It’s been almost 20 years since I met my first disappearing patient — a nurse in her early 40s, let’s call her Kate. Kate was diagnosed with breast cancer. As a nurse, she had seen the results of breast cancer treatments. She was terrified, and determined. She was not heading for surgery, nor chemotherapy, nor radiation.
But Kate worked in a hospital. She worked with the doctors who diagnosed her cancer, and she worked with the surgeon, who wanted to schedule her into surgery “as soon as possible.”
The first thing Kate did was slow down. She did some research. It didn’t take her long to remind herself that in Canada, and in the USA, the treatments for cancer are akin to law. No hospital would dare deviate from the deadly three (cut, poison, burn).
Kate’s cancer was not large.
She had been tested for cancer last year and no cancer was found. She knew it took many years for cancers to develop. At first, she was furious, “If it is here today, it must have been here last year. Why didn’t you find it last year?” It had not metastasized. It was not growing rapidly and was not affecting her health in any way. In theory, she had lots of time. So, she took some time.
But Kate didn’t look for magic cures.
She didn’t search for the latest “cancer medicine.” She wasn’t interested in curing herself. She knew she was a nurse, not a doctor. She searched instead for the “cured” – patients who were diagnosed with cancer, and no longer had cancer. She knew from her work in the hospital, from conversations with patients, and with some staff, that these people existed — but from the perspective of the medical establishment, they seemed to disappear.
It didn’t take her long to find some patients who claimed they were cured. They hadn’t disappeared from life. They were eating, drinking, loving, and living full healthy and prosperous lives. But according to the medical records, they didn’t exist. They were “never cured.”
The medical system treated their cures as “anecdotal.” It ignored them. There was no attempt by any doctors to understand what happened to these cancer patients. They were no longer sick. The medical system looks after sick patients, treats sick patients. These patients were not sick.
Kate looked and listened.
Her interest was not clinical science vs. anecdotal evidence.
Her interest was personal. She talked, listened, and compared stories. From several, she learned about a clinic that did not claim to cure cancer. It did not use medicines to treat cancers.
But patients were cured, somehow. This clinic was not in Canada. It was not in the USA. She would have to go to Mexico to learn more.
There are lots of alternative treatment clinics in Mexico.
Are some of them valid, using important techniques to cure cancers?
Are some of them scams, wanting to take money from desperate clients?
Do some of them have a cure that works sometimes, but might not work for her?
Kate didn’t know. She did more research. She called the clinic.
The staff did not claim to cure cancer.
Claiming to cure cancer is dangerous, even for a clinic outside of North America. They suggested Kate visit the clinic and see what happens there, no charge for a visit, but she would need to pay for her travel to Mexico. Kate had done her research. She had met and talked to patients whose cancers had disappeared.
Kate made her decision.
She was familiar with cancer diagnosis techniques in Canada.
She had undergone a physical examination, a mammogram, that detected a lump in her breast. Then she had a biopsy, where tissue was taken from the lump and was sent to a lab for analysis. The lab technician tested and examined the sample and issued a diagnosis “cancer” or “not cancer.” Once the diagnosis is issued, everybody swings into action.
Kate knew that the mammogram had a high false positive rate and a false negative rate. Many people who are diagnosed with a “possible cancer” by a mammogram do not actually have cancer. She was also aware that cancer biopsies have a false positive rate and a false negative rate, as well. Her work in the hospital, with real patients, had made this very clear.
They didn’t really know for certain if she had cancer.
Her surgeon, on the other hand, was still pressing her to schedule treatment.
Kate knew one thing. She had time. She cashed out some savings and booked a “holiday” in Mexico.
At the clinic, Kate was surprised that there was no “cancer diagnosis.” They did check the presence and size of the lump on her breast. But they didn’t repeat the biopsy. The clinic read her diagnostic reports, but did not investigate them further. There was instead a very thorough analysis completed by a suite of doctors. It took two full days of tests and interviews, if I remember correctly.
Kate was asked about her family’s medical histories.
She gave blood samples. She was questioned extensively about her diet, about what she eats on a regular basis. What foods does she like and eat often? What foods does she not like and never eat? Doctors examined her lungs, her heart, liver, and other bodily organs with various tests. Her immune system was tested. Extensive interviews about her life, her work, her relationships, and more.
At the time I talked to Kate, I didn’t realize that she was not getting a “medical analysis,” she was actually getting a “healthicine analysis.” Her tests and questions fit perfectly to the hierarchy of healthicine: genetics, nutrition, cells, tissues, organs, bodily systems, body, mind, spirit, and community.
Kate’s genetics were analyzed through family history. There may have been further genetic analysis, I don’t remember all of the details. Her nutritional status was analyzed, not just by analyzing what she ate, and what she preferred to eat, but also by studying what she didn’t like to eat, what she deliberately never ate, what foods she believed she was allergic to. Her cells and tissues were analyzed directly, through blood samples and physical examination, and indirectly through medical history and other tests.
Many of her organs were tested for healthiness.
Her bodily systems, immune system, circulatory system, respiratory system, hormonal systems and more were analyzed and assessed. Her physical body was measured, weighed, and examined. Her mental health was assessed, as well as her spiritual healthiness. She was in good spirits, even in light of a potentially life threatening illness. Her community health was analyzed as well. Her family, her relationships with her children, her spouse, her parents, her work community, and more.
After a few days, Kate met with a group of doctors to discuss her health, not her illness, her healthiness. Diagnosing illness is difficult. Analyzing healthiness is more complex. It took several doctors and several hours for Kate to learn and understand what they had learned about her healthinesses and her unhealthinesses.
They then “prescribed” two weeks, if I remember correctly, of healthiness training, tailored to Kate’s specific situation. She spent the next two weeks at the clinic, learning to be healthier, not learning how to be “healthier in principle,” rather – learning what Kate needed to do to make her diet, her body, her mind, her spirits, and even her relationships with her communities healthier. She could not change her work community. But she could change how she reacted to and interacted with it – to improve her own health. After two weeks of learning at the clinic, her breast lump had started to shrink.
Kate went back to Canada, to put her learning into action.
The lump disappeared. Her diagnosis was still there on paper. But her “cancer” had disappeared. She was retested at her hospital and no cancer was found.
Then Kate began to disappear.
When the surgeon asked again, she explained that she was not going to surgery.
The surgeon looked away. He refused to look her in the eye after that.
But Kate didn’t disappear from her family. She went back to her family. She didn’t disappear from her job. She went back to her job. She disappeared from the cancer system. Her cancer disappeared, so, as a cancer patient, she disappeared.
Was she cured? We don’t know.
There is no useful definition of a cancer cure.
No medical or scientific test that can prove a patient has been cured of cancer. Our cancer treatment statistics have no count for people who are cured of cancer. Patients that are cured, whether they are cured with medicines or not, are not counted. No breast cancer patients are officially cured by medicine. If their cancer goes away without treatment, they disappear from statistics. If their cancer is killed by radiation, chemotherapy or surgery, they are not cured, they are a “survivor.” Everyone knows that cancer survivors are always waiting for the cancer to reappear. Their symptoms are in remission, but their cancer is not cured. They are not cured. With no proof of a cure, it might just be hidden.
Kate no longer has cancer.
She paid, from her own pocket, for her trip to a clinic in Mexico. After the trip, her cancer disappeared. She had medical insurance. But her insurance wouldn’t pay for her trip. Insurance pays for treatments, not for cures. It pays for treatments, even if they fail. But it does not pay for success. Success disappears.
There are two ways for a cancer patient to disappear.
You might be cured by health. Or you might be cured by a medicine that is not approved. In both cases, the medical system will ignore the cure, and ignore the patient.
If it is not curable – it is not a disease, it is a handicap, a disability, a deficiency, or simply an attribute of the person. All diseases can be cured by definition. I have since met several cancer patients who have disappeared, and not just cancer patients. Maybe you have too?
I’ve met more by internet, email, etc.
There is no way for me to determine if a disappeared patient actually had cancer, if their treatment cured their cancer, if their body cured their cancer or if they still have cancer. We can only tell if there is another cancer diagnosis. Nothing can be told from the absence of a diagnosis.
There is no way for any doctor to tell either.
There are no tests for a cancer cure. There is no way to recognize, much less document a cancer cure. There are no statistics for cancers cured. Many cured patients don’t disappear quietly. They speak out. They write books and newspaper articles. They blog. But it doesn’t matter. They still don’t count.
Once cured, they disappear.
The medical system does not study their cases, does not study their diagnosis, does not study their cures. For chronic diseases, like cancer, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, even obesity, and many more, there are no techniques to document “cured patients.” As a result, there are no statistics for “cured patients” of any chronic illness.
Once they are cured, they disappear.
Health doesn’t cure illness, it disappears.
And medicine doesn’t count people who have disappeared.
Herbal remedies, Vitamin B-17, hyperthermia, cannabis, bio-oxidative therapies, frequency machines, and detoxification are just a few non-toxic treatments that are being successfully used by thousands of people across the globe to treat their cancer.
To learn more, please visit The Truth About Cancer and sign up to the cancer treatments online summit, “The Truth About Cancer: A Global Quest”. In this exclusive 9-part docu-series, more than 100 doctors, scientists, researchers, and cancer survivors join together to give you the real information no one is telling you about cancer, including documented evidence from doctors and scientists around the world, plus insights and solutions for cancer you’ve probably never heard before.
My Mom Not So Long Ago!
They ban books on real cures that have existed for eons, our own gov’t suppresses this on both sides. There have been cancer cures here forever, worst of all they are causing it with their legislation they pass when you dig into it. My mom was cured of advanced, stage 4 small cell lung cancer in Germany through alternative medicine.
They ostracized her here in the mainstream medical system when she came back cancer free and the FBI came to my parents’ house investigating a source of natural supplements they had brought in. They gave her 3 months to live and in less than 3 weeks with these treatments, noon-toxic, she was cancer free and cured. The mainstream system turned their nose up and would not even perform any requested diagnostics.
Of course you do not want to keep doing their mainstream CAT Scans as it reactivates cancer cells with all that radiation. When we requested our own type of lab tests for testing that are non-toxic due to researching and speaking to Dr’s that are true Dr’s and were trained in mainstream and went on to train in other alternative modalities they rebutted our family. Our mainstream medical system is a mafia. Quit giving money to the mainstream system which actually kills you. ~ Shakira Morrison
INTRODUCTION Many individuals—especially older adults—panic when they experience episodes of forgetfulness, wondering whether memory lapses such as forgetting names and losing track of house keys are early dementia symptoms. While it is true that the incidence of dementia increases with age, there are many factors that influence memory ability and cognition that have nothing to do with progressive neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Learning more about such issues as how memory works, how and why memory performance changes, and how to increase memory power can help you resist memory decline, and recognize symptoms of memory loss that call for medical assessment.
Genetics accounts for about half of our memory ability—some people may be born with the capacity to easily retain what they learn, while others may have to work harder. The other half of memory is shaped by our environment. Factors such as diet, education, and medical care all combine to affect brain function. If you weren’t blessed with a strong memory, there is evidence that you may be able to improve your memory performance through changes in your lifestyle and behavior.
Memory has three distinct phases: encoding, storage, and retrieval.
Information from your sense organs is transmitted via neurons to the regions of your brain that are associated with vision, sound, smell, taste, and touch. The impulses speed from one nerve cell to another across tiny gaps called synapses. Each of the individual cues is combined into a single memory in a region of your brain called the hippocampus. This process is known as encoding. Next comes the storage phase of the process. Your hippocampus sends the memory to the cerebral cortex, a kind of permanent file cabinet.
There are two distinct mechanisms to memory storage: short-term (working) memory and long-term memory.
Short-term memory involves information your mind stores for immediate recall. Your short-term memory can hold small amounts of information for limited amounts of time, such as remembering a telephone number long enough to find a phone and dial the number. Long-term memory involves retaining information for days, months, or years. The brain can store almost limitless amounts of long-term memory, which is why we can learn so many new things and retain what we’ve learned for many years.
Memories can be retrieved either through recall or recognition. Recall involves directly accessing a memory, such as remembering the name of a book you read a week ago. Recognition involves cues that help you retrieve a memory, such as the process used in school multiple-choice tests.
Studying How Normal Memory Works
Many scientists believe that a memory is formed when a brief pattern of electrical impulses moves through a network of neurons, strengthening connections between the affected brain cells. This leaves a “memory trace” in the brain, which is revived when the information is later recalled. The brain has many different areas, each of which specializes in different types of information. Researchers now know that certain attributes of a memory are grouped with other, similar recollections. For example, the smell of popcorn may be grouped together with remembrances of favorite films. When you recall information, your brain cross-references the many different attributes of that memory. Using techniques like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans, researchers have been able to map connectivity between different brain regions and capture brain activity that indicates where certain memories are created and what the likelihood is that someone will be able to recall that information.
How Memories Are Lost Most
Most memory problems are not related to dementia. In the majority of individuals, the problem stems from physical or emotional issues, or from the normal effects of aging. Dehydration, fever, head injury, low thyroid function, liver and kidney problems, high blood pressure, obesity, poor nutrition, low blood sugar, and reactions to medications all are physical factors that can cause temporary memory impairment. Fortunately, these conditions can be treated. Emotional distress also can have a devastating effect on memory. Repeated stress, sleeplessness, depression, and anxiety can interfere with the normal encoding and storage process, and can significantly affect your ability to remember even the simplest things.
Age-Associated Memory Impairment (AAMI)
In addition to the everyday memory loss caused by physical and emotional factors, aging itself can take a toll on memory. This natural process, called age-associated memory impairment (AAMI), may start as early as our late 20s and progress as we get older.
Changes related to AAMI include:
• Loss of brain cells (neurons). This process usually occurs gradually over time. People who remain healthy and are mentally, socially, and physically active are able to generate new cells to replace many of these lost neurons.
• Reduced levels of certain hormones and neurotransmitters that are involved in the transmission of signals among cells in the brain, and to and from the brain and other parts of the body.
• Brain atrophy. The brain loses both volume and weight with age. This shrinkage is the result of the gradual loss of neurons (the brain’s “gray matter”) and damage to the branch-like dendrites and nerve fibers called axons (the brain’s “white matter”) that extend from the neurons and connect them to other cells.
• Shrinkage of brain tissue on the brain’s surface (gyri), and the grooves on the surface of the brain (sulci) widen. • Increased volume of ventricles (the spaces in the brain that contain cerebrospinal fluid).
• Decreased blood flow to the brain.
• Buildup of toxic proteins. Twisted protein filaments, called neurofibrillary tangles, may form inside nerve cells, and clusters of damaged beta-amyloid proteins, called plaques, may build up in the brain’s gray matter.
The effects of age-associated changes become most apparent after age 50, when people may begin to experience an increase in memory lapses, However, declines in cognitive skills such as reasoning, memory, and vocabulary skills may begin as early as age 45. The older people are, the more difficulty they may have with short-term memory and mental organization. AAMI may cause people to misplace things more easily, occasionally forget a name or phone number, have more trouble multitasking, become easily distracted, or be unable to learn things as easily as they once did.
When Memory Impairment Becomes More Serious
Most people who live into their 70s, 80s, and beyond never experience memory problems more severe than normal age-associated memory impairment. But for some, forgetfulness may get progressively worse and begin to interfere with everyday functioning—important indications that there may be cause for concern. A medical assessment may reveal that the problem is related to a treatable condition. Even when no related health conditions are identified, medications can help improve memory in the early stages of impairment, and ease symptoms such as anxiety or restlessness.
I. WHAT IS DEMENTIA?
Dementia comes in two forms: Primary dementias—such as Alzheimer’s disease or Lewy body dementia (dementia with Lewy bodies, or DLB)—involve damage to or wasting away of the brain tissue. Secondary dementias are memory troubles caused by mental or physical disorders, such as depression or thyroid problems. Changes in brain function with dementia can alter virtually everything about you—including your personality and behavior. According to diagnostic criteria, serious memory lapses may indicate dementia if they are accompanied by at least one other symptom of cognitive decline.
Dementia signs may include:
• Asking the same questions over and over
• Losing the ability to accomplish complex tasks, such as cooking a meal
• Becoming lost in once-familiar places • Forgetting names of familiar people
• Having trouble using language, or putting words together
• Failing to remember regular appointments
• Neglecting personal hygiene—such as brushing your teeth or showering
• Showing signs of mental confusion
• Having difficulty recognizing common objects, like a toothbrush or TV set
• Having trouble coordinating movements
• Experiencing mood symptoms such as anxiety, unusual irritability, or depression.
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
Scientists are working on identifying dementia in its earliest stages so that treatments can be initiated before brain damage has occurred. They are looking beyond the symptoms of age-associated memory impairment to the next stage in memory impairment, which sometimes—but not always—leads to dementia. Called mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, this stage is characterized by memory loss that is worse than that expected for the person’s age group and forgetfulness that may become increasingly noticeable to others. Currently, as many as 10 to 20 percent of Americans aged 65 and older have MCI, up to 15 percent of whom may progress to dementia each year.
People with MCI have more trouble remembering names or words, performing complex tasks, and acquiring and retaining information. People with MCI also perform worse on cognitive tests than is normal for their age group. People with MCI have normal mental function and can still perform their daily activities. They are able to follow written or spoken instructions, and can take care of themselves—that is, get dressed by themselves, prepare their meals without assistance, and go on walks without getting lost. In Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, these functions gradually disappear.
Managing MCI
Having MCI doesn’t necessarily condemn you to certain cognitive decline. Many people with MCI won’t progress to dementia, and there are ways to slow the progression of memory loss. You may be able to help reduce your risk for further decline and perhaps even improve your cognition by adopting the lifestyle and behavioral changes recommended later in this report (see Chapter VII).
If you believe you or a loved one may have MCI, consult a health care provider who can help determine whether the memory impairment may be associated with physical or mental issues that are reversible, and recommend treatment.
Reversible Dementia
Just as with age-associated memory impairment and some cases of MCI, dementia can be temporarily caused by medical or psychiatric conditions, such as a high fever, vitamin deficiency, head trauma, or depression. Because many causes of these secondary dementias are reversible with treatment, it’s important to see a doctor if you’re experiencing sudden memory-loss symptoms, especially if your health has recently changed. The following are among the more common reversible causes of memory loss:
Excess alcohol consumption
Beer, wine, and liquor contain ethyl alcohol, a central nervous system depressant that impairs thought processes, motor control, and memory, and slows overall brain activity. Heavy drinking (more than two alcoholic drinks per day), even without alcohol dependency, can be harmful, research shows.
Those who use tobacco and alcohol are at a substantially higher risk for dementia.
Smokers face a 45 percent greater risk for dementia than nonsmokers.
Smoking damages the heart and blood vessels, limiting crucial blood flow to the brain and increasing the risk for stroke. It increases levels of homocysteine—a damaging amino acid that contributes to stroke and dementia risk, and injures the lungs, reducing the supply of nourishing oxygen to the brain. Quitting smoking can significantly reduce the risk for problems with learning, memory processing speeds, and working memory.
Inflammation
Infections that cause brain inflammation, particularly meningitis (an infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord) and encephalitis (an A infection affecting the brain tissue itself) can contribute to mental decline if they’re not treated quickly and effectively.
Depression
Long-term chronic depression alters levels of key brain chemicals such as serotonin and norepinephrine, slows activity in the parts of the brain associated with executive function and perception, and shrinks the hippocampus (the part of the brain where memory is processed). Untreated depression is associated with a higher risk for dementia. Seek professional advice if you experience symptoms of depression, which include feelings of sadness and hopelessness that last for two weeks or longer, changes in sleep and appetite, restlessness, fatigue, irritability, a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed, confusion, impaired memory, and trouble focusing.
