Detoxification & Healing Cancer and Other Illness (18a)

 

Alzheimer's Disease: On Suggested Causes and Cures

Part 1: Proposed Alzheimer's Causes

by © Healing Cancer Naturally August 2007
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Part 2 - Alzheimer's Disease: Suggested Cures & Preventative Measures
(incl. notes on healing Parkinson’s disease)

“... in terms of treating and preventing most disease, particularly the major scourges of the modern era (heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, and Alzheimers) modern medicine stands an abject failure. Despite all of the games played with statistics, the numbers are undeniable.”
Jon Barron in “Why Your Doctors Do You Like They Do“ on Alzheimer's & modern medicine

While Alzheimer's isn’t cancer, I have received several calls for help with this “modern” scourge and collected the following information on suggested and/or observed causative factors. It is to be hoped  that the following information might point those affected to a true cure of this disease by enabling them to address the root cause(s) of this affliction as well as help those who wish to implement preventative lifestyle measures to minimize any risk or likelihood of developing symptoms of dementia at some point in their life.

Complemented by excerpts from the book “Detoxing Chemicals and Pollutants for Optimal Health” and a short list of books on this and related subjects.

Notes

In the following, I do not include any research results based on animal experimentation, both for scientific and ethical reasons.

Healing Cancer Naturally pages on Alzheimer's Disease: Causes, Cures & Prevention will be further expanded, please check back occasionally.
 

Suggested causes of Alzheimer's disease

Book excerpt: Detoxing Chemicals and Pollutants for Optimal Health

Books on Alzheimer’s disease, excitotoxins, etc.
 

Suggested Alzheimer's causes

Lack of Omega 3 fatty acids

„As reported in the September 2^nd issue of Neuron, scientists from UCLA and the Laval University Medical Center in Quebec City have shown for the first time that a diet high in the Omega-3 fatty acid DHA [docosahexaenoic acid] helps protect the brain against the memory loss and cell damage caused by Alzheimer's disease. The study shows that a DHA-rich diet may lower one's risk of Alzheimer's disease and help slow progression of the disorder in its later stages. ‘This is the first proof that our diets affect how our brain cells communicate with each other under the duress of Alzheimer's disease,’ said Greg Cole, senior author and a professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. ‘We saw that a diet rich in DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, dramatically reduces the impact of the Alzheimer's gene.’
And according to Frederic Calon, a molecular endocrinology researcher at Laval and a co-author of the study, ‘What the public needs to take from this is that diet matters to your brain. If you have a diet that is poor in Omega-3s, that will accelerate the process of Alzheimer's, especially if you're genetically predisposed.’“ (Jon Baron)

In fact, Dr. Johanna Budwig devotes an entire chapter in her book “Das Fettsyndrom” (The Fats Syndrome) to the subject of brain and nerves, stressing the primordial importance she assigns to the correct nutrition (particularly as regards fats) to keep these central control organs healthy and happy as well as optimally functioning.

Mercury: fillings, fish and flu (& other) shots

For background on toxic pollutants, mercury  & brain, Alzheimer’s and chelation of heavy metals see book extracts.

Some of the most common sources of “surplus” mercury are dental amalgam (“silver”) fillings, fish and vaccinations.

Dental amalgams
The above-mentioned holistic physician Dietrich Klinghardt names Alzheimer's as one of his specialties and convincingly argues that its main causative factor is brain intoxication with neurotoxins, particularly mercury etc.

Quote from a lecture by Dr. med. Dietrich Klinghardt M.D., Ph.D., held on 20/11/1996 in Schloss Elmau, Garmisch-Partenkirchen (translation copyright by Healing Cancer Naturally © 2008):
“A very good study on Morbus Alzheimer involved investigating the brains of two age groups, i.e. of persons having died at a similar age, with one group comprising Alzheimer patients and the other group consisting of people who had died of other medical causes. The scientists put these people’s brains in the blender, so to speak, and reduced them to the fluid state. The resultant fluid was tested for metal content. What they found was that all metals tested were at the same level of concentration (copper, zinc, aluminium, etc.) except mercury. Mercury levels were found to be 4 times higher in the Alzheimer group. Since that time it’s accepted in scientific circles that Alzheimer’s disease is brought on by mercury poisoning, without any doubt.”

Compare On Effective Holistic Heavy Metal Chelation (Removal): definitions, diagnosis, neurotoxins, heavy metal toxicity & symptoms, risk factors, detox methods & side effects, natural chelation agents, secondary infections, etc.

