alzheimers news-would you want to know

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-WOULD YOU WANT TO KNOW

there are diseases that you can be tested for
to find out if you have them
like
huntingtons disease

the problem is
there are no real treatments for the disease

so
why get tested
right

there are test for dominant genes for alzheimers disease
that you can have done
if they are positive
it means that you will 100% get alzheimers disease

now the apoe 4 gene that i have
you can get tested for
but if its positive
that doesnt mean you will get the disease
but you are at a higher risk

if you get the double version apoe4/apoe4 version
then your risks are even higher
but
its not 100% that you will get alzheimers disease

im afraid for me though
that i didnt beat the odds
i am a few days to a couple of weeks
from finding out where i stand
for sure

yesterday
my wife she and i sat and watched a dvred tv show
from pbs
it was shown on wednesday night on pbs at 900pm
pbs the tv network trump is trying to get rid of

as we watched the show
yes i teared all through the show
well these shows are getting harder for me to watch
still alice just about did me in on watching this stuff
but
i made myself watch this one
alzheimers every minute counts

here is the link to watch it online
its is 50+ minutes long
the video online also is broken into segments

heres the gist of the video
folks
we are in trouble in the us and the world
alzheimers disease is going to devastate us
financially and emotionally

without a treatment or cure
none exists as of now
we will soon spend 1trillion dollars a year on alzheimers disease
its treatment and care of those affected
thats more than what we spend on defense and the military

it will break our budget and overwhelm the healthcare system

just for these reasons we should all watch this video

in the video there is a woman who shut down her business
to take care of her 60+ year old mother in the later stages
of this devastating disease

she has devoted her life and her finances to caring for
her mom
she is hispanic which is common with hispanic families
to care for their elderly
she is overwhelmed

then
she agrees to get tested herself
for the dominant gene
she is positive
she feels like she is looking in a mirror every time
she looks at her mom
she knows her day is coming soon in the next 10-15 years


i always said that thats the way i felt
every time i saw my younger brother as he progressed
through his disease
a mirror of what was to come for me
yes im in that 10 year window like she is

now she is in a research study using the antibody stuff
thats similar to the one i am hoping to enter
she gets monthly shots in the abdomen of the antibody to
the bad beta amyloid that
if it works
will slow down or prevent her from getting alzheimers

this one is similar to the colombia study that was shown on
60 minutes recently

the one i hope to get in soon uses intravenous infusions
monthly to do the same thing

these potential treatments have the best hope of
doing something to slow this disease down

we hope

if you want to know what its like
to care for someone with the disease
to face the financial and emotional hurdles of this disease
to see what its like to find out you are going to get the disease
to hear from researchers and politicians about this disease
then
watch this show
lucky i guess is that this disease is apolitical

here is the link again

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-bummer well maybe not

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-BUMMER WELL MAYBE NOT

last thursday
thats thanksgiving morning
i was sitting on the front porch where we were staying in nola
thats new orleans
i was drinking my strong morning coffee
since it may slow down alzheimers some
sitting in the morning sun on the cool morning
watching neighborhood folks walking by
some with their dogs
good morning i said
they return the same greeting
warm feeling inside and out i had
then
i started reading my news feed on my cellphone
there it was
solanezumab results are in

i got clammy sweaty i was
my heart rate jumped some
i knew what these results meant for those
with alzheimers disease and those who will get the disease
life changing

there was the word that seemed to hit me in the face
disappointing
the results showed that the drug use in mild alzheimers patients
was disappointing

i felt like i had been slapped upside the head

all the joy i had being in nola
went down the drain
i sat there for a long time
a long time
even let my coffee get cold


then
i felt real anxious anxiety it was
so
i went for a walk by myself in the neighborhood
nearby was a large cemetery
that stays locked at night
but lucky for me i guess the gate was open
so
inside i went
i just felt like i needed to be there
i slowly walked past the above the ground graves
looking at the dates
looking at when the person was born
when they died
wondering what they died from
some died young
some died old
some probably from trauma
some from probably infections
i wondered how many of them had dementia
had alzheimers disease
was it as bad back then

