ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

Alzheimer’s is a physically progressing disease that affects the brain. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia-memory loss (However, Alzheimer’s disease may not necessarily be the only factor determining Dementia). Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by symptoms including hearing difficulties, problems in reasoning, language and perception. Problems with performing known tasks, losing or misplacing things, loss of sense with respect to time and place are commonly seen in patients. The intensity or level of impairment varies with each patient. Patients of Alzheimer’s disease find it very difficult to lead a normal life due to the chaotic situations likely to be created everyday with the symptoms that they suffer. The families of such patients are in turn affected as they remain deeply concerned and apprehensive about the patient’s life which also has an impact on their own life. Alzheimer’s disease is usually found in older people after the age of 70 however it need not be a normal phenomenon with ageing since it is seen that some people aging beyond 90 or more years may have never developed the disease. It is also important to understand that a certain amount of forgetting naturally occurs with increase in age of humans and forgetting may not necessarily mean Alzheimer’s disease. It is best to consult a doctor before jumping to conclusions.

Early-onset Alzheimer's is an uncommon form of dementia that strikes people younger than age 65. Of all the people who have Alzheimer's disease, about 5 percent develop symptoms before the age of 65yrs.

Most people with early-onset Alzheimer's develop symptoms of the disease in their 40s and 50s.

Alzheimer’s is a physically progressing disease that affects the brain. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia-memory loss (However, Alzheimer’s disease may not necessarily be the only factor determining Dementia). Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by symptoms including hearing difficulties, problems in reasoning, language and perception. Problems with performing known tasks, losing or misplacing things, loss of sense with respect to time and place are commonly seen in patients. The intensity or level of impairment varies with each patient. Patients of Alzheimer’s disease find it very difficult to lead a normal life due to the chaotic situations likely to be created everyday with the symptoms that they suffer. The families of such patients are in turn affected as they remain deeply concerned and apprehensive about the patient’s life which also has an impact on their own life. Alzheimer’s disease is usually found in older people after the age of 70 however it need not be a normal phenomenon with aging since it is seen that some people aging beyond 90 or more years may have never developed the disease. It is also important to understand that a certain amount of forgetting naturally occurs with increase in age of humans and forgetting may not necessarily mean Alzheimer’s disease. It is best to consult a doctor before jumping to conclusions.

Early-onset Alzheimer’s is an uncommon form of dementia that strikes people younger than age 65. Of all the people who have Alzheimer’s disease, about 5 percent develop symptoms before the age of 65yrs.

Most people with early-onset Alzheimer’s develop symptoms of the disease in their 40s and 50s.

ATYPICAL ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Atypical Alzheimer’s disease is that in which the earliest symptoms are not memory loss. The underlying damage (plaques and tangles) is the same, but the first part of the brain to be affected is not the hippocampus. The atypical forms of Alzheimer’s disease are:

1. Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA): Posterior cortical atrophy occurs when there is damage to areas at the back and upper part of the rear side of the brain. These are areas that process visual information and deal with spatial awareness. This means the early symptoms of PCA are often associated with problems identifying objects or reading, despite of having healthy eyes. Occurrence of struggling to judge distances when going down stairs, or seem uncoordinated (for example when dressing) is also possible.

2. Logopenic aphasia: Logopenic aphasia involves damage to the areas in the left side of the brain that produce language wherein a patient’s speech becomes labored with long pauses.

3. Frontal variant Alzheimer’s disease: This involves damage to the lobes in the front of the brain. The symptoms are problems with planning and decision-making. The person may also behave in socially inappropriate ways or show apathy towards others.

CAUSE

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease. This means that gradually, over time, more parts of the brain are damaged. And as this happens, more symptoms develop. They also become more severe.

During the course of the disease, proteins build up in the brain to form structures called ‘plaques’ and ‘tangles’. This leads to the loss of connections between nerve cells, and eventually to the death of nerve cells and loss of brain tissue. Alzheimer’s patients lack / develop shortage of the necessary amount of certain important chemicals in their brain that function as the chemical messengers helping to transmit signals around the brain. As a result, the brain signals are not transmitted as effectively. High blood pressure, Diabetes, high levels of cholesterol may also play a role in the development of the disease.

