ARE THERE BETTER TREATMENTS FOR ALZHEIMERS PATIENTS?

The more physicians are willing to open their trained minds to new available information the closer we get to understanding the changing dynamics of diseases. We physicians experience the same defensive posturing as the lay person when it comes to acknowledging the need to change our beliefs and our behaviors. We have been taught to follow protocols accepted by the profession and to abide by treatment guidelines resulting from these protocols. This model of care continues in present times.

BUT IS IT WORKING?

Has the medical field consistently found solutions for the diseases they diagnose and treat? They work diligently with the pharmaceutical industry attempting to discover new drugs to improve the quality of their patient’s lives. For Alzheimer’s patients, Aricept, Exelon, Razadyne and Namenda are the most popular drugs prescribed. These drugs work to prevent the breakdown of chemical messengers in the brain affecting cognition. Are we winning the war on Alzheimer’s Disease? For that matter, are we winning the war on cancer, diabetes, strokes, depression or obesity by using the same medical protocols and treatment guidelines we’ve used over the last 100 years?

NO!

Our view of “DISEASE” is too simplified. We try to discover “THE CURE” through research and hope a “one size fits all answer” can be found. The complexity of the human body makes this an impossible task. Instead, we should look to modify exposure to lifestyle choices that break down the body’s physical ability to protect us from disease. We are learning these lifestyle choices are contributing in a large way to the various health imbalances we develop including those we “officially name” Alzheimers, Cancer, Diabetes, Stroke, Depression and Obesity.) From the medical perspective, these diseases are distinct and treated separately.

We continue to take our pills:

to “medically treat” our diseases.

Alzheimer’s continues to devastate nearly 15% of the U.S. population. As physicians, we must open our minds and begin expanding our understanding of the disease process rather than following outdated protocols used to reduce the symptoms of this disease. This means we can no longer match a pill to a diagnosis and walk away claiming to have done our job. With Alzheimers, we must seek the various factors associated with the degenerative brain and create customized plans that prevent advancement and ultimately reverse the pathways causing the disease.

The traditional approach would prescribe one of the four pills listed earlier in this article after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. This reinforces the “POWER OF THE PILL” and minimizes the important role the patient plays in their own recovery. The patient is never provided instructions about activities of daily living that can act to advance or inhibit the disease.  The doctor monitors a degenerating patient without significantly improving his or her quality of life (in most cases.) The caregiver is usually informed “nothing else can be done.”

THIS IS FACTUALLY INCORRECT.

Dr. Dale E. Bredesen, MD has developed protocols that have objectively and quantifiably proven the reversal of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s patients. He has achieved these successes by incorporating protocols for addressing various factors resulting in cognitive impairment. One of the most important factors that inevitably shows up in Alzheimer’s patients (as well as most diseases {conditions}) is:

INFLAMMATION

We have learned that plaquing (beta-amyloid) in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease IS THE RESULT OF THE BODY’S PROTECTIVE MECHANISM rather than the cause of this disease. It is part of the inflammatory response. It is NOT just the accumulation of damaging substances found in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients interfering with brain function.  What are the factors that lead to this inflammatory response? Some of these include metal toxicities, gastrointestinal health, hormonal imbalances, sleep deprivation and infections. Dr. Bredesen reclassifies Alzheimer’s as a Metabolic Disorder rather than a Disease. By Incorporating diet, exercise, stress reduction, sleep, hormonal optimization, nutrient rebalancing, targeted herbs, brain stimulation and finally pharmaceutical utilization, the progression of this condition CAN BE ALTERED.

If our doctors used these parameters to evaluate our health during a physical examination, do you think that cardiac disease, diabetes, stroke, obesity, depression and every other NAMED “DISEASE” would be impacted? Of course it would. We would FINALLY be looking at the factors addressing the ROOT CAUSES of health imbalances giving the patient a fighting chance to restore good health to their bodies. Doesn’t this sound better than watching our health and quality of life gradually diminish under the “supervision” of our licensed doctors?

Doctors, like patients, resist change. If we are going to improve the health of our nation, it is going to require a willingness from both participants. My goal is to simplify technical explanations about health problems to create better awareness for the average person. I also aim to unify our professional health care providers to work together to provide a higher standard and quality of care. This article reveals a “new truth” regarding the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease. I hope it provides new hope and encouragement to families suffering the current consequences of this CONDITION and the motivation to discuss these new approaches to managing it with your doctors. We can no longer accept our physicians telling us:

THERE IS NOTHING ELSE WE CAN DO!

Tags: aging, alternatives, disease, lifestyle, pharmaceutical, preventative health, quality of life