https://www.yahoo.com/news/woman-claims-alzheimer-symptoms-were-202000196.html "In “The Last Alzheimer’s Patient,” CNN chief medical correspondent follows Alzheimer’s patient Cici Zerbe who says her symptoms have been reversed after participating in Dr. Dean Ornish’s clinical trial on the effects of intensive lifestyle changes on the progression of mild cognitive impairment or early dementia due to Alzheimer’s Disease. That peer-reviewed study will be published in the journal “Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy” in June 2024. Dr. Ornish’s program includes a plant-based diet, regular exercise, group support, yoga or meditation.Watch the full documentary on CNN’s “The Whole Story” premiering on May 19th at 8p et/pt and streaming on MAX on June 18th."
Interesting, if the data holds up, this can trickle down to other uses. It could be the Ozempic for attention, focus and memory. I think they should name it limitless ( like the movie
It's a set of behavioral changes, not a drug, so even if it works well, doesn't that seems like a stretch?
I plan to investigate further once I have some free time this week. I am now curious how this differs from ADHD-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Dr. Dean Ornish - isn't he the same guy who said his diet could reverse heart disease? Critics poked a few holes in that. I bought one of his books about the time I had my heart operation - 2015. Then I read the reviews. Should have done so first. First thing I saw was that olive oil is a no-no on the Ornish diet. The therapeutic benefits of the monounsaturate fats in olive oil were/are well-known for decades.. Other things too. The overrriding sense of the criticism is that the Ornish diet missed very important nutrients. And that can definitely cause problems. You can start here: https://www.google.com/search?q=reviews+of+dr+dean+ornish&oq=reviews+of+dr+dean+ornish&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRifBTIHCAUQIRifBTIHCAYQIRifBTIHCAcQIRifBTIHCAgQIRifBTIHCAkQIRifBdIBCTExNzk5ajBqN6gCALACAA&client=ubuntu-chr&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 Now he's found himself another gig. If I read anything about this I'll do it magno cum grano salis. Two grains, in fact. One for the previous book. Hope they don't push my sodium intake up too much. It shouldn't. I'm careful.
I'm all for things that provide comfort to people experiencing dementia, even though they can't (so far) be cured. My Jazz Station, JAZZ FM - https://jazz.fm/ promotes a service that supplies dementia sufferers with media players, custom-loaded with their favourite music from the best-loved periods in their lives. Not a cure - but it DOES bring back memories - the best ones from the best time. If we can give things like this to dementia sufferers, it's a good start. I'm kind of afraid of this Ornish thing. I think it would be very easy to suggest to elderly people with declining cognitive functions that they're getting better - and they could be induced to say that things are getting MUCH better than they actually are. As I see more of eldercare (as y'all probably will as you get to old age) I think false "jollying along" of elderly patients is rampant. Purpose: to be able to write up 'results" so Government people (who pay the shot) won't axe your program - and your job there. It's despicable. Both on the Government side and the programs / institutions. "Whole lotta manipulation goin' on!" - Apologies to the late Jerry Lee Lewis.
The cognitive part of CBT corrects thinking errors. The behavioral part of CBT desensitizes patients from good behaviors that they're avoiding and gets them in the habit of continuing those behaviors. For example, someone with social anxiety will be made to go outside repeatedly. Someone with OCD, who is afraid of germs, will be asked to touch something repeatedly. In the cognitive part of the treatment, the person with OCD will be asked why they think they're going to die or become extremely ill if they touch a handle out in public. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder. Using diet, exercise, and meditation to slow down or reverse the progression of Alzheimer's is quite different. Alzheimer's is believed to be mostly caused by lifestyle and environment, but there might be some genetic predisposition.
