Fatty diet could increase progression of Alzheimer's: Study

Canada.com
Marianne White , Canwest News Service
Published: Tuesday, October 28, 2008
QUEBEC - Eating foods rich in saturated fat and poor in omega-3 fatty acids could contribute to the progression of Alzheimer's disease, a new Canadian study suggests.

The study, published in the latest online edition of Neurobiology of Aging, looked into the effects of a diet high in fat (60 per cent of calorie intake) on mouse brains.

The researchers from Laval University, in Quebec City, compared two neurological markers of the disease, the amyloid-beta and tau proteins found in the brain of Alzheimer's patients.

They found that mice whose diet was high in fat showed.....read the whole story

National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, 2008

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
During National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, we recognize the dignity and courage of the men and women living with Alzheimer's disease. We also honor the devoted family members and caretakers who bring them love and comfort, and we underscore our dedication to finding a cure for this tragic disease.

Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder that seriously...read the whole proclamation

Alzheimer's day care: A home away from home for those with dementia

WALB
Channel 10

By Alicia Eakin

VALDOSTA, GA (WALB) - Alzheimer's disease is one of the fastest growing diseases of our time.

Right now, 15 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's and other dementias. That number is expected to double by the year 2030.

Valdosta State University sponsors a unique center that offers support for everyone effected by the diseases.

To 92 year-old Elmira Wright, it's a place to sing.

For 80 year-old Bill Ervin, it's place to be among friends.

"What we do here is have good companionship, talk to each other and what I like, after talking--glory glory hallelujah--is singing songs and hymns of praise," Ervin says.

Each year nearly 100 people with Alzheimer's, like Bill and Elmira, are brought to My Friend's House in Valdosta....read the whole story

Getting a person with dementia to sleep at night

Alzheimer's weekly
Nurse Dina
One of the most difficult things to deal with when caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's or a related dementia, to understand why the person says and does the things they do. Its hard to know exactly what's going on, but you are seeing is most likely the encroaching of the plaques and tangles into the parts of the brain that control mood, impulsivity and the ability to reason. It is impossible to remain patient and be understanding when you are on call for 24 hours at a time without any sleep or respite.

Many people with Alzheimer's tend to sleep or doze during the day and then towards the late afternoon or evening, they start ...read it all

Smart pill: A natural way to stop dementia in its tracks

MarketWatch
'SmartPill' Uses Vitamin Formulation to Improve Brain Health, Memory
Researchers at UMass Lowell have demonstrated success in improving the memory and brain function of patients with Alzheimer's disease, findings that will be published in the December/January issue of the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
Called the "SmartPill," the vitamin-based formulation has been shown to improve memory and recall speed in normal adults and Alzheimer's and other dementia patients, without side effects. On Monday, Oct. 20, the Alzheimer's Association presented a grant, awarded competitively at the national level, to support additional clinical trials to test whether the formulation can delay the onset of the disease.
James Wessler, president and CEO of the Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, presented a check for $240,000 for three years to UMass Lowell Prof. Thomas Shea, the lead researcher on the "SmartPill." A licensing agreement to bring the pill to the market under the name MemoryXL to be sold without a prescription is in negotiations.
"This formulation is the first, non-prescription, low-cost intervention for Alzheimer's disease," says Shea, a professor in UMass Lowell's Biological Sciences Department. "One can start this at the first indication of memory problems, or even before for general brain health, instead of waiting for the severe deterioration of advancing Alzheimer's."
Shea, representatives of the Alzheimer's Association's Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter and UMass Lowell, including Chancellor Marty Meehan, were among those who attended.....read the whole article

With Alzheimer's and other dementias, you can still have a good life

MayoClinic.com
Alzheimer's blog
By Angela Lunde
Here at the Mayo Clinic, I, along with my colleague from the Alzheimer's Association, facilitate "Memory Club," a group for persons with early Alzheimer's disease, other dementias, and their care partners. Here is what one of our former participants shared:

I worked as a computer engineer for 35 years. Several years ago I was having some problems. Things were not right. I had tests to see how my memory was. I was told I had Alzheimer's disease. I was 64 years old. I wondered if they could fix my Alzheimer's disease. I wondered how many others were like this. I wondered why me, I was too young.

Things have changed for me over the past couple of years. I spend more time looking for things. I get more frustrated. When I start to say something the words float away — that's the hardest.

