Alzheimer’s Natural Treatment Options

[ponda]

Article source


Alzheimer’s Natural Treatment Options & 8 Notable Breakthroughs


Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that can rob people of the ability to think clearly, perform everyday tasks and ultimately, remember who they even are. Because the disease is so devastating, and since previous treatments failed to come up with a cure, I’m always on the lookout for Alzheimer’s natural treatment options and Alzheimer’s news, scouring the medical journals for for Alzheimer’s breakthroughs.

There’s so much we still don’t know about the human brain, but thankfully, 2016 marks a year of progress and some pretty significant Alzheimer’s breakthroughs. Let me share some of them with you.

There are several theories including free radical damage, an inability to use glucose properly, vitamin deficiencies or environmental toxins. This illness affects more than half of people over that age of 85 in the U.S.

The good news is that there are Alzheimer’s natural treatment options that can effectively improve this condition. Recently, scientists are also uncovering major Alzheimer’s breakthroughs that could lead us to a cure.



Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia that can rob people of the ability to think clearly, perform everyday tasks and ultimately, remember who they even are. Because the disease is so devastating, and since previous treatments failed to come up with a cure, I’m always on the lookout for Alzheimer’s natural treatment options and Alzheimer’s news, scouring the medical journals for for Alzheimer’s breakthroughs.

There’s so much we still don’t know about the human brain, but thankfully, 2016 marks a year of progress and some pretty significant Alzheimer’s breakthroughs. Let me share some of them with you.

There are several theories including free radical damage, an inability to use glucose properly, vitamin deficiencies or environmental toxins. This illness affects more than half of people over that age of 85 in the U.S.

The good news is that there are Alzheimer’s natural treatment options that can effectively improve this condition. Recently, scientists are also uncovering major Alzheimer’s breakthroughs that could lead us to a cure.


8 Notable Alzheimer’s Breakthroughs of 2016

1. What you eat TOTALLY matters

If you’ve spent any time at all on this website, you know my mantra: Food is medicine. It’s not hocus pocus, either. Hippocrates knew the importance of food in healing the body back in 400 B.C. when he advised people to prevent and treat diseases first and foremost by eating nutrient-packed foods. Modern science is catching up.

Scientists recently found that the Mediterranean diet seems to be protective against Alzheimer’s disease. A UCLA study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found that the Mediterranean diet is one of the main lifestyle factors that seems to keep the brain from developing the toxic plaques and tangles associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Plaque is characterized by deposits of a toxic protein called beta-amyloid in the spaces between nerve cells in the brain. Think of tangles of knotted threads of the tau protein found within brain cells. Both are considered the key indicators of Alzheimer’s.

The new study used PET imaging to study the brain for changes and is the first to demonstrate how lifestyle factors directly influence abnormal proteins in people with subtle memory loss who have not yet been diagnosed with dementia. Healthy lifestyle factors also have been shown to be related to reduced shrinking of the brain and lower rates of atrophy in people with Alzheimer’s. (1)

Food staples of the Mediterranean diet include:

fresh fruits and vegetables (especially leafy greens like spinach and kale and non-starchy veggies like eggplant, cauliflower, artichokes, tomatoes and fennel)
olive oil
nuts and seeds (like almonds and sesame seeds used to make tahini)
legumes and beans (especially lentils and chickpeas used to make hummus)
herbs and spices (like oregano, rosemary and parsley)
whole grains
eating wild-caught fish and seafood at least twice a week
high-quality, pasture-raised poultry, eggs, cheese, goat milk, and probiotic-rich kefir or yogurt consumed in moderation
red meat consumed on special occasions or about once weekly
plenty of fresh water and some coffee or tea
oftentimes a daily glass of red wine

2. Exercise is a potent Alzheimer’s preventer

That same UCLA-led study also produced some robust results surrounding exercise’s brain-protecting properties. Those who were more physically active on a regular basis also had the lowest levels of tangles and plaques on the PET scans, meaning they had a much lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

While any type of exercise is certainly better than sitting around, if you’re time strapped, burst training, also known as high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is a great option. Here are 3 HIIT workouts to help you get started.