it when i think of it was strange that i was attracted to
that cemetery since i had toured it before

then
i gradually meandered my way back to our place
where we were staying
i felt melancholic all day

then
the next day i got a bad stomach bug
i think the drugs i took for the severe nausea masked
my melancholy
then
after a couple of days the melancholy gradually wore off
thanks
somewhat
as i read more and more about the drug study
and other similar ones
that are ongoing
one of them i am waiting to enter soon

there are 3 drugs called alzheimers vaccines
thats what i call them
they are antibodies against the bad amyloid that is thought to
cause alzheimers disease
they go into the brain and remove the beta amyloid
if it works the persons memory gets better

solanezumab
made by lilly
the first to publish results officially on december 8th
it will show when given to folks with mild alzheimers disease
it didnt work

the more i have read from alzheimers experts
i realize like them that the drug was given too late in the disease

its like giving lipitor a statin to someone with a stroke or
a heart attack
well it aint going to help them
but if given months to years earlier they wouldnt have a stroke or
heart attack
so
the thinking with these alzheimers vaccines

if its given before symptoms start
or
maybe given when
symptoms are minimal like the statin used in stroke prevention
then it might prevent alzheimers disease or at least slow it down

so
solanezumab is being used in a study  called the a4 study
in folks who have no memory loss but who have
a positive amyvid pet scan for the bad beta amyloid in the brain
those results should be out in five or less years

crenezumab
made by genetech
its a similar drug that works the same
but is slightly different
it if you didnt see it was featured on
60 minutes last week
if you are remotely interested in a cure for alzheimers disease
click here to link the video and story 
read and weep
i know my she and i both did

basically in the colombia study the drug is given to folks who have the dominant gene
for alzheimers disease but do not have symptoms yet
they all will get alzheimers disease
they will get the drug for 5 years then the results will be published
if it works it will delay or stop alzheimers from occurring

aducanumab
made by biogene
thats my drug
thats the drug study i have been trying to get in
it works similar but slightly different from the other two

it will be given as a monthly infusion for 4.5 years
to folks like me with minimal symptoms but with
positive memory tests   positive spinal tap results   positive apoe4 gene results
then
finally a positive amyvid pet scan
the scan that shows if you have the bad stuff beta amyloid
ie you are going to get full blown alzheimers
then
you will be given the drug monthly over the above time period
or
get the placebo

i passed the first test
a screening of my medical records my memory tests my apoe4 labs
my spinal tap results shows that i may qualify for the study

then
yesterday i was officially notified that i now will be started in
the screening process for the study
next
my wife she and i go back to dallas to the alzheimers research center
at ut southwestern
to get reinterviewed
to get memory tests required by the study
to get examined by the neurologist running the study there
to get a unit of blood for testing
so
if i pass those tests
then
its a spinal tap
an mri scan
then
if i pass those tests
then
its the anticipated amyvid pet scan
if its positive
which means i have alzheimers disease
then i am in

i would then start infusions monthly of an intravenous infusion of
antibodies against the bad beta amyloid for up to 4.5 years

i will get the drugs or i will like in the crenuzamab study
get the placebo
if i get the placebo in a couple of years i will then be given
the real deal the real drug or up to 2.5  years
by then
they may seek approval for it to be on the market
if it works

this drug in preliminary studies in phase 1 showed
not like the others
showed the bad beta amyloid was removed
and
showed on memory tests that folks memory got better

so i am hoping this stuff works

so my melancholy has been lifted this week
as some hope appears to be that this stuff may work

i have spent every day since last week
thinking a lot about what is happening and is going to happen to me

since i was diagnosed i have lost several people i know
to cancer stroke heart attacks accidents other neurology disease
but
i am still standing living my life as i want to
they
sadly
arent with us anymore

for that that i am still here with mostly intact memory
i am thankful

the organicgreen doctor

habits can be good, A4 study we need help

HABITS CAN BE GOOD
i frequently give presentations on alzheimers disease
or question and answer ones which i like to do since
people can get their answers about this disease from someone
who is
a doctor and has treated alzheimers patients
a family member of parents who had the disease and a younger brother
a patient himself who may have the disease

