Can Alzheimer's Be Reversed?

Being diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease is frightening.  The victims suffer for years with continuous mental decline, resulting in forgetting their loved ones, their memories, and even who they are.  It is eventually fatal.

Alzheimer's has no effective treatment.  The medications may improve brain function temporarily but do nothing to halt the cognitive decline and the progression of the disease.  In a span of ten years, between 2000 and 2010, scientists have tested 244 experimental Alzheimer's drugs, with only one being approved, and that gave only temporary improvement.  Some of the major pharmaceutical companies have stopped doing Alzheimer's research because of this.

Dale Bredeson, MD, a researcher at UCLA (he has recently opened his own clinic to treat Alzheimer's patients), realized that Alzheimer's is not a single disease, and discovered that it can be prevented.  His team discovered that Alzheimer's is the brain's protective response to certain threats:  inflammation from infection or other causes, decline and shortage of supportive nutrients and brain-supporting hormones, and toxic substances.  They felt the brain was producing amyloid plaques as a protection.  Once the threats are removed, the body begins to remove the amyloid plaques and rebuild the synapses destroyed by the disease.  This takes time.

Dr. Bredeson looked at multiple factors and treated each one as needed.  He published the first study that showed reversal of early Alzheimer's.  It is a lot of work for the patient but definitely worth the results when done carefully and consistently.  The following are some of his suggestions (along with shameless plug-ins for our SpringTree supplements:

Reversing Cognitive Decline

Identify the factors contributing to synaptic destruction

• Have your genetics tested for ApoE 4, which increases the risk of Alzheimer’s.
• Consider quantitative neuropsychological testing, brain imaging, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, electrophysiology testing which can better show the cause of cognitive decline.
• Other mitigating factors:  head trauma, general anesthesia, dental amalgams, use tobacco, other life-style or environmental factors.