Drug effects and interactions
Certain classes of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, including antidepressants, sleeping pills, anti-anxiety drugs, anticholinergic drugs, and some antihistamines, are known to affect memory and brain function. Chemotherapy or radiation for cancer may also cause memory loss, confusion, and difficulty concentrating—a short-term phenomenon that has been termed “chemo brain.” Older adults are especially vulnerable to cognitive side effects of drugs because of age-associated changes in the brain that heighten sensitivity to medications, and changes in metabolism and reduced liver and kidney function linked to aging. Check with your doctor if you recently began taking a new medication or switched to a higher dose of an existing medication and are experiencing memory problems. Drug-related memory impairment is usually resolved by switching medications, changing the dose, or stopping the problem drug entirely.
Lung problems
Conditions that impair respiratory function—such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, fibrosis, asthma, and even allergies—can reduce the delivery of oxygen to the brain, impairing memory performance. Treatment can help reverse these effects and, in some cases, may also lower long-term risk of more serious memory impairment.
Metabolic disease or abnormalities
Certain metabolic diseases can wreak havoc on your memory, and require assessment and advice from medical professionals.
These include:
Abnormal thyroid function
An underactive (hypothyroidism) or overactive (hyperthyroidism) thyroid gland has been linked with impairments of memory, visuospatial organization, attention, and reaction time. Even subtle variations in thyroid function can cause significant cognitive effects.
Metabolic syndrome
This condition involves a cluster of risk factors that include abdominal obesity, low levels of HDL cholesterol, high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure and insulin resistance. In insulin resistance, the body doesn’t respond appropriately to insulin produced by the pancreas, impairing the ability of glucose to leave the blood and enter the cells as it should. The pancreas produces more insulin to compensate, and this excess insulin can lead to inflammation and damage to the brain.
Diabetes
Diabetes—a disease in which the body cannot use glucose (sugar) properly, resulting in higher-than-normal blood sugar levels—may hasten cognitive decline by contributing to hardening and narrowing of blood vessels (atherosclerosis), which can reduce or block blood flow to brain tissue and deprive brain cells of necessary oxygen and nutrients. Depending on where the blockage in the blood vessel occurs, memory can be affected. Some studies suggest that diabetes may be associated with atrophy in the brain’s frontal lobes (responsible for attention and long-term memory) and temporal lobes (responsible for language skills and memory of verbal and non-verbal information).
Sleep problems
Optimal memory performance requires about seven hours of sleep each night. Research suggests that chronic sleep deprivation is associated with memory loss and may increase the risk of developing dementia by as much as 30 percent. Older adults who wake up frequently during the night are more likely than sound sleepers to have amyloid markers in their spinal fluid and amyloid plaque buildup in their brains—both indicators of Alzheimer’s disease. Be sure to get treatment for reversible conditions that can disrupt sleep and may be linked to memory problems, which include:
• Anxiety and/or depression
• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition sometimes associated with obesity in which the muscles in the upper airway that support the soft palate, tongue, and other structures relax and collapse, blocking the air passages and causing temporary cessation of breathing
• Restless legs syndrome (RLS), which interferes with sleep by causing unpleasant sensations in the legs that occur just before falling asleep or during the night.
Stress
Stress increases the brain’s release of the hormone cortisol, which can damage both the hippocampus and neurons, promoting memory problems. The brain effects of excessive levels of cortisol are reversible, but not if the stress continues for months or years. Learning how to manage your stress and anxiety is important for keeping your memory functioning at its peak.
Vitamin deficiency
As you age, your rate of nutrient absorption slows, making it harder for your system to get the essential vitamins it needs. Drinking and smoking exacerbate this problem by leaching nutrients from the body. Vitamin deficiencies that affect brain function include a lack of the B vitamins.
A deficiency of vitamin B12 is associated with pernicious anemia that can damage brain cells and lead to symptoms similar to those of dementia; B6 and folate, which help promote healthy nerves and red blood cells; and vitamin B1 (thiamine), a deficiency of which can, over time, interfere with the ability to create new memories.
People with a B vitamin deficiency often have elevated levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which is damaging to brain cells and blood vessels. The B vitamins are found naturally in animal-sourced foods (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products) and in fortified cereals, beans, and dark green vegetables.
Another vitamin deficiency with effects on the memory is lack of vitamin D.
Up to 70 to 80 percent of people older than 75 are thought to be deficient in this vitamin, a hormone produced by the action of ultraviolet light (UVB) on the skin that nurtures the development of the brain and nerve cells and protects them against injury. Low blood levels of vitamin D are associated with worse performance on cognitive tests and higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Spending as little as five to 30 minutes getting unprotected sun exposure a couple of days a week can help provide adequate vitamin D. The vitamin can also be consumed in supplement form or in foods such as fish liver oils, fatty fish, fortified dairy products, and cereals.
Irreversible Dementia
Some dementia types are associated with brain damage that is irreversible. These are known as primary dementias, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Apart from AD (which will be covered at greater length in a separate section), the following are important causes of primary, progressive dementia: Vascular dementia (VaD)
Many conditions that adversely affect the heart can damage the brain and nervous system and increase the risk of memory decline. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are the prime actors in VaD, the second most common form of dementia after AD.
Causes of VaD include:
Strokes and transient ischemic attacks
Strokes involve the blockage or rupture of the brain’s blood vessels, which starves brain cells of oxygen and nutrients.
Damage may occur from one large stroke, a milder stroke called a transient ischemic attack (TIAs, or “mini-strokes”) with symptoms that disappear within an hour or so, or over time, as the result of a series of imperceptible tiny mini-strokes that progressively destroy small sections of brain cells. Damage that affects regions of the brain involved in learning and memory can lead to vascular dementia.
Signs of stroke require immediate medical care, and include the following:
• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble with vision in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause.
Although TIAs usually do not cause permanent damage, they require prompt attention to reduce the risk of another, more serious stroke. With multiple tiny mini-strokes, symptoms may appear gradually over time as the damage spreads, and can include memory loss, shuffling movements, inappropriate behavior, and loss of bladder or bowel control.
It’s not possible to reverse the damage caused by a stroke, TIA, or other forms of VaD; however, you may be able to avoid further injury to brain cells by lowering cardiovascular risk factors through simple lifestyle changes. Controlling blood pressure and cholesterol, losing weight, quitting smoking, and managing conditions such as diabetes, abnormal heart rhythm, and coronary artery disease can reduce the risk of vascular events.
Atrial fibrillation (Afib)
One in 20 people over age 65, and one in 10 over 80, has Afib, an abnormal heart rhythm in which chaotic pumping actions cause blood to pool, dramatically increasing the risk for brain-damaging strokes and AD. Treatment for Afib usually includes medication, such as drugs to slow the heart rate and blood thinners to reduce the risk of blood clots; cardioversion, which uses electrical pulses or drugs to restore an erratically beating heart to its normal rhythm; and more rarely, catheter ablation, which burns off heart cells that are producing the abnormal rhythm.
Lewy Body Dementia (or Dementia with Lewy bodies—DLB) DLB is the third most common form of dementia, after AD and vascular dementia, representing between 10 and 25 percent of dementia cases. This condition is characterized by the buildup of abnormal proteins called Lewy bodies inside neurons in areas of the brain responsible for memory, language, and consciousness. These same proteins are found in the brains of people with AD and Parkinson’s disease (PD). People with DLB often develop Parkinson’s-like symptoms—including rigid muscles and a shuffling walk—along with other symptoms, such as confusion, trouble thinking and reasoning, hallucinations, and delusions.
Although no cure exists for DLB, medications can help control Fronto-temporal dementias (FTD) This spectrum of disorders (also known as Pick’s disease) causes atrophy of parts of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, which control memory, personality, and language skills. FTD may account for up to 15 percent of all dementias, and up to 50 percent of dementias in people younger than 65. Symptoms of FTD tend to come on slowly, and typically involve inappropriate behavior, difficulty finding the right words, and personality changes. In its late stages, FTD resembles AD, with significant memory impairment. Although no treatment for FTD exists, antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs may help control the behavioral symptoms.
Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD)
PDD is a dementia type associated specifically with the movement disorder Parkinson’s disease, which is characterized by muscle rigidity in the limbs, tremors and balance difficulties, abnormal deposits of proteins known as Lewy bodies, and the hallmark plaques and tangles of AD. An estimated 50 to 80 percent of people with Parkinson’s will eventually develop PDD. As with other forms of dementia, PDD gets worse over time. It’s important to note that many of the drugs used to treat PD, including anticholinergic drugs and L-dopa, can potentially cause or worsen cognitive, mood, and thought disorders (e.g., hallucinations and delusions). Working closely with a doctor can help people with PD find the drug with the highest benefit in proportion to risk.
When to Seek Help
Everyone has a mental slip from time to time, but negative mental changes that are recent, growing worse, and showing no signs of improvement over the course of weeks or months may be an indication of serious cognitive problems. Individuals who suspect that they may have dementia should seek a thorough assessment from a family doctor or internist, or arrange to see a specialist such as a neurologist, geriatric psychiatrist, geriatric psychologist or geriatrician. Even if an irreversible form of dementia is diagnosed, it is possible to treat the physical and behavioral problems associated with the condition, and to get help coping with it.
II. ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Despite years of research, scientists still don’t know exactly what factor or combination of factors sets the Alzheimer’s disease process in motion. Understanding this process could help lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment.
The Search for Causes of Alzheimer’s
Among the theories scientists are working on to explain the Alzheimer’s disease process are the following:
Amyloid Hypothesis
The amyloid hypothesis suggests that toxic beta-amyloid plaques (sticky clusters of the protein that accumulate between nerve cells) somehow initiate the brain cell destruction observed in AD. The brain normally produces and then eliminates amyloid protein fragments, but in AD, the removal process is impaired and the protein accumulates and forms sticky masses, or plaques, which destroy neurons and cause the gradual loss of brain tissue.
Twisted fibers of abnormal tau protein called neurofibrillary tangles that accumulate within neurons form the basis of the tau hypothesis, another important theory of AD causation. Normally, tau protein builds part of a cellular structure called a microtubule, which helps transport nutrients and other substances from one part of the nerve cell to another. When tangles form, the microtubules break down, leading to deterioration in this transport system and, eventually, to cell death.
Oligomers
Because treatments aimed at reducing the accumulation of plaque in the brain have not improved symptoms of dementia thus far, some scientists are focusing on clumps of beta-amyloid and tau in the brain called oligomers. Beta-amyloid oligomers are thought to disrupt neuronal communication by changing the structure of communication points between brain cells known as synapses, and by promoting the development of neurofibrillary tangles.
A research study using immunotherapy to target tau oligomers in an animal model of AD both reduced levels of tau oligomers and reversed memory declines. Surprisingly, the treatment also reduced levels of beta-amyloid oligomers, suggesting the two types of oligomers may work in concert to damage the brain.
Cholinergic Hypothesis
The cholinergic hypothesis, the foundation for one of the main Alzheimer’s drug treatments, suggests that AD symptoms result from a decrease in production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is essential for learning and memory formation. Acetylcholine production is known to decline with age, but AD is associated with a much more significant decline in acetylcholine levels.
Excitotoxicity
The excitotoxicity holds that an over-activation of receptors for the neurotransmitter glutamate causes AD nerve damage. Glutamate is normally responsible for making neurons “fire” as they relay messages through neuronal networks, and is involved in establishing long-term memories. When normal glutamate processes are disturbed, excessive amounts of this chemical messenger build up in the space between brain cells, attaching to the cells, overstimulating them, and eventually killing them.
Oxidative Stress
Oxidative stress occurs when unstable molecules called free radicals, generated by factors such as environmental toxins, stress, and aging, overwhelm the body’s natural antioxidant defense system. As a result, the body falls behind in its repair of cellular damage. Research suggests high levels of free radicals and oxidative stress are among the earliest changes that occur in AD, however oxidative stress may be a marker of AD rather than a cause.
Inflammation
Inflammation has also been proposed as a root cause of AD. The immune system relies on inflammation to combat viruses, cancers, and other dangerous invaders. But when inflammation persists, it can damage neurons and may trigger excessive production and accumulation of beta-amyloid in the brain. AD has been linked to strokes, head injury, and surgery, which can cause inflammation in the brain, as well as to infections that lead to body-wide inflammation. However, treating people with anti-inflammatory medications in the early stages of AD has thus far not been effective at slowing or preventing the disease.
Insulin Abnormalities
The hormone insulin ferries sugar from the bloodstream into the cells to be used as energy or stored for future needs. In people with diabetes, the body either doesn’t produce insulin, or can’t use it effectively, leading to a buildup of sugar in the bloodstream and resulting damage to organs such as the kidneys and eyes. Researchers have discovered that insulin levels drop significantly in the early stages of AD, and progressively decline as the disease advances. Cell death and neurofibrillary tangles appear to be linked to abnormalities in insulin signaling. The theory has led to suggestions that AD may be a type of diabetes. Recent investigations into whether giving insulin to people with early cognitive impairment might slow this decline have been promising.
Alzheimer’s Stages
People who have Alzheimer’s typically go through a series of stages characterized by gradually worsening symptoms, although not everyone will go through all of the stages nor progress through them at the same rate.
Early-Stage (mild) Alzheimer’s
As AD progresses, the individual may remain independent, but encounters greater difficulty handling multi-step tasks, such as following a complicated meal plan, and may need help paying household bills. Family and friends might notice signs like forgetting familiar words or trouble recalling current events. The person may become increasingly withdrawn in social situations, and exhibit personality changes, irritability, anxiety, or depression, putting a strain on relationships with others.
Mid-Stage (moderate) Alzheimer’s
This is the longest stage of AD, and it is the time when assisted care usually becomes necessary. The person will be unable to remember important information, such as his or her address or phone number. He or she will need help picking out clothes and remembering the date and time. The person may become confused or delusional at times and express irrational fears—for example, that someone is stealing from him or her.
Severe (late-stage) Alzheimer’s
Cognitive ability becomes seriously compromised at this stage, as the person becomes unable to communicate or interact with his or her environment. He or she will need help performing even the simplest tasks, such as using the bathroom or eating, and often loses the ability to recognize loved ones. Although medications may help slow the progress of AD, the disease is still incurable—and irreversible. However, treatments and support systems can significantly improve quality of life for people with the disease.
Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s
The overall risk for developing Alzheimer’s is 10 to 15 percent. Older age is a major factor in the disease, with risk doubling about every five years after the age of 65. By age 85, nearly half of all older adults have AD. There’s little you can do to hold back time, but you can reduce your AD risk by addressing a number of other factors that increase your odds of developing the disease (see chapter 7 of this report). These include:
High Blood Pressure
Uncontrolled high blood pressure (hypertension) increases risk for stroke—a blockage in the brain’s blood supply that can lead to disability, problems with thinking and memory, and dementia. Even smaller strokes (mini-strokes or “silent” strokes) that don’t cause symptoms can lead to memory deficits by creating small areas of dead brain cells that can have a significant and lasting impact on memory. By some estimates, one-quarter of people over age 70 have had a silent stroke. Managing stroke risk factors can help preserve brain function.
Cardiovascular Disease
People with cardiovascular disease and heart conditions such as atrial fibrillation and chronic heart failure may be at significantly higher risk for cognitive impairment. The brain relies on a steady stream of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood from the heart to keep it functioning optimally, and the greater the disruption in blood flow, the greater the decline in cognitive function. Preventing and treating cardiovascular disease and its risk factors can combat mental decline.
Insulin Resistance and Diabetes
Insulin resistance, in which the body’s cells become less sensitive to the effects of insulin and have trouble using sugar for energy, is associated with high insulin levels that are thought to be a major factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. About 40 percent of older Americans have insulin resistance. The same enzyme that breaks down insulin also breaks down the beta-amyloid protein. When insulin levels are high, the enzyme is occupied with breaking down insulin and can’t efficiently clear out beta-amyloid proteins, leading to the brain deposits that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
High blood sugar from insulin resistance is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome—a cluster of conditions that includes an enlarged waistline, high triglyceride levels, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure—and a characteristic of diabetes, both of which can increase risk for memory loss in older people. It is important for people with diabetes to manage the disorder with diet and medications, and to have their cognitive abilities monitored for signs of decline.
Head Injury
A blow or jolt to the head can cause the brain to shift and bend inside the skull, injuring nerve cells. These traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), which include concussions, not only lead to impairment in the area where damage occurs, but might also lead to the formation of beta-amyloid deposits in the brain.
Head injury can increase risk for Alzheimer’s disease—particularly in older people.
Depression
Individuals with depression, which affects an estimated 6.5 million seniors in the U.S., are vulnerable to all types of mental decline, including vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Symptoms of depression include feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, loss of appetite, lack of interest in activities once enjoyed, confusion, social withdrawal, sleep problems, and delusion. In older adults, these symptoms can mimic those of dementia. Depression at any age can be addressed with treatments such as antidepressant medicines and talk therapy.
Poor Diet
An unhealthy diet that is high in fat and low in important nutrients can lead to chemical changes in the brain, accumulation of excess abdominal fat, high blood pressure, and high insulin levels, among other effects. These risk factors may, in turn, contribute to health conditions such as diabetes and stroke, which have been directly associated with increased Alzheimer’s risk. Eating a diet that promotes both heart and brain health may have a protective effect, shielding against the cumulative damage that leads to dementia.
Smoking
Research suggests that current smoking impairs memory function and increases the risk for dementia by 50 percent. Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke face a 44 percent increased risk of dementia. Smoking is thought to affect memory by contributing to cardiovascular disease, a known risk factor for dementia. The tobacco habit also can damage brain cells and stop new cells from forming. Smokers who quit lower their risk for these conditions significantly.
Mental Inactivity
A lack of mental stimulation can be detrimental to cognitive functioning, and may increase risk for dementia. Studies suggest that older adults who often engage in mentally stimulating activities, such as games, puzzles, classes, hobbies, social interactions, and language training, are more likely to stay sharp than those who are mentally inactive.
Stress
Excessive or chronic stress can heighten risk for memory problems, research suggests, most likely because of an association between increases in the hormone cortisol during stressful experiences and damage to synapses in the brain that relay messages among brain cells.
Genetics
Your genetic background plays a role in your AD risk profile. The more family members you have who are affected by Alzheimer’s, the more likely you are to develop the disease.
Researchers have linked a number of single-gene mutations with the early-onset (before age 60) form of Alzheimer’s, which affects fewer than 5 percent of people with the disease. But finding the genetic factors related to late-onset Alzheimer’s has been more challenging.
Researchers have identified one gene variant—apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4)—that appears to increase a person’s risk for developing the disease. Although ApoE4 does not cause Alzheimer’s, it impairs the ability to degrade toxic beta-amyloid, and may lead to more rapid loss of nerve cell functioning in the frontal lobe of the brain, a region involved in higher mental functioning.
People who inherit two copies of ApoE4 have a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s than those who have just one copy. However, because not all people with Alzheimer’s have this ApoE4 genetic variation, and not all people who have the variation will develop the disease, testing for it is not currently considered a useful predictive tool
III. DETECTING ALZHEIMER’S
Although no definitive test for Alzheimer’s yet exists, researchers have learned much more about how the disease begins and progresses. In recent years, scientists have found new ways to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease while it’s still in its early stages.
