent it is 

100% take care of your health maximizing it all including 

diet and exercise

if diagnosed take initially aricept (donepezil)

it helps about 1/3, it doesnt help 1/3 they just get worse, 1/3 stay the same

consider entering a research study 

they need volunteers badly 

this is how we will  find a cure

there are treatment studies ongoing now and soon to start that show

promise in slowing down the disease and if we are lucky

they will stop the disease if treatment is started early enough

here is where i go

www.utsouthwestern.edu/adc

so those questions go on and on and on 

i stood and answered them for two hours before

people it seems are starving for answers

two things

i am always available to do question and answer sessions in this area

contact me via facebook via the link on this blog page

i also do a talk on clinical trials and on alzheimers disease and on 

my story

i will answer questions sent to me on facebook

and if appropriate on this blog

feel free to ask me

then 

we need money to help in the fight

each fall we do alzheimers texas walks in this area

come walk at a site convenient to you and donate what you can

www.txalz.org/walk

outside of central texas 

you can do the alzheimers association walk to end alzheimers

at

www.alz.org/walk

we need your help

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-i said it again

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-I SAID IT AGAIN

yesterday i spoke to a group of folks who wanted to know
more about alzheimers disease

i like talked several minutes about why i am involved
in the alzheimers disease fight and some of my story
with the possibility of having alzheimers disease
then
i let them ask questions
the ones that they need answers to

this format is the one i like the best
since i think folks feel like they got some answers
they couldnt get from other sources
like their medical providers

i hope i gave them answers yesterday
but
sorry to say there is no solution yet to this alzheimers thing

i always get asked what can i do or what did you do to
make  yourself better

i always say like i did yesterday

no matter where you are in this alzheimers spectrum
normal memory
early memory loss
full blown alzheimers disease

the answers are the same for them as for me and for you

take care of your health
take care of your health
take care of your health

it wont stop the disease
but it might slow it down
even for a few months in some cases
but a few months can mean a lot when you are talking about memory loss

do this for a lifetime

start when you are an infant throughout childhood into adulthood
you not only may be able to prevent alzheimers disease
but also cancer heart disease stroke and probably other diseases

aggressively take care of your blood pressure your cholesterol
your diabetes your weight your sleep your mental heath as in
stress anxiety depression your mental and social and physical activity
maximize all of this
youll live longer and will be more disease free
maybe alzheimers free

then
you are what you eat or should we say what you dont eat

i told them to look up the mind diet
ok i said this a lot in this blog over the last several months
you will see it again if you keep reading it

it is probably the top thing a person needs to do in this alzheimers fight

a big new study is getting funded where folks will be put
on the mind diet to see if even in the short term
it can make memory better

what is the mind diet
here is a good article on it from webmd
but
its not complicated

eat leafy vegetables berries nuts fish some chicken vegetables
beans whole grains
limit red meat to 4 times a week
use olive oil as your oil
limit butter to one tbsp a day
drink red wine 1 glass a day
now i have that one covered
in fact if we go out to eat or meet friends for happy hour
i usually will just drink red wine instead of another beverage
limit fast food to once a week
limit pastries and sweets to 5 times a week
limit cheese to once a week sorry i changed mine to once a day

this diet was one that folks who live a long time seem to eat
all over the world
so some investigator didnt just make it one

it folks
is the cornerstone of our fight against this terrible disease
and
of course
cancer heart disease stroke obesity diabetes
debilitating hip and knee disease
blood pressure cholesterol sleep issues
and
it just makes you feel better

try it
if you wont do this
then make sure your kids are eating this way
so they can enjoy a longer more healthy life

also
support the local alzheimers texas walks to raise money to fight
this terrible disease

