Bredesen's "End of Alzheimers" has a very thorough analysis of brain fog as a sympton of alzheimers progression. Effects like homocysteine can vary due to genetics. Notably, gene ApoE4 alters nutrient processing in the brain so increasing supplements a lot more affects homocysteine a lot less.
As you may be aware, a theory has grown up likening Alzheimers to diabetes of the brain. My own view is that most diseases recognized in allopathic medicine are diagnosed primarily by the spectrum of symptoms they present, with work on understanding underlying causes coming later, and often too narrow to be comprehensive and conclusive--because a whole host of factors must work right for us to do anything in particular at all, so the resulting "disease" might have one or several causes among a large number of potential causes. I am not familiar enough with gene ApoE4 to comment on it--thanks for mentioning it--but I do know that some people, myself included, have genes that do not methylate well. This leads to higher homocysteine, and the methylated forms of B vitamins (B6, B12, Folate aka 5-mthf) help lower homocysteine. I had to go to 8,500 mcg 5-mthf, and cut out (synthetic) folic acid entirely, to lower my homocysteine from the high teens to 10 (as part of Life Extension's Homocysteine Resist).
ApoE4 is inherited, so if you have dementia in either parent it's a good idea to get tested. About 25% have one or two copies of that gene.i was tested because my dad died of alzheimers, and they found I have one ApoE4 which I probably I herited from him. My doctors treat me differently to account for that gene. So far, so good. Genes aren't destiny, just a predisposition. We have some control over how our genes are expressed.
I take a large dose of methylated B6,9,12 and my homocysteine dropped from 9 to 7. Bredesen prefers it below 6 but I'm not there yet. His book has a good discussion of the homocysteine cycle.
Related importance is insulin and insulin resistance. I have gotten that under control. Insulin metabolism is also affected by the ApoE4 gene, so stabilizing that is good progress.
Have you asked Jerry Hickey (he answers questions at JHickey@InviteHealth.com) for his suggestions on supplements for Alzheimers? My memory is hazy, because this is not one of my main concerns, but he may mention resveratrol, "alcar + ala" (acetyl-l-carnitine + alpha lipoic acid), his krill oil, vitamin e, choline and acetyl-l-choline, and PS (phosphatidylserine, which works with the omega 3s). Hope this helps.
Looks like Jerry is a merchant with pharmacy training. Bredesen is a practicing physician with hundreds of successful treatments. His book provides solid analysis based on first hand experience. He recommends comprehensive testing, and supplements and other treatments targeted to specific conditions identified by those tests. What works for others might not be your best approach.
It's your call, but I can say that I know that Hickey goes back to the Willner Chemists pharmacy on 100 Park Ave., Manhattan, which was recommended by Carlton Fredericks from the mid 1970s or earlier (I actually commuted to Manhattan from Princeton to shop at that store); then Hickey supplied Robert Atkins, who was another genius on nutritional supplements (he studied from both Fredericks and Adele Davis). I can say my own experience validates much of what they wrote, and that amount and great breadth of nutritional information is rare among medical doctors. From my own readings going back to 1970 or so, I can tell that when Hickey is reporting on current global research--he daily reports in his webcasts on new papers he had just read--he is spot on, subject only to normal caveats, such as his overemphasizing something, your not needing everything he recommends, some of his products are overpriced while some others are uniquely effective (I find his resveratrol to be far superior to Life Extension's), etc. I believe him when he says top doctors, sports teams, and athletes consult him regularly.
However, when he leaves his core competency, such as warning about butter and coconut oil and red meat (a world of difference exists between organic steak and highly processed, factory-farmed, "inorganic" beef that is not recognized in health studies), and when he badmouths ivermectin, he reverts to one of the standard lines; no doubt, in my opinion, because, like all "experts," he doesn't want his public credibility to be diminished by skirmishes outside his core expertise. If you email him, you can always ignore his advice if you can't substantiate its value and relevance to you.
Finding the best resveratrol, or other therapies, is useful, and pharmacists are trained in that. But the first question is whether you need it to treat some condition. Pharmacists don't usually have much training in that. Resveratrol has some beneficial features, but is also toxic, so its use needs to be considered fully.
Meat quality points out another deficiency in our medical system. Doctors aren't trained in nutrition, and there's no pharmacy for food, just merchants vying for our business. All beef, and beans, and the rest, are the same in the medical view, which is very short sighted. We live in a complex world which encourages specialization, so it's difficult to determine our best choices. We're pretty much on our own to integrate the specialists to meet our unique needs.
My doctor got promoted so I have to pick a new one. I'm scheduled to meet a DO, which is a doctor of osteopathy, an "all body" Integrative doctor. She's board certified in cardiology so seems competent, but I'm looking forward to finding how the Integrative approach works.
