Hi, this is Teri. I am a 3rd generation Alzheimer’s Survivor and a co-caregiver of a parent who is surviving and thriving despite having Alzheimer’s Disease. Through September we talked about Supplementation. Each blog was crafted to lay a foundation of knowledge to help you with the following:
- Stop wasting money by taking supplements with no value
- Stop buying supplements from Multi Level Marketing Programs
- Stop purchasing supplements from companies that pay celebrities more than they pay to put quality nutrients in the products you are taking.
- Learn to utilize appropriate tests to determine what supplemental nutrients your body needs.
- Learn to utilize appropriate tests to stay away from supplemental nutrients that you don’t need.
- Learn what supplement brands that produce safe products.
Below you will find the Alzheimer’s Survivor Cognitive Maintenance Protocol. It is a simple plan to maintain your optimal brain function. For those experiencing additional symptoms, this protocol can be customized to fit your specific needs.
Alzheimer’s Survivor Cognitive Maintenance ProtocolDiet
The first step in the protocol is to make dietary changes. The hardest yet most significant step you can take is to eliminate all grains, potatoes, and sugar from your diet. Sounds easy, right? It is not!
You must decide how important your brain health is to you. Are you starting to have issues with your memory? Do you have any of the APOE Alzheimer’s genes? If so, which ones? Have you met with a neurologist yet? Have you had a memory screening yet? What is your MOCA score? Are you diabetic? Are you overweight? Or are you obese? What is your blood pressure?
After assessing the above, I can provide information on the reality of your or your loved one’s brain health. I prefer to paint an honest picture. But that honesty hurts. It can be devastating! I can show you my original results and I can show you what I am doing to resolve it. In the end, you decide how you will manage your brain health, I will respect your choices 100% and help you make changes that are appropriate for your life.
Example: I am working with a client who has a significant family history of Alzheimer’s in his family. He has watched people he loves slide into dementia and eventually pass away due to complications of Alzheimer’s Disease. This gentleman falls into the category of being “obese class 3” (there is not a 4). To hit a healthy BMI, he needs to lose more than 150lbs. He is an insulin-dependent diabetic.
He knows all the above. He knows he carries the genes. He knows that he is at risk. He is starting to experience a decline in his memory. However, when presented with the dire need to make dietary changes he said he would make all proposed changes, except changes to his diet. That is his educated choice. It is my responsibility to respect the choices he has made for his life and support him make the changes he will make.
The best possible dietary solution for your brain is to strictly follow the GPS protocol (No grains - No potatoes – No sugar. However, everyone I work with (myself included) finds a happy medium. Most of us have eliminated all food containing wheat. While that is not easy, it is doable. Gluten-free solutions are available, allowing us to occasionally enjoy a little bit of pasta, corn tortillas, corn chips, an occasional gluten-free cookie, or a gluten-free piece of bread. Eliminating wheat leaves you with rice and corn to enjoy.
I was surprised at how easy it was to eliminate potato products. Eliminating all sugar is almost impossible! I swear they put sugar in the water! I find it easier to eliminate 99% of my daily sugar intake when I know I will be able to enjoy my favorite sugary treat once a week.
Exercise:
You do not have to transform yourself into a super athlete to achieve the suggested exercise goals.
- Minimum of 30 Minutes of walking 4-5 days a week
- 10 Minutes of stretching before and after walking
- Resistance training 2-3 times per week
This is only 5-6 hours of exercise a week and is 100% doable!
Managing Occasional Stress:
The last 6 months have been very stressful for me as I launch Alzheimer’s Survivor and work with Alzheimer’s research group to market and recruit patients. But using a few of the techniques below has helped.
I purchased a new calendar that allows me to keep journaled notes each day. Also ending my day with notes of gratitude, meditation and positive visualization.
- Journaling
- Breathwork
- Meditation/Prayer
- Positive Visualization
- Progressive Relaxation
- Tapping
- Practice gratitude
Sleep:
7-8 hours of sleep every day are vitally important for your brain health! I know it is not possible when you have little kids. But once you get into your 50s you must see this as a priority.
