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Major Alzheimer’s Breakthrough: 200 hundred patients have their symptoms reversed

ScottTriGuy

Stop the harm. Start the research and treatment.
Messages
1,402
Location
Toronto, Canada
http://www.normandoidge.com/?p=2140

"In the last few days, a major book has been published by Dale Bredesen, MD. Dr. Bredesen, who has developed a new approach to the illness, has, for the first time shown it is possible, in a number of cases, to reverse the symptoms. He now has helped 200 cases. Some of these people have gone from barely functioning, to returning to work. As well, he has refined the approach to preventing the illness. A serious neuroscientist and neurologist, who trained with a Nobel Laureate, and has learned from basic research and complimentary medicine, his book is a must-read, and brings many disciplines together. The protocol works for people who have the Alzheimer’s gene, ApoE4, and shows that there are many variants of the disease, which, by the way, is a disease in which the brain loses its plasticity." ...

Published research:

http://www.aging-us.com/article/100981/text
 
Messages
15,786
That article sounds like it's more about his book than the research, which isn't a good sign. And it's published in a journal which is an off-shoot from another journal which has been rated as likely predatory, since peer-review is lax so long as the authors cite to the journal enough to help boost its metrics. The same problematic editor is involved with both journals, so it likely suffers from the same problem. That doesn't necessarily mean the article is junk, but it probably shouldn't be treated as peer-reviewed.

But basically it's a bunch of case studies, with no clear diagnostic processes or outcome measurements. There is also literally no description of the basic components of the MEND protocol. Hence this study isn't remotely repeatable or verifiable by other researchers - basic science fail. I suppose we have to buy the book to discover the miraculous method to cure Alzheimer's and shed pounds at the same time.

After reading the "research" article, I can safely conclude that it is indeed junk after all :D
 

Snowdrop

Rebel without a biscuit
Messages
2,933
There is also literally no description of the basic components of the MEND protocol. Hence this study isn't remotely repeatable or verifiable by other researchers - basic science fail.

Yes, the protocol is unique to each individual and is determined through a computer algorithm. Not to say it can't work but there are problems as mentioned. I fear that even good science if it becomes private pay will make health care only for the wealthy.
 

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
This is interesting. My father developed Alzheimer's in his eighties and eventually died from it. So having experienced this diseases devastating effects, it's nice to see that a cure may be coming.
I studied dementia specifically in my degrees, and research has been going on for a long time (decades). So far they have got nowhere as far as I can tell, possibly because they have been focusing on the wrong things. To quote from one paper:

"AD (Alzheimer's disease) is generally considered to be diagnosable post-mortem by the presence of focal SPs in the neocortex and NFTs in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex and neocortex."

SPs are senile plaques and NFTs are neurofibrillary tangles. But the degree of these is not very good for diagnosing the illness. It may be what the brain is responding to that is the problem. I hope that is clear enough - I'm not very good at explaining things these days/at present.

If this rather secretive doctor is focusing elsewhere, he may have something (or he may not).

Commiserations on losing your father to this horrible illness. I hope that if I develop it I will be able to get myself released humanely.
 

wdb

Senior Member
Messages
1,392
Location
London
Sadly, they've trademarked their protocol and I expect it would cost a great deal of money to get treatment from them. In their FAQ they're a bit cagey about the fees.

https://museslabs.com/physicians/

If this is accurate it would be very easy to replicate at home

3a) A summary of the Bredeson Protocol:

· Eliminate all simple carbohydrates

· Eliminate gluten & processed foods

· Increase vegetables, fruits, and non-farmed fish

· Reduce stress with yoga & meditation

· Increase sleep from 4-5 hours per night to 7-8 hours per night

· Taking methylcobalamin (methyl B12), vitamin D, CoQ10, and fish oil each day

· Optimize oral hygiene using an electric flosser & electric toothbrush

· Fasting for minimum of 12 hours between dinner and breakfast

· Exercising for a minimum of 30 minutes, 4-6 days per week.

Is this guy friends with Sarah Myhill ?

found here
https://www.reddit.com/r/Alzheimers/comments/6efknc/dr_bredesons_research_the_first_reversal_of/
 
Messages
3,263
Shocked to see another terrible example of inflated promises being made to desperate people. :(

The 'research article' reads more like a marketing pamphlet than a real article. And the magical protocol that cures everyone is never actually described, only the amazing outcomes it produces (all positive of course!)

