Good Alzheimer's online resources?

October 5, 2019 8:37 AM

Someone very close to me has been diagnosed with early Alzheimer's. I am having trouble navigating the internet looking for useful info because it's very draining to read all the random stuff that crops up.

(I saw there was an older Ask but it's been some years so maybe there are some new resources out there.)

I found a book called "The End of Alzheimer's" by Dale Bredesen. He claims he has been the only one to reverse Alzheimer, maybe on 100+ patients. His protocol includes things from Aricept, to curcumin, to avoiding electromagnetic radiation, to keto... all the way to 40 bullet points you need to follow to "reverse" Alzheimer's. It all falls in the "can't hurt" category. So maybe try to follow it and don't look this gift hope in the mouth?

Does anyone have experience or a knowledgeable opinion on this, and his reputation?

In general, what are some good online resources to check for latest treatments or research?

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

posted by haemanu to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

Anyone claiming to have reversed Alzheimers is...well...a fraud. Especially if they happen to be the only one to have done so. There is no reversing the disease. At best, you can slow it a bit, but it's still an irreversible descent.

As for resources...
Start with The 36 Hour Day. It's pretty much the go-to for caregivers and loved ones to try and cope with what's ahead.

Also, contact your area Alzheimer's Association. They will be able to tell you of any area support groups you could become a part of. Trust me, you will need support and a good support group is a godsend.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:10 AM on October 5, 2019 [11 favorites]

Response by poster: Books are good too, thank you!
posted by haemanu at 9:18 AM on October 5, 2019 [1 favorite]

Check out Surviving Alzheimer’s by Paula Spencer Scott. The author is a friend but also legitimately an expert - she writes and speaks on these topics at the national level, and has cared for five family members with dementia.
posted by bananacabana at 10:10 AM on October 5, 2019

I am a medical librarian but I cannot interpret health information nor am I am consumer health expert. I suggest using MedlinePlus, an online encyclopedia created by the National Library of Medicine and curated by librarians trained in consumer health information. Search to find "health topics" on diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's, and, Alzheimer's Caregivers). A "health topic" is a summary about a specific topic with organized links to well-vetted, easy-to-read, recent, free, scientifically-based information from various organizations.

There is also a link under the section named Journal Articles that will run a search of PubMed for new articles about the disease/condition, if you exhaust this info and want more detailed info on latest treatments. (You will need to have subscriptions to the journals in which these articles appear to view the full text; contact your local public library or MeMail me about where you are in the world and I'll try to find you a place you might be able to see them for free.)

You can also find high-quality, easy to read info about drugs, supplements, and tests on this site, if you have other types of health questions.
posted by holyrood at 1:59 PM on October 5, 2019 [3 favorites]

from the internet:

Edward Levitan, a local doctor who has treated dozens of patients with the program, explains that the researcher’s ideas aren’t exactly new in the functional medicine world, which focuses on the root cause of illness rather than simply treating the symptoms. But he likes the Bredesen Protocol because he says it gives patients an easy blueprint to follow.

via
posted by aniola at 9:37 PM on October 5, 2019

Response by poster: Thanks for the recommendations!
posted by haemanu at 5:19 PM on October 8, 2019