Madison Area Lyme Support Group

More than 40% of dementia diagnoses have been shown to be wrong.  Here’s what may really be going on.  

Imagine this nightmare. For the last few years your mother has had serious memory problems.  She gets lost driving.  She repeats the same question to you over and over again.  She can’t process new information.  She loses her train of thought in mid-sentence.  A CT scan comes back with a diagnosis of early Alzheimer’s disease.  The doctors offer a prescription with little encouragement it will work.

Do you despair?

A new program from UCLA and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging offers new hope.  In the first study of its kind, researchers have proved that natural therapies can not only slow the progress of dementia but can actually reverse it.

In a paper titled “Reversal of Cognitive Decline: A novel therapeutic program” Dr. Dale Bredesen showed how 9 out of the 10 subjects diagnosed with dementia got their minds back.[i]

(See link for article)

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SUMMARY:

• Study results were remarkable with 9 of the 10 showing improvement in memory within three to six months.
  
• Treatment was a “systems approach” which included dietary changes, exercise, brain stimulation, sleep optimization, pharmaceuticals and vitamins, etc.  Specifically:
  • eliminating all simple carbohydrates;
  • eliminating gluten and processed food;
  • increasing vegetables, fruits, and non-farmed fish;
  • reducing stress with yoga and meditation;
  • taking melatonin each night;
  • increasing sleep from 4-5 hours per night to 7-8 hours per night;
  • taking methylcobalamin (vitamin B12), vitamin D, CoQ10, and fish oil each day;
  • optimizing oral hygiene using an electric flosser and electric toothbrush;
  • hormone replacement therapy;
  • fasting for a minimum of 12 hours between dinner and breakfast;
  • fasting for a minimum of three hours between dinner and bedtime;
  • exercising for a minimum of 30 minutes, 4-6 days per week.

• The only side effect was improved health and weight
• (www.sharpagain.org) educates the public and the medical community about the reversible causes of dementia.

They give 7 areas to investigate before accepting a dementia or Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

1. Nutritional imbalances and deficiencies. Deficiencies of omega 3s, vitamin B12, vitamin C, magnesium, selenium, probiotics, and other nutrients frequently cause symptoms of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
2. Artificial food colors, flavors, and sweeteners. Artificial additives of all kinds may cause dementia symptoms.
3. Prescription medication side effects. Drugs, especially pain medications, and psychotropic drugs can severely disrupt cognition.
4. Inflammation from low-level infections, mold, food allergies, and Lyme Disease. Inflammation is the body’s attempt to get rid of a toxic element or organism, and so it occurs in many different situations, even root canals and urinary tract infections.
5. Stress and stagnation/inactivity. Stress elevates cortisol levels, leading to inflammation, and in turn to hormone imbalances, cognitive impairment, heightened blood sugar levels, hypertension, delayed healing time, and susceptibility to disease.
6. Thyroid and other hormonal imbalances. Many people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia simply have low levels of T3 thyroid hormone. However, standard thyroid tests completely miss T3 levels, and Synthroid (T4) doesn’t help. It is estimated that 10 to 15% of all nursing home residents may be there because of low T3.
7. Mercury and other heavy metal poisoning. So-called silver amalgam fillings contain 50 percent mercury, and that mercury is neither stable nor inert. It off-gasses, crosses the blood-brain barrier, and destroys neurons even without contact. Removing these fillings is hazardous unless done with mercury-safe protocols.  Annual flu shots are another source of these toxins.

Since doctors are not experts in dementia causes or how to treat it, Sharp Again Naturally is building a medical advisory board and a database. It also offers help finding functional medicine specialists, naturopaths, or doctors who practice integrative medicine who are familiar with these areas.

Click here for more information on natural approaches to preventing and overcoming dementia.

Additional References

[i] Dale E. Bredesen, “Reversal of Cognitive decline: A novel therapeutic program.” AGING, September 2014, Vol. 6, No. 9.