Maria Shriver is the daughter of a parent with Alzheimer’s but she is also one of the most vocal in exposing the impact of Alzheiemer’s on women.

The Shiver Report focuses on how women are and will suffer the brunt of the Alzheimer’s epidemic. The report cites daunting statistics of a cost well beyond the $300 billion a year currently being spent and how it will economically affect the 60% of women with Alzheimer’s and the 60% of care giving provided by women. 

The Shriver Report is also the first to discuss the serious implications of how Alzheimer’s will strain families, our society and our economy.  

The report points out the need to address −

• Caregiver support and coaching to deal with difficult and changing circumstances
• More affordable care to relieve caregivers of stress and negative emotions
• Increasing support for men who become caregivers
• Flexibility in the workplace for caregivers who must continue to work
• Making available support easier to get from health service providers
• Long term care insurance that is less costly
• Greater government assistance

The Shiver Report is our warning. If we don’t begin to address these issues now, the enormity of the problem will overtake us and time is running out.

 Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Alzheimers/maria-shriver-takes-alzheimers-disease-latest-shriver-report/story?id=11815095

It’s not pleasant to think that 3.4 million women over the age of 65 are experiencing various stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s nor to imagine that by 2050 there will be 8 million women.

As I writing this month’s blog posts, it was depressing to find there is no cure for Alzheimer’s anywhere near the horizon. It was also discouraging to discover the double burden it will continually place on women as caregivers to Alzheimer’s patients and on those who eventually become patients.

But as I continued my Google searches, I uncovered many promising articles and studies that suggested there were ways of reducing the risks and possibly preventing the advancement of Alzheimer’s. It also required not being taken in by hype and finding sources that were credible.

If I had to pick one pivotal source it would be article by Jean Caper in the Huffington Post, “Looking for Alzheimer’s Answers in All the Wrong Places.” Here was a woman with her own genetic Alzheimer’s issue and a medical correspondent well versed in wading through medical literature language and interpretations.

Her perspective is that there are already sufficient studies pointing to the positive effects of diet and lifestyle changes in preventing Alzheimer’s. While research may continue to study the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaque tangled fibers strangling the neuronal network, any cure would be too late to undo the damage the brain has already incurred. Carper’s focus is on creating and maintaining brain health as early as possible.

While the National Institute of Health waits for more convincing evidence, Carper is changing the conversation to Alzheimer’s being a “slow-developing chronic disease” if no preventative action is taken.

As women we are the most vulnerable because we live longer, and it is because we live longer that our brains are more susceptible to progressive dementia.

No one knows how many years each of has left, but if we want them to be as healthy and mentally productive as possible, then we have to make a commitment to ourselves – better diet, better lifestyle and better brains.

She was one of the most famous philanthropists of her time and her motto was “Money is like manure; it’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around.”

Vincent Astor, Newsweek magazine Chairman of the Board and descendent of the rich and socially prominent Astor family was Brooke Astor’s third husband. While married she became a member of the board of the Astor Foundation and oversaw the philanthropical distribution of his wealth upon his death in 1959.

Beneficiaries of both time and money included the Metropolitan Museum of Art (where she was a Trustee), New York Public Library, The Animal Medical Center, Light House of the Blind, Fresh Air Fund, International Rescue Committee and The Astor Home for Emotionally Disturbed Children among others.

In 1997 Brooke Astor liquidated the Astor Foundation having distributed over $195 million dollars to charities, and in 1998 she would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her charitable contributions.

It would seem that her life story would end with these remembrances, but it would continue into one of the most notorious case of elder abuse of a women with Alzheimer’s disease. As New York Newspapers had followed her charitable and social endeavors, they would voraciously follow the trial of her son accused of diverting $60 million from his mother at the supposed urging of his wife.

In 2009, Anthony D. Marshall age 85 and a son from a previous marriage was convicted along with the estate planning lawyer, Francis X. Morrissey Jr. of fraud and conspiracy and amending her will with a forged signature to increase his inheritance.

The sensational trial pitted Marshall’s son Philip against his father along with testimony from Henry and Nancy Kissinger, Barbara Walters and Anenette de la Renta (wife of fashion designer Oscar de la Renta) who had serious concerns of mistreatment of Mrs. Astor by her son as she declined with Alzheimer’s.

