New Here

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
lindaelane
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New Here

Post by lindaelane »

Hello! My name is Linda and about 3 weeks ago I learned that I have one copy of the ApoE4 gene. As you can imagine, this came as a shock. Perhaps it should not have - my mother and grandmother both had dementia - thought to be Alzheimers, though of course diagnosis is only definite with a brain autopsy. I always thought I had "my father's brain". My parents were both educated and intelligent, but Dad has no Alzheimer's on his side, and the analytical mind that led him to engineering.

It does not work that way! Just because I had have a PhD and "my father's brain" - That does not mean I cannot get Alzheimer's . Good thing I paid for that "health analysis special" when the company I did my genetic testing with offered it.

I've read Dr. Bredesen's book and many other things since I learned of my status. I've been really impressed with what I've seen here.

I've started changing my life a lot. I am implementing a lot of facets of his protocol (as you probably know, he does not think anyone must implement all 36, or even that all 36 are appropriate for each type of Alzheimer's).

Life is a big "blur" right now as I try to make major diet and lifestyle changes, apply for 37 different blood tests to see what they mean, and read, read, read the research. I'm determined that whatever I can reasonably do to reduce my risk will be done.

Its good to be among those with the same condition!
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Sara Mushel, MS
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Re: New Here

Post by Sara Mushel, MS »

Welcome to the forum, lindaelane!

Indeed, you have found the right place. Thank you for sharing your story with us! Your experience will be an important contribution for everyone here as we learn from one another. As a PhD, I'm sure you will appreciate the input by members here who have mastered the art of "biohacking" the ApoE4 gene using evidence-based research. If you haven't already found these resources within the forum, the Primer and Wiki page are excellent places to start.
I've started changing my life a lot. I am implementing a lot of facets of his protocol (as you probably know, he does not think anyone must implement all 36, or even that all 36 are appropriate for each type of Alzheimer's).
Thanks for referencing this important analogy from Dr. Bredesen's book. It is one of my favorite points because it helps illustrate the need for the multimodal approach to the Protocol. I especially appreciate his point that while you can't realistically "plug" every proverbial hole in your roof, the more that you do, the less leaky it will be. And based on the the information that you've shared with us, it sounds like you're already practicing many of the important modifiable lifestyle factors associated with decreasing risk for cognitive decline, particularly your love of learning by staying cognitively engaged and up-to-date on the latest information.

If you'd like to share, we would love to learn more about you and hear about your journey along the way. Please feel free to reach out for assistance if you need any help as you go through the process. Searching the forums on specific topics is a great way to get insight on various issues from other members that have experienced it before. And finally, congratulations for making the decision to make the big lifestyle changes that you have!

Good luck and keep us posted!

Sara Mushel
lindaelane
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Re: New Here

Post by lindaelane »

Thank you, Sara! You are so welcoming and I think you are such a gifted writer. I've gone through the excellen primer, I should have said that in my intro, and yes, I do need to find my way to the wiki and go through that.

I also have a lot of interest in CVD, because I am at risk for that due my CAC scan. So that is why I may comment from time to time on overlapping factors, such as lipids. I think I know when my opinions are controversial in the medical community, so I will state my sources when I do.

I was able to complete a 30 minutes aerobic session today for the first time in a very, very long time. In my case: Medformin and the prednisone I was presecribed for an inflammatory condition gave me this ability, and its so great! I did cut back my carbs a lot before talking to my medical professional, and she suggested that one-third the usual dose of metformin was appropriate for me since my stubborn 6.1 A1C, which is pre-diabetic level, was not budging. I feel better than I have in years - it is so amazing when your cells will take up energy from carbs (no one eats zero carbs) rather than resist it. ***I certainly don't think anyone should go on medformin if they can lower their insulin resistance through diet, and I believe most people can lower it that way***.

My weight got much better with cutting carbs - down 25 pounds (I confess I could not go keto....I admire those who cabm but I think I the lack of energy caused by poor metabolism rendered the shop/cook effort required by keto too much for me). Long story short, my A1C did not improve, so here I am... I will possibly need some help in discussion - if you ever see me saying something without mentioning my medformin when it should have been mentioned, for example.

