The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline

This part of my review is an update. My opinion of this book has changed. While a lot of my review is still accurate, and I based it on just diet and lifestyle changes without any products or services, Bredesen has turned his focus to unproven products and methods that are very expensive and do not seem to be beneficial. In other words, a lot of hogwash. Instead, I now highly recommend The Alzheimer's Solution by Drs Dean and Ayesha Sherzai. Unlike Bredesen's study of just 10 people, the Sherzais have studied thousands of participants over many years and are respected around the globe. There are no controversies with their program. Alzheimers cannot be cured. But it can be prevented or pushed back so we can enjoy life longer. Their program does not require the use of supplements or tests that prove nothing, like the Bredesen Protocol. It's all about lifestyle changes. Nutrition. Exercise. Stress reduction. Good sleep. And optimizing the brain through various techniques such as learning new skills. You can find all of their advice online for free or get their book. Also, Dr Sanjay Gupta has a book, Keep Sharp, that is very similar to what the Sherzais teach. Get either or both. But don't buy the Bredesen Protocol. I am hesitant to update my star rating just yet because it might make my review fall off the first page and I want people to read this. Please look for an alternative program. Original review is below ______________________ My mother, and roommate, has frontal lobe dementia and, they believe, Alzheimers. Watching her decline has been heart wrenching, and I'm constantly trying to find ways to make her life better. I worry not only about Mom, but about myself. I believe that I am on the same path. I first heard of the Bredesen Protocal last winter, when Maria Shriver discussed it on the Today Show. I quickly researched it as much as possible, but info was limited. I had a feeling a book was forthcoming, so I anxiously awaited it's release. I was worried The End of Alzheimer's would contain too much technical information that I might not be able to understand. I was very happy to see that it was written in a casual format that intentionally makes it easier for the rest of us. The details are clear, the tone is casual, and it's easy to follow. As I read through this book, I was surprised by how many points were familiar to me. That's me! I do that! Oh heck! It was as enlightening as it was scary. Living with Mom, I also live in fear because I know I'm on the same path she struggles down every day. That's my future. On page 97, Bredesen says "How to give yourself Alzheimer's. Live your life in a way that keeps your brain supplied with as many as possible of the 36 factors that influence whether APP gets cut into the destructive quartet or the beneficial duo. How to prevent it. Live your life in a way that minimizes the number of the 36 inducing factors in your brain." Those 36 factors are clearly laid out and I believe they are not difficult to control. Several years ago, I struggled with brain fog and often had difficulty remembering numbers for even a couple of minutes. I also was overweight and had heart problems. I reached a point where I thought I would die, so I wrote my will and made plans for my dogs after I was gone. Then I said enough was enough, and I dramatically changed my lifestyle. I cut out processed foods, ate lots and LOTS of vegetables and fresh fruits, especially leafy greens and berries. I ate wild caught fish, but no other animal products. My diet was low in grains. I used the USDA Super Tracker to make sure that my diet exceeded the RDA for every nutrient they tracked. There's a lot more to it, but I was eating all the time and I exercised every single day. Within a few weeks, I had much more energy. Within a few months, my brain was on FIRE! But then... I started a new job and everything about my lifestyle and schedule changed. Long story short, I fell back into old habits, abandoned my perfect diet and exercise program, and gradually regained weight. I also started losing clarity and life became more difficult. I recognize that. And I know that I alone can change that. I'm so very glad to have read the Bredesen Protocol because I know now, more than ever, the importance of getting back on track. I am making a serious effort to change my future. I believe this book can help. I have already marked my calendar and plan to follow up on this review in 3 months and again in six months. Mom may be too far along, I don't know, but it's worth trying for both of us. Dr. Bredesen states in the book that his protocol may not work for frontal lobe and other types of dementias. It has only been tested on Alzheimers. I feel that it's still very important to heed his advice, as Alzheimers often doesn't get a definite diagnosis until after death. ___________________- Note that the above is the original review. Please read my update at the beginning of the review.

