Alternative Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease

We’ll look at what Alzheimer’s Disease is and how we treat it naturally at LifeWorks.

What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurological disease that usually begins after age 65 and progressively worsens until sufferers may not be able to take care of themselves or even recognize their loved ones. It is a brain disorder that affects memory, language skills, and behavior.

The three main identifying factors for Alzheimer’s are²:

• The formation of amyloid plaques which are abnormal clusters of cells in the brain
• The formation of neurofibrillary tangles which are tangled fiber bundles that develop in the brain
• The loss of nerve cell connections in the brain such that the brain has difficulty transmitting messages through the neurons

The disease commonly does damage to the hippocampus, the area of the brain vital to forming memories. As the disease progresses the damage moves to other areas of the brain, and in the latter stages much of the brain is affected.

Alzheimer’s Symptoms

Potential early warning signs for Alzheimer’s may be the onset of Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD) or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). These conditions are thought to be the first steps toward developing Alzheimer’s, although they do not always lead to Alzheimer’s or dementia-related diseases.

SCD and MCI symptoms center around the development of memory loss, inability to use language properly to express oneself, and increasing overwhelm and confusion.

Alzheimer’s disease has three stages: mild, moderate, and severe.

Mild Alzheimer’s Disease

Mild Alzheimer’s disease patients exhibit the following symptoms³:

• Poor judgment
• Memory loss – related to where things are located, who people are, what year it is, how old the person is, etc.
• Taking longer to do things than normal
• Repeating stories, sentences, or questions
• Difficulty managing money and medications
• Trouble with spontaneity and initiating things
• Getting lost
• Putting things in odd places and losing track of things easily
• Mood changes
• Personality changes
• Sudden or increased anxiety or depression
• Sudden or increased aggression

Moderate Alzheimer’s

As Alzheimer’s progresses life becomes more and more difficult for the sufferer and their families and caregivers. The following symptoms begin to occur³:

• Greater memory loss and confusion
• Difficulty expressing oneself and reading, writing, or using numbers
• Illogical thinking
• Difficulty coping with new situations or surroundings
• Inability following directions or doing tasks that involve multiple steps
• Decreased attention span
• Difficulty recognizing family, friends, and acquaintances
• Delusions and paranoia
• Inappropriate behavior and language
• Sudden, inappropriate bouts of anger
• Wandering
• Tearfulness, increased anxiety, and agitation
• Repeating movements
• Some muscle twitching
• Difficulty learning new things

Severe Alzheimer’s

In the latter stages of Alzheimer’s the person is no longer able to care for themselves and quality of life dramatically changes. Symptoms include³:

• The Inability to communicate
• Excessive sleeping
• Weight loss
• Seizures
• Skin infections
• Difficulty swallowing
• Groaning, moaning, or grunting
• Increased sleeping
• Loss of bowel and bladder control

What Causes Alzheimer’s?

Conventional medicine does not yet understand the cause of Alzheimer’s. There is some growing evidence that high blood pressure and high cholesterol may be contributing factors to Alzheimer’s, similar to how they are implicated in heart disease and stroke. In addition, there is evidence that “physical, mental, and social activities may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s, linking the disease to poor diet and lifestyle choices.

A genetic risk factor that may be linked to the development of Alzheimer’s is the apolipoprotein E4 (APOE) gene on chromosome 19.⁴ The more APOE4 the person has, the greater their risk of developing Alzheimer’s and the earlier the disease may develop. However, this is not definitive evidence since some people without this gene develop Alzheimer’s and some people with the gene do not.

Conventional Treatment for Alzheimer’s

Let’s take a look at how conventional medicine approaches Alzheimer’s.

Treatments involve the use of medications to help manage symptoms to try to make living with the disease a bit easier. This is a far cry from trying to get to the bottom of why this disease develops in the first place, which is our approach.

Conventional treatments may include:

• Medications – Conventional doctors may prescribe cholinesterase inhibitors or memantine to help with memory loss and confusion. Medications may also be used to treat anxiety and depression, sleep changes, as well as infections and other health issues.
• Physical Therapy – Physical activity has been shown to reduce the risk or symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Therefore physical therapy is encouraged for these patients.
• Emotional Support – Counseling and group activities may help Alzheimer’s patients live a more productive life. Emotional support is also needed by family and caregivers.
• Routines – Routines of regular mealtimes, bedtimes, wake times, daylight exposure, exercise, and medications are highly encouraged and can help Alzheimer’s sufferers live a more stable life.
• Nutritional Support – Nutritional support may be recommended but conventional medicine is skeptical about its effectiveness.

