Alzheimer’s Disease
Vaccines Against Dementia? New Evidence Reveals …
For decades, drug companies poured billions of dollars into anti-amyloid Alzheimer research. They were incredibly successful at creating drugs to lower this sticky brain peptide. But dramatically redu…
Could Step Counters Help Us Ward Off Dementia?
Do you wear a FitBit or a fancy watch? What about a lower-tech pedometer? Step counters are popular because they give us feedback on how many steps we have taken in a day. Even if the common goal of 1…
Listen to Music to Stay Sharp and Other Steps to…
Many people would like more information on steps to prevent dementia. Perhaps they have taken care of a family member during a long, slow decline. Or maybe they have watched a neighbor or friend gradu…
Show 1451: Rethinking Dementia: Is What We Belie…
For decades, neurologists and pharmaceutical firms have been focused on amyloid plaque building up in the brains as the cause of Alzheimer disease. Drug companies have developed compounds to remove th…
Reduce Your Risk of Dementia with Physical Activ…
Older people who would like to stay sharp can take one simple step: keep moving! Numerous studies indicate that physical activity has cognitive benefits. According to recent studies, every little bit …
The Vaccine Controversy Is Dividing America
We have written hundreds of articles on divisive health topics. They include cholesterol and heart disease, seed oils, statins, opioids for pain, COVID treatments, food fights, vitamins, home remedies…
How Good Is the Shingrix Vaccine Against Shingle…
If you ever had chickenpox as a kid, you are at risk for shingles as an adult. That's because the virus that causes this childhood illness is varicella zoster, the same virus that causes shingles. Eve…
Is Gum Disease a Culprit Leading to Heart Diseas…
If you ask most healthcare professionals how to avoid heart disease, chances are they will tell you to exercise, eat a healthy diet and lower your LDL cholesterol (with a statin if needed). At last co…
What’s In Your Armpits: Magnesium or Alumi…
Most people rarely read labels. Do you have any idea what's in your toothpaste, shampoo or sunscreen? What about your antiperspirant or deodorant? Be honest, now. Have you ever checked your antiperspi…
Will Gum Disease Boost Your Risk for Dementia?
If you are trying to reduce your chance of developing Alzheimer disease, you might want to schedule an appointment with your dentist. New research suggests that gum disease should join the list of fac…
The Infection Factor: Rethinking Heart Disease a…
Ask most healthcare professionals what causes heart attacks and strokes and you will be told that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is triggered by too much cholesterol and related lipid compounds circulat…
Shingles Vax Reduces Risk of Heart Attack, Strok…
The anti-vaccine movement has been gaining momentum, but there is growing evidence that the shingles vax offers benefit far beyond protection against shingles. Several studies have demonstrated that t…
What Should You Eat to Reduce Your Risk of Demen…
Do you know how to keep your brain healthy as you grow older? Often, people want to know what you should eat to reduce your risk of dementia. The Framingham Offspring Study offered some answers to tha…
Rediscovering Low-Dose Lithium for Mood Disorder…
Lithium is a chemical element that is widespread in nature. You can find it in the earth's crust, in water and even in the food you eat. Depending upon where you live, there is a good chance that ther…
Will Olive Oil Protect Your Brain?
Scientists have found plenty of evidence that extra-virgin olive oil can fight inflammation. Now they believe that it might help protect your brain against cognitive decline or even Alzheimer disease.…
Will COVID Increase the Risk of Alzheimer’…
At last count, COVID-19 has infected more than 111,820,082 people in the US. Over 1.2 million have died. Those are probably conservative numbers. Worldwide, the case count is over 700 million and more…
Will L-Lysine for Cold Sores Protect the Brain f…
A connection between cold sores (caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 or HSV-1) and Alzheimer disease has been tossed around for decades. You can read more about it here. How good is the evidence? So…
Could A PERSONALIZED Exercise Program Save Your …
There are a couple of health problems that everyone dreads. A diagnosis of cancer is most unwelcome. Neurological conditions run a close second, though. If a doctor diagnoses Parkinson's disease or AL…
How Can You Keep Your Brain Healthy?
Are there ways to keep your brain healthy as well as your body? A major trial called US POINTER has just shown that increased exercise and improved diet, along with other interventions, can boost cogn…
Will Your Diet Help You Avoid Dementia?