A Spanish version is at the end (****Se presenta una versión en español al final.****) The author proposes a theory of Alzheimer’s disease and a protocol to stop or reverse it. According to the author, Alzheimer’s disease is a protective response to three different processes: inflammation, suboptimal levels of nutrients and other synapse-supporting molecules, and toxic exposures. He proposes a protocol called Recode to address these 3 issues. The protocol starts with a detailed exploration of the factors associated to Alzheimer’s in his theory. After that a personalized plan is developed to address: Homocysteine Levels, Insulin Resistance, Diet (See Ketoflex Diet), Exercise, Sleep (sleep apnea is critical), Stress, Brain Training, Inflammation (Resolve, Inhibit, remove), Gut Health, Hormonal Balance, Metal Homeostasis and Toxins. The book is not a scientific tome neither a detailed description of the Recode Protocol. But useful information is presented regarding: 1) Detailed Characteristics of the 3 Types of Alzheimer’s he proposes. 2) Measurable factors affecting Alzheimer’s and their optimal values (cognoscopy - chapter 7). 3) Ketoflex Diet. 4) General description of how a personalized Recode protocol addresses the factors (chapter 8). Apparently the author wrote the book for both patients and doctors. Sometimes too much scientific information is presented and lay people might be confused. The presentation of the information must be divided in two different books: one specifically for doctors, scientists and medical practitioners and another for patients. This book presents extremely valuable information for people treating the disease and suffering from it. I highly recommend it. *************************** El autor propone una teoría de la enfermedad de Alzheimer y un protocolo para detenerla o revertirla. Según el autor la enfermedad de Alzheimer es una respuesta protectora a tres procesos diferentes: inflamación, niveles sub-óptimos de nutrientes y otras moléculas que apoyan las sinapsis, y exposiciones tóxicas. Propone un protocolo llamado Recode para abordar estos 3 problemas. El protocolo comienza con una exploración detallada de los factores asociados a la enfermedad de Alzheimer en su teoría. Después de eso se desarrolla un plan personalizado para abordar: niveles de homocisteína, resistencia a la insulina, dieta (ver dieta Ketoflex), ejercicio, sueño (apnea del sueño es crítica), estrés, entrenamiento cerebral, inflamación (resolver, inhibir, extirpar), salud intestinal, equilibrio hormonal, homeostasis de los metales y toxinas. El libro no es un tomo científico ni una descripción detallada del protocolo Recode. Pero se presenta información útil sobre: (1) características detalladas de los 3 tipos de Alzheimer que propone; (2) factores medibles que afectan el Alzheimer y sus valores óptimos (cognoscopy-capítulo 7); (3) dieta Ketoflex; (4) Descripción general de cómo un protocolo Recode personalizado aborda esos factores (capítulo 8). Al parecer el autor escribió el libro tanto para pacientes como para doctores. A veces se presenta demasiada información científica y se puede confundir a las personas sin entrenamiento en el tema. La presentación de la información debe estar dividida en dos libros diferentes: uno específicamente dirigido a médicos, científicos y expertos de la salud y otro dirigido a pacientes. Este libro presenta una información extremadamente valiosa para las personas que tratan la enfermedad y las que sufren de ella. Lo recomiendo seriamente.

A fascinating book, it gives sufficient information for a sympathetic doctor to use the protocol but to do it properly most people already experiencing cognitive impairment would need a lot of support and to do the protocol to the letter in conjunction with Dr Bredesen's organisation could start to get costly - though ultimately cheaper than the care required for someone with Alzheimer's. Hopefully this treatment can be proven and become routine - the main downside appears to be trying to put significant lifestyle changes in place for someone who is probably older, set in their ways and possibly confused. The book also suggests putting the protocol in place to prevent Alzheimer's particularly if you are at high risk, again to do it properly would require support of a medical professional but there are steps anyone can take now to help minimise risk. It's an easy read, mostly easy to understand by the layman - he does suggest skipping some of the more detailed medical stuff if you're not interested in that.