Fish
For a list showing (man-made) contamination levels of sea fish, see for instance www.environmentaldefense.org/tool.cfm?tool=seafood. If one does eat fish, I would make sure it's non-polluted (according to Dr. Klinghardt, no such fish can be found any longer) and eco-friendly. A guide can be found at "Best and Worst Seafood: Your seafood choices matter for healthy oceans and your health."
If I ate fish or fish products, I would choose the fish richest in omega3s and least contaminated. But personally I avoid animal flesh including fish for a number of reasons incl. spiritual ones. Animal flesh among other things leads to putrefaction, i. e. toxins being produced in the intestines (also compare in this respect Dr. F.X. Mayr’s research into the link between nutrition,  dietary habits, intestinal health and overall health & beauty).

Flu shots & Alzheimer’s disease
The following information is excerpted from cyberspine.com/images/newsletter.pdf:
... according to Hugh Fudenberg, MD, the world's leading immunogeneticist and 13th most quoted biologist of our time (over 850 papers in peer reviewed journals), if an individual has had five consecutive flu shots, their chance of getting Alzheimer's disease is ten times higher than if they had one, two or no shots. (1)
Dr. Fudenberg claims this is due to the mercury and other toxins in flu shots (and still used in many childhood vaccinations and RhoGam shots).
These toxins build up in the brain causing cognitive dysfunction.
[According to the John's Hopkins Newsletter, November 1998 edition,] Alzheimer's is expected to quadruple – could this be the reason? ... in an attempt to disprove the Alzheimer’s/flu shot connection, some MDs went to nursing homes and asked people with Alzheimer’s if they remember getting a flu shot. Most said they didn’t but that’s not surprising since people with Alzheimer’s may not remember the name of their spouse. Based on this “research” they concluded flu shots didn’t cause Alzheimer’s. However, the disclaimer at the bottom of the abstract negated its value: “Because of the self-reported nature of the risk factor questionnaire we cannot exclude the possibility of recall bias.” (3) Can you believe that the media reported this as “proof” the flu shot was safe? They didn’t mention the disclaimer. Maybe they all had too many flu shots?
More at the above site re the question "do flu shots work?" The article's conclusion: "... the flu shot is both dangerous and useless."

1. Dr. Fudenberg at the NVIC International Vaccine Conference, Arlington, VA. September,1997. Quoted with permission.
3. Verreault R, Laurin D, Lindsay J et al. Past exposure to vaccines and subsequent risk of Alzheimer’s disease. CMAJ. 2001;165(11):1495-1498.

Aspartame, Glutamate (MSG) & other excitotoxins

“According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingestion of aspartame: Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson's disease, alzheimer's, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes.” See Aspartame.

More on aspartame's adverse reactions
“Aspartame, glutamate, and cysteine are all known as „excitotoxins“, because they work by exciting nerve cells to death. The ultimate consequences of all of them are similar, and include Alzheimer's, ALS, and brain tumors. Along the way, you may lose neural function almost anyplace; my foster daughter lost bladder control (the exact opposite of incontinence) and got it back as soon as she quit the Diet Soda... “
“It is now reported that five deaths and at least 70 different symptoms have resulted from its use. The list includes neurological, dermatological, cardiac, respiratory, all the symptoms seen reported for food sensitivities, low blood sugar, Alzheimer's, ... methanol poisoning.”
“Aspartame may trigger or mimic the following illnesses:
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Epstein-Barr - Post-Polio Syndrome - Lyme Disease Meniere's Disease - Alzheimer's Disease - ALS - Epilepsy - Multiple Sclerosis EMS - Hypothyroidism - Mercury Sensitivity from Amalgam Fillings.”

On MSG and aspartame's aliases
Read labels very carefully. Apparently there are a number of synonyms used to hide MSG in labeling: HVP (hydrolyzed vegetable protein), “natural flavors“ and „spices“ and many others are used... “Aspartame doesn't have as many, but it turns up in chewing gum (where you have to open the outer package to get to the part where it's mentioned) as well as in sodas and those deadly little blue packets at restaurants.”