A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, olive oil and fish is good for the heart. Might it also be good for the brain? Evidence increasingly points in that direction. Analyses show that follow…
Insulin Resistance Raises the Risk for Alzheimer…
What do you know about your chance of developing dementia as you grow older? When it comes to the risk for Alzheimer disease, many people focus on genetic factors. People who have the e4 variant of th…
Can You Prevent Alzheimer Disease with L-Lysine?
Intriguing research suggests that the dementia we call Alzheimer disease may sometimes be triggered by a common infection: herpes virus. Although the story is not yet complete, the brain's immune resp…
Personalized Approach Can Lower Risk for Dementi…
Alzheimer disease and other types of dementia are among the most common and feared conditions of older people. According to the CDC, nearly six million American currently suffer from on of these disor…
Staying Fit Helps the Brain as Well as the Body
Most people know that staying fit is a great way to maintain health. People who are physically active are less likely to suffer cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks or strokes (Advances in Ex…
Herpes Hypothesis? Antiviral Herpes Drugs vs. Al…
For decades, American neuroscientists have hitched their horses to the amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer disease (AD). Billions have been spent developing drugs to rid the body of amyloid brain plaques.…
Who Should Take Leqembi (lecanemab) for Dementia…
Back in 2023, the headlines about Leqembi were hard to miss! The New York Times announced: “New Federal Decisions Make Alzheimer’s Drug Leqembi Widely Accessible.” The Washington Post offered:…
Could Antiviral Drugs Help Control Alzheimer Di…
Neuroscientists are starting to recognize that the brain is not a sterile organ. In other words, the brain has a microbiome just like the digestive tract. There are bacteria, fungi and viruses that po…
Nicotine Patch for Long COVID or Alzheimer’s? …
For decades, researchers have considered nicotine a serious health problem. It is, after all, the addicting compound in cigarettes and other tobacco products. Humans have apparently been using tobacco…
Could Aggressive Blood Pressure Control Save You…
A new study suggests that aggressive blood pressure control may have benefits for cognitive function. Scientists reached that conclusion from a large Chinese study published in Nature Medicine, April …
What Can Help You Stay Sharp as You Age?
Do you know how to stay healthy? Chances are you are aware that exercise and diet are keystones of good health throughout your life. You and your health care provider may also be paying attention to y…
Can Your Medicine Cause Confusion or Memory Loss…
Have you ever experienced trouble finding the right word? What about forgetting someone’s name you should know? How about having a hard time finding your car at the supermarket or airport? Most of t…
Do You Have Confidence in the FDA? Has this Watc…
We used to have tremendous confidence in the FDA. When we started writing about pharmaceuticals nearly 50 years ago, the agency was highly respected. It had mostly protected American children from the…
Antidepressant Drugs and Dementia: The Link Gets…
Tens of millions of people take SSRI and SNRI-type antidepressants on a daily basis. SSRI stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. SNRI stands for serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhib…
Forgetfulness or Worse: Are Medications Raising …
Baby boomers are getting old. This is the generation that was born between 1946 and 1964. In five short years they will all be over 65. There are more than 70 million of them and many are starting to …
Show 1416: Exposing Fraud and Arrogance in Alzhe…
This week, we explore the evidence that some respected researchers in the field of Alzheimer’s disease took shortcut or even manipulated their data to get the results they wanted. How did our guests…
Memory Makers or Memory Takers: Medications and …
Visitors to this website and subscribers to our newsletter know that we have been highly critical of the FDA’s approval of anti-amyloid drugs for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). They are expensive, ba…
Do Cold Sores Increase the Risk for Alzheimer Di…
Swedish researchers started wondering whether cold sores increase the risk for dementia more than a decade ago (Alzheimer's & Dementia, online, Oct. 7, 2014). They identified patients diagnosed wi…
What Is the Difference Between Healthspan and Li…
Healthspan and lifespan are such similar words that it is only reasonable to wonder about their differences. In short, lifespan refers to how long you live, regardless of your state of health. Healths…
Show 1412: Beyond Amyloid: The Science That Coul…
This week, we look at the new pharmaceuticals that the FDA has approved for treating Alzheimer disease. Although they are effective at removing amyloid plaques from the brain, they don’t seem to hel…
Microbes on the Mind: How the Brain Microbiome A…
Everyone is aware that we have a microbiome within our digestive tract. It’s a whole ecological system unto itself containing bacteria, viruses and fungi. For decades, medical students learned that …