I've had a reversal of cognitive decline...and want to share what I've learned...
Re: I've had a reversal of cognitive decline...and want to share what I've learned...
Thank you, Colorful. I am so moved by your story of healing. You are the poster child of what's possible with Dr. Bredesen's protocol.
ApoE 4/4 - When I was in 7th grade, my fellow students in history class called me "The Brain" because I had such a memory for detail. I excelled at memorization and aced tests. This childhood memory helps me cope!
Re: I've had a reversal of cognitive decline...and want to share what I've learned...
Colorful, ditto to what everyone else has said, with special emphasis on the protocol details that you actually followed. But, I'm interested in anything you feel like sharing. I'm personally familiar with the 4PM wane, the facial recognition problem and todo lists, without which my life would come to a screaming halt. Thank you for your story!
Dan
e3/e4
e3/e4
Re: I've had a reversal of cognitive decline...and want to share what I've learned...
Thank you so much for the support and most-kind words! And for the welcome! I appreciate it all so much. You all inspire me and I am so glad to be connecting with you.
I am happy to share what I have been doing. And if anyone wants more detail, I’m happy to provide that too. Please just let me know.
Here’s the outline of what I’ve been doing:
1. Exercise: 5-6 days per week, 30-45 minutes (if 30 minutes, then must be vigorous) I try to exercise on the fast at least a few times per week.
2. Sleep 7-8 Hours (ideally 8), using 2.5 mg melatonin and L-Tryptophan if night awakening. (This is a work in progress, but is much better than it was.)
3. Fast (autophagy): I am trying for 13-15 hours per day, including 2-3 hours before bed. I started with a 12-14 hour fast. After about 6 months, it became easier, so I started trying to go longer.
4. Diet: I started by following the MIND diet. As time has gone on, I have “tweaked” the diet to limit even whole grains and to increase good fats.
https://www.rush.edu/news/diet-may-help ... zheimersor
no processed foods
nothing "white": white flour, white sugars etc. (simple carbohydrates)...just whole grains (which I only have rarely now)
leafy grains daily
other vegetables daily and some fruits
berries daily (esp. blueberries)
coffee daily (but stay consistent with the amount)
nuts and seeds daily
coconut oil/mct oil daily (I put it in my coffee)
avocados regularly
1 glass of wine per day, red or white
Dark chocolate- in small amounts
Limited red meat
fish/poultry ok- fish at least once per week (I usually do salmon once and a white fish once)
beans a few times per week
limit/eliminate fast foods, pastries, sweets, cheese, butter and cream
5. Supplements
Below is what I take now. I worked up to all of these gradually over a period of 8-9 months. For now, I am planning to just stay with these until I learn otherwise. Many of the supplements below are consistent with Dr. Bredesen’s protocol. Others are ones I learned about separately. I put a ** next to those supplements that I take specifically because my blood work shows that I need them.
MORNING SUPPLEMENTS
Citicoline 1 250 mg/pill
CoQ10 1 100 mg/pill (with 150 IU E)
Sea Iodine 1 1000mcg/pill (every other day)
Resveratol 1
Vitamin D 1-2 1000 iu/pill **
Prenenalone 1 10 mg/pill **
Curcurmin 1 750 mg/pill
Omega 3’s 1 1250 mg/pill
Coconut Oil 2 1000 mg/pill (I take pils when I don’t have actual coconut oil)
Vitamin C 1 1000 mg/pill ** (I am high in copper/low in zinc. C helps to adjust that)
Aloe 1-2 500 mg/pill (I am considering stopping this due to cancern concerns)
Zinc 1 30 mg/pill **
Alpha-Lipoic 1 400 mg/pill
Manganese 1 8 mg/pill (every other day)** (Taken with C to help reduce copper)
Inositol 3 1000 mg/pill (3K total)** (recommended for mild insulin resistance)
B Complex 1 Includes:
100 thiamin, 100 niacin, 400 . folate, 10 B6, 5 B2 400 mcg B12, biotin
(I take one 2-3 times per week. My levels are pretty good.)**
B-12 1 1000 mcg/pill (2-3 times per week)**
Probiotic 1 30 bln mixed
EVENING SUPPLEMENTS
Citicoline 1
CoQ10 1
Aloe 1
Bacopa
Monieri 1 200 mg/ pill
Ashwagandha 1 500 mg/pill
K2D 1 1000 iu D (with 150 mg K)(K is recommended when taking 1000+ of D
CogniMag 1 1500 mg Magnesium theroniate ( 125 as mag ther.)**
Omega 3 1 1250 mg
OptiFerrinC 1 28 mg Iron (with 10 mg C)/pill** (I have low iron) (Shouldn’t take with Zinc or Zinc won’t absorb)
6. Stress reduction: meditation, socializing etc. This became both easier and more pleasurable after 6 months on the protocol.
