Alzheimer’s Disease Series, #2: Interesting Facts

1.  Two (of Five) Incredible Alzheimer’s Facts You Probably Don’t Know

“Alzheimer’s is preventable.

“More than 50% of Alzheimer’s cases can be prevented with specific attention to certain modifiable factors like amount of physical exercise, blood pressure, and blood sugar level (according to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco). The relationship of the risk for Alzheimer’s to blood sugar, and thus dietary choices, was recently revealed by Dr. Melissa Schilling and published in The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. I recently interviewed Dr. Schilling on The Empowering Neurologist about this very compelling research.

Alzheimer’s is treatable and reversible.

We are constantly presented with the notion that “while there is no treatment or cure for Alzheimer’s, medical science may one day find a solution.” The truth is that researchers have now reversed the condition! Dale Bredesen, and his colleagues at the Buck Institute, have used a novel approach to actually reverse Alzheimer’s in a small sample of patients. Rather than attempt to develop a single drug, the magic bullet approach to disease, Bredesen’s team leveraged 36 different interventions including reducing blood sugar, increasing physical exercise, lowering homocysteine, optimizing vitamin D, and regulating hormones, all of which helped to pave the way for Alzheimer’s patients to regain cognitive function” (Dr. Perlmutter). (1)

2.  Alzheimer’s and Cannabis

“When the researchers examined the brains of the treated elderly mice for an explanation, they noticed that neurons in the hippocampus—a brain area critical for learning and memory—had sprouted more synaptic spines, the points of contact for communication between neurons. Even more striking, the gene-expression pattern in the hippocampi of THC-treated aged mice was radically different from that of untreated elderly mice. “That is something we absolutely did not expect: the old animals [that received] THC looked most similar to the young untreated control mice,” Zimmer says.

The findings raise the intriguing possibility that THC and other “cannabinoids” might act as antiaging molecules in the brain (Stephani Sutherland).” (2)

3.  WATER and Alzheimer’s  

Dr. Batmanghelidj devoted his career to research about water.  He wrote, “Water helps prevent the loss of memory as we age.  It helps reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and Lou Gehrig’s disease” (p.35).

“Dehydration can cause a breach in the blood-brain barrier.  Any such breach compromises the integrity of normal brain functions” (p.171).

How much to drink?  “The body needs no less than two quarts of water and a half teaspoon of salt every day to compensate for its natural losses in urine, respiration, and perspiration.  Less than that amount will place a burden on the kidneys. … A tough rule of thumb for those who are heavyset is to drink a half-ounce of water for every pound of body weight” (p.236).

Antacids that contain aluminum can be dangerous.  They should not be freely used for dyspepsia that responds simply to an increase in water uptake.  Excess aluminum… has been strongly implicated as a precipitating factor in Alzheimer’s-type diseases” (p.140). (3)

4.  Alzheimer’s and Fruit

Anthony William, author of the Medical Medium, wrote, “Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, memory loss, and neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and ALS can all be prevented by fruit.

That’s because not only does fruit prevent these diseases, it prevents oxidation—which is the process that ages us. …

The most powerful fruit on the planet is the wild blueberry.  Science hasn’t yet fully tapped into the healing, adaptogenic properties that wild blueberries possess.  They’re the most antioxidant-rich food available. … They are the most powerful brain food in existence” (p. 300-301). (4)

Sources:

(1) “Five Incredible Alzheimer’s Facts You Probably Don’t Know” by Dr. Perl Mutter, M.D.

(2)  Stephani Sutherland, Scientific American

(3)  F. Batmanghelidj, You’re Not Sick, You’re THIRSTY!

(4)  Anthony William, Medical Medium