Keep in mind, though, that we need more research on how HIIT impacts the brain. We know that it does melt away fat faster than traditional steady state cardio (and a lower BMI lowers your risk of the tangles and plaques associated with Alzheimer’s, according to the latest UCLA study). However, a previous study did find that steady state cardio creates more brain neurons compared to weight training or HIIT. (2)

More research is needed to see if one form of exercise is best to prevent Alzheimer’s. For now, just focus on any physical activity and getting into a healthy BMI range.





Article continues

[samildamach]

Two years ago June Brown was leading a campaign for turmeric awareness in preventing Alzheimer's. Taken daily in its spice form mixed with food helps prevent the brain proteins from folding. Also early tests have shown than high dosage of turmeric can reverse symptoms to a small degree.

[Lifebringer]

I use tumeric n 100% coconut oil even to cook with, it's like olive oil n passes thru organs without clogging minute veins.

[i/o]

Good awareness article about how chronic this disease is and how prevalent the disease can persist in the SAD (standard American diet) that many of us were brought up on. If the human body came with an owner's manual, under the chapter on diet it would say: "absolutely no sugar of any kind, get less than 5% of your total daily calories from carbohydrates, 25% - 30% of your total calorie consumption from protein (fish, meat or fowl - only wild or humanely treated and never grain fed) and the rest of your chosen calories should be from consuming only "good" fat. Under "when to eat" It would say "any consecutive 4 hour period" giving your body a full 20 hours to metabolize and purge the garbage. Drink only pure water - no pesticides, no chlorine, no fluoride, etc. Our bodies, however, seem to be all slightly different due to heritage of ancestors so, the rule of thumb would also be: don't eat anything that causes noticeable inflammation. Absolutely no deserts: eat like an adult.

[TargeT]

Regular Psilocybin dosses & a diet that includes LOTS of high quality fats, especially animal fats (grass fed, natural etc...) would certainly put you on the right path

Posted by i/o (here)
Good awareness article about how chronic this disease is and how prevalent the disease can persist in the SAD (standard American diet) that many of us were brought up on. If the human body came with an owner's manual, under the chapter on diet it would say: "absolutely no sugar of any kind, get less than 5% of your total daily calories from carbohydrates, 25% - 30% of your total calorie consumption from protein (fish, meat or fowl - only wild or humanely treated and never grain fed) and the rest of your chosen calories should be from consuming only "good" fat. Under "when to eat" It would say "any consecutive 4 hour period" giving your body a full 20 hours to metabolize and purge the garbage. Drink only pure water - no pesticides, no chlorine, no fluoride, etc. Our bodies, however, seem to be all slightly different due to heritage of ancestors so, the rule of thumb would also be: don't eat anything that causes noticeable inflammation. Absolutely no deserts: eat like an adult.

it would also say:

Exercise STRENUOUSLY for 72 min+ PER DAY (this is generally best achieved by hunt down above mentioned animals).


Worse than the S.A.D. most Americans subject themselves to is the nearly total lack of exercise & mostly sedate lifestyles.

[Gillian]

I heard only once, that for turmeric to be truly effective, it must be consumed with black pepper. Does anybody know anything about this?

[ThePythonicCow]

Posted by Gillian (here)
I heard only once, that for turmeric to be truly effective, it must be consumed with black pepper. Does anybody know anything about this?

My understanding is that black pepper does improve the body's absorption of turmeric, yes. Turmeric works without the pepper, but a given amount of turmeric works better with it.

Nutritionist Stacy Kennedy claims here that:

Adding black pepper to turmeric may increase the bioavailability, or your body’s ability to absorb the curcumin, but as much as 1000 times.

I have recently started including some ground black pepper in my smoothies, along with the turmeric that has long been there.

Also have some fat or oil, about the same time you consume the turmeric, as this helps absorption too.

[Justplain]

This TED talk dicusses periodic fasting as a means to maintain better mental health:

18 Mar 2014 Mark Mattson is the current Chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging. He is also a professor of Neuroscience at The Johns Hopkins University. Mattson is one of the foremost researchers in the area of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He advocates periodic fasting as means to manage mental health.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=4UkZAwKoCP8

[Marikins]

I just read that Aya helps Alzheimers: https://www.rt.com/news/369716-ayahu...yndrome-study/

It has been shown in rodents that antidepressant medication acts by inducing neurogenesis. So we decided to test if harmine, an alkaloid with the highest concentration in the psychotropic plant decoction ayahuasca, would trigger neurogenesis in human neural cells,” one of the study’s authors, Vanja Dakic, told Science Daily.

