Dear Reader,
Alzheimer’s is probably the disease we all fear most.
The prospect of forgetting our loved ones’ names and faces and a lifetime of memories, not to mention losing our independence, is beyond terrifying.
Certainly, Big Pharma has devoted billions of dollars to testing and research, but as of yet, nothing seems to have worked. Sure, the FDA has approved a handful of drugs, but despite what you’ll see in those ads, they’ve all proven to be duds – actually worse than doing nothing at all.
But pharmaceutical companies aren’t the only ones hoping to cash in on a cure.
Across the pond in London, a venture-capital trust called DDF, or the Dementia Discovery Fund, has raised $350 million to look for “new approaches” to treat the disease and invest in companies searching for “novel therapies.”
In the U.S., AARP has its own cache of cash, the Brain Health Fund (which just donated $60 million to the UK effort).
It’s looking more and more, however, like the way to address Alzheimer’s and dementia isn’t going to come from a bottle of pills or a shot. And that the “cure” we’ve all been hoping for may be more than just be one thing.
Although it didn’t get much, if any, mainstream news coverage, a small group of patients were actually “cured” of dementia several years ago. And that wasn’t the only success researchers have had in being able to reverse these scary symptoms without drugs!
But perhaps instead of watching and waiting for Big Pharma to do something, we should all begin our own brain health funds.
And instead of filling them with money, we should start adopting some of the non-drug approaches that have already been shown to bring incredible results!
The brain you save may be your own
Right now, over 6 million Americans have been diagnosed with varying kinds of dementia, including Alzheimer’s.
Of course, the older you are, the greater the risk.
The AARP (the group that primes you for retirement starting at age 50!) made a point when announcing its donation to the DDF that we’re all getting old – fast! In just a little over a decade from now, “millennials” will soon be hitting the big 5-0, and the first “boomers” will be blowing out 84 candles.
Yikes!
Well, I don’t think we need AARP to remind us how fast time goes by… it’s easy enough to see that all on our own!
But what the organization says is correct. As disastrous as dementia and Alzheimer’s are right now, the problem will become much, much worse if nothing changes.
So, what could be the solution to the tragedy that’s unfolding right before our eyes? The answer might surprise you!
As I said, researchers at UCLA were able to reverse all symptoms of dementia in 9 out of 10 study volunteers over three years ago.
While this research involved blood tests, brain scans, and other medical evaluations to monitor the participants’ progress, many of the therapies that “cured” them are strategies you can start adding to your routine and socking away for a rainy day.
In fact, there’s no reason to delay contributing to your personal brain health fund – it’s like filling a piggy bank for when you need it most!
Here are some of the “deposits” you’ll want to make:
- vitamin D (with supplements or even sunshine!),
- DHA (which you’ll find in omega-3 fatty acid supplements),
- probiotics (to improve your gut health), and
- fresh fruits and veggies.
Two more important “investments” are controlling your blood sugar with food or supervised fasting and ditching those processed foods that contain numerous brain-damaging additives.
But why stop there? Those UCLA findings were pretty impressive, but there’s another breakthrough therapy you’ll want to consider cashing in on.
For this one, you won’t be making a “deposit” by swallowing a supplement or eating a particular ingredient. You will, however, need to take off your shoes and socks, lie down and relax, and allow an acupuncturist to insert super-thin needles just a tiny bit into your skin!
The ancient practice of acupuncture has been successfully used to treat patients suffering from an early form of dementia. In fact, when put toe-to-toe with a drug for the condition, acupuncture was clearly the winner.
The researchers in that study said this age-old treatment has a “significant positive effect” on memory and cognitive function.
Another way to protect your brain includes not shortchanging yourself in the sleep department.
Sure, that sounds simple. However, research has found that losing only one night of Zzzz’s can set into motion the release of a brain protein linked to the development of plaques typically found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
At this point, it’s practically hitting us smack in the face that there’s more than one answer to dementia and Alzheimer’s, and there are many things you can do right now to put the odds of keeping your brain healthy as you age squarely in your court – all without Big Pharma’s help!
“AARP invests $60 million to fund research for cures to dementia and Alzheimer’s” Jo Ann Jenkins, June 25, 2018, AARP, aarp.org
