Patient reverses Alzheimer's symptoms after five years of treatment
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Two patients suffering from Alzheimer participated in the documentary The Last Alzheimer's Patient, produced by the broadcaster CNN. The production recorded the change in habits and lifestyle of the participants based on an innovative clinical trial that reverses Alzheimer's symptoms, which could serve as a basis for new serial treatments. Below, we will discuss the disease, its stages and symptoms, as well as the search for a definitive treatment for a cure.
What is Alzheimer's?
First documented in 1906 by the German psychiatrist alois alzheimer, Alzheimer's disease causes damage to the brain, causing Demencia, impacting the patient’s mobility and overall quality of life. The disease currently affects more than 1,2 million people, according to information from the Ministry of Health. With the aging of the world population, the concern of health bodies around the world grows around the degenerative disease, generating more and more research to combat its stages.
What causes Alzheimer's?
Characterized by being a progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative condition, its exact causes are not completely understood, but involve a combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors, as determined by scientists over decades of research.
Genetically, family history and specific genes such as APOE-e4 increase the risk of Alzheimer's. Environmental and lifestyle factors such as older age, cardiovascular health, head injuries and a sedentary lifestyle also play a significant role. Other biological processes that cause inflammation and neuronal dysfunction, leading to the loss of synapses and cell death, are also implicated in the emergence of the disease.
Chronic illnesses such as diabetes, in addition to psychological conditions such as depression and social isolation, can also increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's.
Stages of Alzheimer's
It is important to emphasize that cases of Alzheimer most of them appear in older individuals, aged over 60 years old. The disease is generally divided into three main stages: mild, moderate and severe. Each stage is characterized by different symptoms and degrees of cognitive and functional decline, affecting the individual's life.
Mild or initial stage
In the first stage of the disease's manifestation, certain behaviors may appear subtly — but recurrently — raising the alarm so that the diagnosis can be made by a health professional as soon as possible to begin treatment. Below, we list the main characteristics that point to the early stage of Alzheimer's.
- Recent Memory Loss: The individual has difficulty retaining information about recent events. Example: repeating questions several times, not remembering important appointments, forgetting recent conversations with acquaintances.
- Difficulty with Complex Tasks: Problems managing finances, organizing the day or following complex instructions, especially in the workplace, when instructions are common and recurring in everyday life.
- Disorientation: Difficulty remembering dates, seasons, places you were familiar with and the name and appearance of family, friends and neighbors.
- Mood and Personality Changes: In these cases, the patient may experience irritability, anxiety, apathy and depression.
- Communication Problems: Difficulty finding words or maintaining a fluid conversation while participating in a social interaction.
As the disease is in its initial stage, the individual is often still able to deal with these problems, leading a normal life, however, they encounter difficulties, requiring help from others for some daily activities.
Moderate stage
The moderate stage is characterized by the greater intensity of previously reported symptoms, or the emergence of new conditions, which directly affect the quality of life of those suffering from Alzheimer's.
- Increased memory loss: A symptom present from the initial stage, in the moderate phase of the disease, memory loss intensifies, making it difficult to remember past events, as well as family and close friends.
- Confusion and disorientation: The patient is disoriented in time and space and can easily get lost even in places they usually frequent.
- Difficulty carrying out daily activities: greater dependence for basic tasks such as dressing, bathing and preparing meals.
- Language and communication problems: characteristics present in the initial stage, communication problems worsen, increasing the difficulty in speaking, writing and understanding.
- Inappropriate Behavior: In these cases, the patient may experience aggression, hallucinations, delusions, and other unusual or disturbing behaviors.
In the moderate phase of Alzheimer's, the impact on the patient's life is already considered worrying. The assistance of professional caregivers may be necessary to observe and care for the sick individual.
Severe or advanced stage
This stage is the worst possible scenario in the progression of Alzheimer's against the patient's health, severely compromising their mental and cognitive capacity. The symptoms also end up affecting the mobility and physical aspects of patients.
- Severe memory loss: the patient is unable to recognize close relatives, friends and even their own reflection in the mirror.
