Legendary women's basketball coach Pat Summitt dies five years after early-onset Alzheimer's diagnosis

Sunday, July 03, 2016 by: Daniel Barker
Tags: Pat Summitt, Alzheimer''s, Dementia

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(NaturalNews) Coaching legend Pat Summitt has died at age 64, after being diagnosed with early-onset dementia just five years ago.

The loss of the beloved University of Tennessee women's basketball coach at such an early age has highlighted the importance of Alzheimer's research, as well as of events such as the upcoming online Alzheimer's and Dementia Summit, which will be held July 25–August 1, 2016.

(Upcoming: Attend the FREE online Alzheimer's and Dementia Summit and learn how to prevent this insidious disease while protect your brain health.)

According to her son, Tyler, Summitt put up a brave fight after her diagnosis at the age of 59:

"Since 2011, my mother has battled her toughest opponent, early onset dementia, 'Alzheimer's Type,' and she did so with bravely fierce determination just as she did with every opponent she ever faced. Even though it's incredibly difficult to come to terms that she is no longer with us, we can all find peace in knowing she no longer carries the heavy burden of this disease."

Early-onset Alzheimer's refers to cases in which the disease is diagnosed in people under 65 years old.

Alzheimer's is the 6th leading cause of death

More than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's, and 5 percent of cases fall into the early-onset category. Alzheimer's is the 6th leading cause of death in America.

The symptoms of early-onset Alzheimer's can be similar to other forms of the often-devastating disease.

From CBS News:

"Early symptoms include forgetting newly learned information and important dates; difficulty solving basic problems like keeping track of bills or following recipes; losing track of the date or time of year; misplacing things; and not being able to retrace your steps.

"As the disease progresses, symptoms may also include severe mood swings and behavioral changes; suspicions about friends, family members and caregivers; difficulty speaking; and severe memory loss."

Early-onset Alzheimer's symptoms can be slightly different in some cases than those of the disease's other forms, according to Dr. Thomas Wisniewski, director of the Center for Cognitive Neurology at NYU Langone Medical Center.

"Early-onset Alzheimer's is a little bit different from regular Alzheimer's in that you can have somewhat more varied presentation," he said.

The symptoms of early onset-Alzheimer's may have less to do with memory loss than with issues in other areas, such as "problems with speech, and visual disturbances like difficulty interpreting spatial relationships or controlling their gaze."

Groundbreaking research on Alzheimer's prevention and treatment

Fortunately, much progress is being made in efforts to understand, prevent and treat Alzheimer's. The upcoming online Alzheimer's and Dementia Summit will present the results of the latest research being carried out by a number of experts in the field.

For example, Russell Blaylock, M.D., one of the distinguished experts participating in the summit, has conducted groundbreaking research on the causes, prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's.

During the summit, Dr. Blaylock will discuss his findings in an interview and speak on the subject of "The Shocking Truth about Amyloid Plaque."

Amyloid plaque has been viewed by many researchers as being the primary "cause" of Alzheimer's, but Dr. Blaylock disagrees with the conventional wisdom.

"We're finding that amyloid is not the primary cause," he said. "It may be an aggravating factor, but it's certainly not the only cause for Alzheimer's disease."

Dr. Blaylock strongly believes that environmental toxins play a major role in the development of degenerative diseases, and that natural, non-pharmaceutical methods can be employed in successfully preventing and treating such illnesses.

From Dr. Blaylock's website:

"Dr. Blaylock focuses on harmful and seemingly unavoidable environmental toxins we encounter on a regular basis (increasingly unhealthy food, pesticides and other industrial chemicals, and heavy metals) and the biochemical reactions that trigger the advent of a disease.

"Dr. Blaylock asserts that the profusion of strong drugs routinely prescribed for unsuspecting Americans frequently causes more harm than good — especially when benign natural treatments can accomplish much more in terms of actual healing, usually for less money."

Don't miss the opportunity to attend the free online Alzheimer's and Dementia Summit, so that you can access the latest research by Dr. Blaylock and a number of other leading experts in the field.

Sources:

CBSNews.com

AlzheimersDementiaSummit.com

BlaylockReport.com

Science.NaturalNews.com