The mind is a many splendid thing, and slowly losing it — can be devastating beyond belief.

Alzheimer’s is a very scary disease.

There is no cure and the signs that you are on the road to developing the disease are often not very clear.

Until recently, people with signs of dementia were diagnosed as having either Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia.

Experts used the term “vascular” in relation to dementia when they found signs of a stroke, mini-strokes, or clogged arteries.  All three of these factors can kill the brain’s nerve cells (neurons) by cutting off their oxygen supply.

Autopsy studies show that many people have both types of dementia.

“When you look at pathology in the brain, it’s the rare person who doesn’t have both Alzheimer’s and vascular disease, “says professor of epidemiology, Mary Haan, at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health.

Those studies led researchers to ask whether people who were diagnosed with either Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia had other things—-like high blood pressure, diabetes, or clogged arteries—-in common.

“As we started to look at risk factors for vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, lo and behold, we found that they overlap,” says David Knopman, professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota.

“We realized that vascular risk factors contribute to Alzheimer’s disease pathology,” says Mary Haan.

Researchers say it looks as though Alzheimer’s may somehow be triggered or sped up by high insulin levels, high blood pressure, inflammation, and clogged arteries—some of the same risk factors that cause heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes.  (Lancet 363: 1139, 2004).

“Diabetes is a strong risk factor for dementia,” says David Knopman.

Five years ago, the Rotterdam Study in the Netherlands found that people with diabetes had nearly double the risk of dementia.  (Neurology 62: 66. 2004.)

Two years prior to those studies, this study was reported: HOMOCYSTEINE IS A STRONG RISK FACTOR FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE New England Journal of Medicine. 2002 Feb 14; 346:476-483 .

SUMMARY: Subjects from the “Framingham Study“, were examined over an eight-year period to determine whether the amount of homocysteine in the blood is a cause of dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease, or is the homocysteine the result of vitamin deficiencies that occur in people with dementia-related illnesses.

TEST: A total of 1092 adults, who did not have dementia, were measured to find out whether the amount of homocysteine in a person’s blood could predict who would develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Eight years later 111 of those tested were diagnosed with dementia including 83 with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s Disease nearly doubled in subjects with a high level of homocysteine.

CONCLUSION: The study concluded that an increased homocysteine level is a strong, independent risk factor for the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

What other risk is high homocysteine level known for?

Arterial wall damage and the formation of arterial clogging plaque that block blood flow and reduce the amount of oxygen that reaches the heart and brain, which we now know can put you at severe risk of getting Alzheimer’s as well as a heart attack or stroke.

Inflammation is another causative which also damages arterial walls causing the formation of arterial clogging plaque that can lead to dementia, a heart attack or stroke.

Researchers and the medical profession tell us they have no cure for Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia.

Drugs have been developed to slow the progress of dementia, but the best are effective, according to research findings, for no longer than 18 months when they no longer exhibit any beneficial affect for the patient.

As with all major diseases, researchers concentrate on drug cures.

That’s where the money is.

Researchers and the medical profession have totally ignored the results from the above research studies.

The results demonstrate if you keep your arteries clear of arterial clogging plaque, keep your homocysetine and C-reactive protein (inflammation) at normal levels, plus increase the release of your own natural growth hormone from your pituitary, (growth hormone helps reverse cognitive decline which, regrettably, the researchers have not addressed), your chances of getting Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia, as well as losing you cognitive capabilities, are slim to non-existent.

There are no miracles here.

Take care of your vascular system and you take care of your brain.

It’s all done with natural nutritional supplements, healthy eating, and some exercise.  No mirrors, no voodoo, no drugs!

Contrary to what the researchers and the medical profession believe, there is a cure for Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia.  It’s called Prevention!

Dementia sneaks up on you, and then it’s too late, so practice prevention and prevent such a horrible fate.

To your good heath & longevity.

Ira Marxe
“The Good Health & Wellness Guy”

Copyrighted © 2009 – All Rights Reserved

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