Prevention and Slowing of Dementia

mhj16

Hello everybody,

I'm new to this forum and I've been reading a lot of posts over the past few days.

I've been seeing a lot of people who have unfortunately been recently diagnosed with Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment and are unsure of what steps they can take to reduce their risk or slow progression of disease.

Recent medical evidence has shown this is possible through specific lifestyle interventions:

https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(20)30367-6/fulltext

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)60461-5/fulltext

But unfortunately, patients seem to not be advised on exactly what steps they can take to implement and personalise this for themselves to improve their brain health. It's almost like patients are left to figure things out by themselves.

How do people feel about this? Is this something others have felt as well?

Thank you all

Marta

I’m afraid this falls into the category of solicitation, for which you need permission on this site.

Best of luck with your quest.

M1

Not sure what your purpose is. Are you trying to sell something?

mhj16

I think you are misunderstanding. I am not trying to sell anything. Therefore, I have edited my post to avoid confusion.

I am simply trying to understand whether people know that dementia can be prevented or slowed? Much like diabetes, hypertension or any other chronic disease.

And are people who have been recently diagnosed with Dementia or MCI taking these proven steps to improve their brain health? And if not, then why not? What is the barrier to taking this approach?

Marta

Please cite sources that suggest any intervention known today slows the pathological process of MCI or any of the dementias.

mommyandme (m&m)

Type 2 diabetes can be prevented, yes, but dementia can often come like lung cancer in non-smokers or type 1 diabetes. Can we do things to help improve our chances, sure, but even then it still might come. Can we slow its progression, hopefully, not always. Sounds like you think there’s a “sure thing”. Think we’d hear about it on all the airwaves, if so. I’m thinking you want to sell something. I’m not buying.

im so tired of scammers. I listed my DM’s wheelchair ramp on Craigslist and wouldn’t you know it, someone tried to scam me out of $400. I corresponded too long but they didn’t get it. It feels extra violating since the ramp was part of this exhaustive journey with my mommy that I love so much. Jerks.

mhj16

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/178039#Comment_178039

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24386324/

"In dementia patients having more diseases also related to a significantly faster decline in daily functioning. Due to the combination of lower functioning in ADLs at baseline and faster decline, dementia patients with multimorbidity were about one to two years ahead of the decline of dementia patients without any co-morbidity"

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0161813X17300554#sec1200

"Considered cumulatively, there was evidence to suggest that physical and cognitive activities may exert a beneficial effect on cognitive function and other indicators of dementia progression"

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/types-dementia/tips-managing-mci-diagnosis

"There is a lot you can do to help reduce your chances of MCI progressing to dementia. There are also many ways to deal with memory problems that will allow you to live well with MCI."

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29713339/

"MCI is the preclinical stage of AD in which neurodegeneration may be reversed via neuroplasticity. Therefore, taking exercise intervention in the early stage of MCI and healthy aging at the risk of AD could slow down the process of cognitive impairment and provide a promising cost-effective nonpharmacological therapy to dementia."

mhj16

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/178042#Comment_178042

On a mass scale, if we can encourage people to live healthier lifestyles, we will reduce the amount of dementia cases by a significant amount. Yes of course, like any disease (including type 2 diabetes by the way), you can be genetically pre-disposed to be at such a high risk that you end up getting it no matter what. But most cases of dementia do not fall into that category.

The main focus should be on those older people who get Alzheimer's due to the long-term modifiable risk factors. Up to 40% of which fall into this category https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(20)30367-6/fulltext

So why can't we encourage healthier brain aging in older adults as a strategy to tackle this horrible disease? It would certainly prevent a huge chunk of people who end up getting dementia. Isn't that worth it?

