alzheimers news-3 more and what it is

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-3 MORE AND WHAT IT IS

yesterday at the ucla infusion center i received my 17th infusion in the biogen aducanumab study of either a placebo or the drug aducanumab
aducanumab is an antibody against the bad beta amyloid that is thought to be the cause of alzheimers dieseae
the aducanumab is the most promising drug thats being investigated now to eventually make to the market if it shows promise in slowing down or stopping the disease

yesterday i had a bad headache when i got home which for me is a good sign since thats a major side effect of his drug
if my headache which is still present this morning despite acetaminophen is from my infusion then that would mean i am getting the real drug which is a real good thing
as i discussed with the research director and nurse yesterday if i have side effects thats a good thing
folks like me who have the apoe4 gene are much more likely to have this headache side effect

in fact if i am getting this real drug the dose will be a lower dose to prevent worsening headaches which is caused by microbleeds where the bad beta amyloid plaques are being removed by the drug

a little micobleed i can handle
like i told them
the option for me and others well there really isnt one right now
a little headache and microbleed we will accept

dont worry they do regular mris of the brain to make sure this hasnt happened
in fact i have one in 10 days back at ucla

the only problem is if i were to have a microbleed which means im getting the drug then im out of the study
a bad thing that would be

starting in october all of those 1200 plus folks in the study who want to can continue for another 2 years receiving all of us the real drug and not the placebo with the possibility of getting it even longer if its promising in its effect against this awful disease

so if its approved for use i and we may if we didnt get the placebo get 4+ years of this drug before it reaches the market

for me eg it would have slowed down the disease for me so i would have more cognitive presence here on this earth

thats why i and the others have gone on this journey in hopes of getting some treatment not available elsewhere

otherwise it just taking meds like aricept (donepezil) and its cousins and living a healthy life and taking some recommended supplements
those are your options

its well worth the effort being in this study if it works
if it doesnt work then we have solved whether this approach works or not and science can move in another direction

this week the nih thats the national institute of health published this youtube video on
HOW ALZHEIMERS CHANGES THE BRAIN

if you have it or if you have a loved one who has it or if you are worried you have it
then
watch this video below to see what happens inside the brain

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-#8 done and more

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-#8 DONE AND MORE

we got this now
is what i told my wife she as we were zooming down the 101
turning onto that notorious 405
we are about to enter the mouth of the beast
i told her
i was talking about the traffic not the study i am in

its a 1.5 to 3 hour drive one way to ucla from where we live
how long it takes is based on the traffic and the time of day
i must say for our 800 am appointment we just zoomed right there

when we were going to ut southwestern in dallas for my
aducanumab study to get my infusions
it was usually a 3-3.5 hour drive
so
we dont really complain about the la traffic
well we do but we shouldnt since we get to la quicker
than we did to dallas

so this aducanumab im getting as an infusion is made by biogen
it removes the bad beta amyloid that starts the
alzheimers cascade of events that leads to the brain cell
destruction that causes the symptoms and signs
that you see in your loved ones

the theory is removing the beta amyloid may make a
difference

it seems from what i read this morning that wall street
likes biogens chances of producing a drug that will
alter alzheimers disease
its interesting that sometimes wall street knows things
we dont know

then this morning i read about dr tanzi from harvard talk
about his research on being able to grow a minibrain
in a petri dish that did what they predicted

first beta amyloid was produced
then brain cells died
plaques fomed
then tau proteins unraveled
then inflammation occurred
then the minibrain started dying

this is what the theory of amyloid causing alzheimers says
it just got proven in a petri dish

now
if this aducanumab stuff works like it did in the early studies
the phase 1 study
it removed all of the beta amyoid after a year in all of those in the
early study who had received the aducanumab
the placebo folks had no change maybe just it got worse

so if this stuff aducanumab really works
i and others will get better

as least wall street the stock market thinks it might work

the first results of our study should be out in 2019 or 2020
by then i will have gotten if i got the real stuff which i think
i am getting
at least 3 years of the drug before the results come out

