Very small trial appears to reverse Alzheimers symptoms

I like to keep an eye on research on keeping our brains intact (even if it’s not far past the leeches-and-arsenic stage). Here is a tiny trial showing a bit of promise. After years of testing drugs on Alzheimer plaques without much luck, as far as I can tell, this study had the radical idea of doing a bit of everything that had seemed to delay Alzheimers — like exercise, dumping the carbs, mini-fasts, fish oil, meditation and things like that. Unlike the drug trials, this one actually seemed to work and surprisingly for as many as 9 out of 10 patients (there were only ten patients, that’s not a ratio). It’s quite neat that it did work. It has lots of potential (though not much in the way of profits for big-pharma). However it was only six months long. It may not be slowing the plaques, but then if it restores functional memory, that’s  rather the point (though I worry those plaques are coming back later).

Nonetheless, if you like the idea of saving  your brain. Worth reading the list below, just so you know and pass it on to those with an interest. Anything that helps, especially when it’s low risk, has got to be news worth spreading, and if it just helps you get motivated to get moving, that’s not so bad. I suspect the exercise and dietary changes might be the key factors. Exercise seems to turn up in a lot of studies lately on mental performance…

Memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s reversed: Small trial succeeds using systems approach to memory disorders

[Science Daily] Patient one had two years of progressive memory loss. She was considering quitting her job, which involved analyzing data and writing reports, she got disoriented driving, and mixed up the names of her pets. Patient two kept forgetting once familiar faces at work, forgot his gym locker combination, and had to have his assistants constantly remind him of his work schedule. Patient three’s memory was so bad she used an iPad to record everything, then forgot her password. Her children noticed she commonly lost her train of thought in mid-sentence, and often asked them if they had carried out the tasks that she mistakenly thought she had asked them to do.

Since its first description over 100 years ago, Alzheimer’s disease has been without effective treatment. That may finally be about to change: in the first, small study of a novel, personalized and comprehensive program to reverse memory loss, nine of 10 participants, including the ones above, displayed subjective or objective improvement in their memories beginning within three to six months after the program’s start. Of the six patients who had to discontinue working or were struggling with their jobs at the time they joined the study, all were able to return to work or continue working with improved performance. Improvements have been sustained, and as of this writing the longest patient follow-up is two and one-half years from initial treatment. These first ten included patients with memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), or subjective cognitive impairment (SCI; when a patient reports cognitive problems). One patient, diagnosed with late stage Alzheimer’s, did not improve.

The study, which comes jointly from the UCLA Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, is the first to suggest that memory loss in patients may be reversed, and improvement sustained, using a complex, 36-point therapeutic program that involves comprehensive changes in diet, brain stimulation, exercise, optimization of sleep, specific pharmaceuticals and vitamins, and multiple additional steps that affect brain chemistry.

The findings, published in the current online edition of the journal Aging, “are very encouraging. However, at the current time the results are anecdotal, and therefore a more extensive, controlled clinical trial is warranted,” said Dale Bredesen, the Augustus Rose Professor of Neurology and Director of the Easton Center at UCLA, a professor at the Buck Institute, and the author of the paper.

In the case of Alzheimer’s disease, Bredesen notes, there is not one drug that has been developed that stops or even slows the disease’s progression, and drugs have only had modest effects on symptoms. “In the past decade alone, hundreds of clinical trials have been conducted for Alzheimer’s at an aggregate cost of over a billion dollars, without success,” he said.

Other chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and HIV, have been improved through the use of combination therapies, he noted. Yet in the case of Alzheimer’s and other memory disorders, comprehensive combination therapies have not been explored. Yet over the past few decades, genetic and biochemical research has revealed an extensive network of molecular interactions involved in AD pathogenesis. “That suggested that a broader-based therapeutics approach, rather than a single drug that aims at a single target, may be feasible and potentially more effective for the treatment of cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s,” said Bredesen.

While extensive preclinical studies from numerous laboratories have identified single pathogenetic targets for potential intervention, in human studies, such single target therapeutic approaches have not borne out. But, said Bredesen, it’s possible addressing multiple targets within the network underlying AD may be successful even when each target is affected in a relatively modest way. “In other words,” he said, “the effects of the various targets may be additive, or even synergistic.”

