The Bredesen Protocol
Dale Dredesen, UCLA professor of neurology, breaks the disease into three subtypes. He recommends what he calls a "cognoscopy" to determine the ideal plan based on each person's particular deficiencies and
genetic makeup. Typically each plan encompasses several key elements to reverse inflammation, insulin resistance and destruction of vital brain structures. They include:
- Optimizing sleep and getting at least eight hours every night.
- Fasting at least 12 hours per day - usually recommended to not eat from 7pm until next morning.
- Frequent yoga and meditation to relieve stress.
- Aerobic exercise for 30 to 60 minutes at least five times per week. (this helps with blood flow within the brain)
- Brain training exercises for 30 minutes, three times per week.
- Eating a mostly plant-based diet: broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, leafy green vegetables like kale, spinach and lettuce.
- Cutting out high-mercury fish like tuna, shark and swordfish.
- Drinking plenty of fluoride-free water.
- Eliminating gluten and sugars. Stop eating simple carbs like bread, pasta, rice, cookies, cakes, candy and soda.
Sound Therapy - 40Hz
There is some early-stage scientific evidence that listening to a 40 Hz tone can reverse some of the molecular changes in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. This is one of those things that sound too
good to be true, but early results are very promising. Here’s a summary of the research so far and a report from a user who tried 40 Hz therapy on his wife.
I’d recommend listening to it with headphones on for best quality but even through normal speakers may help.
Cannabis/Marijuana Research
Basically CBD has been found to reduce inflammation. Inflammation in the brain is part of the cause of Alzheimer's. THC in marijuana actually triggers rejuvenating and renewing of neurons when taken in moderation
or micro-doses.
Marijuana compound removes toxic Alzheimer's protein (amyloid) from the brain - see
YouTube video.
Gary Wenk, PhD, Ohio State University, presents his research on anti-inflammatory properties of cannabis on the aging brain to the Seventh National Clinical Conference on Cannabis Therapeutics in April, 2012,
Tucson, AZ - hosted by Patients Out of Time.
Below is directly from this article:
Cannabinoids affect both inflammation and amyloid beta accumulation in nerve cells. Amyloid plaques sit between the neurons of the brain as dense clusters of beta-amyloid molecules - a sticky type of
protein that easily clumps together - and neurofibrillary tangles are caused by defective tau proteins that clump up into a thick, insoluble mass in the neurons.
It's not clear why these lesions begin to appear in the brain, but studies have linked inflammation in the brain tissue to the proliferation of plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. So if we can find
something that eases brain inflammation while at the same time encourages the body to clear out these lesions, we could be on the way to finding the first effective treatment for Alzheimer's ever.
Back in 2006, researchers at the Scripps Research Institute found that THC inhibits the formation of amyloid plaques by blocking the enzyme in the brain that produces them, and now Schubert and his
team have demonstrated that it can also eliminate a dangerous inflammatory response from the nerve cells, ensuring their survival.
Read the entire article and watch the video at the bottom.
Sleep is Critical
"Memories seem to become more stable in the brain during the deep stages of sleep. After that, REM—the most active stage of sleep—seems to play a role in linking together related memories, sometimes
in unexpected ways.
It’s well known that sleep patterns tend to change as we age. Unfortunately, the deep memory-strengthening stages of sleep start to decline in our late 30s. A study by Walker and colleagues found that
adults older than 60 had a 70% loss of deep sleep compared to young adults ages 18 to 25. Older adults had a harder time remembering things the next day, and memory impairment was linked to reductions in deep sleep.
The researchers are now exploring options for enhancing deep stages of sleep in this older age group."
Bottom line is it says deep sleep is good for memories and helping remember new things. Improving the amount of deep sleep you get should help with memories and remembering.
Look into how you can improve your sleep. There are some marijuana sleep enhancers - like CBD to help with insomnia. Thus using CBD or an indica THC could have a double-purpose in helping with Alzheimer's.