in alzheimers years 3 years is a long long time

another article i read which sort of sucks is that the fda may
make them use it in folks who already have symptoms
who may not be helped as much by this new drug
it
to really be effective like a lot of the new drugs have to be given
to folks who do not have symptoms yet or who like me have minimal
symptoms
so that this amyloid stuff doesnt accumulate in the brain
even i may be too late too far along to get the maximum benefect
from this drug

still
i want to be the first person to proudly hold up this flower
at the alzheimers walks in the future


fox6news.com

its the flower thats reserved for the first alzheimers survivor

support us at our next walk
or
donate and or walk at your local walk

santa barbara walk to end alzheimers october 28th

the organicgreen doctor

alzheimers news-a students questions my answers

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-A STUDENTS QUESTIONS MY ANSWERS

hn a high school student is writing a paper on alzheimers disease
so
he emailed me a list of excellent questions
which i answered

i must apologize for using caps and punctuation

 What is the cause of Alzheimer's?

1% of the cases are genetic. The person inherits a dominant gene that makes them get Alzheimer’s.

25% of the patients inherit a gene called apoe 4 that makes them have a higher risk of getting the disease.

Health issues like blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, diet, sleep disorders, lack of exercise, anxiety, stress, depression all can contribute to Alzheimer’s.

The true cause for most cases aren't really known.

All patients with Alzheimer’s Disease develop accumulation of a protein called beta amyloid which forms plaques in the brain. This leads to brain cell destruction. Later a protein called tau becomes damaged. It unwinds, forms tangles which get deposited in the brain leading to inflammation and brain cell destruction.

What is the most affected part of the brain with this disease?

Alzheimer’s Disease starts in the area of the brain called the hippocampus. This is where short term memory is processed. Thus the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease is the loss of short term memory. Then as the disease progresses, it spreads throughout the brain.

What is the average life span with the disease?

It varies from patient to patient. It can be as short as 3 years or as long as 15-20 years. If i was pick an average time i would say 7 years.

What are the stages of this disease?

PreAlzheimer’s or Prodromal Alzheimer’s-there is brain cell destruction occurring but the memory hasn't been affected yet

Mild Cognitive Impairment due to Alzheimer’s-there is short term memory loss but the patient is fairly functional. This is my diagnosis. I am in the early part of this stage.

Alzheimer's Disease-there are more symptoms than short term memory. Patients functions are affected like walking, dressing self, eating, talking, driving etc.

Some break Alzheimer’s down into mild, moderate, severe or early, mid, late

The Alzheimer's Association has a staging system you can find at this link

http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_stages_of_alzheimers.asp

What are the treatment options if you have it?

There is no treatment or cure for Alzheimer's.

There are medications like aricept (donepezil) that may slow down symptoms but they don't affect the progression of the disease.

my mother, my younger brother, my older brother and i took or take this medicine.

It may help to be aggressive about taking care of your health doing healthy things like controlling your blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes, getting adequate sleep, maintaining a normal weight, exercising, getting a normal sleep each night, controlling anxiety, depression and stress, and staying active mentally.

These may slow down the symptoms.

Doing these all your life may actually prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's Disease.

There are new treatment research studies that are ongoing that my end up slowing down or if we are lucky prevent the disease.

I will be starting infusions next week in one of these studies.

Here is an article from forbes magazine on the aducanumab study

https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/12/14/aducanumab-is-showing-promise-as-an-alzheimers-treatment-but-its-still-early/#4cea90b56567

Is there a way to prevent this disease? If so what?

See the paragraph above.

What can loved ones do to help someone with Alzheimer's?

Be there for them. Talk to them like you would normally. Make sure they don't do things that can harm themselves like drive when they shouldn't anymore or wander off.

If you become the caregiver it's always important to take care of yourself. That's something a lot of caregivers forget to do

After studying and knowing how the disease affects the body how does it feel to know you have it?

It has been a gradual process for me. It was overwhelming when i was first told i had memory issues when i volunteered to be in an Alzheimer's research study. Since then i have had more studies done like labs and genetic tests and spinal taps for the amyloid and tau levels and more recently an amyvid pet scan of the brain for the amyloid.

