In a campaigning mood?
I think we should start pressurising our political representatives to get some action on this research. I have just decided to email my M.P. We should also get our friends and relatives to do the same. Politicians always get twitchy when they start to get emails from their electorate, especially the Grey Haired Brigade. How about it everyone?
I am in the campaigning mood!
John
Good luck! Me too. I wrote to our MP as well. He already got a negative reply from Alzheimer's Research UK but is awaiting replies from the relevant Ministers.
Similarly, a friend whose father has Alzheimer's has asked his MP about finding funding for a clinical trial of the effect of ketones on Alzheimer's. Let's see, though I fear all that may take longer to set up than our loved ones have time for ... .
Meanwhile, about three weeks after changing my father's regime to a combination of 6 tablespoons of coconut oil over 3 meals and a low carbohydrate/ketogenic diet, my father seems to be back to where he was about five months ago in the progression of his dementia. However, he had a hiccup last weekend with a stomach bug which seems to be going around. That meant that there were a couple of days when he wasn't eating much, including the coconut oil.
In any case, with the help of his carers, like you, we are tracking his progress.
This week, a pharmacologist friend mentioned that there have been studies about the effect of turmeric (or specifically curcumin) on Alzheimer's/dementia:
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2012/s3604087.htm . The mechanism seems to be similar to the way coconut oil/ketones are supposed to work.
For more detail, see:
http://voices.yahoo.com/turmeric-brain-research-9005631.html , which includes a theory about why drug companies may not be interested in researching potential natural treatments like coconut oil and turmeric.
Interesting to read that India, where turmeric (not to mention coconut oil) is often included in cooking, has 4.4 times less Alzheimer's than the US.
I'm hesitating about adding a teaspoon of turmeric in a glass of hot milk to my father's current diet: I see turmeric has side effects, including interaction with aspirin, which my father takes, and possible liver damage:
http://voices.yahoo.com/side-effects-aware-taking-turmeric-5749704.html?cat=5 . Best to check with a doctor first.
By the way, another thing which may help is Vitamin B supplements:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11232356 (or if you prefer the technical explanation:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0012244 )