The uniform failure of drug trials in Alzheimer’s influenced Bredesen’s research to get a better understanding of the fundamental nature of the disease. His laboratory has found evidence that Alzheimer’s disease stems from an imbalance in nerve cell signaling: in the normal brain, specific signals foster nerve connections and memory making, while balancing signals support memory loss, allowing irrelevant information to be forgotten. But in Alzheimer’s disease, the balance of these opposing signals is disturbed, nerve connections are suppressed, and memories are lost.

The model of multiple targets and an imbalance in signaling runs contrary to the popular dogma that Alzheimer’s is a disease of toxicity, caused by the accumulation of sticky plaques in the brain. Bredesen believes the amyloid beta peptide, the source of the plaques, has a normal function in the brain — as part of a larger set of molecules that promotes signals that cause nerve connections to lapse. Thus the increase in the peptide that occurs in Alzheimer’s disease shifts the memory-making vs. memory-breaking balance in favor of memory loss.

Given all this, Bredesen thought that rather than a single targeted agent, the solution might be a systems type approach, the kind that is in line with the approach taken with other chronic illnesses — a multiple-component system.

“The existing Alzheimer’s drugs affect a single target, but Alzheimer’s disease is more complex. Imagine having a roof with 36 holes in it, and your drug patched one hole very well — the drug may have worked, a single “hole” may have been fixed, but you still have 35 other leaks, and so the underlying process may not be affected much.”

Bredesen’s approach is personalized to the patient, based on extensive testing to determine what is affecting the plasticity signaling network of the brain. As one example, in the case of the patient with the demanding job who was forgetting her way home, her therapeutic program consisted of some, but not all of the components involved with Bredesen’s therapeutic program, and included:

(1) eliminating all simple carbohydrates, leading to a weight loss of 20 pounds;

(2) eliminating gluten and processed food from her diet, with increased vegetables, fruits, and non-farmed fish;

(3) to reduce stress, she began yoga;

(4) as a second measure to reduce the stress of her job, she began to meditate for 20 minutes twice per day;

(5) she took melatonin each night;

(6) she increased her sleep from 4-5 hours per night to 7-8 hours per night;

(7) she took methylcobalamin each day; [That’s B12 – Jo]

(8) she took vitamin D3 each day;

(9) fish oil each day;

(10) CoQ10 each day;

(11) she optimized her oral hygiene using an electric flosser and electric toothbrush;

(12) following discussion with her primary care provider, she reinstated hormone replacement therapy that had been discontinued;

(13) she fasted for a minimum of 12 hours between dinner and breakfast, and for a minimum of three hours between dinner and bedtime;

(14) she exercised for a minimum of 30 minutes, 4-6 days per week.

The results for nine of the 10 patients reported in the paper suggest that memory loss may be reversed, and improvement sustained with this therapeutic program, said Bredesen. “This is the first successful demonstration,” he noted, but he cautioned that the results are anecdotal, and therefore a more extensive, controlled clinical trial is needed.

The downside to this program is its complexity. It is not easy to follow, with the burden falling on the patients and caregivers, and none of the patients were able to stick to the entire protocol. The significant diet and lifestyle changes, and multiple pills required each day, were the two most common complaints. The good news, though, said Bredesen, are the side effects: “It is noteworthy that the major side effect of this therapeutic system is improved health and an optimal body mass index, a stark contrast to the side effects of many drugs.”

The results for nine of the 10 patients reported in the paper suggest that memory loss may be reversed, and improvement sustained with this therapeutic program, said Bredesen. “This is the first successful demonstration,” he noted, but he cautioned that the results need to be replicated. “The current, anecdotal results require a larger trial, not only to confirm or refute the results reported here, but also to address key questions raised, such as the degree of improvement that can be achieved routinely, how late in the course of cognitive decline reversal can be effected, whether such an approach may be effective in patients with familial Alzheimer’s disease, and last, how long improvement can be sustained,” he said.

Cognitive decline is a major concern of the aging population. Already, Alzheimer’s disease affects approximately 5.4 million Americans and 30 million people globally. Without effective prevention and treatment, the prospects for the future are bleak. By 2050, it’s estimated that 160 million people globally will have the disease, including 13 million Americans, leading to potential bankruptcy of the Medicare system. Unlike several other chronic illnesses, Alzheimer’s disease is on the rise–recent estimates suggest that AD has become the third leading cause of death in the United States behind cardiovascular disease and cancer.

