# Alzheimer's



## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

Ok we mentioned to my Doctor every once in awhile I forget where I am. They suggested I play Video Games which I do.

Here lately I have to really concentrate on doing stuff and don't trust myself driving. Yesterday I clipped a sign while parking.

I will leave Water running, the Stove on, stuff like that.

My wife seems to think I have the beginnings of Alzheimer's.

Anymore I use GPS driving or Hunting because I get lost, plus have Cell Phone but many times I don't have signal.

big rockpile


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

There are a variety of dementias. Sone are simply clogged blood vessels in the brain. 

Get to a doctor.


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> There are a variety of dementias. Sone are simply clogged blood vessels in the brain.
> 
> Get to a doctor.


Done talked to the Doctor. They run test but my wife is saying I'm not far enough along.

It was also brought up with me being on Opioids might have me messed up even though I'm only taking half of what is prescribed.

big rockpile


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## catsboy (May 14, 2015)

My father, his mother and his sister all had Alzheimer's. I have about a 20% chance of getting it according to my doctor. Your wife might be correct that you are not far along. My dad had similar symptoms as you are describing very early on. Then he had a knee replacement. After the replacement his symptoms got worse, after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's his doctor told my mom that it was very likely that being put under triggered it. I know he was given morphine and there does seem to be a link or side effect to morphine of dementia and memory loss. For this reason I do not take opioids. I feel that I am very high risk and work at keeping myself mentally fit. I do just about any kind of puzzle or mind game to keep my mind working.


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

They told me to play Video Games. Which I do plus I read a lot.

Been on Opioids couple years they double my dosage last Fall but I don't take the full dosage because if I do I'm out of it but I know I have it if needed. 

Wish they would make Marijuana legal because it does ok with less side effects. 

big rockpile


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## catsboy (May 14, 2015)

big rockpile said:


> They told me to play Video Games. Which I do plus I read a lot.
> 
> Been on Opioids couple years they double my dosage last Fall but I don't take the full dosage because if I do I'm out of it but I know I have it if needed.
> 
> ...


My wife, who has had both knees replaced, shoulder replaced and back operation on 4 disc just got her medical marijuana prescription. Her doctor advised her to try it to reduce her use of opioids. We are still in the first few months, but her opioid use has been cut in half. Only issue we have is that she gets kinda loopy some evenings and I literally have to walk her to bed.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

The current thinking on Alzheimer's is that it is a cascade effect from other diseases. Think of it like a brown out where you still have some electricity, but not enough to run everything. In a brown out, you determine what to turn on and off, with Alzheimer's your brain turns functions on and off.

All the different illnesses you have, plus being overweight, plus lots of other potential problems such as unbalanced hormones, low magnesium, vitamin d, etc, each create an energy deficit. Eventually your brain determines it needs to turn off some lights to keep you alive. At that point, it is extremely difficult to turn things around, but possible.

The way to possibly reverse it is to fix as many of these energy deficit problems as possible.You need to restore the available energy so nothing has to get turned off. I doubt if any of your doctors are up to this. If you want more information, get the book The End of Alzheimer's by Dale Bredesen. He has trained several doctors around the country to use his protocol.

About 9 months ago, I took the list of labs that Bredesen uses to my dr appt. I asked doc to run all the labs covered by Medicare. It was over 20 vials of blood.

There were only 3 or 4 labs that need a lot of work. Because I had previously changed my diet, several labs showed dramatic improvement over prior years labs. This week I had blood work drawn for the problem labs to see if the corrective actions I took were successful. I also have a new doctor who had several ideas for treating some of the problem areas. It can be very helpful to opinions from several doctors.

You need to fight like hell. Get out of your comfort zone. Find doctor's that can help you even if it means driving half way across the country. You're worth it.


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

The last I checked it was going to take me a year to find a Doctor. None here would take me found the one I have 70 miles from here and he is suppose to be the best.

