As I reflect over the past 10 years, I view conventional medicine still has little to offer us. Oh sure, there are drugs that offer some benefit and there is greater understanding of the different APOE variants, but I don’t see that conventional medicine has much to really offer us ApoE4s, to truly address our health frailties. As I view it, conventional medicine is impeded by many obstacles, including:
- Drug companies are highly motivated to offer a drug that can aid with Alzheimer’s, but their motive is profit, not overall health/well being. Drugs target symptoms, but rarely heal from within to restore overall health.
- The FDA is desperate. This is evidenced by their 2021 action of conditionally approving a drug, Aducanumab / Aduhelm, largely because of the pressure of not being able to approve any drug for Alzheimer’s since 2003. This approval was based on a hypothesis, the amyloid hypothesis as the cause of AD, and the best this drug could offer was a slowing of progression. So desperate was the FDA, they ignored recommendation of the advisory based to reject approval due to lack of convincing evidence regarding benefits and because of known significant harms/side effects.
- Researchers are eager to get their research published and to obtain additional funding, a motivation that has led to papers being published with biased spin [Ex-JAMA Chief: Cut the Hype, Spin in Published Studies ] to outright fraud [BLOTS ON A FIELD? ]. The consequence of which has been misdirected research and research dollars.
- The last 10 years has only continued the debate as to true root causes of Alzheimer’s: brain insulin resistance, autoimmunity, mitochondrial dysfunction, infections, toxins, leaky gut, too much amyloid, too little amyloid, inflammation, vascular constriction, and on and on. If we don’t truly know the root cause(s), how we can have a drug that truly treats Alzheimer’s? In my opinion, if anyone says, “this one thing is the cause of Alzheimer’s” or “this singular thing is the cure” RUN AWAY IMMEDIATELY.
I do believe one thing is indisputable, the body is a system of interdependent functions and overall body health means cognitive health and a longer healthspan. I don’t see how a singular drug could deliver overall health. While a drug cocktail may someday be helpful, today's studies show that polypharmacy is associated with an increased risk of dementia. So what’s an ApoE4 to do?
We need hope! Real hope, not false hope. Today hope, not future possibilities hope. I recently watched a documentary on Dr Terry Wahls and it reignited my optimism that there is hope, real hope, today!
We (us members of ApoE4.info) discovered Dr Terry Wahls many years ago and discussed her health journey in past threads, but those discussions have been buried over the years. With this post I want to resurrect our hope and our awareness, not necessarily on her protocol specifically, but on the theme of how lifestyle choices can greatly determine our own health destiny. ApoE4s especially have a great need to make healthful decisions. Preferably we make those decisions before the situation is dire as it was with Dr Wahls.
Dr Wahls’ story in a nutshell is that she became debilitated by a neurodegenerative disease (multiple sclerosis). She pursued the best conventional medicine had to offer (she practiced conventional medicine herself) but it did not even arrest her decline. She knew she faced a future of pain, dementia, continued physical debilitation, and premature death. But through her research, she was able to get out of the zero-gravity chair that her weak muscles needed and she regained her well-being. It’s an amazing story.
Her “a-ha moment” was recognizing that disease begins at the cellular level: when cells are starved of the building blocks they need to conduct the chemistry of life properly. She took control of her health by giving her cells the necessary building blocks they need, largely through a diet directed at her brain and mitochondria.
The documentary on Dr Wahls that I’m referring to is called Defying All Odds – The Power of Healing Lies Within You. It’s available from multiple sources including: Amazon’s Prime Video, Itunes, Tubi, and Plex. German, Spanish and French subtitles are available under watch worldwide. There is a small fee to rent or purchase the documentary, but in my humble opinion it should be viewed by all ApoE4s, because of the hope it presents. It’s real inspiration, lived by a real person, not theoretical inspiration.
I want this thread to be about hope and to honor the roots of why this organization was formed, i.e. to provide helpful information that ApoE4s can employ and to be supportive of each other. If anyone chooses to post here, please stick to hopeful, practical discussions. Please refrain from bashing my thoughts on conventional medicine and current pharmaceutical offerings. I know not everyone thinks that way. Everyone has their own opinion and alternate opinions have been amply expressed in other threads, they should remain in those threads. Let's keep this thread productive.
An addendum on Dr Wahls. She now practices functional medicine and has helped many people with multiple conditions, not just MS, by using her protocol. She’s authored a book, then updated and revised it, The Revised, Expanded Wahls Protocol: A Radical New Way to Treat All Autoimmune Conditions. Additionally, we have an interview with Dr Wahls, including show notes, “Heal Neurodegeneration w/ Paleo Principles”.