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences.

REFERENCE

Dale E. Bredesen. Reversal of cognitive decline: A novel therapeutic program. Aging, September 2014

7.6 out of 10 based on 77 ratings

86 comments to Very small trial appears to reverse Alzheimers symptoms

  • #
    Eric

    A very small trial and not placebo controlled. In neuroscience, the graveyard of unreproducible clinical results. And Alzheimers is HARD. Too soon to get excited, I think.

    Let’s just say that some of these measures taken in the study are valuable and others are just a waste of time and effort (likely case). Or perhaps some of the benefit came from all the attention and support of being in a clinical trial. How do we unravel this? Or more importantly, who will pay for it? Alzheimer trials that are double blind and powered for statistical significance are VERY expensive. And since there is no drug company poised to reap billion dollar profits on a new wonder drug…

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    • #
      Truthseeker

      Well my anecdotal evidence is as follows. My wife has gone back to Korea for a few months to look after her mother who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. Her mother is over 80 and has brought up 7 children mostly by herself (my wife was the youngest of the 7 and never knew her father who died relatively young).

      My wife’s mother has exercised her whole life and still does floor exercises every day. She has always has had a very healthy vegetable based diet with some meat and fish, including seaweed. The main staple to the diet would be rice, but not just white rice, but a mixture of grains including wholegrain or brown rice. She has never been a person who “snacks” between meals and who would weigh about 45 Kg wringing wet. She been retired for years and spends most of her days with similarly aged people who get together to sing, talk and generally have a good time.

      She would tick most of the boxes above and has done so most of her adult life, but she is still suffering from the disease.

      They have taken a medical equivalent of a shorn-off shotgun to the problem. It is not surprising that some benefits were found.

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      • #
        KinkyKeith

        Good comment

        KK

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      • #
        food scientist

        It is not particularly suprising that a person in their 80s would have dementia. The scary problem is that people are now developing advanced Alzheimers in their 50s (and even 40s).

        Refined grains (such as white rice) have a greater effect on blood gluocose than pure table sugar.

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        • #
          Spetzer86

          I don’t know if the incidence rate for Alzheimers is increasing or, more simply, more doctors are diagnosing the condition based on revised tests intent on finding signs at earlier stages. Certainly the outlook for people with early onset is not good. Early detection and treatment will improve quality of life until the disease progresses.

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    • #
      Bruce

      Eric:
      You are on the money.

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    • #
      Philip Shehan

      Eric,

      You are incorrect that pharmacological companies are not interested in searching for a treatment for Alzheimers. I know of one company associated with a research group in Melbourne that is involved.

      http://www.bio21.unimelb.edu.au/group-leaders/pathology/kevin-barnham

      My understanding may be a little out of date, but it may still not be clear that plaques actually cause Alzheimers, or are a consequence of it.

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    • #
      cedarhill

      For sure, though, even simple minded folks can understand they need to view their body as a complete system. They can, for free, eliminate lots of carbs, take some vitamins and, although not mentioned, eliminate all carbs from sugar (do a search as to why).

      Overweight and lazy are not medical conditions – burn or eliminate 3500 calories a week and you’ll lose 1 pound a week. In fact, in any period you burn/reduce 3500 calories you’ll lose a pound. It’s a system thing. Reducing carbs, all those “low fat” food that are full of sugars. It’s not fat that puts on pounds, it’s the carbs. Anyone can do it about an IQ of maybe 80.

      Relying on statistics only if you know and can explain the null hypothesis. If not, then examine any results and remember the drug folks screened to establish the “sample set” and then use the null hypothesis to prove their results. Point is your system is likely different from their trial sample and you’ll “fit” in someplace, it’s just you won’t be able to know where. That’s why there are dozens of drugs for high blood pressure. The MDs experiment with them on you to find one that works on your system with the least side effects. Reducing wieght and keeping stuff out of your mouth will go a long way to not needing those drugs.

      The part about teeth hygene – a fact is heart disease (those arteries) clog up due to inflamation. Bacteria in the mouth (perondontal disease, etc.) introduce inflamation into the “system”. That’s why taking anti-inflamatories (aspirin) and foods/pills with turmeric are great for the system since they reduce inflamation. Taking vitamin C is a good thing. So is vitamin E and the B-complex.