From test he has run found as far as normal stuff I'm very Healthy and he likes the idea I keep busy and work out 6 hours a week. But is surprised I can still walk but not going to argue with the fact I am.

big rockpile


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

catsboy said:


> My father, his mother and his sister all had Alzheimer's. I have about a 20% chance of getting it according to my doctor. Your wife might be correct that you are not far along. My dad had similar symptoms as you are describing very early on. Then he had a knee replacement. After the replacement his symptoms got worse, after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's his doctor told my mom that it was very likely that being put under triggered it. I know he was given morphine and there does seem to be a link or side effect to morphine of dementia and memory loss. For this reason I do not take opioids. I feel that I am very high risk and work at keeping myself mentally fit. I do just about any kind of puzzle or mind game to keep my mind working.


I don't know where your doctor got 20%, I think it might be higher. If your APOE gene has a value of 4/4, chances are very high (over 50%). If you have 3/4, chances are over 20%.

Whenever you lose consciousness through sedation, it causes some brain damage. You might want to check out this link: https://www.apoe4.info/wiki/Main_Page#Risk_of_developing_the_disease


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

big rockpile said:


> The last I checked it was going to take me a year to find a Doctor. None here would take me found the one I have 70 miles from here and he is suppose to be the best.
> 
> From test he has run found as far as normal stuff I'm very Healthy and he likes the idea I keep busy and work out 6 hours a week. But is surprised I can still walk but not going to argue with the fact I am.
> 
> big rockpile


If you want to address possible Alzheimer's, you have to get out of your comfort zone and take action now. What's more important than fighting for your life?


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

MoonRiver said:


> If you want to address possible Alzheimer's, you have to get out of your comfort zone and take action now. What's more important than fighting for your life?


Oh I just got this Doctor a year ago after my former Doctor quit. And he was very hard to find. 

Bad thing is couldn't get my Records from my Former Doctor so had to start from scratch and take many Test. This Doctor is really surprised I'm still able to walk.

big rockpile


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

big rockpile said:


> Oh I just got this Doctor a year ago after my former Doctor quit. And he was very hard to find.
> 
> Bad thing is couldn't get my Records from my Former Doctor so had to start from scratch and take many Test. This Doctor is really surprised I'm still able to walk.
> 
> big rockpile


Your current doctor knows next to nothing about Alzheimer's. You need several doctors, not one. Do you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, are you overweight, do you have arthritis, have your vitamin levels been checked, have your mineral levels been checked, have your hormonal levels been checked, do you sleep well, have you ever had head trauma, have you ever had a tick bite, etc?

A good Integrative doctor could look at all the problems and all the treatments, and then offer treatments to fill in the holes. Your current doctor and treatment does you no good if you lose your mind in a few years.

Are you on Medicare? I just had a test for Lyme disease, a test for leaky gut, and several other labs run, all paid for by Medicare. I had to pay a small fee for the Lyme test because it has to be sent to a special lab, but that was for processing - Medicare paid for the actual lab.

Every little thing wrong with you health-wise puts you closer to full blown Alzheimer's. Each thing you are able to fix or at least improve, might postpone it or reduce the severity. Fix enough of them and you might put it off for several years.

Doctors don't look out for your health, that's your job. If you aren't up to doing it yourself, why not have your wife read through this thread. Maybe she would like to keep you around for several more years.


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

MoonRiver said:


> Your current doctor knows next to nothing about Alzheimer's. You need several doctors, not one. Do you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, are you overweight, do you have arthritis, have your vitamin levels been checked, have your mineral levels been checked, have your hormonal levels been checked, do you sleep well, have you ever had head trauma, have you ever had a tick bite, etc?
> 
> A good Integrative doctor could look at all the problems and all the treatments, and then offer treatments to fill in the holes. Your current doctor and treatment does you no good if you lose your mind in a few years.
> 
> ...


Yes I have Lyme Disease, very Bad Arthritis, Chronic Blood Clots and Over Weight but losing. Everything else is very Good. The reason I can't find a Doctor is because I have Chronic Pain. 

big rockpile


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

big rockpile said:


> Yes I have Lyme Disease, very Bad Arthritis, Chronic Blood Clots and Over Weight but losing. Everything else is very Good. The reason I can't find a Doctor is because I have Chronic Pain.
> 
> big rockpile


You should be able to find a doctor that will treat Lyme, arthritis, and weight, and leave blood clots and pain to current doc.