one of the areas i always talk about in my presentation
and
an area i make sure i talk about in the q&a sessions
is
things to do to slow down or prevent the disease
so
im always on the lookout for articles on how to do this
that may add to my list

recently i found an article from abc news
on 5 healthy habits that can cut your risk of alzheimers disease

go organic
a lot of our vegetables come from foreign countries that have
not banned ddt
ddt breaks down to dde which has been found in alzheimers
patients at levels 4 times those found in persons without the disease
going organic means no dde

eat healthy
even if you start in your 50s and even if you have a genetic
predisposition to get alzheimers disease like i do
you can slow down the progression of the disease
or
even in some of you prevent the onset of the disease
by eating a healthy diet like the mediterranean diet
fruits berries veggies nuts milk products lean meats fish olive oil red wine
in moderation of course
and
by maintaining a normal body weight

the risk can be decreased by as much as 90% according to recent
research by eating healthy

speak another language
and you can delay alzheimers by 4 1/2 years
speaking that extra language develops parts of the brain that
handles executive functions and attention tasks

sleep right and read
sleeping greater than 8 hrs or less than 6 hrs plus not reading
increasing the risk for cognitive impairment by 2.6 times
in a recent study
thank goodness for my naps each day so i can stay in that sweet
spot between 6-8 hrs sleep and i read every day



feed your hippocampus
thats where alzheimers disease starts
by atrophying that underneath area of the brain

those folks who had a genetic predisposition to alzheimers
if you are kin to me thats you
had a 3% drop in the size of that area over an 18 month time period
if they did not exercise
adding exercise those who were susceptible maintained the
volume of the hippocampus ie it did not shrink

if you do ancestry.com and get a dna hit to me
i highly recommend that you do the exercise every day
as well those other things above
and
all those other things we recommend

the trifecta of controlling your blood pressure cholesterol and diabetes
controlling stress anxiety depression
being happy
being socially active
listening to music
dont smoke

so yes there is something you can do to slow this down
most of it doesnt involve medication or special treatments

A4 STUDY-WE NEED HELP!!!

antiamyloid treatemt in asymptomatic alzheimers study
they are looking for

people age 65-85 years old
who have normal thinking and memory

patients will have the new amyvid pet scan i have written about
so many times
it identifies those who have that beta amyloid in the brain
patients with alzheimers disease have beta amyloid in the brain

for those with postive scans  some will be given an infusion of a
new alzheimers vaccine
that will hopefully bind to the accumulated beta amyloid
and remove it from the brain
and hopefully remove it also before it can get stuck in the brain

if this all works then you wont get alzheimers disease or if you do
it will be much milder

folks i would jump at this in a minute as its right now my only hope
to slow things down beside those healthy things i mentioned above
i would be first on the list
except im too young to qualify

what if i told you
you can have a test that may show you may have alzheimers disease
but you could take this new drug that may make it go away
would you do it
no doubt i would

and i know that its really about helping your kids and your grandkids
your nephews your nieces
im afraid to say but it appears that once you get  alzheimers disease
and have symptoms then this stuff may not work as well

take to the time to go to these two links
look for your state
and consider joining the study

researchers have to sort through a lot of volunteers to find those
at risk
they desperately need volunteers!!!

so dont give me this crap about you dont want to know
were talking about your kids their kids and future generations
being able to be treated for this disease years before it hits them

just think of your family member or friend who has or has had
this terrible disease
what if you could have prevented it from happening to them

it can only happen right now if you folks help us out in finding a cure

click here
a4 study
and
a4 study now is the time

to read more about it and to find one near you
they need more volunteers

please pass this information on to those who might qualify

the organicgreen doctor

what is alzheimers

WHAT IS ALZHEIMERS

or
click here for the link to the video

this is a question i get asked a lot
what is alzheimers disease

please watch
the video above as its is the best video ive seen on      what this disease is

words to know
beta amyloid-the proteins that stick together to cause alzheimers disease
tau protein-the protein that gets destroyed as the process proceeds
hippocampus-the undersurface of the brain where this all starts
acetylcholine-the level drops in alzheimers patients
           aricept (donnepezil) increases that level and helps the symptoms
                for awhile
alzheimers vaccines-under study now in several large studies
           antibodies will bind up beta amyloid in the brain and remove it
                and if we are all lucky it will work to slow down the disease or
                prevent it

