Ignore the ‘Prevention Doesn’t Sell’ Crowd

‘Prevention Doesn’t Sell’ is a phrase that many advertising and marketing people live by.

It’s in our nature as humans. We often ignore problems until they become to big to ignore.

Then we want a quick fix to make them go away.

Not a good strategy.

Especially when it comes to Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Research is showing there can be changes in your body as early as your 20s and 30s that will lead to cognitive decline.

There are even cases of ‘early onset Alzheimer’s’ where people in those decades of life actually show symptoms of the disease.

The trouble is that nobody wants to know they have Alzheimer’s. For most people it becomes a death sentence. The doctors tell you there is nothing you can do about it.

“Get your affairs in order” they say. Then they will describe what will happen to you, rather than offer you hope.

The doctors will prescribe drugs like Aricept (Donepezil) or Lecanemab which may slow it down a little. Not stop it.

With that thinking, many people put off testing for Alzheimer’s. This could be the worst thing you can do.

Early detection may now mean you have a shot of preventing or even reversing it. There are lifestyle changes from the Bredesen Protocol or a variation called the Enhance Protocol that can help.

Those protocols are most effective when you catch the disease early and go on them. If you’re 95 and on hospice, you don’t have much of a chance of reversing the decline. Especially if you’ve had full-blown Alzheimer’s for many years.

If you find out you have it early, you have a really good shot at avoiding it. Even if you are showing the first symptoms your chances are pretty good.

Regardless of what stage you’re in, it still seems worthwhile to fight.

Now there are also tests that can help you fight. They can show those early changes in your brain that may very well lead to Alzheimer’s.

One set of tests is called BRAINSCAN. BRAINSCAN is a set of three tests to test for Alzheimer’s markers:

1. p-Tau 217 – a specific biomarker for Alzheimer-related processes, which is both an early warning for avoiding dementia and for tracking disease progression and improvement.

2. NfL (neurofilament light) – a biomarker that tells us whether there is ongoing damage to our brain cells from vascular disease, head trauma, or any neurodegenerative process. 

3. GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein) – a biomarker of ongoing inflammation and repair in the brain. 

Note: These tests alone do not provide a definitive diagnosis and should be interpreted in conjunction with clinical signs and symptoms. 

The first test especially can detect Alzheimer’s issues in the presymptomatic phase of Alzheimer’s. That means aggressive lifestyle changes can make a big difference in memory for the rest of your life.

Don’t put your head in the sand. Look into testing early on.

One other thing to consider. Dr Bredesen and others tell us aggressive lifestyle changes after testing will prevent or reverse Alzheimer’s.

Wouldn’t it make sense to make those aggressive lifestyle changes regardless of the test results? Some of the most effective changes are to change your diet and exercise routine. Why not make those changes now? Then your test results may be a time to celebrate, rather than worry and change then.