alzheimers news-diagnose before any symptoms

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-DIAGNOSE BEFORE ANY SYMPTOMS

this is world alzheimers month
its the 6th leading cause of death in the us
some think its number 4
in the county we are living in it is the 4th leading cause
of death here
there are 5,000,000 folks with the disease in the us
by 2050 there will be 16,000,000 folks in the us with this disease

i read this article from the wall street journal titled
an alzheimers diagnosis-before any symptoms

now i found the article interesting
if you want to know about getting diagnosed earlier
for yourself or your family
you should read this article
heres the link to it

now i didnt need to read this article to learn about
all of this
as
i have lived this the last 7 years

as i have meandered through the private neurology world
then the alzheimers research world as a patient

as i have written this blog researching what i write about

as i have given lectures on alzheimers disease

as i have answered questions from folks at q and a sessions

i have learned all this stuff thats in the article
first hand i must add

i read today about a new research study thats starting up
it will run for 8 years at usc and other universities
folks who are diagnosed with

prealzheimers disease-folks with  no symptoms but with positive tests
or
mild cognitive impairment due to alzheimers disease-folks with mild
symptoms but with positive tests

will be given one of these
an infusion of a vaccine like the one i am getting now at ucla
or
a pill that prevents the bad amyloid from being produced and
deposited in the brain
or
those unlucky ones will get that placebo thing

the question of whether identifying folks before they get symptoms
or when they get early early symptoms
then giving them treatment long term
will it make a difference
we will find out in 8 years

although
studies like the aducanumab study i am in or the crenezumab study thats
on going now will partially answer that question in 5 years

we are on the brink
of finding an answer

in this article all the testing they write about
has oozed over from the research world into the private medical world
such that these tests may get done by a private neurologist
seeing you or a loved one for the workup for memory loss

so in 2010 if you could fast forward that to 2017
if when i went to the neurologist
even before i had a memory test done

i could have had
memory tests which would have showed short term memory issues

genetic blood tests for the early onset or dominantly inherited gene
and for the late onset alzheimers gene the apoe 4 gene

spinal tap analysis for the beta amyloid and tau
these levels become abnormal as the disease progresses

an amyloid pet scan that would show if the beta amyloid was present
if you have even early alzheimers it will be positive
if it is negative you probably dont have alzheimers

we are almost there now to be able to identify if you have it
before symptoms start
these studies like the ones i have been involved in will show
if this is true

now
a lot of thought and preplanning needs to be done
before you have these done
especially if you are in the prealzheimers state

it can be i must say quite overwhelming to get the results
i liken it to finding out
that you have huntington disease
or
that you have a terminal cancer

it requires a lot of soul searching and contemplation
to get these diagnoses
the end result is the same
all ending in death from the disease
some quicker than others

this may be the limitation of folks having the testing
for alzheimers
they might not be ready to know

organizations like the alzheimers texas and alzheimers association
and us against alzheimers can help with the process

you
can take care of your health
can get involved in the support of research and education
by
volunteering with these groups
helping us with our walks to raise money to help the fight

go to the alzheimers texas site www.txalz.org to find the central texas
location of their walks

go to the alzheimers association site www.alz.org to find their walks
located all across the us

we cant do it without your help

my walks


alzheimers texas williamson county walk september 23rd


santa barbara walk to end alzheimers october 28th

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-county with the most deaths in your state

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-COUNTY WITH THE MOST DEATHS IN YOUR STATE

most of the readers of my blog live in arkansas texas
lousiana oklahoma calfornia colorado
although most all of the states have someone that reads this blog

we in the alzheimers world
know that the deaths from alzheimers are increasing
real fast each year
the numbers have now gone from the 6th leading cause of
death in the united states to
the 4th leading cause of death

why
the disease is being more recognized and not as stigmatized
sort of like cancer was years ago
more death certificates are having the diagnosis added
more folks are getting older

its easier to diagnose folks now a days than in the past
with the scans and spinal fluid tests and memory tests available