if i do have alzheimers which i think i do based on
changes in short term memory on serial memory tests
strong strong family history-mother father brother grandmothers
multiple aunts and uncles
apoe4 gentoype double version that increases risk 10-20 times
positive or abnormal levels of the bad stuff beta amyloid and tau protein
in my spinal fluid
soon to be done beta amyloid pet scan of the brain called amyvid

then i hope to benefit from new treatment studies coming available
using the alzheimers vaccine and using nasal insulin
hoping not to get put in the placebo group

also if i have it i will already have those changes going on
in my hippocampus thats well described in this video
they just havent advanced far enough yet so that they can
be seen on regular mri but would on the amyvid pet scan

but
sorry to say even if i have those plaques forming there they cant
be undone
for you see
thats this cruelty of this disease
once the disease manifests itself early early it may be to far gone
to be treated
so
treatment when it becomes available will have to be started years and
years earlier
in those of you who read this blog who are in your 30s and 40s

lets find a cure please
do the walk to end alzheimers in your area to show your support
contact your congress persons-its election year and they do listen
support any caregiver that you know

the organicgreen doctor

deja vu

DEJA VU
thats what it was like yesterday
deja vu

i walked into that room with the window
the same room for those of you that have seen the video
on my story with alzheimers disease that i am sitting in when
they filmed me doing part of my neuropsychological exam
and there was that window where i looked out of when
that stone faced poker faced examiner read those words to me

she is such a good one as she never breaks down
well i did get her to smile once and granted now that she
knows me she smiles more than once when im being tested

but there was that room
it was it seemed more surreal than before
i guess since ive being working on my presentation and have
thought more about the neuropsychological testing and that
initial one that was done
when i looked out that window
yes i did sweat some
as i realized that the moment arrived when i had developed
some problems with my short term memory

as i wrote yesterday she read me those 10 words from three
different word categories the first time i was tested and
those words just sailed through my brain and went somewhere else

you know like when you talk to your kids and they arent listening
sure mom ill do it
they didnt hear a word you said
or
you talk to your wife she while she is on her smartphone
she smiles and says sure
so i said
the cat ate the dog and laid 3 red eggs today
really thats good
she didnt hear a word i said

the same yesterday
that poker faced examiner (ok now she is a nice smiley person when
she is out of character)
im going to read you ten words and when i finish i want you to repeat
as many words as you can back to me
i said ok
im ready this time
she gives me a word and i try to associate some of them together
go
she slowly reads the list to me
i start associating words together
damn where did those first words go to
i learned quickly to repeat back the last words read to me

my score 3 of 10
i know thats not very good
but she does it several times and has me identify the 10 words out of
a list of about 30 words
i wonder if thats cheating
i got a few more
but i realize
no ive not improved in 2 1/2 years but ive not gotten worse

damn that room

then after that test i went to get my beta amyloid pet scan of the brain
the amyvid pet scan
the one that for me may give me the final answer

as i was laying on the table wanting for them to get the iv stuff ready
i was on my smartphone looking at a link my wife she sent me
it was a blog that a doctor in washington dc does about his journey
with a new diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment amnestic type thats
looking like its early alzheimers
story sounds familiar right

he is laying on a bed at georgetown university hospital recieving as part
of a study one of the new alzheimers vaccines that is being tested to see
if it will remove some of the beta amyloid from his brain and maybe
help him

i do feel a tie to him and his situation
it did seem surreal as i laid there about to get that test that will tell
someone somewhere whether i have beta amyloid accumulating in
my brain also
one question that i hope to have an answer to soon
then
what will i be able to do about it
it may be nothing thats the bad part
nothing may be the answer unless that stuff hes getting iv shows itself
to work and help by removing that beta amyloid from his brain

then after reading his blog and mentally getting ready for the infusion
and hearing that pet scanner whorl around and sound like im
underneath a freight train
im told there was a problem with the stuff i was going to be given iv
it needs to be remixed

