Brain Health

[JaneV2.0]

Several small studies seem to indicate that diet and lifestyle changes are effective weapons against Alzheimer's and other brain/nervous system disorders (Parkinson's disease, MS, intractable seizure disorder, and probably more).

Alzheimer's study:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0930143446.htm

Wahl's Protocol trial:

http://www.abstractsonline.com/Plan/...2B32DD5E6C8%7d

Modified Atkins Diet in Refractory Epilepsy:

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ert/2014/404202/

I'm heartened to see this research; the pharmaceutical approach to nervous system disorders is, IMO, a spectacular failure.

[catherine]

Interesting studies, Jane.

I agree that a holistic approach to treatment is key in these cases; however, not to sound like an apologist for pharmaceuticals, but they are an effective piece of the puzzle in many cases. I've done tons of research with MS patients, and the treatments currently available for MS do work in many cases.

The Alzheimer's protocol seems really interesting and it makes sense.. but it is a small study. My uncle just died of Alzheimer's. He was a very intelligent man, a lawyer who went into the office every day well into his seventies. He played tennis in his seventies. He was engaged, and organized. He had a strong, supportive family. Who knows what the trigger was that set his cognitive abilities awry?

Even after working in the pharmaceutical industry for many years, I personally am Rx-averse. I'll do yoga before taking bisphosphonates for my osteopenia. I'm resisting blood pressure medication (mine is high normal) and statins (I have very high HDL and somewhat high LDL) and concentrating on watching what I eat.

Yet, I know better than to demonize all pharmaceuticals because I know what they've done in heart disease, cancer, and other life-robbing conditions like MS. Hopefully, as genome testing develops, we'll have more targeted solutions.

At the same time, do I believe that good nutrition, exercise and social support should always be 1st line therapy? Yes, I definitely do.

Thanks for the info!

[JaneV2.0]

I didn't know much about various MS drugs until a friend of mine started to show suspicious symptoms and did some research. She was never diagnosed and has since managed to reverse her condition with a paleo diet and visits with a neurological practioner .

I'm not as sanguine as you are about the current state of MS treatment--maybe the drugs can be helpful but the side effects range from large, permanent welts (Copaxone) to death (Tysabri). I've read countless blogs written by people with MS who have tried all of them with little result. I do think prednisone is effective in easing exacerbations, and low-dose naltrexone is extolled by some.

[catherine]

I agree with you about the SEs of MS drugs. I've spoken to countless patients who talk about Copaxone's welts, and of course, who wants to ignore the PML risk of Tysabri? But by-and-large, for many people the biologics have staved off progression of the disease, and newer drugs, like Tecfidera, are proven to be safer and easier to administer.

If everyone had the insight to unlock the door of the best nutrition for their disease and their unique cellular requirements, and then comply with eating just that, we'd be home free, but another piece of the problem is people are too addicted to foods that aren't doing them any good.

As your articles pointed out, every solution for every individual has to be just the right pieces of the puzzle, and the puzzle pieces are different for everyone.

[JaneV2.0]

It's also increasingly difficult (if not impossible) to find uncontaminated food, and I think we're paying the price for that.

In the future, we'll be able to tailor treatments to individual genetic profiles, which should be a giant step forward.

[catherine]

This just popped up in my Yahoo feed, actually:

http://news.yahoo.com/brain-preserva...153938520.html

I thought maybe it was citing the same study as your first link, but it was actually published in Lancet in August.

(Is there a little Yahoo elf monitoring my posting activity here, do you think? Hmmm..)

[JaneV2.0]

Good read--I'll be looking forward to Bread Head!

What's ironic here is that US News just came out with one of those "rate the diets" articles that put low-carb and paleo plans at the very bottom of a list of very questionable programs. Two steps forward, one step back.

[kib]

It's nice to see an approach beyond the pharmaceutical, but I have to express just a crumb of exasperation for Dr. Bredesen's methodology here. 1. These patients didn't necessarily have alzheimer's. They had all sorts of cognitive impairment, including self-reported symptoms. 2. The example that was given in detail was to my way of thinking probably not a patient with Alzheimer's. She was menopausal and getting 4-5 hours of sleep per night. Both of these things are notorious for creating brain fog, and restoring her HRT would likely have accounted for all of her improvement. While none of the other 13 things she was asked to do sound like a bad idea, I believe the magic here was little bit of estrogen. What works, and what just sounds good??

I totally agree with your exasperation with the US News article, Jane. Not again!

I also received a Fitbit as a Christmas present from my gadget obsessed relatives. While it's mildly entertaining to know how many steps I took in a day, and it does tell me that I'm not being active enough which I agree with and so find the device useful for monitoring my slug-ness, the simplistic calorie in - calorie out = get skinny, fat bad whole grain good mantra of the food monitor ... sigh. 1979 called, they want their diet advice back.