even with all these
the numbers still are climbing

so here are the counties in each of the above states
with the most deaths from alzheimers disease
ill let you look at your own state and wonder
why that county has the highest death rate from alzheimers disease

arkansas   polk county   118.7 per 100000

california   amador county   78.93 per 100000

colorado   otero county   97.36   per 100000

louisiana   madison parish   118.21 per 100000

oklahoma   pittsburgh country   53.8 per 100000

texas  young county   136.24 per 100000

the state with the highest death rate from alzheimers
south dakota   walworth county   272.18 per 100000

the state with the lowest death rate from alzheimers
hawaii   honolulu county   24.6 per 100000

here is a link to look up any state to see what county
has the highest death rate from alzheimers disease

my thoughts on the high and low numbers
difference in race make up of the state
health care
state reporting accuracy
isolated populations
a younger population

i guess the impression i want to leave
is that the numbers are climbing
will continue to climb
unless we come up with a way to treat the disease
a way to slow the disease down

you can help you know



the williamson county alzheimers texas walk is at the san gabriel
park in georgetown texas on saturday september 23rd
my wife she and i will be there for the walk

here is the link to the walk
here is the link to my team organicgreendoctor

please donate and or walk with us that day

we will also be doing the walk to end alzheimers in santa barbara
on saturday october 28th at the fess parker doubletree resort
here is the link to the walk
here is the link to my team organicgreendoctor.com

we need your support
to find a cure

the organicgreen doctor
  

alzheimers news-in memoriam

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-IN MEMORIAM

i thought about these two guys a lot last week
both were from arkansas

one was my brother joe who died 4 years ago
in the final stages of alzheimers disease

here is the blog i wrote about him after his death
he was the mirror i looked into
as
i saw myself
knowing that this is where i will be sometime in
the future
when i dont know
im doing what i can to slow it down

here is the blog
THE SMILE


the other person
also had that same smile
it was glen campbell
who died last week in that final stage of alzheimers disease

now i have read some criticism of his family
sending him on his tours
when he struggled so much at times trying to remember his lines
however
he was doing what he loved to do
he was able to do it longer than most would have

may he rip
when you get to that final stage of this disease
death brings peacefulness
to the person
and
their family

hopefully they are at peace


this last week i had my first visit at ucla
the worse part was the traffic
its like worse than than the worse austin traffic

i had to undergo reevaluation and reintroduction to
the aducanumab study
i am able to just pick up where i left off at ut southwestern

i am about the fifth one in the aducanumab study by
biogen here at ucla

i chose ucla instead of a private neurology group
since i wanted the connections to a research facility
in case i need to be in other studies in the future
i have found it makes a difference knowing the folks
and
knowing what new stuff is out there
when it happens
it will be happening here at ucla

they have the mary easton alzheimers disease center here
that does the different research
eg they are also doing one of the bace inhibitor studies
that will probably benefit folks who have no symptoms

they could be used like the statin drugs are being used
to prevent stroke and heart attacks
these bace inhibitors may help slow down or prevent alzheimers
time will tell on that one

the aducanumab study that i am in
has more promise for us with symptoms
although if it works it will probably be given
with the bace inhibitor before folks
develop symptoms

so i went down to the infusion center
got all hooked up again
took my two hours it took to get all set up
and
get in my infusion #6
then out the door into the throngs of the traffic

12 more to go until they put everyone
placebo and real drug on the real drug for another 3 years
then soon after we will find out if this study really works

next
more blood work and an mri of the brain at ucla in two weeks

so far
i have just some daily fatigue i experience
thats hard to separate whether its the infusions
or my aricept (donepezil) or my sleep issues or my chronic iritis
i am hoping its my infusions
since that would mean i got the real deal stuff
and
not the placebo

time will tell

i also volunteered for a substudy of this one
which does extra amyvid pet scans for the
bad stuff beta amyloid
to see if it really all got cleared out after a year
that is
if i got the real stuff