The results found that the protein encoding gene DYRK1A, which is over-activated in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s and Down syndrome, was prevented from working when exposed to the substance.

I wrote my kids to give it to me in case I forget!

[ponda]

Scientific Breakthrough: Alzheimer’s Ultrasound Therapy Fully Restores Memory Function in Mice

source



By Carolanne Wright




Scientists in Brisbane, Australia, have discovered a non-invasive ultrasound technology that fully restores memory function in 75 percent of Alzheimer’s test animals.

Affecting close to 50 million people worldwide, dementia — of which Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form — is expected to impact 135 million people by 2050. In the United States, Alzheimer’s strikes one in eight elderly Americans and is the sixth-leading cause of death. Over 15 million Americans provide unpaid care for a person with Alzheimer’s and other dementias [source] and, in 2016 alone, an estimated $236 billion was spent in supporting Alzheimer’s patients, making it the most expensive disease in America. [source]

Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disease in which abnormal protein deposits (otherwise known as amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles) accumulate in the brain and cause cells to die. It is a devastating experience for both the patient and family members — so it goes without saying, any method that can slow or reverse the progression of this disease is desperately needed. For years, however, effective pharmaceuticals and other treatment options have been limited — until now.

The Ravages of Alzheimer’s

If you haven’t had direct experience with a family member suffering from Alzheimer’s, there’s a good chance you know someone who has. In the United States the disease is expected to increase 44 percent by 2025 — with Western and Southeastern states hit the hardest.

Sherry’s story is just one of many that illustrates the life-changing impact a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s has on the patient and family members.

[I] “A few years ago, my mother — my best friend — became victim to Alzheimer’s. One night, she was sitting in her house alone, in the dark, as I stopped by to check on her. She hadn’t eaten or fed her little dog. That was when I realized she needed to be seen by a professional.

Many years (and many changes) later, she is in an assisted-living facility. Now she has the care she needs, and I know she is watched, fed and cared for daily. I tried to have her live with me in the beginning, but that ended up in six months of confusion. She now seems happy to hang out with her new friends. I used to visit every day, but after about six months, I could no longer keep up the pace. She also seems sort of bothered by the visits.

My sister and I are her legal guardians, and we have endured so many sad times. Everything is left up to us. My sweet husband helps us in business matters and offers us comfort.

Mostly, I’m angry. My mom gave to others and loved others. She was so smart and beautiful.

What can I tell anyone in this situation? Just face the truth. The person you loved will not be back. It is not your fault. I wear a ring on my index finger that says, “Accept.” I look at it often. Every little change in her upsets me. I have to always let it go.

I would rather die now than to ever go through this disease. Whenever I forget anything, I go into a spin. The fear is large. The answers are few.”(source)

For people like Sherry’s mom, her care involved making sure she was safe and comfortable. Current treatment options to slow or reverse the disease are limited — which is why a recent discovery at the University of Queensland could offer a ray of hope to Alzheimer’s patients and their families.


New Alzheimer’s Treatment Improves Memory Without Damage to Brain Tissue



Australian researchers believe they’ve found a technology that could be a game changer in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease: high-energy ultrasound.

“Our research was very exploratory and we really didn’t expect to see such a massive effect,” said study author Juergen Goetz of the University of Queensland in Brisbane. “I’m really excited by this.” [source]

For several weeks, mice who had been genetically altered to produce amyloid plaques in the brain were treated with focused beams of ultrasound. What the scientists discovered was startling — in 75 percent of the animals, the plaque was completely cleared with zero brain tissue damage.

“Publishing in Science Translational Medicine, the team describes the technique as using a particular type of ultrasound called a focused therapeutic ultrasound, which non-invasively beams sound waves into the brain tissue. By oscillating super-fast, these sound waves are able to gently open up the blood-brain barrier, which is a layer that protects the brain against bacteria, and stimulate the brain’s microglial cells to activate. Microglial cells are basically waste-removal cells, so they’re able to clear out the toxic beta-amyloid clumps that are responsible for the worst symptoms of Alzheimer’s.” [source]

Even though there is still some debate in scientific circles as to whether plaque is the cause or merely a symptom of the disease, the experiment established that mice who received the treatment had significantly improved memory over the course of three different tests — a maze, a challenge to get them to recognize new objects, and another to have them remember the places they should avoid.