Diagnosing Alzheimer’s
Individuals who have developed signs of dementia usually begin by seeing a general practitioner for assessment. The physician may make a diagnosis, or refer the person to a neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist, or other specialist.
An Alzheimer’s diagnosis is usually arrived at by eliminating other possible causes of dementia. Assessment typically involves a physical exam, along with a review of the patient’s symptoms, medical history, and current medications. Even if another cause for the dementia is not found, diagnosing and managing conditions such as infection, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, depression, and other problems that can compromise brain function are an important aspect of dementia treatment.
Usually, blood and urine tests are ordered to rule out medical conditions that cause memory loss, such as thyroid problems, kidney or liver dysfunction, or Your doctor may give you simple memory tests, such as the Memory Capacity Test or the Face Name Associative Memory Exam (FNAME).
One or more diagnostic and cognitive function tests may also be recommended, including such instruments as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment test (MoCA), and the Mini-Cog. Neurological tests (which include assessing balance, coordination, eye movement and reflexes) may be used to look for possible brain disorders, such as stroke or Parkinson’s disease.
Brain scans using high-tech imaging with computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and functional MRI (FMRI) are often ordered to help identify strokes, bleeding, or deposits of toxic proteins in the brain, abnormalities in brain structure, or abnormal brain activity.
Alzheimer’s Test Options
A clinical diagnosis can pinpoint Alzheimer’s with more than 90 percent accuracy. But researchers are working to identify new ways of detecting this disease in its very initial stages and distinguishing it from other forms of dementia. Earlier diagnosis will help ensure that as new and better treatments become available, patients can benefit from them before their brain has been irreparably damaged.
Brain imaging is an increasingly important way to look for signs of AD in the living brain, and new neuroimaging techniques are under development that are steadily improving these processes. In addition to brain scanning, other new tests that show promise for detecting very early indications of AD include: Biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid
Proteins released into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF, the fluid that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord) can help doctors identify indicators of damage. For example, researchers have discovered that people with early-stage have increased levels of tau and beta-amyloid proteins in their CSF. Examination of the CFS is an invasive test, which is performed using lumbar puncture or spinal tap to obtain spinal fluid.
Biomarkers in blood or saliva
Certain proteins—including tau and beta-amyloid—may be present at higher levels in the blood and saliva of people with Alzheimer’s. A simple blood test can reveal these biomarkers in the bloodstream. In a recent study, researchers used a technology called liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify unique substances present in the saliva of people with AD, but not in healthy adults.
Sensory changes
Abnormalities affecting sensory organs are often early signs of AD, and might be useful in making a diagnosis, but they must be clearly distinguished from other medical problems that can cause similar sensory changes before they can be fully relied upon as a diagnostic technique. For example, researchers have discovered that impaired smell is linked to elevated beta-amyloid levels, as well as to greater brain cell death. Other studies have found that, compared to healthy individuals, people with AD show signs of eye changes, such as reduced blood flow and cell loss in the retinas of the eyes, and alterations in the retinal nerve fiber. Problems with contrast sensitivity, visual field, depth, motion, and color perception can also indicate Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s prediction methods
Researchers have developed an Alzheimer’s prediction method that involves assigning a score to each of the following risk factors: age, education, gender, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, blood cholesterol, and physical activity. Results suggest that people at high risk for developing dementia within the following 20 years can be identified by combining the scores, and can then implement lifestyle changes that will lower their risk.
IV. TREATING ALZHEIMER’S
To date, no treatment has been found that can halt the progress of Alzheimer’s disease or prevent its destructive effects. Yet treatments are available to relieve some of the most troubling symptoms of Alzheimer’s, and make life easier for both those with the condition and their caregivers.
Alzheimer’s Medications
Drugs used to treat Alzheimer’s can be divided into two categories. One category treats memory, language skills, and other cognitive symptoms of the disease, while the other addresses agitation and other behavioral issues.
Treating cognitive symptoms
Cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine (Namenda) both treat cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
Cholinesterase inhibitors
These drugs boost levels of a brain chemical called acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter essential for proper memory function that is reduced in people with Alzheimer’s disease. The drugs in this class appear to be about equally effective at improving cognition and ability to function and may also slow the progression of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s in about half the people who take them.
The most widely used cholinesterase inhibitors include Donepezil (Aricept), Rivastigmine (Exelon), and Galantamine (Razadyne). NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor antagonist Another drug, memantine (Namenda), is approved to help with memory, attention, reason, language, and other impairments related to Alzheimer’s. The drug regulates the action of a chemical messenger in the brain called glutamate, which in excess can damage nerve cells.
When used alone or with a cholinesterase inhibitor, memantine can delay Alzheimer’s progression and improve cognitive function in some patients. Treating behavioral symptoms Behavioral and psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, agitation, hallucinations, delusions, aggression, hostility, and uncooperativeness are among the biggest reasons why people with Alzheimer’s are institutionalized.
No drug is FDA-approved for treating behavioral symptoms in people with AD, however, several are used off-label, including: Antidepressants and anxiolytics Antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the class of drug used to manage symptoms of depression, and they can also ease irritability and depression in people with Alzheimer’s.
These types of antidepressants include citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), and trazodone (Desyrel). Although these medicines can sometimes contribute to memory loss, older adults with AD and symptoms of depression who are continuously treated with antidepressants may have less cognitive decline than those whose depression is not treated or is treated only intermittently.
Doctors also use a class of medicines called anxiolytics to address symptoms like anxiety, restlessness, and disruptive behavior.
These drugs include lorazepam (Ativan) and oxazepam (Serax). Some research associates higher mortality with the use of these drugs in dementia patients. Antipsychotic medications Among the most disturbing features of dementia are severe emotional symptoms, such as aggression, hostility, anger, hallucinations, and delusions. These symptoms are so distressing that many doctors prescribe antipsychotic medications—such as aripiprazole (Abilify), clozapine (Clozaril), haloperidol (Haldol), olanzapine (Zyprexa), quetiapine (Seroquel), risperidone (Risperdal), and ziprasidone (Geodon)—in an effort to alleviate them.
Yet recent research has called into question the value, and safety, of antipsychotic use in people with dementia. Studies have found that those taking antipsychotic drugs are significantly more likely to die than those not taking the drug and that the risk of death goes up as the drug dose increases. The FDA has issued a “black box” warning, advising of the increased mortality risk among dementia patients who use these medications. Other drugs have been used as alternatives to antipsychotics, and have been shown to help soothe some agitated individuals.
These might include cholinesterase inhibitors, antidepressants, anti-epileptic medications such as divalproex (Depakote), and lithium. If severe behavioral problems, such as hallucinations, delusions or aggression, don’t respond to other therapies, it may be necessary to prescribe antipsychotic drugs in the short term until other, less risky strategies can be found.
Non-Drug approaches In many cases, non-drug approaches to behavioral and psychiatric symptoms can be just as effective as drugs. These approaches involve calming the agitated person by such strategies as: avoiding potentially upsetting situations; allowing for some agitation, provided it does not pose a risk; or responding flexibly through changes in routine and environment.
Alternative Treatments Researchers have studied a number of possible therapies besides prescription medications for relieving AD symptoms, and have found indications that some may help people with AD. However, more research is needed to clearly establish the benefit of some of these treatments.
Cognitive stimulation therapy
Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) involves a series of sessions in which the person participates in a variety of mentally stimulating activities designed to preserve cognitive function. Research finds that CST significantly improves cognitive functioning and quality of life among people with dementia, and it may work as effectively as medication.
Nutritional supplements
It’s important to be cautious and consult your doctor before using any type of supplement, since their benefits have not been clearly established. Supplements are not regulated by the FDA and can sometimes cause side effects. Moreover, the potency and purity of supplements are not guaranteed. Alternative therapies that have been looked at—but not definitively proven to be of benefit for treatment of AD—include:
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an antioxidant made naturally by the body, that is essential for cellular energy production and for controlling cell-damaging free radicals created as a byproduct of that energy production;
Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba is an herbal supplement with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties commonly used in Europe to treat Alzheimer’s.
Huperzine A
Huperzine A is a natural cholinesterase inhibitor derived from moss that has been used for centuries in Chinese traditional medicine to treat memory problems. Omega-3 fatty acids Omega-3 fatty acids are found in food sources such as fatty fish, walnuts, and flaxseed—help modulate the structure of nerve cell membranes and are important to gene expression in the central nervous system.
Alzheimer’s disease is strongly correlated with a decrease in omega-3 levels in the brain and peripheral tissues. Although there are many reasons to include omega-3-rich foods in the diet, recent research suggests that supplements have no significant effect on cognitive function.
V. ON THE HORIZON: AN ALZHEIMER’S CURE?
In February 2015, the National Institutes of Health acknowledged the importance of finding new treatments for AD by releasing a landmark plan to transform the face of Alzheimer’s disease research. The plan is intended to provide increased support for efforts to learn more about the underlying causes of the disease, and explore ways to treat, prevent, and perhaps even reverse Alzheimer’s disease.
Drugs in the Pipeline
Scientists are incorporating recent advances in molecular biology, bioengineering, genetics, and other fields into research aimed at modifying the outcome of Alzheimer’s disease and finding new possibilities for the treatment of memory disorders and dementia.
Some intriguing examples: Immunotherapy—Alzheimer’s vaccines One of the most exciting, and best-studied new therapies for Alzheimer’s harnesses the body’s own immune system, using vaccines or antibodies to find and destroy beta-amyloid and clear out plaques in the brain, or eliminate the clumps of tau protein (neurofibrillary tangles) that kill neurons responsible for memory loss.
Two types of immunotherapy are under investigation:
• Active immunotherapies, which induce a response from the patient’s own immune system;
• Passive immunotherapies, which involve the administration of antibodies to create an immune response.
Scientists are targeting the accumulation of beta-amyloid proteins using both active and passive immunotherapies.
A few active therapies have produced antibody responses to beta-amyloid, including vaccines known as CAD106, ACC001, and AFFITOPE, all of which are in ongoing trials.
Passive immunotherapy research focuses on drugs called monoclonal antibodies to target beta-amyloid proteins.
These drugs, which are already used to treat cancer, are engineered in the laboratory to mimic the antibodies the immune system naturally produces when confronted by bacteria, viruses, and other foreign invaders.
Genes code for the production of proteins throughout the body. When genes work the way they should, the body functions optimally. But abnormal changes in genes can set in motion a cascade of cellular processes that leads to diseases like AD. Researchers are looking for ways to target these processes using gene therapy.
For example, in a recent study in mice, researchers injected a gene into a key memory region of the brain called the hippocampus.
The gene, which produces a protein involved in long-term memory, reversed memory loss in the animals.
In another study, gene therapy was used to increase nerve growth factor (NGF) production in the brain, which improves neuron survival.
Researchers are hopeful gene therapy will eventually lead to new therapeutic approaches to AD. Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors Drugs called histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors target a group of 11 HDAC enzyme expressions of key proteins in the brain. One enzyme in particular, HDAC2–which silences genes that are needed to form new memories–is overproduced in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. When an inhibitor is used to shut off the gene in the hippocampi of mice genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer’s, it restores normal cognitive function.
Another HDAC inhibitor, used to target HDAC6, reduced brain tau levels and restored memory in mice with Alzheimer’s. Insulin Insulin, the hormone that helps the body convert dietary sugar to energy, is thought to have strong links to Alzheimer’s disease. Because the same enzyme breaks down both insulin and beta-amyloid, a disruption in insulin signaling in the brain can affect amyloid removal, cell survival, inflammation control, blood vessel function, and other factors involved in the development of AD. Researchers are testing an insulin nasal spray they hope might help with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
VI. HELPING YOURSELF: HOW TO INCREASE MEMORY POWER
Even for individuals who are showing signs of memory difficulties, dementia is not a foregone conclusion. There is good evidence that by being proactive, you lower your risk for dementia or slow the progress of mental decline.
Ways to Lower Your Dementia Risk
Both those risk for Alzheimer’s and those who already have the condition can benefit from adopting the following healthy lifestyle habits to aggressively address risk factors for the disease:
Certain food groups benefit health in general, and brain health in particular. These include:
• Fresh fruits and vegetables, such as green leafy vegetables, colorful fruits and berries, and carrots, which are high in brain-protective antioxidants;
• Whole grains, such as bread, cereal, pasta, and brown rice, which contain complex carbohydrates that provide the brain with glucose to increase energy and improve memory function;
• Lean protein from low-fat dairy foods, nuts, seeds, fish, and beans, and occasional servings of eggs, poultry, and lean meats to help keep your mind alert.
• Healthy fats, such as those found in canola and olive oils, which help lower levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol; polyunsaturated oils, such as those derived from corn and sunflower seeds, which help the body absorb vitamins, provide energy and heighten alertness; and omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in cold-water fish, as well as in flaxseed and dark-green leafy vegetables, which appear to play a key role in cognitive health and functioning and may reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment or AD.
Caring for your brain requires not only adding nutritious foods to your diet, but avoiding these unhealthy foods as well.
• Trans fats (hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils) found in many commercially prepared fried foods, processed foods, and snack foods; • Simple carbohydrates, such as processed white rice and flour, sweets, and refined sugars;
• Sugar-laden soft drinks. Quench your thirst instead with about eight glasses of water daily to avoid dehydration that can negatively affect cognition.
• Watch your waistline: A high body mass index (BMI, a ratio of height to weight used to measure obesity) is associated with poorer mental skills in older adults. In general, individuals with a BMI of 25 up to 30 are considered overweight, and those with a BMI of 30 and over are considered obese. In one study, overweight and obese participants had smaller, older-looking brains than people of normal weight, of “severe brain degeneration.”
The brain regions affected by obesity are the same as those involved in AD, but the good news is that some studies have found a connection between losing weight and improved memory.
Exercise
A sedentary lifestyle increases risk for cognitive decline, as well as conditions linked to Alzheimer’s, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. Inactivity may also significantly increase risk for vascular dementia (VaD), another common form of dementia. Regular exercise is one of the most important strategies available to reduce risk for dementia, and a large body of evidence supports its benefits for the brain. A good aerobic workout increases the flow of oxygen-rich blood to areas of the brain responsible for learning and memory and increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a chemical that protects neurons and strengthens synapses in the brain.
Forms of exercise that work several different areas of the brain at once–such as the eye-hand coordination, decision-making, and rapid information processing called for in playing ping-pong or tennis–have been linked to enlargement of a part of the brain that typically shrinks in patients with dementia. The earlier you start getting fit, the better. If you’ve been inactive for a while, ask your doctor to suggest an exercise program that’s safe for you. Aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise at least five days a week. Include exercises to improve muscle strength, balance, and coordination. Vary your activities to stay engaged and avoid boredom. Remember that even household chores and gardening count as exercise.
Break bad habits
Studies suggest that changing such habits as smoking and heavy drinking can be beneficial in warding off Alzeihmers.
• Smoking is detrimental to physical health, and the deleterious effects of smoking on the brain include neuron damage in the midbrain and hippocampus. If you smoke, talk to your doctor about smoking-cessation aids and other ways to help you quit.
• Chronic heavy drinking has been linked to brain atrophy, impaired memory and learning, and disrupted communication between brain cells. Excessive alcohol consumption is of special concern in older adults, because with advancing age, people become increasingly vulnerable to the effects of alcohol. In an older brain, alcohol may accelerate normal aging, aggravating symptoms of cognitive decline and early dementia. If you drink, do so in moderation. Women should have no more than one glass of alcohol a day. Men should limit themselves to one or two glasses (confirm this amount with your doctor). Avoid illicit drug use entirely.
Manage your medications
A number of medications commonly prescribed to older adults have unwanted cognitive side effects. Because your sensitivity to the effects of drugs increases with age and medications tend to linger longer in your system, side effects can show up at lower doses than they did when you were younger. Any decrease in cognitive function that occurs soon after you start taking a new drug or change the dosage suggests that medication may be the cause of the cognitive difficulty. It’s also advisable to review with your medical care provider regularly an updated list of your medications—including any over-the-counter drugs and natural medications they are taking. This type of patient-doctor consultation can help prevent unwanted side effects, dangerous interactions among various medications, and unnecessary over-medication that can lead to memory problems in older adults.
Although many drugs can impair memory, some of the most common examples of include:
• Benzodiazepine-like hypnotics used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and sleep disorders: zolpidem (Ambien);
• Antidepressants used to treat depression: venlafaxine (Effexor), fluoxetine (Prozac), and paroxetine (Paxil, Pexeva);
• Newer anticonvulsants used to treat epileptic seizures, bipolar disorder, and nerve pain: gabapentin (Neurontin), lamotrigine (Lamictal), levetiracetam (Keppra), pregabalin (Lyrica), and topiramate (Topamax)
Reduce stress
Although an occasional stressful situation doesn’t have lasting consequences for the brain, excessive or prolonged feelings of pressure, tension, and distress—with associated increases in levels of the stress hormone cortisol—can negatively affect the networks of dendrites that connect neurons with one another, reducing communication among brain cells.
High levels of stress slow the creation of new neurons to replace injured or dying cells, resulting in the gradual shrinkage of a key memory area called the hippocampus and higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Long-term stress also interferes with the proper functioning of neurotransmitters–chemicals responsible for transmitting messages from one brain cell to another–and impairs the functioning of the prefrontal cortex, the decision-making center of the brain responsible for short-term memory.
You can protect your brain from the harmful effects of stress and reduce your risk for memory problems by learning relaxation techniques to help lower breathing rate, blood pressure, oxygen consumption, and oxidative stress on cells. Stress-reducing relaxation techniques include deep-breathing exercises, yoga, tai chi, progressive relaxation, visualization, meditation, and relaxing activities such as listening to soothing music or taking a warm bath. If you are feeling overwhelmed by stress, consider seeking help from a mental health professional.
To get a better night’s sleep and bolster your memory, establish good sleep hygiene by adopting the following strategies:
• Go to bed at the same time each night and awaken at the same time each morning.
• Sleep in a cool, quiet, darkened room.
• Do something relaxing before bed, like reading a book or taking a bath.
• Avoid large meals or exercise within four hours of bedtime, and restrict liquids close to bedtime to avoid sleep interruptions for bathroom visits.
• Limit alcohol and avoid caffeine at least four to six hours before you go to bed.
Staying socially active.
Having close relationships and staying socially active requires paying attention to your surroundings, following a conversation, responding to the actions of others, and watching for verbal and non-verbal cues—all of which require a lot of brainpower. Research suggests that individuals who are least socially active experience a 75 percent greater rate of cognitive decline than those who are most socially active, even after other factors such as age, general health, and physical activity are considered. To keep your memory sharp, get out with friends as often as you can, and call, email, or Skype with friends and loved ones.
If you’re socially isolated, begin a campaign to win new friends.
Stay mentally active
A large body of evidence suggests that exercising your brain with stimulating and challenging activities, such as reading the newspaper, playing checkers, or taking dance lessons can keep you sharp and help prevent dementia. Activities that require concentration, use many senses at once, and involve new or unexpected experiences and approaches are especially stimulating to the brain.
Some research suggests that brain-stimulating activities help counteract the effects of aging by keeping the brain efficient and reducing the production of toxic beta-amyloid. Other studies suggest that mental activity may actually reshape the brain through the promotion of powerful growth hormones such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which promotes the development of communication points between neurons, called synapses.
