The American Brain Council does not profess to know “the answer” to preventing or reversing Alzheimer’s, primarily because there is not yet a "definitive pathology," and there does not appear to be a single answer, because every body and brain are different, and there are actually many more than 39 potential factors or contributors here, maybe even a 100 or more, as noted on Dr. Bredesen’s website under The Science of Alzheimer’s:
As we age and are exposed to multiple assaults over time, damaging forces overtake repair forces, resulting in a downsizing of the brain’s ability and subsequent cognitive decline. Dr. Bredesen’s goal is to change your biochemistry to provide optimal conditions for your brain to thrive. As noted above, he’s identified over 39 factors (metabolic derangement, poor nutrient status, lack of trophic support, exposure to viruses, etc.) that can trigger “downsizing” in the brain, most of which can fortunately be addressed by using the Bredesen Protocol.
However, Dr. Bredesen, is not the only one who has been successful in arresting and reversing cognitive decline in individuals with Alzheimer’s. Vincent Fortenasce, M.D, David Perlmutter, M.D, Thomas Shea, Ph.D, Majid Fotuhi, M.D, Gary Small, M.D, Daniel Amen, M.D, Drs Ayesha & Dean Sherzai, and many others have all documented significant progress with individuals diagnosed with AD, and generally with a similar though at times less arduous protocol. But that is to be expected, since as we noted, every case is a bit different.
For example, we know that diabetes (chronic high blood sugar and insulin resistance) can result in plaques and tangles and memory issues that are indicative of Alzheimer’s, but so can inflammation in the brain from other causes, like a head injury or a lack of B-vitamins, particularly B-9 (folate), and B-12 (cobalamin), or too many free radicals in our brain (oxidative stress) and too few antioxidants like glutathione the master antioxidant in our body.
So while one person might struggle with their diet, meds and exercise for 6 months or more to overcome their diabetes and insulin resistance, and related vascular issues, another person with high homocysteine (inflammation), but an otherwise normal metabolic profile, may be able to effectively lower that inflammation, and improve their cognitive abilities within a couple of months.
(Although most people with AD typically have several risk factors, like the ApoE4 “Alzheimer’s” gene, high homocysteine, and low hormone levels, poor circulation, and inadequate sleep, and take from 3-6 months to see improvement – depending in large measure on how far down the slippery dementia road they have traveled.)
However, that is why some people are able to respond faster on relatively easy protocols, while others have to work harder, in more areas, in order to see progress.
Also, while some rather simplistic approaches like cutting out sugar to improve one’s diet, taking a good supplement, and not sitting as much, can be effective for reversing symptoms in some individuals, the more rigorous protocols, like those of Dr. Bredesen and others are usually more effective, faster for a broader array of people.
To Learn more about Dr. Bredesen’s approach/protocols go to: go https://www.apollohealthco.com/solutions/
If you can take the Personal Assessment featured on our home page, that will give you a much better picture of more than 60 different factors that contribute to cognitive decline, while identifying those that you may want to pay extra attention to in developing your own personal plan for progress, and where to find helpful info on those conditions.
See also the book The End of Alzheimer’s Program by Dale Bredesen, M.D.
This is likely the most complete compilation of practical knowledge on this subject in the world.