Aluminium

“Aluminum is a very toxic element in our nervous system. It is implicated as one of the primary causes of Alzheimer's disease.” Another (German) source calls aluminium a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and writes (translated by © Healing Cancer Naturally 2008):

“Aluminium is toxic to humans as well as to fish. Autopsies of deceased Alzheimer patients showed that the brain plaques typical for persons affected by Alzheimer’s disease contained high concentrations of aluminium. Large epidemiological studies made in recent years exploring the link between aluminium in tap water and Alzheimer incidence furnished more evidence that increased ingestion of aluminium via drinking water leads to increased Alzheimer incidence. A prospective cohort study finalised in 2000 which included a total of 3777 participants which were followed over a period of 8 years in the South-West of France showed that senile dementia increased by 100% and Alzheimer’s by 114% in locations where the aluminium concentration in tap water exceeded 100 µg/liter.¹ A similar result was found as early as 1989 in a comprehensive study carried out in 88 districts in England and Wales.²”

In addition to drinking water (incl. treated water), aluminium can be found in many items of daily use such as cookware, baking foil etc. It is also an “accepted” contaminant in many other things such as baking powder. According to the American Waste Water Association (May 1995), plain water is estimated to provide about 5% of overall aluminum in human diets. The AWWA writes that most aluminum consumed by humans comes from things such as inhalation (esp. in certain industrial settings), soil clinging to unwashed fruits and vegetables (aluminum apparently is the most abundant metal found in the earth’s crust), processed foods, baked goods (aluminum is used in baking powder and flour as a stabilizing agent), brewed drinks, OTC antacids, anti-perspirants as well as the above-mentioned kitchen helpers.

I’d make sure to avoid all of these to the extent possible and to read all labels very carefully.

Sugar

„Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer's disease.” (Frey, J.: Is There Sugar in the Alzheimer’s Disease? Annales de Biologie Clinique. 2001; 59 (3):253-257.)
Compare Sugar’s Health Effects, Risks & Problems: Is Sugar Sweet Poison?.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is also known for inducing 'chemo brain': forgetfulness and mental fog. UCLA study shows that chemotherapy causes changes to the brain's metabolism and blood flow that can linger at least 10 years after treatment. More at side effects of conventional cancer treatment

Parasites in combination with toluene or xylene

From Dr. Hulda Regehr Clark's The Cure For All Cancers:

„Dr. Clark considers the presence of certain parasites in combination with toluene or xylene as the cause of Alzheimer's disease: „;Fasciolopsis buskii is the fluke (flatworm) that I find in every case of cancer, HIV infection, Alzheimer's, Crohn's disease, Kaposi's, endometriosis, and in many people without these diseases.”

Soy

thedoctorwithin.com lists among other things the following likely toxicities of soy products:

Too Much Tofu Induces Brain Aging
From the Honolulu Star-Bulletin: "A Hawaii study shows a significant statistical relationship between two or more servings of tofu a week and 'accelerated brain aging' and even an association with Alzheimer's disease, says Dr. Lon White. "...these are not nutrients. They are drugs. They will have some benefits and some negative things."

Soy Foods and thyroid function
David Zava, Ph.D., a biochemist and an experienced breast cancer researcher, is credited with the following statements: "In studying the literature on soy I found there are about five types of plant chemicals in the soybean that can be toxic to humans if they are not removed by special processing… the fifth antinutrient in soybeans is called a goitrogen. This is a chemical that latches on to iodine, preventing it from absorbing into the body from the gastrointestinal tract. Iodine is needed to make thyroid hormone. Low thyroid function has been associated with poor brain development. Anyone who has been deficient in thyroid hormone understands quite well what impact this can have on normal brain function..."

The non-advisability of soy is also discussed in On soy.

Also consider mobile phones and cordless DECT stations

According to freiemedizin.de, “English scientists suspect that the microwaves emitted by mobile phones specifically affect the nerve cells responsible for short-term memory and the regulation of blood pressure...  strong evidence for damage ... to memory and attention.”

Also "mobile phones allow the brain to absorb toxins...  blood-brain barrier opened at 0.0001-0.001 Watt.. " "Heavy metals (Amalgam..) are now able to break through the blood-brain barrier  and penetrate nervous tissue and the brain... Radio waves from mobile phones and DECT cordless handsets/home phones act... as a door opener for chemical poisons which without that help would bounce off the brain ..." (these statements seem to be based on animal experiments which Healing Cancer Naturally does not endorse for reasons of unreliability and ethics).

According to www.buergerwelle.de, DECT home stations (c. 1890 MHz) are even bigger culprits, inducing health complaints such as tinnitus, racing of the heart, dizziness, sleep disorders ...

Further, quoting a dpa Reuters World Report dated March 2, 1999,

"microwaves emitted by mobile phones directly affect brain cells... partial amnesia, difficulty concentrating... increased risk of accidents up to ten minutes after the last mobile phone use ... long-term damage to ability to concentrate...".