All the tests have been positive so far. I dont have the dominant gene but do carry a double version of the apoe 4 gene which increases my risk by 10-15 times.

Each test as it comes in represents a down time emotionally but i quickly recover. This last test the amyvid scan makes it more certain that i have Alzheimer's Disease.

Lucky for me is it qualifies be for a new treatment study that shows promise called the aducanumab study. I will start next week getting a monthly infusion for 5 years of the aducanumab antibody which attacks and removes the amyloid from the brain. It appears it may delay the disease.

By knowing my diagnosis early it has allowed my wife and i time to accept the diagnosis and allows us time to prepare for our future.

I do not get depressed or sad about have this diagnosis. I have accepted it and have moved on with my life doing what i can to slow it down or stop it but enjoying life while i can.

What can you tell others that may have the disease?

Make sure you have had a good diagnostic workup to include all the medical tests that are available as this makes it more certain of your diagnosis.

Take care of your health doing all the healthy things mentioned above.

Stay busy mentally, physically, and socially as long as you can.

Extract all you can out of every day while your memory is intact.

Be prepared with a will, a power of attorney, a medical power of attorney, a living will, and consider doing a funeral outline. These can make life easier for your loved ones when you can no longer make decisions for yourself.

Dewayne Nash MD, retired physician, Alzheimer’s advocate, Alzheimer’s lecturer, Alzheimer’s patient

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

grapes of wrath, fyi

GRAPES OF WRATH
alzheimers disease reeks a wrath of destruction inside
the brain
it starts years and years
20-30 years before symptoms start

a lot of effort and money is being spent to find things
that can slow down or stop that wrath from occurring

one of those things is a compound called
resveratrol
its found in red grapes

now at night each night i have a glass of red wine
inside that glass there is that compound
resveratrol

now part of the way that the red wine helps is
that it simply relaxes you some
something that has been shown to slow down or
maybe when added to other things could stop
alzheimers disease

now in that red wine im taking each night
its the relaxing part that helps me

too much though makes things worse

now if i wanted to drink enough red wine to get all
the resveratrol i would need to help slow down
alzheimers disease
well i couldnt drink that much wine in a days time
nor could anyone else

so they have taken the resveratrol from the grapes
concentrated it a lot
and
use it as a potential drug

recently at texas am a researcher
took old rats many who we destined to have a decline
in memory
they gave them resveratrol
those who got it had no decline in memory
measured by spatial memory tests
but
those who didnt take the resveratrol
failed the memory tests

so the thinking is that the resveratrol from red grapes
does something in the brain to slow down the process

it appears it decreases inflammation in the brain
remember me writing about the beta amyloid and tau
accumulation with it plaques and tangles
and
all the inflammatory reactions that occurs

well resveratrol decreases that inflammatory reaction also

plus
in patients like me who carry the double apoe 4 gene
there is a ratio of enzymes that are involved in the production
of the beta amyloid
the thing that probably starts accumulating and cause all
this mess up there in the brain
since this ratio gets flipped
the brain makes too much bad stuff
beta amyloid so it starts accumulating leading to the
destruction we call alzheimers disease

it appears that in the lab the resveratrol flips back that ratio
to where it should be
so the production of beta amyloid goes down

so thats how resveratrol from red grapes helps to prevent
or slow down alzheimers disease

there is a large study that is finishing up at mulitple well known
alzheimers research centers across the us
called the resveratrol study
the results should be out soon
so
we will know if taking large doses of this resveratrol
will work

so for now im drinking my red wine
and
i actually take a large dose of resveratrol each day

there will be no wrath at my house



FYI

next saturday at 100 pm
at the alamo drafthouse on south lamar
the alzheimers association is sponsoring a special showing of

still alice

the oscar nominated film with the oscar nominated best actress
julianne moore
the film is about a linguistic professor who develops
early onset alzheimers disease
a version of the disease that took my younger brother

afterwards
a local neurologist and i will be doing a q&a
on alzheimers disease

come join us

i will post the link next week on how to  buy tickets

the organicgreen doctor

pain may be a gain

PAIN MAY BE A GAIN
with alzheimers disease there is accumualtion of beta amyloid
that is thought to be the culprit in alzheimers disease

