December 25, 2020
I am watching The Christmas Chronicles number two.
This might be when of those times it’s good to have Alzheimer’s.
I love Kirt Russell and Goldie Hawn.
I thought I would watch this movie and turn it off quickly for being so silly.
I have to say I love it.
It makes me feel so good.
Maybe an advantage of AZ. No shame and no pride.
Introduction
When I first thought of the title Alzheimers is Inexorable
I thought it would be appropriate for YEAR FOUR as I expected to really decline this year in 2021.
Now I am not so certain.
I still believe Alzheimer’s is inexorable as there is no cure and none on the horizon.
I have done so well in the last 3 years, beyond my expectation.
In my first 3 books, I told people to avoid the false hope of nostrums.
I wrote critiques on The End of Alzheimer’s.
However with Dr. Dale Bredensen’s second book titled The End of Alzheimer’s:
The Program
I read about the continued success of Julie Gilbert who was homozygous for Alzheimer’s with E4/E4, family history,
and what seemed to be early-onset dementia at age 46.
Now 7 years later she helped write the Program book.
With the advent of Covid19, I have the time to do a year-long program
of ReCODE designed by Dr. Dale Bredensen.
To support this optimistic outlook was the discovery of the work by Dr. Isaacson
at Cornell.
He has a similar philosophy to Dr. Bredesen
and also has had some success treating early-onset Alzheimers
with a patient name Lauren Miller Rogen.
Now that there are papers published reporting these successes in 2016 and 2019
I am hopeful my prognosis to stay in Mild Cognitive Impairment is much better for a much longer time than 2 years that is achieved with the medication Namzaric alone.
I subscribed to Dr. Attia's podcasts and finally got around the reading his notes on it.
Since I didn't watch the whole hour-plus interview I wonder if I missed something?
Most importantly, did Lauren Miller Rogen start Aricept or Namzempic as I did in Dec. 2017?
For all, I know that is the most important thing I did for myself as I am entering into the fourth year of my AZ diagnosis.
First word I had to look up was "Transentorhinal".
I am doing very well in writing my books.
My third year of testing by my KUMC memory neurologist was so good, he asked me if I thought I could go back to practicing medicine. I responded, not even close.
He said medicine does require a high executive function.
My math ability is terrible for a long time now and not getting better.
I had an extensive MRI from my KUMC trial and mistakenly was sent the result. It was the most precise reading of the volume of my Hippocampus which was read as normal.
Alcohol is also known to decrease hippocampus size. I am amazed by Dr. Dale Bredesen's claims of getting the hippocampus size back to normal with his ReCODE program.
Another term I learned from the podcast.
I scrolled ahead to 1hour 21 minutes to hear about the details of Lauren Miller Rogen's protocol of 21 different items. Issacson and Attia get into the details which I will listen to a few times.
Atma holistic clinic sent me the second part of my Cognoscopy which is about nutrients.
The first part of the report here link
I understood these results and there were no real surprises.
The second part has results I don't understand.
The Red zone shows low levels.
My low vitamin B levels are perplexing to me as I take a Centrum Silver every day. Subsequently, I added a complex B vitamin tablet.
I already was taking an extra Biotin 10,000 mcg tablet that includes 9 mg of zinc and 60 mg of vitamin C.
I take Magnesium L-Threonate 4 tabs (4,000 mg) a day which is 288 mg of elemental Magnesium. ReCODE calls for me to take 800 elemental Mg.
The End of Alzheimer's claims the RBC Magnesium level is the most accurate. I found other sources that say it is not accurate. My lab above suggests I need more Magnesium.
There is 11 mg Zinc in Centrum.
plus 9 mg Zinc in my Biotin tablet.
I added 22 mg Zinc Picolinate as advised in The End of Alzheimer's.
The total dose is 42 mg.
After the blood test, I started taking B Complex with Folic Acid and Vitamin C. Nutrition label below:
Does anyone think all these vitamins are necessary?
My next book is titled:
The Pursuit of Happiness with Alzheimer's Year 3
Subtitle?
"For what is joy if it goes unrecorded, and what is love if it is not shared?" (from Midwives)
This quote below from Stoicism quotes link.
I think it is quite apt for me.
"True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.―Seneca
I am thinking my Year 4 book will be titled:
Alzheimer's is Inexorable
It requires true grit and fortitude.
Definition of grit:
I mainly went to the Atma clinic to obtain the ReCODE blood work called the Cognoscopy.
I will post the first half of my Cognoscopy in this blog.
I am waiting for the second part of my tests which is called the Nutrient part
I was intrigued about the batch of tests and now I offer the data to anyone considering getting the Cognoscopy as advised by Dr. Dale Bredensen from his book The End of Alzheimer's.
I have gotten almost all these labs before, so no real surprise.
Your doctor can order these tests covered by insurance and cheaper.
However, the Atma Holistic MD may have a different interpretation
In my case, you will find that my Mcv and Mch are slightly high which reflects my alcohol intake. My liver enzymes are normal.
My homocysteine and ferritin are normal but the Atma MD thought they could be better?
