Might We Have A Possible Cause For Alzheimer’s?
Hey there!
One of the most heartbreaking diseases we suffer from is Alzheimer’s.
A few years ago, I was introduced to this dominant form of dementia up close. A dear friend had just been diagnosed, and discovering it in an innocent phone call shocked and saddened me in ways I couldn’t imagine.
And now, it appears that we have a potential cause. That could pave the way for treatment or a cure.
Here’s how I found out my friend was suffering, and what might be Alzheimer’s cause.
Link to article in Science Advances: Porphyromonas gingivalis in Alzheimer’s disease
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Hope this helps!
David
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hey there David H Lawrence the 17th this
is gonna be a tough video for me I’m not
sure if you’ve ever encountered or have
been made aware of one of the most
insidious diseases that we have in our
society if it’s touched your family your
friends it hadn’t touched mine until I
had a very innocent phone call maybe six
seven years ago with a dear friend
fellow colleague and radio is my news
guy at the big 12:20 WGA are in
Cleveland and he also worked in
television for the longest time he was a
reporter for Channel three he pulled the
lottery numbers for the Ohio lottery
every week and he just had a great sense
of humor a really funny very creative
guy he and his family just the salt of
the earth and after he’d been finished
with radio television he formed a video
company you know shooting videos doing
documentaries things like that won some
Emmys for them and Betsy had the need
for some video production some on-site
shooting and I thought oh Bob would be
great for this so I called him in
Cleveland and our phone calls were
normally salted with a lot of really
dark humor but this phone call was
different his speech was slow and
halting and tentative
and I couldn’t tell whether he was
joking or he was seriously suffering I I
just couldn’t tell
and I finally said to him listen this
isn’t funny are you suffering from
something medical and there was a pause
and he said yes here and he gave the
phone to his wife who let me know that
Bob had been diagnosed with early onset
Alzheimer’s in his early fifties
Alzheimer’s
I immediately burst into tears I didn’t
know what to do I learned over the next
few years what to do when someone is in
that situation and I watched he and his
family become involved in the
Alzheimer’s community trying to find
treatments and cures and it’s it’s a
tough slog they have tried pretty much
everything they’ve looked at genetics
they’ve looked at diet they’ve looked at
medicines they’ve looked at environment
they’ve looked at you know an incredible
number of things the drugs that they’ve
created to try and treat Alzheimer’s
have had a ninety-nine percent failure
rate and the only reason it isn’t a
hundred percent is that there are still
some drugs that are not out of testing
yet so there’s no ruling on those yet
it’s just it’s just crazy and after I
found out about his condition
I also narrated a book called League of
denial which was about the NFL
concussion crisis and the the problems
of football players and other players
and contact sports have been having with
concussions and dementia and you know I
learned about CTE which is chronic
traumatic encephalopathy and learned how
to pronounce it as though I knew the
that phrase my whole life learned about
amyloid proteins and tau and how the
spots on the brain mean something
all it did was heighten the frustration
of not being able to treat or cure this
disease they’re kind of like connected
to each other and then this past January
I saw that there was an article in the
journal Science advances and there was a
study that shows great promise in
getting to the root of what’s causing
this they think and they’ve had some
some other studies that have
corroborated what they found in this one
study it turns out that this study
concluded that Alzheimer’s may be caused
by something as simple
a microbe and the microbe is called poly
sorry poor pheromone Asst gingivalis
pour fire Ramona’s gingivalis and if
gingivalis sounds familiar maybe you’re
thinking of gingivitis which is what
causes gum disease it is a gum disease
and poor pheromone is gingivalis is the
main bacterium involved in gingivitis
and in gum disease and it had already
been identified as a risk factor for
Alzheimer’s so there’d been a
correlation but not a cause-and-effect
connection but now they’re saying that
the blood-brain barrier which is kind of
like this membrane barrier between one
part of your body systems with a lot of
waste products in it and what needs to
be a very very carefully controlled
clean environment for the blood that
goes to your brain can be breached by
this bacterium and they think it
generates these amyloid proteins and tau
and manifests itself as Alzheimer’s now
this is not a cure they also note that
it’s not just the micro but it’s a
combination of the microbe and
potentially genetics being susceptible
to this
but man it’s like how does this happen
how does that microbe get past the
blood-brain barrier well it’s in the
mouth and the mouth and the nose is
physically close to the brain but it’s
also connected in different ways than
say the rest of your circulatory system
or the other organs in your body and of
course I’m no doctor but I’m looking at