And again, I have nothing to sell. I just want to understand the perspectives and sentiments towards this increasingly new approach to tackling dementia (which the medical field is now slowly shifting towards, rather than relying on a miracle cure which has already been at the cost of hundreds of billions of dollars)

Marta

The title of your thread is misleading. No intervention to date has been shown to alter the pathology of MCI or the dementias. What you are talking about is reducing symptoms and improving quality of life, both commendable goals. But please do not stir up false hopes in a vulnerable population.

mommyandme (m&m)

of course we can promote and encourage a healthier lifestyle…for many things. seems like our culture does this on a mass scale now. Best Practices are always highly encouraged. but…“You can lead a horse to water…”.

in the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s for those that have dementia now maybe the message wasn’t out there. i mean we were promoting cigarettes after all. hopefully people will get the message that we must take care of ourselves and promote healthier lifestyles in children. again, aren’t we.

people are short sighted.

Marta

In the US people would rather take a pill than make lifestyle changes. I say this after practicing internal medicine for 25 years.

Iris L.

What you are interested in could have been determined by reading a few threads. I am suspicious of your postings. I have flagged this thread.

Iris

SusanB-dil

Agreeing with Iris... mom probably did all the right things, and still....

Marta

What the OP is espousing is not a new approach at all - it is essentially the Best Practices philosophy which Iris, a physician with MCI-NOS, has been recommending on this site for more than a decade.

Battlebuddy

Husband was a long distance cyclist and took all kinds of supplements to increase performance. Ate a very healthy diet. Never drank or smoked. He got it at 52 . His beer drinking , pizza eating, couch potato family didn’t. Go figure

M1

my partner never smoked, always exercised, was never overweight, didn't drink, had absurdly good cholesterol values--and still developed dementia. You are talking out of school.

Marta

I commend the OP for wanting to learn about best practices, but do not credit him/her with being up to date in the field.

Lane Simonian

I hope this thread stays up. I am not sure what was in the post before it was edited, but the edited version does not seem to violate any rules for this site.

mhj16 asks a critical question: "And are people who have been recently diagnosed with Dementia or MCI taking these proven steps to improve their brain health? And if not, then why not? What is the barrier to taking this approach?"

The first problem is that it is often difficult to identify "the cause" of mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Sometimes it requires extensive and expensive testing and even then a cause (or more likely causes) may be difficult to pinpoint. Certainly adopting a healthier diet and/or healthy lifestyle may help slow cognitive decline in some individuals.

The second problem is that there is a certain amount of fatalism (for lack of a better term) surrounding dementia. Once neurons die they cannot be replaced (which is not true for the hippocampus), dementias are so complex the answers to them will never be discovered, people offering possible answers are all hucksters (some of them are, some of them aren't), any clinical trial suggesting ways to slow down or stop the progression of the disease were shoddily run and funded by individuals with a financial interest in the outcome, nothing has ever slowed down the progression of dementia and nothing ever will.

Maybe the idea that nothing can be done is strangely more comforting than trying to sort out what might be done. People get tired of hearing that something can be done, especially from those trying to profit off the disease or by well-meaning but persisent relatives and friends.

I have said for years that Alzheimer's disease is primarily an oxidative stress disease and that the treatment of Alzheimer's disease will come from natural products that inhibit oxidative stress, remove oxidants, and partially reverse the damage that these oxidants do to the brain. Panax ginseng is one such good antioxidant because it contains multiple compounds that do all three. Aromatherapy with various essential oils is another because the antioxidant compounds can nearly directly be inhaled into the hippocampus. Here are titles of two clinical trials for each with a brief summary.

Improvement of Cognitive Deficit in Alzheimer’s Disease Patients by Long Term Treatment with Korean Red Ginseng

In conclusion, the effect of KRG on cognitive functions was sustained for 2 yr follow-up, indicating feasible efficacies of long-term follow-up for Alzheimer’s disease.

Heat-processed ginseng enhances the cognitive function in patients with moderately severe Alzheimer's disease [Korean red/panax ginseng steamed at higher temperatures]

These results demonstrate the potential efficacy of a heat-processed form of ginseng on cognitive function and behavioral symptoms in patients with moderately severe AD.

Effect of aromatherapy on patients with Alzheimer's disease

Conclusions: In conclusion, we found aromatherapy an efficacious non-pharmacological therapy for dementia. Aromatherapy may have some potential for improving cognitive function, especially in AD patients.

