Any evidence that Bredensen protocol may help with Lewy Body dementia

Alzheimer's, cardiovascular, and other chronic diseases; biomarkers, lifestyle, supplements, drugs, and health care.
Post Reply
yellow1969
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:53 pm

Any evidence that Bredensen protocol may help with Lewy Body dementia

Post by yellow1969 »

Hello,
I haven’t posted here in years and will do an updated intro soon, but I am concerned as my 83 y/o father is starting to have dementia. I am a 4/4 so he has at least one 4 allele. Over the past year or so he’s been having issues with concentration. He was once a great reader and he gets confused over basic things like using an ATM or following recipes. He forgot how to make egg salad and he’s been a life long cook. He has always been very thin and a runner which is advantageous and generally eats well but loves carbs. His doctor gives him a good bill of health and he takes no meds- so no diabetes or cholesterol issues that I am aware of. Another risk factor is that he’s had profound hearing loss which studies say contribute to dementia- he got hearing aids today- Thank God. He also had dearth with poor dentition and has caps and crowns and needs another root canal soon for a broken tooth. One thing that concerns me is that he has what appears to be REM sleep movement disorder. That is he sometimes jerks violently at night and even has fallen out of bed, according to my mother. My understanding is that this is classic in early Lewy Body disease. I am a physician myself but don’t live near him and he is finally concerned enough to start on the protocol, but I am wondering if anyone has heard of any positive effects on those with LBD. I assume it may help somewhat as we don’t know how much his cognitive issues may be due to AD as well.
Thanks for any information.
circular
Senior Contributor
Senior Contributor
Posts: 5565
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 10:43 am

Re: Any evidence that Bredensen protocol may help with Lewy Body dementia

Post by circular »

Mark Hyman recently spoke with Dr. Bredesen on his Doctor's Farmacy podcast. They touched briefly on the need to do more research into using the Bredesen protocol, perhaps modified to address different networks, in PD and LBD among other neurological diseases. Dr. Bredesen described LBD as a combination of PD and AD. Hopefully your father just has restless legs syndrome, but it does sound a bit more like the sleep behavior I've heard about in LBD. LBD often comes with significant hallucinations too.

Both my parents with AD presented in the beginning most prominently with working memory/executive function difficulties, which I know from personal experience can also occur in early LBD. It was even more pronounced than short term memory loss. Well one parent hasn't been confirmed to have AD but gave me my 4 and is going through the same presentation(s) as the other parent, who had a positive PET and neurology opinion to underscore the liklihood that it was AD.

Of course the best thing when you're unsure is to get an extensive evaluation. I'm sorry you are embarking on this journey with your father and wish you the best possible care for him and the family along the way.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
yellow1969
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:53 pm

Re: Any evidence that Bredensen protocol may help with Lewy Body dementia

Post by yellow1969 »

Thank you for that input. I am concerned and will encourage him to speak with his internist. He apparently never mentioned the sleep behaviors to him. Both my parents are not really into going to the doctor, in fact my mother doesn’t even have one at 81 years old. Just specialists when she needs one. It makes it sort of hard, but my father is getting concerned so hopefully he will follow my advice.
circular
Senior Contributor
Senior Contributor
Posts: 5565
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 10:43 am

Re: Any evidence that Bredensen protocol may help with Lewy Body dementia

Post by circular »

yellow1969 wrote: Thu Dec 30, 2021 2:41 pm Thank you for that input. I am concerned and will encourage him to speak with his internist. He apparently never mentioned the sleep behaviors to him. Both my parents are not really into going to the doctor, in fact my mother doesn’t even have one at 81 years old. Just specialists when she needs one. It makes it sort of hard, but my father is getting concerned so hopefully he will follow my advice.
One thing you can do is to write a message to his doctor sharing all your concerns. If your father hasn't filled out a HIPPA form allowing the doctor to speak with you, s/he may not reply but at least should see your note and get some information that your father may not share.

I would include in the note a request that the doctor specifically ask your father whether he has any children whom he would like on file to be able to speak with the doctor in case he can't. Ideally you or a sibling could attend the appointment too.

You might also wish to be clear that given all the symptoms, you hope that the doctor will recommend a neurological consult even if a cognitive screening performed during the appointment doesn't show a problem. That's often the case among educated people even when they do have problems. My mother's internist caused delays and issues when he dismissed her self-confesssed memory concerns after she performed well when he adminstered the MOCA. He told her she was "fine" and did not refer her. The whole family already knew that significant problems were afoot. It took a hospitalization six months later for me to be able to get the hospitalist to refer her on discharge.

I hope this helps ...
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
Post Reply