this and I’m going wow this is a
potential bombshell this is potentially
great news for people like Bob and
others who suffer from this again it’s
not a cure and I just felt I had to
share it because it’s like a bright
moment in what has been a really dark a
series of events you know I go and see
him every so often and I can see that he
remembers me because he brightens up he
he changes and he giggles and I miss
the guy I knew and I love both the guy I
knew and the guy he is today and I’m
hoping that this means that there might
be a future that’s different than what
he’s facing right
so I don’t know if there’s anybody in
your family that suffers from
Alzheimer’s or from other forms of
dementia but you might want to check it
out again it’s the journal Science
advances that’s the name of the journal
Science advances I sure hope that this
leads to something I really do I got I
got nothing here that’s gonna increase
your productivity or show you how to do
voiceover better I just wanted to share
with you a story of hope
and I’d love to hear your stories of
hope I’d love to hear what connection
you may have with this if any at all
leave me a comment below this if you’re
on bo2 go go comm if you’re watching
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YouTube will play it for you I’m David H
Lawrence xvii I thank you so much for
watching and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
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Thanks for sharing this, David. This is important information re: Alzheimer’s, and good news! I shared info with my son who wants to go into psychology someday, in particular, the study of the brain. Hopefully, treatments and a cure will be coming soon!
My very good friend is currently experiencing dementia. May this be the answer.
I lost my Dad, who was a very smart man, to Alzheimer’s. It was heart breaking in the later stages when he looked and sounded like my Dad, but my ‘Dad’ was not there. We had him in a home in Escondido and many of the patients there with Alzheimer’s had been really smart, successful people. It was so very sad to see. I really hope that this new information will result in a cure of some sort.
Hey David, my heart goes out to you, My mother suffered from vascular dementia for the last 10 or so years of her life. We don’t know for sure how long really because she had many of the coping mechanisms that people develop to live day to day. She died last May. I had moved back to the island to be closer to her to help her stay “independent” as long as possible.
Dementa type diseases not only rob the person of their memories, but change their personalities and habits so that they are no longer the person they were. It is heartbreaking to watch.
Your love, visits, support of your friend and his family will mean more to them than you will ever know. I can say that with the confidence of someone who is so thankful for friends who, like you, just loved on us through the season.
I hope and pray this new information has come in time to help your friend. Hugs.
I remember being stationed in Japan in the mid-90s and calling home. Usually my mom was ready with all the dirt on my 6 brothers and sisters and we’d have a long chat. This particular Sunday I called and my mom answered. The conversation was short, my mom seemed like she couldn’t quite understand what I was asking, and her answers couldn’t seem to stay on the same thread. It wasn’t until I went home on vacation later that year that I found out that she had been having periodic episodes of not knowing where she was (she had lived there for 30 years!) or who was around her. Towards the end of her life I would sing songs from the 40s and 50s with her as that was one of the few things she could remember and articulate. You learn to live in their world, not yours
Thanks for sharing this, David. My family has been rife with dementia – on both sides. I also have a friend whose wife has early onset Alzheimer’s – Would love to share this with him – how can I do that? <3
Use any of the sharing buttons above these comments, or copy and paste the URL from this page and send it to him.
David, I’m so sorry to hear this. I am sure many of us, including myself, feel your pain in a very personal way. What Tracy said about using music to reach that loved one was a touchstone for me with my parents.
I want to send a message also, as a former insurance agent. When figuring out Long Term Care (LTC) for a client, agents use a formula based on stats and average costs of skilled nursing facilities, hospice, therapy, etc. for Alzheimers, dementia, physical limitations, etc. In the Denver metro area, the average cost of LTC is about $500K. That’s not for the insurance, that’s for the care. The earlier the need, the larger the cost, generally. This cost for care is usually not planned for. So it will often fall on the families of those in need of the care to be the care giver, and to pay for the additional care. It falls mostly on the spouse. Because of health care issues I have, I am not eligible for either LTC, or whole life insurance (one can borrow from the equity in a whole life program to pay for such things as LTC, or there are some riders on whole life that will cover LTC). So Curt and I have had to set some of our assets aside to cover that if the need arises. It did change our retirement plans, but we are fortunate enough to be able to. Most people aren’t.