however i will never know if i got the real stuff
this first 18 months
thats part of the deal
they will know but i wont

remember
we need financial support to fight this disease
and
emotional support to deal with it

join us as we walk this year


we will be doing the
alzheimers texas walk in georgetown texas
on saturday september 23rd
team name is organicgreendoctor

yes we will be in georgetown for the above walk
as we walk with our austin friends and family
do join us
come say goodbye to us

i also will have a team in the
santa barbara walk to end alzheimers 
on saturday october 28th
team name is organicgreendoctor.com

join us

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-#5 down and thanks

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-#5 DOWN  AND THANKS

on tuesday i went it for my #5 infusion of the aducanumab stuff
well it might have been the placebo
i will never know if i got the real stuff or not
nor will the researchers at ut southwestern alzheimers research center
its a double blind study

now
like i have written before
if this stuff seems to work in little over a year in those who got
the real stuff
it will be offered to all of us for another 3.5 years
extending my treatments well into 2022
heck we will have had another election by then for president

today while awaiting my call for my infusion
as i sat in the lobby
there was another couple sitting there waiting also
i went over and struck up a conversation

wow how similar this guy and i were
we were about the same age
we were both professionals white collar that is
we both were surprised by our diagnosis when it happen
we were using the same words as we talked
he said i dont want that placebo stuff
i want the real deal stuff
i said that also i thought to myself

just think if this stuff were to work in both of us
then
in 5 years we will be just like we are today
no better maybe
but
not worse
thats all we can ask for
we both agreed on this

i wish to say thanks
to the alzheimers disease center at ut southwestern for providing
care for me and helping me along this journey
the last 7 years

special thanks to
kristian
kasha
zohre
barb
dr rosenberg
dr quiceno
dr williams
dr womack
for being on my side as we move forward to fight this
terrible disease

i as a volunteer for the research studies
them as researchers trying to find a cure

a reminder
the biggest obstacle to finding a cure
is you
there are not enough volunteers for these studies
that is sad
that we cant get the research done
because theres not enough money
theres not enough volunteers

www.clinicaltrials.gov can link you up to studies in your area

i am doing my part to fight this disease
what are you doing
remember
everyone of you will be affected by alzheimers disease
if you are female and you live long enough
you will more likely get alzheimers disease than not

so as i got my infusion
got the needle out of my arm
drove to the airport
got on the plane
to fly back to california

yes
i was sad
i left an important part of me back there
but
hopefully i can gain some of it back
as
we move forward to ucla to continue our fight
against alzheimers disease

remember
we need financial support to fight this disease
and
emotional support to deal with it

join us as we walk this year

we will be doing the
alzheimers texas walk in georgetown texas
on saturday september 23rd
team name is organicgreendoctor

yes we will be in georgetown for the above walk
as we walk with our austin friends and family
do join us
come say goodbye to us

i also will have a team in the
santa barbara walk to end alzheimers 
on saturday october 28th
team name is organicgreendoctor.com

join us

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-your questions answered

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

i get questions about alzheimers frequently after posting the
alzheimers news segment each week
from emails
from facebook messages
after doing my talks on alzheimers disease

in fact
my favorite talk i do
is to simply stand up and answer questions from the audience
families and patients and friends just want answers
many cant get them by reading the internet and asking their
medical providers

i have been through this with two family members
granted i wasnt there for the day to day caregiving that
is so trying on families

i have spent hours and hours over the last 6 years reading
about alzheimers so i have become well versed in
alzheimers and with what research is going on

now
that i know i truly have alzheimers disease
i can now truly speak as someone who has the disease
albeit very very early in the process
but
i know that it can suddenly take off
and proceed rapidly
so
thats why my day to day decisions are based on what could happen

i may be lucky
in that this aducanumab might be the reprieve im looking for
the next 5 years will tell if it really works as advertised

after last fridays blog
i got tons of comments and questions

i was asked and this is a frequent one
what can a loved one do if their affected loved one is more advanced