4 Spices for Your Brain
Tumeric, Saffron, Sage, and Cinnamon.
For full details on each of these, see the
article. Do not disregard this as "too simple". The effects of these four spices can have a trickle-down positive impact for your brain in many ways.
For additional information on Tumeric specifically, see this
article.
Green Tea is also beneficial.
Ginkgo Biloba (from this article)
Ginkgo Biloba is considered a powerhouse in the herbal medicine pharmacopoeia, and its implications for brain health are equally potent. Ginkgo has demonstrated at least 50 distinct health benefits,
and its medicinal value is documented in the treatment of more than 100 different diseases.
There are numerous studies on Ginkgo's ability to stimulate levels of a critical brain protein called BDNF: brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This protein affects healing in damaged regions of the
brain and is essential in the regulation, growth and survival of brain cells, making it especially important for long-term memory.
Recently, a new mechanism behind Ginkgo biloba's brain healing properties came to light with the publication of an
article in Cell and Molecular Neurobiology. Researchers determined that Ginkgo is effective, in part, due to its
ability to modulate neural stem cells (NSC’s) into the type of cell that is necessary in the specific region of the brain where the BDNF proteins are active.
NSC’s are multipotent cells; they have the amazing ability to shapeshift into any of the many different phenotypes of cells that make up the brain. Ginkgo stimulates the growth of the right cell
phenotype for the affected region of the brain, giving our brain exactly what’s needed, where it’s needed. Now that’s intelligent medicine!
Side note: there's a fantastically delicious Ginkgo Green Tea on Amazon named
Organic Supergreen Brain Boost Tea. This is my favorite tasting tea and the health benefits are just
a bonus.
Butter and Vitamin K
Not specifically for dementia, but for general brain health I read that most butter now is missing vitamin K and the only good butter is from cows that are “grass fed”. I’ve been using solely "
Kerrygold pure Irish butter" ever since. I’m not sure if it makes a difference but from the video I watched they swore it made a huge difference. This falls into
the category of "there might not be proof but the cost is so low and it might work so you might as well do it."
Binaural Beats
There is some information out there but not with the same scientific backing of the other information in this blog. I've included the information and links here as a launching place for you to do your own
research.
Note: there is no technical details on this one so I have no idea if it has any merit or not.
The above one is focused on Delta waves. However in the article at the bottom they are recommending Gamma brain wave stimulation. From what I have read the Delta stimulation should not have any harmful effect. It
is very relaxing and like how your brain is when in deep sleep. The Gamma waves are like when you mind is hyper-aware.
Several articles say listening to Binaural Beats for “Gamma waves” is the best for actually repairing the brain by reducing acids. Go to this link and all of these are “Gamma wave binaural beats”. Find one that
sounds nice to you - the sound is not important, only the frequency is critical. Test it out for 30 to 60 minutes per day for a week and evaluate how you feel.
Near the bottom of that page is this paragraph:
Rudy’s primary work is on Alzheimer’s. In this disease, beta amyloid proteins form plaques in the brain and kill nerve cells eventually leading to dementia. Research from Washington University School
of Medicine in St. Louis shows that when people’s brains are in a Delta brain wave state, beta amyloid production in the brain ceases and the toxic material is cleared away. One thought is to explore the possibility of
using brain entrainment technology to help treat Alzheimer’s, but at this point all it is being used for is to help people meditate, relax and dream instantly and effortlessly.
Here is another good medical article from
TheScientist website which declares gamma waves can disrupt and fix three things in the brain which cause
Alzheimer's.
Note, binaural beats do not work unless you are wearing headphones. That is because they send different sounds to one ear than they send to the other. It makes your brain integrate the two different sounds and
that is what does the magic/healing of the brain.
Binaural beats for memory and IQ:
When in doubt do a search on YouTube
Consider wearing your headphones and playing one of these in the background while you walk around or work and just let your mind think about other things… and the beats should be working on the subconscious. I am
not sure if it works or not but it is worth trying.
