All excellent recommendations! Have you read about Dr. Bredesen, he claims to have reversed Alzheimer’s in 9 out of 10 cases. Here is a quote from him:
“People have not known what’s causing this disease, and it’s often said there’s nothing that prevents, reverses, or delays it. Nothing could be further from the truth. We know there are many contributors, [including] anything that damages mitochondria [and] different infections.
Amyloid is an excellent biomarker but a terrible therapeutic target, and that’s exactly what’s coming out of the data. According to conventional thought, elevated tau and beta-amyloid are causative factors in Alzheimer’s, but Dr. Bredesen’s research suggests otherwise. He explains:
“What we now see from the research is that Alzheimer’s disease, fundamentally, is a network insufficiency. You have this beautiful network of about 500 trillion synapses and as you get exposed to inflammation, infections in your mouth, insulin resistance, leaky gut, not enough blood flow, reduced oxygenation, reduced mitochondrial function, any of these things, that network is no longer sufficiently supported.
A few comments generally.........I'm currently undertaking the Coaching course for the Bredesen Protocol (98% completed) and can confirm from the studies done by Dr Bredesen and many case studies presented, it is very successful in reversing early stage Alzheimers. However, the later in the course of disease, the protocol is commenced, the more difficult it becomes, but there are still many success stories from cases that appeared very severe and with little hope.
The Bredesen Protocol uses intermittent fasting as one of it's main strategies. It is a very complex and comprehensive program and IMO must be overseen by a Bredesen accredited Practitioner (usually a Doctor) and it will require a lot of coaching support. It involves a complete change of lifestyle and a very big commitment, but it sure beats the alternative of steady decline resulting in death. Bredesen has written 2 books on the program for those who just can't afford the program delivered by practitioners and coaches, and perhaps with the help of someone like Robyn, it may be successful following the books.
There is no single component that will be effective alone. It must be done as combination of many treatments that address the many contributing factors involved in Alzheimers. These treatments will include diet, (heavily plant based) sleep improvement, stress management, sleep apnea control and exercise as the basics, but it then becomes personalised to the person, as there are 6 types of Alzheimers that all have different causes, such as toxins, head trauma, vascular disease, insulin resistance and others. Each type of Alzheimers is treated differently to the others. There is no one size fits all program. Every person is different and will need to be assessed via many pathology tests, cognition tests, genetic tests and other tests such as MRI's of the brain before a comprehensive treatment plan is finalised.
There are plenty of videos online of Dr Bredesen explaining his approach. Well worth watching to understand the complexity and comprehensiveness of his approach.
Current drug based mono-therapies generally target the beta-amyloid plaque deposits in the brain. However, Bredesen and others have clearly demonstrated this plaque is not the cause, but a protective mechanism symptom the brain uses to try and cope with conditions causing the disease. The drug based approach is about as illogical as thinking firefighters as the cause of house fires just because they are always seen at them.
My advice to anyone with a family member who has been diagnosed with early / mild cognitive decline or early stage Alzheimers is to investigate the protocol quickly and don't lose valuable time experimenting with mono-therapies such as a few supplements or 'magic' foods. As the condition progresses, it becomes harder to reverse.
Thanks for sharing your insights on the Bredesen protocol. It does seem to me to be the best option for anyone who has just been diagnosed or is at high risk.
Very good information. Thanks. I found a youtube video by Prof David Smith Oxford (maybe now retired) to be of great interest : How B Vitamins & Omega 3s Reverse Cognitive Decline.
Yes, yes, I do all of that, with religious devotion, but that doesn't stop me from sometimes entering a room and forgetting why I have done so - 'I came in here to get something and I have no idea what' - only to wander out again in defeat and hope the purpose comes back to me (which it usually does). And don't get me started on the missing sunglasses which were on the top of my head all the time, or wandering about the place, keys in hand, muttering 'now, where did I leave those keys'.
Actually, there is one group of people who might be actively willing on an epidemic of dementia - the perpetrators of what has been done to us over the last three years would rather be hoping for a mass outbreak of forgetfulness.
Oh yes, they/them/those are fervently hoping we will all forget what they did to us. Keeping us distracted with an endless series of crises and petty conflicts is part of the plan.
I would think that heel standing, not toe standing, would increase the length of the soleus. Toe-standing would shorten the posterior leg muscles, similar to wearing heels.
Also, a child's body is VERY different to an adult's body. Flexibility, weight distribution and limb length are major factors to consider when a child sits squatted vs an adult doing the same.
Then some people just have short/tight posterior calf muscles, no matter when they do (diet, stretching, exercise etc). Sometimes genetics just says you have tighter muscles in some areas. We cannot all do the same things, even with the same training.
Anyway, it was an interesting article, but I did find a few flaws in some of the suggestions.
The researchers who discovered the role of the soleus in maintaining blood pressure weren't aiming at lengthening the muscle, but at activating it - see the article that I linked to, on their research: https://neurosciencenews.com/calf-muscles-dementia-19069/
Regarding squatting, of course Westerners have reduced flexibility which limits their ability to squat. The main point I was making is that in cultures like the Hadza, squatting is the chief sedentary position throughout the entire lifespan. This posture has many benefits and is worth the effort to reacquire.
Great article Robyn. Do you know of any research linking the benefits of fasting or IF in relation to Alzheimer/ dementia ?
See Red Pill Aussie's excellent comment below!
