Six-step lifestyle protocol REVERSED Alzheimer’s symptoms in group of patients, doctor says… but experts urge caution

Experts have expressed concern over a California doctor’s astonishing claims that Alzheimer’s disease can be partially reversed through simple lifestyle changes.

Dr. Heather Sandison, a naturopathic doctor (ND) who practices alternative medicine, wrote a controversial book recounting the remarkable improvements she saw in patients following a six step diet and exercise protocol.

In the book Reversing Alzheimer’s Disease, the New Toolkit for Improving Cognition and Protecting Brain Health, she details a patient who saw such improvement in her dementia that she went from nonverbal to verbal. pronunciation of complete sentences.

Another 75-year-old woman reportedly went from moving to a nursing home because she was experiencing cognitive decline to having a perfect score on a cognitive function test.

However, Dr. Stuart Fischer, a New York-based physician, told DailyMail.com that the protocol is “extremely unrealistic” because studies have shown that “it is impossible to reverse Alzheimer’s disease.”

Dr. Sandison focuses on six holistic lifestyle factors: diet, exercise and stress, as well as preventing infections by flossing and removing shoes indoors to reduce exposure to pesticides in your home.

But Dr. Fischer said some of his advice, like removing your shoes, “has nothing to do with the brain and Alzheimer’s.”

Dr. Sandison, who founded Solcere Cognitive Health Clinic and Marama Senior Care Center, practices naturopathic medicine, which has long been criticized by conventional doctors.

NDs don’t undergo as rigorous training as doctors, and many naturopathic treatments are ineffective, unsupported by science and potentially dangerous, experts say.

These practitioners are only regulated in 24 states, while three states ban the practice entirely, according to the American Medical Association.

NDs receive diplomas from a four-year program at a naturopathic medical school, but are not required to complete any additional training and have only 1,200 patient contact hours.

However, doctors undergo nearly a decade of training and must complete between 12,000 and 16,000 hours of clinical training.

In his book, Reversing Alzheimer’s The New Toolkit to Improve Cognition and Protect Brain Health, Dr. Sandison reveals the elements of his six-step plan: toxins, nutrients, stress, structure, infections and signaling.

Toxins, such as chemicals in our food, water, and even heavy metals in dental fillings, can build up in the body, cause inflammation, and create waste.

Their elimination requires nutrients and energy that divert resources from the brain and strengthen cognitive processes.

To reduce toxins, Dr. Sandison writes that people should take off their shoes at home to prevent pesticides and germs from entering the home and open doors and windows for fresh air.

The brain makes up only 2 percent of a person’s body weight, but it is responsible for consuming 20 percent of the calories the body needs for daily functions. It is therefore important to adequately supply the brain with amino acids, vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamins B and C, as well as zinc and magnesium.

Diet and nutrition have been studied extensively for links to Alzheimer’s disease, but like most studies related to dementia, researchers have only been interested in prevention and there is little literature on reversal or treatment of the disease.

Experts have also previously told DailyMail.com that reducing the consumption of sugar and processed foods can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

And Dr. Georgia Ede, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, recommended cutting back on carbs.

She told this website last month: “Alzheimer’s disease is sometimes called ‘type 3 diabetes’ because 80% of cases have insulin resistance, making it difficult for the brain to use the carbohydrates as a source of energy.

The third element of Dr. Sandison’s protocol: stress. It can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease because it incapacitates the body, preventing it from digesting and absorbing essential nutrients, which can be detrimental to neurotransmitters.

It also increases the body’s level of cortisol, which Dr. Sandison says is linked to poor memory and cognition.

It’s important to reduce stress by being social with friends and family and engaging in physical activity.

Structure refers to the physical makeup of the body, such as the alignment of bones and the health of organs and tissues, as well as genetics.

Chronic illnesses, like sleep apnea, can have a detrimental effect on structure, so people should see a doctor to get an overall picture of their health.

Infections, such as herpes, Lyme disease, and P. gingivalis, an oral bacteria, can impact brain health in the same way that toxins do, as bacteria and viruses can cause inflammation and neuron death.

To prevent this, it’s important to brush and floss twice a day, Dr. Sandison said.

Finally, signaling is an integral part of a healthy brain, which refers to the interactions between different body systems, which continually send messages to each other.

These include hormones, proteins and peptides.

To ensure your body’s signaling network is functioning properly, it’s important to exercise, especially to push yourself to do more than you have done in the past.

By following this protocol, Dr. Sandison says many of his patients have reversed cognitive decline, the main symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, which affects 6.7 million Americans.

She said: “At first I was skeptical that Alzheimer’s could be reversed…Then I saw my first dementia patient after my training.”

Dr Sandison said she changed her mind after training with expert Alzheimer’s neurologist Dr Dale Bredesen.

She wrote: “For the first time, the complexity of the procedure seemed like it could match the complexity of the disease process.

“I hoped it would work, but it was the kind of hope you have when you have nothing else to lose.”

That’s when Dr. Sandison met Darlene, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease so severe she could only speak in one-word sentences.

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His score on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) – a tool used to assess cognitive function that gives people a score ranging from zero, the worst, to a perfect score of 30 – was two.

Dr Sandison wrote: “Her husband was desperate, willing to try anything that would help him, but he needed advice and a little support. That’s where I came in.

“Even though she couldn’t add much to our conversation, Darlene’s personality shone through her brightly patterned floral dress, studded black leather backpack, and hot pink lipstick. She had a huge smile and bright eyes that met yours and let you know she was with you.

The doctor worked with Darlene and her husband, who “dived headfirst into the program.”

They had Darlene’s mercury dental fillings replaced and moved her from a room with mold to reduce her exposure to toxins. She increased her physical activity by taking long walks every day and returning to the ballroom dancing the couple practiced.

She also began following a ketogenic diet, which significantly restricts carbs and emphasizes eating healthy fats.

Dr. Sandison writes that this diet gives your brain optimal fuel and reduces harmful byproducts. The eating style shifts the body from using glucose for energy to ketones, the brain’s “preferred fuel source.”

Ketones are more beneficial for the brain because, unlike glucose, which the body burns quickly, the body burns ketones slowly, stabilizing energy and giving brain cells more energy to pay attention, balance their mood, and create memories.

A study published in Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy tested the ketogenic diet on participants diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. After two periods of the modified ketogenic diet for 12 weeks, with a 10-week break in between, the results showed an improvement in patients’ daily function and quality of life, compared to the other group of patients with of Alzheimer’s disease who followed a low-fat diet. .

Although Dr. Fischer acknowledges that a ketogenic diet could play a role in improving certain neurological diseases like epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease “is not the same type of disease.”

After seven weeks of the protocol, the former teacher’s MoCA score improved to seven and she was able to speak in full sentences.

Dr Sandison wrote: “It was not a cure, but it was significant progress in a short time – and a far cry from the tortuous decline we were told it was the only disease Alzheimer’s can tolerate.

“And that was enough for me…