SYMPTOMS

The symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are generally mild to start with, but they get worse over time and start to interfere with daily life. There are some common symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, but it is important to remember that every patient is unique. Two people suffering Alzheimer’s are unlikely to experience the same condition in the same way.

For most people with Alzheimer’s, the earliest symptoms are memory lapses. In particular, they may have difficulty recalling recent events and learning new information. These symptoms occur because the early damage done in Alzheimer’s is usually in a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which has a central role in day-to-day memory. Memory of life events that happened a long time ago is often unaffected in the early stages of the disease.

Symptoms may vary according to the different stages of the disease as well:

EARLY STAGE

1.  Losing or misplacing items (keys, glasses) around the house.

2.  Struggling to find the right word in a conversation or forgetting of someone’s name.

3.  Forgetting about recent conversations or events, appointments or anniversaries.

4.  Getting lost in familiar places or on a familiar journey.

5. Problems with calculating or counting money.

Some patients also go on to develop – problems with other aspects of thinking, reasoning, perception or communication. They may develop difficulties in relation to;

1. Language – struggling to follow a conversation or repetition of words or sentences.

2. Visuospatial skills – problems judging distance or seeing objects in three dimensions; navigating stairs or parking the car become much harder.

3. Concentrating, planning or organizing– difficulties making decisions, solving problems or carrying out tasks involving a sequence or series of actions like following work lists, cooking meals, keeping track of bills etc

4. Orientation – becoming confused or losing track of the day or date.

Some of the psychological symptoms may be anxiousness, irritability or depression. Many people lose interest in activities and hobbies.

INTERMEDIATE STAGE

1. Greater difficulty remembering recently learnt information.

2. Deepening confusion in many circumstances.

3. Problems with sleep.

4. Trouble knowing where they are or how to go back home.

5. Poor Hygiene.

6. Fearfulness.

ADVANCED STAGE

As Alzheimer’s progresses, problems with memory loss, communication, reasoning and orientation become more severe. The person will need more day-to-day support from those who care for them.

1. Delusions

2. Hallucinations

3.Behaviours that seem unusual or out of character like agitation, restlessness or pacing, calling out, repeating the same question, disturbed sleep patterns or reacting aggressively.

4. Total withdrawal from social interaction.

In the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease patients may become much less aware of what is happening around them. They may have difficulties eating or walking without help, and become increasingly frail. Eventually, the person will need help with all their daily activities. The patients may show lack of interest in life and remain emotionally depressed throughout.

CONSTRAINTS OF MODERN MEDICINE

There are no known curative medicine/treatments for Alzheimer’s in modern medicine. Allopathic medicines, injections etc may temporarily hold or slow the progression of the disease but are unable to sustain the effects for long term. Also, they cause more damage and agony to patients rather than providing relief. Rehab groups and cognitive rehabilitation are being considered however, more study is required to on it.

BREAKTHROUGH IN TREATMENT BY SVHRC

The scientists of Shreevidya Herbal Research Centre (SVHRC) have found a medicine that is herbal in nature for managing Alzheimer’s disease. This medicine halts the degeneration of brain tissue and restores the lost connection between the nerve cells, thereby effectively managing the disease.

After working on several herbal combinations, SVHRC was successful in finalizing a specific combination of medicine which proved effective in treating Alzheimer’s disease. Soon after the success of the medicine on our first Alzheimer’s patient in 2005, this herbal formulation was named “Alzaleen“. More and more patients were treated further with highly positive results. This herbal medicine specially works very well with early and middle stages of Alzheimer’s patients (refer ‘symptoms’ section for early and middle stages). While speculation of early and middle stage patients is found to be fair, the same in case of advanced stage patients remains limited.