I urge everyone to talk to your insurance professional, your doctors, legal advisor and your children about this. It’s one of those “difficult discussions” that should include your will, Durable Power of Attorney, Medical Directives and all of your end of life documents and wishes. All of our kids have copies of all of our docs and wishes.
If something happens to you that precludes you from finishing your career on your terms, and setting yourself up for your retirement, you will need to have all of this in place. Since your family likely be the ones to be making these decisions in the event you can’t, you need to be very specific with them about what you want. Especially if you are still living, but not in a position to advocate for yourself and need a full time caregiver. It’s not just what you want, but also how you are going to pay for it. And if you think you can’t afford to to this, think about what if will cost if you don’t. If you can afford that, great. But if you can’t, and your children/family can’t, the later years can look pretty terrifying.
I have found that most people feel a tremendous peace of mind when they a) have determined what their needs will be, b) have figured out how to plan/pay for it, and c) have the people in place to take care of it along with the money. I am no longer licensed to sell insurance. But if you have questions on where and how to find the right person to help you, I’m happy to give tips on locating the right person. It costs nothing to ask questions. PM me in the FB group.
Heather
Hi David.
No doubt about it – Alzheimer’s is tragedy multiplied.
There is a growing body of evidence that hints at the use of statin drugs as
a potential cause. Cholesterol is food for the brain. Statin drugs limit cholesterol,
ergo ‘starving’ the brain.
The use of statins began in earnest in the sixties/seventies to a point where
doctors viewed the prescribing of same to be simply routine. Twenty+ years
later (the late 90’s and forward) the occurrence of Alzheimer’s went thru
the roof.
The last few years have seen more and more medical researchers and associations
recommending that MD’s put the brakes on what had become routine in favor
of using less ‘risky’ alternatives.
Paul Rothfuss
Name (required)
You must have read Grain Brain. It’s why I don’t take statins, much to the chagrin of my endocrinologist.
David this is just eerie that you posted this today… Especially since this has nothing to do with voiceover and everything to do with whats going on with my Grandmom in Philly… This is why I’m going back for a fifth time this Friday since the end of November… My Grandmom is 83 years old… On December 26, 2018 my Grandmom went down and was rushed to the hospital… She almost died and was in critical condition and in the intensive care units for over a month… However she is a fighter and got herself back to stable condition… She was also having other complications that I was able to get medical care for her and have them fixed… However dementia began to set in obviously in January…. Its been a struggle and she is now in a home for the remainder of her life… She is no longer the woman who raised me… And I only get glimpses of who she use to be…. When I’m around she does her best… And remembers more then any other times… She even peiodically asks for me… She doesn’t know who my kids are or my cousins are anymore… She thinks she’s 43 and her kids are still babies… I never dealt with anything along these lines in my life prior to this… I have also found out that my dog Autumn has cancer on top of all this… I’ve never dealt with death, disease, or anyone around me dying ever…So this has been a lot for me to digest… I also have to be the strong one in the family and do all the paperwork loads… Its very overwhelming and to be honest quit distracting to my own life and everyday tasks I need to do… Somehow I push threw each day… And some days are better than others… I wish there was an answer to fix these problems or how to deal with them…Your daily tip today really hit a soft spot in my heart and made me tear up… I love all that you share but this one hit home with me today… Thanks David for always being knowledgeable and sharing what you do know with us… I read the article in great depth… Definitely had some tricky words but I got in my aloud reading for the day…And some new knowledge about this horrible disease…
Hey David,
Thanks for this video. My dad passed away in 2013 from complications from Dementia. It was sad to see him quickly go down hill. One day standing outside their apartment he patted his hand on the hood of their car and said, “That lady in their won’t let me drive anymore!” He was referring to my mom to whom he had been married to for nearly 60 years. My mother took care of him for two years, until she couldn’t anymore due to her own health problems. After he passed, she died two months later. Thanks again for sharing this interesting information on the possible cause of Alzheimer’s.
Hi David,
Thank you for sharing this video. I recently wrote a woman show on my experience with my mother who died from complications from Alzheimer’s.
You’re just learning to live differently with your friend. I’m so happy you still visit him. You are a true friend.
Continued success and blessings.