      All of these are simple things and cheap. The smarter folks will establish a baseline chem/blood/lipids/etc panel and monitor it (say every 6 months when they visit an MD) and check what effect changes they’ve made impact their panels using spreadsheet software. And remember, food changes may take up to 3 months to show up in the panels.

      And, for certain, relying on a magic pill is not a good idea. It’s like waiting until your car engine seizes up before you decide to change the oil and filter.

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  • #
    graphicconception

    Good news, I must try that.

    What was it again? Exercise, carbs, oil …

    It’s no good, I have forgotten already.
    I think it may be already too late for me!

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  • #
    Morley Sutter

    One must be as sceptical about these results as about AGW. Were the assessments done blinded; were there controls for repetitive testing?
    How were the assessments quantified? Good science is difficult especially when people are the subjects of the investigations and also the investigators (c.f. Climatologists).

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  • #

    Looks like she essentially went on a lo-carb diet. In his book “Why We Get Fat – and what to do about it” Gary Taubes presents data that refers to Alzheimer’s as Diabetes Type III. This makes the connection that Diabetes Type II has a dietary basis and goes away when you remove sugar and easily digestible carbs (grains, potatoes, etc) from the diet.

    http://garytaubes.com/

    Borax / Boron supplements (I take Boron Chelate) also seem to work. One of the markers of Alzheimer’s is excess aluminum in the brain. There is a theory out there that that a boron deficiency will lead to the brain grabbing what is chemically similar, in this case aluminum as it sits under boron on the periodic table. Be careful of dosage as a little goes a long ways (especially borax). Worth your investigation. Cheers –

    http://chiefio.wordpress.com/2012/09/20/boron-aluminum-hypothesis/

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  • #
    Roy Hogue

    I’ve seen several claims of success in stopping or even reversing Alzheimer’s. Then, no more about them. There was one that claimed to have taken some tissue from the torso, stretched it out and then attached it to the brain in some fashion. But the end of the several things I read about is stoney silence at this point.

    I would be careful what I accept as having worked until long term results of double blind clinical trials are known. This is the only way to know what it will do for the population at large.

    I see claims right now about a certain compound of nitrogen being a magic cure for nearly everything from your sex life to heart problems. It sounds much too good to be true, therefore it is. If it worked it would be prescribed by doctors, not sold in early morning infomercials on TV. It simply amazes me how quickly some of these magic cures disappear again.

    Jo, 10 patients doesn’t mean much except that the idea is interesting and may bear additional research. I know you said essentially that. But I can’t help stating my innate skepticism. 🙂

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  • #
    Joseph

    The sweetener, aspartame, also plays a part in Alzheimers.

    ‘While Science Sleeps (a Sweetener Kills)’ by Woodrow C. Monte.

    http://www.whilesciencesleeps.com/

    http://www.thenhf.co.uk/book-review-while-science-sleeps-a-sweetener-kills/

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    • #
      warcroft

      About 15 years ago i was working in a department store and this random guy came uo to me and started telling me about aspartame. For some reason I listened. His hair was all a mess, like Doc Brown from Back to tne Future. But he told me to go home and read up on it. . . Which to my surprise I did.

      For the last 15 years Ive been trying to warn people about aspartame myself, but always falling on deaf ears. People dont listen unless its the tv telling them what to think. But I am glad that the past few years people have started to wake up to it.

      But Ill never forget him. He told me to look at the ingredients, in almost everything, for 950, 951, 952. And he was right. Its in everything.
      I wont touch anything artificially sweetened.

      But now as Im only a few months away from turning 40 I just cant stomach processed food. Within minutes of eating it my stomach is churning and in no time Im hitting the toilet!

      I don’t kniw what this has to do with alzheimers. . .

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      • #
        Yonniestone

        He didn’t mention anything about a Flux Capacitor did he? I’ve been trying to make one for years using a toaster, smoke alarm and pipe cleaners, it’s useless but I get plenty of comments from passengers in my car……

        I’m the same with processed food additives, you can taste the chemicals and they can certainly make a quick passage though your body if you’re healthy, your system just seem to go into overdrive and reject the unwanted chemicals.

