Remembering to Write About Alzheimer’s Disease

Before I forget, I want to write my last piece for The Next Phaseof 2015, which is now my first article for 2016, as I did not finish it until New Years Day, about Alzheimers Disease. Most people blanch when talking about Alzheimer’s, and with good reason. It, something it has affected, or both, are fatal 100% of the time.You may recall the lines spoken by Jaques the Fool in Shakespeares “As You Like It”

“Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
None of us wants to play this role.”


Separating The Wheat From The Chaff

Before I forget, I want to write my last piece for “The Next Phase” of 2015, which is now my first article for 2016, as I did not finish it until New Year’s Day, about Alzheimer’s Disease. Most people blanch when talking about Alzheimer’s Disease, and with good reason. It, something it has affected, or both, are fatal 100% of the time. As you might imagine, the results produced by Alzheimers research cover many different disease pathways. Opening all these doorways produced a lot of either wrong or contradictory information.

For example, many of you are probably familiar with the terms amyloid plaque,” “neurofibrilary tangles,and tau.For years, scientists thought that one or more of these caused Alzheimers, and a lot of work went into trying to prove one or another the culprit.

New Concepts for Alzheimer’s Disease

It is only within the last two or three years that other concepts have been drawing a lot of interest: Overactive immune systems, chronic inflammation, excitotoxicity, and looking at Alzheimers as Type III diabetes. All of these are interrelated as follows:

The brain contains immune cells called microglia. They are like Roombas, sweeping through the brain to clean up germs. Normally, they go about this work in a normal state; however, when they are activated by injury, infection, environmental poisons, etc., they produce cytokines and chemokine, which are inflammatory agents.

The brain contains immune cells called microglia. They are like Roombas, sweeping through the brain to clean up germs. Normally, they go about this work in a normal state. When, however, they are activated by injury, infection, environmental poisons, etc., they produce cytokines and chemokine, which are inflammatory agents. Microglia also produce excitotoxic agents like glutamate, especially when the brain, as often happens in older people, doesnt generate enough energy for optimal brain function. When the brains energy is reduced, neurons, dendrites, and synapses become more sensitive to excitotoxic agents.

The brain uses glucose for energy. But, if the inflammation and excitotoxicity have disabled or destroyed brain cells and connections, then there are fewer mitochondria to burnthe glucose for energy. The remaining cells become glutted with glucose. The body reads this as more glucose to be processed, so the pancreas makes more insulin. Insulin’s job is to help glucose enter cells and find mitochondria. Because the insulin cant do its job, the condition can develop into insulin resistance which can morph into what some scientists call Type III diabetes.

An important point to remember is that low-level inflammation can exist in a body for decades before injury, heavy metals, poor diet, or other stimuli can cause it to ignite. Specifically for Alzheimers, this low-level inflammation can start the processes that lead to the kinds of amyloid plaque, neurofibrillary tangles, and tau that, in some individuals, will progress to Alzheimers. Why it doesnt happen in all people who develop plaque is a mystery.

Four Steps To Slow Down Or Prevent The Process

The first step is to eat a good diet, one that does not promote inflammation. Here is a chart containing lists of nutritional Dos and Don’ts:

Source: “The Blaylock Wellness Report, June 2013.

Step 1: Eat a good diet, one that does not promote inflammation. Here is a chart containing lists of nutritional Dos and Donts:

Step 2: Get exercise, which has been shown to help repair the brain.

Step 3: Take supplements: Hawthorn, Silymarin, R-Lipoic Acid, N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), a multivitamin, and plenty of fiber. Some folks will add Vitamin D3 and Magnesium. However, without the proper foods and regular exercise, you will be reducing the value of the supplements, which work best in bodies that take in healthy food and drink and that stay active.

Step 4: Laughter is healthy, too. With that in mind, here is a joke about forgetfulness:

Dan runs over to Pauls house. Paul, youve gotta help me!

Sure,replies Dan. Whats the problem?

I cant remember a damn thing! I open the refrigerator, I forget why. I go into a room, I dont remember what Im doing there. Driving I sometimes forget where Im going.

Relax, Dan. I had the same problems. But I saw a doctor. He taught me some mental exercises, prescribed a few supplements, and now”—he snaps his fingers—“Ive got a memory like a 20-year old.

Great!Whats the docs name?asks Dan.

He taught me a great way to remember names. First I have to picture an object, like a flower. In this case, the flower is bright red, has many petals, and the stems have thorns. Its . . . called . . . a . . . rose!

Then Paul calls out, Hey, Rose, whats the name of that doctor I saw?