Bob has had 2 seizures since I wrote my last post. I was there visiting when he had the first one. The only one I knew of before was in April, and I was there to witness that one. It makes me wonder how many he has had that weren't witnessed, or if he has had petit mal (small) seizures when he doesn't respond to me, no matter what I do to try to wake him. The second one he had was when the hospice nurse was there and she called me. When I got there he wouldn't rouse, and had a lot of gurgling in his throat and chest. I was sure he had aspirated, and the nurse in me wanted to suction him! But the next morning he was fine. The surprising part again is that after the seizures he is temporarily more cognizant. One beautiful day I had taken him out on the patio, and it was just the 2 of us there. I asked him if he liked living at the Piper, and he said "It's OK, but you wouldn't like it." Then he put his arm around me and asked, with all the normal inflections in his voice, "How are you doing? Are you doing OK?" Then we went in for lunch and he was moving his placemat all around. I asked what he was doing and he said "I'm up to no good!" The hospice nurse told me when she visited the other day that she was chattering away about nothing and he said "You're boring me!" But yesterday when we were both there again, he was back to not responding to either of us. All this made me curious that maybe the seizure was like an electrical trigger to the brain, that somehow rebooted or rearranged neurons somehow. So I googled if ECT (electrical convulsive therapy) had ever been used for Alzheimer's. It turned out, that it has, and some it made better, and some people it made worse. Since the way they did ECT in the 1960s almost made me quit nursing school, I certainly wouldn't have that done to Bob! But now it is coming back with sedation and paralyzing drugs, so there are no horrible convulsions. And it is being proven as an effective treatment for depression. And there is also the implanted electrodes deep in the brain to treat Parkinson's disease (a form of dementia). Which prompts me to share some of the other "treatments" that are being touted as "cures" with varying rates of success, of course. They are CBD oil (doesn't that cure everything?!), Metformin (yes, the drug used for diabetes!), statins, estrogen, testosterone, curcumin and COQ10, Vitamin D and anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and Advil. But let me caution that many of these are controversial, and as with all studies, it seems you can make it prove whatever you want it to prove!
I promised that I would share some of the interesting concepts that Dr. Jane Murray presented to the retired nurse's at the last luncheon. I will also be quoting some of the summaries from Dr. Dale Bredesen's book "The End of Alzheimer's". Dr. Murray says the brain is like a roof with 36 holes. The disease can enter into any one of those holes--there is not one causative factor. Scientists are beginning to see Alzheimer's for what it really is--a fallout of the brain's protective function--rather than what we thought it was--an accumulation of amyloid plaques. Some people have a large accumulation of amyloid plaques, but no evidence of Alzheimer's. Dr. Bredesen says in his book that Alzheimer's occurs in the course of the brain protecting itself from 3 metabolic and lethal threats.
1. Inflammation (from infection, diet or other causes)
2. Decline and shortage of supportive nutrients, hormones, and other brain-supporting molecules.
3. Toxic substances, such as metals or biotoxins (poisons produced by microbes such as molds).
He goes on to say more about inflammation. It can occur when
1. Our immune systems are triggered by the presence of disease-causing pathogens and the immune systems have to keep fighting for so long, amyloids accumulate.
2. When trans-fats are introduced into the body
3. When the intestines are damaged, usually as a result of eating foods containing gluten, dairy or grains. Inflammation is also triggered by consuming a lot of sugar, in which case, insulin resistance is also part of the problem. Extremely high insulin levels lead to our bodies developing a resistance to its effects. And that resistance increases the chances of Alzheimer's in a person. Hence probably why metformin was being tried for the treatment of Alzheimer's? And why Alzheimer's is called diabetes type 3?
SO! What can a person do to plug up some of those 36 holes? My suggestion would be to get a whole new body or at least a new roof! But here are some suggestions both doctors gave:
1. Maintain good dental health and oral hygiene
2. Have a 12-16 hour fasting span between dinner and breakfast
3. Maintain a healthy diet and avoid sugars, such as sugars and candy, as well as starchy foods like white bread, white potatoes, and white bread that cause increased glucose levels. And here I feel guilty. Bob had a sweet tooth, and I loved to bake, and he loved to eat...
4. Take Vitamin D to prevent cognitive degeneration. A ideal measurement of Vitamin D3 is 50-80 ng/ml (Other studies show there is no association)
5. Get adequate sleep and treat sleep apnea. I know this was a problem for Bob. He had trouble sleeping his whole life. I think his brain was constantly thinking of things he needed to get up and do!
6. Engage in an intellectually engaging life. This creates an over-abundance of synapses, enough to lose some to amyloid plaques without feeling it. Luminosity.com is a brain stimulating website.
7. Reduce stress with yoga, meditation or simply taking deep slow breaths. Reducing caffeine and alcohol intake also help.
8. Avoid heavy metals and mold (And I often wonder about pesticides...)
9. This last one I am going to mention blows my mind! Incredibly, low cholesterol puts people more at risk of cognitive impairment than high cholesterol levels. An ideal measurement of total cholesterol for cognitive functioning in a person is more than 150. Evidently why use of statins and the studies that said they caused Alzheimer's was so controversial? Comments?
There are many costly lab tests to determine optimum levels of everything. There is controversy about which things are contributing factors, such as gluten. There is the fact that not just one of the elements provide a "cure". And one must accept that change is not a one day thing! This is just a list to make you think, and hopefully you will come away with something you need to work on changing.
A toast to you! Here's to better total health for all of us!
Or you can just say like my dear friend Mac. "I am 88 years old. I am going to eat whatever the h*** I want!"
Betty
