Simply 4 Alzheimer's

More about vitamin E

Make sure you are using fully natural vitamin E, no synthetics: "The hell with dl" 

Despite the occasional negative publicity surrounding vitamin E, this nutrient has proven itself time and again to be one amazing antioxidant. Case in point: Research published earlier this year in the Journal of the American Medical Association has shown that vitamin E can help slow functional decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease.¹

This development is particularly significant since no cure for Alzheimer’s exists—only treatments to slow the progression of the disease. Currently, two main classes of drugs are approved for Alzheimer’s treatment: cholinesterase inhibitors (such as Aricept®, Exelon® and Razadyne®) and memantine (Namenda®).

These drugs may treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s—like memory loss and problems with reasoning—but they also have their fair share of troublesome side effects, including nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, increased bowel movements, headache and dizziness.

Researchers have found, however, that vitamin E may actually work better than certain conventional treatments in slowing cognitive decline.

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, investigators wanted to determine the effectiveness of vitamin E, mematine or a combination of the two in slowing the progression of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease in patients already taking a cholinesterase inhibitor like Aricept®.

Participants received 2,000 IU vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) per day, 20 mg memantine per day, a combination of the two or a placebo.

At the end of the five-year study period, the researchers analyzed data from 561 of the participants (140 taking vitamin E, 142 taking memantine, 139 using the combination treatment and 140 on placebo). They found that the group given the vitamin E had a delay in clinical progression of the disease of 19 percent per year (in other words, a delay of 6.2 months) compared to the placebo group.

In addition, those in the vitamin E group did not demand increased attention from caregivers.

More importantly, contrary to other studies that have implicated vitamin E as the cause of increased mortality—especially at higher doses^2-3—this study actually concluded that vitamin E has a good safety profile, with greater death frequency in the groups that took the memantine or the vitamin E/memantine combination than the vitamin E group.

In conclusion, the researchers wrote that, among patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s, “2,000 IU/day of alpha tocopherol compared with placebo resulted in slower functional decline. There were no significant differences in the groups receiving memantine alone or memantine plus alpha tocopherol. These findings suggest benefit of alpha tocopherol in mild to moderate Alzheimers disease by slowing functional decline and decreasing caregiver burden.”

This isn’t the first study to praise vitamin E’s brain-protective powers. Another study showed that people with the highest plasma levels of total vitamin E, total tocopherols and total tocotrienols had a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to those with the lowest levels.⁴
 
Specifically, people with the highest plasma total vitamin E or total tocopherols had a 45 percent decreased risk of developing the disease, and those with the highest total tocotrienols had a 54 percent reduction in risk, as compared to people with the lowest levels.

Is E an Option for You?

Only a qualified medical professional—ideally one with vast knowledge in nutritional supplementation—can determine whether or not high doses of vitamin E would be appropriate for you or your loved one with Alzheimer’s.

The recommended daily allowance for healthy adults is a meager 22.4 IU, but tolerable upper intake levels go as high as 1,500 IU.⁵ The JAMA study used 2,000 IU. For general brain and memory health/maintenance, 400 IU per day should suffice.

In many cases, the risks of disease progression far outweigh any potential risks of taking high doses of certain drugs or supplements—but only you and your doctor can make that determination. But, as this study shows, vitamin E offers great promise, and its potential should not be ignored.

References:

1. Dysken MW, et al. JAMA. 2014 Jan 1;311(1):33-44.
2. Miller ER 3rd, et al. Ann Intern Med. 2005 Jan 4;142(1):37-46.
3. Boothby LA and Doering PL. Ann Pharmacother. 2005 Dec;39(12):2073-80.
4. Mangialasche F, et al. J Alzheimers Dis. 2010;20(4):1029-37.
5. Institute of Medicine. http://iom.edu/Activities/Nutrition/SummaryDRIs/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/Nutrition/DRIs/New%20Material/4_%20UL%20Values_Vitamins%20and%20Elements.pdf.

