New Approaches to Treating Alzheimer’s
Dear Subscriber,
It’s a privilege for me to work in the clinic with Dr. Su and join Dr. Rowen in writing the newsletter during his leave of absence. I have taken cancer patients from my practice who do not want conventional therapy to consultations with Dr. Rowen for years. I have been practicing in Santa Rosa and West County since 1982, using Japanese-style acupuncture (I trained in Japan), botanical medicine, and ear acupuncture, as well as Western naturopathic nutrition, herbalism and Biological Medicine. In Santa Rosa I will also be using Photobiotherapy, a type of powerful light therapy that has recently been found helpful for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinsonism, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain and a number of other health challenges. I also use SCENAR therapy, an electronic technology that is useful for reprogramming “stuck” patterns of pathological activity, especially pain. And finally, we will be offering evaluation with the “Brain Gauge,” a device that tests brain health and function in areas of speed, focus, fatigue, connectivity and other parameters. The Brain Gauge apparatus has been used to measure brain function in over 50 peer-reviewed studies. I will plan to write more about these methods and how they are used in future newsletters, along with input from Dr. Rowen and Dr. Su.
I strongly believe in freedom of choice in health care and have made a commitment to this cause. I on the Board of Governors of the National Health Federation (www.thenhf.com), the oldest health freedom organization in the world, and the only one that has a seat (and microphone) at the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The Codex Alimentarius is a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, guidelines, and other recommendations published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (of the United Nations) relating to food, food production, food labeling, and food safety. Our purpose is to protect the consumer from the influence of corporations on this body.
I mentioned that the light therapy has been helpful for treating Alzheimer’s disease, and we have seen some convincing research and heard from other doctors about some striking case histories using Photobiotherapy alone. It’s important to remember that, thus far, there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but it may be possible to mitigate and even reverse symptoms and slow or arrest progression of the disease. We don’t consider Photobiotherapy to be a stand-alone treatment, and feel that the best results can be obtained using a customized program of lifestyle adjustment, supplements and regulating prescription medications.
Lifestyle is particularly important, especially blood sugar regulation. Alzheimer’s disease has been nicknamed “Type III diabetes,” because control of sugar consumption and blood sugar regulation are known to be key issues. Medical investigations have shown that diabetes interferes with clear thinking and blocks memory. In addition, it increases your risk of Alzheimer's by 65 percent. But even if you don't have diabetes, but you merely have elevated blood sugar, a pre-diabetic condition can also interfere with your ability to remember. The possibility of other nutritional imbalances should also be explored.
It's important to identify a cause of the disease when possible. Toxic metals, can be a cause or an important factor as well as gum disease and cardiovascular disease. Side effects from certain drugs can greatly increase the risk of onset or exacerbate the symptoms. In particular, a class of drugs called anticholinergics are strongly linked to Alzheimer’s. These include certain antidepressants, anti-Parkinson’s drugs, antipsychotics, and antiepileptic drugs among others.
There are a number of supplements that have been found to be helpful based on studies reported in the peer-reviewed literature. A medical history and examination can help target the ones that might be helpful among many, including pregnenolone, a hormone that can stimulate brain stem cells, and essential nutrients like choline, glutamine, and phosphatidyl serine. Probiotics have recently been found to help in some cases. There are also herbs that can help, including traditional East Asian herbal formulas, which have been tested for treating dementia in Japan in human clinical trials.
When Dr. Rowen and I spoke last week, he was very excited about a book called Breaking Alzheimer’s: A 15 Year Crusade to Expose the Cause and Deliver the Cure, by Dayan Goodenowe, Ph.D. Dr. Goodenowe claims that the single most important factor in treating Alzheimer’s disease is to supply nutritional factors, building blocks of brain tissue called “plasmalogens.” The level of plasmalogens is particularly low in Alzheimer’s patients and begins to decline in most people around the age of 60.
Plasmalogens are important for the organization and stability of membranes involved in cellular signaling. Plasmalogen deficiency can be demonstrated in various neurodegenerative disorders, not only Alzheimer’s disease, but also Parkinson’s disease and cortical cataract. They are also considered to be endogenous antioxidants, protection against the aging effects of oxidative stress. Their importance in signaling pathways in the brain means that their presence is vital to the brain communicating with itself and with the rest of the nervous system.
Entirely by coincidence, I have been reviewing the research literature and consulting with a Japanese company that produces a high-quality plasmalogen product. We plan to make this available at the clinic. In one study, a multicenter, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial showed a statistically significant improvement in results using the Wechsler Memory Scale among females and subjects less than 77 years of age. Researchers have concluded that plasmalogens have an anti-amyloidogenic effect, reducing the damaging amyloid protein found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, and a memory loss inhibition effect.
Wishing you the best in health,
Dan Kenner
Robert Rowen
Dr Kenner
We are so blessed to be able to access your medical wisdom, while the lovely Dr Rowen is "banged up" in the chokey. I have just read your article, and can see immediately that we can learn a lot from you.
Kind regards
Dennis
Hey Doc : I just came across this and it's supposed to do wonders for Alzheimer's and other issues and was wondering if you've heard of it or what your thoughts about it might be.? It's called "Methylene Blue" .
Thanks