Dementia/Alzheimer’s

Dear Dr. Meletis, My father, who is 78, has Dementia-Alzheimer’s. He has been prescribed Aricept®, but had terrible nightmares so we stopped. He also takes Excelon® 3mg a day and Cepalex® 10mg once a day, multi-vitamins and a cardio aspirin 100 once a day. He also drinks Green Tea every morning. My father shows no sign of improvement at all, he is confused, loses orientation and more frequently doesn’t recognize people. We are so worried that we are doing something wrong. What bothers us the most is that he hallucinates and sees or says things which did not happen, such as: where did all the people go, didn’t we just have a party? Since we started with all the above medications (7 months now), he sleeps an additional 6 hours per day (2 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon) and is always tired. I would like to thank you for providing such excellent products, information, and service to your customers. Mr. H.

Dear Mr. H., Dementia is a complex condition. Clearly drug therapy that seeks to increase acetylcholine is the only real offer by the conventional medical model. Exploring the following areas with his personal physician can serve as starting places to improve his quality of life. First and foremost, it is essential that his night time oxygen levels are monitored for one or two nights, ideally with at least every 30 seconds recorded for print out. The goal is to have O2 levels at least 92 percent or better all night long. If the brain gets insufficient oxygen then brain performance anomalies will arise. This is a foundational step. Sufficient water intake is important; many people as they age do not consume sufficient water. The goal is a minimum of 64 ounces. Without sufficient water, something so simple, dementia will be aggravated. Also having your dad’s blood levels for the following items measured is essential: Homocysteine (goal 8 or below, ideal is 6); thyroid levels TSH (between 1 and 2.5). Also having a carotid ultrasound is important, if his blood vessels leading to the brain are occluded this will clearly worsen his brain performance. In terms of supplements, DMAE, Extension IQ along with additional Huperzine and Vinpocetine are all strong considerations. Also the use of Acetyl-L-Carnitine and Choline are important. Since your dad is already on brain altering drugs it is important to look at the common side effects online and visit with the pharmacist; you will note that some of his symptoms could be attributed to the drugs. But also, since he is taking these medicines, introducing natural products slowly and with his MD’s observation is important. The information provided here is educational and is not intended as either diagnosis or treatment. Sincerely, Chris D. Meletis, ND