the theory is as it accumulates in the brain for some reason that
is not known
a cascade of events start to occur none of them good
and
it all starts 20-30 years before symptoms occur

this beta amyloid forms a sticky gooey substance in the brain
that causes brain cell destruction
plaques i think of them as being big hunks of scar tissue in the
brain where nothing works
never seen this described like this but thats how i think it exists up there

then tau proteins in the cell that carry nutrition to the cell start to be
damaged and they become unwound
leak out into the spinal fluid which bathes the brain
there are tangles that form
inflammation occurs

then
things just snowball getting more and more of this stuff happening

now much research is being poured into how to stop this
promising ones like
alzheimers vaccines like solanezumab which binds that beta amyloid
and prevents it from being deposited and grabs it from the brain and
removes it
bace inhibitors that prevent it from being made in the first place

these are the two big treatments being tested now and in the near future

now this is where the pain gain thing comes into play

a relative has rheumatoid arthritis and weve watched her suffer
a lot over the years
not sure if this is solace for her or not
having a decreased risk for alzheimers disease
the least of her worries im afraid

in patients who have rheumatoid arthritis they naturally make a
reactive substance in the body that helps fight rheumatoid disease
its called gmcsf granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor
which is now manufactured of course by a drug company
thats used to treat leukemia and lymphoma and breast cancer
its called leukine


so what does leukine have to do with alzheimers disease

its been noticed that patients who have rheumatoid arthritis dont
seem to get alzheimers disease as often for some reason
so
they think its because they make this leukine naturally
which appears to go to the brain and removes that bad stuff
amyloid from the brain but also stimulates the growth of new
neurons or nerve cells

sounds like what weve been looking for huh

lets see 5 ampules are $1800
about the cost of 14 days in the nursing home

assuming treatment every 3 months
if this stuff worked treating for 20 years would equal
the cost of  3 years of nursing home care
not counting the thousands of other dollars used to
care for an alzheimers patient
its an fda approved drug thats available now

its worked well in alzheimers mice now they plan to do trials on
humans soon

oh yes thats right like the adni study continuation thing
they have to find funding first
again thank you mr/ms congressperson
for not helping

knew it was too good to be true

they do plan to start clinical trials if funding occurs
but if it works its years down the road

i thought about this and the ebola virus thing
ebola kills half those who get it and it does it quickly
alzheimers disease kill 100% of those who get it but does it cruelly
so slowly

they let them use the ebola vaccine on those folks in africa
which i dont have a problem with
but
why cant we just skip all the red tape stuff and use the leukene on
alzheimers patients now or probably its more effective on those early
on or those who dont know they have it yet
and
please do give me this side effect stuff

yes sir you raised your hand

yes im the ogd and i want to be first
now


the organicgreendoctor team in the williamson county walk to end alzheimers
saturday september 27, 2014 in georgetown texas
click here on this line to donate and or join our team
cost to walk is zero

help us make this leukine available sooner

our teams online silent auction is ongoing now until september 21
click on this link to review the items for bidding
www.32auctions.com/ogd

more will be added in the next few weeks
several hundred have looked at it already

we need to find an answer soon

the organicgreen doctor

eye smell

EYE SMELL
no im not odoriferous

well sometimes i am after a good dose of beans
heck
i read the other day that those who have to smell foul
flatulence may actually live longer

so there is hope for some of you wives

last year when i went in for my annual alzheimers center visit
for the alzheimers disease neuroimaging initiative
they asked me
would you like to do another study today
we need volunteers
so
i said yes
i always do


it was a scratch and sniff test
like those things in the magazines you scratch them smell the
perfume or cologne
they never smell good to me thats what i think

but this had all kinds of smells
like cedar coffee pine some stinky stuff flowers  licorice etc
it went on for a long time
some i would have to identify or say yes or no to

why the smell test
well it seems that thats the first to go in alzhiemers disease is the
sense of smell since
the olfactory nerve goes to the under surface of the brain
to the area in the brain where alzheimers starts


i wrote about the peanut butter smell test
this new scratch and sniff test works the same way
a defect in the ability to identify the odors or even smell them
means there could be memory problems down the road
it could be one of those screening tests
flunk it
maybe your need to get testing done


