AWAKENING FROM ALZHEIMER'S - THE AWAKENING BEGINS.

[Jan]

I want a Tardis. It’s bigger on the inside ...

[Stavia]

Day 5
Dr Jacob Teitelbaum

Made an app - Cures A to Z
http://www.vitality101.com


When you have organ failure, its that last 5-10% drop that causes problems such as in renal failure. Thus its a gradual progression then it appears that there is a sudden deterioration. 30-50% of people diagnosed with AD don't have it at all at autopsy.

MIND protocol:
Metabolic, hormonal, insulin sensitivity
Infections
Nutritional support
Drug side effects

If a person is diagnosed with AD, they can enter this study.

M
He believes that metabolic factors can still be managed even when AD has started.
Find an holistic doctor. They will be able to assess. They look at the patient not the blood test only.
1. Thyroid for instance. 200- 800% more likely to develop dementia if undertreated. 2 standard deviations (usual range in blood tests) not good enough in his opinion for everyone. Going by symptoms if better and offer a trial of thyroid hormone esp if T3 is in lowest 10th percentile or TSH more than 2.5.
2. Same for testosterone in low normal

I
Infections
1. chronic bladder infections - he believes asymptomatic bacteriuria in the elderly should be treated. He believes it is asymptomatic because their nerves in their bladders not working properly. Once treated, then use estrogen cream to prevent and also mannose. Sagopro?
2. candida infection - manifests as sinus and IBS issues. Chronic post nasal drip. Lot of gas ('"old fart"). If there is a sulfur smell in the gas, its bacterial overgrowth as well and he uses neomycin. Candidia - fluconazole, boswelia, nystatin. Its ver hard to treat the candida without medication.
3. Lyme disease - the thing is no test is reliable. He beleives not as big a player in older people as the first two.

N
Nutritional support
1. fasting, ketogenic diet etc for insulin resistance. The frontal lobe in the brain is insulin resistant in AD. He takes patients deeply into ketosis that you can smell the acetoacetate on the breath.
2. folic acid deficiency is a major player. methylated.
3. B12. "normal range" inadequate and the RDA's not adequate. Homocysteine.
4. Cucurmin - he uses curamed. 750mg twice a day.
5. methylene blue

D
Drugs. Many of the elderly are on polypharmacy, much of which is not needed.
Antihistamines, urinary incontinence meds, acid blockers (drops B12 and magnesium absorption) now this is interesting - PPIs could thus be safe if one makes sure B12 and magnesium levels are optimal? some people need the PPIS.

[Stavia]

Day 5
Dr Mary Newport

I'm only going to gloss over. It's probably all in her book and on youtube. Its basically ketosis to bypass the insulin resistance in the brain by using coconut oil and MCT oil that she developed herself. She started reading up on all biochemical mechanisms, got to IR as a mechanism, and from then read in the patent application that MCT oil was extracted from coconut oil so she tried that herself from first principles. Her husband was improved on one dose.
In Steve she found that coconut oil resulted in a more sustained ketone elevation, whereas MCT oil gave a higher peak but was shorter in duration.

My opinion: again, quite a superficial overview - and just coconut oil alone isn't going to reverse IR and and this approach ignores other well known factors in AD. It's presented as a silver bullet. So far, each presenter's video on their area of expertise shows only part of the picture and IMO gives false hope by promoting monotherapies. Presenter continues to be too uncritical and not ask probing questions about each presenter's opinion in the whole picture of possible strategies

[SusanJ]

Hmm, perhaps because silver bullets sell books???

[Magda]

I have not watched the interview yet, but listened to the preview, and had mixed feelings about it. Especially theory of MCT and coconut oil being enough to reverse anything.
I am still planning on watching the full interview.

[Stavia]

Hmm, perhaps because silver bullets sell books???

indeed. sigh.

[Stavia]

Day 7
Dr Jay Faber

Advanced imaging in advanced dementia. Psychiatrist. "Spec-scans" (? spelling?) look at blood flow in the brain. Looking at function as opposed to structure, blood flow is an indirect measure of neuron behaviour. Cortex, limbic system etc. He sees three pictures: fronto-temporal picture, middle cortical area decrease in blood flow associated with AD, occiptal cortex decrease blood flow - association with LewyBody/Parkinsonian dementia.

Memory can be affected by attention (frontal lobe), anxiety - its not all AD.

he says he has 85% of patients get better (I wonder what get better means...)