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      • #
        Joseph

        warcroft,
        I was going to quote from the book but discovered it’s out on loan . . . . . .
        On the website there’s a video of him making a presentation regarding the alzheimers connection. I’ve not seen it before but can’t imagine it won’t explain. I’ll get a chance to watch it tomorrow.
        The book is well worth reading . . . . . .
        As I understand it, the problem is all the methanol which is now in the body as a result of consuming aspartame. Methanol gets through the blood brain barrier. There are areas in the brain where it is converted to formaldehyde and then makes its way into the myelin sheaths that protect the neuro transmitters and the immune system responds and eats away at the protective sheaths. If the aspartame/methanol intake is too great for the body to eliminate the methanol before it reaches the brain and there is an ongoing supply the immune system does it’s job, but now it’s autoimmunity, and you lose your mind. Something like that, if I’ve understood it correctly. Again, I recommend the book, and I see there is an audio version.
        Cheers

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    • #
      food scientist

      Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in history. There is no evidence that it is harmful. Aspartame is simply a protein peptide consisting of aspartate and phenylalanine – two amino acids found in all food. Eating 100g of chicken would give you the same amount of aspartate and phenylalanine as 15 cans of diet soft drink.

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      • #

        Aspartame is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide. It is not the same as eating two amino acids.

        There is evidence it affects gut flora — which we discussed on this site not long ago.

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        • #
          Joseph

          Hello Jo,

          Your reply to “food scientist” was the one required. And not a word wasted!

          I have just watched the YouTube video presentation by Dr. Woodrow Monte, Alzheimer’s Stops Here, on Monte’s website- http://www.whilesciencesleeps.com -and am greatly impressed! It contains some new information that isn’t in his book and which is an important validation of his proposition.

          I think you may find it worthy of being a subject of the day on your site.

          I’m not a scientist, and so, if you do have the interest, and the opportunity, to view the presentation, I would love to hear what you would have to say regarding it.

          I find your site most educational (and entertaining).

          Cheers,

          joseph

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  • #
    farmerbraun

    I ‘d love to know if any of the patients reported negative side-effects from the regime.

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    • #
      tom0mason

      farmerbraun
      “…if any of the patients reported negative side-effects from the regime.”

      If I recall correctly only 2 of the patients fully understood the question, and niether of them could remember the correct answer.
      Or maybe I’m misremembering

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  • #
    warcroft

    Ive always considered alzheimers a “you dont use it you lose it” situation with the brain.
    Keep the brain active and stimulated, combined with a healthy lifestyle and youre all good. Like anything really.

    And if alzheimers drugs basically do nothing then why even prescribe them? (Besides making money of course).

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    • #
      Winston

      In my General Practice, I have a largely geriatric practice and well over 100 people in their 90s. Alzheimer’s drugs are rarely prescribed, even when they first came out with promises of improved functionality. My observation is that geriatricians and GPs rarely if ever prescribe them, and this small number is ever dwindling. The reason being they are of limited use, and often ineffective.

      The imputation that somehow we just love to prescribe medications that do nothing for the sake of it is entirely false. If you wish to see someone drop your drug product like a lead zeppelin, just bring out an expensive drug that does nothing useful. You will disappear without a trace quicker than a bunch of schoolgirls at Hanging Rock.

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      • #
        food scientist

        That is probably true in Australia. However in the USA drugs are marketed directly to patients in the expectation they will demand the drug from their doctors. American magazines are usually absolutely chock full of advertisements for prescription drugs.

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      • #
        LevelGaze

        I agree.

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  • #
    BernardP

    Some time ago, I stumbled on this book: “Alzheimer Solved” by Henry Lorin

    http://www.amazon.com/Alzheimers-Solved-Condensed-Henry-Lorin/dp/1419616846/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1412973905&sr=8-2&keywords=cholesterol+solved

    Very intriguing, despite the fact that Henry Lorin is… a dentist. His research seems nevertheless thorough.

    One can Look Inside the book and read the chapter titles. One can read the reviews that give a good idea of the contents.

    The clincher is that the growing use of statins is responsible for the increased occurence of Alzheimer. The amyloid plaque is not a manifestation of the disease, but rather a compensation mechanism for the lack of cholesterol in the brain.

    21

  • #
    nc

    Eliminate simple carbohydrates but eat more fruit. Is not fruit a simple carbohydrate? What is the issue with farmed fish? I guess there is more detailed information.

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  • #
  • #
    ROM

    Just thinking!!!

