Alzheimer\'s Disease Howenstine, J.A. (2010)

Alzheimer's Disease

Howenstine, J.A. (2010) How to heal Alzheimer's disease. Townsend Letter 321: 78-85

This is a peer-reviewed 15-page article by James a. Howenstine, MD, a board-certified specialist in internal medicine, who is convinced that natural therapies are more effective, safer, and less expensive than pharmaceutical drugs for Alzheimer's disease treatment. The report includes a list of the items that can destroy the myelin sheath surrounding neurons, and thus greatly increase the risk of being a victim of Alzheimer's disease in one's lifetime. These items can have an effect on a person's neurology from childhood on. Howenstine argues that Alzheimer's is a disease of advanced civilization, and there are technological advancements in modern-day society that have furthered its prevalence. One of these technologies is electric lighting. According to Howenstine, in parts of rural Africa that do not have electricity, there is nearly no Alzheimer's disease. This is because the people living here have longer daily exposure to melatonin, a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes oxidative toxins. Researchers have also confirmed a direct relationship between exposure to electromagnetic radiation and the development of this disease. Similarly, certain metals, such as aluminum, can directly increase the production of free radicals that can harm the myelin sheath. Howenstine reports that there is a 250% increased risk of having Alzheimer's disease when drinking municipal water that is high in aluminum content for over ten years. Studies have shown that patients with Alzheimer's disease have higher blood levels of aluminum and a characteristic brain lesion, or nerve "tangles" containing very high levels of this metal. Exposure to mercury can have this same affect. The gene primarily believed for causation of this illness is APOE4APOE4, which is found to be carried in about 40% of cases sporadic-type Alzheimer's disease in the elderly. People with one APOE4 gene will develop the disease at a lower age than those who have no APOE4 genes. This article also includes a diet and list of nutrients and supplements as valuable therapies.

C. This is an article for individuals who are interested in alternative health causes and treatments. It would be helpful for an alternative doctor to have available for his or her patients, as well as other resources that provide information to individuals who have an interest in alternative healthcare.

D. The author is a board-certified physician, who is well-known for his books on alternative medical care. The publication Townsend has been published and carrying articles on alternative medicine since 1983.

A. Hunt, L.A., Brown, a.E., & Gilman, I.P. (2010) Drivers with dementia and outcomes of becoming lost while driving. American Journal of Occupational Therapy 64(2): 225-233

B. With the increasing numbers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease, due to the aging population, it will be necessary to consider other issues that will be important to address. Studies that analyze driving and dementia have reported that drivers with early onset Alzheimer's disease may continue to drive for extended periods of time, but their driving needs to be regularly evaluated or monitored. This is especially the case, since the earliest symptoms of the disease are recognized to include loss of recent memory and the inability to recognize familiar environments. In an exploratory study, the authors examined 207 reports of lost drivers with dementia over ten years that were reported by newspapers and media. Seventy Alzheimer's disease drivers were not found, 32 drivers were found dead, and 116 drivers were found alive, 35 of these latter were injured. Becoming lost may have serious consequences. Hunt, Brown and Gilman report that additional research is needed about this issue to more clearly understand the consequences of becoming lost while driving.

C. This is a topic that is clearly of interest to healthcare providers of seniors and the elderly. It can also be a subject that would be of interest to anyone who either is a senior or has a family member who is a senior and is driving.

D. This is a peer-reviewed article that appeared in a reputable publication.

A. Doody, R.S., Paylik, V., Massman, P. et al. Predicting progression of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's Research & Therapy 2:2

B. One of major concerns of both healthcare providers and patients is being able to predict the progression of Alzheimer's disease once the onset has been determined, in order to develop biomarkers. These authors tested a calculated initial progression rate to see whether it could predict performance on cognition, function and behavior over time, as well as survival. They used standardized approaches to assess baseline characteristics and to estimate disease duration, to calculate the initial rate in 597 Alzheimer's disease patients who were followed for up to 15 years. The authors designated slow, intermediate and rapidly progressing groups. The slowest progression group survives longer. Their data provides strong evidence that prediction is possible, which addresses an important clinical need. A simple, calculated progression rate at a patient's initial visit can offer reliable information regarding the progression of the disease over time in relationship to cognition, global performance and daily living activities.

C. Anyone who either is a healthcare provider for people with Alzheimer's disease, who already has been diagnosed with the disease or has a family member who has Alzheimer's, would be interested in learning more about the findings noted in this study.