so all this waiting gets delayed now for ten more days when i
will get another chance at getting this 2nd amyvid pet scan done

then
as part of another study im in i had to do smell tests on 30+- odors
to see if i could recognize them
see that ofactory nerve the smeller nerve goes right to the area
underneath the brain where alzheimers disease starts
heck if that will help in someway advance the knowledge ill smell things
all day long i if i need to

next on friday i do an mri scan of the brain
then that will be followed by a glucose metabolism pet scan of the brain

then next week
its spinal tap time for beta amyloid and tau protein then
followed by the amyvid the beta amyloid pet scan of the brain

those are the two final answer tests that i have
they will give me the final answer
do i have it or not

the organicgreen doctor

wtea t-35, alzheimers vaccine, speech, 9/11, fb

WTEA T-35
the walk to end alzheimers in austin is 35 days away

donate or join my team the organicgreendoctor.com  for the
october 15 2011 walk   click here
any size donations are needed
or
donate or join a team or walk at your local walk at www.alz.org

ALZHEIMERS VACCINE
there is a new alzheimers vaccine that is entering the phase 3 trials
this year
it may be 2-3 years away before its available to the general public
it will be given every few months for the life of the patient
it will cost several thousands of dollars a year to receive it
(of course insurance probably wont cover it)
the name is bapineuzumab jab
am sure they will put a more fancier name on it when its marketed

it works by using antibodies against beta amyloid in the brain
the beta amyloid is what is thought to be the end result of the
alzheimer process
the antibodies attach itself to the beta amyloid and can remove
as much as 25 % of it in some studies

will i take this vaccine when it becomes available
yes i will
even though its less effective in patients like me who have
the double hit apoe4 genotype for alzheimers disease

what have i got to lose
this disease is like a terminable cancer that has no definite
effective treatment
what harm will it do to me to take this vaccine
none in the long run
if it helps even a little its worth the cost and risk

ive decided to do anything that can slow this down as long as it
has been scientifically shown it may help

these may help
maintain normal weight-check
maintain a  normal blood pressure-check
exercise at least 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week-check
eat a low fat mediteranean diet with fruits veggies nuts-check
maintain a normal ldl cholesterol-check
stay active mentally-check
stay active socially-check
get sleep-partially check as the aricept causes some sleep problems
take omega 3 fish oil-check also take this for high triglycerides
     this may help those more who are apoe4 negative
     screwed again as im apoe4 positive
take folic acid-check
take tumeric root (curcumin)-check
am considering taking vitamin d
need to listen to more music especially classical music

take medications such as aricept early on
it appears that taking aricept early on in the diagnosis can increase
the length of time the aricept is effective
its appears that if you have the apoe4 genotype like i have that
the effect of the aricept will last even longer if taken early on
not screwed on this one

remember dont use any of this stuff unless you clear it with
your doctor
for me there appears to not be long term health effects from
these treatments
even though they are not completely proven to help there is the
suggestions from some research that they may help

what do i have to lose

SPEECH
thought the presidents speech was presidential
at least someone has put forth a plan
it appears that both democrats and republicans agree on many
of the things proposed

it helps that even thought obamas approval ratings are low that
congresses is even worse (around 10%-thats bad)
as john mccann said when he went home last week to arizona
none of those 10% were at any of the meetings he was at

if congress and the president dont get this done over the next 16+
months then not many of them will be around to do something for
the next 4 years

can they just get er done

FIRES
the bastrop fire has burned over 34000 acres and burned over
1400 homes
its the largest fire ever in texas
its still not close to containment
still have not got those big planes flying yet here to dump water
on the fire
they better hurry up because the hotter weather is returning next
week
if the winds come back well be in trouble again

WEATHER
this summer has been the hottest and driest in texas  ever in the
history of the united states
it has been worse even than during the dust bowl of the 1930s
i believe that
rain please
storm nate is going away from us
la nina is returning
were screwed

9/11
stop on sunday and remember those who died on that day
remember the heroes from that day

FB
glad its back
saints packers game was a good one
look forward to the weekend
games on

the organicgreen doctor