Is HOLISTIC WELLNESS an Alzheimer's Solution?

Riley, a new patient to me, was alarmed by changes he had observed in himself. "For a couple years, I've had to write down every meeting. Just two years ago I could remember a much busier schedule. Now I set multiple reminders for a weekly meditation meeting or a golf date. When I had a near-miss while driving, my wife became alarmed."

- DEBORAH GORDON, MD

Riley had been vigorous all his 76 years but was haunted by the memory of his father's story. "He had the same complaints at my age. Within a year, he was hospitalized for Alzheimer's and died a few years after that. I don't want that story." Conventional medicine has made no significant improvements in the course of the disease since the time of Riley's father.

In simple conversation, Riley had no apparent problems. On cognitive testing conducted in the office, we determined that this West Point graduate and former high school and college teacher had "less than average" performance in memory testing. On his MRI, the memory-storing part of his brain was atrophied. None of our findings surprised him. They just frightened him.

It turns out Riley had read The End of Alzheimer's by Dr.Dale Bredesen. This book lays out practical steps for fighting Alzheimer's. Eager for support, he had approached two physicians for help only to be met with chuckles and the confident twofold assertion that Alzheimer's was caused by plaque and that the tool to remove that plaque had yet to be found. Then Riley heard from a friend about an exciting project.

PRECISION MEDICINE AND COGNITIVE HEALTH

Riley and 24 other individuals with cognitive impairment characteristic of early Alzheimer's were admitted to a prospective trial in which three physicians (including myself) applied Precision Medicine principles and charted the effects. Each subject was precisely tested for physiological and toxic weak points, which were corrected as healthy lifestyle habits were encouraged and supported.