In the book, The End of Alzheimer's, normal homocysteine is considered less than 7.
That is very low.
On November 19 I saw a ReCode specialist for Atma Clinics.
The visit was done on ZOOM.
He spent an hour with me going over my nutrient report.
The most interesting thing he said to me was that anyone with Mild Cognitive Impairment who follows the ReCode protocol does not have worsening of their dementia.
This Arizona MD was impressed that my serum keto level was 2.2.
Thus they accept the fact I am on a Low Carb High Fat Diet.
Next month I see the nutritionist. I have low expectations.
Other than getting the extensive Cognoscopy lab work, which I never ordered on my patients I wanted to go to a group that has experience giving the exotic Asian drugs.
He mentioned giving me Ashwagandha which is known to reduce Amyloid. This puzzles me as Dr. Dale Bredesen minimizes the Amyloid effect on Alzheimer's.
Now that I am entering the fourth year since diagnosing my Alzheimer's disease I am willing to try a nostrum like this as well as optimizing my supplement medication.
Surprisingly he said I was low in the B vitamins.
I take a Centrum multivitamin which claims it has more than 100 daily requirements of the B vitamins.
Thus I added on a B complex pill.
He said I may have trouble converting the pills to the biological form and may need a different preparation of B vitamin (more natural?) which is probably more expensive.
ReCODE stands for Reversing Cognitive Decline
which is more of a bold claim than simply stopping the decline in its tracts.
Not traveling with the Covid19 pandemic has given me the time this year to concentrate on this protocol.
In my medical practice, I never worried about Zinc deficiency.
If a patient was on a strict weight-reduction diet I would advise a multivitamin with minerals.
After reading The End of Alzheimer's by Dr. Dale Bredesen, I have increased my Zinc intake from
11 to 33mg. Taking more than 50 mg/day can be toxic.
I also enrolled in the Bredesen recode program at the Lawrence Atma Holistic clinic.
I was told I have a good copper: zinc ratio? I never heard of this before, only that we should have a low copper level. For exams, I learned about the genetic disorder Wilsons disease. I never saw a case.
Above is from The End of Alzheimer's.
Probiotics help with Alzheimer's link
Conclusion: We report a novel association between gut microbiota-related products and systemic inflammation with brain amyloidosis via endothelial dysfunction, suggesting that SCFAs and LPS represent candidate pathophysiologic links between the gut microbiota and AD pathology.
"Conversely, high levels of another short-chain fatty acid, butyrate, were associated with less amyloid pathology.”
I have been fortunate in my life to have three dogs that I loved.
The first was an English Bulldog that my parents purchased when I came back at 19 years old after a summer in Europe.
I came home vitamin deficient and tired. I laid with the puppy on the couch for two days. I think this bonded the dog for the rest of my life.
I lived with my parents and walked to Brooklyn College each morning. My Dad took care of Suzie but she lived for me to come home. My Dad would feed Suzie each day and yet when I was in my room Suzie waited outside my door for me. Unrequited love. I loved Suzie but her love for me was unconditional.
Dogs teach about love.
My next great dog was an English Springer Spaniel.
This was the type of dog I always wanted. Even as a puppy she would just follow me as we walked. I never needed a leash. I took hikes with him following me. We would come to a fork in the trail and he would look back at me and wait for me to point which trail to take. This was a true boy and his dog love relationship even though I was middle age.
My present dog is just as great a love but I clearly love my Newfoundland more than she loves me. She is 125 pounds and is a rescue dog. She is my wife's dog. She follows her all around the house. I fell in love with her. She is the perfect dog for an older couple. She sleeps all day. She is not needy. She does not beg at the dinner table. She knows our boundaries and doesn't whine. She rarely barks. She is the sweetest dog with children and loves all people.
Summary of my Alzheimers tests in 2020
1- I aced my test on Feb 20, 2020
I thought there was going to be a Blue Wave with an early election result by 10 PM after the Democrats beat GOP by winning Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia early.
This morning I am trying to
1- process what happened,
2-why it happened and
3- how do I need to change my bias.
I had a fantasy dream wish of the DEMS winning the Senate.
The wishful thinking was dashed when Mitch McConnell (Ky) and Lindsey Graham won their seats easily.
I believed the polls that these races would be much closer. I was appalled by Graham's change of heart about his opinion of Trump and both of them forcing the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court so close to the election when they prevented Obama from getting his candidate into the court a year before the election.
It's all about Power Politics now.
I went to bed around midnight eastern time.
Later I checked my phone and was surprised Trump won Florida.
I realized then it was very possible Trump might win which again crushed my vision of not only Biden winning but winning with control of the senate.
How did this happen?
Clearly, the GOP had a surge of voters similar to the DEMS.
How can so many people vote for Trump when he lies so much and has not taken early actions to lower the deaths of Covid19.
McConnell always had his eye on control of the Supreme court.
For many voters, this superseded concerns about the personal behavior of Trump concerning his taxes, his finance, his affairs, his relation to Putin just to name a few.
I think White America is concerned about opening the border to immigrants and the Black Lives Matter movement.
