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Alzheimer's? Why?


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Aging and Alzheimer's disease: Novel brain imaging technologies help create new insights

16. March 2010 07:35

 

The emergence of multiple new brain imaging technologies and the combined application of these new approaches is helping to create new insights into aging and Alzheimer's disease. One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease is the deposition of amyloid beta protein in clumps or "plaques" within the brain. These plaques can be measured in humans with PET scans that use a chemical marker or radiotracer called 11C-PIB.

 

It was long thought that the formation of plaques injured and perhaps even caused the death of nerve cells in the brain. Recent studies, however, suggest that a form of the amyloid beta protein that is soluble rather than the form that is deposited in plaques mediates most of the destructive impact of this protein.

 

In a new study published in Biological Psychiatry, by Elsevier, researchers have related the findings that are emerging from PET-PIB imaging to changes in the function of brain circuits. Sheline and colleagues examined Alzheimer's disease patients and cognitively normal, healthy individuals who were then divided into those with or without brain amyloid plaques.

Aging and Alzheimer's disease: Novel brain imaging technologies help create new insights

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New study finds green tea extract may prevent Alzheimer's disease and dementia

15. March 2010 01:11

 

Long known to be beneficial in heart disease, diabetes and some cancers, a new study finds a specific green tea extract may delay or prevent Alzheimer's disease and dementia. A. Holliday & Company's "Teawell 50," is a 50 percent pure extraction of EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) – a flavonoid which is the most potent of four major catechins in green tea.

 

Sponsored by A. Holliday & Company, the study was performed by Dr. Stephane Bastianetto at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University in Montreal.. .. .

. . .

Green tea has higher concentrations of beneficial catechins – especially EGCG,"

New study finds green tea extract may prevent Alzheimer's disease and dementia

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One from "left field". (Whatever that is).

Mobile phone use may reverse Alzheimer's

Mobile phone use may reverse Alzheimer's - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

 

 

Another thought on this - in both cases (mental/ physical) could it be stimulation as I know evidence suggests that radiation from the cell phones can lead to brain tumours and maybe in this case it's a good thing, just as stimulation in care homes, where the residents are actively encouraged to join in the life of the centre, benefits them in the same way?*

 

* High morale from proximity, awareness and concentration upon detail and control of it versus depression, distance, lack of awareness (no presence), only general control and knowledge of environment/ reality (put to sleep as opposed to awoken): See study by Matthias Mehl, assistant psychology professor at Arizona state university and depth of meaning in conversation and another study that unfortunately I can't find the cutting for now (may turn up later) about retirement and dementia, implying that those who find themselves without purpose in the world slip into dementia easier than those still actively engaged in the world (A third study whose clipping I did throw out, mentioned that contrary to popular opinion, people who live on their own are more likely to suffer from stress than those physically burdened with children to bring up, which seems to imply that having an outlet for your energies is more important than having none, for your mental health).

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  • 5 months later...
  • 1 month later...

My wife has a sister and brother with Alzheimer's Disease, which is seemingly hereditary as the granny, on the female side of the family, seemingly had it too. Now the interesting thing I noticed is that in one incident, was that the elder sister had an incident where she assumed that where she was staying at the time, was where she had spent most of

her life (What I call time overlay projection). What I've noticed in a similar vein, is that when I'm tired

or am back from holiday, I too have this kind of time overlay problem e.g. reaching for something in a cupboard that doesn't contain it but would have if I'd been in the previous place or looked for it, where it used too be some time before.

 

I think morale and memory go hand-in-hand in this context. People who are settled and confident in their abilities, have good memories (want to know/ explore/ be mentally and physically present). They take their time in remembering and carrying out tasks and are won't allow themselves to be rushed into anything. They are also good and concentrate well because they want to learn and are greedy to experience life. Those who are apathetic don't care, so don't try (simply give up on life) and those who try to rush things in panic, don't give themselves time to act or think, so think that they cannot do either task well or at all.

