cadfoundation, Author at The Curing Alzheimer's Disease Foundation

woman's own body is hitting her in the fact

KNOW YOUR ALZHEIMER’S RISKS: #4 is Autoimmunity

October 18, 2024

auto-immunity is where your body attacks itself Now that it looks like the Amyloid Hypothesis is likely incorrect, an increasing number of researchers are postulating that Alzheimer’s Disease may be an auto-immune disease where the brain’s own defenses are what’s killing the brain. In this recent scientific article titled “Alzheimer Disease Pathogenesis: The Role of Autoimmunity” researchers point to the growing number of studies that suggest that we are heading in the wrong direction in treating Amyloid Beta as the genesis of this disease and instead should be heading in the direction of viewing Alzheimer’s as an immuno-response against the brain itself. Moreover, auto-antibodies, the researchers contend, might be the new Alzheimer’s diagnostic tool we’ll be using in the near future. As this line of reasoning takes off, be assured that we will begin seeing more studies and articles linking diseases like Diabetes and Rheumatoid Arthritis to Alzheimer’s Disease. But we are not so sure that connection can be made…and here’s why: If having an auto-immune disease was key to whether you would develop Alzheimers, then it would reason that all auto-immune diseases would carry the same or very similar risks for developing Alzheimer’s Disease. Which is absolutely NOT the case. In fact, many auto-immune diseases don’t even show up as co-morbid conditions to Alzheimer’s – meaning many people dying of Alzheimer’s don’t have a single auto-immune disease and vise-versa…many people with an auto-immune condition never contract Alzheimer’s. Therefore, we feel this inconsistency begs us to look closer at those auto-immune diseases THAT DO show up as co-morbid diagnosed conditions for keys as to why a high number of individuals with these diseases go on to develop Alzheimer’s. And we contend that the overlap between the following auto-immune diseases and Alzheimer’s may be locked up in other risk factors that coincide with these auto-immune disorders…the top two being age and being female at birth. The Curing Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation is dedicated to helping explain the connection between Autoimmunity and Alzheimer’s. In this recent blog post, we delve into the fascinating theory that looks at a specific immune cell that, in some people is over produced – and could be contributing to this still unknown link. THE FOLLOWING AUTO-IMMUNE DISEASES ARE LINKED TO ALZHEIMER’S Periodontal Disease In as far as autoimmunity and Alzheimer’s goes, Periodontal Disease (PD) has the highest co-morbidity with Alzheimer’s Disease of all auto-immune disorders. We believe this is because: if you have PD, you have a type of bacteria that can also cause Alzheimer’s. We saw this in the dental clinic daily – in fact, we could frequently predict who would be suffering from dementia / or was already suffering from dementia just by looking at their periodontal-charting! Advanced age with deep pockets over a long period of time = Mild/Moderate Cognitive Impairment or even Alzheimer’s Disease. In fact, it was rare where this wasn’t the case. Taken further, if a tooth (or many teeth) were lost due to Gum Disease then it was a guarantee that if the the individual was older (60+) they were already starting to fail cognitively. Wow. We will bring you more information on this in a future blogpost. Diabetes Diabetes – in both forms (type I and type II) – is close to the top of the list of auto-immune diseases that are linked to Alzheimer’s. Which begs the question: why do so many people with Alzheimer’s also have Diabetes? We think the answer is simpler than the hard-thinking research world wants it to be: We believe the parallel is due to what happens to diabetics as this disease progresses. One of the most irritating symptoms of Diabetes is xerostomia – commonly known as Dry Mouth. Now, when you have no/low saliva, you will inevitably develop Periodontal Disease because the lack of saliva (saliva is what keeps the mouth PH basic), the PH of your mouth becomes acidic. And when the PH of your mouth becomes acidic, the bad (harmful) bacteria overgrow and the good (harmless) bacteria die. Tooth decay and Periodontal Disease (PD) ensue, the later of which (as we just covered) increases your risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Lupus Sjogren’s Syndrome For the longest time, researchers have been documenting a strong association between this form of autoimmunity and Alzheimer’s Disease. We agree that Sjogren’s Syndrome (SS) is risk actor – partly because it’s strikes women far more than it does men – see risk factor: biological sex. But mostly because of what it does to the body. Just as with Diabetes, SS, by nature, reduces saliva (among other autonomic functions) and in so doing, reduces the oral PH. This, we contend, is why this disease appears to be a strong risk factor Copyright © 2022 Curing Alzheimer’s Disease [EIN #88-3154550] All Rights Reserved. This information is not designed to replace a physician’s independent judgment about the appropriateness or risks of a procedure for a given patient. Always consult your doctor about your medical conditions. Curing Alzheimer’s Disease.com does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Use of the site is conditional upon your acceptance of our terms of use.

