The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline Hardcover – Illustrated, August 22, 2017

I have seen a lot of dementia. My mother died of a dementia with no agreed diagnosis in 1998. We watched his progression as my ex-wife’s father lived in our house from 2001 until he died of Parkinson’s in 2005.Of the twenty or so guys who have stayed in touch after working together for IBM in Vietnam during the war, Bob and John have died of Alzheimer’s. I don’t know about the third – we last had a conversation about four years ago and his wife tells me he’s slipping.Some of the older ex-pats I know here in Ukraine are given to repeating themselves and rambling a bit. I’m not going to attempt diagnosis, but I sure hope I’m not like that.It appears I’m in good shape with regard to Alzheimer’s. It usually shows up well before one reaches my 80 years. It runs in families, and we have very little. All I recall being told is that my Aunt Berta was a little bit dotty before she died in her 90s.Sleep and Alzheimer’s are closely related. Though I can’t find the reference, I believe it was Matthew Walker’s “Why We Sleep” that put me onto this book. The thesis of both is that a person needs to take a holistic approach to their health. There are no magic pills for either sleeping or taming Alzheimer’s.The core thesis of this book is that Alzheimer’s is a syndrome, not a single disease. It is a result of the body’s attempt to defend itself against deterioration, not a disease unto itself. The tau tangles and the amyloid plaque that characterize the brains of Alzheimer’s victims are symptoms more than causes.The deterioration comes from three sources. The first is a genetic predisposition. If a person suspects Alzheimer’s the first, easy, thing to do would be to have a DNA analysis to see if the ApoE4 gene has been inherited from either or both parents. The second is associated with lifestyle and diet: too much gluten, caffeine, alcohol and so on and not enough exercise, sleep and so on. The third is triggered by toxins – mercury, molds, pesticides and so on.Bredesen’s thesis is that these three basic types of Alzheimer’s are triggered by a number of different conditions. He names 36 – his metaphor is 36 holes in the roof that have to be considered for patching in fixing the problem. American medicine is designed to look for a monotherapy – a single solution to a single problem, such as a hip replacement for a damaged joint or an antibiotic for syphilis. Even these, one notes, can be prevented by appropriate lifestyle choices. But American medicine is not structured that way.Monotherapies have been being tested for decades as solutions Alzheimer’s. None of them work. Bradesen notes that the idea of magic bullet solutions has been applied with marginal success to other complex issues such as heart disease. I would add AIDS, autism and autoimmune diseases to the list. He claims to have more a Chinese medicine – Ayurvedic - approach than traditional Western allopathic approach.Consistent with this observation, he gives several accounts of his encounters with the medical establishment which was absolutely resistant to his approach. Frustrated at every turn, he accepted one woman who had given up on other alternatives to be his Patient Zero for what has become his ReCODE protocol. She is doing well after 11 years. So what is his approach?Step number one is to undergo a series of laboratory tests commensurate with the observed symptoms. He gives reasons for all of the tests – measuring levels of vitamins, hormones, metals and trace minerals, metabolic byproducts and so on in the blood and urine. He offers the observation that most of the tests should be covered by insurance. If not they would come to $1000 or so.Step number two would be to put together a comprehensive treatment plan according to his ReCODE protocol. A customized plan for each patient, addressing the deficiencies discovered by the laboratory tests. The protocols cover diet, medicine, exercise, sleep and so on.The third step would be to measure and adjust. See how the plan is working, and tweak it in the attempt to get optimal levels of all measurements and, of course, measured progress.It will not always be possible to get optimal numbers for every measure. It will certainly not be possible for everybody to adhere to an optimal plan. Giving up sugar and caffeine, for instance, is very tough for some people. They should at the least be attempting the feasible and aware of the rest.I took the five-minute Montréal Cognitive Assessment that he references throughout the book to see how I do with regard to dementia. Though you would conclude, as do I, that anybody who can read a book like this and write a cogent review probably has a fairly healthy mind, I wanted to check it out. Yes. I would expect most of you reading this to be able to get a maximum score of 30. Here is one of many versions of the tests available online.In 15 years here I have not encounter Ukrainians with obvious signs of dementia. People don’t talk about it. First of all we don’t live as long. Secondly we have other things to worry about. Third I would surmise that we have healthier diets, not as much restaurant and junk food. Fourth, most of us get more exercise simply because we don’t own as many cars and have to walk a lot.My take on this book is that anybody who is worried about losing their mental grip ought to get the DNA test and take the Montréal Cognitive Assessment named above. If these make you concerned, buy the book and see what you can do about following its recommendations for diet, exercise and sleep. If you discern a real threat, by all means buy the book and see if you can get involved in a program of ReCODE therapy.A first-rate book. Five stars.

