Welcome!!!

A primer for newbies and old pros alike.
Julianne Ream
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Re: Welcome!!!

Post by Julianne Ream »

Our family physician is proscribing Aricept for R.ch and wondered what side effects he can expect and what the reactions have been to this drug. Thanks to everyone who has anything to offer. lani
Rubrobben
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Re: Welcome!!! 1st Post

Post by Rubrobben »

Hello everyone! I am new and very excited to learn and participate.
My name is Bobbie and I’m 67 years old. Just found out a couple of months ago that I have two copies of APOE4. I don’t think I have any cognitive issues right now but have not been tested other than the ‘Wellness visit’ questions given to me at my yearly physical.
I’ve switched to the MIND diet completely but have recently heard about RECODE protocol and now I’m totally confused on what to eat and a few other items. Regarding the food; the mind diet recommends whole grains and they include wheat but the other protocol does not. The ReCODE speaks about hormone therapy but am post breast cancer six years and I cannot use HRT and I’m taking estrogen inhibitors for another four years.
This is all so overwhelming at times.
Other info...
BMI is 21 and waist is 26 inches.
I walk a lot and do some circuit training a couple times a week.
I am petrified of Alzheimer’s disease... I truly would rather check out of this wonderful world then put my family through this.
Thank you so much for being there.

Bobbie
FinnGal
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Re: Welcome!!!

Post by FinnGal »

Hi,
My name is Carole. I’m awaiting my test results. I’m of a 100% Finnish heritage which has the highest prevalence of the APOE4 allele in the world (22%). Does anyone feel that this greatly increases my risk for the allele mathematically?

Also, is anyone bothered by the studies showing significant differences in cognitive tests and imaging results between carriers and non-carriers?

I’m so scared! Anyone else feel this way?

Thanks!
Carole
Lucy5
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Re: Welcome!!!

Post by Lucy5 »

Hi Carole and welcome to our community!

I'll let the member mathematicians jump in on your first question when they have a moment. But as you await your test results, I would like to point out as we say frequently here, "genes are NOT destiny". I hope you'll keep that in mind - as hard as it may be right now!

As for your second question:
Also, is anyone bothered by the studies showing significant differences in cognitive tests and imaging results between carriers and non-carriers?
Not knowing which studies you've read and may be referring to, it's a bit tough for me to respond here. Please feel free to link any that you've found concerning/relevant for members to take a look at.

Carole, it makes total sense that anyone who is concerned they may be at higher risk of being an ApoE4 carrier would be on pins and needles waiting for those results to come in! I'm sure there are many members here who've felt exactly what you're feeling now. While you wait, you may find browsing our site Primer helpful. It was written by a member doctor, Stavia, and has a great deal of information about the E4 allele along with lifestyle strategies that we believe can significantly modify it's potential impact. The big plus here is that much of it can be applied to improve overall health regardless of your ApoE status. Our Wiki has in-depth discussions you may find of interest, and the Wiki How-To-Guide may help you navigate our site a bit more easily.

Carole, please feel free to update us on your results and ask questions of the group at any time. If at some point you'd like to share a bit more about yourself, the Our Stories forum is a great place to do it. While I am hoping along with you that you do not find a "4" in your test results, please, please know that there are so many members here with one and two E4 alleles aging quite well and living life to it's fullest.
sending hugs your way...Lucy
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srbogert
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Re: Welcome!!!

Post by srbogert »

Hi Carol! Welcome to the community! I'm glad that you found us.
Your concern is very normal, and I'm glad that you are taking steps to learn about your status, and about E4 in general. Lucy (above) has given you some great advice, and links to some of the site's key resources. I believe that learning about the science, and and hearing other people's stories will help you in your journey of discovery.
..... Steve
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach
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docdewitt
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Re: Welcome!!!

