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| Minding Your Blood
Pressure Could Prevent Alzheimer's |
| Submitted by: Miranda
Fellows |
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Controlling blood pressure
just might be the best protection yet known against
dementia.
In a flurry of new research, scientists scanned people's
brains to show hypertension fuels a kind of scarring
linked to later development of Alzheimer's disease and
other dementias. Those scars can start building up in
middle age, decades before memory problems will appear.
Scientists have long noticed that some of the same triggers
for heart disease -- high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes
-- seem to increase the risk of dementia, too.
But for years, they thought that link was with "vascular
dementia," memory problems usually linked to small
strokes. Now they have learned that factors like hypertension
also seem to spur Alzheimer's disease-like processes.
Alzheimer's numbers continue to rise.
According to the new Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures
report for 2009, 5.3 million people in the U. S. now
have the disease, which bumps it up to the sixth leading
cause of death. A new case emerges every 70 seconds.
Alzheimer's disease is also another major burden to
the economy and cost us 148 billion dollars in 2009.
Alzheimer's type dementia isn't a disease limited to
those of you over age 65. Some 200,000 to 250,000 people
under age 65 are inexplicably stricken with so-called
"early-onset Alzheimer's."
Alzheimer's is just as much a threat to the future of
American adults as the rampant rise in autism is to
our children. Clearly something is wrong. Alzheimer's
is not a normal part of aging, any more than autism
is a normal developmental "stage" for your
child.
What is Alzheimer's?
Alzheimer's disease is a chronic form of dementia that
results in severe memory loss and eventually death.
The average lifespan of someone with Alzheimer's is
about eight years, although many can survive up to 20
years with proper care.
The Major Four Culprits Causing Alzheimer's
There are four huge factors responsible for the nerve
damage that leads to Alzheimer's disease:
1. Insulin resistance
2. Insufficient omega-3 fatty acids
3. Aluminum toxicity
4. Mercury toxicity
Insulin resistance is a major factor in elevating your
blood pressure, as well as for packing on excess weight,
elevating your lipids, and elevating your blood sugar.
If you are producing too much insulin, you're going
to be at risk for all of these-and Alzheimer's as well.
It isn't surprising that there is a correlation between
hypertension and Alzheimer's disease. After all, Alzheimer's
is tied to:
1. Obesity, especially increased belly fat
2. Insulin resistance
3. Eleveated Uric Acid levels Heart disease
4. Diabetes
Studies show that if you eat a diet high in animal-based
omega-3-fatty acids, like high quality krill oil, you
will lower your risk for Alzheimer's. But increasing
your omega-3 isn't enough-you must also decrease the
amount of omega-6, because the ratio between the two
is important.
Aluminum, along with other heavy metals, is prevalent
in your environment and can accumulate in the soft tissues
of your body. Aluminum in your brain has been shown
to increase Alzheimer's risk. Aluminum can also be found
in many common products including dental amalgams, antiperspirants,
some antacids, aluminum cans, non-stick cookware, and
vaccines.
Mercury is another factor in dementia, having been shown
to lead to the formation of "amyloid plaques."
Scientists have reported that even trace amounts of
mercury can cause the type of nerve damage that is characteristic
of the damage found in Alzheimer's disease-for example,
the amount that leaches into your tissues from a dental
amalgam.
Insulin Resistance and Alzheimer's Disease
Insulin Resistance is associated with both heart disease
and dementia, so it follows that elevated blood pressure
would be associated as well.
Insulin is produced by your brain, as well as by your
pancreas.
Insulin and insulin receptors in your brain are crucial
for learning and memory, and it's known that these components
are lower in people with Alzheimer's disease. In your
brain, insulin binds to an insulin receptor at a synapse,
which triggers a mechanism that allows nerve cells to
survive and memories to form.
