Can Axona help prevent Alzheimer’s Dementia? Part 1

Axona is a relatively new medical food product that is heavily touted to improve cognition and memory in patients diagnosed with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s Dementia (AD). Axona is sold as a dietary food product but requires a physician’s prescription. Axona is manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Accera. Research done in Accera laboratories has shown that treatment of metabolic deficiencies may help decrease devastating effects of AD.

In a few small-randomized studies, axona did show mild improvement in patients with dementia. The manufacturers of axona claim that that this health supplement provides an alternative source of energy to the brain cells. By providing energy to the brain, axona helps protect nerves against injury.

So does axona work?

In normal individuals, glucose is a primary source of energy for the brain. In patients with Alzheimer’s disease, there is a marked decrease in ability of brain cells to utilize glucose. The hypothesis is that when brain cells fail to use up glucose, this results in impaired memory and cognition. These metabolic defects are said to occur at least a decade earlier before symptoms of Alzheimer’s are evident.

Axona when ingested is converted by the liver into ketone bodies that provide an efficient alternative fuel for brain cells. Ketone bodies do occur naturally in our body during extended periods of fasting. There is some laboratory evidence that ketone bodies protect nerve cells. The key ingredient in Axona is a saturated fat called caprylic acid. The liver converts a portion of it into ketones, regardless of whatever nutrition the individual consumes.

At present axona has been specially formulated as a medical food for clinical management of mild to moderate AD. Axona is available as a powder and taken once a day. The company claims that there are no adverse effects of axona. The few reported side effects of axona include nausea, diarrhea, and bloating.

Axona is only available with a prescription from a physician.

Does high cholesterol increase the risk for alzheimer's disease? part 2

This is the first study that clearly shows that dementia can be delayed or prevented by modifying life style factors and lowering cholesterol.

At the moment, data clearly show that life style influence can lead to an increased risk for dementia. However, the role of genetics is not well established. In any case, there is now a clear trend among some physicians recommending life style changes to reduce blood cholesterol. Reducing cholesterol may help reduce risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and dementia later in life.

So how should consumers reduce cholesterol levels?

Keeping fit, eating right and exercising regularly not only maintains the heart healthy but also keeps the brain intact and sharp. For most consumers the good news is that cholesterol lowering does not always have to be done with use of drugs. Changes in diet and life style in middle life are the cheapest and most efficient ways to reduce cholesterol. Irrespective of the genetic make up, walking everyday, eating healthy and keeping your weight down may go a long ways towards reducing the risk of dementia.

For more on cholesterol monitors, please visit www.medexsupply.com

Does High cholesterol increase the risk of dementia? Part 1

For decades, it has been known that high cholesterol levels are not good for the heart. High cholesterol levels have been associated with high blood pressure, increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and generalized narrowing of blood vessels. Now there is a study that shows that moderately elevated levels of cholesterol in middle-aged adults may be an increased risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Researchers recently published data on 9,800 individuals who were followed for more than 4 decades for development of dementia. It was observed that individuals who had high or even moderately elevated levels of cholesterol in their mid 40s had a significantly increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life.

In the past, scientists have always tended to think of the brain and heart as two distinct organs that are affected by different pathology. However, we are now learning that what is good for the heart is also good for the brain. This concept is now being applied by physicians in recommending changes in life style in middle age to help prevent onset of dementia.

The one minor negative of the study was that researchers did not distinguish between the HDL (good) and LDL (bad) cholesterol, chiefly because the significance of these different subtypes of cholesterol was not well understood forty years ago. At present, the current guidelines mention that total cholesterol of 240 or higher is considered high, and a cholesterol of 200 to 239 is considered borderline high. Cholesterol levels less than 140-160 are being recommended.....

IS Amisulpride a great drug for Schizophrenia? Part 2

So what does this mean for the consumer?

The studies by the reviewers confirmed that Amisulpride is an effective 'atypical' antipsychotic drug for patients with schizophrenia. Amisulpride also is just as effective as risperidone or olanzapine. Overall, it was discovered to produce improved results such as enhancement of overall mental state and wide-ranging negative symptoms. Amisulpride may be more tolerable and acceptable than the conventional antipsychotics, especially when it comes to the motor side effects (e.g. extrapyramidal side effects).