Breath Work
Breathing through your nose generates significantly more electrical impulses in your brain (amygdala, piriform cortex and hippocampus). There is so much information regarding "breath work" and I really don't know
sufficient details regarding speed of breath, count for inhale versus exhale, etc. Books have been written on these topics and if anyone wants to add in the comments information that would be appreciated.
To summarize detailed scientific research: breathe through your nose and know that during the inhale it has the most significant impact on electrical impulses within your brain. If you are not breathing through
your nose while you sleep... that would be a great opportunity for improvement.
See below in Resources for links to additional information.
Grounding (also known as Earthing)
This health tip is not specifically for dementia nor Alzheimer’s however I mention it because there is lots of research showing health benefits and not enough research regarding it specifically for brain health.
Plus my mother has been doing this as part of her overall health strategy and if this had a positive impact I would hate to have left it out.
Simply put bare feet on grass, dirt, sand or even concrete sidewalks for 30 to 40 minutes per day. If weather permits, do it where you have sunshine on your skin and hair. The connecting with the earth actually
helps pass free electrons from the earth to you. (Sunshine part just for vitamin D and improves disposition.)
This has been proven to improve or eliminate the symptoms of many inflammation related disorders. Grounding is also known to improve sleep and promote a deeper sleep. Both reducing inflammation and improving
sleep are key to brain health.
Why are these not publicized yet?
If you wonder why these are not widely publicized yet the answer is simple. Bredesen and a few others are trying to get this information out there but it is a slow process. First because the medical community
wants to continue trials for more verification. Secondly because big pharma has not figured out how to make a profit based on fixing sleep, eating properly, meditation, and exercising.
Other Articles
"
Brain Regeneration: Why It's Real & How To Do It" is an excellent all-around article. This goes into detail regarding how cells and neurons can actually be
regenerated in the brain. This is not specifically regarding Alzheimer's but the fact that the brain can have growth and repair at any age signifies hope for recovery from Alzheimer's.
Summary
Although I recommended all of the above to my mother the reality is I live thousands of miles away and could not ensure she did all of them. I know she greatly improved her diet, she now regularly uses CBD and
micro-doses of THC, she exercises a little, and she has stimulated her mind with assisted travel. These have helped her improve her sleep patterns. Her mental acuity, memory and lucidity has improved dramatically!
I believe the recent Bredesen's 9-step outline is a great summary of many of the individual scientific articles I have read over the years. Although the ideal would be to have a cognoscopy with him, do the
computer algorithms and outline the ideal plan... frankly if you do all of the Bredesen steps outlined above you will be guaranteed a healthier life and most likely slow or prevent dementia/Alzheimer's. You may even be
able to reverse it. Plus add the other items listed in this blog just because they cannot hurt and definitely may help.
Resources
Marijuana Compound Removes Toxic Alzheimer's Protein From The Brain
Fantastic article with medical facts written in easily read format.
The rhythm of your breathing affects memory. A 2016 study showed for the first time that the rhythm of our breathing generates electrical activity in the brain that influences how well we remember.
The biggest differences were linked to whether the study participants were inhaling or exhaling, and whether they breathed through the nose or mouth.
"During oral (vs nasal) breathing, there was a distinct reduction of respiratory phase-locked oscillations in piriform cortex in the delta, theta, and beta ranges for each patient (Fig. 5A). The same
breathing route-dependent decline in delta oscillatory activity was also evident in the amygdala and hippocampus for all three patients (Fig. 5B,C). These data indicate that the passage of air through the nose is
critical for respiratory entrainment of delta and theta oscillations in piriform cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus. We found that nasal (r = 0.64, p = 0.002), but not oral (r = 0.09, p > 0.05) breathing was also
critical for respiratory entrainment of the infraslow oscillations in PC."