Beating Alzheimer's....

This is an important and hopeful book.

As the author says early on: "Here, finally, is nothing less than the first good news about Alzheimer's disease. It is a chronicle of joy, of the blessing of getting your life back. One of the patients you shall read about said he has allowed himself to think about the future once again when he talks to his grandchildren. Another said her memory is better than it has been in thirty years.... What you read about here is the beginning of a changed world, the beginning of the end of Alzheimer's disease."

We learn about a specific patient named Kristin who was noticing some decline in her mental abilities. She would get lost driving on the highway and forget which exit to take. She was finding it more difficult to analyze data at work and started thinking about resigning. She couldn't remember simple bits of information and had to start writing everything down.

Kristin worked with her own doctor to start following the author's ReCODE protocol and within three months she saw great improvement! No more worries about work, no more getting lost on the highway, no more forgetting little bits of information.

If his theory is correct Dr. Bredesen thinks there are three threats the brain is trying to protect itself against when it produces amyloid that is associated with Alzheimer's:

1. Inflammation from infection, diet, or some other source.
2. Lack of proper nutrients for the brain.
3. Toxic substances such as metals or biotoxins.

The goal of the ReCODE protocol is to:

1. Remove these threats to the brain.
2. Then remove the amyloid.
3. Then rebuild any damaged synapses.

As an overarching principle the author says that anything that is bad for general health or cardiovascular health is probably going to increase your risk of Alzheimers, so many of the things he mentions will sound familiar.

Here are some of the things that can increase our risk of Alzheimer's according to this book:

1. Too much sugar
2. Lack of rest
3. Being overweight
4. Too much stress
5. Lack of exercise
6. Lack of sunlight
7. Eating trans-fats
8. Smoking
9. High blood pressure
10. Too many Omega-6 fats and too few Omega-3 fats

The author also mentioned some things that surprised me a bit:

1. Too much dairy (which can trigger inflammation)
2. Too much gluten (which can damage the gastrointestinal tract and trigger inflammation)
3. Taking too many antacids (which reduces the body's ability to extract nutrients from food)
4. Too many statins (Cholesterol too LOW can increase risk of brain atrophy! I never heard of this one!)
5. Poor oral hygiene

I am not a doctor so I cannot evaluate the medical advice given by Dr. Bredesen in this book. However, I do feel confident that if you want to help a loved one with Alzheimer's or avoid Alzheimer's yourself reading this book will NOT be a waste of time.

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[Read this great book on beating Alzheimer's.]

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Copyright © 2017 by Joseph Wayne Gadway