7. Intellectual engagement/learning etc.: I am re-learning a language, and reading a lot of non-fiction in areas of interest. This only became possible, honestly, only after 6 months on the protocol.
I also wanted to respond to the questions about women’s fog and hormones. I have not yet started HRT, but intend to do so in the next year or so. I know that it is an important part of the protocol when levels warrant. For me, hormonal imbalance affects, at a minimum, my sleep quality and I need to address that. I am just still weighing and balancing the risks with my doctor about when to start. I did (and still do) notice that some days, and some times of days, were/are better than others. And before I had my dramatic reversal, I thought that peri-menopause could underlie my fogginess. However, my cognitive functioning improved despite my progressive hormonal imbalance (according to blood tests and symptoms).
Finally, about my cognitive testing, I am happy to provide the details if I can de-code my test results. I’ll give that a whirl and post them ASAP.
Again, thank you to all of you have have shared your stories and your incredible knowledge on this website, and to all who have extended such kindness to me. I am very grateful.
I am happy to share what I have been doing. And if anyone wants more detail, I’m happy to provide that too. Please just let me know.
Here’s the outline of what I’ve been doing:
1. Exercise: 5-6 days per week, 30-45 minutes (if 30 minutes, then must be vigorous) I try to exercise on the fast at least a few times per week.
2. Sleep 7-8 Hours (ideally 8), using 2.5 mg melatonin and L-Tryptophan if night awakening. (This is a work in progress, but is much better than it was.)
3. Fast (autophagy): I am trying for 13-15 hours per day, including 2-3 hours before bed. I started with a 12-14 hour fast. After about 6 months, it became easier, so I started trying to go longer.
4. Diet: I started by following the MIND diet. As time has gone on, I have “tweaked” the diet to limit even whole grains and to increase good fats.
https://www.rush.edu/news/diet-may-help ... zheimersor
no processed foods
nothing "white": white flour, white sugars etc. (simple carbohydrates)...just whole grains (which I only have rarely now)
leafy grains daily
other vegetables daily and some fruits
berries daily (esp. blueberries)
coffee daily (but stay consistent with the amount)
nuts and seeds daily
coconut oil/mct oil daily (I put it in my coffee)
avocados regularly
1 glass of wine per day, red or white
Dark chocolate- in small amounts
Limited red meat
fish/poultry ok- fish at least once per week (I usually do salmon once and a white fish once)
beans a few times per week
limit/eliminate fast foods, pastries, sweets, cheese, butter and cream
5. Supplements
Below is what I take now. I worked up to all of these gradually over a period of 8-9 months. For now, I am planning to just stay with these until I learn otherwise. Many of the supplements below are consistent with Dr. Bredesen’s protocol. Others are ones I learned about separately. I put a ** next to those supplements that I take specifically because my blood work shows that I need them.