Protect your brain from injury
Traumatic brain injury (TBI), caused by a fall, blow to the head, or even violent jarring, can injure sensitive brain tissues in ways that might cause later declines in cognition. Symptoms of TBI vary depending on the area of the brain affected by the injury, and may not show up until hours, days, or even weeks later. Prompt medical treatment may help prevent further damage to vulnerable tissues.
Taking steps to avoid head injury is a wise precaution. Some common-sense suggestions include eliminating fall hazards in your home, using vehicle seat belts, wearing appropriate footwear, and wearing a helmet when engaging in activities with a risk of head injury, such as bike riding.
VII. HOW TO IMPROVE MEMORY
You can take steps to preserve your memory as you age. Try some of the suggestions in this chapter to organize information, cement it in your mind, and recall it more easily.
Learn Basic Memory Skills
These simple approaches will help make information easier to retain and recall:
• Concentrate. Focus on one memory task at a time.
• Make sure you understand the information you are trying to remember.
• Make an effort. To motivate yourself to remember, consider how the information will be useful to you.
• Use mnemonic strategies and other memory techniques. Rhymes, acronyms, or other forms are easier for your brain to encode and recall.
• Associate. Connect new bits of information with things you already know.
• Manage your memory. Break the information you want to remember into small chunks so that you don’t overload your memory. Take breaks during the process of remembering to give your brain a rest.
• Get organized. Keep frequently used belongings such as car keys in the same place, so you can find them readily. Use memory aids, such as calendars and automated medication dispensers. Make a weekly plan in which you note your goals, activities, appointments, and chores for each day of the week to help you stay on track without cluttering your mind with minutiae.
• Use cues and reminders. Put your empty medicine bottle by the door to remind yourself to refill your prescription. Use a timer to remember to turn off the oven.
Train Your Brain
Regularly engaging in training exercises that help you practice specific cognitive abilities (e.g., attention or processing speed) seem to protect against memory loss better than memory strategies alone. Examples of cognitive exercises you might try:
• Strengthen your powers of attention by concentrating on one subject or task for 10 minutes without letting your mind wander. The next day, increase your concentration time to 12 minutes. Play online brain-training games to boost your brain’s processing speed. Memorize your favorite poems, or learn to play a new piece on the piano.
• Boost information processing speed by playing online brain-training programs. Another option: examining a photograph you have not seen before for one minute. Then turn over the photo and jot down as many details from it as you can remember. As your processing speed improves, shorten the time you spend examining each new photo.
• Exercise your capacity to recall information by reading a medium-length article on any subject while making an effort to remember as many details as you can. Put the article aside and write or recite as much as you can of its contents. Then check the original article to see how you did. Make Information Stand Out To increase your ability to retain a memory, use one of the following imaginative techniques to endow it with unique elements or associations so that it stands apart from other information you may be exposed to at the same time:
• Take a snapshot: Create a mental “photograph”—a visual record of what you want to remember–noticing as many details as possible.
• Prepare a speech: Pretend you must describe or explain the information you want to remember to someone else.
• Sing it: Make up a song or jingle containing the information you’re trying to remember.
• Create a vivid mental image: For example, to remember the peanut butter, chicken, and olives on your grocery list, picture a chicken covered with peanut butter wearing a necklace of olives.
• Laughter is the Best Medicine, Shopping Cart Therapy, Rides in the Car And Solving Puzzles.
Mindfulness Meditation
Research suggests that the ability to pay attention—a key aspect of memory—declines with age. One excellent way to improve your ability to pay attention and remember is to practice mindfulness meditation. This form of meditation involves focusing your awareness on sensory stimuli in the present moment, while ignoring intrusive thoughts and inner chatter.
Research suggests that older individuals who meditate have better preserved cortical regions of the brain—regions responsible for attention, sensory processing, and integrating emotional and cognitive processes that normally thin with age. To meditate, follow these basic steps:
• Find a quiet place where you can meditate without being disturbed.
• Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and slow your breathing.
• Focus on your breathing, or on a simple word or syllable uttered as you exhale.
• Be aware of sensory perceptions, but remain detached.
• When your mind wanders, bring it gently back to your breathing or focus word.
• After 20 minutes or so, open your eyes and sit quietly for a moment, letting yourself gradually return to your normal state.
If you believe Noah’s flood verbatim, you believe that the world was repopulated through incest. Considering who survived the flood. One can be a believing Christian and not dismiss science. Pastor Taiwo Larry logic tells me there was more than one Noah. The world has too many species for one boat. And Noah and his family couldn’t have replenished the earth. That’s why it’s not logical. It’s only 1 story. It’s limited.
The flood story was “borrowed ” from the Epics of Gilgamesh which predate Christianity by a few thousand years.
Well before Noah. The vast majority of Archaeologists don’t accept the Great Flood fairy tale. You lie.
Why must you people lie for your god? Does it please him? Geez.
Are you sure it wasn’t the older Gilgamesh flood or the one Zeus the King of the gods created! It’s almost as if the story was plagiarized.
The story and note of Noah’s Ark doesn’t even originally originate in the Bible; it was previous civilizations that existed long before the 6000 years that the Bible claims. And if you really think the Earth is 6000 years old you’re a complete buffoon.
A Lot of the science or what we once knew of it has been proven wrong by technological advances as well as archeological discoveries.
The mountain was created when plates drifted and crashed. India. Into China. Pushing the sea floor upwards. Bring the bottom of the sea up. Creating the mountain. FYI Himalayas was formed during the early Tertiary period following the K-T impact event when the Indian Subcontinent collided with Eurasian Plate.
The Himalayan mountain range and Tibetan plateau have formed as a result of the collision between the Indian Plate and Eurasian Plate which began 50 million years ago and continues today. – Read Genesis 8.
And amazingly the Mariana Trench is deeper than Everest is tall!
Except it wasn’t. the ROCKS at the top of Mt. Everest was below the sea, not the mountain.
The rocks were pushed to the top of the mountain by tectonic plate collision that essentially ‘stacked’ large chunks of rocks on top of each other and formed a mountain. Does this have anything to do with Genesis 1 in the Bible?
The Bible recorded that the face of the earth was covered with water and caused the water to make way for land.
The correct info of this earth lies in the hands of the ALL POWERFUL CREATOR. Not scientific
Which proves the Bible viewpoint that says the earth was actually full of water before Jehovah commanded land to surface.
Genesis 1:2, which states: “Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” ¹ Additionally, Genesis 1:10 says: “And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called the Seas: and God saw that it was good.” ²
It’s a demonstration of how the Earth’s crust is in constant movement and has been for billions of years. The crust has split up into ‘plates’ as a result of this movement and the plates grind slowly in directions that in some regions bring plates into ‘conflict’. Everest is part of the Himalayan mountains of India, which has been slowly drifting north into the Eurasian plate for 100 million years, forcing up the rocks which are at the leading edge and were originally below sea level, hence those limestone rocks and marine fossils. Google it : it’s fascinating.
Makes the accuracy of the Bible stating the beginning of all things!.
Genesis 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called the Seas: and God saw that it was good.
Me: The bible is right in every way!!.
The Bible remains the most accurate BOOK no matter how the enemy (Satan) and his agents in the world have tried to tamper with it, it still remains “the accurate” but its inspiration remains of the Holy Spirit. If you don’t get this??
PRAY FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT TO HELP YOU WITH THE PUREST OF UNDERSTANDING. FEAR GOD. There was no earth until He spoke!
May the word of God minister life into your living; for new things to begin to happen in your life as you “believe” in Jesus Mighty. Amen
Genesis 1:1-2,9-10 KJV
In the beginning God created heaven and the earth. [2] And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. [9] And God said, Let the waters under heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. [10] And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called the Seas: and God saw that it was good.
Basically the whole earth was filled with water thus even this mountain was submerged
For those referencing Noah’s flood, please note that the flood lasted 40 days and nights. This duration was not sufficient to change rock structures.
According to the Genesis 1:9 account, the Earth was created from a mass of deep waters that receded to reveal land.
This could explain why some terrestrial rocks are structurally similar to marine rocks, as they share a common origin according to the biblical narrative.
u.S.Psalms 104:5-9 NKJV
[5] You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever, [6] You covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters stood above the mountains. [7] At Your rebuke they fled; At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away. [8] They went up over the mountains; They went down into the valleys, To the place which You founded for them. [9] You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, That they may not return to cover the earth.
What so many bible followers fail to understand is that in the Vedas, there is also a flood story that is talked about where the world is inundated. So this proves the Vedas as well
Genesis 6. The world is still catching up with what God told us many centuries ago
These rocks, deposited in an ancient Tethyan Ocean were thrust and uplifted into their present commanding position when India collided with the Asian continent some 55 million years ago. Most people know this from an early age, so shame on your country’s educational system or shame on you for not paying attention in school. Shame on you for not learning to use the internet properly. Does not prove the Bible.
You’re ignoring plate tectonics and a process called uplift that happens when two plates, the Indian and Eurasian, push against each other. The Indian plate subducted under the Eurasian plate, causing the continental crust to crumple and get pushed up. This would cause Continental crust that may have been covered with ocean at the time to be uplifted many many kilometers.
That means that the limestone, formed from most likely the calcium carbonate shells of Plankton as they died and settled, to be thrusted upwards and now reside at the top of a mountain. So, this does not prove that the world was flooded because there is another logical explanation that is very well supported by many pieces of evidence and is replicated in many other areas of the world where you have mountain ranges formed by the same process.
Education. It’s worth something.
Of course it was. It was called the great flood!
For 40 days and nights God flooded the World killing everything. He found that all the people of the Earth were EVIL. JUST LIKE ALL THE EVIL IN OUR WORLD! Now he PROMISED that he would never FLOOD the World again. THAT’S WHAT THE RAINBOW MEANS. NOT FOR THE lbgq+- Whatever it’s called, it’s CALLED SIN IN GOD’S EYES.
That old Bible is going to be right every time, and I have no trouble believing it.
Gen 6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
IT COLLABORATE THE HOLY SCRIPTURES IN GENESIS Chapter 1 vs 2:
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering OVER THE WATERS. MAY GOD ALMIGHTY (not the African pastors god) BE PRAISED.
This is to that godswill aguinem guy that keeps erasing my reply to his comment, which idk why he keeps doing that.
Probably because he doesn’t want to hear what someone who has seen the other side before. But ya I was baptized. And I had a suicide attempt 11 years ago that left me brain dead for 2 days and with 8 strokes in all parts of my brain. And I still to this day remember parts of what I had “seen” on the other side. And news flash there was no bright golden light or anything like that, it was just blackness. But I will say that it was peaceful. I just will never go back to something that is so wrong and has ruined so many lives it’s almost impossible to comprehend.
Religion is just a pacifier for the masses and to make people have peace for when they are in times of distress or at the end of their lives. Which usually I’d be like well that’s good then. But if you actually look back at how many people have died as a direct result of religion because of holy wars.
You can’t sit back and say that religion is peaceful and harmless. You just can’t, Cause if it was there would be no holy wars. Whether you think of the crusades or the sacred wars and many other “holy” wars, religions are the biggest and longest scams in the world. And that was the first time I have died. The 2nd was a seizure when I was 21 but I wasn’t brain dead at that time.
God said, let the water under the sky be gathered Into a single basin , so that the dry land may appear, and so it happened, GOD called the dry land, the earth, and the basin of the water He called, the sea. Genesis 1 : 9 – 10
Read the book worlds in collision. A very amazing book. From Emanuel veilkowski. Paul segan. Einstein. Steven Hawking And others. Read this amazing book. And praised it….Revelation 16:20-And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. As the sea level rises. Just not as much as what’s been basically propagandized. Most of that missing water went into earth’s mantle over millions of years and basically cooled down the earth enough to allow life to flourish.
But what didn’t find its way into the Earth’s mantle that also isn’t in the oceans is whatever giant ice caps are still on land. Ice caps already in the oceans don’t displace the oceans when they melt but ice caps on land will certainly raise the sea when they melt because all the water will eventually find its way back to the ocean just as all water eventually does in earth’s water cycle… But that’s millions of years worth of activity so it shouldn’t be anything to worry about.
In the Bible, when God broke up the depths of the Earth, the ripple effect pushed the landmasses back like someone pushing a rug up against the wall; that’s why most of the mountains of the world are somewhere near a body or stream of water.
Geologists are starting to accept now, mountains were formed along with the world faults and the Grand Canyon, and lastly, the craters of the world were due to the great flood.
“In the six hundredth year of Noah ‘s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.” Genesis 7:11
If all the glaciers melt, water will go up about 70-80 meters. That’s not even close to what’s needed to cover the Himalayas.
Yes, they erupted about 60 millions years ago when India collided with the rest of Asia. Which explains differences in plant and animal diversity there.
There was never global food. There were local floods, though, which gave origin many stories, as a myth of global flood was before Judaism borrowed it.
The Himalayas were formed from the materials that were originally part of the Tethys Sea. Here’s a more detailed explanation:
1. **Sediment Accumulation**: During the existence of the Tethys Sea, a vast amount of sediment from rivers draining into the sea accumulated on its floor. These sediments included mud, sand, and the remains of marine organisms.
2. **Plate Collision**: The Indian Plate moved northward and collided with the Eurasian Plate. This collision caused the oceanic crust of the Tethys Sea to be subducted beneath the Eurasian Plate, while the accumulated sediments were caught in the collision zone.
3. **Uplift and Folding**: The immense pressure from the collision caused the sediments and oceanic crust to be uplifted and folded, forming the mountain range we now know as the Himalayas. This process began around 50 to 60 million years ago and continues today.
4. **Geological Composition**: The Himalayas consist of various rock types, including:
– **Sedimentary Rocks**: These include limestone, sandstone, and shale, which were originally deposited in the Tethys Sea.
– **Metamorphic Rocks**: The intense pressure and heat from the collision transformed some of the sedimentary rocks into metamorphic rocks, such as schist and gneiss.
– **Igneous Rocks**: There are also igneous rocks that formed from volcanic activity related to the tectonic processes.
5. **Marine Fossils**: Fossils of marine organisms, such as ammonites and other marine life, are found in the sedimentary rocks of the Himalayas. These fossils provide direct evidence that the rocks were once part of the Tethys Sea floor.
In summary, the Himalayas are composed largely of materials that originated in the Tethys Sea. The tectonic collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates uplifted and transformed these materials, creating the towering mountain range.
Scientists say that if Mount Everest was placed under the Philippine Deep (or was it the Marianas Trench), it would be under the water even at its highest peak, with still much room to spare. This is quite accurate for they have on record their respective depth and height.
So scientists believe at one time all continents were fused together and. Over time have separated from plates shifting.then the axis of the planet have shifted 3 times.yes this earth has changed form constantly over the millennials, and some people now telling you climate change is a threat.wow,you need to wake up fast
Fact check: the summit of Mt Everest is made of marine limestone
COPILOT Yes, the summit of Mount Everest is indeed made of marine limestone. This fact has been established through geological studies of the mountain’s composition. The marine limestone found at the summit of Mount Everest dates back to around 450 million years ago, during the Ordovician period.
References
For a more detailed explanation and confirmation, you can refer to:
Geological surveys and academic papers on the composition of the Himalayas.
In summary, the summit of Mount Everest is indeed composed of marine limestone, a testament to the dynamic geological processes that shape our planet.
The continents were one and the animals were everywhere, because of the flood the tectonic plate was broken up, mountains and, weather patterns came to be, the continent was pulled apart and animals settled into different locations all because of that great and terrible flood that changed the geology of the planet.
I only have a rudimentary understanding of mountains which are raised over millennia as plates slide under each other. From memory the Himalayas are at the edge of a plate? Stands to reason this mountain was once much lower than it is now. So perhaps the sea level was as high as being suggested.
It’s not far from flipping!
No escape from the velocity of the water from mountains and oceans colliding. It could be very tragic to all mankind. Global Warming is playing a part in how quick this happens.
Every 10-12 thousand years or so.
No! Each unfreezing, after each subsequent ice age, of fresh and mineralized saline water, revealed the living residues from each type of aquatic environment, after the thawing of the ice, as the higher landscapes, deposit its ice-covering into the depressions, thus the continuous rising of its encompassing Oceans and lakes, even onto today, claiming low-lying shorelines, also claiming low-lying islands. This repetitious process precedes the natural repetitive cycles of Solar, Nocturnal, and Ice ages. Our Earth is full of evidence to support the occurrences of these ages, in fossilized remains, embedded in deep stratification of our Earth e.g. Coal and crude oil are aged sediments of various materials, from cycles of ages past.
To be pedantic, the Indian subcontinent is pushing under the Eurasian plate, pushing former seabed up into the air.
Everest is the highest above sea level, but not the highest point from the center of the Earth. The Earth isn’t a perfect sphere. It’s slightly oval shaped. The distance around the equator from where you start and finish at the same spot is 24,901 miles. The distance around the Earth’s poles is 24,860 miles. That’s a difference of 41 miles. Mount Chimborazo is only one degree from the equator. Everest is 28 degrees from the equator. Chimborazo gets a boost because it’s practically at the equator. Measuring by sea level isn’t exactly the best way to measure the height of mountains. It’s just something that was decided the right way, but it’s not. Chimborazo is just sitting on higher ground.
Many scholars believe that the flood myth was added to Tablet XI in the “standard version” of the Gilgamesh Epic by an editor who used the flood story from the Epic of Atra-Hasis1. In the Gilgamesh Epic, the story of the flood is related as part of the tale of Gilgamesh’s quest for immortality2.
Utnapishtim tells his descendent, Gilgamesh, the story of the flood in order to tell Gilgamesh how he, Utnapishtim, became immortal; in so doing, he shows Gilgamesh that he cannot become immortal in the same way3.
The Epic of Gilgamesh conveys several moral lessons.
Here are a few key takeaways:
Mortality and Immortality: The story explores the quest for immortality. Gilgamesh, initially obsessed with avoiding death, learns that true fulfillment lies in accepting mortality and living a meaningful life.
Friendship and Companionship: The bond between Gilgamesh and Enkidu highlights the importance of friendship. Their adventures together demonstrate the value of companionship, loyalty, and shared experiences.
Responsibility and Leadership: As a king, Gilgamesh learns that leadership involves caring for his people and ensuring their well-being. His transformation from a selfish ruler to a wise leader reflects this lesson.
Respecting the Divine Order: The gods play a significant role in the epic. Gilgamesh’s defiance of divine authority leads to tragedy, emphasizing the need to respect cosmic order and divine will.
Appreciating the Present: The story encourages us to appreciate life’s fleeting moments. Gilgamesh’s realization that he cannot escape death prompts him to cherish the present.
Remember, interpretations may vary, these themes resonate across cultures and time. 🌟
How does the Epic of Gilgamesh compare to other epic tales?
Certainly! The Epic of Gilgamesh stands out as one of the oldest tragic epics, dating back to around 1,800 B.C.E. It follows the adventures of the semi-divine King Gilgamesh, who seeks eternal life and battles mythical beasts. Here’s how it compares to other epic tales:
Noah’s Ark (Genesis):
Similarities: Both narratives feature a catastrophic flood, a chosen survivor (Noah or Utanapishtim), and the release of birds to find dry land.
Differences: Gilgamesh’s flood is more vivid and violent, involving multiple gods, while Genesis focuses on monotheism and a less detailed storm.
Hesiod’s Theogony:
Difference: Gilgamesh follows a single character’s journey, whereas Theogony involves several characters and their origins2.
Cosmic Worldviews:
Gilgamesh and Genesis reflect different cultural values and cosmic perspectives. They’re in dialogue with each other, shaping ancient Mesopotamia and Hebrew worldviews.