D. This article appeared in a reputable journal and is peer reviewed.

A. Kondro, W. (2010) Dementia strategy urged. Canadian Medical Association 182(3): 169-170

B. As noted above, there will considerable impacts on society with the changing population demographics and the increasing number of expected Alzheimer's disease patients over the coming decades. Kondro argues that Toronto needs to develop an Apan-Canadian plan to allay the effects of this forthcoming epidemic. The Alzheimer's Society of Canada expects that the number of Canadians living with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia will leap to 1.125 million in 2038 from 500,000 in 2008. A projected 257,800 new cases will be diagnosed in 2038, as compared with 103,700 in 2008. This study also estimates that the economic burden of dementia will increase to $153 billion in 2038 from $15 billion in 2008. The report includes five action items: 1) Accelerated investment in all areas of dementia research, such as biomedical, clinical, quality of life, health services and knowledge translation; 2) Clear recognition of the important role played by informal caregivers by providing information and education, and the need to support their roles as care partners and provide financial support; 3) Increased recognition of the importance of prevention and early intervention for this disease, for both healthcare professionals and the general public; 4) Greater integration and care of increased use of accepted frameworks or "best practices" in chronic disease prevention and management, community support and community care coordination; and 5) strengthening Canada's dementia workforce by in such ways as increasing availability of individuals with specialized knowledge of dementia; improving the diagnostic and treatment capabilities of all frontline professionals; making the best use of general and specialized resources through interprofessional collaboration; and leveraging the capabilities of the voluntary sector through investment and training.

C. This is a topic that should be of interest to a very wide population including healthcare providers, healthcare administrators, city, state and federal governments, private and public organizations serving seniors and the elderly and the general public. It will be critical that such plans are devised.

D. The Alzheimer Society of Canada sponsored this study.

A. Ajamian, P.C. (2010) Keep Alzheimer's in mind; if optometrists could identify early Alzheimer's disease in just 1% of their patients, 500,000 people could be helped. Review of Optometry 147(2): 105-107

B. The more healthcare providers who can alert patients to get further medical advice about the possibility of Alzheimer's disease, the better the care of their patients. According to Clement Trempe, M.D., professor of optometry at the New England College of Optometry and head scientist with the Center for Healthy Aging at the New England Eye Institute, optometrists can perform their usual comprehensive eye exam with readily available equipment to detect the ocular signs of Alzheimer's disease early on in the disease process, Trempe says early signs, or biomarkers, can be easily overlooked because the pathological findings associated with Alzheimer's disease are similar to, and overlap with, the findings associated with common age-related eye diseases. These biomarkers include cortical cataract, retinal nerve fiber layer thinning and drusen. For example, Amyloid beta deposits are seen in the cortex of the lens in patients with Alzheimer's disease, which are the same type of proteins that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's when found in the brain. This distortion can be measured highly accurately using the same instruments employed for corneal refractive surgery

C. This is important information for vision care specialists as well as the general public. Just as eye-care specialists now perform tests for glaucoma and macular degeneration, they can add this examination for Alzheimer's disease and refer the patient to the proper medical care.

D. This paper was done in an informal Q. And a fashion. It would have had more weight if it had included better technical information and studies.

A. Harvard Women's Health Watch (2010) Preserving and improving memory as we age. Feb 1: NA

B. This is an article that is written directly to consumers who are over the age of 50 and are starting to notice changes in the ability to remember things. It addresses the fact that this wrongly causes fear in some people that they are prone toward Alzheimer's disease. Studies have shown that cognitive decline and the risk of dementia can be maintained with general health habits, such as staying physically active, getting enough sleep, not smoking, having good social connections, limiting alcohol to one drink a day, and eating a balanced diet low in saturated and trans fats. The article provides a number of different ways that people can improve their cognitive abilities, such as blocking: When someone is asked a question and the cannot immediately respond -- the answer is on the tip of his/her tongue -- this is the most familiar example of blocking, the temporary inability to retrieve a memory. Blocking does not occur because someone is not paying attention or because the memory has faded from the brain. In most cases, it is blocked by another, similar memory. For example, parents call their older son by their younger son's name. Memory blocks become more common with age and account for much of the trouble older people have in remembering names. The good news is that about half of the blocked memories can be retrieved within a minute.

C. This is an article that would be of interest to the general public, especially those who are over 50 or who have a family member who is this age. It would be helpful for healthcare providers to keep on hand for their patients.

D. Harvard Women's Health Watch is a monthly newsletter to keep women informed about the health issues.

A. Bruce, L.A. (2010) Drugs for Alzheimer's Disease. MedSurg Nursing 19(1): 51-54

B. Drug therapy for Alzheimer's disease is presently focused on slowing the progression of the disease and managing the symptoms of the cognitive decline. In this report, Bruce covers the two classes of drugs currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of the disease: the cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEls) and the single N-methyl-D-aspatate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, the drug memantine. The concern by the author is that patients with dementia may not be able to adhere to treatment plans and report adverse effects. This can create a burden on caregivers, because approximately 70% of persons with Alzheimer's disease live at home with a caregiver who is a family member or friend. Of patients still living in a home setting, 73% currently require assistance with managing and taking their medications.