The research team hopes to start human trials sometime in 2017.

To learn more about causes and emerging treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, please visit our Alzheimer’s research page.

Article sources:

http://www.theguardian.com/…/alzheim...isease-in-mice
www.stm.sciencemag.org/content/7/278/278ra33
http://www.sciencealert.com/new-alzh...emory-function
http://www.alz.org/alzwa/documents/a...owth_stats.pdf [PDF]
www.act.alz.org/…Costs_Fact_Sheet_version_2.pdf?docID=7161

[Bill Ryan]

.
I have heard in person from a local holistic practitioner I know well (Patrick Coady, here, an extremely good man) that dramatic and sometimes literally almost unbelievable restorative results have been reported from this:

• http://vielight.com/neuro-alpha-gamma

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=jroi70LXpLI

The website description:

The Vielight Neuro Alpha and Gamma are pioneering devices in the upcoming field of brain photobiomodulation, engineered with microchip LED technology.

Their design is based on the science of photobiomodulation, the utilization of low level photonic energy to stimulate mitochondrial function in neurons.

They are engineered to emit pulsed (10 Hz | 40 Hz) NIR light energy to the hubs of the default mode network (DMN) of the brain with embedded microchip technology light emitting diodes (LEDs).

The main objective is improved mental acuity and cognition without negative side effects.

Understand the in-depth science behind the two different pulse rates, the inventor’s notes : [ Link ]

My own (layman's!) comments after talking at length with Patrick: this device stimulates the repair of damaged neural pathways and structures, and restores cognitive function — in anyone.

So in particular, it can and does HEAL patients with Alzheimer's, strokes, or other physical brain injuries.

Vielight can't make those sorts of claims, but Patrick tells me that one Stage 3 Alzheimer's patient he was treating, who didn't know his own name, couldn't recognize members of his family, could hardly walk, and couldn't attend the bathroom on his own, was restored to nearly normal after several months using this device daily. (Now, read that again. )

Other protocols may be needed as well — like chelation to remove heavy metals, etc — but it seems that it's this device that really produces the magic.

If anyone wants to contact Patrick Coady, please contact me privately, and I can arrange an online introduction. He works internationally with many patients over the net, and I can't recommend him too highly.

[conk]

Posted by samildamach (here)
Two years ago June Brown was leading a campaign for turmeric awareness in preventing Alzheimer's. Taken daily in its spice form mixed with food helps prevent the brain proteins from folding. Also early tests have shown than high dosage of turmeric can reverse symptoms to a small degree.

Take your turmeric with a quality fat, like olive oil or coconut oil. Utilization is vastly improved.

It's said the dementia is a form of diabetes and certainly an inflammatory response to poor food choices. There has been wild success in lab settings (mice) using vitamin B6 or niacinimide. niacinimide also relieves arthritis symptoms.

[Unicorn]

Lion's Mane is a medicinal mushroom which has been studied for the treatment of Alzheimer's and dementia. There's a lot of info on the web. Sorry if this has been mentioned (I am in a hurry, as usual :-)).

[ThePythonicCow]

Posted by conk (here)
Take your turmeric with a quality fat, like olive oil or coconut oil. Utilization is vastly improved.

Also I find credible the reports that black pepper helps improve the utilization of turmeric.

[onawah]

Dr. Mercola recommends both taking an oil as well as black pepper with turmeric, and his research is quite solid, imho.

Posted by Paul (here)

Posted by conk (here)
Take your turmeric with a quality fat, like olive oil or coconut oil. Utilization is vastly improved.

Also I find credible the reports that black pepper helps improve the utilization of turmeric.

[conk]

Posted by onawah (here)
Dr. Mercola recommends both taking an oil as well as black pepper with turmeric, and his research is quite solid, imho.

Posted by Paul (here)

Posted by conk (here)
Take your turmeric with a quality fat, like olive oil or coconut oil. Utilization is vastly improved.

Also I find credible the reports that black pepper helps improve the utilization of turmeric.

Indeed. Going strictly from memory, it seems some turmeric is packaged as Turmeric w/ Biopene or piperine (sp?)