Other Parallels:
Sage advice from Gilgamesh appears in Ecclesiastes (Hebrew Bible), emphasizing shared wisdom across cultures.
In summary, these epics offer unique insights into humanity’s quest for meaning, mortality, and divine order. 🌟
Throughout my lifetime (and probably yours, too), I have personally experienced and heard about others experiencing all kinds of natural disasters and worldwide events. For example, since I am old enough to remember, I have known of earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, and tsunamis that have devastated lands, destroyed homes, and taken people’s lives. Wildfires have charred thousands of acres of woods and anything else in their path. Solar eclipses, comets, and solar flares have caught the attention of billions of people, causing them to look up in wonder.
On top of all of those natural events, humans have been the cause or at least catalyst for wars and riots claiming the lives of countless people, viruses affecting whole countries, and violent regimes causing the genocide of whole races of people.
A natural disaster is, well, anything that’s not natural, but really these catastrophes are nothing new to earth’s and humanity’s history. There was a global cooling event in the 17th century called Europe’s Little Ice Age, but what caused it? For around a 70 year period (from 1645 until 1714), early astronomers reported almost zero sunspot activity. The number of sunspots, which are cooler areas on the sun that appear dark against the brighter surroundings, dropped roughly a thousand fold. And then there’s the Little Ice Age which began around 1300 A.D. and ended up lasting for several hundred years.
The result was ruined crops, widespread poverty, and death. The world endured much colder than normal winters and much cooler summers than normal for centuries, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, but this could have been caused in part, by particulates spewed into the atmosphere by volcanoes, combined with fluctuations in the sun’s output. The point is we have always experienced natural disasters in the history of mankind, but is it getting worse?
However, some of that data may be skewed because we’ve had more widespread media coverage worldwide, and who doesn’t seem to have a cell phone these days to capture the next natural disaster? I do not believe that all these increasing catastrophes are a coincidence. Something seems to be going on with the earth, but is there a spiritual cause at the root of all this? There may be. Read on.
Vomited Out of the Land
There are actually Old Testament Scriptures that talk about the land vomiting its inhabitants out of the land, due to the heinous and grievous sins that the people were doing. That was primarily idolatry, but when it came to a nation sacrificing their own children in the fire to a pagan God (actually satanic demon), God said, “It is enough!” The land of Canaan was defiled by the children of Canaan and so it was said that the land vomited them out (Lev 18:21). Vomiting a people out could be by means of a nation invading them (Israel did Canaan), people moving out as asylum seekers, refugees, slaves, prisoners (Israel would later be taken captive by Babylon), etc.
God Judges the Nations
The Bible shows many examples of where a nation was “vomited out,” either by another nation or power or through natural disasters (Sodom and Gomorrah), but however God chooses to do this, there is a point in time when the land will vomit out its inhabitants (Lev 18:24-25). How it happens is when “the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants” (Lev 18:25), so God can vomit (expel) out any nation that turns its back on God, and reaches a such a sinful state that it’s stench reaches up to heaven.
This same thing happened in Noah’s day (Gen 6) when God said it is enough. He has done this before and He can do it again, so the question is, “What is the tipping point when God moves in judgment against a nation, particularly a nation that’s murdered multiple millions of babies through abortion like America has?” And what of the other nations around the world living contrary to God’s Word? If God did not spare His own Son, what makes us think He’ll spare any nation that kills its young, even in the womb (Rom 8:32)?
Conclusion
With all of the world’s problems and natural disasters, there’s not much certainty about the future for unbelievers, and if you have not yet trusted in Christ, I hate to tell you this, but you have absolutely no access to God nor can you seek help from Jesus Christ when disaster strikes. Until God brings you to repentance and you put your trust in Christ, you are all alone in passing through this life, but it is never too late to turn to God. Make today your day of salvation instead of having your heart hardened by rejecting Christ over and over (2 Cor 6:2).
That’s a dangerous place to be, dear reader. Until you have put your trust in Christ, you will have to bear every anxiety and every burden yourself, so please, I plead with you, why not trust in the Savior today and let Him carry what you cannot carry yourself? He is there right now…waiting for you. He holds the future secure in His hand. That’s something we can take comfort in. Even if the world looks like it’s out of control, we know God is not (Rom 8:28).
Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
A vast swath of lands from eastern Nebraska and South Dakota to Iowa and Minnesota has been under siege from flooding from torrential rains since last week, while also experiencing a scorching heat wave.
One 10-foot-high meteotsunami in Lake Michigan killed five people and endangered 27 others on July 13, 1938 in Holland.
The wave reportedly came out of nowhere on a calm afternoon. Members of the Coast Guard tried to warn swimmers not to go in the water, but the wave’s “sudden” undertow pulled swimmers into rough waters, while the wave threw people off of piers.
“It looked as if the lake took a deep breath and all at once the calm was broken,” Coast Guard member Robert Bush told the Holland City News the next day. “The surf rolled on the beaches, and within 10 minutes the breakwaters were awash. After the calm there was not much wind, but it seemed that there must have been terribly heavy squall further out in Lake Michigan.”
The term was coined in reports from the UNEP Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX). It was found to originate mostly due to farmers burning stubble in Punjab and to lesser extent Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The debilitating air quality in Delhi is also due to the stubble burning in Punjab.[3]
Asian brown cloud, a large atmospheric brown cloud that occurs annually from about November through May over eastern China and southern Asia. The Asian brown cloud is caused by large amounts of aerosols (such as soot and dust) produced in the combustion of fossil fuels and biomass across the region.
While these predictions may seem outlandish, they serve as fascinating examples of human imagination and our enduring fascination with the end of days. Fortunately, none of them have come true! 😅🌎
The prophecies contained in the Book of Revelation are key end time revelations which we must prepare ourselves for, as the end time is happening now.
The prophecies of the Book of Revelation are among the most important parts of the Bible, and understanding these words is a crucial component of understanding how the end times will unfold. Most importantly, the end time revelations that are uncovered in Revelation show us that the end time is not a one-time event that destroys the planet in one fell swoop. A set series of events have been prophesied, which we can anticipate to occur imminently as we now have a clear picture of the end times.
The Seven Seals, the Seven Trumpets, and the Seven Vials
One of the most distinguishing end time revelations that has been revealed to us through the Book of Revelation is that many different events will be occurring over a relatively short period of time. The Seven Seals described in Revelation is the longest story of the end times – a series of disastrous events occurring with major impact on the world stage. The text also helps to understand when the opening of the seals will happen in our time, with the Great Tribulation happening between the opening of the sixth and seventh seals.
The Seven Trumpets sounded well when the seals were opened – but what many people do not realize is that five of the seven trumpets have already sounded. This is one of the biggest signs that the end time is upon us, especially with the Sixth Trumpet War (Revelation 9:13-21) that will soon take place in the Middle East where there is currently so much turmoil.
The end time revelations have one more crucial part that explains what the signs of the end times are, including when they will take place. The Final Seven Years will begin with a time of relative calm – three and a half years when we will see an interim peace in the Middle East over the Temple Mount by the people of Israel and Palestine.
However, during the second half of this 84-month time period, Revelation explains that things will quickly get worse. The Antichrist will take his place as the leader of the world, ushering in the Great Tribulation (Revelation 12:12) and many of the disasters referenced by the Seven Seals. We are also given a warning about the Mark of the Beast and the Antichrist’s ploy in creating allegiance to a one-world government.
Understanding More of the End Times
While these end time revelations are filled with death and destruction, the Bible also gives us hope in the name of Jesus Christ – the prophecies reveal that all of these disasters will end with the restoration of the Kingdom of God.
The end times are a complex subject, and it’s very easy to be deceived about their meaning even if you study the Bible with the best of intentions. Endtime Ministries has developed materials that explain the Book of Revelation so that each prophecy makes sense in the context of today’s society. The Revelation Commentary DVD series – Search Videos (bing.com) and its accompanying study manual can help you understand the truth of the Bible’s end time revelations and what they will mean for you.
This Hospice Nurse Is Answering Taboo Questions About Death And Dying, And I Learned So Much, Recently, we wrote about what the actively dying phase looks like, which occurs during the last phase of life. This was thanks to the help of Hospice Nurse Julie, aka @hospicenursejulie, who educates about death and dying on TikTok.
Julie, whose viral video about the actively dying phase now has almost 9 million views on TikTok, taught us about symptoms that may appear scary but are entirely normal — like the death rattle, the “rally,” end-of-life visioning, and “fish-out-of-water” breathing.
Julie wants to alleviate some of that fear around death and dying – she says that by educating ourselves about the final stages of life, we can better be there for our loved ones.
From the practical (like does it hurt?), to the taboo (do our bodily fluids really just release?), to the personal (like how can I deal with my death anxiety?) — here are all your questions Hospice Nurse Julie answered about death and dying:
1.”What does the actively dying phase feel like to the dying person? Do we know?”
Hospice Nurse Julie: The answer is we don’t know, technically. We use non-verbal pain scales to assess if the person is experiencing discomfort or pain. It’s pretty easy to see that in a dying body, if someone is comfortable or not comfortable. I do believe the person in the actively dying phase is fully unconscious so they’re not consciously in their body wondering what’s going on. I believe we can tell that because of the nonverbal cues the person is showing us.
Hospice Nurse Julie: So, I always like to say that dying itself does not hurt, especially if you’re dying a natural death, meaning like from a disease, but you’re allowing the natural progression to take over. That does not necessarily hurt, but the disease and its symptoms can cause pain. The actual act of dying — likely not. But the disease you’re dying from can cause symptoms that make you hurt, hence why we have, you know, doctors and nurses who can help with those symptoms so you can have an as peaceful as possible death.
4.”What happens with a pacemaker or defibrillator during the final minutes of death?”
Hospice Nurse Julie: A pacemaker is totally fine to continue to stay on during the dying process. It interacts with the electrical system in the heart. So, it will not continue to pace someone if the heart is no longer beating. So, that is not an issue; that can stay on. A defibrillator shocks a heart if it goes into dysrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat).
[Dysrhythmias are] a natural process of the death and dying process, and we shouldn’t worry about them. But the defibrillator should be turned off because if the person does go into an irregular rhythm during the dying phase, that person could be shocked, and being shocked is uncomfortable. So, just to be clear, it’s normal for the heart to go into irregular rhythms at the end of life.
5.”Do you lose control of your bodily fluids immediately?”
Hospice Nurse Julie: Not everyone at the end of life will lose control of their body fluids. It’s not like everyone will suddenly urinate and defecate because they have died. However, I would say at the end of life in the actively dying phase, everyone will be incontinent. So you will need someone to change you and care for you if you do die the natural, gradual way. Not everyone does — if you die, suddenly, that likely won’t happen. But if you’re dying a gradual, slow, peaceful, comfortable death, you do get to a place where you are unconscious, and someone has to change you because you still are urinating and having bowel movements. Maybe not as often as you normally would, but you still have them.
However, when someone dies, I think there is a little bit of a misconception that the second they die, they urinate and defecate. That’s just not true. They can at times, and that’s because all of the sphincters in our bodies, which keep fluids and waste in until it’s ready, will loosen and relax and then let go of bodily fluids, hence why people can have fluid come out of their mouth. They can have a bowel movement; they can urinate. That can happen immediately upon death, but it doesn’t always happen. It just depends.
6.”My mom has Alzheimer’s and doesn’t know who anyone is. Will she recognize those at her bedside at the last stage of dying?”
Hospice Nurse Julie: I would say no. Usually not. Every once in a while, and I’m sure this person has already noticed this, they’ll have really good days where suddenly they do remember their children, and they do remember things. So they could have intermittent phases in days and moments where they do recognize people.
But at the end of the day, Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease, and usually the last stage of dying, the person is nonverbal, bedbound, and not recognizing anyone. And even if they did, they can’t verbally say they are recognizing people. But really, I would say the last phases of Alzheimer’s are usually the most peaceful.
For years, people with Alzheimer’s have confusion, paranoia, and agitation because they’re very confused. You know, a lot of issues, and that can last for a very long time and be very hard. The last phases of life for someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s are usually pretty docile because they are sleeping 22 hours a day.
7.”The thing that broke my heart the most was, a few days before my uncle passed away in his late 80s, he started to cry and admitted he was scared. And I had no idea how to respond, so I just held his hand. What are some ways I can 1) respond to this or soothe a scared loved one, and 2) deal with my own fear and anxiety of mortality?”
Hospice Nurse Julie: This is a great question. Okay. So, number one, this person did the right thing. A lot of times, we feel like we have to say something to make the person feel better. Generally speaking, allowing someone to say their fears, and either just being silent and holding their hand and allowing them to have that and not try to push it away, like ‘No, no, no, no, no, don’t be afraid.
Don’t be afraid,’ it’s better. From my experience, allow that [fear] to happen, hold their hand, and be there with them, and maybe even answer truthfully. Whatever the truth is for them, right? ‘I’m afraid too. I can see how you’re afraid. And I’m so sorry. I feel afraid to.’ Or what I usually say, if this is helpful, I normalize how normal it is for people to feel afraid.
Hospice Nurse Julie (cont.): And then how can we deal with our own fears, right, our own fear? Again, it’s the same thing. It’s through talking about it. It’s through saying, ‘I’m afraid, I’m afraid to die, I don’t want to die, I’m afraid of it.’ That alone. Awareness around the fear can really help loosen the grip.
I’ve also heard many people who have death anxiety tell me that watching, learning, and educating themselves about how the body works during the dying process has helped alleviate a lot of their anxiety. I think education can help decrease fear and truly understand and contemplate our mortality — knowing it’s going to happen, knowing it’s normal to fear that, and soothing ourselves in the process. I think it’s when we deny the fear, deny thinking about it, not looking at it, is when the fear increases. I think fear decreases when we do look at that fear, when we do accept the fear, and when we do learn about what we’re actually fearing.
I hope that helps. I love that question.
8.”I have 200 medical problems. No exaggeration. I usually have a healthy emotional attitude about it all but sometimes it’s overwhelming. Will the doctors tell me when they think I’m nearing my time?”
Hospice Nurse Julie: You know, it depends on the doctor. I would say, in general, you be your own advocate. Talk openly about how you’re feeling, about your health issues, and about how you want to know what to expect with all of your doctors.
So, with all of your doctors, since you probably have several doctors you’re working with, you need to be open with them about how you want to prepare for the end of your life, even if they say it’s far off. ‘Oh, you don’t need to do that right now. ‘
No, I want to do it right now. I want to know. You have seen this type of disease over and over again. How do you normally see it progressing? What can I expect? And please, I’m asking you to be honest with me when you think I’m coming to a place where you’ve done all you can do. I would like you to have an open dialogue with me.
9.”I have incurable cancer and have felt/been very close to dying on several occasions. Medical science has kept me alive thus far. There’s a lot of advice and information about what happens when an older person dies, so my question is, what differences might there be when it’s a younger person? I’m still in my 20s and don’t expect to live to see 40.”
Hospice Nurse Julie: So, great question. I’ve seen many people die young because of hospice. People always think that people in hospice are old, and that’s just not true. I will say there’s usually a lot more terminal agitation at the end of life for someone younger because of the existential — they’re too young, right?
Hospice Nurse Julie (cont.): But I will say, because this person is asking this question already, I feel like there probably will be less angst. People, even when they’re young, who have come to terms and accept that they’re dying — which I’m not saying is easy or even necessary to do, I get if you’re like, ‘No, I’m not going to ever accept that’ — but people who do tend to let go a little easier at the end.
Now, how can you work on that? I think this is exactly how it works: by asking questions. Knowing and thinking about your end of life, how you want it to look, trying to really contemplate the fact that it’s actually going to happen. And because of that, how do you want to spend the rest of your time here? In doing that, you can help get yourself to somewhat of an acceptance of a knowledge and a belief, knowing that you’re going to die.
So, then you can change the way you’re living – if you want to change the way you’re living — to help you feel less like you didn’t do the things you wanted to do or spend the time the way you want to spend it. But I feel like the person asking this question is already kind of a step ahead because they’re already thinking about it, which is going to help tremendously.
Julie shares the lessons she’s learned in her 15 years as an RN in the ICU and hospice, answers more of your questions, and destigmatizes conversations around death and dying.
Dr. Carl O. Helvie, AUGUST 13, 1932 – DECEMBER 3, 2019
NOTE: On Carl’s Death Bed, I made a promise to Carl I would keep his journey going.
Carl O helvie – Search Videos (bing.com) Professor, nurse, author, radio host, researcher and holistic health advocate. Born August 13, 1932, in Gouverneur, New York, his career spanned more than 60 years as a nurse practitioner, educator, author, and researcher.
Carl was a registered nurse and Professor Emeritus of Nursing at Old Dominion University where he taught nursing for nearly 30 years. He was also known for his development and implementation of the Helvie Energy Theory of Nursing and Health, the publication of this 1998 textbook, Advanced Practice Nursing in the Community, and his work with the local homeless.
Carl received a doctorate in public health from Johns Hopkins University, a master’s in public health from Johns Hopkins, a master’s in public health nursing and also focusing on wellness from the University of California, a B.S. in nursing from New York University and undertook post-doctoral study in the Divinity school at Duke University.
Carl was preceded in death by his father, Charles Helvie, his mother, Georgia White, stepfather David White and four siblings. He is survived by two sisters.
“I was saved from lung cancer in 1974 for a reason;
The difference between a bureaucratic administrator and a people-oriented leader can be seen in the results. The bureaucracy provides marginalized service erring towards sustaining dysfunctional systems at the expense of the people that are supposed to be served. The top administrators will be well paid in spite of the fact that (1) the work environment is stressful and inefficient, and (2) the clients receive compromised or useless goods and services.
The people-oriented leader will constantly challenge bureaucracy, cutting fat, eliminating redundancy, and fostering a culture of community and compassion by putting the needs of people above rigid guidelines, self-serving agendas, and grandfathered parasitic systems.
As a solution-oriented thinker, Carl O. Helvie is a bureaucrat’s nightmare; when necessary, he does not hesitate to bypass red tape and get things done. If his ideas about how to live free of prescription drugs throughout your life become popular, the pharmaceutical industry may also lose sleep (and profits) as a result. The good news is that overall; more people will be living healthy lives that are less stressful and more productive in satisfying ways. Helvie lives what he preaches; at the age of 78, he is one of the 11% of Americans above age 65 who live medication free.
Helvie grew up in the small country hamlet of Natural Dam in upstate New York, not far from the St. Lawrence River. He graduated high school in 1950 and got a job in the stock room of the hospital in the nearby town of Gouverneur (named after one of the less well-known signers of the Declaration of Independence). Curious and gregarious, he became friendly with the nurses and the hospital dietician and was informally trained to help prepare patients for surgery.
The experience was so positive, he enrolled in nursing school and began a life of service, eventually earning a doctorate in public health and wellness and becoming an educator, author, and activist for the public health sector. Helvie holds the title of Professor Emeritus of Nursing at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and received the Distinguished Career in Public Health Award from the American Public Health Association in 1999.
A dream sparked a significant turning point in Helvie’s life in 1974. In the dream, he received the message that he needed to get an X-ray. He had no symptoms but the X-rays revealed a spot on his lungs that was diagnosed as lung cancer. Reviewing his experience as a nurse, he surprised the doctor by refusing the prescription for surgery. The doctor responded by pronouncing, “You’ll be dead in six months.”