He has investigated supplements affecting blood flow to temporal lobe :--> increase blood flow and thus decrease inflammation
vinpositine for memory
huperazineA for memory
acetylcholine is a player so acetylcholine breakdown inhibitors
magnesium for temporal lobe dementia causing irritability and anger
taurine for temporal lobe dementia causing irritability and anger
GABA ditto
He sees benzodiazepines cause decreased blood flow to the cortex in their scans.

Supplements in AD and Lewy Body:--->
Ginkgo
NAC (precursor of glutathione)
CoQ10
Vit E
Vit D
Acetyl Carnitine
Alpha lipoic acid

oh dear - he says high lipids block blood flow... but he is also anti-statins in terms of brain function. So he uses functional integrated doctors to give red yeast rice (which is a statin....sigh...). Berberine. He says its not his area of expertise. Clearly.

Of course as a psychiatrist, he talks about emotional associations with AD. Thalamus disorders -> social withdrawal. He thinks if you calm down the brain with supplements AD will be prevented. SAMe. Anterior cingulate gyrus overactive - obsession. Needs serotinin. Inositol. St Johns wort (which is a potent MAO inhibitor and so not my drug of choice, it has so many interactions). 5hydroxy tryptophane.

He has relabelled MCI as pre-Alzheimers, seen on his scans. Decreased perfusion to middle third of brain.

Exercise increases blood flow to the brain seen on scan. Calms down basal ganglia with increased blood flow (I just cant any more - does he think the audience is too dumb for explaining BDNF or is he just into blood flow to the exclusion of everything else? I only continued watching because I committed to take notes. Its extremely irritating)

Food: polysaturated fats and carbohydrates. He has nothing against pancakes but doesnt like the frosting. High protein to increase dopamine (omg classic example of microscope vision and being so anatomically focussed- lets only look at dopamine because we are a psychiatrist and ignore the whole mTOR link), healthy carbs, mediterranean

Gut toxins: inflammation travels through the blood and reaches the brain (!). Probiotic. Stool analysis.

Diabetes: need to get it under control. HIgh carb foods. High emphasis on obesity, uses dieticians. Hmm I wonder what the dieticians use and what their success rate is.

USA Govt spending money to find treatments for AD. By 2020 he hopes there will be therapies like with HIV. Im not holding my breath. I know there is nothing in the pipeline drug therapy wise that will be ready by 2020.

Prevention: good mutivitamin (!), omega3s, VitD, their clinic sells "brain memory power boost", phosphatidyl serine plus the ones above he mentions

Then he does mention BDNF and stem cells. Very briefly. Interviewer had to offer the words cognitive reserve and neuroplasticity.

My opinion: much too simple. sweeping generalisations. Narrow focus missing out huge areas such as toxins etc. He is completely focused on anatomical brain function as measured by the scanning and trying out supplements to increase blood flow in these scans. Must be hideously expensive. Very reductionist and misses big picture.
Was he saying that all the problem in AD is due to decreased blood flow causing decreased oxygen causing inflammation by decreased oxygen because that is what he believes because the clinic is based on the special scanning, or is he over simplifying?

[Stavia]

I want a Tardis. It’s bigger on the inside ...

ha!!

[hill dweller]

SPECT scans aren't much loved:

Daniel Amen loves SPECT scans (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography). And well he should. They have brought him fame and fortune. They have rewarded him with a chain of Amen Clinics, a presence on PBS, lucrative speaking engagements, a $4.8 million mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and a line of products including books, videos and diet supplements (“nutraceuticals”). He grossed $20 million last year. Amen is a psychiatrist who charges patients $3,500 to take pretty colored SPECT pictures of their brains as an aid to the diagnosis and treatment of conditions including brain trauma, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), addictions, anxiety, depression, dementia, and obesity. He even does SPECT scans as a part of marriage counseling and for general brain health checkups.

SPECT imaging uses an injected radioisotope to measure blood flow in different areas of the brain. Amen is exposing patients to radiation and charging them big bucks because his personal experience has convinced him SPECT is useful. So far, he has failed to convince the rest of the scientific medical community.

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/dr-ame ... ect-scans/

[slacker]

Thanks for taking one for the team, Stavia! Love the editorial comments

My mom watched the series last year, was upset with me that I didn't do so, but after her giving me a run down of each speaker, it was clear that my time was used more wisely doing other things...I'm still reading all of your summaries though!