They also want to protect their guns and reverse Roe vs. Wade.
They share the concern of Cubans and Venazulians that Biden will bring socialism to the USA.
Much of that is propaganda and miss information.
This morning at 10 AM central time Steve Kornacki says that Biden must win the states he is leading in: Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, and Wisconsin must be won, and then Biden may win enough votes in Maine to get to win the electoral college.
We won't know the results of Nevada till tomorrow and PA may take longer.
The good side of counting the votes taking so long makes me feel it will be more difficult for Trump to dispute the results.
Also if Trump wins I think I and other Dems just have to accept it.
The Dems almost won in Texas. Next time the Dems will win in Texas. It is only a matter of time that the Demographic chips will be cashed in by the DEMS.
Why has there been such a division in this country?
Trump is no longer a one-off.
He clearly represents the hopes and needs of many people in this country who feel they have been ignored and called the "deplorables".
This elitist superiority against the non-college-educated followers of Trump may be as bad as Trump's call to racism and fascism.
This needs to stop on both sides.
I was shocked by how many people have voted for Trump.
But it is the reality and I realized I need to be much more tolerant of the intolerant in both parties.
I hope Biden is elected as he will bring the country together and truly take care of the forgotten man in the USA.
The most significant USA election ever!
2 years 11 months ago I was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
My biggest fear would be that I would not be able to follow what was happening with the Presidential election.
Election day has come.
I suspect the joyful intellectual stimulation of following the unfolding of events closely has helped keep me mentally sharp.
The Mueller report, the Impeachment, and now the election.
I know more about politics now than I ever did during my whole life.
Florida and North Carolina may be called first.
If Biden wins both, then the election is over.
The Senate is also up for grabs by the Democrats.
I think it is clear the Dems will turn the four seats they need to take control of the Senate.
Colorado, Maine, Arizona, and North Carolina are very likely to turn today.
Amazingly with the Blue wave that I predict will happen there will be several more wins.
The most intriguing event of the night will be to see if Texas Georgia become Blue for the first time in decades.
I don't worry about the Conservative control of the Supreme court. I believe that institution is concerned about self-preservation. If Obamacare or Roe vs Wade is struck down by SCOTUS, Biden will pack the court.
from ReCode Cognoscopy Dr. Dale Bredensen.
I seem to be high for my Cortisol AM
 |
I'm not sure what these 3 labs these mean? My guess is I have chronic stress with: 1- Low DHEA used to make up for other hormones. 2- high AM cortisol 3- I seem to be low in my Pregnenolone as it is used up for other shortages |
The first four results of my Cognoscopy from Lab Corp came back.
On page 124 The End of Alzheimer's by Dr. Dale Bredesen:
The goal of fasting insulin is less than 4.6.
Mine is high as I have Diabetes type 2. I clearly have insulin resistance and I struggle to keep my glucose down with Low Carb High Fat diet and medication excluding insulin.
I could not find Ferritin levels in The End of Alzheimer's
From Wiki
Dr Bredesen advises Oxidized LDL to be less than 60 U/L
I went to the Lawrence Atma Holistic Center to get this lab work this morning.
They had me freeze my urine last night.
I have never heard of that before which is why I went to this clinic to evaluate my AZ.
I am going through the Dementia program as I am entering my fourth year of AZ and want closer monitoring of my AZ. I suspect I will get worse this year or my fifth year.
If I get worse I am willing to take under the clinic's supervision the following drugs:
I wonder who has the record. Probably a Mormon with multiple wives?
Last week my wife and I went to a Holistic clinic in Lawrence.
Yesterday I had my physical done by a Nurse Practioner.
It was an extensive neurologic exam.
I had a neurological exam done when I entered a trial at KUMCR done by a Neurologist MD.
I was impressed by the 90 minutes spent on me going over my history in detail and the physical exam. I had trouble walking with my feet in tandem. I have not been doing my balance exercise.
Nurse Practioner also repeated the MOCA test.
I had a perfect score in Feb 2020 link.
This time I missed one on trying to remember 5 objects. I was not as sharp on some of the other items either but satisfactory.
I could name 30 words that start with B in one minute. I start out just naming as many words as I could quickly. Then I had to think of words with vowels.
Ball
Bell
Bite
Boat
The Nurse Practioner asked me if I used recreational drugs?
I said yes. Viagra.
There was no bill at the end of the visit as I had already paid cash for a Bredesen program.
This includes 8 visits with the team and the blood work.
I go in for the lab blood work on Monday.
This was the main reason I went into this program.
The actor Clemence Poesy plays a French detective in this mystery.
Someone says to her character (Elise Wassermann) that she plays that she has a great memory for details of the case.
Elise responds
"I don't have a great memory,
I just know how to use it."
We learn from watching the show that she uses her house to put various memories in to trigger her memory.
This is called a "memory palace" which I have used for myself with Alzhermiers.
Memory palace to remember 55 European nations
and to remember my favorite travel experiences.
Memory palace to remember 15 top vacations
2-Visiting new grandson this weekend