 

What Gerry Robinson found in his program on care homes (BBC television), was that those residents who were encouraged to get involved in the running of the place, had a higher morale and better quality of life than those allowed and even encouraged to vegetate, by those ran the care homes, who treated them as 'things' not people. This was also obvious from the TV program, 'The Young Ones'(BBC television) recently, where it became obvious that the more active and independent you were, the better your faculties and physical health. Memory seems to go hand-in-hand then with attitude to life - high morale leads to enthusiasm and concentration upon life and low morale leads to poor memory and adaptive skills (clinical depression?). Leo Galland in his book, 'The Four Pillars of Healing' (Random House/ 1997),points out that community is good for physical health because it is good for morale to know others care about you and will care for you, should

the need arise.

 

Another point is motive for remembering - again this is psychological. Bad things in our lives we want to forget and good things we want to remember - the young are innocent (inexperienced), so have less to feel bad about and the old have accumulated a lot of memories, good and bad (Could my first point about slipping into the past and a nostalgic reliving of it, explain the overlay effect and why older people have worse short term memories but good long term ones?). On a personal note my wife has pointed out that my memory used to be excellent but has slipped over the last couple of years. This is definitely morale as I've finally started to acknowledge failure on my part, to get anyone interested in my ideas on education or indeed anything else (I've stopped taking the trouble to be as accurate as I

used to be and stopped examining my work, to eradicate repetition/ overuse of certain words).

 

One final point about vegetating as opposed to being active is not only how exercise generates confidence, by throwing our attention into the world but that it may act like a dynamo on our lives as sleep and other periods of unconsciousness, is that energy running out.

 

I think neural plaque is actually just a symptom of being sedentary and not the cause of Alzheimer's (Think of a wine bottle and sediment settling on the bottom - fast running rivers (young) carry material away as old ones allow it to settle).

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  • 6 years later...

 

Medical Marijuana, Alzheimer’s & Memory

 

For several centuries marijuana was utilized as an analgesic for pain relief. Up until the 1940’s marijuana was a legal substance and often used to alleviate a variety of ailments—much like the advocates of the use of medical marijuana are saying today. The federal government of the United States classifies marijuana as a high risk substance. Yet the proponents of medical marijuana state that it is rarely an addictive drug. In addition, there has never been a death by overdose on cannabis!

One of the medical areas that have benefited the most has been with Alzheimer’s patients. This form of dementia can leave an individual trapped in a healthy body with a memory that spans previous decades but can’t remember the most recent of events. The regression is gradual with an individual first feeling ‘forgetful’ yet it is much more than just forgetting where one left their car keys—it’s more of an inability to recognize how those keys are used. Eventually, the disease also takes the healthy body and turns it into a shell of its former self. Many times Alzheimer’s victims lose their appetite, or even forget how to feed themselves at the most severe stages.

On any given Alzheimer’s ward at a nursing home, you can see patients walking up and down the corridor hundreds of times during the course of the day. As, the disease progresses, they will get to the end of the corridor and just stand there—forgetting that they need to turn around! There is even a time of day when this activity becomes more active—it’s when the sun starts to set and is referred to clinically as ‘sun downing’. The patient is nervous, very agitated, can become aggressive or very emotional.

Individual studies have found that when a patient drinks a tea made from the marijuana leaves that their agitation dissipates and they are able to settle down for a peaceful evening. Their whole mood changes. Their appetite increases and meal time is no longer a fight to get some nourishment in to them.

As a result of studies done by scientists at Madrid’s Complutense University they were able to publish in the Journal of Neuroscience that cannabinoids, a compound found in marijuana, reduces the ‘pathological processes’ associated with Alzheimer’s disease. It appears that there may be a strong link to these cannabinoids that can help with new drug development. Apparently, the cannabinoid receptors that we all have in our brains were much lower than those with healthy brains. These cannabinoid receptors work in conjunction with microglia cells to keep the immune system healthy. When these cells perceive themselves to be under attack, they cause an inflammation in the brain. The introduction of cannabinoids prevents that inflammation from taking place.

Medical Marijuana seeds has not been proven to improve one’s short or long term memory, many would argue it is destructive to one or both, but it clearly has a positive effect on the disease of Alzheimer’s. First, it can delay the progression of the disease by preventing the inflammation to take place within the brain. Second, it can help with weight gain since food refusal is a very big problem for those with Alzheimer’s. Third, it helps with easing the symptoms of depression, acting as a mood enhancer. And fourth, it can ease that sense of agitation and aggressive behavior that often goes hand in hand with the disease.

 

MJ vмery well helps Alzheimer with my grandfather.