MORNING SUPPLEMENTS
Citicoline 1 250 mg/pill
CoQ10 1 100 mg/pill (with 150 IU E)
Sea Iodine 1 1000mcg/pill (every other day)
Resveratol 1
Vitamin D 1-2 1000 iu/pill **
Prenenalone 1 10 mg/pill **
Curcurmin 1 750 mg/pill
Omega 3’s 1 1250 mg/pill
Coconut Oil 2 1000 mg/pill (I take pils when I don’t have actual coconut oil)
Vitamin C 1 1000 mg/pill ** (I am high in copper/low in zinc. C helps to adjust that)
Aloe 1-2 500 mg/pill (I am considering stopping this due to cancern concerns)
Zinc 1 30 mg/pill **
Alpha-Lipoic 1 400 mg/pill
Manganese 1 8 mg/pill (every other day)** (Taken with C to help reduce copper)
Inositol 3 1000 mg/pill (3K total)** (recommended for mild insulin resistance)
B Complex 1 Includes:
100 thiamin, 100 niacin, 400 . folate, 10 B6, 5 B2 400 mcg B12, biotin
(I take one 2-3 times per week. My levels are pretty good.)**
B-12 1 1000 mcg/pill (2-3 times per week)**
Probiotic 1 30 bln mixed
EVENING SUPPLEMENTS
Citicoline 1
CoQ10 1
Aloe 1
Bacopa
Monieri 1 200 mg/ pill
Ashwagandha 1 500 mg/pill
K2D 1 1000 iu D (with 150 mg K)(K is recommended when taking 1000+ of D
CogniMag 1 1500 mg Magnesium theroniate ( 125 as mag ther.)**
Omega 3 1 1250 mg
OptiFerrinC 1 28 mg Iron (with 10 mg C)/pill** (I have low iron) (Shouldn’t take with Zinc or Zinc won’t absorb)
6. Stress reduction: meditation, socializing etc. This became both easier and more pleasurable after 6 months on the protocol.
7. Intellectual engagement/learning etc.: I am re-learning a language, and reading a lot of non-fiction in areas of interest. This only became possible, honestly, only after 6 months on the protocol.
I also wanted to respond to the questions about women’s fog and hormones. I have not yet started HRT, but intend to do so in the next year or so. I know that it is an important part of the protocol when levels warrant. For me, hormonal imbalance affects, at a minimum, my sleep quality and I need to address that. I am just still weighing and balancing the risks with my doctor about when to start. I did (and still do) notice that some days, and some times of days, were/are better than others. And before I had my dramatic reversal, I thought that peri-menopause could underlie my fogginess. However, my cognitive functioning improved despite my progressive hormonal imbalance (according to blood tests and symptoms).
Finally, about my cognitive testing, I am happy to provide the details if I can de-code my test results. I’ll give that a whirl and post them ASAP.
Again, thank you to all of you have have shared your stories and your incredible knowledge on this website, and to all who have extended such kindness to me. I am very grateful.
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- Senior Contributor
- Posts: 203
- Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2016 6:14 pm
Re: I've had a reversal of cognitive decline...and want to share what I've learned...
Thanks Colorful, very inspiring -- I am also a 4/2
Re: I've had a reversal of cognitive decline...and want to share what I've learned...
colorful, thank you for so kindly taking such time to provide all those details. I'm curious whether you are working with Dr. Bredesen directly, or applying his protocol as best you can on your own, or maybe with a physician local to you. Either way is great, it would just be interesting to know if someone had such success applying his protocol based on the reading of it, and perhaps blood tests according to his protocol, alone.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
Re: I've had a reversal of cognitive decline...and want to share what I've learned...
Julie - can we pushpin colorful's last post about what her diet and lifestyle factors are? I know that just because it worked for her it won't work for everyone but it provides a great example of what could work for any of us.
Chris
Chris
Chris
E4/E4
Alameda, CA, USA
E4/E4
Alameda, CA, USA
Re: I've had a reversal of cognitive decline...and want to share what I've learned...
Thank you for the supportive responses...couldn't be nicer to get this feedback! Circular, in answer to your question, I followed Dr. Bredesen's protocol "to the best of my ability" just by reading his "Reversing Alzheimer's" paper. After my reversal, I reached out to Dr. Bredesen to thank him. At that time, he did give me some suggestions about additional supplements I could take to optimize what I was doing based on recent blood work (for me, those were zinc, C, manganese (due to high copper/low zinc), pregnenalone, vitamin K to complement the D, magnesium, and coconut oil.). He said that everything else I was already doing was on target, so I just stayed the course.
Re: I've had a reversal of cognitive decline...and want to share what I've learned...
Very good colorful. So great. FWIW Dr. Gundry also advises vitamin K to go with vitamin D, especially for those taking larger amounts of D. I've got to stop putting off my copper:zinc ratio test.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
Re: I've had a reversal of cognitive decline...and want to share what I've learned...
Where can one find a link to this ... Dr. Bredesen’s paper “Reversing Alzheimer’s”
APOE 3/4
Re: I've had a reversal of cognitive decline...and want to share what I've learned...
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.