Archive for the ‘treatment’ Category

Alzheimers and Vitamin B3

May 6th, 10 / 0 Comments








The original work on Vitamin B3 and Alzheimer’s was done at the University of California (Irvine) with mice that have been bred to develop Alzheimer’s.

Studies found the mice fed very high doses of Vitamin B3 did not exhibit memory loss when compared to a normal mouse population.The untreated Alzheimer’s strain mice developed memory loss as the experiment progressed

Several points should be noted when it comes to human trials.The first is that this isn’t “approved” yet and the human trials are just beginning.

Low doses of B3 normally associated with vitamin shops and their products are not going to work as the dosages needed are much higher.

Experimental doses run in the 2g per day rather than the milligrams in vitamins

Liver problems have been noted when doses approach 10g in humans.

The current thinking is that Vitamin B3 (Niacinimide) will “prevent” the build-up of Tau proteins inside neurons. When the proteins buildup, the nerves become less effective; continued buildups will eventually kill off the nerves.

There are also other types of protein buildup in play possibly creating other avenues for attacking neurons.

Researchers suggest that while Vitamin B3 might be effective at controlling one problem area, new developments will likely attack both inner and outer protein issues.







medications, nutrition, research, treatment

Cure for Alzheimers?

May 6th, 10 / 0 Comments








If you’re looking for a magic cure for Alzheimers, or at least the early prevention of this problem, then look no further.

You’re really looking at yet another reason to exercise.

Oh yeah (and try to contain your enthusiasm for this if you can)

The Details

More and more research is pointing to the benefits of exercise on aging. Reduce the problems associated with Alzheimer’s-causing problems and the disease is pushed way back. So exercise to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, depression (all associated with Alzheimer’s symptoms)

Research trials on Alzheimer’s strains of mice have shown exercise increases brain blood flow, stimulate nerve cell growth in regions associated with memory and reduce the pathological changes associated with the onset of Alzheimers.

Aerobic exercise improves cognitive abilities in studies.

Research just goes on an on about how physical activity either decreases the risk, decreases the incidence or helps mask symptoms pushing active lifestyles further out before the onset of the problem. A 2008 study at the University of Australia showed that patients with mild impairment benefited from exercise and that this was an ongoing effect even after a year following the end of the study. Bottom line, thinking was improved in many areas of testing in the exercise group over the control (sit-on-your-butt) group.

Bottom Line

In all these trials, there is no conclusive proof that exercise is a cure for Alzheimers but all the trends and conclusions point to the fact that a healthy lifestyle (or walking at least an hour a day) is going to push it back.

My take on all this of course is I’m good with a cure for Alzheimers and that I’ll exercise more if I move south for the winter so…







lifestyle, research, treatment

Wine and Alzheimers

May 6th, 10 / 0 Comments








Can life get any better? It turns out that all those Europeans who drink wine with every meal may have found a better way to prevent Alzheimers.

Dr David Teplow, a UCLA professor of neurology have shown that one of the chemically active ingredients in red wine called polyphenols block the formation of brain proteins that build up plaque and destroy brain cells.Not only does red wine and associated polyphenols help block the formation, they might actually reduce the toxicity of existing plaque – further reducing brain deterioration.

In More Detail

Polyphenols (about 8000 of them are known) are also found in tea, some nuts, berries, and a wide range of plants. But wine appears to be the delivery method of choice. While scientists have know that polyphenols had a wide range of influences on the human body (fighting cholestrol etec) they didn’t know how they work and this is the reason for this research.This research focussed on polyphenols found in grape seed extract and not only did they block the formation of the negative proteins, they also decreased the toxicity of existing proteins.

It appears that grape seed extract stops the formation of the protein before it even gets going.The next step in this for the researchers are human trials to see if they can prevent Alzheimer’s , slow it down or repair existing damage.

The next step for this writer is to make sure there’s a good supply of red wine in the cellar.







nutrition, research, treatment

Alzheimers and Marijuana

May 6th, 10 / 0 Comments







It turns out that marijuana and Alzheimers may be a potent allies in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. A report in the Oct 2 issue of the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceuticals
suggests that THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) might inhibit the production of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) – an enzyme that appears to be related to increased Alzheimer’s symptoms.

Details

First of all the “research” is a computer modelling rather than actual human testing. It “should” have an impact kind of thing. Actual lab testing of these models found that THC disrupted the chemical process associated with Alzheimers. The short version of this is that the AChE enzyme increases the formation of a protein plaque in the brain called amyloid plaques. AChE also breaks down the neural transmitter acetycholine. Note that low levels of acetycholine are associated with Alzheimers.