Effect of aromatherapy in patients with Alzheimer's disease: a randomised controlled clinical trial

Conclusion: Aromatherapy can improve sleep, alleviate psychobehavioural symptoms and improve quality of life in patients with AD, which may be related to reducing the level of oxidative stress in patients and inhibiting inflammatory factors; it is a non-drug intervention that can be widely applied.

Marta

Wonderful, Lane!

ButterflyWings

Thanks Lane!

I have read the research you've shared for a while, and these studies show potential symptom management but not a slowing of progression, is that right? The best practices (Mediterranean) diet and exercise that Iris and others have shared for a long time is a keeper for me.

And I would like to learn more about the specifics of aromatherapy, so I can use it for me as well as DH, and share the information with others. For example I have some friends struggling with cognitive effects of long COVID and it seems this could help, certainly would not hurt. Does that make sense?

I'm glad the original post was revised, as PWDs and their LOs should never be given false hopes, especially when selling something. My DH spent (wasted) a few thousand dollars on snake oil promises found on the internet when he was first aware of some memory issues, pre-diagnosis and pre-anosognosia, but not aware that his judgement was impaired enough to purchase things online that he would never have considered when his thinking was sound. Predatory -- and I was unaware of what he was doing. It reduces trust as you say, in legitimate solutions like those you have shared, fully cited and studies verified.

charley0419

Hi I’m new to all this wife just diagnosed with mild Alzheimer’s, put her on placebo based clinical trail for couple of months felt why make an experiment on my wife(76) for 2 yrs rather try medication. Started Donepefel had side effect stopped taking waiting on doctor Friday. Wife shouldn’t drive didn’t take it well as in complete denial. Let me say THIS ILLNESS SUCKS

Lane Simonian

These are very good questions ButterflyWings. Panax ginseng and aromatherapy treat what are likely the root cause of Alzheimer's disease: oxidative stress. The more oxidative stress there is, though, the less effective they become. The indications so far is that panax ginseng and aromatherapy can stabilize mild Alzheimer's disease for long periods of time (for at least two years) and that they may at least slow down the progression of moderate Alzheimer's disease for at least a year or more.

Two of the partially unresolved questions for aromatherapy are which essential oils to use and how to administer them. Most of the aromatherapy trials used a diffuser. This seems to work well at night for relaxing oils such as lavender, rose, orange, and patchouli, but direct inhalation of the more stimulating oils (breathing each essential oil for a few seconds each morning directly from the bottle but not touching the skin) such as rosemary, clove, and bay laurel may work better for cognition. Lemon balm is one of the few essential oils that contains compounds that can both stimulate and relax a person.

I have learned a few negative things about essential oils mainly from this site. The more stimulating oils can potentially make a person more anxious and restive. Some essential oils can evoke bad memories and disturb a person (cloves for example used to be used in dental offices). Don't mix different essential oils in a diffuser: the smell can be terrible. Don't apply essential oils directly to the skin, some can be major irritants. Never ingest essential oils as they can do internal damage. Some essential oils can potentially cause a rise in blood pressure. Some people have allergic reactions (headaches and nausea, for instance) to particular essential oils. For the great majority of people, though, there are no adverse side effects.

I believe that many of the neurological problems created by Covid are due to the overproduction of peroxynitrite. Peroxynitrite is produced to fight the virus, but can cause major, lingering problems in the process. Some of the compounds in essential oils scavenge peroxynitrite and reverse part of its damage. I had not looked up articles on this before, but was somewhat surprised to see quite a few articles (of varying quality) that touch upon this subject.

Aromatherapy is not a cure-all, but it can lead to certain improvements that can in some cases be sustained for over long periods of time.

mommyandme (m&m)

Thank you, Lane!

Marta

Charley - you may want to start your own thread, so that your post doesn’t lie buried in this one. Just hit the yellow ➕ on this screen.

SusanB-dil

My maternal grandmother had early-onset. My mom was always afraid of getting 'this' and tried to do everything right, eating healthy, never smoked, even took extra courses to keep her mind active. It didn't work.