eg
one person wanted to know if their spouse would qualify for
this study
i asked questions about the spouses health
it was obvious from the answers and the persons medicines
that they were more advanced

i try to be honest with my answers
because i feel like thats what people really want and i would want

i told the asker
no they wont qualify they are too advanced
there really is not anything to do to stop it
my advice is to maximize their health
keep them as mentally physically and socially active as long
as possible
provide love and comfort
and
take care of yourself the caregiver
thats the one that most spouses or kids forget

i was asked several times where and how to get the amyvid pet scans

my reply
they are available at multiple sites in texas
probably most states do them
they are not paid for by insurance companies
they cost between $3500-$5000
i got mine free via the study

here is a link to my blog about how to get one free
if you meet the criteria
http://www.organicgreendoctor.com/2017/03/alzheimers-news-good-ideas.html

not everyone with memory loss needs these
i consider them the icing on the cake test

a memory loss patient should see their primary care provider
or a neurologist for a stepwise complete workup
like
a good medical history and physical looking for causes
basic screening labs
good memory testing
maybe an mri of the brain

most folks can stop there and not need more information
eg
my two brothers got all this done
their diagnoses were able to be made from this workup
an amyvid pet scan would have been a waste of time and money

my mom fell and hit her head and had a ct scan which showed
diffuse shrinkage of the brain
this is caused usually by alzheimers disease

but in cases like mine since i was so early
i had

the genetic tests
note i will write more on those tomorrow on my blog

the spinal tap for the biomarkers amyloid and tau
are helpful in making sure of my diagnosis

then
like i wrote above
the amyvid pet scan was the icing on the cake
now i certainly know
what i have
what will happen if i dont do something
since i have personally seen what happens

another question is
where can i get tested or where can i get involved with research
all primary care  providers can do this testing
if they are not interested seek out a local neurologist or memory care center
like the one i go to

if i was still in practice i would do these workups myself
since i now know more about how to do it now and how to interpret them

if you are interested in being in research
or
if you are interested in being followed on a regular basis like annually
to be closely monitored

in texas
the tarcc group at this link
http://www.txalzresearch.org/volunteer-for-alzheimers-research/

they will start seeing you at 50 years old
even if you have no symptoms
they will do a neurological exam memory testing baseline labs and maybe
an mri
your data is kept in research and should not reach your medical record
why
read my blog tomorrow

for someone who has a family history and is worried about getting it
this is a good thorough way to do it
at no cost to you
anonymously from the medical records usually

other states may have similar programs at most of their
universities memory centers or alzheimers disease centers

for the study i am in
go to
clinicaltrials.gov
type in aducanumab
then type on the studies they are recruiting for
find the nearest location
note this list is not complete
it doesnt have the ut southwestern site listed

here is biogens site about the aducanumab study
https://www.engageandemerge.com/

so remember
if you are worried get evaluated
if you have a family history or want to be monitored do the
monitoring as above
if you want to contribute
volunteer for a study and or donate to the local alzheimers groups
the biggest obstacle to getting alzheimers research done is
money and volunteers
if you are a caretaker
take care of yourself

always feel free to ask me questions on this blog
i screen the questions and post them and my replies
i will answer messages via facebook
i answer lots of questions at my alzheimers talks

my next presentation is at
the 5th annual alzheimers symposium
mayborn convention center
temple texas
friday april 28 2017

i will do my talk that day
then
answer questions after the talk from the audience
then
i will hang around for awhile if folks want to ask
me questions one on one


the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-did you know that

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-DID YOU KNOW THAT

did you know that
i have an appointment on february 28th to have my
amyvid pet scan
this scan will show if i do or if i dont have alzheimers disease

if its positive
i probably have alzheimers disease
remember nothing in medicine is 100%
i will be in the study called the
aducanumab study by biogen
i soon after would start monthly iv infusions of the drug
aducanumab an antibody against beta amyloid

if i then get the real thing and not the placebo
my scan in a year will go from brightly positive
to brightly not positive
hoping that it correlates with an improvement in memory