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woman worried, holding her hands to her temples

KNOW YOUR ALZHEIMER’S RISKS: #3 GENDER

October 16, 2024

The odds are not favorable for women when it comes to contracting Alzheimer’s Disease. Women contract AD earlier in their lifespan, and unquestionably much more frequently (try two times more) than their male counterparts. Interestingly, not until the 8th decade (your eighties) does the rates of AD balance out between the different sexes, at which times your odds of getting AD at this point in your lifespan becomes identical for both men and women. Fact: Being biologically Female doubles your Alzheimer’s risk – and here’s possibly why: Study upon study finds that an increased risk of Alzheimer’s is linked to Menopause. Furthermore, the spike in cases for women seems to have been kickstarted by the 2000 Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) that recommended that women discontinue hormone replacement therapy (HRT) based on one rogue study that suggested hormone replacement caused cancer and heart disease in women. The HRT ban happened instantly and worldwide. And 10-15 years later, we begin to see a significant spike in Alzheimer’s diagnosis and deaths in our female population. That 2000 study has since been replicated over and over and over again – and not one of those follow-up studies has shown that HRT yields the same heightened risk for cancer and/or heart disease. Yet doctors worldwide continue to deny women the right to receive the estrogen and progesterone that their bodies are deficient in. Now, there still remains a very serious concern within the medical community regarding prescribing HRT to women with a history of cancer or heart disease. In fact, the women in the earliest study who developed cancer and heart disease had not been selected out of the study (which is why it is considered a flawed study). That valuable data though, raises concern for this subset of women who are at a greater risk due to their underlying conditions or genetic propensity. In those instances, it would be critical to consult with your medical doctor on alternatives to HRT that can boost your estrogen levels – such as gaining more of this hormone naturally from your food. Here’s an article regarding the eight foods high in estrogen that you may find interesting. (2) Good to know: Menapause is caused by the full depletion of eggs from a woman’s ovaries – as women are born with the total number of eggs they will cycle through, a woman’s predicted age of Menapause is controlled by 1) age of first period 2) age when her last egg is released 3) whether she has received any fertility treatment that would expedite entrance into menapause. (1) And of course, as genes play a role, looking to your mother’s path toward menopause will serve as a guide to the approximate age you will enter into menopause yourself. We will be publishing a blog post soon on Menapause and how this hormone deficiency syndrome impacts a woman’s risk for developing Alzheimer’s Disease. So check back or subscribe to our blogsite to catch it when it comes out. (1) Postmenopausal syndrome https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4539866/ (2) Top Foods High in Estrogen https://www.webmd.com/diet/foods-high-in-estrogen

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Know your Alzheimer’s Risk: #1 is Age