Alternative Treatment for Alzheimer’s

Instead of thinking of Alzheimer’s as a fixed, static condition, we look at it as a deterioration of multiple bodily systems and functions, which when combined create a variety of symptoms which have been labeled as “Alzheimer’s”.

When the body has been chronically overwhelmed or unable to keep up with normal maintenance and repair functions due to some underlying factor (infection, toxicity, pathogen, an autoimmune condition, etc.) it will start to deteriorate and malfunction over time. These hidden factors are sidelining and diverting your body’s available resources and energy into trying to cope with these hidden factors and that sets the stage for a disease process to take hold.

Our approach is based on locating and treating these hidden underlying factors. Taking such an approach opens the door to more treatment vectors to address and correct, which eliminates these hidden burdens and restores energy, immune and neurological function, thereby releasing the full miraculous healing power of the human body. And that’s why we see amazing health progress with patients and even recoveries using this approach.

Looking for Underlying Factors

We use both conventional and alternative methods to locate these contributory factors. Our testing may include one or more of the following

• Testing for hidden sources of inflammation
• Testing for autoimmune conditions
• Testing for Lyme disease
• Testing for heavy metal toxicity
• Testing for food allergies
• Nutritional dietary deficiency testing
• Testing of neurotransmitters, hormones, minerals, essential fatty acids, and other nutritional markers
• A CNS neurocognitive test assesses the neurocognitive status of the patient including motor skills and performance, memory, attention, and executive functioning.
• An MRI with volumetrics assesses neurodegeneration even at the early stages.
• A MoCA cognitive assessment reveals information on cognitive functioning.
• A vascular health assessment shows symptoms of heart and vascular disease and the status of the patient’s blood circulation and blood pressure

Once all the necessary diagnostics are completed, our team of doctors will formulate a treatment program tailor-made for the patient.

Natural Treatment Interventions for Alzheimer’s

We believe that patients with Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases can make significant improvements using a holistic approach.

To accomplish this, we use a variety of alternative treatments and therapies for Alzheimer’s disease. Our alternative treatment options seek to address the underlying contributory factors that lead the body into cognitive decline.

Following is a list of the therapies we may use in the natural treatment of Alzheimer’s:

• Autoimmune Treatment – This therapy works to restore a properly functioning immune system that may be attacking the patient’s own body.
• Repairing Gut Issues – Addressing Leaky Gut Syndrome which is a common trigger for autoimmunity and inflammation.;
• Peptide Therapy – This therapy utilizes specific chains of amino acids called peptides to signal cells to turn on or turn off certain functions. This works to help regulate and rejuvenate neuroendocrine-immune function.
• Cell Recovery  – We use protein extracts that help cells to recover.
• Addressing Inflammation – We test and treat systemic inflammation, infections, gut issues, other causes of inflammation.
• Food Allergy Treatment – Food allergies can trigger autoimmune conditions. In the case of neurological conditions, the body attacks the parts of the central nervous system, thereby diminishing its proper function and leading to conditions like MS and other neurological disorders.
• Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) – Delivers pure oxygen to the patient in a pressurized chamber. Has been shown effective for neurological conditions.
• Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) Technology – Emission of electromagnetic waves to stimulate the body’s own healing properties
• Enhanced External Counterpulsation – Increases blood flow, allowing more oxygen to flow and alleviate symptoms of poor circulation.
• Vielight NeURO – Delivers photons to a light-sensitive enzyme in the mitochondria which is known to trigger self-repair mechanisms in the cells, enhance cognition, and protect cell neurons.
• BrainHQ – Brain training exercises that improve brain health.
• Health Coaching – This intervention helps patients keep track of their nutrition, exercise, supplements, and other suggested changes
• BrainTap – Tapping into specific brainwave states, BrainTap helps to reboot and revitalize the brain, promotes relaxation, and reduces stress on the body and mind.
• Dietary and Nutritional Deficiencies – Clearing up nutritional deficiencies, supporting the body with the right nutraceuticals to improve brain health including macro/micronutrients, minerals, hormones, neurotransmitters, essential fatty acids, etc.
• Intermittent Fasting – Through intermittent fasting, the body is able to heal instead of always processing food. LifeWorks utilizes the KetoFlex 12/3 way of eating which means that patients eat their food during a 10-12-hour window and not eating within three hours of going to bed.
• Celergen – This is an anti-aging cell therapy supplement that promotes cell renewal and stimulation.

References

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Alzheimer’s Disease
2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Aging, What Is Alzheimer’s Disease?, May 2017.
3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Aging, What Are the Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease?, May 2017.
4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Aging, What Causes Alzheimer’s Disease?, May 2017.