Over the weekend I went to Olympia to visit my uncle in a care facility who’s been dealing with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It appears he’s getting close to leaving and I needed to see him one more time. (He’s now passed.)
This disease is a very difficult one, not only for those dealing with it internally, but to everyone involved. I remember toward the end of my father’s life, he battled a degree of dementia, which I for one wanted to be in denial about.
During the close to 40 years in practice, I’ve seen this condition impact and traumatize families, and I continue to look for ways to defend against it. One thing I’ve seen which can precipitate the condition is one of feeling useless. When one feels they’re no longer needed, or their services don’t matter, I’ve see a gradual shut-down of cognition.
When people stay active in their professions and don’t seek to retire and put their brain into neutral, they tend to remain sharp. I recall working with Dr Turska back in the 80’s. He was old then, but his wisdom and intelligence was amazing. Dr Bastyr, who delivered me, worked right up till he passed, and whenever I was stumped with a patient, I could call him and get sound medical advice.
The term neuroplasticity refers to the ability of the brain to be stretched and to learn new things. This condition is propagated when we actively use our brains.
Mainstream medicine has looked at using antidepressants to prevent dementia and AD. One which had been suggested to slow down the disease, but actually seen to speed it up is Trazadone. This drug is more commonly used to aid sleep than for preventing dementia. Recent studies revealed a more rapid onset of dementia following Trazadone therapy. That being said, if you need help with sleep, we have some far better solutions than Trazadone.
Since magnesium has been shown to outperform any drug therapy for depression, why not pursue a far safer alternative than the drugs which carry multiple side effects. When we consider what’s happening in depression, we see a slow down of function, impairing the neuroplasticity of the brain. I’ve always realized stiffness in the body can often be attributed to magnesium deficiency.
The article in Pharmacological Reports on Magnesium in depression shows that magnesium deficit in the brain can cause all the following symptoms: hyper-excitability, agitation, tetany, headaches, seizures, ataxia, vertigo, muscular weakness, tremors, irritability, anxiety, insomnia, nervous fits, fatigue, confusion, hallucinations, and depression. The article goes on to state that all of these are reversible by restoration of normal brain magnesium.
When we look at the cost of magnesium against all the pharmaceutical agents used for depression, you can understand why drug companies don’t really want you to know this. You can’t patent a mineral like you can a drug. Nutritional therapy takes money out of drug company pockets.
Since AD has been labeled type three diabetes, we must consider the role of sugars impacting the brain and causing inflammation. The liver produces inositol, which is a type of sugar the brain runs on. If this brain fuel runs low, the body will try to ramp up glucose in the body in hopes of getting fuel to the brain. That being said, when the liver isn’t doing it’s job, we can see instances where a person will begin to show signs of type two diabetes while the body begins to hold on to glucose in an effort to maintain brain sugars.
Low levels of inositol can cause brain fog and inability to think clearly. Another symptom often seen with low inositol levels involves headaches. I’m still amazed when a patient with a screaming headache in my office can see it disappear within minutes of chewing up a few tablets of inositol.
Since inflammation is often associated with dementia and AD, herbs like curcumin and boswellia can frequently help reduce the inflammation. Recently, analysis of an extract from the yerba santa herb (Spanish for "holy herb”) identified the flavanone sterubin as the active component of the plant. Sterubin was found to have neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. Because of this, studies are being conducted with this herb, especially the sterubin.
Often times, drug companies will identify one part of the plant, isolate it, create a drug out of it, and then patent it. Now we have a very expensive drug to accomplish what the herb was able to do very effectively at a price we can all afford.
Flavones are powerful agents in plants which have great anti-inflammatory activity in our bodies. When we eat a rainbow of colored foods, we get multiple flavones in our diet. You’ve got to eat, so why not eat foods that are actually some of God’s medicine. Get your curcumin, and keep the liver working properly. Keep digestion healthy and make your brain work. Stay flexible in your thinking.
This disease is a very difficult one, not only for those dealing with it internally, but to everyone involved. I remember toward the end of my father’s life, he battled a degree of dementia, which I for one wanted to be in denial about.
During the close to 40 years in practice, I’ve seen this condition impact and traumatize families, and I continue to look for ways to defend against it. One thing I’ve seen which can precipitate the condition is one of feeling useless. When one feels they’re no longer needed, or their services don’t matter, I’ve see a gradual shut-down of cognition.
When people stay active in their professions and don’t seek to retire and put their brain into neutral, they tend to remain sharp. I recall working with Dr Turska back in the 80’s. He was old then, but his wisdom and intelligence was amazing. Dr Bastyr, who delivered me, worked right up till he passed, and whenever I was stumped with a patient, I could call him and get sound medical advice.
The term neuroplasticity refers to the ability of the brain to be stretched and to learn new things. This condition is propagated when we actively use our brains.
Mainstream medicine has looked at using antidepressants to prevent dementia and AD. One which had been suggested to slow down the disease, but actually seen to speed it up is Trazadone. This drug is more commonly used to aid sleep than for preventing dementia. Recent studies revealed a more rapid onset of dementia following Trazadone therapy. That being said, if you need help with sleep, we have some far better solutions than Trazadone.
Since magnesium has been shown to outperform any drug therapy for depression, why not pursue a far safer alternative than the drugs which carry multiple side effects. When we consider what’s happening in depression, we see a slow down of function, impairing the neuroplasticity of the brain. I’ve always realized stiffness in the body can often be attributed to magnesium deficiency.
The article in Pharmacological Reports on Magnesium in depression shows that magnesium deficit in the brain can cause all the following symptoms: hyper-excitability, agitation, tetany, headaches, seizures, ataxia, vertigo, muscular weakness, tremors, irritability, anxiety, insomnia, nervous fits, fatigue, confusion, hallucinations, and depression. The article goes on to state that all of these are reversible by restoration of normal brain magnesium.
When we look at the cost of magnesium against all the pharmaceutical agents used for depression, you can understand why drug companies don’t really want you to know this. You can’t patent a mineral like you can a drug. Nutritional therapy takes money out of drug company pockets.
Since AD has been labeled type three diabetes, we must consider the role of sugars impacting the brain and causing inflammation. The liver produces inositol, which is a type of sugar the brain runs on. If this brain fuel runs low, the body will try to ramp up glucose in the body in hopes of getting fuel to the brain. That being said, when the liver isn’t doing it’s job, we can see instances where a person will begin to show signs of type two diabetes while the body begins to hold on to glucose in an effort to maintain brain sugars.
Low levels of inositol can cause brain fog and inability to think clearly. Another symptom often seen with low inositol levels involves headaches. I’m still amazed when a patient with a screaming headache in my office can see it disappear within minutes of chewing up a few tablets of inositol.
Since inflammation is often associated with dementia and AD, herbs like curcumin and boswellia can frequently help reduce the inflammation. Recently, analysis of an extract from the yerba santa herb (Spanish for "holy herb”) identified the flavanone sterubin as the active component of the plant. Sterubin was found to have neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. Because of this, studies are being conducted with this herb, especially the sterubin.
Often times, drug companies will identify one part of the plant, isolate it, create a drug out of it, and then patent it. Now we have a very expensive drug to accomplish what the herb was able to do very effectively at a price we can all afford.
Flavones are powerful agents in plants which have great anti-inflammatory activity in our bodies. When we eat a rainbow of colored foods, we get multiple flavones in our diet. You’ve got to eat, so why not eat foods that are actually some of God’s medicine. Get your curcumin, and keep the liver working properly. Keep digestion healthy and make your brain work. Stay flexible in your thinking.
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