Dr Bredesen has researched Alzheimer’s for 30 years and has succeeded in unraveling this disease. He can prevent it and in most cases reverse its associated decline. (He has already helped about 200 people.) His discoveries represent a paradigm shift regarding this disease. First, here is the current view of Alzheimer’s: -it is a single disease caused by the accumulation of plaques made of amyloid-beta -to treat it find a way of stopping the plaques from forming or remove them once they have formed -most drugs developed with this view have succeeded in stopping or removing plaques but the patients either got no better or got worse. Here is what Alzheimer’s really is: -it results when the brain responds to various events by downsizing -there are 3 types of Alzheimer’s and each is a protective response to different triggers (or a combination of triggers): a) inflammation caused by too much sugar, infections or other causes b) low levels of synapse supporting nutrients, hormones and other molecules c) toxic exposure such as metals or bio-toxins -usually when the brain responds to these triggers it goes on functioning normally -the problem comes when these triggers are chronic, multiple, unrelenting and intense -then the process goes haywire and too many of these triggers start the process of brain cells dying The solution then is to: a) identify which triggers are present b) remove the contributors c) remove the amyloid-beta d) rebuild the lost synapses. These triggers (or factors) are about 36 in number so identifying which are present involves doing tests for each. These tests measure a specific condition in the body. Each test must be in a certain range otherwise it adds to the triggers. i.e. for each item that is out of range it contributes to Alzheimer’s. Once the out of range values are identified, changes are made to bring them all to the optimal value. (The optimal value is not just what is considered ‘normal’ but what is best for reversing the Alzheimer’s.) As more and more of these items are corrected, a certain threshold is reached and the person starts to improve. It is like having 36 holes in your roof that are causing a flood and realizing it is not enough to fix one hole, most of the holes need to be fixed to stop the flood. It’s similar with the brain: once the ‘holes’ are found, each is fixed until enough of them are stopped to get to a point where the death of brain cells has been reduced and compensated by the growth of new ones. With this background in place the major part of the book explains each trigger/factor, how to test for them and how to correct those that are out of range. Throughout the book there are stories of some of those who were helped. Many other books are available about Alzheimer’s but they focus on only a few of the 36 factors. For people who have only a few factors out of range, fixing those will help. However, this will not help those who have different factors which are causing their Alzheimer’s. Dr Bredesen’s program is the only one that is comprehensive enough to deal with all possible triggers. Dr. Bredesen has trained over 450 others in this program so if you or a loved one has Alzheimer’s or is showing signs of cognitive decline, you should be able to find someone who can help. (I emailed him and am waiting to find out if there is anyone in Canada.)

An amazing book recommended to everyone interested in how to prevent AD. The book is very easy to follow, it's well structured and full of valuable information that you can implement in your daily life starting from today. Although some parts of the book are sort-of "US" relevant only (e.g. the names/types of blood tests, or the units used for various tests - conversion to EU units needed), it is still fully relevant for a European reader too. Loved it, definitely recommended!

It is a remarkable achievement to ever cure or even prevent the Alzheimer's disease since much of the underlying mechanisms are still under elusive. Therefore it is especially inspiring to read success stories from many individual trails guided by the theory and practice developed by M.D. Bredesen and his colleagues. He seems to be able to mordernize the ancient philosophy by implement its philosophy with 21st-century analytical and experimentational biology.

この本の位置づけについてはすでに色々な方が書かれているので、特に書き加えることはない。 原理面は著者の研究。実践面は機能性医学をアルツハイマー用にカスタマイズしたものという感じだろう。 私の場合は、身内のアルツハイマー患者にRECODEプロトコルを適用しようと検査まで受けたが、治療の実践はいろいろ事情があってできなかった。 この本は日本語訳が出る前に買って読んだ。日本語版も出たのでその後は日本語版を主体に読んでいる。いい訳本ではあるが、やはり誤訳は免れないので、読んでいて「？」と思う部分の確認はこの原書で行っている。