the results should be out in over 18 months
so we will know
if it looks like it works i plan on continuing the
extension of the study for another 36+ months
if it works
i will not want to get off it

my thoughts are that this stuff only works if you get
to the disease sooner even sooner than where i am at now
it will work best probably if used before symptoms start

now if its negative this scan
i got one helluva reprieve
its like being told you dont have terminal cancer after all


did you know that
in texas you can sign up to be monitored starting at 50 years old
at no cost
baylor at houston  texas tech  university of north texas
ut southwestern dallas  university of texas san antonio
these universities are part of a long term study that will do
labs memory tests neurological exams and maybe mri
annually
here is the link to find out more
www.txalzresearch.org

here is the link to where i go
alzheimers disease center ut southwestern

if you have time watch the video my wife she and i
did for the center thats on that page

did you know that
learning a second language early in life decreases your chance
of developing alzheimers disease
these folks develop a brain reserve from using certain parts
of the brain more over the years

you know that
afroamericans have a higher incidence of alzheimers disease

did you know that
by following the mind diet you can lower your chance of
developing alzheimers disease when you get older
heres the link to the mind diet

did you know that
controlling you blood pressure cholesterol weight diabetes
decreases your chance of alzheimers diease

did you know that
if you exercise regularly you can decrease your chances of
getting alzheimers disease

did you know that
poor sleep from insomnia sleep apnea restless legs etc can
increase your risk for alzheimers disease

did you know that
1 in 5 dollars of medicare is spent on alzheimers and other dementias
by 2050 that will go to 1 in 3 dollars

did you know that
smoking increases your risk of developing alzheimers disease

did you know that
head trauma can put you at risk for developing alzheimers disease

did you know that
if someone in your family has alzheimers disease then you are at
risk for developing it

did you know that
you can help find a cure and help others
by
becoming involved in your local walks to raise funds
go to the alzheimers association website www.alz.org
to find out where your walk is
there are also independent alzheimers organizations in some states
or
in central texas
go to the texas alzheimers website www.txalz.org
and or
write your congressperson to encourage them to support
funding of more alzheimers research

we can not afford to not do something to help

a treatment or cure is within our reach
possibly within my reach soon

help us help yourself help your family help others if you can



i will be speaking along with other alzheimers speakers at
the alzheimers symposium in temple texas
on
friday april 28 2017
my topic is my story and clinical studies

there is no fee and a light lunch is provided
here is the link to the symposium for more information
and for registration information
http://www.txalz.org/education/conferences/

the organicgreen doctor

for our loved ones

FOR OUR LOVED ONES
thats why we were there saturday
for them

i have chosen alzheimers as an area where i volunteer
a lot of my efforts

here is one way i do it


first
i was asked to do the prewalk talk before this weekends
alzheimers texas walk
i have done this before at other walks
so
at the travis county alzheimers texas walk in austin texas
in front of several hundred folks
we raised close to $100,000 for this walk

here is sort of what i said

i asked how many in the audience had a loved one
who has or has had alzheimers disease or other dementias

there were hundreds of folks that raised their hands

i told them like them i and my family had been also
affected by this disease
my mother nell
my younger brother joe
both died with the disease

my father charles probably had it when he died

my older brother charles was diagnosed with what will probably
turn out to be alzheimers disease

i was diagnosed with a precursor to alzheimers disease
i take aricept (donepezil) for it
i am in alzheimers research studies at ut southwestern in dallas
so
i have seen this disease up close and personal
and
its ugly

so
thats why i was walking that day
to honor my family affected by alzheimers disease
and
for those that were there today for their loved ones
affected by this disease

we need a treatment and cure
one i think is on the  horizon
we need your help

thats what i said
with some tears in my eyes
ok so i choked up some
noting
a lot of tears in peoples eyes
waiting to walk for their loved ones


then
i was asked to be interviewed by two austin
tv stations
of course they interviewed me for 20 minutes or more
then
of course
took out only a few seconds of the interview for the
local news that night

but
when you watch the whole segment
you get a good idea of what the walk was about
how i felt about this ugly ugly disease

you can go to the link below to see the interview
and
segment on our walk

here is the link
to the interview
click here

you can still donate to the walk
at
this link
to our team austin regional clinic
at
this link