then the eye test
in alzheimers disease you get amyloid plaques that form in the brain
its thought to be the cause of alzheimers disease
several companies have developed retinal screens that use some
type of fluorescence to highlight the amyloid plaque that can be seen
in the back of the eye with these scans

the back of the eye is how doctors can sometimes peek into the brain

one company uses curcumin a product of turmeric acid which is
known for it use in indian food
its also taken by some people in hopes it may slow alzheimers disease
but
in this case its only staining the amyloid plaques in the retina


if you have beta amyloid accumulating in the back of your eye
then you are probably accumulating it in the brain
remember this accumulation starts years and years before
alzheimers disease symptoms show up

as we get closer to finding a treatment or cure
the earlier you know you may get alzheimers disease
the better your chance for treatment

this test appears to be extremely accurate
95-100% in the studies

so in the future maybe as soon as late 2015 you can go to
your eye doctor
get the scan
if its positive
get more definitive tests like memory tests
the biomarkers beta amyloid and tau in the spinal fluid
and
the amyvid pet scan which highlights amyloid in the brain
also coming soon will be the new alzheimers blood tests to add to
these tests
then treatment when it becomes available

because of the increased healthy living that folks are doing now
by eating correctly exercise controlling blood pressure cholesterol diabetes
their weight etc
the rate of alzheimers is actually declining finally
but
because of so many numbers of folks getting old the numbers
are increasing annually

these are exciting screening tests
after doing the smell test study i would think that the eye test
will be much more accurate and easier to do
my nose and smeller nerve were wore out
and
heck i see the ophthalmologist annually anyway

yep again
theres
hope for the future

the organicgreen doctor

speaking from experience

SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE
i got a message recently from a friend wanting to know if
i had suggestions for her and her family
as they thought her husbands father may be in the early stages
of alzheimers disease

first my qualifications for speaking on this subject

i am a family member whose mother and younger brother died
from the disease and whose dad probably had the disease
i am a family doctor who treated alzheimers patients
then
i am a patient
i have early mild cognitive impairment amnestic type
thats short term memory loss the one that you see in alzheimers disease
all testing i have done points to alzheimers disease as the cause of this
i am in the largest alzheimers disease study ever done
i give talks to groups on alzheimers disease
i take the alzheimers medicine aricept (donepezil)
i read several articles on alzheimers every day

thus i feel qualified to make recommendations to folks


if he hasnt been to a doctor yet
go to this link fill out this questionnaire 
21 question questionnaire
print it out
take it to his doctor
dont let him go alone
someone like a wife or close relative should go to every appointment
and i mean in the room with him

also make a written list of what the patient and the family has noticed
i guarantee that the patient has noticed things a long long time before
you have

caveat denial by the family and the patient and i might add the doctor
are the biggest hindrances to getting an early diagnosis

when you make the appointment make it only for memory issues
and nothing else

heres the evaluation that should be done
not all at the same time but done in a step wise manner

a good history and physical looking for something that explains the
memory loss
like
eg uncontrolled blood pressure strokes depression sleep disturbances
anxiety low thyroid low vitamin b12 dug abuse medication side effects
alcohol abuse head trauma

these things can be treated and the memory may improve

caveat remember there is no treatment or cure for alzheimers disease
its progressive and fatal
the speed of the disease varies from patient to patient
i have friends who gave me condolences when i was diagnosed
but they are no longer with us but i am

then if the history and exam doesnt point the doctor in a certain
direction
a good mental status exam is done
common ones are minicog mmse mocha and based on these results
the gold standard test is the neuropsychological exam
usually done by a psychologist or neuropsychologist and takes
1-2 hours
it will tell you definitely if there is memory loss and what kind it is
remember with alzheimers its usually short term memory loss

then
labs are done looking for treatable causes
cbc metabolic profile for electrolytes kidney test liver tests
tsh for thyroid function
vitaming b12
hiv hepatitis c syphilus
urinalysis
some will do folate and homocystiene level
some of these if abnormal are treatable