Compare On electromagnetic fields (EMFs), their sources & suspected link to cancer or other health concerns and detection, protection and avoidance measures.

Water chlorination, arteriosclerosis & memory loss

The following observations on the link between water chlorination, arteriosclerosis and memory loss are translated from a German lecture by Dietrich Klinghardt MD, held on 20/11/1996 in Schloss Elmau, Garmisch-Partenkirchen (translation copyright by Healing Cancer Naturally © 2008):

“We know that today’s chlorination of our tap water leads to arteriosclerosis and constitutes one of the central elements for coronary and vascular disease (thickening/narrowing and hardening/loss of elasticity in the arterial walls) ... when someone at 80 or 85 suddenly loses their memory, we typically attribute it to their developing Alzheimer’s, but in most cases, it’s simply due to a buildup in their vessels caused by the chlorine in their tap water. That’s why everyone should drink unchlorinated tap water.”
For some other risk factors associated with water chlorination, see On the link between cancer & water chlorination (“Cancer-fighting nutrients become deadly when combined with chlorinated tap water”).

Lack of mental exercise

While this seems an obvious causative factor in any disease linked to brain performance, the reader is advised to check the available literature regarding the accuracy of this likely causative connection.

Last but not least: mental-emotional-spiritual factors

The wife of a man stricken with Alzheimer’s wrote to me that she was sure that belief played a large part in her husband’s challenge, including his belief that he was genetically predisposed since his father had similarly suffered: “I have seen times when miracles of healing happened just because the patient changed his mind and decided that no illness could approach the spiritual entity that he is. My husband is also using this approach currently. It is not sufficient to only think you are healthy but the person's imagination must be infused with an emotional conviction that it is already done.”
Compare Healing & Your Mind.

Book excerpt

Excerpts from  Detoxing Chemicals and Pollutants for Optimal Health
by Jeff Morris

In “Metals in Medicine”, Dr. Nash goes into more detail: Mercury is known to affect the brain and has been associated with the causation or exacerbation of degenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease... mercury is associated with autism, the degenerative diseases of the brain mentioned above, neurodevelopmental diseases, vascular diseases, nephrotoxicity, and cancer. [Clarkson TW, Magos L, Myers GJ. The toxicology of mercury: current exposures and clinical manifestations. N Engl J Med. 2003;349(18):1731-1737] points out that the fetal brain is more susceptible than the adult brain to mercury induced damage. Specifically, methylmercury inhibits the division and migration of neuronal cells and disrupts the cytoarchitecture of the developing brain. Recent studies have correlated the explosive increase of autism with thimerosal, an additive to many vaccines that contains 50% ethyl mercury.

... [On] the possible connection between mercury and Alzheimer's disease[,] Dr. Nash notes, “Some of the [mercurous] vapors [from dental amalgams] reach the brain via the ethmoid sinuses. Is it coincidental that Alzheimer's disease has shown degenerative tracts often following the olfactory connections? There is increasing evidence of mercury associated with Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Boyd Haley, Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry, University of Kentucky, has published multiple papers on his research since the late 1980s. He has successfully reproduced the changes seen in Alzheimer's disease in the brain homogenate of normal brains with the addition of mercury, in the form of both mercury chloride and thimerosal. Some people hypothesize that mercury may contribute to autism on one end of the lifespan and Alzheimer's on the other end, Dr. Nash told us. I'm not convinced that mercury is the sole cause, but other factors may be involved. It could be a genetic thing. It appears there is a third of the people who are genetically prone to not getting rid of the metals, who may be most susceptible for Alzheimer's disease. In his article, Dr. Nash goes on to conclude, “The work of Haley, Aposhian, Godfrey, and others makes a strong case that mercury may cause or at the very least exacerbate Alzheimer's disease. Studies looking at toxic metals, especially mercury, as a possible cause for Alzheimer's disease need to be conducted. The clinical metal toxicologists have clinical experience that early metal detoxification will often stabilize and even reverse early Alzheimer's disease. “ More research is needed.