I don't mind telling others about my disease. I want them to know why I am struggling. Telling others helps me cope.

I have 4 children and 6 grandchildren. I have 2 sisters. I have good friends. Being with others who accept my disease helps me cope.

When I am around people I usually have a good joke. I can't change the past, and I can't change what the future brings, so I choose not to worry about it. Humor helps that.

I participate in an early stage support group with others going through a similar situation. I find it helpful to be with others like me and see how they are handling it. Alzheimer's, from what I can tell, is not going away anytime soon. My support group helps me cope.

Most of all, my wife makes it possible......read it all

Anti-Alzheimer's recipe

Here is a good recipe for your brain. It will go a long way to help prevent Alzheimer's disease and related dementias
Brain Boosting Hummus with Walnuts
Chickpeas, walnuts, olive oil, lemon juice and turmeric make this delicious dip a brain-boosting bonanza. Great for a late afternoon snack or a light lunch. It’s quick to make and keeps in the fridge for several days.

Makes about 8 ¼ c. servings.

1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained
¼ c. walnuts
3 T. lemon juice
3 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
click here for the whole recipe

We need you to become an Alzheimer's advocate

Alzheimer advocates made great strides in getting cosponsors for the Ending the Medicare Disability Waiting Period Act (S. 2102, H.R. 154). The bill lists 103 US House cosponsors and 23 US Senate cosponsors!

This bill would phase out the two-year waiting period for Medicare coverage for persons under age 65 diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease who may have lost a job and employer-based health insurance.

Unfortunately, the bill will not pass this year. We will ramp up our efforts again in early 2009 to ensure the bill is reintroduced and our race for cosponsors will resume.

We need your help

Click here to become an Alzheimer's advocate

Click here to read more

Ask A Doctor: There are ways to delay the onset of Alzheimer's and other dementias

htrnews.com
By Dr. Tresa Teehan • For the Herald Times Reporter

Question: Are there ways to slow down memory loss or dementia in the elderly?
Answer: Studies have shown that there are ways to slow the onset or progression of dementia, but no method is foolproof and individuals will respond differently.

Dementia is the progressive loss of memory and other mental functions. There is no cure for it, but medications are being studied in an attempt to discover the most effective treatment.

By the age of 65, nearly one in 10 people has some form of dementia, and by age 80, that number changes to nearly 1 in 5. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia.

Generally speaking, in order to delay the onset of dementia, keeping the mind active and vital is key. Doing so can involve several different strategies:...read the whole article

Good news about a vitamin cocktail for those with Alzheimer's and other dementias

Listen to the videos about special vitamins for people with Alzzheimer's disease and other denemtias courtesy of YouTube.com: patriotledger
click here
There is also other informative information about Alzheimer's disease and dementia, shared

For artist behind new stamp, story is personal

Chicago Tribune
Associated Press
U.S. Postal Service stamp designer Ethel Kessler, who has designed more than 200 stamps, had a special interest in taking on the job of planning the Alzheimer's commemorative, which goes on sale Friday. Her mother, Ruth, now in a nursing home, has suffered from the brain-wasting disease for years.

'Darkness to light'
The 42-cent Alzheimer's postage stamp shows a woman, head bent down, with a comforting hand resting on her shoulder. The image is slightly obscured, as if seen through mist. "It's symbolic of somebody from darkness to light," Kessler said. The image is not her mother or any specific person, she added.

A glimmer
Unlike some with Alzheimer's, Kessler's mom seems happy and enjoys visits from her children even though she doesn't recognize them. "I come in and touch her shoulder or knee and look at her for a minute, and there's a spark of recognition," said Kessler, of Bethesda, Md. "She hasn't said my name in a long time, and I don't ask her to say my name."
Read the whole article
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Thank you readers for making Alzheimer’s Disease: Early Detection Matters #1!

Because of the support of readers of this dementia blog and other concerned individuals, the Alzheimer's Association has earned first place in the American Express Members Project.

The Alzheimer's Asociation will get 1.5 million dollars to begin an education campaign highlighting the importance of early detection among physicians and the general public. This is a positive step toward helping those who go undiagnosed for many years, losing valuable time that could be spent planning for the future and starting treatment. read the whole story
Know the early warning signs of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
Click here for more info

Click here to become an Alzheimer's advocate

Blood protein tied to Alzheimer's disease and other dementia, risk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Low levels of cystatin C -- a blood protein commonly used as a measure of kidney function -- may be a risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in elderly men, researchers report.