October 14, 2024

Based on our knowledge and experience, here’s what we think you would want to know about Late Onset Alzheimer’s Disease (LOAD). In a follow up article (Part II), we will offer advice gained from experience and current literature that can help you possibly slow the disease down until a Cure is available for widespread use. But for now, we’d like you to – 1) Know that there are two forms of Alzheimer’s – Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease and Late Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Early Onset (which is rare) occurs before age 65. Late Onset Alzheimer’s (which is what most of us think of when talking about Alzheimer’s) occurs after age 65. (1) This article focuses on this second form of Alzheimer’s Disease. 2) Know that without an autopsy, a clear-cut diagnosis for this disease is impossible. Therefore, it’s critical that other medical reasons that can look like early-stage Alzheimer’s disease have been ruled out. Conditions with similar cognitive symptoms include: depression, stress, diabetes, thyroid disfunction, liver or kidney disease, vitamin deficiencies, even exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide. These are easy tests to perform and will give you the reassurance that a presumed Alzheimer’s diagnosis is truly accurate. 3) Know that Primary Care/Family Practice/Internists are in no position to diagnose AD– and after ruling out all medical and psychological explanations for your decline – their duty is to refer you to a Neurologist for further testing and treatment. 4) Know that many people over the age of 60 have some Alzheimer’s pathology already in their brains (2a) and yet they show no signs of cognitive impairment. So, you have more and are seeing a decline in your ability to think – it’s time to do something about it. 5) Know that Alzheimer’s Disease is generally contracted 10-15 years before symptoms force a diagnosis. The median age for diagnosis is 79.9 (2), therefore the median age for contracting this disease is estimated to be 65-70 years of age. 6) Know that one of the top risk factors for Alzheimer’s is having gum disease. (3) (4) A fact long suspected in Dentistry, and just now entering the science community. 7) Know that Alzheimer’s Disease skyrockets 10-15 years after a country changes their position on prophylactic antibiotics during dental procedures. It’s too consistent to be coincidental. 8) Know that Alzheimer’s Disease began to skyrocket 10-15 years after our medical community stopped endorsing Hormone Replacement Therapy for post-menopausal women. 9) Know that most auto-immune diseases that are considered risk factors for Alzheimer’s are risk factors because they overlap with the higher risk that gender plays in contracting Alzheimer’s. Being female increases your risk of contracting Alzheimer’s substantially. And women make up the bulk of those diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, even type II diabetes that strikes after menapause. 10) Know that aging is your number one risk for contracting late-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. This is LARGELY because of something called Senescence – which is defined as the loss of our cell’s ability to divide and grow. This, in turn affects every biological system in your body – in the instance of Alzheimer’s Disease, senescence impedes your brain’s ability to protect itself from foreign pathogens like bacteria. 11) Know that Alzheimer’s is a disease of inflammation. Which is why the most commonly prescribed Alzheimer’s drugs (that have been shown to reduce brain inflammation), seem to work initially (5). But as the diseased brain becomes more inflamed, the effectiveness of these drugs quickly becomes insufficient. Which is why you should …. 12) …Know that research continues to prove that current Alzheimer’s drugs have little to no positive effect (6). Yet these drugs come with a very serious list of side effects. Therefore, you should be challenging your provider to show you the studies that support his/her recommendation that you should be taking these drugs. You will find that no Alzheimer’s drug has been studied longer than 5 years. So, no one really knows what they are doing to your brain’s chemistry long-term. 13) Know that the idea that Alzheimer’s is inherited can be disproven by statistic– 70% of Late Onset Alzheimer’s Disease (LOAD) cases have no family history for Alzheimer’s (7). So, it’s time to stop blaming genetics and time to start looking for what you can do now. Stay tuned for our second article in this series that will help offer ideas on what you can do now to potentially protect yourself against Alzheimer’s Disease. Feel free to visit our website at www.CuringAlzheimersDisease.comfor more information, and be sure to subscribe to this blog www.Curing-Alzheimer’s.com for updates on what is published next. # # # Citations: (1) Types of Alzheimer’s Disease (2a) Non-Demented Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease Neuropathology: Resistance to Cognitive Decline May Reveal New Treatment Strategies (2016) (2) Time from diagnosis to institutionalization and death in people with dementia (2020) (3) ) Oral bacteria may be responsible for Alzheimer’s disease – Harvard University 2019 (4) Large study links gum disease with dementia – NIH 2020 https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/large-study-links-gum-disease-dementia#:~:text=Among%20those%2065%20years%20or,to%20further%20increase%20those%20risks (5) Donepezil doesn’t cure Alzheimers, it just treats AD inflammation 2020 (6) Current Alzheimer’s drugs do little to help patients – 2020 (7) Maternal transmission of Alzheimer’s disease: Prodromal metabolic phenotype and the search for genes About the author: Anna Shelander is a journalist and question-asker who rarely accepts “no” for an answer. Which is why, when her dad (Dr. Crandall ) became ill with an unexplainable disease, he asked her to come along for the ride. The two worked unsuccessfully within the medical community to find a diagnosis, then branched into the research community where answers finally began to appear. It was at this level of science that Anna and her father began to parse together the drug protocols that dramatically improved his cognition. Disclaimer No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as an absolute substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. This article should be viewed as advice that is based on current research regarding the potential to slow and possibly prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. Copyright © 2022 Curing Alzheimer’s Disease [EIN #88-3154550] All Rights Reserved. This information is not designed to replace a physician’s independent judgment about the appropriateness

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