then
an mri scan is done to rule out again an explanation or treatable causes
like stoke head trauma masses tumor aneurysm excessive brain fluid
white spots called wmh that are associated with high blood pressure
high cholesterol and or diabetes and can mean an increased risk of
dementia
also brain shrinkage may show up initially on the under surface of the
brain called the hypothalamus

these are the tests that are commonly done on someone with memory loss
i would question the workup if they arent done
unless things are advanced to later stages which sounds like isnt the case
with this patient

new studies to consider and usually not covered by insuance and medicare
are


glucose metablism pet scan of the brain-it looks at areas in the brain that
uses glucose
with alzheimers there are lots of areas where the glucose isnt used
because of the damaged brain cells


amyvid pet scan of the brain-it highlights beta amyloid the cuprit that is
thought to cause alzheimers
if you have alzheimers disease it will usually be positive remembering
that other things can make it positive

spinal tap for beta amyloid and tau in the spinal fluid
early on in alzheimers the levels become abnormal

as of 2014 this is the best that can be done to diagnosis alzheimers
how far you go in the diagnosis is different for each patient

i have had all these done since i wanted to know exactly where i am
with this disease


there is a new pdf pamplet on line called clinical best practices for 
the early detection diagnosis .... in alzheimers disease
its written as a guide for doctors
look at it also and use it as a guide to make sure the workup has
been complete

now presuming the diagnosis is early alzheimers


he will probably be offered aicept (donepezil)
i highly recommend he take it
its the only medicine that may help
it will not treat the disease itself but it may slow down the symptoms
some
the earlier in the disease he takes it the longer it lasts
1/3 get better 1/3 stay the same 1/3 get worse
the side effects are many
the worst is nausea
they are all worse the first 4-6 weeks but over time they get better
ive been on it for 4 years now and am able to tolerate its side effects
the nausea can be handled by taking it like i do one hour after eating
breakfast then taking a small snack of dried fruits and nuts immediately
after taking it
i usually will take a piece of fruit an hour after that
this gets me through the morning and controls the nausea
taking it at bedtime may interfere with sleep
the other side effects of leg cramps blurry vision mild vertigo vivid
dreams and sleep disturbances get better over time
i compensate for the sleep loss at night by napping in the early afternoon

so there are side effects but looking at the options these side effects look
pretty dang minor

warning dont suddenly quit the aricept without discussing it with your
doctor as the level of memory will drop to where it would be if you
had not been on the medicine
restarting it will not get you back
to the same memory level you were at

then look at his overall health
these best practices need to be done

control blood pressure cholesterol and diabetes
maintain a nomal weight
stay active physically mentally and socially
all three can improve memory
eat a proper diet the mediterranean diet is recommended
control depession anxiety
live a non stressful life
dont smoke
dont drink excessively
listen to music
be happy

then the family and the patient need to get help
they cant do this alone
the best source of information is the alzheimers association website
www.alz.org
go there and spend time reading about whats available
find the location of you local chapter also
they are extremely helpful
there is also an online discussion group there


look at your
will
power of attoney for finances
power of attorney for health care
living will
dnr
if he already has these update them now if its not too late

doing it after things advance gets harder to do


a good book is the 36 hour day

a good blog to follow is the alzheimers reading room
if it happens in the alzheimers world it will show up there

i do a blog here every friday on an alzheimers topic
i also write about my journey as it progresses
which for now is fairly stable

i am due my annual study evaluation in 2 weeks and
am trying to get involved in some new treatment studies

look forward 5-10 years ahead and be ready for what comes you way
it will be a long arduous journey

if you want to do the fringe things like take coconut oil vitamins etc
thats ok but make sure those things i mentioned above are done first

remember if something really is going to help with alzheimers disease
we will all find out quickly
no one is going to hide it from us

get involved get involved
do the walk to end alzheimers in your area
this is how the alzheimers association raises money
they are the ones that are making the difference in alzheimers
providing education family support and funding research

consider having him enter a study
or have family members enter a study
they need volunteers desperately
see clinical trials on the www.alz.org

i am just one email or text or comment away
also follow me on facebook
or
my new facebook page

the organicgreen doctor