- Implement sleep hygiene behaviors to promote high-quality, restful sleep
- Minimum 7-8 hours of sleep a night
- Cannabis solutions can be very beneficial in helping you sleep
- OTC Sleep medication containing Anti-cholinesterases. Anti-cholinesterases create memory loss and for many people lead to Alzheimer’s Disease. Avoid Anti-cholinesterases at all costs!
Limit Medications:
Many medications can cause memory loss, including:
- Benzodiazepines: These drugs can cause problems with transferring information from short-term to long-term memory. Examples include temazepam (Restoril), lorazepam (Ativan), alprazolam (Xanax), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), clonazepam (Klonopin), and diazepam (Valium).
- Tricyclic antidepressants: These drugs can cause memory loss in about one-third of people who take them.
- Statins: These drugs can lower cholesterol levels in the brain, which can impair memory.
- Opioids: These drugs can cause memory problems, especially when abused.
- Beta-blockers: These drugs can affect chemical messengers in the brain that help with attention and processing information.
- Incontinence drugs: These drugs can limit activity in the brain's memory and learning centers.
- Antihistamines: First-generation antihistamines can cause memory loss. Sedating antihistamines, like diphenhydramine (Benadryl), are often available over the counter.
Anticholinesterases, also known as cholinesterase inhibitors, are drugs that prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. This increases the amount of acetylcholine in the nervous system, which can bind to receptors and cause a variety of effects. Examples are:
- Amitriptyline (Elavil)
- Atropine
- Benztropine (Cogentin)
- Chlorpheniramine (Actifed, Chlor-Trimeton, Codeprex, Efidac-24 Chlorpheniramine, etc.) OTC
- Chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
- Clomipramine (Anafranil)
- Clozapine (Clozaril)
- Cyclobenzaprine (Amrix, Fexmid, Flexeril)
- Cyproheptadine (Periactin)
- Desipramine (Norpramin)
- Dexchlorpheniramine – OTC Ingredient
- Dicyclomine (Bentyl)
- Diphenhydramine (Advil PM, Aleve PM, Bayer PM, Benadryl, Excedrin PM, Nytol, Simply Sleep, Sominex, Tylenol PM, Unisom, etc.) OTC
- Doxepin (Adapin, Silenor, Sinequan)
- Fesoterodine (Toviaz)
- Hydroxyzine (Atarax, Vistaril)
- Hyoscyamine (Anaspaz, Levbid, Levsin, Levsinex, NuLev)
- Imipramine (Tofranil)
- Meclizine (Antivert, Bonine) OTC
- Nortriptyline (Pamelor)
- Olanzapine (Zyprexa)
- Orphenadrine (Norflex)
- Oxybutynin (Ditropan, Oxytrol)
- Paroxetine (Brisdelle, Paxil)
- Perphenazine (Trilafon)
- Prochlorperazine (Compazine)
- Promethazine (Phenergan)
- Protriptyline (Vivactil)
- Pseudoephedrine HCl/Triprolidine HCl (Aprodine)
- Scopolamine (Transderm Scop)
- Thioridazine (Mellaril)
- Tolterodine (Detrol)
- Trifluoperazine (Stelazine)
- Trimipramine (Surmontil)
- Alprazolam (Xanax)
- Amantadine (Symmetrel)
- Baclofen OTC
- Carisoprodol (Soma) OTC
- Cetirizine (Zyrtec) OTC
- Cimetidine (Tagamet) OTC
- Clorazepate (Tranxene)
- Codeine
- Colchicine
- Digoxin (Lanoxicaps, Lanoxin)
- Diphenoxylate (Lomotil)
- Fluphenazine (Prolixin)
- Furosemide (Lasix)
- Hydrochlorothiazide (Esidrix, Dyazide, HydroDIURIL, & Maxzide)
- Loperamide (Imodium) OTC
- Loratadine (Alavert, Claritin) OTC
- Maprotiline
- Nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia)
- Ranitidine (Zantac) OTC
- Thiothixene (Navane)
- Tizanidine (Zanaflex)
Other lifestyle modifications:
- Do Not smoke or vape
- Manage a healthy blood pressure
- Manage healthy blood sugar
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Prevent hearing loss
- Minimize alcohol use – no more than 2 servings a week
- Increase cognitive and social activities
Supplementation:
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