A unique approach combining lifestyle and nutrition casts a ray of hope for the prevention and treatment of memory loss from Alzheimer’s and other dementias. A study in California treated patients holistically using a variety of modalities and saw excellent improvement in 90 per cent of participants.
I’ve seen the challenges of dementia both in my practice as a naturopathic physician and personally in affected friends and relatives. Typically, it’s not a pretty picture.
Dementia is devastating to both the patient and the family. As the disease progresses, a formerly fully functional adult can be ultimately reduced to being unable to perform even the most basic tasks. The emotional toll on families and primary caregivers can be brutal.
The cost to society is also huge, financially and otherwise. With the baby boomer generation moving into retirement, the so-called “grey tsunami” threatens to swamp our already overloaded health care system.
Alzheimer’s disease (or as some of my patients call it — old timer’s disease) in Canada costs us approximately $33 billion per year. This number is expected to balloon to more than $300 billion by 2040. Alzheimer’s is the main cause of age-related memory loss, but there are several other types of dementia and cognitive impairment with similar outcomes.
Although drug manufacturers would love to have a blockbuster prescription to significantly alleviate memory impairments, the drugs available thus far have been disappointing and only minimally affect symptoms and outcomes.
The prognosis seems bleak, but there is hope, especially if we look beyond seeking a single magic bullet solution and instead design a program with the goal of improving overall brain and neurological functioning.
Dr. Dale Bredeson did just this. He published a paper recently (in the journal Aging) describing a novel approach to cognitive decline. Ten patients with a variety of conditions including Alzheimer’s disease were treated. All but one improved significantly. Instead of focusing on one single therapy, the patients were each assigned a variety of treatments, based on a series of lab tests and lifestyle assessments.
The results in this study are very exciting. Six of the patients were either struggling with their jobs or had been forced to discontinue work as a result of their memory issues. All were able to return to work or continue at their jobs with improved performance. Remarkably, these improvements have been sustained after up to two-and-a-half years of follow-up.
The treatments included: a whole foods diet, measures to decrease overall inflammation including avoidance of processed foods, simple sugars and gluten, nutritional supplements to optimize antioxidant status and mitochondrial function, seven to eight hours of sleep per night, a daily 12-hour fast between supper and breakfast to improve glucose balance and decrease insulin resistance, exercise (four to six times weekly), stress reduction techniques, heavy metal detoxification, hormone balancing therapy, and herbs and nutrients for brain function. Each patient was assigned an individualized program.
None of the patients actually completed all of the prescribed interventions, but most did the majority of what was recommended. The success of this program suggests that a holistic approach can have a huge impact on some cases of Alzheimer’s and other memory loss conditions. Hopefully, the researchers will replicate the results in a larger trial.
For now, until further research is available, it makes sense to apply many of these interventions for those at risk of, or already experiencing cognitive impairment. One of the take-home messages from this publication is, let’s not rely on a single therapy or drug; instead, let’s do a number of interventions which address underlying metabolic dysfunctions typical in cases of memory loss.
In other words, let’s do as much as possible to help the nervous system and brain work better and remove blocks to normal functioning. Any one of these treatments is not likely to make a significant difference alone, but when combined, the results were dramatic!
Dr. Doug Miller is a naturopathic physician in Vernon.