A friend of a friend at the National Cancer Institute had success with a program that included 2000mg laetrile, a raw fruit and vegetable diet, and an exercise program. Helvie began the regimen and incorporated his own program of prayer, meditation, and positive visualization. When asked about the controversy surrounding the use of laetrile, Helvie described how the body uses certain enzymes involved in protein digestion to work with the laetrile.
In his experience, part of his program’s success was due to following nutrition guidelines. Eating meat or fish prevented those enzymes from being available for the laetrile. In due course, Helvie was pronounced cancer-free and has been cancer-free ever since.
The importance of living a holistic life; “lifestyle is very important in staying healthy; incorporate spirituality and enjoy what you’re doing in life. If you’re not staying positive, you’re not attracting positivity back to you.”
In the 1990s, Helvie was asked to sit on the board of an agency serving homeless women. After two years of reviewing and making policy, he decided he wanted to be more active and began visiting the homeless shelter checking blood pressure and discussing health issues with the residents. He brought his students to help with the volume of people needing attention and eventually obtained a grant to open a clinic and provide more consistent service.
Until that time, most homeless people were not able to afford early treatment for their health issues and would wind up in the emergency wards when their condition became life-threatening and required more time and more resources to treat.
Developing an effective clinic became a community project. To extend the life of the grant, Helvie was able to get doctors to donate their services; the local hospital provided free lab services and pharmacies filled prescriptions for cost plus $4. Chronic diseases such as diabetes were caught earlier and supplies were available to keep the homeless healthier.
Ironically future funding was denied because of a national need for more nurses; the funds went towards education and scholarships and the clinic had to close. Helvie later assessed that the cost of running the clinic was much less than the financial burdens endured by emergency rooms and other services that had to be employed when people waited until they were very sick to seek help. You can read more in Helvie’s book, Homelessness in the United States, Europe 1999.
In his book, Healthy Holistic Aging, Helvie outlines the importance of living a holistic life; “lifestyle is very important in staying healthy; incorporate spirituality and enjoy what you’re doing in life. If you’re not staying positive, you’re not attracting positivity back to you.” Helvie wants you to live a healthy and medication-free life. When he was interviewed for this article, he stated, “I was saved from lung cancer years ago for a reason; I am a resource for people.”
As a lung cancer survivor[4][5] he has focused on holistic alternative integrative health and wellness interventions. A major part of his career also focused on education, practice and research with homeless and low-income individuals and families. He has published books, articles, and research findings in these three areas.
Helvie, C, (1975) Self-Assessment of Current Knowledge in Community Health Nursing. New York: Medical Examiners Publishing Co.
Helvie, C. (1981) Community Health Nursing: Theory and Process New York: Harper & Row Co.
Helvie, C. (1991) Community Health Nursing: Theory and Practice, New York: Springer Publishing Co.
Helvie, C. (1998) Advanced Practice Nursing in the Community, Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publishing Co
Helvie, C and Kunstmann, W. (1999) Homelessness in the United States, Europe, and Russia, Connecticut: Greenwood. June
Clark, C (editor in chief), Gordon, R. (contributing editor), Harris, B. and Helvie, C. (advisory contributing editors) (1999) Encyclopedia of Alternative Health Practices. New York, Springer Publishing Co
Helvie, C. (2000) “The homeless, health promotion and nursing centers.” Community Health Promotion (C.C.Clarke, editor) New York:Springer
Helvie, C. (2002) “Home care for the seriously ill in the United States.” In Ambuant vor stationär. Perspektiven für eine integrierte ambulante Pflege Schwerstkranker (Schaeffer, D. and Ewers, M., Editors). Bern: Huber Verlag. Germany
Helvie, C. (2002) “Community Mobilization and Participation.” In Health Promotion in Communities (C.C. Clark, Editor). New York, Springer. Pg 69–82.
Helvie, C. (2002) “Health Promotion in a Homeless Center.” In Health Promotion in Communities. (C.C. Clark, Editor). New York: Springer. Pg 461–464.
Helvie, C. (2007) Healthy Holistic Aging: A Blueprint for Success, Minnesota: Syren Publications.
Helvie, C (2012) You Can Beat Lung Cancer: Using Alternative/Integrative Interventions. with chapters by Dr Bernie Siegel, Dr Francisco Contreras, Dr James Forsythe, Dr Kim Datzell, and Tanya Harter Pierce, London: Ayni Books.
^ Helvie, C. and Cayce, C.T. (1997) Alternative treatment for lung cancer and irregular heart beat-Two case Studies. Alternative Health Practitioner. Vol 3, No 3, Fall-Winter, 185-194.
Book Rating by Short Form Readers: 4.5 (74 reviews)
In the age of science, we’ve turned our backs on the myths our ancestors believed in. However, could it be that in giving up those stories, we’ve lost a crucial part of the human experience? In Maps of Meaning, Jordan Peterson argues that mythology provides a psychological tool that helps us create meaning in a chaotic world. Beneath their fanciful trappings, creation stories and heroic quests give us the moral foundations of society and the tools for adapting to life’s challenges. Perhaps even more importantly, myths teach us to recognize our individual capacity for good and evil.
In this guide, we’ll examine Peterson’s arguments on how myth affects the mind, mythology’s fundamental archetypes and stories, and how to apply the lessons of myth to live a more well-rounded life. We’ll also look at alternative interpretations of mythological stories, what science says about the intersection of myth and cognitive development, as well as how the symbols of myth have taken new form in the stories of today.
Canadian clinical psychologist and a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, whose main areas of study are in abnormal, social, and personality psychology, with a particular interest in the psychology of religious and ideological belief and the assessment and improvement of personality and performance.
Peterson’s first book, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief (1999), examined several academic fields to describe the structure of systems of beliefs and myths, their role in the regulation of emotion, creation of meaning, and several other topics such as motivation for genocide. His second book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, was released in January 2018.
In 2016 Peterson released a series of YouTube videos criticizing political correctness and the Canadian government’s Bill C-16, “An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code”. The Act added “gender identity and expression” as a prohibited ground of discrimination, which Peterson characterised as an introduction of compelled speech into law, although legal experts have disagreed. He subsequently received significant media coverage, attracting both support and criticism. Peterson is associated with the “Intellectual Dark Web”.
Peterson married Tammy Roberts in 1989. They have one daughter and one son.
Starting around 2000, Peterson began collecting Soviet-era paintings, displayed in his house as a reminder of, he argues, the relationship between totalitarian propaganda and art, and as examples of how idealistic visions can become totalitarian oppression and horror.
In late 2016, Peterson went on a strict diet consisting only of meat and some vegetables to control severe depression and an auto-immune disorder, including psoriasis and uveitis. He stopped eating any vegetables in mid-2018.
The Cruel Reality of Dementia: A Condition That Robs Memories and Challenges Families Dementia, a term that strikes fear into the hearts of many, is a cruel and devastating condition that gradually erodes a person’s cognitive abilities, memory, and even their sense of self. It is a broad term encompassing various types of neurodegenerative disorders, each with its own unique characteristics, but all sharing the common thread of progressively impairing mental functions. As the global population ages, the prevalence of dementia continues to rise, making it one of the most significant public health challenges of our time.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia, and this number is expected to rise to 78 million by 2030 and 139 million by 2050. This insidious condition not only affects individuals but also takes a profound toll on families and caregivers, who bear witness to the slow and painful decline of their loved ones. The Many Faces of Dementia Dementia is not a single disease but rather a collection of symptoms caused by various underlying conditions. The most common form is Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for 60-80% of all dementia cases.
Other types include vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and Parkinson’s disease dementia.
Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s disease is the most well-known and prevalent form of dementia. It is characterized by the buildup of abnormal proteins in the brain, leading to the gradual death of brain cells and the erosion of cognitive abilities. Early symptoms often include memory loss, difficulty with language and problem-solving, and changes in mood and behavior.
As the disease progresses, individuals may experience severe cognitive impairment, confusion, difficulty with daily activities, and even personality changes. Vascular Dementia Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia and is caused by impaired blood flow to the brain, often due to strokes or other cardiovascular conditions.
Symptoms can vary depending on the location and extent of the brain damage but may include memory loss, difficulty with decision-making and problem-solving, and changes in behavior and personality. This type of dementia is often associated with risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
Lewy Body Dementia Lewy body dementia is characterized by the presence of abnormal protein deposits called Lewy bodies in the brain. It often manifests with symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s disease, such as memory loss and cognitive impairment, but also includes distinctive features like hallucinations, fluctuations in attention and alertness, and problems with movement and coordination. This type of dementia can be particularly challenging to diagnose and manage due to its complex and varied symptoms.
Frontotemporal Dementia Frontotemporal dementia is a less common form of dementia that primarily affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, regions responsible for personality, behavior, and language. Symptoms may include personality changes, impaired judgment and decision-making, difficulty with language, and, in some cases, movement disorders.
This type of dementia often affects individuals at a younger age, typically between 45 and 65 years old. Parkinson’s Disease Dementia While Parkinson’s disease is primarily known for its motor symptoms, such as tremors and difficulty with movement, many individuals with Parkinson’s also develop dementia as the condition progresses. This form of dementia often affects cognitive abilities, such as attention, memory, and problem-solving skills.
Peterson seems to be reaching suffering people despite a lack of training or credentials in nutrition or medicine, and perhaps because of that distinction. Her Instagram bio: “For info on treating weight loss, depression, and autoimmune disorders with diet, check out my blog or fb page!” The blog, which is called “Don’t Eat That,” says at the top that “many (if not most) health problems are treatable with diet alone.” This is true, if at odds with the disclaimer at the bottom of the page that her words are “not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.”
605,368 views Jun 17, 2024 #DrJordanPeterson#DailyWirePlus#JordanBPetersonDr. Jordan B. Peterson sits down in-person with filmmaker and science author Max Lugavere. They discuss his upcoming film, “Little Empty Boxes,” that details his mother’s progression through dementia, which set Max on his life’s journey to understand and communicate the science behind health and nutrition. Dr. Peterson and Lugavere also discuss obesity, toxic exposure, hypertension, and elimination diets.
Max Lugavere is a health and science journalist, filmmaker, and bestselling author. He is the author of the Genius trilogy of books, including the New York Times bestseller “Genius Foods” and the Wall Street Journal bestseller “Genius Kitchen.”
He hosts The Genius Life podcast, one of the top health and wellness podcasts in the U.S. His appearances on The Today Show, The Rachael Ray Show, The Doctors, and The Joe Rogan Experience have made him a respected and well-known voice in the field. His debut film Little Empty Boxes, a project 10 years in the making and the first film to document the science of dementia prevention, is available for pre-order now at LittleEmptyBoxes.com.
Mikhaila Peterson is a Canadian-born podcaster, founder, CEO, lifestyle and diet researcher, mother, and speaker.
She hosts the Mikhaila Peterson Podcast – an interview style podcast sprinkled with solo episodes covering topics ranging from cutting edge health information to news to relationship and psychological advice. Her series “Opposing Views” brings on experts of their field to discuss contentious subjects with contrary beliefs to one another, with the goal of inspiring people to form their own educated opinion.
From age 2 until her young adult years, she suffered from severe juvenile idiopathic arthritis, idiopathic hypersomnia and severe depression. She had her hip and ankle replaced at age 17 due to the severity of the arthritis which was active in 37 of her joints and not successfully treatable with medication. When she was 23 she put her disorders into remission and got off immunosuppressants, antidepressants, and a number of other medications used to control her inflammatory responses by using an extremely strict paleo diet. Getting off of antidepressants caused 2 years of hellish antidepressant withdrawal.
At age 25 she had a baby and started managing/growing her father Jordan B Peterson’s brand and companies, including managing PR, strategy, negotiations, and social media. That same year, 2017, she developed the Lion Diet to treat the lingering antidepressant damage/withdrawal. There’s a longer description of her illnesses on that website.
The Lion Diet is a ruminant meat ketogenic, carnivorous, elimination diet that can be used to treat autoimmunity, psychiatric disorders, obesity (among other chronic health issues), and identify food sensitivities. It’s helped tens of thousands of people who had similar health issues. Hopefully the medical community will take it seriously one day. She’s been on the lion diet since 2017. Information is available at liondiet.com including instructions on how to do the lion diet, recipes, an extensive FAQ, a blog, and links to the Facebook groups Don’t Eat That and The Lion Diet as well as a Lion Diet friendly restaurant locator.
At age 30 she launched Fuller Health, a supplement and product brand that produces pure non-toxic supplements and eventually products. Its first product is After Party – made for improving your mornings after drinking by helping you break down acetaldehyde. All of Fuller Health’s future products will be pure, with no fillers, excipients, or unnecessary ingredients, just third party tested pure ingredients for sensitive people. She started this company because of her inability to tolerate fillers and excipients in most supplements.
At age 31 she put together biotoxin.com to help people with illnesses caused by environmental toxins (such as mold toxicity), and currently believes that was the main culprit behind her and her family’s multiple chronic illnesses. Information on the website includes an in-depth guide to CIRS (chronic inflammatory response syndrome caused by toxins such as mold, bacteria, lyme, VOC’s, etc.), an extensive catalog of peer reviewed studies, treatment, physicians and an FAQ that includes cleaning protocols.
She’s currently co-founder and CEO of Peterson Academy, an online education platform launching spring 2024. Peterson Academy produces 8 hour courses from world renowned professors to provide affordable education to anyone, and includes a community feature to allow students to connect with each other.
She also manages her father, Jordan B Peterson’s companies and brand.
Mikhaila’s main goal is to help people become resilient, and recognize how much control they have over their own life, to encourage others to take responsibility for their physical and mental health, and to help show people that they have the power to better their lives, regardless of the cards they’ve been dealt. You never know what level you can reach if you decide to put in the work.
In my synopsis of this blog, I recovered from Severe depression in 2006.
Know the root cause and it wasn’t until after I realized the root cause of mine was a feeling sorry for myself and selfish why him why me attitude. My father passed away gradually in the early months of 2006. It was when I added Why anybody that was when I transition my outlook on life and lift myself out of the dark rabbit that depression was for me.
THIS IS IN ADDITION TO MILITARY AGE CHINESE MEN COMING ACROSS OUR BORDERS ILLEGALLY.
China has been buying up strategically placed farmland next to military installations across the US, raising national security fears over potential espionage or even sabotage.
The Post has identified 19 bases across the US from Florida to Hawaii which are in close proximity to land bought up by Chinese entities and could be exploited by spies working for the communist nation.
They include some of the military’s most strategically important bases: Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) in Fayetteville, North Carolina; Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood) in Killeen, Texas; Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California, and MacDill air force base in Tampa, Florida.
Robert S. Spalding III, a retired United States Air Force brigadier general whose work focuses on US-China relations told The Post: “It is concerning due to the proximity to strategic locations.
‘Unusual’ cancers emerged after the pandemic. Doctors ask if covid is to blame. : r/EverythingScience (reddit.com) Doctors in the US believe the covid virus, not the jabs, is to blame for the ‘unusual’ cancers that have emerged since the pandemic. Since about 2021, they have been seeing young people with rare and unusual forms of cancers that typically affect seniors in their 70s and 80s. They are also noticing other strange things, such as patients coming down with multiple cancers at the same time.
This coincidentally started happening just after the covid jabs were rolled out Daily Mail OnlineBut doctors do not believe this to be the primary driver of advanced, rare cancer cases. Instead, they think Covid itself is to blame. Dr Kashyap Patel, a North Carolina oncologist, has seen the phenomenon firsthand. He saw a patient in his 40s in 2021 who had a rare cancer of the bile ducts, which transport fluid produced by the liver to the small intestine, where it aids in the absorption and digestion of fats. This type of cancer typically affects people in their 70s and 80s.
Then, multiple other patients he met with were diagnosed with an array of different cancers, something he said he has never seen in his two decades of practicing medicine. One couple he investigated were Bob and Bonnie Krall of Fort Mill, South Carolina, who in a 14-month period was diagnosed with three types of cancer between them despite having no family history of the disease.
Mr Krall was diagnosed with a rare chronic blood and bone marrow cancer, while Mrs Krall had a cancerous mass in her abdomen weighing eight and a half pounds, according to the Washington Post. Mr Krall later learned that several of his neighbors had the same type of cancer: ‘It’s like a cold. It seems like everyone has it.’ CDC data shows that more people are being told they have cancer now than they were prior to the pandemic.
In 2021, 9.8 percent of adults reported having ever been told by a doctor that they had cancer. In 2019, that proportion of adults was 9.5 percent. Viruses have been known to accelerate cancer since the 1960s, and researchers contend that a quarter of all cancers worldwide originated with HPV, Epstein-Barr virus, and hepatitis B. They cannot definitively rule out the Covid vaccines as playing a role, but believe the evidence supporting the virus theory to be much stronger.
Doctors across the US are reporting an alarming health trend in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Since about 2021, they have been noticing rare and unusual cancers in patients who shouldn’t fit the bill – many of them young and without any family history of disease. And they’re coming down with obscure forms of the disease that typically affect seniors in their 70s and 80s, including hard to pronounce ones like cholangiocarcinoma, a rare and lethal cancer of the bile ducts.There are other strange things happening, such as patients coming down with multiple cancers at the same time.
The pandemic forced people to isolate and put off preventative care measures that would screen for various types of cancers, out of fear of being infected.But doctors do not believe this to be the primary driver of advanced, rare cancer cases. Instead, they think Covid itself is to blame. Dr Kashyap Patel, a North Carolina oncologist, has seen the phenomenon firsthand.
He saw a patient in his 40s in 2021 who had a rare cancer of the bile ducts, which transport fluid produced by the liver to the small intestine, where it aids in the absorption and digestion of fats.This type of cancer typically affects people in their 70s and 80s. Then, multiple other patients he met with were diagnosed with an array of different cancers, something he said he has never seen in his two decades of practicing medicine.
One couple he investigated were Bob and Bonnie Krall of Fort Mill, South Carolina, who in a 14 month period were diagnosed with three types of cancer between them despite having no family history of the disease.Mr Krall was diagnosed with a rare chronic blood and bone marrow cancer, while Mrs Krall had a cancerous mass in her abdomen weighing eight and a half pounds, according to the Washington Post.
Mr Krall later learned that several of his neighbors had the same type of cancer: ‘It’s like a cold. It seems like everyone has it.’CDC data shows that more people are being told they have cancer now than they were prior to the pandemic. In 2021, 9.8 percent of adults reported having ever been told by a doctor that they had cancer. In 2019, that proportion of adults was 9.5 percent.
Dr Kashyap Patel, a North Carolina oncologist, has treated patients in their 40s with rare and advanced cancers post-CovidViruses have been known to accelerate cancer since the 1960s, and researchers contend that a quarter of all cancers worldwide originated with HPV, Epstein-Barr virus, and hepatitis B.They cannot definitively rule out the Covid vaccines as playing a role, but believe the evidence supporting the virus theory to be much stronger.
Lab tests suggest that coronavirus proteins can reawaken dormant cancer cells and fuel their growth, increasing the odds of being diagnosed with breast, stomach, and blood cancers.Research into the links between Covid and cancer is relatively new, given the pandemic began only four years ago.
A 2023 report in the journal Biochimie detailed different means by which the coronavirus can change genes that usually stop tumors from forming and cause widespread inflammation throughout the body. This inflammation might lead to the development of cancer cells in various organs, including the lungs, pancreas, and colon.
The photo shows the coronavirus indicated in yellow, Emerging from the surface of cells, indicated in blue/pink, cultured in a laboratory. Research suggests that the virus can reawaken dormant cancer cells and cause whole body inflammation that can lead to the proliferation of cancer cells. And a team in Colorado has begun probing the possibility that the coronavirus brings cancer cells to life in mice. A preprint released in April showed that when mice who had cancer previously but recovered were injected with the coronavirus, cancer cells multiplied and spread in the lungs. The flu virus was shown to do the same thing.
