Supplements for Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

[Guest guest]

The Alzheimer's article has some pretty strange

recommendations about vitamins. It talks about using levels of

vitamins which are lower than I normally take -- and I do not have

any Alzheimer's problems. For example:

 

> Combination Therapy The nutritional approach to treating patients

> with AD is still very new, and there are no standards that have

been

> developed. It may take trial and error to find the ideal regimen

for

> each patient. In addition to antioxidants, ginkgo, and huperzine, B

> vitamins at about two to five times the RDA should be helpful.

 

My standard off-the-shelf multivitamin provides 2-5 times the

RDA of B vitamins. I would sure think one would need a lot more

than 2-5 times the RDA of some of the B vitamins if one was trying to

reverse something like Alzheimer's.

 

> Include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in order to obtain

> important carotenoids and flavonoids. Vitamin E, between 200 and

400

> units a day, preferably of mixed tocopherols, should be taken with

a

> meal. The dosage for vitamin C is 250 mg once or twice a day.

 

I take 800 units of E each day. 250 milligrams of C a day

would be laughable except that it is so dangerously low. 250 mg an

*hour* is something I would consider to be low! I take 250 mg every

7 minutes I am awake -- and I am not suffering from Alzheimer's!

 

The incredibly meager approach to vitamins in the article is

a clear example of what Doc Saul talked about in the article Frank

posted yesterday:

 

> You can set up any experiment to fail.

 

> One way to ensure failure is to make a meaningless test. A

> meaningless test is assured if you make the choice to use

> inappropriate administration of insufficient quantities of the

> substance to be investigated.

 

> If you shoot beans at a charging rhinoceros, you are not likely to

> influence the outcome. If I were to give every homeless person I

met

> on the street 25 cents, I could easily prove that money will not

help

> poverty. If a nutrition study uses less than 20,000 or 30,000

> milligrams of vitamin C, it is unlikely to show any antihistamine,

> antibiotic and antiviral benefit whatsoever.

 

> That is because you have to give enough to get the job done.

 

 

See here to read the whole thing:

http://www.doctoryourself.com/safety.html

 

Alobar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

both E & C, but then recommends

-

" Frank " <califpacific

<alternative_medicine_forum >

Tuesday, September 30, 2003 8:06 AM

Supplements for Patients with

Alzheimer's Disease

 

 

http://healthy.net/scr/column.asp?PageType=Column & id=284

 

Supplements for Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

 

 

© Ray Sahelian M.D.

 

 

 

 

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a progressive deterioration in mental

functioning first described by Alois Alzheimer in 1907. The onset

most commonly starts in one's 80s, although it has been known to

start as early as age 30. One of the major cognitive problems with AD

is the inability to acquire new knowledge. Loss of the sense of smell

is common, and the mental deterioration proceeds to affect language

and motor skills.

While scientists have not fully determined the actual causes of

Alzheimer's disease, a number of treatment options have been

proposed. These include the use of antioxidants, blocking the

breakdown of acetylcholine, and improving blood flow to brain cells.

There are currently no effective pharmaceutical drugs for treating

AD. If someone you know has AD, I believe it is worthwhile exploring

nutritional therapies.

Vitamins E and C It's quite likely that quite a number of different

antioxidants are beneficial. A highly publicized article in The New

England Journal of Medicine reported that the daily use of 1,000

units of vitamin E was effective in slowing the progression of this

disease. Researchers at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush

University, in Chicago, Illinois, found through an epidemiological

survey that the use of vitamin E and C supplements reduces the risk

of developing AD.

Blocking the Breakdown of Acetylcholine Another approach that has

been tried is to prevent the degradation of acetylcholine, the brain

chemical associated with learning and memory. This can be achieved by

providing drugs that block the activity of the enzyme cholinesterase,

which breaks down acetylcholine. Two of these drugs are tacrine

(Cognex) and donezepil (Aricept).

A Chinese herbal extract called huperzine A has been shown in

preliminary studies to block cholinesterase even more potently than

tacrine. Early studies indicate that huperzine A is much safer than

tacrine.

Improving Blood Circulation Any step taken to reduce atherosclerosis,

or hardening of the arteries, is likely to improve blood circulation

to the brain. A study in The Journal of the American Medical

Association had good news about the herb ginkgo biloba. Therapy with

40 mg of ginkgo three times a day for one year had a positive effect

in patients with AD. There are several compounds in ginkgo that

improve circulation and act as blood thinners and antioxidants.

Combination Therapy The nutritional approach to treating patients

with AD is still very new, and there are no standards that have been

developed. It may take trial and error to find the ideal regimen for

each patient. In addition to antioxidants, ginkgo, and huperzine, B

vitamins at about two to five times the RDA should be helpful.

Include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in order to obtain

important carotenoids and flavonoids. Vitamin E, between 200 and 400

units a day, preferably of mixed tocopherols, should be taken with a

meal. The dosage for vitamin C is 250 mg once or twice a day. A 40-mg

dose of ginkgo twice daily with breakfast and lunch is recommended.

Huperzine A is an exciting addition to the nutritional armamentarium

of natural therapies for AD. A dosage of 0.02 to 0.05 mg per day can

be tried instead of the standard cholinesterase inhibitors.

Summary Finding an effective therapy for AD is very challenging.

However, with a great deal of patience, and trial and error, it is

likely that a combination of nutrients can be found that can improve

quality of life and cognitive function. Even though many nutritional

options have been presented in this article, it is important not take

all of these supplements at the same time, but to gradually add one,

and then another, in low dosages in order to determine the

effectiveness of each addition. The use of nutrients is especially

appropriate in the treatment of AD since currently there is no

effective pharmaceutical therapy for this condition.

Ray Sahelian, M.D., is the author of the newly published Mind

Boosters: A Guide to Natural Supplements That Enhance Your Mind,

Memory, and Mood (St. Martins Press, $14.95, 2000). For more details,

updates, and to ask questions, see www.raysahelian.com.

Le Bars, P.L., et al. 1997. A placebo-controlled, double-blind

randomized trial of an extract of ginkgo biloba for dementia. JAMA

278:1327-1332.

Morris, M.C., et al. 1998. Vitamin E and vitamin C supplement use and

risk of incident Alzheimer disease. Alzheimer. Dis. Assoc.

Disord.Sep;12(3):121-6.

Sano, M., Ernesto, C., Thomas, R.G., et al. 1997. A controlled trial

of selegiline, alpha-tocopherol, or both as treatment for Alzheimer's

disease. N. Engl. J. Med. 336:1216-1222.

Xu, S.S., et al. 1995. Efficacy of oral huperzine-A on memory,

cognition, and behavior in Alzheimer's disease. Chung Kuo Yao Li

Hsueh Pao 16(5):391-5.

 

Archived columns by Ray Sahelian

 

 

 

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