here is the link to their new website
www.txalz.org/walk

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-i am not sure

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-I AM NOT SURE

after doing several talks on alzheimers and on treatment trials

for alzheimers

some folks have gotten the impression that i somehow cured

my alzheimers disease

i didnt

i dont know if i have alzheimers disease

i think i do 

you can only diagnose this disease 100% when you die 

and they autopsy your brain

yes they can tell your family he had alzheimers disease

now you can look at the downfall of a persons memory 

and

his physical condition that is typical for alzheimers 

to say with some degree of accuracy that

yes he or she had alzheimers

so i can say with some degree of certainty that my mom 

and my younger brother had alzheimers disease

not many things cause the course they took

did my dad have it 

i think so

he was starting down that path when he died 

does my older brother have it 

i think so based on some of his testing

time will only tell if thats the case

do i have alzheimers disease

i think so 

but time will only tell if thats true

did i cure my alzheimers disease

no

if its whats wrong with me

i have only pushed the symptoms of the disease down the road some

but

it will i said it will raise its head again and strike again 

and take over

unless there is a new treatment that becomes available soon

real soon that stops it 

right now that does not exists

so whats my explanation as to why my memory is now normal

my memory loss may not be due to alzheimers disease but may 

have been due to something else

like stress not well controlled blood pressure not well controlled cholesterol

maybe a super ministroke in the wrong place

that caused my memory loss that over time healed itself 

and now my memory is normal 

see i dont know

or

what may have happened

now this is what i think happened

i developed subtle memory loss real subtle not detectable to anyone

but me

it was well documented to be normal then three years later it was abnormal

then five years after that back to normal again 

i think i do have alzheimers disease and am either in that

category called preclinical alzheimers 

or 

in early mild cognitive impairment

here is why i think so 

i have normal lab workups except for low vitamin b12 and 

low vitamin d and high homocysteine

those are risk factors for memory loss but are not the cause

of my memory loss

i have corrected all three of those

i have normal mris of the brain except for things two of them called

white mater hyperintensities that are like tiny tiny tiny tiny strokes

if you have 7 or more you may be at risk for alzheimers or stroke

but 2 doesnt mean you have either one

they have not changed over the last 5 years 

i do carry the apoe4 gene a double version or homozygous that puts

me at higher risk for developing alzheimers disease

but it doesnt mean it causes the disease

how i take care of my health determines if it has an effect

the risk is 5-20 times increased according to which researcher

you read

i have had two normal glucose metabolism pet scans which if you

are far enough along with the disease it will be positive

it could be if i am just real real early that the test is not positive yet

since not enough damage has been done

i have had a spinal tap for the bad beta amyloid and the tau protein 

which are implicated in the present theory of what causes alzheimers

my levels are indeterminate

they are not normal but they are not in the dementia level

this correlates with my diagnosis of early mild cognitive impairment

that stage right before you get alzheimers disease

the stage right after preclinical alzheimers where you have

some abnormal testing but no symptoms

whats missing from my workup is the new beta amyloid pet scan

called amyvid pet scan 

it will show if the beta amyloid has accumulated in the brain 

if you have alzheimers it will be positive

however

like most medical tests it is not 100% accurate

as a normal person can have a positive test as can other diseases

cause a positive test

but

when added together with the history spinal tap family history 

if my amyvid pet scan is positive

i like possibly maybe could have alzheimers disease

im sorry but that is as close to making the diagnosis for me

that i can get

if my amyvid scan is positive i plan on moving forward with 

the likelihood that i have the disease

and 

will plan my life accordingly 

so if i have alzheimers disease

no i didnt cure it 

i only delayed its symptoms by 

taking aricept (donepezil) which works for awhile but eventually

doesnt work well 

not all neurologists agree in using in the diagnosis of 

mild cognitive impairment

my neurologist does believe in it 

so do i 

thats why i suffered through with its side effects

if my amyvid scan is negative i plan on discontinuing it 

by correcting my abnormal labs

low b12 low vitamin d high homocysteine high cholesterol high blood pressure

by doing all the healthy things that are recommended you do for your

memory 

avoid stress avoid meds that affect the memory treat depression 

and anxiety get adequate sleep treating sleep apnea restless legs etc

stay very active socially mentally physically 

meditating or yoga something to make you pause and reflect inside

then i used the protocol from the article by dr bredesen called

reversal of cognitive decline

you can google it if you want to read about it

i very carefully looked at it 

matched the vitamins and supplement against my medical history 

and my medication

some i could take many i could not 

i got the approval of my family doctor and my neurologist before

i took any of them 

there are side effects from them i could not tolerate

some interfere with heart medicine and blood thinners

so dont just read this article and start taking stuff

i looked at each closely

i personally think if what i am doing has helped it is 

the aricept (donepezil)