SOURCE: Larissa Long


Selections from Natural Health News

Natural Health News: Vitamins for Alzheimer's

Dec 27, 2009

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Natural Health News: Cancer, Alzheimer's

Sep 12, 2010

Cancer, Alzheimer's · Flaraxin is effective in 90% of oncologic diseases. Alzheimer's = Flaraxin + B3 http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2009/05/alzheimers-what-you-wont-see-on-hbo.html. Posted by herbalYODA at 11:56.

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Natural Health News: Alzheimer's drugs double death risk

Jan 10, 2009

LONDON – Anti-psychotic drugs commonly used to treat Alzheimer's disease may double a patient's chance of dying within a few years, suggests a new study that adds to concerns already known about such medications.

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Alzheimer's Reminder, Don't Overlook These Causes

Jan 11, 2010

According to the report, the equivalent of fluoridated drinking water in terms of elemental fluorine levels had an impact on brain tissue similar to the pathological changes found in humans with Alzheimer's and other forms of ...

Natural Health News: Vitamin E

Oct 12, 2011

My experience with these reports and the studies is that there are problems from the outset; the first being the use of SYNTHETIC vitamins (in this case dl-alpha tocopherol or synthetic vitamin E). This is the first mistake.

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Natural Health News: Better to Use Vitamin E My Dear

Aug 16, 2010

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Natural Health News: Vitamin E Critical for Your Health

Jan 23, 2008

Over the past several years there have been numerous reports trying to convince you that vitamin E is bad for health. One public television station even aired a program with panelist from a local Spokane WA area hospital ...

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Vitamin E, Women's Health and Myth Making by Experts

Sep 10, 2007

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Beat the Brain Drain

I clearly recall back in the late 60s when I was taking college courses in nursing that one of the best things to help your brain recover better if you experience a stroke is to use you non-dominant hand for every day activities. Writing was one.  This is one thing I practice often.

This too can be an exercise that veterans who have had TBI can practice to overcome the problems they have to deal with daily.  It can help PTSD and aphasia too.

Now here's that suggestion again, 42 years later.

Use your non-dominant hand: If you’re right-handed, use your left hand to eat, comb your hair, brush your teeth, write your name, or try putting your mouse pad on the other side of the keyboard. This practice of non-dominant hand use stimulates communication between the two hemispheres of the brain, helping to improve mental capacity as well as physical balance. Another idea: tai chi and yoga are physical activities that coach people to use the right and left side of the body equally. 

from   Easy Exercises to Keep Your Brain in Shape

Smoking and Your Brain

Like many of us who grew up in the 50s, like me, you may have had parents who smoked.  For years I was submerged in second hand smoke from Phillip Morris and Kent cigarettes.  When my older brother began smoking he added Pall Mall to the mix.

I grew up as an allergic child and now I know enough to be sure that all the smoke exposure substantially contributed to my respiratory problems.  Today I do not have much tolerance for smoke of all kinds, even just smelling tobacco smoke on someone's clothes.

Brain allergy is another consideration and surely the systemic effect complicated my life until I moved from that environment.

Smoking May Thin the Brain by Catherine Donaldson-Evans, Dec 3rd 2010

As if there aren't already enough reasons not to light up, a new study has found that smoking cigarettes can thin your brain.

Researchers compared the thickness of the cerebral cortex in volunteers who smoked and in those who never smoked. None of the participants had a history of mental or psychiatric illness.

The findings, published this week in the journal Biological Psychiatry, showed that smokers had thinning in the left medial orbitofrontal cortex, while the nonsmokers did not.

Furthermore, the cortex was thinner in heavier smokers: those who smoked more cigarettes a day and had had more exposure to tobacco smoke during their lives. Subjects who smoked fewer cigarettes with less overall exposure to smoke had thicker cortexes.

The cortex controls memory, language and the ability to process information. A diminished cortical thickness has been linked not only to aging but to an impairment of cognitive functions.

"All of this makes sense because smoking constricts blood vessels, and that means low blood flow," Lenox Hill Hospital pulmonologist Dr. Len Horovitz told AOL Health. "It follows perfectly that something that is a chronic producer of low blood flow, cigarette smoking, would not allow adequate thickening or development of the tissues that the vessels are supposed to be supplying with blood."