Cystatin C is produced by nearly all human cells and available in all body fluids. During the past decade, studies have suggested that cystatin C activity in the brain may protect against the development of Alzheimer's disease by inhibiting amyloid-beta -- a protein in the body that forms amyloid plaques in the brain, a key feature of Alzheimer's disease.

To further explore this idea, Dr. Johan Sundelof, of Uppsala University, Sweden, and colleagues examined the association between blood levels of cystatin C and the development....read the whole article

New study confirms that Alzheimer's and other dementias are helped with Ginko Biloba

Market Watch
KARLSRUHE, Germany, Oct 17, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- A new placebo-controlled study in 410 patients suffering from mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia has demonstrated the efficacy of EGb 761(R). Like the majority of dementia patients encountered in everyday clinical practice, the patients in the study suffered from both cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety, irritability or aggression. During the observation period of 24 weeks, EGb 761(R) improved both cognitive functioning and neuropsychiatric symptoms of the patients significantly.
aEURThis study confirms that EGb 761(R) improves cognition as well as...to read the whole story click here

Can you help find this person?

I am taking a break from the activity and dementia focus to help because I just got a request to get the word about this young lady Her mother is very worried. Can you help?
My 13 year old girl, Ashley Flores, is missing.
She has been missing for now two weeks.
Maybe if everyone passes this on, someone will see this child.
That is how the girl from Stevens Point was found by circulation
of her picture on tv. The internet circulates even overseas,
South America, and Canada etc.
Please pass this to everyone in your address book.
With GOD on her side she will be found.
'I am asking you all, begging you to please
forward this email on to anyone and everyone
you know, PLEASE.
It is still not too late. Please help us. If anyone
knows anything, please contact me at:
HelpfindAshleyFlores@yahoo.com
I am including a picture of her.
All prayers are appreciated! ! '
It only takes 2 seconds to forward this.
If she were your child, you would want all the help you could get!

Does Vitamin B improve Alzheimer's?

There information out there about the effect of taking Vitamin B to improve Alzheimer's.

According to medpage Today in an article by By John Gever, Staff Writer, MedPage Today and reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
Published: October 14, 2008, Alzheimer's Disease Not Susceptible to B Vitamins and according to an article on WebMD
Alzheimer's Patients Decline Despite High-Dose Folate, Vitamin B6/B12
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MD
And according to an article WBZ news A new study released Tuesday finds that taking mega-doses of B vitamins does not appear to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. However, Boston area researchers are testing some promising new compounds which may do just that.

A trial at Neurocare Center for Research in Newton is testing an experimental antibody which attacks proteins linked to Alzheimer's
Read this article

What do you think?

Vitamin D: Dementia vs Parkinson's

Elderly people often have particularly low levels of Vitamin D. And new evidence suggests that those low levels could be linked to Parkinson's disease. It has also been shown that many with dementia also have low levels of Vitamin D

Researchers at the Emory University School of Medicine measured blood levels of the vitamin in 300 patients - a third each with either Parkinson's, Alzheimer's disease or neither.

As expected, insufficient levels of Vitamin D were common in each. But more of the Parkinson's patients (55 percent) had low levels than the Alzheimer's (41 percent) or the healthy controls (36 percent), they write in the current Archives of Neurology.

Moreover, all the participants lived in the South, most were white and most were tested in summer and fall - all factors known to help the skin produce Vitamin D from sunlight.

The findings, the researchers conclude, highlight the importance of...read this story

Thanks to By Don Sapatkin
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Philly.com

7 Tips To Help You Remain Healthy During Flu Season

As a caregiver of someone with dementia, your health is extremely important. The tips listed below will help to ensure that you stay healthy this winter. The tips are courtesy of OurAlzheimer's.com
by Dorian Martin
In a Health Magazine story, "How Some Women Never Get Sick," on CNN's website that described seven secrets that help women avoid becoming sick. These seven tips (which are greatly expanded on the CNN website) include:

Get a massage. Health reports that massage "can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and heart rate -- and lowering these is likely to cause your stress level to drop, one key to building immunity." Another way to get the benefits is to use a stiff, natural-bristle brush while showering.
Take a cold shower. Although there's little...read the whole story
comments
Link to CNN story
What do you do?