- Total dependence: the individual becomes unable to carry out any daily activity without assistance. They become completely dependent on the care of others for food, hygiene, mobility and other tasks.
- Compromised mobility: difficulty walking, sitting, handling objects, standing, swallowing and performing other manual activities.
- Loss of communication skills: little or no ability to speak, understand, or respond to others.
- Physical Changes: weight loss, urinary and fecal incontinence, increased vulnerability to infections and other serious health conditions.
At this stage, the lifestyle is completely compromised. The patient requires full assistance from professional care for nutrition, hygiene and other basic needs.
Lifestyle changes reverse symptoms of the disease
Fortunately, the healthy lifestyle seems to be the key in combating the advancement of Alzheimer's, as portrayed in the documentary CNN entitled The Last Alzheimer's Patient, which followed the treatment of two people, a man with a history of Alzheimer's in his family, and a woman who had been living with the disease for around five years. Both managed to reverse symptoms of Alzheimer from lifestyle changes.
Cici Zerbe e Simon Nicholls agreed to participate in the documentary, recording the adaptation of their lifestyles based on the clinical trial of the Dr Dean Ornish, on the effects of intensive lifestyle changes on the progression of mild cognitive impairment or early dementia due to Alzheimer's disease.
The entire treatment resulted in switching to a plant-based diet, regular exercise, group support, yoga and meditation, supervised by CNN correspondent, neurologist Sanjay Gupta.
In an interview, Cici attributes the improvement in her clinical condition to physical exercise, regular morning walks and a healthy diet.
With Nicholls, the feared hereditary factors worried the documentary participant. He stated that the entire family had “endless heart attacks,” resulting in the maternal grandfather’s death at around age 50; and the mother who had three heart attacks after the age of 50, before developing dementia.
Sadly, my mother passed away from what we thought was Alzheimer's at the age of 70. For the last 10 years of her life, she just sat in a chair, rocking, while taking about 14 medications. I'd rather have a longer life and then go fast.
Simon Nicholls
Supervised by neurologist Richard Isaacson, Nicholls followed a strict regimen that included using tirzepatide to control appetite and blood sugar, increasing physical activity with daily walks and strength training, and a plant-based diet eliminating sugar, artificial sweeteners, alcohol and ultra-processed.
Additionally, it incorporated wellness practices such as saunas, cold water dips and sleep routines. In just 14 months, he lost 21 kilos and gained muscle mass, while Alzheimer's biomarkers disappeared, causing the disease to reverse, surprising experts.
This case highlights the significant impact that lifestyle changes can have on cognitive and physical health, suggesting a potential way to slow the progression of Alzheimer until a cure is found.
The study is scheduled to be published in June 2024 in the journal Alzheimer's Research & Therapy. The documentary was released on May 19th on the CNN American, expected to be available on the streaming MAX, from June 18th.
Is there a cure for Alzheimer's?
Despite the promising study portrayed in the documentary, science still does not have the ideal or effective treatment in relation to Alzheimer's cure. However, scientists have made advances over decades of research, which leads us to believe that in the not too distant future, a cure may be found.
Currently, treatments involve the use of medications, with chemical compounds that have been proven to slow the progression of the disease. These treatments include cholinesterase inhibitors (donepezil, rivastigmine, galantamine) and memantine, which can help temporarily improve patients' cognitive function and quality of life.
Second Paul E. Schulz, professor of neurology at McGovern Medical School, vaccination appears to have a general effect on the immune system, decreasing brain cell dysfunction. Patients vaccinated with Tdap or Td are 30% less likely to develop Alzheimer's after age 65 compared to unvaccinated patients (7,2% versus 10,2%). HZ immunization is associated with a 25% reduction in risk (8,1% versus 10,7%), while pneumococcal vaccine reduces risk by 27% (7,92% versus 10,9%).
The recent ones advances tend to indicate that in the near future, it will finally be possible to find the cure for Alzheimer's.
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Sources: CNN, The globe, Agency Brazil, Wire, Virtual Library in Healthde.
See also:
reviewed by Glaucon Vital in 27 / 5 / 24.
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