He said the nicotine and chemicals in cigarette smoke are what cause capillaries and other blood vessels to tighten, slowing or even stopping blood from passing through them altogether.

"This is another example of why smoking is one of the worst things you can do for your health overall," Horovitz said.

Researchers said their findings also may point to the reasons behind nicotine addiction.

The orbitofrontal cortex has already been associated with drug addiction. The study authors say that their findings suggest cortical thinning due to smoking could raise the risk of addiction, including one to nicotine.

"Since the brain region in which we found the smoking-associated thinning has been related to impulse control, reward processing and decision making, this might explain how nicotine addiction comes about," lead author Dr. Simone Kühn said in a statement. "In a follow-up study, we plan to explore the rehabilitative effects of quitting smoking on the brain."

But Horovitz said making that inference might be a stretch because the opposite argument could also be made: a thinner cortex could mean less of a chance of developing an addiction.

"That conclusion is difficult to make," he said.

Other studies using brain imaging scans have found that smoking tobacco is linked to a variety of serious structural brain disorders and abnormalities.

But previous research hadn't looked at the impact of cigarettes on the thickness or thinness of the cortex.

"The current findings suggest that smoking may have a cumulative effect on the brain," Dr. John Krystal, the editor of Biological Psychiatry and professor and chair of psychiatry at Yale University, said in a statement. "This concerning finding highlights the importance of targeting young smokers for antismoking interventions."

from AOL Originals

Walking Boosts Brain Benefit

The essential fatty acids are important nutrients for everything from brain function to cell function. Of course healthy fat is critical and omega 3 boosts brain health as it promotes cellular integrity.

ScienceDaily (Dec. 1, 2010) — The discovery by UCLA biochemists of a new method for preventing oxidation in the essential fatty acids of cell membranes could lead to a new class of more effective nutritional supplements and potentially help combat neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and perhaps Alzheimer's.

Exercise is proven to benefit health because it is an activity that improves oxygen levels and improves circulation.  Now it is sure that walking makes brain fitness a sure thing.

And as another medical and health writer explains: "Activity, for a start, generally boosts blood circulation. Brain function may be enhanced by enhanced blood supply to this organ through improved delivery of oxygen and key nutrients".

The health benefits of walking are so well known that a fifth-grader could probably recite them. A daily dose of 30 minutes of brisk walking is good for your heart, lungs, muscles, blood pressure and bones.

Now we find out it's also good for your brain.

A study released last month by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh shows that walking a few miles per week can stave off the progress of Alzheimer's disease. According to the BBC, the study proves that "people who walk at least [5 miles] a week have bigger brains, better memories and improved mental ability compared to those who are more sedentary."

This follows an earlier study released in August. Led by Dr. Arthur F. Kramer, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have shown that walking not only builds up your muscles, but also builds up the connectivity between brain circuits. This is important because as we age, the connectivity between those circuits diminishes and affects how well we do every day tasks, such as driving. But aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, helps revive those flagging brain circuits.

"Almost nothing in the brain gets done by one area -- it's more of a circuit," Kramer explained to ScienceDaily. "These networks can become more or less connected. In general, as we get older, they become less connected, so we were interested in the effects of fitness on connectivity of brain networks that show the most dysfunction with age."

Neuroscientists have identified several distinct brain circuits, and one of the most intriguing is the default mode network (or DMN), which dominates brain activity when a person is least engaged with the outside world -- either passively observing something or simply daydreaming. Previous studies found that a loss of coordination in the DMN is a common symptom of aging and in extreme cases can be a marker of disease.

The study: For one year, Kramer's team followed 70 adults who ranged in age from 60 to over 80 years old. All of them were sedentary before the study began. The participants were divided into two groups. One did aerobic walking, while the others served as a control group that did toning, stretching and strengthening exercises.

Brain function was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine brain networks and determine whether aerobic activity increased connectivity in the DMN or other brain networks. The researchers measured participants' brain connectivity and performance on cognitive tasks at the beginning of the study, at six months and after a year of either walking or toning and stretching. A group of young adults, ages 20 to 30, was also tested for brain function for comparison.