aggressively doing the healthy things i mentioned above

correcting my abnormal labs

maybe the supplements have helped some

that i cant be sure of 

so 

do i have alzheimers disease

i am not sure

but

i hope to know soon as close as you can know 

i hope this is useful to those who have contacted me hoping for a cure

im sorry 

but

there is not one

yet

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-sleep is

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-SLEEP IS

when she gave me the prescription five years ago
i didnt realize then that it would change my day to day life

i read up on aricept (donepzil) since i had ordered it several
times over the years for alzheimers
reading the side effects to my patients
not realizing what they really mean
now i have experienced many of them
but most of them i have developed a tolerance to
or
adjusted when i take it and how i take it
to minimize the side effects

the one side effect that i have fought daily
is the one of it affecting my sleep
i do take it first thing in the morning so its less likely
to cause problems at night

when i took it at night
i did not sleep
i felt like i had just drank a pot of coffee right
before bedtime

now over the last 5 years i have tried lots of things otc
and prescriptions for sleep
but nothing works
they almost make me agitated at night
so i stopped them

now my mom and brother took it at night without any
issues with it
my older brother takes it now in the morning
he says he has no problem with sleep

but not me

last thursday i slept 5 hours
couldnt nap on friday
last friday i slept 5 hours
my body needs 7-8 hours to function properly
now i have been compensating the last 5 years by taking naps
in the afternoon
how long is determined by how much sleep i had the night before

so as i gave my talk i was going on 5 hours of sleep and
a lot of coffee

i told my wife she this weekend
i cant keep functioning this way i have to do something
maybe even stop the aricept (donepezil)

but if i have alzheimers disease i know what that may mean
it the aricept (donepezil) may be the reason my memory has improved
stopping it may make that memory loss return
so
i am reluctant to stop the aricept (donepezil)
but am sure tempted to do so when the lack of sleep
is at its worst

ive found that i plan my life around taking my afternoon naps
even when i get them i still feel fatigued when i wake up

so this weekend
i met someone who was at the talk i did
she like me
goes to the same alzheimers disease center at ut southwestern
she like me
has mild symptoms and her memory has improved
she like me
is on meds
she like me
is on a version of the reversal of cognitive decline regimen
she like me
has an issue with sleep

so what does she do i asked since our cases were so similar
she takes melatonin
now ive tried that at various doses
i felt agitated all night and didnt sleep well
well she says i get mine in a dissoluble dose
a tiny dose
one i had not tired

so this weekend i spent some time researching again
what medicines to use that may help with the insomnia
i dont have trouble going to sleep
i have trouble waking up two hours earlier
like real wide awake

all the meds i found that were used i had tried
none really worked and i had intolerable side effects

there tucked away in the comment section of a nih article
on sleep issues with aricept (donepezil)
was this comment
i tried a tiny dose of melatonin
0.3 mg at night
it helps me sleep

so i thought
its worth a try
so i started searching where i could find that tiny dose
couldnt find it
but i did find a liquid melatonin
which has instructions 4 ml to get 1 mgm using a dropper
so
i tried the recommended dose
i absolutely slept a full eight hours
noticing a slight increase in vivid dreams
remember the aricept (donepezil) makes these vivid dreams
the melatonin makes them more real
i felt a little groggy
something that a cup or two of coffee fixed
i felt no need to take a nap
felt rested all day

the next night i tapered it down to 2 droppers then 1 dropper
now i am at 3/4 dropper
which is about 0.2 mgm melatonin
not a big dose at all

so this week as i told my wife she
i feel like a new person
i feel like i have returned to the real world
i feel like i have add all day long
getting all this work done around our property

i wished i had met this person months ago and had this conversation
and
tried this low low dose of melatonin for sleep

i know when i was in practice when i treated an elderly patient
i always used small doses to begin with
a dose i would use on a 5 year old child

maybe
thats what i am
an elderly child

but sleep is so refreshing to get enough of every day
i just hope it lasts

i know you do develop a tolerance to melatonin so the dose
may have to be adjusted some later

now then dont go and suddenly start taking melatonin for sleep
you have to be careful
just because its otc doesnt mean its safe for everyone

dont try it without discussing it with your doctor
i have talked with my doctor about this in the past

so sleep is
what i dream about every day

the organicgreen doctor