Alternatively, my energy may get so much better that I can get closer to keto and go off the medformin. That would be a long term goal.

I'm thinking of trying to work in HIIT with aerobics...kind of...perhaps aerobics for 10 minutes, then 15 minutes of HIIT (1 intense, 2 less-so, five rounds), then a cool down that at least meets basic aerobic guidelines. Amazing - I probably feel well enough to do that right after metformin, which is addressing my stubborn insulin resistance.

Anyway...those are some of my discoveries for now. I look forward to discovering more on the forums!

Thanks again for being so welcoming!
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floramaria
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Re: New Here

Post by floramaria »

lindaelane wrote:. I've gone through the excellen primer, I should have said that in my intro, and yes, I do need to find my way to the wiki and go through that.

I also have a lot of interest in CVD, because I am at risk for that due my CAC scan. So that is why I may comment from time to time on overlapping factors, such as lipids. I think I know when my opinions are controversial in the medical community, so I will state my sources when I do.
Hi lindaelane, congratulations for the many positive changes you are making, and for completing that 30 minute aerobic session! You may have already discovered this on your own, but just in case you have not, I’ll mention the search function which you can access with the magnifying glass to the left of your user name. The search fanction allows you to see all the previous posts, in various threads, that relate to your search. This function can be very helpful because the threads can go off in a variety of directions, just like a normal conversation; sometimes relevant info to a topic of particular interest may turn up in a thread that has a title that might cause you to pass it up.
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lindaelane
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Re: New Here

Post by lindaelane »

Fabulous! I did not know about that.

And...if that, in addition to letting me know about the search function, is a way to tell me I was wandering off topic, it is the most polite and tactful I have ever seen :) I'll watch out.
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floramaria
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Re: New Here

Post by floramaria »

lindaelane wrote:Fabulous! I did not know about that.

And...if that, in addition to letting me know about the search function, is a way to tell me I was wandering off topic, it is the most polite and tactful I have ever seen :) I'll watch out.
Not at all! Not at all! I did not even consider the idea that you were “off topic” and was surprised to read that you thought perhaps I was giving you a polite message. :lol:
I was just letting you know about a tool that I find extremely useful myself. It is a fact that info on a topic can show up somewhere down a thread that might be an unlikely place to look if you were just looking at the title. that’s just a helpful thing to know.
There isn’t any reason for you to watch out!
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mike
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Re: New Here

Post by mike »

lindaelane wrote:I was able to complete a 30 minutes aerobic session today for the first time in a very, very long time. In my case: Medformin and the prednisone I was presecribed for an inflammatory condition gave me this ability, and its so great! I did cut back my carbs a lot before talking to my medical professional, and she suggested that one-third the usual dose of metformin was appropriate for me since my stubborn 6.1 A1C, which is pre-diabetic level, was not budging. I feel better than I have in years - it is so amazing when your cells will take up energy from carbs (no one eats zero carbs) rather than resist it. ***I certainly don't think anyone should go on medformin if they can lower their insulin resistance through diet, and I believe most people can lower it that way***.
I'm curious why you would want to reduce your metformin if it was helping? Reducing it will not cause your A1c to go down, and it is considered to have many positive benefits. Also, when you say that you have cut carbs, can you say by how much? Are you measuring in any way? Do you know what your current macros (grams/day of protein, carbs and fat) are? I myself went off Metformin a few years ago, but I'm going to start taking again soon. Some call it a longevity drug.
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lindaelane
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Re: New Here

Post by lindaelane »

Hello Mike! Thanks for your reply. On Metformin, the truth is, right now, I wish I had more. But if its purpose is to make my cells insulin sensitive, I guess I thought the best way was to get myself in better shape so that I did not need it. If it has other purposes and I've been fortunate to be put on a drug that could help me in other ways than insulin sensitivity, then I want to stay on it. How else can it help? (Google says some things when I ask this question but its controversial so I am curious about thoughts on this.)