This book has just been published, and I received the Kindle version tonight. Since my 97 year old mother with Alzheimer's and aphasia moved in with us 5 years ago, I have spent many hours almost every night researching the disease and trying to find a way to help her. During the 5 years my mother has been with us, we had a lot of ups and downs. The downs were caused by problems, like Shingles in her eye, that were not in our control. When she came to live with us, she was very much overweight (4' 10" at 185 lbs.), was totally incontinent, was on 10 drugs for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc, couldn't read or write, and couldn't walk on her own. Within 9 months, she was taking a natural supplement for thyroid and all other prescription drugs had been eliminated. She became totally continent and was walking to go to the bathroom on her own. She started reading flash cards that we got for her and started writing. Her weight loss was gradual, but, now, 5 years later, she weighs about 115 lbs. and has gone from a size 2X to size 6. When we had her last blood work done, the doctor told us that she had the blood work of a 20 year old, and she was perfectly healthy. Unfortunately, her mental capacity has been reduced in the last 5 years. So, I had hopes that this book would offer something I hadn't already found in my extensive research that would help me to help her.First of all, this book suggests extensive testing that most doctors won't do on a regular basis in order to find out levels of components in the blood that help to determine possible supplements or dietary changes that may help. Most of this I already know, but it would be helpful for someone that has not had time to do the research. Basic physical exams generally don't include the necessary tests, and you often have to request that specific test should be done. For example, the test for thyroid is usually only the test for TSH which is produced by the pituitary gland, but this is a result of the T3 and T4 that stimulates the thyroid hormone (TSH). TSH is produced by the pituitary gland in response to the T3 and T4. So measurement of the TSH does not give an accurate measure of the function of the thyroid.Other than extensive blood testing, this book suggests dietary changes. Many of the dietary suggestions I completely agree with, but some I do not. The author does mention the importance of eating meat, chicken, and eggs only from grass fed and grass finished animals, and consuming only wild-caught fish that are not harvested as large fish because of the risk of contaminants. He also mentions avoiding GMO foods and processed foods. For my family, all of this is a way of life. Although this has helped my mother to improve in the past, it definitely has not reversed her Alzheimer's.One area that I do not at all agree with Dr. Bredesen on is the avoidance of gluten. I think this subject needs some expansion and an explanation of modern day store bread. Whole grains have been consumed for centuries with no adverse affects of gluten. The problem come in with the modern day processing of the grains. Gluten is a part of grains that must be developed in order for it to be digestible. This requires a long fermentation process to release the nutrients of the grain. The long fermentation releases the phytase in the grain that destroys the phytates. This is true for any seed type food such as rice, beans, etc. For breads, long fermentation greatly reduces the requirement for yeast and the addition of vital wheat gluten. Modern store bread making requires a large quantity of bread to be made in a short time. Instead of developing the gluten with a fermentation of 18-24 hours, bread can be made much faster by adding 4 times the yeast and vital wheat gluten. This makes a nice fluffy loaf that you can roll into a ball of paste that would stick to a wall, but it's not anything your body can digest or use. So, I don't believe that gluten is the problem, but more so the processing of the grains that make the flour. In addition, most store breads are made from flours that have been stripped of every nutrient in the grains. I, personally, make all of our bread and mill the flour from whole grains.This book does give some guidelines for supplements that might be helpful, but you need to know what deficiencies you are dealing with, and this gets back to blood work that your doctor will do. If you don't know about deficiencies, using supplements is guesswork and can do more harm than good. This book does supply some good ground work for someone that hasn't had time to do the research, but it definitely does no supply an end-all cure for Alzheimer's.UPDATE 09/13/18:I wrote my initial review of this book a little over a year ago, and have come to the conclusion, that dementia, a form of Alzheimer's can definitely be slowed down, but I don't think it can be cured at this point. Diet is definitely a key point and some supplements are helpful. In the last year, my mother has lost more of her mobility, but we still try to make her walk as much as we can. So often, difficulty in walking causes caretakers to resort to a wheelchair, but doing this results in taking away a capability that should be encouraged. Without some exercise, the possibility of blood clots increases and muscles atrophy. Caretaking is definitely not easy for anyone doing it, but the easiest route of care is not often the best for the patient. My Mom is now 98 and had lost some physical capabilities, but we still encourage her to try. We know that taking the easier methods for us will be detrimental for her. Diet is very important in slowing dementia, but physical and mental support is just as important.UPDATE 05/25/20:It is now 3 years since I bought this book, and Mom has been with us over 8 years. She was diagnosed to have Alzheimer's over 16 years ago. Knowing what I know now, I truly believe we could have reversed her dementia if she had come to live with us sooner. In the first couple of year's, her doctors were amazed by the improvements in her physical and mental abilities. The only times she regressed was times she was admitted to the hospital for replacement of her pacemaker and at other times for "observation". After each hospital stay, which was only a half dozen time in the 8 years, she regressed almost to the point we had to start over. Each time, we got her almost back to where she was before the hospital, but each time we lost a little ground.Mom is now 100 years old, still physically healthy, and taking no medications. She can no longer feed herself, but is cooperative when we feed her. She still recognizes us and other people, and smiles when she sees us. She also understands when we ask her to do something, and often answers with one word responses. She is still mostly continent for urine with most accidents happening during the night, and totally continent for bowel movements. Although walking is difficult, she still does walk with our assistance.At this point, it's evident that Alzheimer's is slowing taking her from us, but I firmly believe we could have reversed her dementia if it hadn't been for the hospital stays that took so much from her. Caretaking is a huge responsibility, and one that many people would not be prepared for. As mentioned before, diet and exercise are important, but there is so very much more to it. Mental stimulation, patience, and, most of all, love are every bit as crucial to reversing and/or slowing down the progression of Alzheimer's.

