Be the Cure

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If you or one of your loved ones have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, one of your options is to wait and hope that someone else finds a cure for you, and that you find out about that cure in time enough to matter.

Someone may have already found a cure. You can read about it in a book called The End of Alzheimer's, by Dale E. Bredeson, M.D.

Dr. Bredeson also wrote another book explaining how his practice actually uses those ideas to help people. That book is called The End of Alzheimer's Program.

His third book on this topic is The First Survivors of Alzheimer's. That book includes the stories of several Alzheimer's survivors, which is notable because until recently the survival rate was 0%.

Based on the millions of people who currently have Alzheimer’s disease, and the lack of other options, if Dr. Bredeson's system works then it should be front-page news around the world.

Unfortunately for Alzheimer's sufferers, Dr. Bredeson's system doesn't involve a pill that pharmaceutical companies can make billions of dollars on, and many of the companies that own the pharmaceutical companies also own most of the news media. It's not to their advantage to test or promote a system that doesn't bring them truckloads of money.

Waiting for the medical/media establishment to approve of treatments that don't have substantial rewards for drug companies, or waiting for the drug companies to find a magic pill, may be a losing proposition.

Another choice is to take action. Instead of waiting for better treatments or for a cure, you yourself can join the search. If you have Alzheimer’s disease, is there anyone with more incentive than you to find successful treatments?

Maria Montessori was an Italian educator who lived in the early part of the twentieth century. There are Montessori schools worldwide that base their methods on her writings. In a book called “The Montessori Method”, she wrote that teachers should be more like scientists. The gist of her idea was that instead of restraining children in desks, like butterflies pinned to a board, and throwing education at them, we should be more like scientists and observe the children, and learn from each individual the best ways to encourage that individual to learn.

This idea of thinking more like a scientist can also apply to you as you battle this disease.

Science is the methodical search for knowledge, and the knowledge thus obtained.

Science isn’t an arcane process that requires years of study and someone else’s approval for you to participate in it.

One scientific method is to gather data, then draw conclusions from that data. This is the method that was used by Jane Goodall when she was studying chimpanzees in Africa.

Another scientific method, the one they usually teach in schools, is to start with a hypothesis, which is a guess about something, and then to test that hypothesis.

Both of these methods require diligence, consistency, attention to detail, and good record-keeping. Neither of them are magic, nor do they belong to people whose permission you have to seek in order to use them.

Science is not a priesthood. Scientific methods belong to everyone. No one has the authority to tell you that you are not qualified to try legal substances or activities, and to record the results. The choice of whether to do so is yours, and yours alone.

Dr. Bredeson is the chief science officer of Apollo Health. They offer services (for a price), and they have also trained other practitioners across the country. You can search for those practitioners at this link.

I have not yet been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, but my mother was. I was her primary caregiver for over six years, until she passed away.

Allegedly the causes of Alzheimer's begin at least ten years before symptoms appear. I'm not going to wait to be diagnosed before I take action. I don't have the financial resources to order a lot of tests right now, but I can look at Dr. Bredeson's system and begin using it a piece at a time.

One of the key components of Dr. Bredeson's system is fasting for twelve hours daily. I'm starting with fasting ten hours daily, from 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM, and cutting back on my sugar intake. As I get comfortable with that, I'll adopt new pieces of his system. The worst case scenario that I anticipate is that I'll get healthier. I can live with that.

Cognitive tests are important for measuring any change in mental abilities. There are many free cognitive tests available online, and there are others that you can pay for. You can find many of them by doing an online search. I have not had time to test them myself, but I expect to add to this website one or more pages dealing with cognitive tests.

Life is a cognitive test. If you see that you are no longer able to remember faces, facts or events as easily as you did, that should be a warning sign.

You are also free to establish your own tests. These could include remembering lists of names, addresses or phone numbers; matching games; the electronic game Simon; math quizzes; puzzles of various sorts; singing songs and/or playing a musical instrument; or some other mental tasks that you feel are relevant or interesting. You can test yourself and record the results, and periodically retest yourself to determine if there has been some decline or improvement after making dietary changes, or changes in physical or mental activity.

Read as much as you can about your condition, and about the human brain, and about studies that have been done or are underway. Knowledge is power.

The benefit of applying scientific methods is not limited to Alzheimer's disease. It could also be useful for many other conditions as well, such as Parkinson's disease, vascular dementia, diabetes, or depression.

This page was not written by a medical professional, and is not specific medical advice. It would be wise to consult a doctor to see if there is any known harm in any plans you intend to try regarding your health. You can also consult your doctor for suggestions on how you can measure your own cognitive health.

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Good luck.