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

MoonRiver said:


> You should be able to find a doctor that will treat Lyme, arthritis, and weight, and leave blood clots and pain to current doc.


Got Pain because of arthritis all over my Body but keeping loose with my Work Out in the Gym. Yes still have Pain while Working Out. They can't give me an Inflammatory Medication because of Blood Thinners, they only give me Opioids.

So not really a way of separating all this. 

big rockpile


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

big rockpile said:


> Got Pain because of arthritis all over my Body but keeping loose with my Work Out in the Gym. Yes still have Pain while Working Out. They can't give me an Inflammatory Medication because of Blood Thinners, they only give me Opioids.
> 
> So not really a way of separating all this.
> 
> big rockpile


Like I said before, it requires you getting out of your comfort zone. You are so sure nothing can be done, you refuse to question whether you might be wrong. 

For example, how much sunlight do you get on your skin every day? Do you ever go barefoot? How much time do you spend in the woods, especially around pine trees? What kind of water do you drink? Are you eating inflammatory or non-inflammatory foods? Have you tried bio-feedback or tens for your pain?


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## Grey Mare (Jun 28, 2013)

Big Rockpile...would your doctor be willing to do a PET (positron emission tomography) scan on you? If so, that will tell the doctor if there is clogging, if there is the start of Alzheimers by what the brain looks like. There are also medications that can help and/or slow down the progression of the forgetfulness. Be very cautious with those who say it can be reversed, it cannot.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

Grey Mare said:


> Big Rockpile...would your doctor be willing to do a PET (positron emission tomography) scan on you? If so, that will tell the doctor if there is clogging, if there is the start of Alzheimers by what the brain looks like. There are also medications that can help and/or slow down the progression of the forgetfulness. Be very cautious with those who say it can be reversed, it cannot.


It can't be reversed through medication, but you might want to look into Dr Bredesen's research before making a blanket comment. In the early stages, it appears it can be stopped from progressing or even in some cases, the patients improve.

The problem is the drug companies want a drug solution, biotech companies want a genetic solution, and few are interested in a solution that is largely diet based because it is not a big dollar solution.

One of the best places to go for info is APOE4.info. This is a site run by and for people with APOE 4/4 or 4/3.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I am looking into this for a friend. We have already made progress in reversing his Type 2 Diabetes, and the eating protocol is similar.


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## zo_ey (Jan 10, 2019)

For dementia, some patients have found some positive change after including virgin coconut oil in their diets. In fact it's recommended for a variety of ailments. I'm mulling over getting my mum to include it in her diet.


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## tiffanysgallery (Jan 17, 2015)

'Exelon Patch is a reversible cholinesterase inhibitor used to treat mild to moderate dementia caused by Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.' It's expensive and by prescription given by a doctor, possibly in Geriatrics.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

zo_ey said:


> For dementia, some patients have found some positive change after including virgin coconut oil in their diets. In fact it's recommended for a variety of ailments. I'm mulling over getting my mum to include it in her diet.


Some people with Alzheimer's have insulin resistance in the brain. In those cases, it appears that coconut or MCT oil can supply the brain with ketones for energy.


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

lucky if you can find one doc here let alone going all over trying to find another. last I hear 50.000 people without a personal doc and that's only the ones who are looking.most just go to the duty clinics and wait hours. health care is desperate here

as far as we can tell no dementia in our family so far. I do take 2 T coconut oil every day and I also fry with it. I don't know if it does any good.

lots of things I do to keep my brain active. while I'm not into crossword puzzles and the like I am a voracious reader. there's always a book open for when I happen to sit down.

i'm also an old English history buff. every now and then I grab a sheet of paper and write everything I can remember. dates and stuff like that of when things occurred. who was on the throne at the time. stuff about their families etc. etc. seem like everytime I do it I can go further back in history.

just stupid stuff that works for me! I then destroy that so as not to cheat next time. I don't detect any sign of anything yet. that's not to say it's not there. who knows? we may be the last ones to see it.~Georgia


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

I cant remember names worth a darn, never that great with people names, but noticed names of things now bit iffy. Reasoning skills still there. 