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-they had it will i get it too

ALZHEIMERS  NEWS-THEY HAD IT WILL I GET IT TOO



well
if they had early onset alzheimers disease or familial alzheimers disease
the answer may be
yes

if a parent carries the gene for this which is dominant
there is  a 50/50 chance you will get the gene
if you get the gene you will probably get the disease
usually

these genes are thankfully rare and represent only less than
1% of the cases of alzheimers disease
thank goodness

now if you carry the apoe 4 gene like i do
if you get the apoe 4 apoe 4 version you are at increased
risk for developing the late onset alzheimers
the much more common version than early onset

if like me you get the apoe 4 gene
it doesnt mean you are going to get alzheimers disease
you are just at a higher risk

how you live your life healthwise may determine if you
get it

like control blood pressure cholesterol diabetes stress anxiety
sleep problems physical activity obesity mental activity diet
social activity etc

its been shown in studies that folks who take care of their
health as above may decrease the risk of developing
alzheimers disease by as much as 40%

if alzheimers runs in your family
you are at increased risk to get it
but
that doesnt mean you are going to get it
unless you inherit that dominant gene

if a parent or family member had early onset alzheimers disease
you can have the gene test for alzheimers
but
you must be sure you want to know you have it
it is a life changer
especially if you are young

the nih and i also recommend that these folks seek
genetic counseling prior to having the testing done

for me
if i was in that situation i would have it done
then
face what was dealt me
so
i could plan my life accordingly
but
a lot of people dont feel that way

now in my case
i am one more test away from knowing as well as i can
know
if what i have is alzheimers disease

i want that information to plan my life
others
in my situation would not and dont feel that way

it may be i guess my medical training

here is the link to the nih booklet with
if someone in my family has had alzheimers disease
will i have it too in it

read it if you are worried


join us tomorrow for the
travis county alzheimers texas walk
at camp mabry in austin texas

we will be walking with the austin regional clinic team
you can
donate to and or join our team at this link 

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-is this the one

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-IS THIS THE ONE



there has been an observation over the years
that folks who get chemotherapy for cancer
seemed to not get alzheimers as often

an article
here is the link
describes the approval of a phase 2 study
for a
no not a new drug
a drug already approved by the fda
for use in certain leukemias


its called nilotinib
brand name tasigna

what this means is that its already on the market
really any doctor could order it off label
if they wanted to

an example of an off label use of a medicine
was
albuterol brand ventolin and proventil

originally it was not approved for use in kids under 12
in my practice at one time
most of my use of albuterol
was in that age group
so
i was using it off label
ie
 not approved by the fda for that age group

so
this drug is just sitting that with this potential to work
it has already been used in lewey body dementia
think robin williams
and in parkinsons disease
with good success

so in this study phase 2 it will be used in folks
with mild to moderate alzheimers

they will be using lower doses of the nilotinib

how it works is it goes through the blood brain barrier
to stimulate the garbage cleaner cells to
eat up the bad beta amyloid and the tau tangles that
have accumulated in the brain
these two are the hallmark of alzheimers disease

i am afraid that like a lot of alzheimers studies
they are treating the wrong group of folks
they used stuff later in the disease before and it didnt work well
it really needs to be used in folks with normal memory
or with
folks with early symptoms
who could take this medicine to prevent damage from
occurring in the first place

like me for example
eg
i had short term memory loss diagnosed as
early mild cognitive impairment amnestic type
which means this could be early alzheimers disease

i take aricept (donepezil) and am aggressively taking care of
my health
doing all the healthy things i can to slow it down

i have the apoe 4 double gene putting me at high risk
for having alzheimers disease

