Just started reading this book, anyone else read it? It sounds so promising. Although I'm not sure if it could help my Mom who's in moderate plus Alzheimer's. Makes me wonder if I should be concerned about me?
Genetic testing etc.
Anyone read it?
Thoughts?
I think I take a lot of pills. OMG -- the number of supplements recommended is incredible!
This applies only to ALZ, not other kinds of dementia. If you test at very low risk for ALZ, that doesn't mean you won't get vascular, frontal, lewy body, etc.
Thinking about it, I don't think I would want the test until there were reliable treatments available.
It sounds like Bredesen has tried his approach on first 10 and then 100 people. That is certainly enough to justify lots of further study, but, in my mind, 110 people don't "prove" anything.
Fine Tuning Bredesen's Protocol by Deborah Gordon MD
Too much copper and too little zinc are associated with dementia.
Your blood levels of both copper and zinc should be 100mcg/dL or a 1:1 ratio.
He goes into very specific details on the areas and tests, but in general he mentions:
inflammation
genetics
infections
homocysteine levels
fasting insulin levels
hormones (thyroid)
toxic exposure
immune system
microbiome
leaky gut
blood brain barrier
body mass index
prediabetes
volumetrics (as related to scans, MRIs)
One thing I am considering personally, is what lifestyle changes can I make now that are good for me regardless....which ones am I willing to make?
The book is new, but the research is not really new. Dr. Bredesen also has a website.
He is having trouble getting the medical community to back him with testing because it's a protocol rather than one or two medicines. I do not know if he has any hard data/stats of proof, but his book is filled with stories of patients who saw reversal of cognitive impairment and improvement on scans etc.
Right now it's just the tip of the iceberg for me in terms of reading and research...
One thing that I've wondered about is a common denominator such as the bad foods - sugar, etc. Were these addressed generally, or as inflammatory foods specifically?
Was there any discussion of toxins in water, air and foods, specifically insecticide residue from commercially grown produce?
How is the state of APOE4 diagnosed? Is it a blood test?
He says there are 3 main types:
Type 1 is Inflammatory and occurs more often in people who carry one or two of the APOE4 alleles, tends to run in families. If you carry two copies of this allele, your risk is 50% or higher of developing Alzheimer's (My maternal grandfather had Parkinson's
Both his children (my Mom & Uncle) have Alzheimer's)
Type 2 is atrophic, and also occurs more frequently in people who carry the APOE4 alleles. Symptoms start about a decade later, and no evidence of inflammation.
Type 3 is atypical and can be tied to toxic exposure with unusually low levels of zinc in the patients.
I'll keep reading...
JJ, let us know when you finish reading it, and especially if you decide to try the recommendations.
I learned from that process that people both with and without APO€4 may develop dementia. So having a specific gene does not necessarily indicate that dementia will develop.
I think another question would be if someone did test positive and it appeared as though there was a familial likelihood, what does that suggest about the cause of Alzheimers? That opens a wide area for research.
And how would someone change, or not change his/her life if genetic testing revealed a likelihood of developing it?
There are similar issues with genetic testing for cancer.