One of the central issues of the trial was Mrs. Astor’s’ level of competency at the time there was a change in her will. Under the new provisions it would give her son a retroactive $1,000,000 for managing her financial matters and $60 million dollars at the time of her death.

Mrs. Astor’s friends would see that she lived comfortably with Alzheimer’s care until her death in 2007 at the age of 105. Her tombstone reads “I had a wonderful life.”

Sources:

http://www.probatelawyerblog.com/brooke-astor/

Wikipedia – Brooke Astor

New York Times, Octotver 9, 2009 Brooke Astor’s Son Guilty in Scheme to Defraud Her by John Eligon

We’ve come to think the best way to fight a disease is to find “the cure.” Money and energy is laser focused in that direction and we believe that eventually the battle will be won.

Leading the change in conversation from cure to prevention of Alzheimer’s is Jean Carper. Jean is the former senior medical correspondent for CNN and contributing editor for USA Weekend Magazine. She is also the author of 24 books including 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer’s, written over 200 articles and considered a leading authority on health and nutrition. Jean also has a personal interest in Alzheimer’s since she has a major genetic disposition for Alzheimer’s.

In a 2010 article “Looking for Alzheimer’s Answers in All the Wrong Places”, she details how numerous research studies are redirecting their attention to prevention.

The prevention view of Alzheimer’s considers −

• Reframing declining memory and advancing age-dementia as a “slow-developing chronic disease” similar to caner and heart disease
• The greatest relationship to Alzheimer’s is heart disease, especially with constricted blood vessels reducing blood flow to the brain
• Other National Institute of Health funded studies already indicate increased risk to Alzheimer’s from: “alcohol, smoking, toxic chemicals, head injuries, infections, certain forms of anesthesia, excess copper, low vitamin B, excess calories, obesity, diabetes, thyroid problems, sleep deprivation, and depression”
• The Nun Study from the University of Minnesota and the Religious Order Study from Rush University, Chicago, IL already indicate resistance to Alzheimer’s by engaging in stimulating physical, social and mental activities
• The benefits of healthy eating are supported by numerous studies including those from the US Department of Agriculture, UCLA, Tufts University and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons which recommend risk reducing foods: “berries , nuts, curry power, fruits and vegetables, fatty fish oil and the Mediterranean diet and recommend the supplements: folic acid, alpha lipic acid, Vitamin B12, multivitamins and Vitamin D

The final consensus is that diet and lifestyle are key elements in prevention and when started early on can offset the later irreversible symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

Jean Carper interview below.

The Alzheimer’s Association is a comprehensive resource for its community. Being fully aware that individuals are seeking the latest information on treatment, the association has issued a cautionary assessment on alternative treatments.

The primary concern is that no one treatment (even though it may show improvement results) has sufficient research to indicate effectiveness by itself or in conjunction with other “physician prescribed therapy.”

Three of the most common items promoted for reducing the risk of Alzheimer’Ginks are:

• Coenzyme Q 10
• Ginkgo Biloba
• Omega – 3 fatty acids

Coenzyme Q 10

• A natural body producing antioxidant that aids cell function
•  It’s natural form – ubiquinone has not be studied for Alzheimer’s effectiveness
•  The synthetic version – idebenone was tested and showed no beneficial results
•  There is a lack of information on safe dosage levels and possible harmful effects

Ginkgo Biloba

•  A plant extract used in Chinese medicine for centuries
•  Thought to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities to protect the cell membrane and regulate neurotransmitter transmission
•  A large Natural Institute of Health study over a six years found no significant difference between Ginkgo Biloba and a placebo in reducing risk or prevention

Omega – 3 fatty acids

•  A  polyunsaturated fat, with two forms DHA and EPA shown to be beneficial for heart disease and stroke
•  There is a suggested link between a high intake of Omega-3s and possible reduced risk for dementia or decline in mental skills.
•  The Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study showed no significant difference when compared to a placebo, but those without the APOE-e4 Alzheimer’s gene had a “slight benefit.”
• The Memory Improvement with DHA study showed participants with normal age-related cognitive decline to improved on computerized memory test when compared to a placebo group.
• The Alzheimer’s Association is not recommending Omega -3 fatty acids until there is sufficient evidence indicating its effectiveness

For a list of other treatments not currently recommended see www.alz.org-disease_alternative_treatments.asp

Source: Alzheimer’s Association

It was expected that the antioxidant effect of Vitamin E would proved to contribute significantly to reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s, especially if given in higher dosages. While some studies showed improvement other showed no benefit and even an increase risk of death.