The individual who is being treated with an older conventional anti psychotic may want to switch to Amisulpride if he or she has developed motor side effects or has negative symptoms of schizophrenia. For those individuals who are on risperidone or olanzapine, there is no solid evidence that Amisulpride is any better or worse. More studies are required to determine what role Amisulpride has on family responsibility, quality of life, and expense of the drug in the long term.

http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab001357.html

IS Amisulpride a great drug for Schizophrenia? Part 1

Drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia have been available for more than 50 years. Even though the older anti psychotic drugs are effective, they have many side effects. Over the years many newer anti psychotics have been developed. One of the most recent anti psychotic drug on the market is Amisulpride. Amisulpride is said to be an "atypical" antipsychotic that induces less movement disorder and is effective for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The “negative” symptoms include an inexpressive faces, blank looks, monotone, monosyllabic speech, few gestures, seeming lack of interest in everything, inability to feel pleasure or act spontaneously.

Many physicians have started to prescribe Amisulpride for treating their schizophrenic patients. The overall feeling is that the drug is safe and has fewer side effects compared to the older conventional anti psychotic drugs. However, Amisulpride is a much more expensive compared to the traditional drugs but is the expense worth it?

Cochrane reviews recently looked at several studies that compared Amisulpride with placebo, typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs for schizophrenia. The researchers looked at 19 randomized clinical studies with 2443 individuals. Data from four studies indicated that schizophrenics with negative symptoms did show improvement at doses of up to 300 mg/day. Not only was Amisulpride more effective than a placebo, but also it was better tolerated than the typical anti psychotic drugs. Amisulpride was less prone to cause strange motor symptoms. When Amisulpride was contrasted to one of the other atypical anti psychotic medication. Risperidone, with the exclusion of agitation, which was more common in the Amisulpride group no significant differences were documented on effectiveness or tolerability.

Aroma Oil Therapy for Dementia: Part 2

Evaluation of results revealed that there was a statistically significant treatment effect in support of aroma oil therapy intervention on measures of anxiety, agitation and neuropsychiatric symptoms.

So what does this mean for the consumer?

The results of one small study do indicate that aroma oil therapy has some benefits in individuals with dementia. However, it is hard to draw conclusions because the study was short, the number of patients small and there were some methodological problems in evaluating the study. Only a well designed randomize controlled study will determine if the effects of aroma oil therapy are real and beneficial in patients with dementia. In any case, the study did not reveal any major side effects from use of aromatic oils and there is little harm in trying these products.

No one really knows when one should start aromatic oils and for how long the treatment has to be continued in order to prevent or diminish symptoms of dementia. Until more data are available, consumers will have to make their own decisions on use of aromatic oils for dementia.

http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab003150.html

Aroma Oil Therapy and Dementia: Part 1

The treatment of dementia is not satisfactory and many caregivers/patients have been opting for non-conventional therapy. One such alternative therapy that has been hyped up to delay or prevent dementia is aroma oil therapy. Aroma oil therapy has been widely used to treat a number of medical ailments including insomnia, depression, anxiety and pain. Aroma oil therapy essentially involves use of pure essential oils from various fragrant plants like peppermint, sweet marjoram, and rose. The apparent minimal side effects of aromatherapy has been of magnetic attraction to alternative health care practitioners and patients.

Many herbal and health food stores advertise aromatic oils as first choice therapy in order to reduce symptoms of dementia and disturbed behavior. Anecdotal reports indicate that aromatic oils can also promote sleep and stimulate motivational behavior. It is for these reasons that many patients have increasingly turned to aromatic oils rather than pharmacological therapies.

At present, thousands of individuals use aromatic oils for personal health care. These products are readily available, do not require a prescription, and are relatively inexpensive. The question is. “do aromatic oils help treatment of dementia?”

The number of randomized studies looking at the benefits of aromatic products are small and solid data are difficult to come by. Recently Cochrane reviews looked at data from one small study where aromatic oil therapy was used for the treatment of agitation and other neuropsychiatric symptoms in individuals with dementia.