As with other integrative practitioners, Dr. Nash sees the necessity for a fundamental change in the way medicine approaches disease. "We need to find out what is causative of diseases ... This will take time, but we have not had an adequate prevention of diseases. Most patients who see doctors do not have diseases, they have symptoms. Doctors know symptoms don't kill folks, but they placate patients with medications to ease symptoms. The mechanism is straightforward; in the clinical setting you can shift the physician's mindset from only treating the symptoms of disease, to understand that these diseases have correlates that we have never recognized." Dr. Nash believes that recognition of causative factors of disease is a trend that is spreading worldwide. In "Metals in Medicine" he concludes,

"Toxicant metals are increasingly being associated with multiple disease states. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have authorized payment for in-office, intravenous metals detoxification in the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Texas, and Virginia, as well as the Indian Health Service. This is a great opportunity to collect meaningful data directly from patients. It is known that dialysis can be delayed at least two or three years by repeated in-office, intravenous metals detoxification; it is hoped that all prospective dialysis patients would be tested for toxicant metals and treated appropriately. If detoxification of toxicant metals can become the standard in time, our health may improve markedly. Could toxicant metals be a diagnosable and treatable risk factor in many of the diseases affecting this nation? The clinical metal toxicologists are the experts in low-dose, chronic accumulation of toxicant metals and the symptomatic reversal observed with treatment. Many clinical metal toxicologists are participating in the NIH's TACT study. More research is needed in the basic science mechanisms of toxicant metals and common diseases. Additional clinical research, besides the TACT study, is also needed."

"I believe toxicant metals and their detection and detoxification will be one of the exciting new fields in medicine. I have great hope for the future of medicine," adds Dr. Nash.
 

1 Rondeau V, Commenges D, Jacqmin-Gadda H, Dartigues JF, Relation between aluminum concentrations in drinking water and Alzheimer's disease: an 8-year follow-up study. Am J Epidemiol, 152(1): 59-66, 2000

2 Martyn CN, Barker DJ, Osmond C, Harris EC, Edwardson JA, Lacey RF, Geographical relation between Alzheimer's disease and aluminum in drinking water. Lancet, 1(8629): 59-62, 1989

Video showing mercury’s destructive effect on nerve cells

http://commons.ucalgary.ca/mercury/

This short video by Prof. F. Lohrscheider (University of Calgary, Canada) clearly  shows the destructive effect mercury exerts on neurons (requires Apple QuickTime-Player 4.1 or higher).
 

Books on Alzheimer’s disease, excitotoxins, etc.

The following lists a few books of likely many addressing the natural healing of Alzheimer's. For more about Alzheimer’s, also read newstarget.com‘s related  articles.

“EXCITOTOXINS: THE TASTE THAT KILLS” by Dr. Blaylock (Health Press 1-800-643-2665).

“DEFENSE AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE“ by Dr. H.J. Roberts (“diabetic specialist and world expert on aspartame poisoning”): (1-800-814-9800).
“Dr. Roberts tells how aspartame poisoning is escalating Alzheimer's Disease, and indeed it is. As the hospice nurse told me, women are being admitted at 30 years of age with Alzheimer's Disease. Dr. Blaylock and Dr. Roberts will be writing a position paper with some case histories and will post it on the Internet.”
“According to the Conference of the American College of Physicians, ‘We are talking about a plague of neurological diseases caused by this deadly poison’.”
“Dr. Roberts realized what was happening when aspartame was first marketed. He said ‘his diabetic patients presented memory loss, confusion, and severe vision loss’. At the Conference of the American College of Physicians, doctors admitted that they did not know. They had wondered why seizures were rampant (the phenylalanine in aspartame breaks down the seizure threshold and depletes serotonin, which causes manic depression, panic attacks, rage and violence).”
“The excess glutamate and aspartate slowly begin to destroy neurons. The large majority (75%+) of neural cells in a particular area of the brain are killed before any clinical symptoms of a chronic illness are noticed. A few of the many chronic illnesses that have been shown to be contributed to by long-term exposure [to] excitatory amino acid damage include: Multiple sclerosis (MS), ALS, memory loss, hormonal problems, hearing loss, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, hypoglycemia, AIDS dementia, brain lesions, and neuroendocrine disorders.”

„Beyond Aspirin: Nature's Answer to Arthritis, Cancer & Alzheimer's Disease” by Thomas M. Newmark/Paul Schulick (Hohm Press, 2000).

“Alzheimer's Disease and the Dementias: An Alternative Approach Based on the Readings of Edgar Cayce” by David McMillin

“Principles and Techniques of Nerve Regeneration” (Cayce's approach to nervous system regeneration) by David McMillin
(both available from A.R.E. Press)
More on Edgar Cayce’s healing approach to dementia

“Detoxing Chemicals and Pollutants for Optimal Health” by Jeff Morris
(see above book excerpts)
 

Support this site by buying the above books (or any other items) through my Amazon links (US, UK & Canada) and take advantage of Amazon’s (often) low prices.

Continue to Part 2 - Alzheimer's Disease: Suggested Cures & Preventative Action

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