ALZHEIMER'S AREA
Welcome to the Alzheimer's Section of this Website. This section is being created to be more user friendly for those looking for what can be done to improve brain function.
By Kathryn Picoulin BSN, ND, PhD
(Excerpts from REVERSING ALZHEIMER'S NATURALLY )
In 1991 a highly intelligent man who had spent the last twenty-five years of his life, researching electronic and laser technology was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He was 66 years old and he is my father.
Prior to the diagnosis, there was some light-hearted reference to forgetfulness, but it was mostly attributed to stress or "having a senior moment". By the time the diagnosis was made, he was in Stage V of the Alzheimer's staging process, unable to remember appointments or even previous conversations he had only minutes before. His sentences were fragmented, repetitive and oftentimes non-sensical. His emotional state fluctuated from depression with frequent crying spells to periods of defensiveness and paranoia, frequently expressing feelings of being persecuted by those close to him.
This is not an uncommon picture. Statistics show that 15 % of individuals over 65 will develop dementia, yet one in seven over age 65 are already classified as senile. The incidence rate goes up to fifty percent for individuals 85 years and older. Out of this group, 60-70 % will be Alzheimer's type dementia. Currently, the survival time after the onset of symptoms of Alzheimer's disease ranges between 5-10 years, and in some instances up to twenty years. Women survive longer after diagnosis than men and, consequently, show larger numbers of AD incidence.
When I originally wrote my dissertation for my PhD there were more than 2.5 million individuals who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Today statistics show that there are more than 4 million individuals with Alzheimer’s in the
Three quarters of these individuals will end up in nursing homes due to the inability to care for themselves. Already more than half of the patients in nursing homes in the US have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, costing 80-100 billion dollars a year to provide care to these individuals. No health insurance covers these costs. It is considered to be the third most expensive disease in the
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, causing changes in memory, personality and behavior, ability to comprehend, and ability to communicate, changing the individual from someone you love to someone you no longer recognize.
In many cases, once the patient is labeled as an Alzheimer's patient, he or she becomes lost to the world. Medical complaints are often disregarded, while wants and desires are often dismissed. The loved one, who was once a partner in life or a parent, gradually becomes an exhausting burden.
Twenty years ago all books available on Alzheimer's disease only addressed how to better accept the diagnosis, how to choose a nursing home, and where to find support groups for the caregiver. But none provided direction as to what can be done to help the patient.
Facing a parent’s cognitive decline and having the availability of medical libraries at my disposal prompted the laboring process of looking for answers that might help shed some light.
Research showed that at least 70 percent of individuals that have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's actually had a reversible dementia. Many individuals are often misdiagnosed due to the lack of conclusive tests, especially when other neurodegenerative disorders co-exist, which is not uncommon.
There are currently over 50 known causes that can lead to cognitive decline and/or dementia. For example, environmental toxins, such as industrial waste and pesticides getting into our water supply, chemical neurotoxins that are added to our food, such as, aspartame (NutraSweet) and monosodium glutamate and its derivatives, heavy metals, such as aluminum, lead, mercury and sodium fluoride (also in our water), prescription and recreational drugs as well as alcohol.
There are also diseases such as, Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's Chorea, brain tumors, pernicious anemia, syphilis, AIDS; conditions such as thyroid imbalances, cerebral vascular insufficiencies, multiple strokes, meningitis, depression and head injuries that can lead to dementia.
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can be present for many years before they become apparent. Deficiencies in nutrients that are specific for brain function will have considerable impact on brain function.
An immune system that has become weakened from frequent exposures to antibiotics, hormones and cortisone use, will allow the body and the brain to have increased incidence of viral, bacterial, parasitic and fungal infections. Viral and bacterial infections have been linked to the breakdown of our protective barrier around the brain, making the brain more vulnerable to accumulated toxins.
The continued intake of fluoride from our food and water, as well as dental treatments, breaks down the blood brain barrier making the brain more vulnerable to heavy metal poisoning and subtle infestation by fungi, bacteria and viruses.
A plugged up vascular system from years of incorrect eating habits strangle the brain tissue depleting the oxygen, glucose, amino acids and nutrients needed to function.
By western medicine standards, Alzheimer's disease is considered irreversible, treatment being, at best, supportive or symptomatic care. Most of the emphasis has been in controlling behavior with drugs. Some attempts have been made to use acetylcholine- producing drugs, but have been ineffective in reversing the progression of the disease.
Each treatment plan directs its attention toward one possible cause instead of all the causes. A disease process so diverse in symptoms and varied from one individual to another in severity and duration cannot be attributed to a single cause.
However, a method that detoxifies the body of the accumulated environmental toxins, heavy metals, fungi, parasites, viruses, miasms and residues, cleans up the vascular system and corrects the underlying nutritional deficiencies will have great success in reversing any dementia.
The information that will follow under specific categories and is also included in my REVERSING ALZHEIMER'S NATURALLY will help the reader to understand how the brain works, what it needs to function, what goes wrong in the brain and what can be done to repair it.
More specifically, there will be a discussion of all the underlying causes that were found to trigger the deterioration of brain cells, backed with current scientific research. It includes how each cause can be neutralized and removed naturally. And why current conventional drugs that have been used had minimal response.
It is important to remember that what works for one individual may have little effect on another. Because of the vast differences in exposures to various toxins, heavy metals, parasites, bacteria, fungi, etc. symptoms and their resolutions will vary.
Healing methods that are done naturally always proceed at a slower pace. By providing support to the body to do what it knows best, such as neutralizing, detoxifying and removing substances that don't belong in our body, the body can restore health and balance, regenerate new tissue and become disease free.
DISCUSSION OF ALZHEIMER RESEARCH
It is difficult to produce acceptable scientific data for dissection by the scientific community My observations were based on subjective responses from patients and their families. No double blind studies have been performed. Many double blind studies have misguided intent and lack the compassion to find answers in order to decrease suffering.
Please also be aware that the information on this website is not intended to diagnose, prescribe, treat, or cure any condition, or replace other conventional approaches nor to be used as a medical guide for self-treatment. Only your medical doctor has that right. Also, remember that each condition and response to remedies in any human being is an individual process.
