Is genetic testing essential to beginning ReCODE?

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
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Sharon-in-Tenn
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Is genetic testing essential to beginning ReCODE?

Post by Sharon-in-Tenn »

Hello, I'm a new member and this is my very first post. Like so many newbies, I find this site so content-rich that I hardly know where to start (although I'm currently reading Dr. Stavia's primer, as well as Dr. Bredesen's "End of Alzheimer's" book)
My family history is what prompted me to look into this site -- both my mother and her youngest sister died of AD. Now their middle sister (my aunt) has what she describes as "memory issues" and is taking some sort of Rx prescribed by a neurologist (I suspect it's either Aricept or Namenda, neither of which helped my mother)
As I'm sure everyone on this site understands: I'm very concerned that I may have inherited a tendency to AD.
I have not yet had any genetic testing, since I'm still thinking through the questions like "do I really want to know?" and "what if I test positive and am then unable to obtain medical insurance or long-term care insurance"?
However, I would value getting some or all of the lab assays of ReCODE in order to pursue better blood levels of everything they assess.
Do I have to undergo 23andme (or similar) in order to sign up for ReCODE?
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floramaria
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Re: Is genetic testing essential to beginning ReCODE?

Post by floramaria »

Sharon-in-Tenn wrote:Hello, I'm a new member and this is my very first post. Like so many newbies, I find this site so content-rich that I hardly know where to start (although I'm currently reading Dr. Stavia's primer, as well as Dr. Bredesen's "End of Alzheimer's" book)
My family history is what prompted me to look into this site -- both my mother and her youngest sister died of AD. Now their middle sister (my aunt) has what she describes as "memory issues" and is taking some sort of Rx prescribed by a neurologist (I suspect it's either Aricept or Namenda, neither of which helped my mother)
As I'm sure everyone on this site understands: I'm very concerned that I may have inherited a tendency to AD.
I have not yet had any genetic testing, since I'm still thinking through the questions like "do I really want to know?" and "what if I test positive and am then unable to obtain medical insurance or long-term care insurance"?
However, I would value getting some or all of the lab assays of ReCODE in order to pursue better blood levels of everything they assess.
Do I have to undergo 23andme (or similar) in order to sign up for ReCODE?

Welcome to our community, Sharon-in-Tenn. You are off to a great start on important resources for understanding Alheimer's Disease and the ApoE4 allele by reading the both the Primer and The End of Alzheimer's. There is a lot to digest in each of those, so take your time. With your family history, your concern is understandable. The decision of whether or not to test is a very personal one. For some people, knowing genetic risk helps provide extra motivation. Others choose not to know. As you consider this choice you might want to read Thinking-AboutTesting. For me, with a strong family history, I only decided to test for ApoE4 once I felt confident that I would be able to avoid the risks of through lifestyle changes if I turned out to carry it. ( I have one copy). You can follow all of the advice on optimizing your health without knowing your ApoE4 staus. While some of the guidelines apply specifically to ApoE4's, most of the recommendations would apply to anyone wanting to live a long healthy life. Cognitive decline is not confined to those with ApoE4 alleles. Stavia's guide to prioritizing steps to minimize impact of ApoE4...things like getting sufficient sleep, reversing insulin resistance, getting plenty of exercise, reducing stress....these are healthy steps for everyone.
As for ReCODE and testing : My understanding is that if you sign up for the one time ReCODE Report through AHNP, ApoE status is one of the things they will test.
You do not have to know your status going in. For the yearlong program, I believe the tests are not included and whatever tests you do get would be entered into your account by a ReCODE practitioner. A ReCODE Report would be generated based on whatever information you include. Without entering the formal program, you can also get the tests on your own, working with a physician, and aim for the optimal levels Dr Bredesen lays out.

In case you haven't found it yet, I'll point out that there is a search option that you access through the magnifying glass to the left of your user name. You can enter any topic there and see all the previous posts on this site that contain the word or phrase you enter.

We also have a Wiki, with a deep dive into several topics. One that you might want to look at sooner than later is the Wiki section on Getting the Most Out of this Website. It offers helpful tips like how to quote another posts when replying so that the author will be notified of your response, and how to follow threads that you are interested in.

We are all learning from each other and growing together. Your being here enriches the community, and we look forward to your participation. Feel free to post questions as they come up.
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
IFM/ Bredesen Training in Reversing Cognitive Decline (March 2017)
ReCODE 2.0 Health Coach with Apollo Health
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slacker
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Re: Is genetic testing essential to beginning ReCODE?

Post by slacker »

Sharon-in-Tenn wrote: Do I have to undergo 23andme (or similar) in order to sign up for ReCODE?
Hi Sharon;

You do not need genetic testing to sign up for ReCode. Some members came to this website after learning about their ApoE4 status with 23&me. Some like to do the deeper dive on genetics up front, others prefer to wait. It's an individual decision. Each of us has to decide how much information we can process and implement at a time!
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