Bredesen's "End of Alzheimers" has a very thorough analysis of brain fog as a sympton of alzheimers progression. Effects like homocysteine can vary due to genetics. Notably, gene ApoE4 alters nutrient processing in the brain so increasing supplements a lot more affects homocysteine a lot less.
As you may be aware, a theory has grown up likening Alzheimers to diabetes of the brain. My own view is that most diseases recognized in allopathic medicine are diagnosed primarily by the spectrum of symptoms they present, with work on understanding underlying causes coming later, and often too narrow to be comprehensive and conclusive--because a whole host of factors must work right for us to do anything in particular at all, so the resulting "disease" might have one or several causes among a large number of potential causes. I am not familiar enough with gene ApoE4 to comment on it--thanks for mentioning it--but I do know that some people, myself included, have genes that do not methylate well. This leads to higher homocysteine, and the methylated forms of B vitamins (B6, B12, Folate aka 5-mthf) help lower homocysteine. I had to go to 8,500 mcg 5-mthf, and cut out (synthetic) folic acid entirely, to lower my homocysteine from the high teens to 10 (as part of Life Extension's Homocysteine Resist).
ApoE4 is inherited, so if you have dementia in either parent it's a good idea to get tested. About 25% have one or two copies of that gene.i was tested because my dad died of alzheimers, and they found I have one ApoE4 which I probably I herited from him. My doctors treat me differently to account for that gene. So far, so good. Genes aren't destiny, just a predisposition. We have some control over how our genes are expressed.
I take a large dose of methylated B6,9,12 and my homocysteine dropped from 9 to 7. Bredesen prefers it below 6 but I'm not there yet. His book has a good discussion of the homocysteine cycle.
Related importance is insulin and insulin resistance. I have gotten that under control. Insulin metabolism is also affected by the ApoE4 gene, so stabilizing that is good progress.
Have you asked Jerry Hickey (he answers questions at JHickey@InviteHealth.com) for his suggestions on supplements for Alzheimers? My memory is hazy, because this is not one of my main concerns, but he may mention resveratrol, "alcar + ala" (acetyl-l-carnitine + alpha lipoic acid), his krill oil, vitamin e, choline and acetyl-l-choline, and PS (phosphatidylserine, which works with the omega 3s). Hope this helps.
Looks like Jerry is a merchant with pharmacy training. Bredesen is a practicing physician with hundreds of successful treatments. His book provides solid analysis based on first hand experience. He recommends comprehensive testing, and supplements and other treatments targeted to specific conditions identified by those tests. What works for others might not be your best approach.
It's your call, but I can say that I know that Hickey goes back to the Willner Chemists pharmacy on 100 Park Ave., Manhattan, which was recommended by Carlton Fredericks from the mid 1970s or earlier (I actually commuted to Manhattan from Princeton to shop at that store); then Hickey supplied Robert Atkins, who was another genius on nutritional supplements (he studied from both Fredericks and Adele Davis). I can say my own experience validates much of what they wrote, and that amount and great breadth of nutritional information is rare among medical doctors. From my own readings going back to 1970 or so, I can tell that when Hickey is reporting on current global research--he daily reports in his webcasts on new papers he had just read--he is spot on, subject only to normal caveats, such as his overemphasizing something, your not needing everything he recommends, some of his products are overpriced while some others are uniquely effective (I find his resveratrol to be far superior to Life Extension's), etc. I believe him when he says top doctors, sports teams, and athletes consult him regularly.
However, when he leaves his core competency, such as warning about butter and coconut oil and red meat (a world of difference exists between organic steak and highly processed, factory-farmed, "inorganic" beef that is not recognized in health studies), and when he badmouths ivermectin, he reverts to one of the standard lines; no doubt, in my opinion, because, like all "experts," he doesn't want his public credibility to be diminished by skirmishes outside his core expertise. If you email him, you can always ignore his advice if you can't substantiate its value and relevance to you.
Finding the best resveratrol, or other therapies, is useful, and pharmacists are trained in that. But the first question is whether you need it to treat some condition. Pharmacists don't usually have much training in that. Resveratrol has some beneficial features, but is also toxic, so its use needs to be considered fully.
Meat quality points out another deficiency in our medical system. Doctors aren't trained in nutrition, and there's no pharmacy for food, just merchants vying for our business. All beef, and beans, and the rest, are the same in the medical view, which is very short sighted. We live in a complex world which encourages specialization, so it's difficult to determine our best choices. We're pretty much on our own to integrate the specialists to meet our unique needs.
My doctor got promoted so I have to pick a new one. I'm scheduled to meet a DO, which is a doctor of osteopathy, an "all body" Integrative doctor. She's board certified in cardiology so seems competent, but I'm looking forward to finding how the Integrative approach works.