Both the Mayo Clinic and the Alzheimer’s Association recommend that no one should take Vitamin E without physician’s oversight for Alzheimer’s.

The results of a 2010 study may change the perception of using Vitamin E.

Lead researcher Dr. Francesca Mangialasche in collaboration with the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden and the Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, University of Perugia, Italy used a different approach in testing the effects of Vitamin E. The participants were 232 adults who were free of dementia, eighty-plus years old and part of an on-going study on dementia and aging.

Testing of Vitamin E commonly uses α-Tocopherol and it is this form in high dosages that is dangerous. However, Vitamin E is actually a family of 4 types of topcopheros and 4 types of tocotrienols.

According to Dr, Mangialasche, when all eight natural forms of Vitamin E were given and blood levels were tested over a six year period, there was a difference in the development of dementia. Those given higher levels of the full complement of Vitamin E reduced their risk of Alzheimer’s by 45-54% when compared to those with lower blood levels.

The study needs further confirmation but suggests there is a protective effect in using the full natural form of Vitamin E rather than the common α-Tocopherol.

The above is for informational purposes only. Consult your health care provider if using Vitamin E as it also may interfere with other medications.

Sources:

High blood levels of vitamin E reduces risk of Alzheimer’s http://www.physorg.com/news197537402.html

Alzheimer’s Association http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_standard_prescriptions.asp

 Wikipedia – Vitamin E

Before it was Alzheimer’s disease, it was a woman.

By 1901, a husband who could no longer care for his wife brought her to the Institution for the Mentally Ill and for Epileptics in Frankfurt, Germany. Even though her behavior was very disturbing, she was not insane. Auguste’s symptoms of dementia had started in her early 40’s and were contrary to the senile dementia that was only associated with the elderly.

She was examined by the German psychiatrist Alois Ahzeimer who was intrigued by her behavior as she gave confusing responses to questions. He observed her disorientation to time and place, a ranges of moodiness, aggressiveness and declining short term memory, yet she retained an awareness of loss and helplessness.

The rediscovery of Alzheimer’s notes in 1996 by Dr. Konrad Maurer and his colleagues, Drs. Volk and Gerbaldo gives a glimpse of her mental state.

Around midday, Frau Auguste D. ate pork and cauliflower.

•  “What are you eating?“
•  “Spinach.“ (She was chewing meat.)
•  “What are you eating now?“
•  “First I eat potatoes and then horseradish.“
•  “Write a ’5′.”
•  She writes: “A woman”
•  “Write an ’8′.”
•  She writes: “Auguste” (While she is writing she again says, “It’s like I have lost myself.”)^{[2] (}Wikipedia: Auguste Deter)

Auguste Deter died on April 8, 1906 at the age of 56.

At the request of Alzheimer her brain and medical records were transferred to him in Munich where he was researching neuropathology. With recent advances in cell staining for greater clarity and distortion-free microscopic viewing, Alzheimer was able to determine what had befallen Auguste Deter.

There were the crusty brown clumps of plaque that were lodged between neurons and interfering with the network of communication. There were “a tangled bundle of fibrils” so dense and so tangled that they strangled nerve cells.

By 1911, doctors and researchers were using Alzheimer’s name to describe the condition that came from the observations of Auguste Deter’s behavior and brain cells.

Sources: The Memory Hole David Shenk , NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/opinion/03shenk.html

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Deter

Understanding the causes and nature of dementia/Alzheimer’s is as difficult to untangle as the tangles and clumps of neuronal tissue that give the brain disease its identity. It becomes further upsetting that medical science is not making progress fast enough, and at the same time various alternative treatments have been promoted as to having “some” measured effect in reducing the risk or possible even increasing cognitive skills that have declined.

How does one sort through all this information and decide how to proceed? Here are some things to keep in perspective as you move through the process.