Post by docdewitt »

Here is what I just found out from 23andMe and Promethease: APOE E3/E3 Apo-ε3/ε3, the most common form of APOE. It is considered the "neutral" genotype, with E2 having lower risk and E4 having higher risk of Alzheimer's disease
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chadbourne_chip
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Re: Welcome!!!

Post by chadbourne_chip »

Stavia and Julie,

Ive been reading many of your entries and appreciate all of the knowledge and time you are sharing here. Im 43, 4/4, Male and Keto with a healthy life style located in San Diego. Im hoping to be able to help contribute one day and am pleased to have joined the group!

Take Care,
Chip
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GLS18
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Re: Welcome!!!

Post by GLS18 »

chadbourne_chip wrote:Stavia and Julie,

Ive been reading many of your entries and appreciate all of the knowledge and time you are sharing here. Im 43, 4/4, Male and Keto with a healthy life style located in San Diego. Im hoping to be able to help contribute one day and am pleased to have joined the group!

Take Care,
Chip
Hi Chip and a warm welcome to our community!

Thank you for acknowledging the work of Stavia and Julie. I am deeply grateful for both of these extraordinary women and their tremendous contributions.

It is wonderful that you have taken charge of your cognitive and overall health through preventive lifestyle measures. If you would like to share, we would love to hear more about your healthy lifestyle and what is working well for you via Our Stories.

As you continue on your wellness journey, you will find a great deal of support and a wealth of resources on this site. The Primer, beautifully compiled by practitioner and fellow E4E4 member Stavia, covers a wide range of topics and provides several lifestyle factors to optimize cognitive health. For tips on navigating the site effectively, you can go here: How To Get The Most From The ApoE4.Info Website.

Looking forward to your continued feedback, insights and questions!

Again, a warm welcome:)
Gina
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
Reversing Cognitive Decline For Coaches Certification Candidate, Fall 2018
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - Mahatma Gandhi
Ned
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Re: Welcome!!!

Post by Ned »

Hello everybody.
I have just found out that I am homozygous for APOE-ε4 and my wife is APOE-ε3/APOE-ε4. Yesterday evening we told our son. Feeling a bit dazed now.
NF52
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Re: Welcome!!!

Post by NF52 »

Ned wrote:Hello everybody.
I have just found out that I am homozygous for APOE-ε4 and my wife is APOE-ε3/APOE-ε4. Yesterday evening we told our son. Feeling a bit dazed now.
HI Ned,
A warm welcome to you and your wife and son!

Feeling a bit dazed is certainly well within the range of feelings people often have on learning their ApoE 4 status. You don't say how old you are, but since you've told your son, I'm guessing he is at least a young adult, and you and your wife are in the years where you get to enjoy not paying college tuition. You should know that the three of you may have very different feeling about this news and your feelings may change over time. (Your son is, I assume either ApoE 3/4 or 4/4, although he may not either realize that or want to be tested.)

So here's some good news from someone who is 66, ApoE 4/4 and has three adult children who are ApoE 3/4 (my husband is also 66 and ApoE 3/3):

Genes are not destiny. They are, in fact, only a partial contributor to risk of AD, since it seems that the range of people currently ages 60-75 with ApoE 4/4 who will get either mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer's disease (AD) is wide--about 30% risk to maybe 60% for some folks.

Cognitive reserve (education levels, innate brain flexibility and structures), cognitive resilience (the brain being able to find work-arounds for connections that no longer are as efficient), control of risk factors through diet, exercise, sleep, stress reduction, control of high blood pressure, mental health and social engagement with an optimistic attitude--all these may be more important to our long-term health span than this one factor.

I hope you will explore around the site. Our wonderful interns will share tips on how to navigate, topics on the Wiki and the Primer from our wonderfully wise Dr. Stavia, who has ApoE 4/4 also.

Please let us know how we can support each of you in this new landscape--I promise it is full of research being done on many fronts, exciting findings and well-deserved optimism that our futures and those of your son and my children are far better than those of our parents and grandparents.
4/4 and still an optimist!
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