Researchers such as Dr Ashani Weeraratna of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Heath, were not exactly surprised by this finding.She said that it makes sense that ‘something like influenza or Covid that triggers inflammation could change in the immune microenvironment,’ adding, ‘it’s rare the data are so striking.’ Dr Weeraratna said: ‘Mitigating risk of infection may be of particular importance for cancer patients,’ Weeraratna said.
Based on the study’s findings, measures adopted by vulnerable patients starting in the early days of the pandemic — wearing masks, avoiding crowded places, getting vaccines — become even more important.’ The data shows that cancer incidence is up compared to 2019, the eve of the pandemic.
That year, about 1.7 million cancer diagnoses were reported and 599,601 people died of cancer in 2019. In 2022, an estimated 1.9 million new cancer diagnoses were made with around 609,000 cases proving fatal. 2023 data has not yet been made available, but projections show those cases and deaths increasing once again. The NIH estimates that nearly two million new cancer cases and nearly 610,000 cancer deaths are projected to occur in the US that year, but tallies are still being conducted.
Dr Patel is now researching the connection himself.
Based on data from over 300 patients, his office has logged over 15 patients with multiple cancers, about 35 who had rare cancers, and 15 couples with new cancers since the pandemic began four years ago. He posited that being infected with the virus more than once has an even greater impact, as did pandemic-related stress by exacerbating whole-body inflammation that could reactivate cancer cells.
The above graph shows the change in cancer case rates around the world. Even during the first year of the Covid pandemic up to December 31, 2020, doctors began noticing an uptick in cancer cases.
A 2023 report in the journal Lancet Oncology looked at 2.4 million adults who had been diagnosed with cancer in 2018, 2019, and 2020. New cancer cases fell after the start of the pandemic, but ticked back up at the end of the year.The odds of being diagnosed with an advanced stage 4 cancer was more than seven percent higher in 2020 compared to the previous year.
Dr Xuesong Han, said: ‘I don’t have the data to support this opinion. But it’s an important question to follow up on.’
Publications
For a full list of Dr. XUESONG Han’s publications, see her Google Scholar page.
The connection between COVID-19, mental health, and smoking
Since our last report, COVID-19 has affected the health of individuals across the globe. From 2019 to 2021, life expectancy in the United States declined by 2.7 years – the largest two-year drop since the 1920s – with much of this decline attributed to COVID-19 deaths. In addition, mental health has also declined in the U.S. which seems to have been heightened by COVID-19.
This has been particularly true among youth, with 37% of U.S. high school students reporting poor mental health most of the time or always during the COVID-19 pandemic. Against this backdrop of worsening health indicators, disparities persist between Tobacco Nation and other states. Because the virus that causes COVID-19 attacks the lungs, the pandemic intensified concerns about the impact of smoking on health.
Similarly, declines in mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic raise concerns about the relationship between mental health, tobacco use, and difficulties with quitting tobacco. This is especially true in Tobacco Nation, which has some of the highest smoking prevalence in the country.
According to CDC data, nine of the 12 Tobacco Nation states fall within the top 25% of state-level COVID-19 death rates. Individuals in Tobacco Nation also report poorer mental health, on average, than residents of other states. We know that smoking can harm mental health, increases the risk of infectious diseases and respiratory infections, and is a major cause of chronic health conditions and cancer.
Emerging evidence suggests that people who smoke may be at increased risk of infection and worse outcomes including progressing to critical condition or death from COVID-19. The combination of higher smoking prevalence, poor baseline physical and mental health, and limited access to health care created the perfect storm for COVID-19 to hit – harder than the rest of the nation – a community already beleaguered with health issues.
Smoking prevalence in Tobacco Nation remains higher than the rest of the nation
Tobacco use is disproportionately high in several U.S. states – particularly in the South and Midwest. In our 2017 report, “Tobacco Nation: The deadly state of smoking disparity in the U.S.,” we highlighted a group of 12 states in this region, all of which had higher smoking prevalence than the national average: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia. We called these states with very high smoking prevalence “Tobacco Nation.”
These states not only have a high prevalence of tobacco use, they also tend to have worse indicators of health, socioeconomic status, and coverage by tobacco policies. Our 2019 follow-up report “Tobacco Nation: An ongoing crisis” found that most smoking, demographic, and health characteristics remained largely unchanged and looked beyond the most current annual estimates to examine trends in smoking over time. It identified the same 12 states as the first report, plus South Carolina, as states that had consistently ranked in the top 25% of U.S. adult smoking since 2011.
This year, we once again identified areas of the U.S. where smoking prevalence among adults was consistently high between 2011 and 2020. Today, Tobacco Nation comprises the same 12 states we identified in 2017— Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and West Virginia — with smoking prevalence within the top quarter of adult smoking prevalence in the country.
We flagged three additional states to monitor – Alaska, South Dakota, and Wyoming – that may be on the verge of joining Tobacco Nation. While South Carolina, which was included in our last report, still has higher smoking prevalence than the national average, it did not consistently rate in the top 25% of smoking prevalence for states in the period we examined.
Although smoking prevalence has declined across the U.S. since our 2019 report, residents of all ages in Tobacco Nation are still more likely to smoke than residents living in the rest of the U.S. Smoking prevalence is about 50% higher in Tobacco Nation compared to the rest of the U.S. among both adults (19% vs. 13%) as well as young adults (11% vs. 8%).
Youth in the region have a higher prevalence of cigarette smoking compared to the rest of the U.S. as well (6% vs. 4% in 2019). Not only is there a higher smoking prevalence among Tobacco Nation’s residents of all ages, but they also smoke nearly twice as many cigarettes per capita annually (53 packs vs. 29 packs) than those in the rest of the U.S., amounting to nearly 500 more cigarettes a year.
With more than 67 million residents, these states include roughly 21% of the U.S. population but represent more than 28% of all adult current smokers in the country. When compared to the rest of the U.S., residents of Tobacco Nation states are less educated, not as financially well-off, and less likely to be employed, especially in white-collar jobs — trends we noted in our first Tobacco Nation report that remain true today.
Includes so many twists and turns as his mom fought his deadly cancer with Cannabis oil. Facing hurdle after hurdle as she watched him start to fade away from Chemotherapy there were many times desperation set in with the fear he wouldn’t make it. His little body dwindled from the Leukemia treatments that took such a toll his mom reached out to the famed Stanley Brothers in Colorado back in 2013.
Sierra Lynn Riddle from Salt Lake City to Colorado Springs so that Landon could get the cannabis medicine he needed. Landon started the cannabis oil treatment in January of 2013. Like a miracle, cancer started to fade, causing doctors to start asking questions. Sierra Lynn Riddle continued the cannabis treatment and took Landon off of chemotherapy in July. But, unfortunately for her not all agreed with her which led to Child Protective Services becoming very invasive in their lives, this came about due to a doctor who felt he needed Chemotherapy to stay alive.
“It was as if a miracle had happened! He was smiling again & started to eat again!” His mom wrote about how he started to recover quickly and documented it with photos. Enjoy this sneak preview into her upcoming book (s) about Cannabis and how it healed Landon.
What a beautiful sight!
He’s eating everything he can!!
Excerpts from Sierra Lynn Riddle:
“As the weeks went on the Chemo’s side effects seemed to lessen & lessen. His counts went up & he was able to leave the house a couple of times a week (he had been home-bound for months with low counts before Cannabis). His severe neuropathy, caused directly by one of the Chemos (he could barely walk 10 feet unassisted at the worst part of it) was healing itself! His reflexes started regenerating & the vomiting decreased to 10 times per day or less. He was up & awake most of the day now, walking a little, laughing & trying to be as normal as possible.
Friends, Family, everyone began to see the difference in Landon
“But, I think the most important & the most miraculous thing was that Landon started to ENJOY LIFE again! He was finally able to do more than sit on our couch or in bed & puke for weeks on end. He was finally able to eat & enjoy it AND keep it down!! Landon was finally able to LIVE again.”
Cannabis Beats Cancer“ Cannabis was starting to give him back what Chemo had stolen!” -Sierra Lynn Riddle,
He started playing again!
We all started smiling again!
“Watching my son “play” after what he had endured & was still enduring was a pivotal moment for me in this journey!”
At FECO Playbook, we strive to develop playbooks to assist cancer patients by combining research with patient-reported outcomes. Our operations heavily rely on these outcomes, as sharing your experience can potentially save another person’s life. By extracting crucial data points from patient-reported outcomes, we can better identify successful treatment and lifestyle changes for specific cancers, allowing us to provide an effective plan for future cancer patients. If you or someone you know has a story to share or requires additional guidance during their battle with cancer, please visit fecoplaybook.org today and join us in the fight against cancer…
“Landon was now doing amazing & his Doctors in Utah could not figure out why! Especially since he had done so badly with the Chemos for so long. The Cannabis was doing far more for Landon than just helping with his pain & nausea. It was helping Landon on a cellular level as well! The weekly blood results were showing us in black & white the powers of Cannabis! The amount of Blood & Platelet transfusions needed after Chemo was cut by 75%, he no longer needed the IV promethazine or morphine! In fact, Landon no longer needed ANY pharmaceuticals for pain, nausea, anxiety, sleep, or night terrors! Cannabis took the place of around a dozen or more medications filling my cabinets. His Immune System was kept high & he no longer caught every virus that floated by in the air! This made life immensely better for Landon as he was about to get out of the sterile environment & participate in life again.”
When we look 8 years back into the History of Landon Riddle’s Cannabis Journey it allows us to see some of the issues that still plague parents today. It would seem with all of the experts abound there would be no issue with continuing this type of alternative medicine for kids with health issues of all types with crowds cheering on, but that simply isn’t the case. Parents face changing regulations, state entities that question their desire to use a plant, doctors that have still not become educated in the endocannabinoid system which modulates the major functions of our body and keeps everything in good working order – a term known as Homeostasis.
It’s so beautiful to read the stories like Landon’s as they give us hope and show that the plant truly does heal. His warrior spirit has brought him to the present his mom and those in Landon’s life enjoy. The ability to battle like a champion and come out of it on the other side of chemotherapy, toxic chemicals used in his treatment, and overcome shows everyone in the world of medicine and beyond that the Cannabis Plant should have never been villainized nor marginalized. The beautiful bounty of nature allowed this precious young child to grow up too soon to be a young man.
And that’s what Cannabis does that’s so incredible – it gives a future. We see this every day with Genevieve and her journey with severe Autism and Epilepsy, without this glorious plant her life wouldn’t be what it is today. There would be no dream of a carousel to celebrate at all – we need to embrace cannabis for what it is. It’s not a cure-all with a guarantee – it’s the nature that our maker intended for us to use.
They tried to stop his mom, they tried to keep him on Chemo, the plant is prohibited and nobody can prove it beats Cancer.
Landon Quit Chemo, His mom put him on Cannabis.
And He LIVED.
Cannabis Healed Him.
Mike Robinson Cannabis Team Landon
The Cannabis Love Story: How Genevieve Created A Family
-Mike Robinson, Cannabis Patient and Founder, Global Cannabinoid Research Center. But, most of all, Genevieve’s Daddy
At 2 years old, Landon Riddle was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. We talk to his mother Sierra Riddle about the horrific effects of chemotherapy for Landon and how cannabis oil restored his health. Subscribe, like, share and hit the notification
Disclaimer: The content found on this YouTube channel is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure disease. We strive to make the information on this YouTube channel as timely and accurate as possible, we make no claims, promises, or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of this YouTube channel. We suggest working with a medical practitioner or / and under adult supervision for any serious health issues.
When Cannabis is Batched Properly it should have a gold color.
Bailey is a senior content manager at Leafly, specializing in strains and health. She’s spent 7+ years researching cannabis products, spreading patients’ stories, and exploring healthy ways of integrating cannabis into daily life.
When you think of “classic” marijuana usage, what do you picture in your mind?
Maybe it’s a few old hippies enjoying a joint in a circle. In order to roll that joint (or blunt,) you grind green, dried flower up and use rolling papers or wraps to pass around.
But if you’ve browsed through Reddit cannabis or taken a look around, you know that not all cannabis products are gold standard. They don’t always come in flower form. Concentrates like shatter or budder are becoming more and more popular in the cannabis world as dabbing and other forms of ingesting cannabis are more accessible.
One of the more versatile cannabis concentrates is cannabis oil. If you’ve never tried cannabis oil before, know that it’s useful to do some research and check it out. While smoking has its benefits, cannabis oil can be a discrete and versatile way to consume cannabis anywhere.
Let’s talk about it.
What Is Cannabis Oil?
Before we get into the pros and cons of using cannabis oil vs. dried flower, let’s talk about what cannabis oil is in the first place.
Cannabis oils, also known as cannabis tinctures, extract the main ingredients of cannabis using alcohol. After the extraction process is over, you are left with either THC or CBD. THC oil gets you high – CBD oil doesn’t. (CBD oil still has a lot of different benefits when it comes to pain relief, reducing inflammation, and feeling more calm!)
While most cannabis oil products are simply THC oil or CBD oil, you can get a mixture of CBD and THC in the same product.
As you can imagine, extracting THC out of the dried flower results in a very strong product. You can make your own cannabis oils, but if you’re new to this idea, you can buy cannabis oils online and get a precise idea of how much THC you are consuming in every drop.
How to Ingest Cannabis Oil vs. Dried Flower
Smoking marijuana is a classic form of ingesting cannabis. You grind up dried flower, add it to a bowl, a joint, or a bong, and breathe in. Dried flower has also made its way into pot brownies and other edibles, but these offer a much different experience than good ol’ smoking.
Now that oil is in the picture, users have much more options for ingesting cannabis. Ingesting cannabis oil is as easy as lifting your tongue and squeezing a few drops into your mouth. Cannabis oils were created to be consumed orally.
If you want to get creative, you can also add cannabis oils to your smoothies, coffee, or tea. (You can also add dried flower to your tea as well – we’ve got some recipes to help you get started.) It’s easy to add cannabis oil to just about any food or drink that you were already planning on consuming.
But that’s not all. You can also add cannabis oil to a vape cartridge and take a few puffs. Vape pens are becoming a more popular way to consume THC, CBD, or tobacco. On our website, we offer Juul cartridges that contain THC oil and are ready to pop into your Juul.
Cannabis users can experiment further by using cannabis oil on a dab rig. This delivers a fast, intense high – beginners should hold off on dabbing until they’ve gotten used to the effects of orally ingesting tinctures.
Health Concerns
Let’s talk about one of the reasons that users switch from smoking to vaping: health. What’s healthier: smoking marijuana or ingesting cannabis oil? The answer isn’t so simple.
People on the side of smoking marijuana do have some points to make about health concerns. Cannabis oil is stronger than good ol’ fashioned bud. Strains of marijuana have gotten stronger in recent decades – you can easily snag an indica that contains 25% THC. Concentrates triple that number.
What does that mean? It’s easier for people to get “too high.” There is a lot more research to be done on the long-term effects of THC and cannabis. We do know, however, that too much THC can cause anxiety, dizziness, nausea, and an increased heart rate. THC impairs your thinking and brain function. You don’t want to have to call in sick or cancel your plans because you actually ingested too much of a product that is up to 80% THC.
On the other hand, many people switch from smoking dried flowers to ingesting cannabis oil for health reasons.
Smoking marijuana requires burning through your joint and dried flower. Like smoking tobacco, simply inhaling the smoke can cause long-term damage to the lungs, blood vessels, and heart. Tobacco smoke and marijuana smoke also both contain toxics and possible carcinogens that increase your risk of lung infections, chest illnesses, and even cancer.
When you compare these risks to popping a more pure THC oil into your banana smoothie, it makes sense that you should want to make the switch to oil. But take things slow and dose it appropriately. One drop of cannabis oil is much different than one bong rip. Take things slow to find the amount of CBD oil that works for you.
Other Benefits of Cannabis Oil
Easy Dosage
One of the best ways to ensure that you enjoy cannabis oil safely is to pay attention to how much you are ingesting at any given time. Droppers of cannabis oil make it easy to know how much you are taking (vs. smoking marijuana, which can’t give you a great estimate of how much THC you are consuming.)
Portable And Discrete
Whether you pop a drop under your tongue, add THC oil to your coffee, or take a puff of your vape, you won’t have to worry about smelling like a skunk. Cannabis oil has no odour and won’t leave a long trace of smelly, thick smoke in the room. The tea at your desk can have THC oil and your supervisor won’t even know!
Once you know the ins and outs of smoking vs. vaping vs. other types of dosing, the choice is yours. Smoking is a classic way to enjoy marijuana with your friends and enjoy the smells and tastes of different strains. On the other hand, cannabis oil is a discrete option that allows for higher (and stronger) doses.
While the connection between oral health and general health is well documented, it’s not generally discussed at well or dental visits. It should be: An April 2022 report from The National Institutes of Health found that 90% of adults ages 20 to 64 experience tooth decay, while almost 50% of adults 45 to 64 have gum disease.
Dr. Michael Roizen, chief wellness officer at Cleveland Clinic, says oral diseases have a large association with overall health. Research has shown that there’s an association between your dental health habits and whether or not you develop diabetes, Alzheimer’s, stroke, or heart disease.
When we don’t take care of our oral health, says Roizen, dental caries (tooth decay) and gum disease can enter the bloodstream, contributing to plaque disruption in the arteries, or promoting inflammation in the brain and other areas of the body. “Flossing your teeth is the equivalent of 8,000 steps a day,” says Roizen. “Which is pretty darn powerful.”
Think of the body as a human donut
In 2019, the World Health Organization named tooth decay in permanent teeth as the most common health condition in its Global Burden of Disease report. Oral diseases affect about 3.5 billion people worldwide
What we often don’t realize is that this isn’t bad just for our mouths, but our bodies. “People think of their heads and teeth as disconnected from the rest of their bodies, but they’re not,” says Dr. Maria Ryan, DDS, Ph.D. in oral biology and chief clinical officer at Colgate-Palmolive Company. Viewing the body as one connected system helps reinforce how it can influence all areas of wellness and the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene, says Ryan.
Naveem Jain, founder of Viome, a company that builds personalized toothpaste and supplements based on a person’s microbiome, compares the human body to a donut. “There is a tube that goes through us,” says Jain, noting that billions of microbes enter the body through that tube as we breathe. “When the protective barrier is broken, you have system inflammation in the body. If you have a leaky gum, it’s the same concept. If our heart is bleeding or even our fingers, we’d be trying to figure it out. If our gums are bleeding, eh whatever. In both cases, all of your microbes have a free path into the bloodstream.”
That path is where trouble starts, says Ryan. It’s no surprise then that in one study, published in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal, found that people with gum disease were twice as likely to have a heart attack and three times as likely to have a stroke than those without inflammatory gum disease. “People think, ‘What’s the worst thing that can happen? I can lose a tooth,’” says Ryan. “Well, it could be worse than that.”
Poor oral health can also impact our confidence
If the prospect of developing heart disease or diabetes isn’t enough to get you to the dentist, maybe the idea of looking good will. After all, dental hygiene is also front and center in all of our human interactions. If you’re self-conscious about bad breath or missing teeth, it might affect your ability to move through the world with confidence. “That can impact someone’s ability to get a job, or their relationships,” says Ryan. “It’s important on so many levels.”