    I reckon quite a percentage of Jo’s denizens might be closer to their three score years and ten than their teenage years.
    So maybe a small kit to keep their minds and bodies functioning for a bit longer before the onset of those memory problems that seem to inflict most of those oldies.
    I’m only 76 so I don’t really feel as though i fit into the “oldie” class just yet.

    Although after about three hours of steady walking around the Elmore Machinery Field Days site [ central Vic ] on thursday I reckon that maybe by the way my muscles feel over the last couple of days I am now qualified for the “oldies” designation.

    Now a simple Anti-Alzheimer’s kit for the body would be ;

    A couple of time locks to only allow access to the fridge for a few minutes each day
    A timed pill dispenser with a loud alarm to remind the forgetful ones to take their pills and vitamins at the right time.
    A pedal generator set a la Alfred Traeger’s Pedal Wireless of the 1930’s and early 40’s which would provide the physical exercise which would then power the computer and the internet connection. No direct connection to the grid would be allowed for the computer.
    The only source of power allowed would be the pedal generator so as to ensure the physical exercise component of the treatment was being followed.

    And for the brain stimulation, the computer and an internet connection which would allow the Denizens to still access JoNova’s and other skeptic blogs .

    For extra stimulation the computer would also be programmed to regularly switch over to ads for wind turbine investments, Al Gore’s climate catastrophe propaganda programs and the rabid “Sou” AKA Miriam O’Brien of the Hotwhopper blog and Skeptical Science plus a choice of alternative alarmist blogs

    That would account for the emotional content needed to stimulate the aging brain cells in JoNova’s denizens.

    Sorry!.
    I can’t do much about the heart attacks when those other alarmist blogs and ads come on but with the emotional stimulation your Alzheimer’s should be kept in check .

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    • #
      markx

      Elmore Field Days!? .. Last went there more than thirty years ago…. Feels like it was abour three years ago…. (… at least I can remember it!)

      10

  • #
    handjive

    I have an elderly parent who is having trouble remembering and knows it.

    Living on the Qld/NSW border & daylight saving just starting, she asked what day it was as this ‘daylight saving had messed things up’.

    We laughed when she realised we were saving hours, and not days.

    Indeed it is the slow goodbye.

    Anything that helps is good.

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  • #
    gnomish

    doctors will hate you for this one weird trick!
    nobel prize winner reveals that megadoses of vitamin C are the secret to long life, cold fusion and thick, hard erections.
    oh, wait- that went out with the brontosaurus- now it’s: removing evil carbon hydrates from the diet is the secret to long life, cold fusion and thick, hard erections.
    but it seems like only yesterday-
    removing evil meat from the diet is the secret…
    is it even possible to keep up with these food superstitions?
    people with ever so much concern about what they put in their mouths don’t ever consider the benefits of restricting what comes out, more’s the pity.

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  • #
    Len

    While waiting on Tuesday in the Northam Hospital I read an article in the York newspaper. It was a seriallized article from Dr Mercola. It has basically the same information as contained in Jo’s article above.
    Dr Mercola comes up quickly on the search engines such as Google. Very interesting reading.The topic I found most interesting was alzheimers disease prevention. He mentions mercury as well a aluminium.

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    • #
      food scientist

      Dr Mercola (he’s an osteopath btw) is widely regarded as one of the least credible medical ‘experts’ around.

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      • #

        Yes, so says “food scientist” who is a sock-puppet for the anonymous “Banana-bender” and making a baseless ad hom attack. Give it up BB. Your comment was a waste of time, and we won’t be publishing more like it.

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  • #

    Sadly, Science Daily…

    I used to check it out years ago, for curiosity and entertainment. Now, like Nature etc, it has to pay the price for all the climate hysterics. Hard to take seriously now. You can’t help thinking that if they can be so monumentally wrong on one subject, what else are they beating up?

    Bring back scientists with perpetual bad-hair days and no communication skills who get on with all the intricacies and drudgery of actual science. Bugger communication.

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  • #
    Dennis

    Co-Enzyme Q10 was researched with Heart Foundation financial assistance and is now recommended for maintenance of the heart, and other muscles. It also increases energy level and is highly recommended for older people as natural Q10 production decreases with age.

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    • #
      food scientist

      Statins, widely, used to lower cholesterol just happen to prevent the synthethis of Q10. Treating the symptoms of one disease often creates other more serious diseases.