However, researchers have found that small toxic proteins,
called ADDLs, in the brains of Alzheimer's patients
remove insulin receptors from nerve cells, rendering
those neurons insulin resistant. It has been suggested
that ADDLs accumulate in the beginning of Alzheimer's
disease (by forming sticky clumps), thereby blocking
memory function.
There is even a test that measures ADDL in your spinal
fluid, claiming to detect Alzheimer's disease in its
early stages.
Another link between insulin resistance and Alzheimer's
is inflammation caused by excess body fat. Fat cells
produce substances that affect your immune system, which
in excess, trigger inflammation. And inflammation in
your brain is thought to be one of the precursors to
dementia.
The best way to lower your risk for both hypertension
and Alzheimer's is to drastically decrease the foods
that cause your pancreas to flood you with insulin.
Fortunately, the steps you take to manage your blood
pressure will also serve to lower your Alzheimer's risk.
Could it All be One Disease?
We have known for a long time that nearly all chronic
degenerative diseases are related, and most have similar
underlying causes.
But the link between hypertension, insulin resistance,
and dementia really illustrates how body imbalances
can lead to "multi-system failure"-meaning,
multiple diseases.
But here's the good news: successfully addressing one
problem will typically improve all of the others.
Six years ago there was a report published in the Journal
of Hypertension that found high blood pressure related
to a decline in cognitive function for adults of all
ages. The long-term study utilized 20 years of data
about blood pressure and cognitive performance.
Clearly, the idea that blood pressure and Alzheimer's
are linked is not new.
You Can Prevent High Blood Pressure and Alzheimer's
at the Same Time
You can normalize your blood pressure and lower your
risk for Alzheimer's disease by implementing a few simple
techniques that address the underlying causes of both:
1. The newest emerging threat to insulin resistance
is fructose. Fructose does a major number on insulin
resistance. Since it is the leading source of calories
in America, eliminating or drastically reducing fructose
from your diet will go a long way towards preventing
Alzheimer's.
2. Eat a nutritious diet with plenty of fresh vegetables
based on your nutritional type, and pay special attention
to avoiding sugar and most grains.
3. Eat plenty of high quality omega 3 or fish oil. Unfortunately,
you should avoid eating lots of fish because the vast
majority is now contaminated with mercury.
4. Optimize your vitamin D through safe sun exposure,
and/or vitamin D supplements.
5. Avoid and eliminate mercury from your body. Dental
amalgam fillings are one of the major sources of mercury,
however you should be healthy prior to having them removed.
Before having your dental amalgams removed, make the
necessary dietary changes and implement Carib Wellness
mercury detox protocol. Consult ONLY a competent biologically
trained dentist or your health could end up worse, not
better.
1. Avoid Aluminum, which is an ingredient in many everyday
products, including some brands of antiperspirants,
cosmetics, toiletries, cleaning products and cookware.
2. Avoid prescription drugs whenever possible, especially
sleeping pills, high blood pressure drugs, hormone replacement
drugs and antipsychotics, which have all been linked
to dementia; some of the worst drugs for cognitive side
effects are Aldomet, Inderal, Tagamet and Xanax.
3. Exercise for five hours per week. According to one
study, the odds of developing Alzheimer's nearly quadrupled
for people age 20 through 60, who were less active during
their leisure time, as compared with their peers.
4. Avoid flu and other vaccinations as they often contain
both mercury AND aluminum, which are both damaging to
your brain.
5. Wild blueberries, which are high in anthocyanins
and antioxidants, are known to guard against Alzheimer's
and other neurological diseases.
6. Drink plenty of pure, filtered water that you know
to be free of aluminum and fluoride.
7. Exercise your brain. Mental Stimulation such as traveling,
learning to play an instrument, or doing crossword puzzles
is associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer's.
Researchers suspect that mental challenge helps to build
up your brain, making it less susceptible to the lesions
associated with Alzheimer's.
For your optimal wellness and disease prevention needs
call Carib Wellness at 469 2147 or 466 9355. |
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