And weak teeth can impact the way you’re able to address more mundane aspects of your health. Ryan uses the example of a healthy diet. If a physician recommends eating more fruits and vegetables to a patient with poor oral health, the patient may feel stuck eating foods such as apples, carrots, and broccoli if missing teeth and cavities are a factor, Ryan says.
When all of these factors impede a person’s ability to be social and engaged on a personal level, their mental health can suffer. One 2022 study documented the connection between poor oral health and increased anxiety and depression.
A big part of addressing the oral health crisis is prevention and education, says Ryan who leads Colgate-Palmolive’s five-year, $100 million Know Your OQ (oral health quotient). It aims to shift some of these statistics and increase awareness on the importance of simple and consistent oral hygiene.
How to protect your oral health and overall well-being
The American Dental Association and WHO recommend six basic steps for preventing gum disease:
It might seem like really basic information, says Ryan, but if everyone was doing it the stats on oral health wouldn’t be what they are.
Dr. Tien Jiang, a practicing dentist who teaches oral health policy and epidemiology at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, says she takes every opportunity she can to weave education into her interactions with patients so her approach is more preventative than reactive whenever it can be. “Just like high blood pressure, with a lot of dental diseases or concerns—for instance, an early cavity—you can’t feel anything,” says Jiang. “You might not feel anything until it’s advanced. You can have a patient come in and a dentist diagnoses five cavities and they’ve been feeling fine.”
But at that point, the situation has turned urgent and the patient is in tremendous pain—especially in the case of periodontal disease, says Jiang. To add insult to injury the patient now also faces a steep dental bill to cover care and save the tooth. “We have an uphill battle,” she says. “We want to diagnose but there’s always a suspicion that the dentist just wants to make money.”
From Ryan’s perspective, this makes education and normalization of these ideas critical to shift the trajectory of how we frame and prioritize our oral health.
Relatedly, she says, knowing where to get dental care could also be a barrier. Aside from dental practices, dental schools offer cleanings, as well as federally qualified health centers (FQHC). “Not just preventative strategies, but also the signs and symptoms so if they have disease they go and get it managed. There are so many places to get care.”
Older adults with tooth loss have a higher risk of cognitive impairment and dementia, with increasing risk with each missing tooth, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.
Problems with oral health, such as poor oral hygiene, tooth cavities, gum disease, and tooth loss, are more common in older adults than in other age groups. Older adults are also more likely to have cognitive impairment or dementia, and recent studies have suggested a link between oral health and these conditions. To get a comprehensive picture of this association, NIA-supported researchers led by a team at New York University analyzed results from several long-term studies on the link between tooth loss and the risk of cognitive impairment.
The researchers conducted a detailed search of six major databases of biomedical science publications and identified 14 relevant studies. These studies used questionnaires, assessments, medical records, and information from death certificates to identify participants with cognitive impairment or dementia. Out of a total of 34,074 participants, 4,689 had cognitive impairment or dementia. The studies used medical examinations and self-reported records to assess tooth loss and classified participants as having more or fewer missing teeth.
The researchers found that participants with more missing teeth had, on average, a 48% higher risk of cognitive impairment and a 28% higher risk of dementia. The relationship between tooth loss and cognitive decline was “dose-dependent”: Each lost tooth was associated with a 1.4% increase in the risk of cognitive impairment and a 1.1% increase in the risk of dementia. Participants who were missing 20 or more teeth had a 31% higher risk of cognitive impairment. Participants who had lost all their teeth had a 54% higher risk of cognitive impairment and a 40% higher risk of dementia. Interestingly, participants who had missing teeth but used dentures did not have a significantly higher risk of dementia than participants without missing teeth.
The researchers note that the reason for this association between tooth loss and the risk of cognitive decline is unclear. Still, tooth loss can result in problems with chewing that might lead to nutritional deficiencies, chemical imbalances, or changes to the brain that affect brain function. Also, poor oral hygiene might lead to increased bacteria in the mouth and to gum disease, which can cause inflammation and raise the risk of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain, leading to dementia. Tooth loss without the use of dentures might also be an indication of lower socioeconomic status and lower education level, both of which are independently linked to an increased risk of dementia. Alternatively, missing teeth might be an early sign of cognitive impairment: People with cognitive decline might be less likely to keep up with oral hygiene, leading to tooth loss.
The research was limited by the fact that the various publications studied used different methods of data collection and data analysis. However, the results suggest that timely interventions, such as encouraging the use of dentures and other orthodontic treatments and large-scale education programs on the importance of oral hygiene in older adults, might help prevent or slow down cognitive decline linked to tooth loss.
This research was funded in part by NIA grant R56AG067619.
Renee Bruns described her experience as ‘scary and liberating’
A few months ago, I took the stage at my very first TEDx event. My heart was racing and my lip quivered as I rolled onto the stage. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, placed my hand on my stomach, and reminded myself of the very words I was about to say to everyone. As we go through life and chase so many big dreams, we cannot forget about the journey that led us there. Enjoy today – the struggles and the joys – and enjoy your dreams coming true too. It’s the cumulation of it all that makes life so beautiful.
Defying odds, a specially-abled woman, Renee Bruns from Atlanta, Georgia in the US, travelled 129 countries on a wheelchair and recently broke the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the most countries visited in one year.
Renee Bruns is a former Fortune 500 insurance executive who left her role in May 2022 on a mission to see the world and reshape her views of humanity. She was born with an undiagnosed skeletal disorder that has caused her to use a wheelchair full time.
Through her travels to 129 countries, all 7 continents, and all 50 states, she became a Guinness World Record Holder and has been featured on numerous media sites and podcasts. She is currently working on a book to share her story of navigating the world with a physical disability and the series of events that led her to find self-acceptance, and ultimately a diagnosis of her unique medical condition by a dedicated team of specialists.
Renee is also working on a doctoral degree where her research is focused on positive psychology and the impacts it has on the workforce. She is a life coach helping those who are looking to restructure their lives and helps guide and advocate for those navigating undiagnosed medical conditions.
Finally, Renee is an Ambassador for the Free Wheelchair Mission where wheelchairs are provided for only $96 each to people in need around the world. An American woman has set the world record for travelling to the most countries in a year in a wheelchair.
Renee Bruns, 40, was diagnosed with Diastrophic Dwarfism when she was 16 years old and spent much of her early years travelling around the US with her mother to see medical specialists. By her 16th birthday, she had already visited all 50 US states, an experience that inspired her to see more of the world.
Finally, Renee is an Ambassador for Free Wheelchair Mission where wheelchairs are provided for only $96 each to people in need around the world. An American woman has set the world record for travelling to the most countries in a year in a wheelchair.
“It was a very scary and liberating experience for me,” she told CNN.
Bruns says that while there is more awareness of wheelchair users compared with when she was growing up, there are still challenges, saying: “it hasn’t been easy to navigate a world designed for people who use two legs”.
“I don’t have a dedicated medical assistant or a helper, if you will.”
She said: “What I have seen in my lifetime is just a lot more awareness. People are much more willing to help. There’s not this scariness factor of someone with a wheelchair.
“I experienced that a lot in my younger years and I don’t get it so much anymore.”
She cites Norway, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand as the countries with the most inclusive infrastructure, noting that more historic destinations tend to be poorer on this front.
While she accepts that the process of making a historic temple in Indonesia more accessible might be a challenge, she describes air travel as the biggest disappointment when travelling, stating that airlines have “a lot more to do” when it comes to making travel more inclusive for people with disabilities.
“In the past two or three years, it’s gotten slightly better,” she says. “And I hesitate to even say ‘slightly,’ because I don’t want to give the airlines too much credit.
“There is an immense amount of work that can go into flying for people with disabilities, and the airlines have a huge, huge responsibility to make it better.
“It is one of the most frustrating parts [of travelling] and just the treatment that the airlines give to people with disabilities.”
Despite this, Bruns says her experience of travelling using a wheelchair has given her an additional insight that non-disabled people may lack, citing an experience in Indonesia when she found herself temporarily stuck after she couldn’t get down a particularly high curb. In the end, a group of strangers came to her aid.
“In a strange kind of way, [being a wheelchair user] has allowed me to see humanity differently than an average traveller will see, because they can just go about, and step down that sidewalk and back up again,” she says.
“It’s no big deal [for them]. But I’m really relying on the help of complete strangers to get me to the places I want to go.”
As of now, she has traveled to 117 of the 195 UN-recognized countries and territories on the globe, and hopes to visit the remaining 78 destinations in the next decade or so.
With each new country she visits, Bruns aims to seek out a local person and “just chat with them about their family, life and culture”.
She says: “To be able to chat with a local person and just get to know them is one of the most rewarding things for me.
“It’s such a solid reminder of how much human beings have in common, and how much we are the same.
“There’s so much hate in the world, but when you really sit down with people from all over the world, [you find that] we are really all the same. And it’s really refreshing.”
Bruns described the Middle East as one of her favourite regions to visit, calling it “fascinating” and the people “some of the kindest in the world”. The destinations she’s most looking forward to visiting next are Saudi Arabia and Madagascar.
Bruns says that while there is more awareness of wheelchair users compared with when she was growing up, there are still
challenges, saying: “it hasn’t been easy to navigate a world designed for people who use two legs”.
She said: “What I have seen in my lifetime is just a lot more awareness. People are much more willing to help. There’s not this scariness factor of someone with a wheelchair.
“I experienced that a lot in my younger years and I don’t get it so much anymore.”
She cites Norway, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand as the countries with the most inclusive infrastructure, noting that more historic destinations tend to be poorer on this front.
While she accepts that the process of making a historic temple in Indonesia more accessible might be a challenge, she describes air travel as the biggest disappointment when travelling, stating that airlines have “a lot more to do” when it comes to making travel more inclusive for people with disabilities.
“In the past two or three years, it’s gotten slightly better,” she says. “And I hesitate to even say ‘slightly,’ because I don’t want to give the airlines too much credit.
“There is an immense amount of work that can go into flying for people with disabilities, and the airlines have a huge, huge responsibility to make it better.
“It is one of the most frustrating parts [of travelling] and just the treatment that the airlines give to people with disabilities.”
Despite this, Bruns says her experience of travelling using a wheelchair has given her an additional insight that non-disabled people may lack, citing an experience in Indonesia when she found herself temporarily stuck after she couldn’t get down a particularly high curb. In the end, a group of strangers came to her aid.
“In a strange kind of way, [being a wheelchair user] has allowed me to see humanity differently than an average traveller will see, because they can just go about, and step down that sidewalk and back up again,” she says.
“It’s no big deal [for them]. But I’m really relying on the help of complete strangers to get me to the places I want to go.”
With each new country she visits, Bruns aims to seek out a local person and “just chat with them about their family, life and culture”. She says: “To be able to chat with a local person and just get to know them is one of the most rewarding things for me.
“It’s such a solid reminder of how much human beings have in common, and how much we are the same.
“There’s so much hate in the world, but when you really sit down with people from all over the world, [you find that] we are really all the same. And it’s really refreshing.”
Bruns described the Middle East as one of her favorite regions to visit, calling it “fascinating” and the people “some of the kindest in the world”. The destinations she’s most looking forward to visiting next are Saudi Arabia and Madagascar.
After experiencing burnout, Bruns took a sabbatical from her job as an insurance executive in 2022 to pursue a year of “intense full-on travel”.
While she’d previously travelled with a companion or her partner, Bruns opted to travel alone on her big trip, booking a one-way ticket to Bali, Indonesia.
Renee Bruns Has Visited 129 Countries in Her Wheelchair — and Wants to Inspire Kids to Chase Their Dreams – Nice News
Sharing her adventures on Instagram, and Facebook she hopes her experiences will help inspire others to see as much of the world as possible.
Diastrophic Dwarfism
Content Area
Diastrophic dwarfism is a skeletal dysplasia that affects cartilage and bone development. Individuals with diastrophic dwarfism have short stature, with short arms and legs. Affected individuals may also have osteoarthritis and joint contractures. Diastrophic dwarfism is also characterized by the following deformities:
Scoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine)
Hitchhiker thumb (shortening of the first metacarpal)
Cleft palate
Malformed ear cartilage
Clubfoot
Diastrophic dwarfism is related to the skeletal disorder, atelosteogenesis, albeit less severe.
Diastrophic dwarfism is quite rare, occurring in 1 in 100,000 live births. It has been linked to mutations in the SLC26A2 gene, which provides instructions for making proteins necessary for the normal development of cartilage, and the conversion of cartilage to bone. Mutations to the SLC26A2 gene interfere with the normal development of cartilage to bone, resulting in the skeletal abnormalities characteristic of diastrophic dwarfism. The SLC26A2 gene is inherited recessively; therefore, affected individuals have both copies of the gene. The parents each carry a single copy of the recessive gene and typically do not show any symptoms.
At the Paley Institute we treat these patients with reconstruction of the hip, knee, and foot. Limb lengthening is sometimes performed to increase stature; however, lengthening is not always indicated due to the severe joint problems in these patients. Diastrophic Dwarfism – Paley Orthopedic & Spine Institute (paley institute.org)
Blogger Traveler Activist Life Coach Motivational Speaker
Renee Bruns (born February 21, 1984) is a disabled American female, blogger,[1] traveler,[2] activist, life coach, and motivational speaker.[3] In 2023, she received a Guinness World Record[4] for ‘most countries traveled in one year with a wheelchair.’
In her one year of travel to achieve the Guinness World Record, she traveled to 55 countries.[5] Throughout her lifetime, she has visited 118 countries, all 7 continents, and all 50 US states.[6]
Renee was born in Maria Stein, Ohio and attended Marion Local Schools.[7] She was born with an undiagnosed skeletal disorder[8] and at an early age, she decided to visit all 50 states with her family, completing that goal by the age of 18. In 2022, she visited Antarctica and completed her goal of visiting all 7 continents.
Career
Renee earned her undergraduate degree from Ohio Northern University and her MBA from Capital University. She is a current online student at Business Science Institute in Luxembourg where she is working towards her Doctorate in Business Administration.
Renee worked in the insurance industry receiving numerous awards in her 15 year career, including a Breakout Award from Business Insurance magazine.[9] In 2022, she left her insurance executive role to travel the world.[10]
She is working towards visiting all 195 UN recognized countries. She is an active member of the travel community and won the NomadMania ‘Against All Odds’ award in 2022.[11] Renee is also an active podcaster appearing frequently as a guest on related podcasts. Press – Renee Bruns
was created from a mass of deep waters that receded to reveal land.
![Hospice Nurse Julie: A pacemaker is totally fine to continue to stay on during the dying process. It interacts with the electrical system in the heart. So, it will not continue to pace someone if the heart is no longer beating. So, that is not an issue; that can stay on. A defibrillator shocks a heart if it goes into dysrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat). [Dysrhythmias are] a natural process of the death and dying process, and we shouldn't worry about them. But the defibrillator should be turned off because if the person does go into an irregular rhythm during the dying phase, that person could be shocked, and being shocked is uncomfortable. So, just to be clear, it's normal for the heart to go into irregular rhythms at the end of life. Hence why it's important to have the defibrillator shut off so the person is not shocked if it goes into those irregular rhythms. Those irregular rhythms will not cause suffering, but the shocking of the defibrillator will cause suffering. So before someone comes to hospice, they should have their defibrillator turned off, which can happen in a cardiologist's office. Charday Penn / Getty Images](https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_NaZeVhn9nxmhRMjAWFvfFwjFzWIBhAmfmXqDdE1ZYfLS93X2BOkwxqqTmo4697SacEkrv_lVMCPKQpaiJ0lG4Incd-IXGZ0uFxLzJCz2kxLoMf2Z1D1GJXT9cgCYZvkuC3BF1wp7fuehOM=s0-d-e1-ft#https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1kw4hO.img?w=768&h=512&m=6 "Hospice Nurse Julie: A pacemaker is totally fine to continue to stay on during the dying process. It interacts with the electrical system in the heart. So, it will not continue to pace someone if the heart is no longer beating. So, that is not an issue; that can stay on. A defibrillator shocks a heart if it goes into dysrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat). [Dysrhythmias are] a natural process of the death and dying process, and we shouldn't worry about them. But the defibrillator should be turned off because if the person does go into an irregular rhythm during the dying phase, that person could be shocked, and being shocked is uncomfortable. So, just to be clear, it's normal for the heart to go into irregular rhythms at the end of life. Hence why it's important to have the defibrillator shut off so the person is not shocked if it goes into those irregular rhythms. Those irregular rhythms will not cause suffering, but the shocking of the defibrillator will cause suffering. So before someone comes to hospice, they should have their defibrillator turned off, which can happen in a cardiologist's office. Charday Penn / Getty Images")
![Hospice Nurse Julie: This is a great question. Okay. So, number one, this person did the right thing. A lot of times, we feel like we have to say something to make the person feel better. Generally speaking, allowing someone to say their fears, and either just being silent and holding their hand and allowing them to have that and not try to push it away, like 'No, no, no, no, no, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid,' it's better. From my experience, allow that [fear] to happen, hold their hand, and be there with them, and maybe even answer truthfully. Whatever the truth is for them, right? 'I'm afraid too. I can see how you're afraid. And I'm so sorry. I feel afraid to.' Or what I usually say, if this is helpful, I normalize how normal it is for people to feel afraid. A lot of times just verbalizing that fear can loosen the grips that fear has on you... I think there's something about connecting together in mutual fear, right? It's okay to fear things. It doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong. It just means that it's it's unknown, and it's scary. And that, 'I'm so sorry you're feeling like that. I'm here with you. I understand. I heard it's really normal to have that fear.' Hispanolistic / Getty Images](https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_NbHopESIL-tk1XMkzIOseTpgrL6sDUaYqZaB0FzKUrVYlV6RJjgKcU8a-WeIWAL1eze73DElaKJJ18sdTw3ZoopcrXd4v6QdmnAJ6reSsdSOI0kJeKHFh-iR9DTGtib_EdWdmTEuxq-hnQ=s0-d-e1-ft#https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB1kwbuy.img?w=768&h=504&m=6 "Hospice Nurse Julie: This is a great question. Okay. So, number one, this person did the right thing. A lot of times, we feel like we have to say something to make the person feel better. Generally speaking, allowing someone to say their fears, and either just being silent and holding their hand and allowing them to have that and not try to push it away, like 'No, no, no, no, no, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid,' it's better. From my experience, allow that [fear] to happen, hold their hand, and be there with them, and maybe even answer truthfully. Whatever the truth is for them, right? 'I'm afraid too. I can see how you're afraid. And I'm so sorry. I feel afraid to.' Or what I usually say, if this is helpful, I normalize how normal it is for people to feel afraid. A lot of times just verbalizing that fear can loosen the grips that fear has on you... I think there's something about connecting together in mutual fear, right? It's okay to fear things. It doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong. It just means that it's it's unknown, and it's scary. And that, 'I'm so sorry you're feeling like that. I'm here with you. I understand. I heard it's really normal to have that fear.' Hispanolistic / Getty Images")
Helvie grew up in the small country hamlet of Natural Dam in upstate New York, not far from the St. Lawrence River. He graduated high school in 1950 and got a job in the stock room of the hospital in the nearby town of Gouverneur (named after one of the less well-known signers of the Declaration of Independence). Curious and gregarious, he became friendly with the nurses and the hospital dietician and was informally trained to help prepare patients for surgery.
MR LANDON RIDDLE 
to thrive & survival!
ALL THANKS TO CANNABIS & SCIENTIFIC NUTRITION & DETOX!
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