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  • #
    Safetyguy66

    OT breaking news.

    Bill Shorten says “The Australian People have Spoken” Labour will not attempt to re-introduce a carbon tax.

    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/bill-shorten-says-labor-wants-to-tackle-carbon-pollution-but-rules-out-return-of-carbon-tax-20141011-114nmp.html

    So given that as little as a few weeks ago Labour was still blocking its removal in the Senate, why has it taken 12 months for Bill to hear “The Australian People”?

    Also I guess we can now assume pricing carbon is no longer the most efficient mechanism to combat emissions, because Labour would never settle for second best when it comes to the environment right?

    What a mess they are in. If the old saying “when your in a hole, stop digging” means anything, then Labour should have stopped digging about 6 years ago. I can just hear Bill now in the lead-up to the next election “Vere will be um no um carbon tax um under a government um I lead”.

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  • #
    MadJak

    On tiopic (for once)

    I was reading somewhere a few months ago aboiut how CPAP therapy has helped to reduce the rate of decline in altzhiemers’ patients as well. Likewise the link between stroke, digestion issues, heart disease and Obstructive sleep aepnea is coming to the fore as well. Not all of this is correlational either.

    It makes perfect logic – if you body is fighting to get air into your lungs each night, the generic risks assocaited with this could be quite significant.

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  • #
    Tim

    Some years ago, research was done at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney. The purpose was to find any positive benefits from cigarette smoking.

    The results apparently found that they improved cognitive brain function due to stimulation of the cortex. Interesting.

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    • #

      Isn’t nicotine is a fairly well-“proven” temporary learning enhancer? Pity it comes pre-rolled with about a hundred pesticides, [other] carcinogens and heavy metals.

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  • #
    RoHa

    I told Herself that if I went ga-ga she should push me under a bus.
    She said, “O.K. How will I tell?”

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  • #
    James Bradley

    Slightly OT, but still medical,

    WHO have reported that deaths from ebola will double within 3 to 4 weeks.

    At that rate, given the starting point of 2,000 deaths so far, within 2 years that is 16 billion deaths.

    There aren’t that many people on the planet.

    This may be a little more serious a problem than some are letting on, for instance, we are being told it is not that easy to contract as you have to come into contact with infected person exhibiting serious symptoms etc, etc.

    This seems to be spreading rather quicker than the information would indicate.

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      Yonniestone

      It’s a genuine worry James for sure, there was plenty of good information and ideas on Jo’s thread ‘Ebola-time for action’ 28 days ago, well 28 days later is a creepy coincidence, I just hope it doesn’t go airborne.

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        Tim

        I’ve heard of two tested treatments for Ebola that appear to work. One was an HIV drug and the other was Melatonin. Both with promising results, but no mention in the MSM.

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      Philip Shehan

      A problem here James is that as long as Ebola was killing a few people in Africa, pharmaceutical companies had little incentive to devote time and money to come up with a treatment.

      Now that there is a bit of a panic on in the west, and although the number is small, exponential growth is a nasty thing, that may change.

      —-
      Something I can agree with Philip on. Exponential growth is very ugly. There are many vaccines in the pipeline and I am hopeful. But vaccines need to grow exponentially too… – Jo

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    pat

    being curious, i read this the other day!

    How curiosity changes the brain to enhance learning
    The more curious we are about a topic, the easier it is to learn information about that topic. New research publishing online October 2 in the Cell Press journal Neuron provides insights into what happens in our brains when curiosity is piqued. The findings could help scientists find ways to enhance overall learning and memory in both healthy individuals and those with neurological conditions.
    “Our findings potentially have far-reaching implications for the public because they reveal insights into how a form of intrinsic motivation—curiosity—affects memory. These findings suggest ways to enhance learning in the classroom and other settings,” says lead author Dr. Matthias Gruber, of University of California at Davis…
    Third, the team discovered that when curiosity motivated learning, there was increased activity in the hippocampus, a brain region that is important for forming new memories, as well as increased interactions between the hippocampus and the reward circuit…
    http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-10/cp-hcc092514.php

