Last week’s essay addressed Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment along with a new treatment model. This week’s essay describes four options available for dealing with this irreversible progressive disorder.
Why is the health of this country in peril? Then last week on television , I saw testimonial ads from somebody about a product. It was said that this person now had a healthier brain . Another person said that he’s sharper- it helps your brain. Yea for the changing of the testimonials. I won’t name the supplement. Let it be said that I take supplements such as Fish Oil,L Carnitine, Ginkgo Biloba and CoQ10.
The advertised supplement, in question ;according to AARP states “The makers of the supplement are deceiving millions of aging Americans with claims that the supplement can treat age-related memory loss. AARP says they agree with the lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission and the New York Atty. Gen. They were sued because of claiming that it improves memory and brain functioning.Specifically, what memory category does it improve? Does it improve declarative, procedural, episodic, semantic or working memory? But, wait, you can get a healthier brain.
A second example follows. I contacted a Franchise program that provides home caregiving with specially trained professional caregivers on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias . I told the first representative that I was interested in Alzheimer’s and dementia information. She referred me to a second representative. I asked a number of questions and will provide some of her responses. She told me that all caregivers had to go through 16 hours training to meet initial state requirements. For those interested in providing Alzheimer’s and dementia information ,an additional four hours was required. I asked her about the qualifications of the presenter. She told me that this employee has been with the company for many years and worked her way up the ladder. She added that she was experienced but did not elaborate. I said your website states “ stimulates brain and promotes cognitive engagement. I asked what technique was used , and she replied “ they play cards.” I asked her what kind of card games? She said she didn’t know. She also stated that they were not licensed for medical care. I did not ask her to explain the following on their website: “our relationship centered approach enables our caregivers to provide professional care that : builds confidence and enhances physical strength; maintains a routine to prevent agitation and other dementia related behaviors; manages changing dementia related behaviors; creates opportunities for social interaction and reduces the feelings of loneliness and depression. And this is based on some presenter presenting four hours of something to various minimum wage part-time individuals with no healthcare coverage? The website clearly suggests their professional care employees build confidence; reduce feelings of loneliness and depression etc. Forget about psychotherapy and psychotropic meds. Does the state allow these misrepresentations ? So what if there are baseless claims without any supporting documentation or definition of terms.
In comparison, UC Davis has a Health Aging Initiative and Clinic. Their website says they have an integrated approach of Inpatient geriatric experts ,ambulatory clinics ,and Upcoming Educational programs now being developed. The Dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine and Co leader of the initiative started “our goal is to deliver our care in order to optimize The Quality of life, function and autonomy across a person’s life span across all care settings.”
The website also stated that the UC Davis Medical Center is nationally ranked for its inpatient geriatrics care outcomes. The Alzheimer’s disease center is internationally recognized for cognitive research. The Family Care Institute leads international discussions on research and workforce education to strengthen clinical skills and support family caregivers of older adults. Their website also stated: “ provide age friendly care ; promote healthy aging through an integrated approach across the lifespan and all care settings by providing age friendly care supporting family caregivers leveraging technology for independent living. Teaching the next generation of care providers, the staff encompasses geriatrics, physicians, advanced practice providers, nurse practitioners ,pharmacists and physical therapists.
A Fourth program for treating mild cognitive impairment in early Alzheimer’s disease is based on the Bredesen Clinical Protocol. This protocol has identified new and previously unrecognized causes of Alzheimer’s disease such as nutrition and lifestyle components according to the website. This program is a functional medicine program called True Health.
A few of the expectations from the program includes: An initial intake process including extensive patient history utilizing functional medicine timeline, matrix, clinician observations, and discussion concerns expressed by the patient family or caregiver . Validated assessment tools include Montréal Cognitive Assessment and CNS- Vital Signs .Both of these tools are equal to or superior to the Mini Mental Status Exam for detecting dementia and other subtle changes in intellectual function. Other validated family caregiver assessments of patients include : the A.D. 21, and the Short IQ CODE to assess a patient’s memory recall . The Bredesen protocol is a personalized program based on the patient’s physiological and nutritional needs. Using this information we can help to reconnect old neurons and form new connections, a process called synaptogenesis thereby improving or reversing cognitive decline.
It’s clear that the physical health in our country is very poor based on CDC statistics regarding deaths and life expectancy. With that being said, we have an increase in nonreversible cognitive impairment, and dementias such as Alzhheimer’s. As a result, there will be an increase in testimonials, propaganda, advertising, commercials, and the Internet promoting new products that claim to fix cognitive deficiencies. The greedy charlatans with a profit motive will take advantage of the vulnerable.
There are many parts of the human brain that are affected neurologically. For example, the brain stem ,cerebellum,thalamus,basal ganglia, hippocampus ,hypothalamus and amygdala are all affected and take place within the cerebral cortex in the left and right cerebral hemispheres of the brain. Further, occipital lobes, temporal lobes, parietal lobes and frontal lobes also play a part.We are talking about 100 billion neurons and a possible 100 trillion possible connections between the neurons.
Briefly, cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s dementia affects memory. It’s memory that allows us to remember the past, function in the present and predict for the future. There are stages of memory . Sensory memory is about perceiving and short-term or working memory Is about attention. Importantly, we have a process called long-term memory such as declarative and procedural. Within declarative memory there is explicit memory. Further, there are two main types of long-term declarative memory types called episodic and semantic. Episodic declarative memory is related to time-based life events as In autobiographical memory while semantic declarative memory is related to facts not tied to a particular time such as driving a car.
Would you trust the most complex biological structure that exists to a for profit service franchise that provides four hours of something presented by somebody and which makes all types of unsupported claims regarding cognitive Impairment and dementia on a website? Do you trust an age old testimonial television commercial about a non-FDA approved supplement? On the other hand, the following are critical and scientifically supported:1. An assessment and general diagnosis 2. Physical exercise for at least 30 minutes a day 3. A proper diet i.e. Mediterranean diet 4. Mental stimulation. Playing card games does not meet that requirement. Let the buyer beware; Sometimes the emperor is not wearing clothes;You get what you pay for ;You get what you deserve and A frog in the well knows not the ocean comes to mind.Unfortunately, many of the buyers have cognitive impairments and therefore make inappropriate decisions and choices.
Reference
Institute For Natural Resources . Understanding Dementia.
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