PLAQUE and TANGLES caused by deposits of proteins on nerve cells in the brain can seriously alter your view of the world.
And although scientist don't know the cause of these deposits, they do know they are abundant in Alzheimer’s victims.
Baby Boomers beware; your risk of developing Alzheimer's is 1 out of 8 after age 65 and 1 out of 2 after age 85.
Your chance of developing the disease is far greater if you have a close relative who had the condition.
Alzheimer's robs you of your memories and sanity while slowly taking your life. And there's no cure for Alzheimer's nor one in sight ... or is there?
The Bad News
- While Bapineuzumab (Bapi), an experimental drug in the news lately may offer hope, like all drugs it's not without side effects. In phase II of the research, Bapi was found to cause serious inflammation of the membranous of the brain and the spinal cord...hardly a cure
- Experiments with HDAC inhibitors is reversing memory loss in mice but is at least a decade away from the prescription pad for humans and its side effects are yet to be written.
- Dr. Matt Kaeberlein at the University of Washington in Seattle thinks worms may just hold the hope for Alzheimer's patients. Scientists have been busy breeding worms with the ability to activate a reaction called the hypoxic response that is normally activated by a drop in surrounding oxygen. The ability to active the hypoxic responses prevents protein deposits associated with Alzheimer's ... at least in worms.
- A leading expert in the treatment of Alzheimer's, Dr. Paul Aisen a neuroscientist at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, says we'll have drugs to control the disease in another 5 to 10 years. In the meantime, he suggests we stay active, continue to learn, maintain a healthy weight and exercise.
The Better News
With Western medicine's focus on finding the solution in the form of a pill, it's refreshing to hear Dr. Aisen recommend that we, the aging public, should focus on our health as a way to prevent dis-ease of our body and mind.
But even more encouraging are the doctors at the Latter Day Saints Hospital in Salt Lake City Utah who think there might just be a health-focused solution. They call it Brain Builders program.
How Do You Build The Brain?
Dr. Joseph Diaz, research coordinator for the Brain Builders program suggests the treadmill.
Dr. Diaz says they don't know why but
exercise "...slows the symptoms of Alzheimer’s,
and also the symptoms of dementia in general.”
It appears hopeful that exercise may be the non-drug cure.
The Brain Builders program is a research program that runs 5 to 6 months and is available to patients from 65 to 89 who have been diagnosed with memory loss consistent with mild-stage Alzheimer's. Find out if you or your loved one qualifies and how to participate in the program by visiting the Brain Builders site.
If you can't made it to Utah, ask your doctor about starting an exercise program today and help keep your view of the world clear and plague free.
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