    Nobel prizewinner Prof John O’Keefe vows to tackle Alzheimer’s timebomb
    Prof John O’Keefe, who was awarded the Nobel prize for medicine today is conducting ground-breaking work into Alzheimer’s disease
    Prof O’Keefe, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London, discovered that a part of the brain acts like an internal GPS system, helping us navigate, while also storing memories in space and time.
    That part of the brain, the hippocampus, is the first area to show signs of damage in Alzheimer’s patients and is the reason that they struggle to remember…
    He found that individual cells in the hippocampus activate based on where we are in the world. Move to a different place and a new cell will activate. But move back, and the original cell will come to life.
    “This system allows us to move flexibly,” he said. “When a cab driver is trying to plan a route this part of the brain lights up and stays active. When they have to follow a simple route you don’t need this part of the brain.
    “You need this part of the brain to be flexible, to do something novel and unexpected. It is used not only for plotting routes but remembering what you did in particular places at different times and to plan the future.”…
    “It turns out that this part of the brain is one of the first areas that’s attacked by Alzheimer’s disease. So we can now use some of the basic understanding of this part of the brain to ask the simple question ‘What is going wrong with these special cells in the hippocampus at the very earliest stages?’
    “We hope to follow the progression of the disease over time. This will give us the first handle or where it starts and when it starts and how we can attack it at a molecular level.
    “I think we all know there is timebomb there. We keep our fingers crossed.”…
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/11144453/Nobel-prizewinner-Prof-John-OKeefe-vows-to-tackle-Alzheimers-timebomb.html

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    Good to know there are still scientists working on non-imaginary problems.

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    John Wheelahan

    Beware of very small trials. The two patients described are unlikely to have “early” Alzheimer’s Disease, but rather simple age related short term memory loss and age related anxiety.
    Alzheimer’s Disease does not respond to such regimes of “natural” remedies, for the good reason that the patients would never remember to carry out the program.
    The science here is even worse than that used to “prove” catastrophic AGW.

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    janama

    I understand that India has one of the lowest rates of Alzheimers due to the fact they consume lots of Tumeric. Many of India’s “spices” are in fact medicines that have been taken regularly for years. The spice contains a compound called curcumin that has been used by Ayurveda practitioners for centuries to treat a variety of ailments.

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    Does this mean the Editor can now remember the Medieval Numb Period ?

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    Alexander K

    This article rings bells for me. I am in my mid-70s, have type 2 Diabetes and, while living in the UK and being treated by an NHS GP, I was prescribed a solid course of Statins, part of the orthodox means of avoiding heart problems there despite always enjoying excellent blood pressure and heart function. After some time I became concerned that my memory was becoming very unreliable, so I read as much as could about Statins and decided these must be the cause. I voiced my concerns to the GP and he quite bluntly informed me that I had a choice – Statins or a heart attack.
    When I returned to NZ about 3 years ago, my new GP was horrified by the amount of Statins that I had been prescribed. After a discussion about monitoring my progress, I went off Statins and my memory rapidly returned to about normal.
    On my return to NZ, I also became, for the first time in my life, a regular gym member committed to three one-hour sessions each week designed, by my step-son, a professional trainer. I have become an enthusiastic gym-goer and my physique has changed markedly over that time; I follow a dietary programme that focusses on a sensible balance of meat, fish and fruit, low sugar intake and moderate servings, much the same as the plain diet I grew up on in the austere years immediately following World War ii. The benefits for me are a smaller waist, wider and larger shoulders, excellent muscle tone and definition. I am fitter, stronger, and more alert and the need for a post=prandial snooze has gone. Best of all, my blood glucose levels are now those of a non-diabetic and I no longer worry about becoming a victim of Dementia.

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    Thumbnail

    Christine Cronau covers off on a dietary regime that may be helpful for Alzheimers.

    She has a growing number of followers who report success on a number of fronts: normalized blood sugar levels, weight loss, gut and bowel improvement, healing candida overgrowth, etc.

    She also refers to Alzheimers as ‘Type III Diabetes”.

    More grist for the mill I suppose.

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    Johannes Herbst

    I did a lot of search about Alzheimer. I see three important factors to keep the brain alive:
    -sufficient nutrients
    -a diet that defends against inflammation. German Dr. Feil (dr.feil.com)recommends low carb, good fats, and spices in high dosage.
    -extending the brains capacity by being courious and involving in always new topics.Sometimes Alzhiemer seems to be connected to monotonuous behaviour and thinking in always the same ways.

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