Brain Improvement Program
Alzheimer’s disease strikes down the innocent and kills the hopes and dreams of millions of people every year. Everyone is waiting and hoping for an epiphany in drug discovery that will cure Alzheimer’s. Yet after decades of research with billions spent, no miraculous cure is on the horizon. In fact, most drugs available today for Alzheimer’s disease don’t even address its root causes. They merely attempt to boost memory temporarily while the disease itself progresses. Yet, there is reason for hope. Why?
Alzheimer’s disease is preceded by a condition called Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or pre-Alzheimer’s. MCI is characterized by bothersome memory loss and cognitive difficulty that does not yet constitute dementia because people with MCI can still function in society and hold down their job. Yet studies show that approximately 10% of people with MCI progress to Alzheimer’s dementia each year. The greatest chance to alter the progression of this disease process is to begin treatment as early as possible, preferably at the MCI stage or very soon after the progression to early Alzheimer’s dementia.
At the Leonardi Institute, for many years we’ve been researching the biochemistry of Alzheimer’s disease and how the chemistry underlying Alzheimer’s can be slowed, stopped and possibly even reversed. We know that the root causes of this disease result in the formation of neurofibrillary tangles and the accumulation of a brain protein called beta amyloid, which is toxic to brain cells at higher concentrations. These root causes are destructive chemical processes related to aging. They include oxidative stress, glycation, inflammation, declining levels of vital hormones, the accumulation of brain-destructive metal ions and reduced energy production in brain cells. Please don’t be concerned about these terms with which you may not be familiar. That’s our job. We list them because we want you to know there’s a logical methodology to our program. It is largely spelled out in layman’s terms in our book, Alzheimer’s, Memory Loss and MCI: The Latest Science for Prevention and Treatment (see below).
Since 1997, we’ve specialized in the control of these destructive root causes because they’re also involved in promoting all of the age-related diseases as well as aging itself. In doing so we’ve had tremendous success in helping our mature patients increase vitality (mental and physical vigor) and reduce the risk of contracting an age-related disease. Nowhere is this more important than in slowing or arresting the brain and body chemistry behind Alzheimer’s.
We’ve identified 32 natural therapeutic factors evident in hundreds of published studies that address these root causes of Alzheimer’s disease. They involve specific lifestyle changes, nutritional supplements that specifically target the Alzheimer’s processes and the balancing of natural hormone levels. Every one of these 32 elements is backed by studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals. Indeed, our book lists 240 references from the medical literature.
Why 32 natural therapeutic factors? The reason is that Alzheimer’s is caused by multiple factors. Our book identifies 9 avenues of brain cell destruction that must be addressed to affect this disease (we’ve recently increased this to 11 avenues). Each of these avenues can be acted upon by one or more of our 32 therapeutic factors. The reason drug discovery has failed thus far is because no single drug can address all 11 of these avenues.
A study was published in the journal Aging in September of 2014 by Dr. Dale Bredesen of UCLA. This was over a year after our book was published, elucidating our program. Dr. Bredesen had recruited ten patients at various stages of pre-Alzheimer’s or Alzheimer’s and applied a program very similar to ours but a bit less comprehensive. Nine of the ten patients exhibited subjective or objective improvement beginning within 3-6 months after starting the program. Here is the published abstract of Dr. Bredesen’s study:
Dr. Bredesen’s study exhibits a remarkable achievement, but it should be noted that such a “pilot” study is uncontrolled and therefore doesn’t prove success according to the scientific method. It is excellent preliminary evidence that this type of program may be effective and warrants further study before being adopted by the medical community at large. Waiting for that level of certainty will be many years down the road, arriving too late for those suffering memory loss today.
Of our 32 natural factors, none has been shown to reverse Alzheimer’s disease consistently by itself. Based on our 240 scientific references and dozens of newer ones since publication of our book along with Dr. Bredesen’s clinical results, we are optimistic that a combination of all of them used together will slow, arrest or possibly reverse the progress of memory loss, MCI or Alzheimer’s disease. Implementing these 32 natural factors requires a combination of healthful lifestyle changes, specific nutritional supplements to interfere with Alzheimer’s chemistry, and bioidentical hormone balancing (since hormonal changes with aging appear to play a strong role in the Alzheimer’s pathology).
At the Leonardi Institute, we’ve designed a comprehensive program specifically for people with MCI (pre-Alzheimer’s) and early Alzheimer’s disease who want to achieve these goals and are willing to expend some effort beyond taking a pill. Our Brain Improvement Program holds tremendous potential for the treatment of MCI, mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, and normal brain aging. This program is not, however, for patients with severe Alzheimer’s disease.
The earlier in the process one begins, the greater the potential benefit. If you are looking for a comprehensive approach, not just a pill, that offers the best chance to change the course of Alzheimer’s disease in your or a loved-one’s life, we believe we can help. Please note that this is a new program and doesn’t yet have a history of delivering specific results. You may read more about our program by ordering our book, Alzheimer’s, Memory Loss and MCI: The Latest Science for Prevention and Treatment. It is available on Amazon.com or by phoning our office.
Getting Started
We begin with a comprehensive evaluation called a BRAINSTART® (BRAIN STatus And Risk Targeting). Click here for a description and pricing.