All excellent recommendations! Have you read about Dr. Bredesen, he claims to have reversed Alzheimer’s in 9 out of 10 cases. Here is a quote from him:
“People have not known what’s causing this disease, and it’s often said there’s nothing that prevents, reverses, or delays it. Nothing could be further from the truth. We know there are many contributors, [including] anything that damages mitochondria [and] different infections.
Amyloid is an excellent biomarker but a terrible therapeutic target, and that’s exactly what’s coming out of the data. According to conventional thought, elevated tau and beta-amyloid are causative factors in Alzheimer’s, but Dr. Bredesen’s research suggests otherwise. He explains:
“What we now see from the research is that Alzheimer’s disease, fundamentally, is a network insufficiency. You have this beautiful network of about 500 trillion synapses and as you get exposed to inflammation, infections in your mouth, insulin resistance, leaky gut, not enough blood flow, reduced oxygenation, reduced mitochondrial function, any of these things, that network is no longer sufficiently supported.
Yes, it was Dr Bredesen's study that I referred to, as the multicomponent Alzheimer's reversal pilot study.
Red Pill Aussie, who is a regular reader and commenter on my stack, is currently undergoing coach training for the Bredesen program.
A few comments generally.........I'm currently undertaking the Coaching course for the Bredesen Protocol (98% completed) and can confirm from the studies done by Dr Bredesen and many case studies presented, it is very successful in reversing early stage Alzheimers. However, the later in the course of disease, the protocol is commenced, the more difficult it becomes, but there are still many success stories from cases that appeared very severe and with little hope.
The Bredesen Protocol uses intermittent fasting as one of it's main strategies. It is a very complex and comprehensive program and IMO must be overseen by a Bredesen accredited Practitioner (usually a Doctor) and it will require a lot of coaching support. It involves a complete change of lifestyle and a very big commitment, but it sure beats the alternative of steady decline resulting in death. Bredesen has written 2 books on the program for those who just can't afford the program delivered by practitioners and coaches, and perhaps with the help of someone like Robyn, it may be successful following the books.
There is no single component that will be effective alone. It must be done as combination of many treatments that address the many contributing factors involved in Alzheimers. These treatments will include diet, (heavily plant based) sleep improvement, stress management, sleep apnea control and exercise as the basics, but it then becomes personalised to the person, as there are 6 types of Alzheimers that all have different causes, such as toxins, head trauma, vascular disease, insulin resistance and others. Each type of Alzheimers is treated differently to the others. There is no one size fits all program. Every person is different and will need to be assessed via many pathology tests, cognition tests, genetic tests and other tests such as MRI's of the brain before a comprehensive treatment plan is finalised.
There are plenty of videos online of Dr Bredesen explaining his approach. Well worth watching to understand the complexity and comprehensiveness of his approach.
Current drug based mono-therapies generally target the beta-amyloid plaque deposits in the brain. However, Bredesen and others have clearly demonstrated this plaque is not the cause, but a protective mechanism symptom the brain uses to try and cope with conditions causing the disease. The drug based approach is about as illogical as thinking firefighters as the cause of house fires just because they are always seen at them.
My advice to anyone with a family member who has been diagnosed with early / mild cognitive decline or early stage Alzheimers is to investigate the protocol quickly and don't lose valuable time experimenting with mono-therapies such as a few supplements or 'magic' foods. As the condition progresses, it becomes harder to reverse.
Thanks for sharing your insights on the Bredesen protocol. It does seem to me to be the best option for anyone who has just been diagnosed or is at high risk.
Very good information. Thanks. I found a youtube video by Prof David Smith Oxford (maybe now retired) to be of great interest : How B Vitamins & Omega 3s Reverse Cognitive Decline.
Yes, yes, I do all of that, with religious devotion, but that doesn't stop me from sometimes entering a room and forgetting why I have done so - 'I came in here to get something and I have no idea what' - only to wander out again in defeat and hope the purpose comes back to me (which it usually does). And don't get me started on the missing sunglasses which were on the top of my head all the time, or wandering about the place, keys in hand, muttering 'now, where did I leave those keys'.
Actually, there is one group of people who might be actively willing on an epidemic of dementia - the perpetrators of what has been done to us over the last three years would rather be hoping for a mass outbreak of forgetfulness.
Oh yes, they/them/those are fervently hoping we will all forget what they did to us. Keeping us distracted with an endless series of crises and petty conflicts is part of the plan.
I would think that heel standing, not toe standing, would increase the length of the soleus. Toe-standing would shorten the posterior leg muscles, similar to wearing heels.
Also, a child's body is VERY different to an adult's body. Flexibility, weight distribution and limb length are major factors to consider when a child sits squatted vs an adult doing the same.
Then some people just have short/tight posterior calf muscles, no matter when they do (diet, stretching, exercise etc). Sometimes genetics just says you have tighter muscles in some areas. We cannot all do the same things, even with the same training.
Anyway, it was an interesting article, but I did find a few flaws in some of the suggestions.
The researchers who discovered the role of the soleus in maintaining blood pressure weren't aiming at lengthening the muscle, but at activating it - see the article that I linked to, on their research: https://neurosciencenews.com/calf-muscles-dementia-19069/
Regarding squatting, of course Westerners have reduced flexibility which limits their ability to squat. The main point I was making is that in cultures like the Hadza, squatting is the chief sedentary position throughout the entire lifespan. This posture has many benefits and is worth the effort to reacquire.