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  • 11 months later...

The Aussies may be on the right track. Alzheimer's appears - with few exceptions - at that very stage in life where the estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels  taper off, abandoning their 'influence' on the brain stems (sex drive). 

 

This might at least suggest that the organs involved likely haven't 'given up' manufacturing and shipping stuff to the brain...just not the 'good stuff ' any more..... and maybe that's where to start looking for where those wrong proteins are being produced in the first place. i.e. the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.

 

The Brain - 'a terrible thing to waste' - will love you for heading those proteins off at the pass.

Edited by OldBill
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  • 3 weeks later...

The Aussies may be on the right track. Alzheimer's appears - with few exceptions - at that very stage in life where the estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels  taper off, abandoning their 'influence' on the brain stems (sex drive). 

 

This might at least suggest that the organs involved likely haven't 'given up' manufacturing and shipping stuff to the brain...just not the 'good stuff ' any more..... and maybe that's where to start looking for where those wrong proteins are being produced in the first place. i.e. the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.

 

The Brain - 'a terrible thing to waste' - will love you for heading those proteins off at the pass and cbd oil.

Better and not say. :sherlock:

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Well, let's think positively.

 

1.  It is a "modest risk"

2.  It is "late onset"

 

Then there is the negative:

 

It has everything  to do with getting old.  Especially when they set "getting old" at age 65.  I could take that one even further but better not.  Just count your blessings, do lots of puzzles and eat plenty of Hershey bars.  You might even try turning off the idiot box and giving your brain some fresh air.  Every day that you wake up and know what time it is, is a gainer.  Enjoy it.  Don't fret.

 

Happy Day.

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  • 5 months later...

What another and modern treatment can you recommend?

Google "Science Daily" and search Alzheimer's.  They are constantly printing news of new possible treatments for Alzheimer's.  Be aware that these are usually in the experimental stage.  Nevertheless, they will  mention certain things they have noticed while doing their experiments.  In other words, you may spot something you can deal with in some way.  I don't want to give a specific example lest someone pick it us as a given cure.  You have to educate yourself.

 

Also, search your city's directory for doctors who are specializing in Alzheimer's.  The larger the city, the  more choices you will have.  You may even find a "researching/teaching" hospital that will know the very latest or that might be doing research on a new idea.

 

Does that help?  One last personal suggestion.  Keep doing for yourself.  Don't lean on others unless it is totally impossible to do for yourself.  I have watched a number of friends go into senility and become totally helpless.  The major thing I see happening is that they wait for someone else to do for them what they could still do for themselves.  They want family members and/or friends to take over and make all their decisions.    Stay independent as long as possible.  I find that people who insist on staying independent and doing their own work, their own self-care, stay healthier and survive longer.

 

That is just my personal philosophy based on my own experience and watching friends and neighbors.  I have   a  neighbor who has been diagnosed with alzheimer's.  With the help of her doctor, she is bucking the trend. 

 

Good lluck.

Edited by hazelm
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Many diseases are hereditary, others are caused by contaminants, or just pure bad luck.

 

For an elderly monolingual person the following would be a bit late, but being bilingual apparently delays the onset of dimentia by at least 3 to 4 yrars. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/9173552/Learning-another-language-could-protect-against-dementia.html.

 

The human brain works better if you use it. The maxim use it or lose it applies https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-third-age/201405/use-it-or-lose-it doing crosswords and number puzzles helps to keep the brain working.

 

For those that have lost the plot, distraction to stimulate the other senses can help, fiddle blankets, dementia blankets, music etc can help to reduce anxiety. Cannabis as mentioned above might give some a bad trip, which if they are already screaming their heads off might not help. Failing that sedatives seems to work.

 

The worst case I heard of, which I am sure is not as bad as it gets, was the mother of a friends, friend had dementia for 30 years, she lost the ability to speak, became doubly incontinent and did not have a clue who her daughter was, but was physically healthy. She was cared for in a home at the expense of her daughter, who visited her almost weekend until her body died. 

It is a sad situation, for sure.  Some day they'll find a cure.  For now they do believe that mental activity helps.  Something that helps those already afflicted is music.  Many nursing homes that care for alzheimer's patients have gatherings where they play the old songs of the patients' youths.  It gets response from them.

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