my level of bad beta amyloid and tau in the spinal fluid
were near alzheimers disease levels five years ago

i am about to get the amyvid pet brain scan for the bad
beta amyloid
if its there i most likely have alzheimers disease

so i am a prime candidate if its positive for a treatment
like this one
i still have a lot of brain left to protect
lock me in to where i am now
i would be quite happy

so this drug is a chemo drug
with a list of side effects
like
nausea vomiting diarrhea constipation headache fatigue
low blood count muscle and joint pain uri sx etc

heck
ive had a lot of these just from taking my aricept (donepezil)
and
from a chronic problem with iritis
and
from just plan old osteoarthritis and an old ruptured disk

i think i could handle these side effects if i were to take
this pill

especially when you consider the side effects of
alzheimers disease
like
certain death from it
losing short term memory
eventually losing all memory
not knowing your wife your kids your grandkids
mumbling gibberish
having to be fed
drooling
having to be diapered
having problems walking
getting lost
becoming eventually bedridden
changing your personality sometimes for the worse

sorry
ill take this chemo drug any day
no side effects can match what would be in store
for myself
and
my family

bring it on i say
i am ready now


we will be walking in another
alzheimers texas walk
at
camp mabry in austin texas
at
the travis county alzheiemers texas walk
on
next saturday october 8, 2016
for the
austin regional clinic team

donate and or join us
to help
in the fight against this disease

we are getting closer to a treatment or cure

the organicgreen doctor

we did it

WE DID IT



last february i got the email letting me know that the
central texas chapter
now known as the
alzheimers texas
would be pulling out of the alzheimers association
like other well established chapters did
like
san diego los angeles new york chicago etc

it seems that all the funds raised would have been  sent
to the national office
leaving less control
and
less funds going back into the
central texas area for education and support

so
the board and directors
felt it would be better for the central chapter to be
independent
which it had really been operating as for 25 years
being a strong willed chapter

i was skeptical but decided to continue to support them
as i have for the last 6 years

i have seen and see up close where the money goes
from these fund raising events
all going to the local cause of alzheimers
all staying here in central texas
i just like the feel of doing it this way

for this area its the best way i think

so the funds we raised for our alzheimers texas this weekend
all $40,000+ will all stay around here
to pay for local research
and
education about this awful disease
alzheimers disease

this weekend our team
the organicgreendoctor
got together to join the 500+ walkers
at san gabriel park in georgetown texas
for the williamson county alzheimers walk

all for the same cause

most of us walking are affected by alzhiemers in some way

this young lad has been walking with me for the last 6 years
a former patient he lost his grandmother recently to this
awful disease

here he is today

this cute as a bug little girl
cuter than a ladybug
another former patient
has walked before
she is walking for me dr duck
but
also is walking for her grandpa who has alzheimers disease

so we slowly walked over the 2+ miles
all for the same cause
teary stories being told along the way

i recognized
former patients
folks that have been to my talks
folks i worked with
folks with the disease
folks in the alzheimers research studies like me

we were all walking for the same cause

a treatment and cure
for our families behind us
and
for you and your family

so
we did it this weekend

thanks to all of you who either donated
and or gave your moral support


we also have another alzheimers walk my wife she and i are doing
with
the austin regional clinic team
at
the travis county alzheimers texas walk
at fort mabry
saturday october 8th 2016

come join us

the thankful organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-lets do it

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-LETS DO IT



as i sat in the committe meeting for the Alzheimers Texas walk
which is at san garbriel park this saturday
they said
as the captain of a team
you can determine what percentage of the teams donation
goes to each category

i thought to myself
mainly thinking of myself and my family
i want 100% of my teams donations to go to
research
that would mean that the funds our team raised
would go to one of the universities in texas
that does alzheimers research
the biggest one is where i go in dallas
the alzheimers center at university of texas southwestern

easy choice i thought

then as i went through the next several months
looking at the caregiving and educational classes that
Alzheimers Texas does in central texas
looking at the caregiving and educational seminars
that they sponsored
some i was a presenter for
or
i manned the Alzheimers Texas table
so
folks could come by and ask me questions
that they did
lots of lots of questions
they just needed answers

