why so early

WHY SO EARLY
it can hit early
this alzheimers disease


if you watch the new movie
still alice
thats what its about
alzheimers disease hitting at too young of an age
way too young


my younger brother was stricken early
like still alice
he was still joe

but like still alice
he looked so healthy and alert
you really didnt notice it unless you were really around
him a lot
then over time it all got worse

i watched a video recently of my parents 50th anniversary
from the late 1980s
i looked closely at my mom and dad
dad died just a few years later he was probably stricken even then
then
my mom was my age i am now
she was just 10 years away
i looked at her closely for signs in the video
for the disease was rampant as she smiled
and
as she seized the moment
then
still joe
was there at 40 years old
laughing and joking pulling pranks on me
having a good time
it was sad to think that at that moment in time
he was just about 10 years away also
the disease had been working on him for several years now
then
i looked at my older brother
handing my parents their 50th anniversary plaque
thinking as i watched all of us
he also was affected even then
he didnt know it

then i looked at myself
wow it was just starting on me that year
i just didnt know it either

it was like with the movie
hard to believe  still joe had alzheimers
he looked so healthy
look hes driving was working
doing a lot of the things he was doing before he was diagnosed
but
like alice
he got worse

tragic it is when it strikes so young
its not fair
cant life just let them live another 10 years or so
to finish up their productive years
but
no life is not fair is it
early onset alzheimers disease

i feel like if i do have alzheimers disease that i am lucky
i got to finish my career
enjoy some of my retirement
have a chance to squeeze all out of each day
something
i wouldnt be able to do if i was
still alice or still joe

when it strikes early like this
dementia
its more likely due to alzheimers disease
but
it also could be a disease called frontotemporal dementia
something happens to the frontal and temporal parts of the
brain
they shrink
and that part of the brain its function quits working right
they loose inhibitions
then they dont live long just a few years and they are gone

then

theres dementia of lewy bodies
probably the worst to have
it comes quick and can be and is i guess the worst to have
i call it alzheimers disease on steroids
paranoia hallucinations sometimes violent behavior
meds sometimes dont help
it seems when family members talk about their love ones
they seem so despondent
its the bad one
deposits form in the brain called lewy bodies thus its name

but
most will be alzheimers disease though

none are good ones

leaving friends and families all saying
they are so young
why so early


i hope that everyone will go see still alice when it
appears in your area
you if you have not had to experience what its like
on
the person with the disease
and
their families
then you need to feel it and see it
then
you will see why we all who are affected are so passionate
about
finding treatment
and
a cure

as soon as the special showing by the alzheimers association
link for buying tickets is available for this weekend
ill post it here and on facebook

come see the movie this saturday at 100pm
at the alamo drafthouse south lamar in austin
stay afterwards
ask me a question

see the movie
bring tissues
feel it
like those affected do

the organicgreen doctor

talking and more on the study

TALKING AND MORE ON THE STUDY
i enjoy doing talks on alzheimers disease
especially doing q and a ones

this week i did a two hour talk to a small group
as part of a two day seminar for cmes for
memory care facilities

so many of the facilities now are using techniques to
handle the residents that have been proven to work so much
better than the old methods of
sitting them in a chair all day
over medicating them
not keeping them active mentally and physically
its really changed a lot in the last few years

the best ones ive visited have incorporated these techniques
in their facilities

i spoke of the common dementias
talking the most of course about alzheimers disease
since thats what i know best

besides alzheimers disease
there is
dementia of lewy bodies caused by the deposition of a protein
in the brain called lewy bodies
the comedian robin williams had this
its probably the worst to get
it strikes younger folks in their 50-70s
it hits fast goes fast
and is devastating to the families
its like what i call alzheimers on steroids

vascular dementia caused from strokes or minstrokes
commonly seen along with alzheimers disease
the symptoms are variable based on where the stroke is

parkinsons dementia that comes usually several years after
the movement disorder of parkinsons starts
its symptoms when it happens is like dementia of lewy body
it can be a difficult one for families also

frontotemporal dementia patients have shrinkage of the front
and side of the brain
symptoms are based on the damage done to these areas
behavior is an issue
they lose all inhibitions
another bad one

then i talked about alzheimers research
which i know more about
and
spent time talking about
dr bredesens article on reversal of cognitive decline

i found a good article from webmd about the study
here is the link
click here

until this 36 point plan is proven not to work i will
continue to be a believer in it
and will be following it myself

half of it is stuff we all should be doing


the good thing about dr bredesen is that he is a well respected
alzheimers researcher
he just received a multimillion dollar grant to further his other
research in his lab
so
hes not some off the wall researcher that is spouting some
weird recommendations

he just is thinking outside the box
sometimes those folks make the best researchers

he does say that there are a lot of pills to take
i have added now close to 20 a day to my regimen
it can be expensive
however its about half the cost of a  prescription of namenda
or exelon

he also says and i understand that myself that this is not a cure
for alzheimers disease
its not going to stop the disease
hopefully it slows things down for me
so
if i gain a few years its worth it to me

if you have a group like a club or church group that would
like to have me do a q and a or a talk for them on
alzheimers disease  i would be glad to do it

the organicgreen doctor