• The National Institute of Health is not endorsing any alternative treatment for Alzheimer’s.
• Research funding for dementia/Alzheimer’s is less that what is currently spent for cancer and heart disease. Consequently, many studies are composed of small populations and may be of short duration. Both their positive and negative results may not be accurate indicators. Therefore, it will require waiting for the results of long term studies before knowing what really works.
• There are some promising animal studies showing improved cognitive function, but many in the Alzheimer’s medical community are looking for greater confirmation from human studies before determining any benefits.
• Testing for results with different populations can be challenging. If you tested healthy adults with no symptoms would results be valid, now that we know that dementia conditions can appear 7-8 years before symptoms?  Will what appears to work in a healthy adult work the same for someone who is now at the stage of mild cognitive impairment or late stage symptoms?
• Many of the dietary supplements being promoted under the heading of “medical food” are not tested by the FDA for safety, effectiveness, purity and product labeling. Any claims related to Alzheimer’s are misleading.
• Use of dietary supplement may be discouraged because of possible bad interactions with a prescribed medications unless under the supervision of a health care professional.
• One of the biggest problems is determining what dosages and in what combination with other alternative supplements will be the most effective.

Many people faced with the thought of aging into dementia/Alzheimer’s may feel they have nothing to lose and will try any new alternative treatment. However, the best advice is do your research, consult with experts and keep your health care professional advised as to what you are doing. There are no simple answers here other than making your health a top priority in your life.

Rather than looking to a pharmaceutical to help maintain long-term brain health, the answer may be as simple as sitting down and enjoying meal of rich sourced Omega-3s.

You’ll find your richest Omega-3s in salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, flax seeds and walnuts. Omega-3s are unsaturated fatty acids and certain types have already proven beneficial in reducing heart disease and strokes.

The controversy when it comes to Alzheimer’s is that the DHA version of Omega 3 was not proven to be any more effective than a placebo in a 2009 sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study. Other studies show higher amounts Omega-3 to have a possible effect.

A more recent published study by Dr. Cyrus Raji, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine took a different approach. The study participants (260) were questioned on their weekly fish eating habits and 10 years later had a MRI brain scan.

Ruling out factors such as gender, age and level of physical activity, those who had consistently consumed fish (baked or broiled, but not fried) once a week had a larger portion of gray brain matter (areas of memory and learning).

Participants with the larger gray matter incurred less mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s. By contrast, patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s often have a smaller or shrinking brain structure.

Raji hypotheses the value of Omega-3s from eating a natural source of fish is in

• Increasing blood flow and allowing more oxygen and nutrients to reach the brain
• Reducing potential brain inflammation
• Protecting against the Alzheimer’s plaque build-up within the neural network

While this is not a conclusive risk reduction strategy, additional studies are needed to confirm these results. However, the study is significant for finding a relationship between eating fish and brain structure.

The information posted herein is for informational purposes only. Before making any changes in your eating habits, consult with your health care provider to determine what is best for you.

Sources:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45491605/ns/health-aging/t/fish-diet-may-ward-alzheimers/

 http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_alternative_treatments.asp#omega

A recent clinical study on aerobic exercise may provide some insight into what looks to be promising results in reducing the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s even though the National Institute for Health is currently is not endorsing any one method or treatment.

The first randomized clinical study of exercise and brain protection was conducted by Laura Baker, and her research team at the University of Washington School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs of Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA.

The 6 month program measured the effects of aerobic exercise on 33 adults with mild cognitive impairment. Ten adults received only non-aerobic stretching and balancing exercises while the remaining twenty-three, exercised 4 days a week for 45-60 minutes on treadmills or stationary bikes.

The Results:

Thinking speed, fluency with words and ability to multi-task

- significant gains for the aerobic exercisers

- decline for non-aerobic exercisers

Memory

- neither groups showed an improvement in memory skills

Men vs. Women

- Women made greater gains than men

 It’s probable according to Baker that aerobic exercise protects the brain by −

•  increasing blood flow to brain by building heart and artery resilience,
• reversing or preventing diabetes by keeping energy metabolism stable, affect
• preventing an accumulation of stress hormones by reducing stress

According to some researchers, fitness training may prove to be a more effective strategy than drugs or supplements which has yet to demonstrate benefits in clinical trials.

Researchers, including Baker are planning new longer and larger clinical trials to determine if more time is needed to affect an improvement in memory and to continue to study the positive effects of aerobic exercise.

In the mean time, the general recommendation is not to delay, and get out there and move.

Sources: http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2010/01/aerobic_training_boosts_aging.html