i thought to myself
they really need education
and
help
where to get help was a common question

thats when i changed my mind
on where the funds would go

i decided that i would allow the funds our team raised
to go back into the pot
to be used as most of the funds will be used
mainly research and education

for those about to deal with this disease for the first time
for those in the middle of dealing with this disease
for those whose loved one is now not with us
i realized that
the educational part of Alzheimers Texas
is much more important

as many of you know who have read this blog
this is why i am an avid supporter for these
alzheimers walks especial the Alzheimers Texas walks here in
central texas

my mother and younger brother died with the disease
my father probably had it when he died
my older brother may have it now
i have the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment amnestic type
i may have it also
i take aricept (donepezil) and am in alzheimers research studies

i saw us dealing with all this
without knowledge and help to understand what was happening
to us and our family

these funds help to do that
we here in central texas are lucky
to have such a well established Alzheimers Texas group
this is their silver anniversary
the 25th one
to provide all the educational services to help us understand whats
happening to us

so
tomorrow
is the big day for our walk team
to raise as much as we can to fund all this
thats the only way it gets done

no federal or state grants or monies are used
no national office to send down funds
its all of us locally helping this area


lets put the boot to alzheimers

so
we will walk tomorrow
at
the williamson county Alzheimers Texas walk at san gabriel park
in georgetown texas
registration starts 830am
preceremony at 930am
walk starts at 1000am

come join us
if you cant you can donate below to
donate and or join my team organicgreendoctor

we cant do it alone

thanks again for all of you that will participate
by your presence tomorrow
and or
by your financial and emotional support

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-smell it good first

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-SMELL IT GOOD FIRST



you know how when you go out to eat at a restaurant
order a bottle of wine to drink with your meal
the wine person brings over the bottle
lets you look at the label
ok you are suppose to say
then
he will open it in front of you
they always seem to use the simple opener they
carry in their pocket
then
the cork is popped
i think you are suppose to smell the cork
then
they pour a small amount in the glass
you are suppose to
swirl it around several times
sniff sniff sniff it
then
take a taste
then
say its good thank you

well
all this i must say
seems fufuish to me

i just say
pour me a full glass please
i dont swirl it or smell it
i do what you are suppose to do
i drink it

now
this week i read an article that changes my approach
from now on
i plan on swirling and sniffing that glass real good
so it looks like the swirl you see in a toilet
when you flush

heck
after reading this article i  plan to
stick my nose deep down in the glass
and
snort me a big snort of that stuff into my nose
hold it as long as i can
so it can get absorbed into my smeller nerve

yep im agonna sniff all my wine real good
from now on
even if i drink box wine

what the heck are you talking about
you gone nuts or something

no
they by they i mean researchers
did a study on 13 people who were
sommeliers

if you dont know what that is
im not gonna tell you

you will need to just google it like i did

so they took 13 sommeliers and 13 non sommeliers
did scans on them
what they found on the scans were that the areas of the
brain that handles smelling and memory
were
larger and thicker
in the sommeliers

these are the areas of the brain
where alzheimers attack first
making this part of the brain atrophy as the disease progresses

the thinking is that these
sommeliers
you looked it up yet
have a less chance of getting alzheimers
than
if you are a non sommelier

so
what ive deciced to do
is to snort my wine
be fufuish when i drink my wine
so dont think ive changed from the simple soul i am
when
you see me
swish sniff swish sniff slow taste
my merlot
then
take a deep snort of it

plus
my 36 point regimen for memory loss prevention
has now changed to a
37 point regimen

we are one week away from our williamson county
alzheimers texas walk to raise funds to support
research here and education services for alzheimers

this only happens if we get donations to fund these



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
in georgetown texas

donate and or join our team austin regional clinic
for the alzheimers texas travis county walk on october 8th
in austin texas

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

the organicgreen doctor