Even if this doctor had found a secret cure for AD, who here would think it ethical to conceal the secret in order to make more money from it?
 

Eastman

Senior Member
Messages
526
I studied dementia specifically in my degrees, and research has been going on for a long time (decades). So far they have got nowhere as far as I can tell, possibly because they have been focusing on the wrong things. To quote from one paper:

"AD (Alzheimer's disease) is generally considered to be diagnosable post-mortem by the presence of focal SPs in the neocortex and NFTs in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex and neocortex."

SPs are senile plaques and NFTs are neurofibrillary tangles. But the degree of these is not very good for diagnosing the illness. It may be what the brain is responding to that is the problem. I hope that is clear enough - I'm not very good at explaining things these days/at present.

That is consistent with what Dr Norman Doidge said in his article:
We have confused the pathology (abnormal tissue) that occurs in the illness, and its pathogenesis (what causes the abnormal tissue), and targeted the former, instead of the latter.

And as to the cause(s):
...it became apparent that Alzheimer’s is a number of diseases. We might say that AD is a kind of final common pathway, to a number of processes, which all, by different means, can interfere with the brain’s regulation of its plasticity.

I find the three main types of AD proposed rather insightful:

1. Inflammatory type
2. Atrophic type
3. Toxic (vile) type

The infection model that was discussed recently on another thread would presumably be classified as an inflammatory type.

After reading the "research" article, I can safely conclude that it is indeed junk after all

Shocked to see another terrible example of inflated promises being made to desperate people.

I presume that there are no patentable drugs involved in the protocols, so more scientific studies on them look unlikely.

I've been trying to get some results from completed studies on niacinamide and nicotinamide riboside but haven't had much success, and can only assume that commercial interests are getting in the way.
 
Messages
3,263
I presume that there are no patentable drugs involved in the protocols, so more scientific studies on them look unlikely.
So, research only gets done when there are 'patentable drugs' involved? I almost wish this were true. Then we wouldn't all be in the mess we're in now, with all that GET and CBT research.
 

CCC

Senior Member
Messages
457
If this is accurate it would be very easy to replicate at home
3a) A summary of the Bredeson Protocol:
· Eliminate all simple carbohydrates
· Eliminate gluten & processed foods
· Increase vegetables, fruits, and non-farmed fish
· Reduce stress with yoga & meditation
· Increase sleep from 4-5 hours per night to 7-8 hours per night
· Taking methylcobalamin (methyl B12), vitamin D, CoQ10, and fish oil each day
· Optimize oral hygiene using an electric flosser & electric toothbrush
· Fasting for minimum of 12 hours between dinner and breakfast
· Exercising for a minimum of 30 minutes, 4-6 days per week.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Alzheimers/comments/6efknc/dr_bredesons_research_the_first_reversal_of/
We inadvertently did almost* all of this with my mother-in-law when she moved in with us (before eventually going into residential care, where she does NONE of those things).

And yes she improved, but we also cut out coffee and sugar, and then she improved even more when she want to 'day care' and had bulk socialisation with people her own age and condition (and ate the usual junk they dish out at these places).

I think it comes down to the type of dementia, because the symptoms and progression seem to be vastly different - so some things will help some people but not others.

*We didn't do "Taking methylcobalamin (methyl B12), vitamin D, CoQ10, and fish oil each day" (although she did take vitamin D, but probably not in high enough dosage we now know). And the exercise was very gentle walking - she was 80+ with osteoporosis.
 

Eastman

Senior Member
Messages
526
So, research only gets done when there are 'patentable drugs' involved? I almost wish this were true. Then we wouldn't all be in the mess we're in now, with all that GET and CBT research.

Depends on the situation, I guess. Patentable drugs make money, GET/CBT saves money (for insurers/government). So there's incentive for both.

The protocol being discussed here is apparently pretty complex, involving an initial assessment followed by a combination of treatments, since single treatments have been largely shown to be ineffective for Alzheimer's. I assume that a proper trial would not be easy or cheap to do, since the number of possible combinations of treatments to be tested is very large.