On carbs, I read the labels on things like a package (these are healthy packaged foods, or the occasional packaged but low carb treat). I look it up online if there is no package. I know which foods are low and no carb. I try to stay with a no or very low carb meal at least twice a day (and I admit my breakfast has 56 carbs at times...which is high I think). So for instance, I get 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs in the chicken meatballs I make with dinner tonight, then I get cauliflower mashed potatoes (from the frozen food isle, just a few carbs) and I get plenty of veggies with this. (I hate plain chicken...spicy chicken meatball recipe has been a godsend...grocery sell ground chicken).

Btw, I'm sure I could improve on the "breadcrumbs" but this is a lifestyle change, and I know I will not forever devote hours of each day to cooking, so I am trying to figure out what I will do, and do it.

There are some things I can't do "forever". I can't be a vegetarian, I don't know why not...I love animals...but its not in me. I'm being pretty disciplined with a fasting window, daily exercise and cutting carbs to 120 on most days, plus many new supplements such as bioavailable b vitamins. All I was doing before was a fasting window (plus constant mental challenge, which I like).

I want to see if the new life changes help my inflammation numbers, insulin numbers, BMI, blood pressure, plus the bloodwork numbers Dr. Bredesen mentions in his book, If I can get those numbers under control, I will be following a good l plan to reduce risk of Alzheimer's. If they don't come under control, I will have to make even more lifestyle changes. Does that sound right?
mike
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Re: New Here

Post by mike »

Here is a nice link on Metformin. https://www.diabetesnet.com/about-diabe ... /metformin

Here is another shorter quote from Google
Metformin decreases hepatic glucose production, decreases intestinal absorption of glucose, and improves insulin sensitivity by increasing peripheral glucose uptake and utilization.
Can you tell me more about yourself? Any AD symptoms? Age? Weight/BMI? Have you been exposed to toxics over your lifetime? How long has your A1c has been elevated. Personally, I try to keep my carbs to around 35 gr / day, but I've had diabetes for 20 years. My diet is different than many here, with most of my protein and fat coming from meat and dairy. Everyone is different, and no one diet is going to work for everyone. Breadcrumbs are a no-no. For Carbs, in order, get rid of anything with added sugar or corn syrup. Don't drink fruit juices. Then eliminate simple carbs - ones that digest quickly and cause blood sugar rise. These tend to be white - potatoes, rice, flour (bread). If this still doesn't bring sugars down, then cut out all potatoes, rice and flour. Try yams instead. If you tolerate dairy, then I think it is okay. Others will not agree. Same for eggs. Try to get the best quality you can - pasture raised, organic, etc. If cutting these carbs out don't work, then look at your veggies - rule of thumb, anything veggie grown under ground will have more carbs - carrots, onions. Tomatoes are also high. I still eat veggies with my protein and fat, but I stick to things like green beans, broccoli, cauliflower and summer squash. Fermented Veggies are also good. Keep working the carbs until your A1c goes down. It would be good to get your insulin resistance measured (fasting glucose and insulin taken at same time) to see where you stand.
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Sara Mushel, MS
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Re: New Here

Post by Sara Mushel, MS »

My weight got much better with cutting carbs - down 25 pounds (I confess I could not go keto....I admire those who cabm but I think I the lack of energy caused by poor metabolism rendered the shop/cook effort required by keto too much for me). Long story short, my A1C did not improve, so here I am... I will possibly need some help in discussion - if you ever see me saying something without mentioning my medformin when it should have been mentioned, for example.

Alternatively, my energy may get so much better that I can get closer to keto and go off the medformin. That would be a long term goal.


Hi lindaelane!

I think you hit the nail on the head here. The increase in energy from the medication combined with the great exercise regime may in fact lead you right where you want to be with a keto diet because you'll feel more motivated to do the "work" involved. Boy, I understand the challenges with meal planning and prepping. I'm actually putting my husband on the Bredesen Protocol for preventative purposes for six months. We'll be starting in a week or two so I'm putting together meal plans right now. Without a doubt, it is time consuming and energy-intensive. I think that choosing Sundays to go shopping and batch cook will be key. It's all about routine!

Thanks for the compliment on my writing skills. The quality depends on how much sleep my kiddos let me get the night before ;)

I'm impressed with your workout routine! Thank you for sharing more about yourself. I look forward to hearing more from you along the way!

Sara Mushel
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