The results: Those who walked briskly reaped the biggest benefits -- and not just physically, Kramer writes in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. As the older people became more fit, the aerobic exercise actually improved their memory, attention and several other cognitive processes. In fact, the coherence among different regions in the brain networks increased so much, it actually mimicked that of the 20-somethings.

Specifically, at the end of the year, DMN connectivity was significantly improved in the brains of the older walkers, but not in the stretching and toning group. The walkers also had increased connectivity in parts of another brain circuit called the fronto-executive network, which aids in the performance of complex tasks, and they did significantly better on cognitive tests than did their toning and stretching peers.

Kramer says even moderate aerobic exercise will enhance the function of specific brain structures and improve the coordination of important brain networks. But it must be aerobic to work. Toning and stretching aren't enough to reap the benefits.

"The higher the connectivity, the better the performance on some of these cognitive tasks, especially the ones we call executive control tasks -- things like planning, scheduling, dealing with ambiguity, working memory and multitasking," Kramer said. These are the very skills that tend to decline with aging, he said.

The gotcha: It doesn't happen overnight. It took a full year of walking for the results to be seen. Even the six-month test results showed no significant brain changes. The group that did the stretching exercises saw no cognitive benefit.

This isn't the first study to reach this conclusion. Recent research from the Harvard School of Public Health tracked more than 18,000 women ages 70 to 81 and concluded that the more active we are, the better our cognition. Specifically, walking one-and-a-half hours a week at a pace of one mile in 16-20 minutes gives the full cognitive benefits.

Walking may just be the wonder drug of old age.

And for the benefit of your heart Lifting weights strengthens your heart

The Rising Incidence of Cell Phone Tumours

US should study WIFI health impact

Cell Phone Towers and Your Health

GQ is just out with a lengthy article about cell phones and your health.  The good news is that the writer,  Christopher Ketcham, is really looking at the history and the science as well as anecdotal data, and he should be applauded.

This follows on the Oprah show aired in my market yesterday where she talked about her campaign to stop people from texting and talking while driving.

I'm often disappointed in Oprah because she does some things in sort of a half-assed way.  In this instance nothing in her campaign addresses the increased risk of breast cancer associated with cell phone use as well as the damage it can do to your thyroid gland, your heart, adrenal glands, kidneys, and your bones.

So Oprah, expand your horizon!

As our long time followers know, we have been writing on the risks of cell phones for about 15 years now.  The research that shows the risks does back to the 1940s.  Ketcham picks up in the 60s and to show how responsible his article is, he includes the work of Dr, Henry Lai from the University of WA.  And he asks, "So why isn't anyone in America doing anything about it?"

My 30-something niece just died of a brain tumour last October.  My daughter who has a PR firm in Seattle is working with an organization that focuses on brain tumour research.  I don't know how my niece developed this tumour but I can only raise the concern about cell phones, microwave ovens and cooking, the use of wifi, digital tv, microwave towers where the cellular antennae are perched and any other factor that I am convinced have a serious impact on health.  I believe this to such a degree that I began teaching programs on this topic for health providers about a decade ago.

Its a touchy issue, politically, as the cell phone companies have paid out a bundle to MOC's (members of Congress) to control this issue their way.  Its reported to be in excess of $8 billion.

"That the cell-phone industry, which last year posted revenues in the hundreds of billions of dollars, has an incentive to shut down research showing the dangers of cell-phone use is not a radical notion."

I have over 100 posts involving EMF here at Natural Health News,  and much more on my web site.  All I ask is that you start waking up to the risk you do to your self - and your health - daily with your cell phone and other EMF generating devices.

In this quote from Ketcham's article, and EPA physicist said, "The Department of Defense didn't like our research because the exposure limits that we might recommend would curtail their activities.", I can't help think of the role HAARP is playing in today's world, and how its very high powered EMF is making havoc.

Washington state had rules affecting employees and EMF exposure in 1978.  The history of suppression of information you had the right to know has systematically been suppressed.  It is past time to get the truth.  Ignore the half truth and faulty studies from the cellular industry, ignore convenience and move in favor of fact.