START LISTENING TO YOUR BODY SIGNALS AND HELP IT TO RESTORE ITS HEALTH

Saber que uma doença mortal e incapacidade tem prevenção e tratamento eficazes é uma grande esperança. Melhor ainda, o modo como é colocado no livro traz autonomia para os que decidem seguir o protocolo do Dr. Bredesen, a maioria das ações são acessíveis, sem medicamentos caros e patenteados, basicamente mudanças em hábitos de vida. Vale a pena ler, se houver casos na família ou se simplesmente quer cuidar de sua saúde, pois é disto que fala o livro.

Es un gran libro que nos explica las raíces y causas de esta enfermedad. Proponiendo un enfoque muy distinto a su tratamiento. Lo recomiendo ampliamente

この本の位置づけについてはすでに色々な方が書かれているので、特に書き加えることはない。原理面は著者の研究。実践面は機能性医学をアルツハイマー用にカスタマイズしたものという感じだろう。私の場合は、身内のアルツハイマー患者にRECODEプロトコルを適用しようと検査まで受けたが、治療の実践はいろいろ事情があってできなかった。この本は日本語訳が出る前に買って読んだ。日本語版も出たのでその後は日本語版を主体に読んでいる。いい訳本ではあるが、やはり誤訳は免れないので、読んでいて「？」と思う部分の確認はこの原書で行っている。

This is a must have book for every family not just Alzheimer's patients. Recommended, although Indians may find all these things already incorporated in lifestyles since long times..quite likely the reason Alzheimer's as a disease is very rare in India and research into it has just begun with few lucky patients. Please buy right now. Thanks Amazon India.