Test for the following concerns

• Homocysteine levels greater than 6.
• Take Methylation Factors
• Elevated Hemoglobin A1c (pre-diabetes or diabetes)
• Sugar Stabilization Program up to Ketogenic diet depending on level
• SpringTree Glucose Balance and/or Metformin
• Insulin resistance, found by 4 hour glucose tolerance test, or insulin and C-peptide levels 1 hour after eating.
• Sugar Stabilization Program up to Ketogenic diet
• Fast at least 12 hours between dinner and breakfast.  Don’t eat for 3 hours before bedtime.
• Regular exercise—I recommend a combination of interval exercising for 12 minutes and resistance exercise for 15 minutes, 4-5 days a week.
• SpringTree Glucose Balance and/or Metformin
• Lack of sleep (7-8 hours a night)/Sleep apnea
• Treat sleep apnea with CPAP or dental device
• Try not to take sleeping pills.  Ask your doctor about safe supplements such as SpringTree Sweet Repose if needed.
• Avoid blue lights (computers and phones) before bed or get blue light blocking glasses.
• Stop caffeine past 10 am
• Excessive stress increases cortisol which is toxic to our brains.  Alzheimer’s also increases anxiety and it becomes a vicious cycle.
• Get emotional work to deal with past or current trauma or relationship issues if necessary.
• Learn the relaxation technique and practice it daily
• Let go of activities that aren’t absolutely necessary that increase stress.
• SpringTree Adrenaquell
• An inactive brain.
• Make sure to keep your brain stimulated through mental exercises, especially new learning.  
• Learn an instrument or a new language, or learn about a subject you’ve always wanted to know more about.
• Increased inflammatory markers (highly specific C-reactive protein greater than 1.0, alb/glob ratio less than 1.8, Omega-6/Omega-3 ratio lower or higher than 0.5-3.0, Interleukin-6 less than 3.0 pg/ml, Tumor necrosis factor-alpha less than 6.0 pg/ml)
• Anti-inflammatory supplements such as SpringTree Inflamasol and SpringTree Omega Gold.
• Anti-inflammatory diet.
• Treat tooth and gum infections, a large source of inflammation.
• Treat leaky gut.
• Treat chronic infections.
• Intestinal permeability and other signs of inflammation.  If your gut lining has been compromised it can trigger inflammation.
• Identify food, food-additives, medication and supplement triggers and avoid as much as possible.  Test for food allergies. 
• Avoid sugar, gluten, GMO foods, herbicides, pesticides, alcohol, unnecessary antibiotics, antacids, aspirin, NSAIDS, and stress.  Use organic as much as possible.
• Your practitioner may recommend for you to drink bone broth, use fiber such as SpringTree More Than Fiber, probiotics, digestive enzymes, glutamine, candida cleansing program, use acid such as Betaine HCL or apple cider vinegar with meals, etc.
• Work with your practitioner to wean off and stop any long-term antacids you may be on.
• Hormonal imbalance. 
• Studies have shown an association in reduction of Alzheimer’s with women who are taking estrogen.  Work with your practitioner to create a healthy balance between estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and DHEA.
• Optimal Estrogen for women is between 50-60 pg/ml, Progesterone between 5-20 ng/ml, with an E/P ratio around 10:40. 
• Optimal Testosterone for males is between 500-900 ng/dL, free testosterone between 6.5-15 ng/dL
• Optimal Pregnenolone is between 80-110.
• Optimal DHEA is 350-430 in women, 400-500 in men
• Low thyroid decreases brain functioning.  Test to see if your TSH is about 2.0.  Test to see if your Reverse T3 is elevated above 20, which increases the need for T3.  Optimal free T3 is between 3.2-4.2 pg/ml, free T4 between 1.3-1.8 ng/dL.
• Toxins.  Heavy metals have been associated with brain damage.  Other toxins such as pesticides, herbicides and petrochemicals may also be implicated.
• Get tested for heavy metals, chronic pathogens, chemical toxins and mycotoxins from mold.
• Get IV Chelation Therapy if heavy metals are very elevated.
• Otherwise use a safe oral detox supplement such as SpringTree Detox & Chelate.
• Restore optimal intestinal microbiome.
• Use non-toxic cleaners, facial and hair products, deodorizers, etc.
• Use glass rather than plastic as much as possible.
• Use organic as much as possible.
• Mitochondrial function, the organelles in the cells which produce energy.  Consider testing.
• SpringTree Cell Fuel to support mitochondria.
• Inadequate Vitamin D.
• Optimal levels between 50-60 ng/ml
• Mineral imbalance
• Copper/zinc ratio between 0.8-1.2
• Zinc level between 90-110 mg/dL
• RBC magnesium 5.8-6.5 mg/dL
• Cholesterol too low.  When the level of total cholesterol is  less than 150, it increases the risk of brain atrophy.  Cholesterol is important for cell membranes and brain cell growth and maintenance.  It is also important for adequate hormones, immune health, and the ability of the body to deal with stress.

Other vitamins, minerals and supplements shown to support brain and memory health:

• Vitamin E, esp. mixed tocopherols with gamma-tocopherol. (SpringTree SuperMulti Plus)
• B1 or Thiamine is critical for memory formation. (SpringTree SuperMulti Plus)
• Bacopa Monniere has been shown to improve thinking skills and memory over time (in SpringTree Adrenalquell)
• Fish oil such as SpringTree Omega Gold Concentrated Fish Oil improves brain health, has anti-inflammatory effects.  DHA has been linked with improved thinking skills, memory and reaction times.  EPA has been associated with improved mood.  Taking both has been shown to reduce the decline in brain function associated with aging.
• Resveratrol may prevent deterioration of the hippocampus, a part of the brain associated with memory.
• Caffeine from coffee, tea, green tea, yerba mate, guarana, caffeine pills (NOT through soda) temporarily improves memory, reaction times and general brain function.  Between 200-400 mg per day.  However, too much caffeine increases stress response, insomnia, anxiety and nausea.
• Phosphatidylserine may help reduce age-related decline in brain function (in SpringTree Cell Fuel)
• Ginkgo biloba may increase blood flow to the brain
• Oxaloacetate—activates brain mitochondrial biogenesis; protects neurons from glutamate, an excitatory neurotoxin and decreases neuroinflammation in the brain, and decreases brain damage stemming from ischemic attacks.

By following this program early Alzheimer's has improved and even reversed. 

For more information get Dr. Bredesen's book "The End of Alzheimer's".

Until we meet again,

Dr. Judi