Studies convincingly show that even moderate regular exercise is good for brain health. An eight-year study tracking 2,509 seniors in California found that those who exercised moderately to vigorously at least once a week had a 30 per cent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s (Neurology, 2010).
It is important to understand how and why exercise helps prevent dementia. Modern brain imaging has helped to explain why exercise is so important.
One American study found that exercise results in brain cell growth in an area of the brain crucial for memory function (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. US, 2007). Controlled trials have shown that “the dose of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week is sufficient to be cognitively protective” (Mayo Clinic Proc., 2011). The term ‘moderate’ means achieving a heart rate that is roughly 60 per cent of your maximum.
Eating organic and avoiding pesticides is the main advice. In studies, particularly those looking at farm workers exposed to pesticides, it was found that anyone exposed to certain pesticides more than doubles their risk of developing Alzheimer’s (Curr. Alzheimer Res., 2014).
Heavy metals need to be avoided. French researchers have found a link between aluminium and Alzheimer’s. However, it is still uncertain whether this link extends to cookware. People exposed to lead, another heavy metal and a well-known neurotoxin, also tend to suffer from late cognitive deterioration (J. Occ. Environ. Med., 2006). Animal studies have shown that the neurotoxin mercury can cause changes to the brain, similar to those seen in Alzheimer’s.
The biggest source of mercury is dental (amalgam) fillings, although the association between fillings and Alzheimer’s has not been proven yet due to a lack of adequate studies (Int. J. Hyg. Environ. Health, 2006).
As heavy metals are highly toxic to the brain cells, some doctors have tried chelation therapy for Alzheimer’s patients, attempting to chemically ‘grab’ metal from the body’s tissues and blood. To date, this has not shown much success with full blown Alzheimer’s, failing to reverse the brain damage caused by the disease.
Anyone exposed to certain pesticides doubles their risk of developing Alzheimer’s
Many of these non-toxic answers to dementia are at least as promising as the latest drugs. However, they are rarely publicised. Unbelievably, not one of the dementia charities recommend any of the options outlined here, despite them being supported by published peer-reviewed data. To look at the reasons for this, we have to return to the ‘big pharma’ and the fact that charities receive massive financial support from pharmaceutical companies.
This is a strategy employed by the industry to promote their products and, by implication, to discourage non-drug health solutions (BMJ, 2014). This is even more scandalous, given my earlier piece on this subject, which discussed how prescription drugs can sometimes be responsible for dementia.
Some non-toxic treatments have been utilised globally but none have been proven to cure full blown dementia.
Doctors in the US have found that giving Alzheimer’s patients 2,000IU per day of vitamin E resulted in “a delay in clinical progression” of more than six months (JAMA, 2014). The type most readily assimilated by the body is d-alpha-tocopherol, derived from plants and only slightly more expensive than the synthetic version (confusingly called dl-alpha-tocopherol), which has been shown not to work in tests.
According to Oxford University researchers, a cocktail of vitamins B6, B9 and B12 can help prevent brain atrophy in the elderly. A six-month trial halved the normal rate of cognitive decline in people aged over 70 with early-stage dementia.
One dramatic finding was an up to sevenfold reduction of atrophy in the parts of the brain often associated with Alzheimer’s (PLoS One, 2010). “This B-vitamin treatment is the first and only disease-modifying treatment that has worked,” said Oxford professor of pharmacology David Smith. “B vitamins lower homocysteine, which directly leads to a decrease in the grey matter atrophy, slowing cognitive decline. We have proven the concept that you can modify the disease.”
Coconut oil has been found to improve cognitive function in people with mild dementia. Fish oil has a rich source of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids. There is evidence that fish oil supplements can help retard early-stage dementia. Ginkgo biloba, the leaves of a Chinese tree with the same name, has a well-deserved reputation for improving brain function in general. They are particularly invaluable for controlling dementia. Improvement can take up to six months to show, according to studies, but tests have revealed that they can “stabilise or slow decline in cognition function, behaviour and global change… in cognitive impairment and dementia” (J. Alzehimers Dis., 2015).
Finally, just to touch briefly on acupuncture, a particular technique called acupoint cat-gut implantation therapy has been found to increase cognitive function in Alzheimer’s patients.
No formal homeopathy trials have been carried out but success has been reported in individual case studies. In Brazil, scientists have also reported some success with a technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation, which directs variable pulsed magnetic fields to the head. TMS was able to improve memory function for a month in people with early-stage dementia.
kathryn@maltanet.net