So stopping the production of the enzyme (AChE) that attacks and breaks down the acetycholine is a good thing and this is apparently what THC does.

These lab tests showed that THC completely blocked the AChE from doing it’s job while currently available drugs Donepezil succeeded in 22% of the time and Tacrine worked at 7%.

The next step in this process is animal testing.

Previous research has apparently shown that THC prevents rats from getting Alzheimers.

On the Other Hand

It depends on what you think about the effect of THC or marijuana and Alzheimers, e.g. (politically correct view versus science) There’s some evidence that heavy marijuana use itself can impair memory, your ability to make good decisions and pay attention.

You wouldn’t have to inhale. You wouldn’t likely care either. :-)

What were we talking about? Oh yeah, the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.

Next up – we’ll be studying the effect of THC related to excessive munchies on seniors and weight gain.







research, treatment

Alzheimers and Q10

May 6th, 10 / 0 Comments








The relationship between Coenzyme Q10 and Alzheimers may not seem obvious but Q10 is naturally produced by the body and there is some evidence that treating with 100-1200 mg a day tended to slow progression of Alzheimers compared to a placebo. It isn’t an Alzheimer’s cure but it may slow it down.

Q10 is found in all animal and plant cells and is part of the oxidation chain – a very powerful antioxidant.

The Devil is in the Details

We know that Q10 occurs naturally and we know that it tends to decrease with aging. We also know it is usually below average levels in patients with chronic disease such as heart problems, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson‘s, cancer, HIV/AIDS.

It is entirely possible to add Q10 by supplementing your diet but the research is inconclusive about what it really does or if it really works.

Side Effects

Indeed there are potentially serious side effects of overdosing on Q10 and that dosages may vary by individual.

The National Institute of Health did a literature review a few years ago that found that subjects with Parkinson’s disease found that CoQ 300-1200 mg/day, tended to slow progression compared to placebo.

Higher doses tended to show greater efficacy.

Adverse effects were minimal, and domains that showed benefits were function, motor symptoms and cognition

Summary

While this study doesn’t deal specifically with Alzheimers, it does point out the potential for abuse with Q10. It also points out that this research group had better “cognition” after
supplementing with Q10

Bottom Line

Full evidence isn’t available about the relationship between Q10 and Alzheimers – that this is going to work but it seems promising in this initial review.







nutrition, treatment

Soybeans and Alzheimers

May 6th, 10 / 0 Comments







Just when you thought things would settle down on the nutrition and Alzheimers front comes news that a Taiwanese report demonstrates a fermented food made from soybeans (called Natto) contains the enzyme (what else) Nattokinase.

Turns out that its a clot-buster of an enzyme and is sold as a supplement to improve circulatory systems.

Asians have been eating this stuff for a thousand years or more and the researchers have shown it attacks amyloid fibrils (the stuff that makes up the plaque largely responsible for Alzheimer ‘s.

So, we have another preventative “possibility” but nothing definite.

Having said that, people have been eating this stuff for so long (made from boiling soy beans) that we know it isn ‘t going to hurt us.

And it might help.







nutrition, research, treatment

Alzheimers Patch

May 6th, 10 / 0 Comments







The Alzheimers patch is one way to deliver the medication Exelon to those suffering from mild Alzheimers disease. It is an effective Alzheimers medication and here
are some of the things you want to know.

Exelon – What It Is

Exelon is the marketing name for the drug Rivastigmine and this is an cholinesterase inhibitor type of medication (acetycholine is a chemical helping nerve transmissions and this class of medications help prevent it from being destroyed).

Preventing the destruction of nerve pathways helps prevent the progression of the Alzheimers Disease. There is also research pointing out that this kind of medication also enhances the functioning of the nerve connections in the brain.

The Alzheimer’s Patch: Does It Work?

Research trials indicate there is an improvement in functioning using this product.

For example, in one study done in 2002, the long term safety and effectiveness of Exelon was done – dose 1.5 mg/3 times a day. The effectiveness of the drug was tested by using the Mini-Mental State Examination and some items on the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale while the progression of the disease was monitored using the Global Deterioration Scale.

After 26 weeks, patients showed no deterioration (but no improvement either which is to be expected as Alzheimers damage is permanent). 11% of patients had to be withdrawn off the trial because of adverse effects of the medication.

Bottom line – it worked well if a regular dose was kept up for the full treatment regime on mild to moderate cases.

(Bilikiewicz A, Opala G, Podemski R, Puzyski J, et al. Med Sci Monit 2002; 8:PI9-15.)

