A large study from Germany suggests that a readily available medication, Actos (Pioglitazone) may prevent Alzheimer’s disease from developing in diabetic patients, reducing their risk by 50%. This study, looked at the records over 150,000 patients and the connection between taking Actos long term, and reduced Alzheimer’s risk, was substantial…about 50%. This medication had been …
Read More “DIABETES MEDICATION LINKED TO REDUCED RISK OF ALZHEIMER’S”
I am envisioning a day when my older patients with significant neurologic issues (Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Dementias and Memory Decline of various types) will return to class to improve their brains and physical constitution. They’ll go back to school….and they’ll like it! This school would be called DDA …..Dr. Doug’s Academy (I’m riffing on an idea …
Read More “FIX YOUR BRAIN”
Why would you give mice Prozac? Well……not to improve their moods. Have you ever seen a depressed mouse??? I didn’t think so. Researchers used Citalopram (a medication quite similar to Prozac as it is an SSRI….Selective Serotonin Uptake Inhibitor) in mice to see if this reduced the production of Beta-Amyloid protein in their brains, as …
Read More “MICE AND PROZAC….MAKE A GREAT COMBINATION”
Well….my title for this piece is not quite accurate, but it rhymes! I’m talking about the famous patient from the past, Phineas Gage. His story if one of the ‘classics’ of neurology, as he had a severe injury from an explosion that damaged his brain, and he lived to tell about it. Although never formally …
Read More “PHINEAS GAGE IS ALL THE RAGE”
As most of you know, I am not a huge proponent of vitamins, based on concerns about the potential negatives they can cause, as well as the lack of evidence for their general effectiveness. That said, there are situations in which vitamins can be considered and here is a list of my current recommendations, with …
Read More “MY VITAMIN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SPECIFIC CONDITIONS”
Could it be that we have it all wrong about our ‘slower’ brains as we age. These German researchers suggest so, explaining that older brains take longer to process information because they have so much information stored from past experience, that it takes more time to sift through this data. Take heart…as we age….we all …
Read More ““Interesting if true, if not… interesting anyway” –Mark Twain”
What is CRS? Well…it’s not a scientific term….it stands for “CAN’T REMEMBER SQUAT” …and is shorthand for the memory issues that develop as we get older. Memory issues develop as young as 40 years-old, with the latest research showing that the 40+ brain is in decline as regards memory, and this is 10-20 years earlier …
Read More “DO YOU HAVE CRS? DOES IT MATTER?”
Mark Twain definitely was onto something when he said: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you in trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” At least, it may apply to the latest research on Alzheimer’s disease and MS. Most of us have know that Alheimer’s disease is defined by …
Read More “TWAIN LOGIC APPLIES TO ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCH”
Our body is ‘electric’ in some ways. The heart rhythms are developed through an electrochemical process, as are all the interactions of the nerves in the brain and nervous system. For this reason, pacemakers have been used to correct slow heart rhythms or used to stimulate areas in the brain to improve Parkinson’s tremor (Barrow’s …
Read More “PACEMAKERS MAY HAVE ROLE IN ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE”
A just published article in the widely respected journal Nature, shows that genetic protection against Alzheimer’s Disease exists. The real excitement is that this genetic trait prevents the production of beta-amyloid, a protein known to be found in excess in brains of Alzheimer’s patients. This strongly supports the idea that medication that prevent beta-amyloid production …
Read More “GENETIC PROTECTION FROM ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE”
Dr. Eric Reiman is a noted researcher specializing in brain imaging. His pioneering studies at the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute http://banneralz.org/ are providing insight into patients with the earliest stages of memory loss and Alzheimer’s. This is a great update on the latest information about Alzheimer’s Disease and what we can expect in the future. Sobering …
Read More “PHOENIX TOP RESEARCHER ON ALZHEIMER’S IS NOTED IN THIS SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ARTICLE”
A recent study of the dietary habits of 16,000 patients, published in the Annals of Neurology, showed that consumption of berries (blueberries and strawberries) was associated with a reduced change of developing memory loss. Either one serving of blueberries or two servings of strawberries provided the benefit. It is thought that the flavinoid chemicals in …
Read More “MEMORY IS FOR THE BERRIES….REALLY…IT IS!”
