Category: Alzheimer’s

Husband With Alzheimer’s Defies Prognosis to Find the Good in Every Day With Loving Wife

A happily-married Virginia man diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 41 was given four to five years to “get his affairs in order.” Yet, bolstered by his wife’s love and support, their faith, and their deep mutual understanding, he has lived 16 years past his diagnosis and celebrated his 35th wedding anniversary to…


Pesticides (DDT) and Alzheimer’s Disease

Although there is a growing list of Alzheimer’s disease susceptibility genes, even if you put them all altogether, they account for less than half of all Alzheimer’s cases. The single most compelling piece of data on the potential control we have over the disease is the fact that if you have identical twins, with the…


This Mindful Eating Plan Aims to Boost Brain Health

By Gretchen McKay Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PITTSBURGH — Laura Ali has helped countless clients fine-tune their diets to promote healthy eating habits in her three decades as a registered dietitian and culinary nutritionist, 16 of them in a clinical setting at the Cancer Institute at UPMC, now Hillman Cancer Institute. Good nutrition is a cornerstone of…


COVID-19 Linked to Alzheimer’s-Like Brain Changes, Study Suggests

For some, it’s just a sniffle. But for others, COVID-19 can hit hard. Either way, some people who get COVID-19 will suffer from long-term effects. This is known as “long COVID,” and its sufferers are often referred to as “long haulers.” Chances are you already know about long COVID and you may even have been…


Medicare Officially Limits Coverage of Alzheimer’s Drug to Those in Clinical Trials

Medicare will only cover a drug for Alzheimer’s disease for patients in clinical trials, President Joe Biden’s administration announced on April 7. The drug, Aduhelm, is made by Biogen. The government said in January that it planned to limit coverage of the drug, which costs $28,000 a year, to trial enrollees. But the announcement was…


Understanding Alzheimer’s, the Basics

Researchers have explored many complementary health approaches for preventing or slowing dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, there is no strong evidence that any complementary health approach can prevent cognitive impairment. What the Science Says Following are some of the complementary health approaches that have been studied in recent years. Fish Oil/Omega-3s. Among the nutritional and dietary factors studied…


Famed Alzheimer’s Researcher John Hardy Is a Knight … but Not in Shining Armor

The celebrated Alzheimer’s Disease researcher John Hardy was among the British doctors and medical researchers honored by Queen Elizabeth II with knighthoods at the dawn of the new year. It was just the latest on a long list of prestigious awards Hardy has collected, including the Potamkin Prize for his work identifying genetic aspects of…


7 Conditions Masquerading As Dementia

More than 40% of dementia diagnoses have been shown to be wrong.  Here’s what may really be going on.   Imagine this nightmare. For the last few years your mother has had serious memory problems.  She gets lost driving.  She repeats the same question to you over and over again.  She can’t process new information. …


Scientists Claim They May Have Discovered the Cause of Alzheimer’s

Researchers said that they may have discovered the molecular-level cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists at the University of California—Riverside, in recent findings, said that the key to understanding Alzheimer’s may have to do with “tau” proteins that likely caused neurofibrillary tangles—which are found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Previously, researchers have suggested that amyloid plaques, which are…


Exercise Linked to More Resilient Brains

Physical activity is very important for a number of reasons—including that it helps to protect the structure and function of our brain as we age. This may be key in reducing the risk of developing certain neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Though researchers have known about the protective effect of exercise for many years,…