Therapeutic aspect and Treatment protocol

Based on the research carried out by Shreevidya Herbal Research Center, it has been found that it is possible to recover the patients by about 90 to 95% in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. In the intermediate stage the recovery percentage is about 80 to 85% and the patients can follow and maintain their normal daily routine.

In the patients with advanced stage of AD, it is rarely possible to manage. Even with patients who have brain atrophy (depends on the severity and extent of brain atrophy), treatment becomes challenging.

During the treatment the patients are advised to follow certain measures for effective results:

1. Strict vegetarian diet must be taken. Care should also be taken to reduce spices/chilly and oil.

2. No carbonated beverages, alcohol and junk food.

3. Tablet ‘Alzaleen’ should be taken as per the advice of the doctors of SVHRC. Any other medicine, even for common maladies, should be taken only after consulting the doctors at SVHRC.

4. Patients will be instructed regarding all the dos and don’ts by the doctors at SVHRC before commencement of the treatment. Sincere adherence to the instructions is expected from every patient to ensure maximum benefit.

As each patient of Alzheimer’s is different, the duration of the treatment also differs in each individual.

CASE STUDY

The first patient of Alzheimer’s at SVHRC was Mr. Laxman Pandurang Korde. He was brought to SVHRC in 2005 at the age of 70years. At that time, he was experiencing symptoms of intermediate stage of Alzheimer’s. He was experiencing following signs and symptoms:

1. Loss of memory

2. Not being able to remember the names of his children.

3. Not being able to recognize his relatives.

4. Not being able to recognize hunger.

5. Not able to recognize passing stools and urine and was therefore passing stools and urine on the bed unknowingly.

As his children were aware that there is no treatment in any system of medicine, they opted for herbal treatment with the R & D team at SVHRC. A few herbs were initially prescribed to him. Some of the medicines were individually given while some were given in combinations. After a few days, a combination of herbs later named as ”Alzaleen” started showing favorable results. Gradual improvement in the memory was the initial success. Alzaleen was continued at a pre-determined dose in a certain manner. Within three months, Mr. Korde was able to recognize his children along with their names. He was also able to recognize feelings of hunger, of micturating and defecation.During the treatment a strict vegetarian diet was imposed, as non-vegetarian food is hard to digest. Noticing the gradual improvement, Mr.Korde was asked to attempt walking in the house. Due to the evident improvement in his health, the treatment was continued. There were no side effects observed. The treatment continued for two years. His family claimed that he had become normal, and experienced only general age related limitations found in old people.

TESTIMONIAL

Mr. Roshan Korde (son of Mr. L.P. Korde- patient)

My father had started suffering gradual loss of memory since 2003. Initially he was treated with allopathic medicines, which only helped in symptomatic relief. By 2005 he had difficulty in remembering the names of his children and often took time to recognize his relatives. He unknowingly started passing stools and urine in bed.

With great hope and clear faith, we decided to take him to Dr. J T Prasad of SVHRC. As there was no treatment available in modern medicine, we decided to opt for R & D on him by Dr. J T Prasad. Initially some herbal combinations were administered to my father and after three months a successful herbal combination “Alzaleen” was finalized. Later, within a month’s administration of Tablet “Alzaleen” I found a gradual growth in my father’s memory. After three months treatment he could recognize his children and grand children. He also started becoming aware of his urge for passing stools and urine. The treatment continued for two more years. No side effects occurred in the herbal treatment done by SVHRC. My father became almost normal. Only natural old age problems were present till his death at the age of 75 years.

STORY OF YET ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT AT SVHRC

Mrs. M. P, Aged 70 years, Mumbai, India

Mrs. M. P approached SVHRC in the year 2015 when she was in the middle stage of AD. She was not able to recognize her own children (surprisingly her two sons both MBBS doctors, are working for Govt. of Maharashtra!). She was also a little violent and suffered disturbed sleep. After a month of treatment at SVHRC, she started recognizing her children. Her sleep pattern improved and she became calm. She is still continuing  the treatment.