VIGOROUS RESEARCH UNDERWAY
Anyone looking at the progression of research in the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease cannot help feeling overwhelmed by the virtual mountain of work that is being done around this issue. Without counting, it would seem not to be an exaggeration to assert that there are in the neighborhood of a thousand ongoing studies, experiments, trials and investigations being conducted as this is written.
MANAGING SYMPTOMS STILL KING
Some of these are based on hard science. Some on conjecture and reason. They are of varying degrees of complexity, but the one thing they all seem to have in common is that they're complicated. It appears that conventional medicine is incapable of producing anything simple and effective. Also, they don't seem to be very good at curing anything; the approach is consistently focused in the direction of managing the symptoms of a disease, rather than curing it. And the more expensive the management protocol is, the better. Or so it would seem.
POSSIBLE CURE AT HAND
And all the while, lurking in the shadows, is a cheap, simple, and effective way of reversing early Alzheimer's Disease and dramatically reducing the devastation caused by its advanced stages. The problem with this treatment seems to be that it's too cheap. It's too simple. Nothing that cheap and simple could possibly be expected to prevail against the monstrous effects of Alzheimer's Disease. A typical position of conventional medicine. And anyway, where is the glory in devising such a simple cure? And profit. We cannot forget the profit factor for practioner and supplier. So it is much more desirable to continue along the lines of the complex and expensive and marginally effective.
The range of treatments tried and under study is virtually boundless. Stem cell treatments, Herbal, Antioxidant, Antibodies with Immunoglobin, Deep stimmulation of the brain cells, Peptide drugs, Heparin derivatives, Nose sprays, Lithium, Vitamin E & Donipezil, and even Lipitor have been or are being tried. All have so far shown little evidence of any real benefit.
ARTHRITIS DRUG TRIAL SHOWS SOME SUCCESS
One treatment that has shown some promise was initially tried in the United Kingdom and is currently being actively pursued by Professor Edward Tobinick of the University of California at Los Angeles and director of the Institute of Neurological Research. In this treatment, the patient receives an injection of Enbrel, an arthritis drug, directly into the spine, at the neck. The patient is then tilted to encourage blood flow into the brain, where the drug is supposed to block a chemical responsible for inflammation. This is a highly experimental procedure, not approved for general use, and sure to be very very expensive if it ever does become available.
AND EVER MORE COMPLICATED IT GETS
Dr Harry S. Goldsmith may be the first of the conventional group to actually come up with an effective treatment for AD. Effective, but cumbersome, horrendously expensive, and not likely to be generally available any time soon. Here the omentum, a pocket of fat and blood vessels lying on the intestines like a blanket, is stretched up through the neck and placed over the brain. An unbelievably complicated procedure, rooted in good science, that if done right, seems to provoke the growth of new blood vessels and produce a remarkable improvement in the patient.
Dr Goldsmith's theory is sound. This technique can prove to be a uniquely effective tool in the repair of spinal cord injuries and for helping stroke victims regain lost motion. The omentum is a fatty hunk of tissue that is remarkably brain-like. It contains nerves that control abdominal functions. It has the striking ability to generate neurochemicals that nourish nerves and help them grow. One of these neurochemicals, fibroblast growth factor (FGF) has been shown to provoke the growth of new brain cells. This means that when omental tissue is transposed to the brain, the brain may benefit from the influx of new growth factors. In order to maintain the integrity of the omentum, Dr Goldsmith is careful to leave it attached to its original blood supply, accounting in part for the complexity of the operation.
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE BEATS THEM ALL - AGAIN
Lost in this dizzying array of research are the quiet, ongoing efforts of the alternative medical community. Many of these pioneers seem to have settled on a remarkably simple and effective approach to treating this disorder. The successes have ranged from dramatically improving the quality of life for advanced cases previously deemed hopeless, to outright reversals in the earlier stages. It's cheap too, and can be a do it yourself project, although this would not be recommended.
A recent study of pathologically altered mice found that nicotinamide restored cognitive defects associated with Alzheimer's Disease. Some mainstream researchers have had the courage to go so far as to call it a "cure," although they quickly reverted to form and warned that further research and clinical testing were needed. Nicotinamide, more commonly referred to as niacinamide, is simply a form of Vitamin B3.
Dr William Kaufman PhD, MD was one of the first researchers to discover the benefits of niacinamide during the 1940s. He had been treating patients with degenerative arthritis and found that his older patients were rapidly regaining mental acumen previously written off as loss due to aging.
CLINICAL TRIALS SCHEDULES
Clinical trials on patients with Alzheimer's Disease are set to begin in the United Kingdom and in Southern California later this year. Alternative physicians have found no reason to wait and have been treating their AD patients successfully for some time now. The general dosage is 1,000 milligrams of niacinamide three times daily, If nausea develops at that dosage, it can be cut in half with little reduction in effectiveness,and the supplement can be administered indefinitely.
NO REASON TO WAIT
Since niacinamide (not to be confused with niacin) has a better than 60 year track record of complete safety, there doesn't seem to be any valid reason to wait for clinical trials to be completed if you or a loved one is encountering the symptoms of AD or mental impairment. You can "do it yourself" but better is to get to an alternative physician familiar with the issue.
Those inclined to "do it yourself" should first go to a further discussion and direct link to a good source for niacinamide. It is recommended you read this first before going further. It's short and to the point.