Can You Combine the Alzheimers Patch With Other Medications

Yes. In a word, a combination of medications sometimes (and I emphasize the word sometimes) seems to have an effect greater than the individual medications themselves. While this is reported in the literature, there are also cautions that this can’t be standardized or counted on. There are too many individual differences between patients to say they’ll get XX or YY amount of improvement by combining medications.

And sometimes there isn’t any.

So the bottom line is that it can be done, isn’t something to overly worry about if it is done and it may help some patients.

Can You Switch to the Patch?

There is no problem switching to the patch from other medications or from oral Exelon.

The results of a trial on brain functioning done by Shua-Haim, Celeste Yap, Aleksey Kretov, and Paul Lee found that caregivers reported 20% of patients improved cognitive functioning with the patch over oral medications while 17% of patients were reported as having declined.

Things to Discuss With Your Physician

Side effects. There appear to be fewer side effects from the Alzheimers patch than taking Exelon orally. But abdominal pain, anxiety, aggression, confusion, constipation, depression, diarrhea, fatigue, headache, gas, insomnia, night sweats, loss of appetite, vomiting and weight loss are associated side-effects from Exelon.

Combinations with Other Medications. While nothing appears in the literature I could find at the time of writing, it is clearly important to discuss with your family physician for up-to-date information.

The length of time it takes to work. There is some literature that points out that patients need to be on this medication for several months for it to start working.

How often the patch needs changing. Currently, the patch needs changing every 24 hours.

Who is the Alzheimers patch good for? Mild to moderate cases seem to respond while more severe cases do not.







medications, treatment

Alzheimers Medicine for Early Stages

May 6th, 10 / 0 Comments








When it comes to Alzheimers medicine for dementia treatment, there are several different drugs registered and used by physicians. Understand that none of these will cure the problem but will slow the progression or mask the symptoms of the problem.

The other kind of treatment often prescribed has to do with alleviating the symptoms associated with the disease, so we’ll see prescriptions for things like sleeplessness, anxiety or depression.

Cholinesterase Inhibitors

If I go way back to my college physiology classes, I remember that acetylcholine is the chemical in the body that makes the nerves connect and work better.

Cholinesterase is an enzyme that breaks down the acetylcholine (summarizing about three months of lectures).

We want a normal supply of acetylcholine because this makes our nerves run properly. And when we get Alzheimers the cholinesterase is breaking too much of the good stuff down. So we want to stop this from happening.

The cholinesterase inhibitors that are registered (at the time of this writing) were donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon) and galantamine (Reminyl) The chemical is the first name and the drug name or trademarked name you purchase it by is the second name.

Donepezil (Aricept) – seems to work best (according to the FDA if I’m reading the data correctly) for mild cognitive problems and will delay the onset of Alzheimer’s for about a year. It is however registered for mild, moderate and severe cases.

Effectiveness

According to the research I saw, about 50% of people get a benefit from this kind of Alzheimers medicine. (which means the other 50% do not see any improvement)

There are also side effects that include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting and this causes some patients to stop taking the pills as well.

I’ve written about the other kinds of Alzheimers medicine and you can see them in the related articles.

One article that you might want to check out is this one on medication aimed at the later stages of Alzheimer’s.







medications, treatment

Alzheimers Disease Care

May 6th, 10 / 0 Comments







Alzheimers disease care involves using medications for the later stages (registered at time of writing) of this dementia involve treating with the chemical memantine (sold as Namenda).

Let me emphasize again that this is not an Alzheimer’s cure but rather something that masks the symptoms of the disease.

How it Works

Again, from basic physiology, let me summarize for you. Glutamate is a moderator of some chemical/electrical processes in the brain and we need it in small amounts.

What seems to happen with Alzheimers (and other dementia causes) is that too much glutamte is produced when brain cells die. The excess of glutamate speeds up the remaining brain cells – wearing them out – and this in turn causes them to die.

An excess of glutamate increases the wearing out and death of brain cells.

So memantine (Namenda) treats the symptoms of the problem by slowing down or regulating the glutamate. It actually does this at the cell membrane level and is only effective when there is excess glutamate – otherwise, it does nothing.

Combination

There is some thought that combining the shorter term Alzheimers medications with the longer term ones will improve the effectiveness of treatment.

Effects

This form of Alzheimers disease care does not repair the effects of Alzheimer’s but rather allows patients to continue on at the same level of functioning for a longer period of
time.

The easiest way to think of this is that it is a quality of life issue. The patient is going to be able to maintain themselves in a retirement facility longer (not get lost, be able to use the bathroom etc) rather than having to go into a nursing care home.








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medications, treatment