My thinking pretty fuzzy at times before diabetes became apparent. The low carb diet means my thinking is clearer, though like say cant remember names worth a darn. I can picture faces and "things" in my head, but putting a name to them sometimes difficult.... least until somebody says the name. Google is my friend..... Saved my rear multiple times being able to look up stuff online.


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## ticndig (Sep 7, 2014)

well I think I have it , I've been running the same weed eater for 20 years and today I could not remember if the 0 or l symbol was for run on the switch . how can I forget that after running it so many times.google to the rescue ...


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## thesedays (Feb 25, 2011)

zo_ey said:


> For dementia, some patients have found some positive change after including virgin coconut oil in their diets. In fact it's recommended for a variety of ailments. I'm mulling over getting my mum to include it in her diet.


It sounds like a crackpot remedy, but one of my FBFs who was taking care of her father who had vascular dementia tried this, and she swore it improved his mental function. Her husband put up with things like coconut-flavored spaghetti sauce in the meantime.

Urinary tract infections, which get more and more common in men with age, can also cause dementia-like symptoms. I have seen near-miraculous improvement when these were diagnosed and treated.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

thesedays said:


> It sounds like a crackpot remedy, but one of my FBFs who was taking care of her father who had vascular dementia tried this, and she swore it improved his mental function. Her husband put up with things like coconut-flavored spaghetti sauce in the meantime.


Mitochondria are tiny engines that produce power in your body, including the brain. Glucose needs to get into the mitochondria for it to produce energy. If the mitochondria develop a problem metabolizing glucose (glucose resistance), the brain no longer has enough power to run everything.

Fortunately, mitochondria also have the ability to run on ketones produced from fat. Eating fat, especially something like coconut oil or MCT oil that easily converts to ketones, provides an alternate fuel source for your mitochondria.

ETA: I just did some research and I think what they are saying is the mitochondria in the nervous system (brain), only use glucose or ketones, and can't use fatty acids. That would seem to me to indicate that a person needs to be in ketosis to generate enough ketones to power the brain.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

ticndig said:


> well I think I have it , I've been running the same weed eater for 20 years and today I could not remember if the 0 or l symbol was for run on the switch . how can I forget that after running it so many times.google to the rescue ...


Your hard drive is filling up and dumping information.


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

ticndig said:


> well I think I have it , I've been running the same weed eater for 20 years and today I could not remember if the 0 or l symbol was for run on the switch . how can I forget that after running it so many times.google to the rescue ...


I have no idea what o and i actually stand for, but I think of the o as off, least works for me. Anybody else remember the old metal toggle switches with the plate that actually said on and off?


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## newfieannie (Dec 24, 2006)

maybe it's hitting me today. I can't find my car keys. one time I lost them for a year and found them in the bottom of the freezer.

all kidding aside my son has problems remembering names and stuff that happened years ago that I remember clearly. he has other problems too. gets out of breath and stuff. and there are other things that I am noticing lately. I've always thought he isn't going to outlive me and he does say that himself. ~Georgia


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

I think I have Oldtimers. I’ll go to the Redbox to rent a movie. I’ll rent one that looks good and bring it home just to have my wife tell me that we had watched the movie a week or two ago.


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## frogmammy (Dec 8, 2004)

GTX63 said:


> Your hard drive is filling up and dumping information.


Thanks! That must be the reason I keep pushing the mute to turn the TV on!

Mon


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## HermitJohn (May 10, 2002)

Cabin Fever said:


> I think I have Oldtimers. I’ll go to the Redbox to rent a movie. I’ll rent one that looks good and bring it home just to have my wife tell me that we had watched the movie a week or two ago.


Hey you didnt waste your money, cause its new to you!


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## ticndig (Sep 7, 2014)

Cabin Fever said:


> I think I have Oldtimers. I’ll go to the Redbox to rent a movie. I’ll rent one that looks good and bring it home just to have my wife tell me that we had watched the movie a week or two ago.


 Man ain't that the truth , I've rented the same move 3 times and not even know I've seen it until it was well underway.


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