NIH panel foolishly insists Alzheimer's can't be prevented (are they demented?)

Friday, May 07, 2010 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...) Tags: Alzheimer's disease, prevention, health news

(NaturalNews) An independent panel of supposed experts recently met at the National Institutes of Health near Washington, D.C., to discuss whether or not Alzheimer's Disease can be prevented through dietary and lifestyle changes. After evaluating a handful of studies that deal with the subject, the panel basically concluded that there is no way to avoid Alzheimer's Disease.

Either that, or they all forgot to bring their science notes and couldn't remember what to say, so they defaulted to their traditional "It's not proven" mantra and ended the conference early.

Interestingly, the studies in question all seemed to demonstrate how things like taking fish oil or doing crossword puzzles can help prevent Alzheimer's Disease, but the panel of doctors and PhDs decided all this evidence simply didn't count. When you work for the NIH, it's very important to filter out all scientific evidence that does not agree with your foregone conclusions.

According to Dr Martha Daviglus, panel chair and Professor of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University, there is no cause and effect relationship between Alzheimer's and diet, exercise or lifestyle choices. Listen to her loopy logic:

"These associations are examples of the classic chicken or the egg quandary. Are people able to stay mentally sharp over time because they are physically active and socially engaged or are they simply more likely to stay physically active and socially engaged because they are mentally sharp?" she asked.

Loopy logic

Even applied to an actual study, Dr Daviglus' hypothesis makes no sense. A recent study found that a Mediterranean diet helps lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease.

But, to invoke Dr Daviglus' logic, does eating a Mediterranean diet actually cause Alzheimer's risk to be lowered, or does already having a lower risk of Alzheimer's make people eat Mediterranean diets?

As ridiculous as it sounds, this warped thinking (loopy logic) passes as legitimate science in the bizarre world of modern medicine, which seems to go out of its way to insist that diet and lifestyle have no effect on health. Even when studies continue to show links between what people eat and how healthy they are, it's never enough for the ivory tower medicine "experts" who insist that "further research is needed".

And yet these same "experts" completely contradict themselves when they rush to defend chemical contaminants like fluoride, aluminum and nitrates, all of which contribute to brain deterioration. They insist that there is no proven cause-and-effect relationship between these toxins and neurological disease, therefore they are safe.

In other words, chemicals are assumed safe until proven dangerous while nutrients and healthy lifestyle choices are assumed useless until proven effective.

Do you see what's wrong with this picture?

The truth is, there are plenty of ways to prevent Alzheimer's Disease, and each them involves what you put in your body and how you take care of it. Mainstream medicine simply doesn't want to admit that patients have control over their own health.

Environmental toxins that contribute to Alzheimer's

To prevent Alzheimer's disease, it's important to first identify the things that cause it. Toxins found in consumer goods, processed foods, pesticides, fertilizers, tap water and even the air itself all contribute to cognitive decline that can eventually lead to Alzheimer's. (Mainstream medicine admits to none of this, by the way. All chemicals are good for you, they somehow believe.)

According to a 2009 study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, widespread exposure to nitrosamines, nitrates and nitrites in processed food and the environment are all linked to degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. These chemicals are commonly used in food factories and large-scale farming operations.

The aluminum added to most conventional antiperspirant deodorants, baking sodas, toothpastes and other personal care products crosses the blood-brain barrier and lodges itself in the brain where it can lead to dementia. Many Alzheimer's patients have a measurable buildup of aluminum in their brain tissue.

(Oh, but does aluminum buildup in the brain actually cause Alzheimer's, or does already having Alzheimer's cause aluminum buildup? That's the question you might be asking if you rely on the backwards logic of mainstream scientists...)

A 1998 study found that sodium fluoride, a toxic byproduct of the aluminum manufacturing and fertilizer industries that's commonly added to drinking water, also has a synergistic effect with aluminum that makes it even more dangerous. Drink out of aluminum cans and swallow some tap water, and you've got a recipe for accelerated Alzheimer's.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences actually commissioned a review on aluminum back in December of 2000 in response to the issue. The review was published in the Federal Register that year.

Nitrates, aluminum and fluoride are just a few of the many chemical contaminants that contribute to Alzheimer's, and most American consumers are exposed to them all on a daily basis.

Five ways to protect yourself from Alzheimer's

#1) Avoid processed foods
This may seem obvious, but besides nitrates, many processed foods are loaded with neurotoxins like MSG and aspartame that may be linked to Alzheimer's. Processed foods also contain toxins like trans-fats and refined sugar that compromise your health. Stick with whole, organic foods and your Alzheimer's risk will be significantly reduced.

#2) Install a home water filter
Most municipal tap water systems are treated with chlorine, fluoride and other chemicals that harm your health. These chemicals are easily absorbed by your skin when you take a shower or drink unfiltered tap water. (Does anybody really do that anymore?) A whole-house activated carbon filtration system will remove most or all of these toxins from tap water.

#3) Detoxify on a regular basis
I can't stress enough how important it is to eat foods and supplements that help your body remove chemicals and heavy metals. Cilantro, chlorella and spirulina are a few top choices that can help your body eliminate heavy metals like aluminum and mercury -- both of which are strongly associated with Alzheimer's.

#4) Exercise regularly
By exercise, I'm talking about both physical and mental exercise. Physical exercise directly contributes to increased brain function because it reinforces neural connections in your brain, which in turn improves memory and learning capability. Mental exercises such as working on crossword puzzles will also help to keep your cognitive function in top shape. (Use it or lose it, folks!)

#5) Eat plenty of superfoods and nutritional supplements
There's a lot that belongs in this category, so I'll highlight some of the primary superfoods that recent studies have found play a role in preventing Alzheimer's.

Researchers last year found that the amino acid Acetyl-L-Carnitineprevents brain tau protein strands from tangling. Stress and excitotoxins like MSG can cause brain tangles that are believed to cause cognitive decline, but Acetyl-L-Carnitine effectively stops the process. Acetyl-L-Carnitine is found naturally in grass-fed meats, nuts, beans, legumes, vegetables and fruits. It can also be purchased as a nutritional supplement.

Curcumin, a natural phytochemical found in the turmeric spice, has also been shown to prevent and even treat Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's is preventable

To sum it all up, you don't have to give in to the fatalistic views of the mainstream sick-care industry which believes there is no way to prevent disease (other than drugs, of course). To arrive at such a conclusion, you'd have to nearly lose your mind and forget about all the supporting evidence showing how superfoods and lifestyle changes can not merely prevent Alzheimer's Disease but actually help reverse it!

I'm beginning to think that the researchers who announced "Alzheimer's cannot be prevented" were, themselves, suffering from Alzheimer's. See, this is the problem with researchers in mainstream medicine: They take too many pharmaceuticals and end up destroying their brain function.

That's why they all seem so incredibly insane to the rest of us who eat healthy diets and retain full, sensible brain function.

And for all of us who practice healthy eating and healthy lifestyle decision making, Alzheimer's is a degenerative condition that's readily preventable.

Check out the hilarious conflicting titles of these two news reports:

CBS News: "No Proven Way to Prevent Alzheimer's"
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/28/ev...

ABC News: "Mediterranean-Like Diet May Lower Dementia Risk, Researchers Find"
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Alzheimers/alzh...