Is hearing loss an early sign of dementia?

Huliq
October 12, 2008
Is hearing loss an early sign of Alzheimer's disease or related dementias? Central auditory testing may act as an early screen for cognitive decline in the elderly, researchers have said:

In a study of 313 patients at least 71 years old, several measures of central auditory processing were impaired in those diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and, to a lesser extent, those with memory impairment but not meeting criteria for Alzheimer's, reported George A. Gates, M.D., of the University of Washington, and colleagues in a recent issue of Archives of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery.

Central auditory processing is the brain function involved in interpreting complex sounds such as speech
"Hearing speech involves detection, recognition, and comprehension, the latter being clearly a cognitive task," said Dr. Gates.

Such hearing problems often show up as an inability to....read the whole story

Postal Service to Issue Alzheimer's Awareness Stamp

Maybe this will increase the public's awareness of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias
Market Watch
The following was released by the U.S. Postal Service:
What: First-day-of-issue stamp dedication ceremony for the Alzheimer's Awareness 42-cent social awareness first-class stamp during the dedication of the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute's www.brni.org new research facility.
......read the wohle announcement

Central obesity and dementia

Mens News Daily
Mind
Robert A. Wascher, MD, FACS
The information in this column is intended for informational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice or recommendations by the author. Please consult with your physician before making any lifestyle or medication changes, or if you have any other concerns regarding your health.

More than 60% of adult Americans are overweight, and one-fourth of the U.S. population is frankly obese.

There is ample clinical evidence showing that obesity is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and premature death. Some cancers also appear to be more common among obese patents, including cancers of the breast, pancreas, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, uterus and kidney.

Although generalized obesity is a risk factor for all of the life-threatening diseases that I have described, the accumulation of excess body fat within and around the abdomen (central obesity) appears to be linked with an especially high risk of obesity-associated illnesses. Now, a new research study, just published in the journal Neurology, suggests that dementia....read the whole article

Fresh air a great medicine for Alzheimer's and other dementias

The Coppenhagen Post

A project at St. Kjeldsgården care centre in the Jutland town of Viborg has improved both the physical and mental welfare of its older dementia and Alzheimer’s patients through picnics, outings and garden work.

Inspired by the project’s results, Eva Kjer Hansen, the social affairs minister, has set aside DKK 7 million over the next two years to support.....read the whole story

Should you tell someone about their Alzheimer's diagnosis?

MayoClinic.com
October 3,2008
By Angela Lunde
In a recent posting, the question was asked about whether or not to tell someone with Alzheimer's disease about their diagnosis. This is a complex question and one that may surface for many families.

While most would not raise such a question about a diagnosis such as cancer, the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease seems to highlight a greater feeling of uncertainty in the context of offering what feels 'right' or is in the best interest of a loved one with this disease.

Brian D. Carpenter, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, stated that arguments in....read the whole article and a comment

Those with Alzheimer's could double over 20 years

ContraCostaTimes.com
Daily News Wire Services
Article Launched: 10/01/2008 06:44:51 AM PDT

With members of the baby boomer generation approaching their mid-60s, the number of Los Angeles County residents living with Alzheimer's disease could nearly double over the next 20 years, according to reports released today.

At least 147,000 Angelenos currently suffer from the chronic condition, which manifests itself as a loss or decline in memory and other thinking abilities, according to reports by the county Department of Public Health and the Southland chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.

By 2030, that number is expected to swell to nearly 279,000 people, as the number of 65-and-older residents in Los Angeles County grows from 1 million to 2.4 million, the reports predicted.

More than 325,000 baby boomers living in the county today will likely develop the
....read a comment and the whole article

Rise in Alzheimer's cases a `time bomb'

ContraCosta Times
By Melissa Evans, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 10/01/2008 10:56:37 PM PDT
Because the Asian and Latino communities are younger now than whites and blacks, the numbers of people with Alzheimer's within these ethnic groups will increase far more rapidly over the next two decades, she said.

"We are now calling for development of more culturally appropriate outreach services for these families," she said. "In many cultures this is a stigmatized subject; people don't want to talk about it."

She added that the South Bay is somewhat unique in that people tend to be diagnosed at a younger age, possibly because of a more educated population, she said.

The cost of the increase in Alzheimer's cases is staggering.

click here to read a comment and the whole story