Find hope for Alzheimer's disease and diabetes patients

Each day, more than 4,000 people are diagnosed with diabetes, and more than 600 die from the disease. Since 1987, the death rate due to diabetes has increased by 45 percent.

Even more disturbing is that type 2 diabetes – once called “adult onset diabetes,” and its most common form – is growing at alarming rates today in children as young as 8 years old.

Type 2 diabetes is caused by a shortage of insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin allows glucose or sugar from food to enter the body’s cells where it is converted into energy needed by muscles and tissues to function.

When there isn’t enough insulin, the cells can’t get the sugar they need, and too much sugar builds up in the blood. Over time, this extra sugar can lead to heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, nervous system disease or neuropathy and lower limb amputation.

The good news is that research has shown that more than 90 percent of all cases of diabetes can be prevented. The National Diabetes Education Program said emphatically, “Diabetes prevention is proven, possible and powerful.”

Researcher Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, assistant professor of epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health, agreed.

“We know how to prevent nearly all cases of type 2 diabetes,” he said in a landmark study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

A low carbohydrate, high fat diet, exercise and a commitment to a wellness lifestyle are the keys to prevention and treatment.

A healthy lifestyle and exercise are critical in reducing weight, lowering blood sugar levels and boosting sensitivity to insulin, which helps keep blood sugar within a normal range. Participants in one large study who lost a modest amount of weight – around 7 percent of initial body weight – and exercised regularly reduced the risk of developing diabetes by nearly 60 percent.

Getting sound nutritional advice from a natural healer is the first step in any diabetes prevention or recovery program.

The plain fact is that almost all diabetes can be prevented, and those with diabetes can be restored to full health often without drugs, surgery or other invasive medical procedures. Patients can protect themselves and their loved ones from this disease by choosing to follow a ketogenic lifestyle, incorporating the latest scientifically proven nutritional strategies into their lifestyle.

Many people who suffer with type II diabetes are developing Alzheimer’s disease. In fact many people are now referring to Alzheimer’s disease as type III diabetes.

Alzheimer’s disease is now one of the fastest growing health issues facing the U.S. There is no known cure and the number of people diagnosed is expected to triple by 2050. In 2016 Alzheimer’s disease was ranked as the sixth biggest killer in America with 84,767 deaths and 5,300,000 new cases diagnosed last year.

The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that by mid-century someone in the U.S will develop Alzheimer’s disease every 33 seconds. The social and economic consequences of Alzheimer’s disease are huge and often completely overwhelm the patient as well as their caregivers. Families who have to confront this disease are families that are in crisis.

The Alzheimer’s disease epidemic is a profound human tragedy, as well as an overwhelming economic problem. Because of the length of time people live with Alzheimer’s disease and their urgent need for care, this disease is the most expensive medical condition in the U.S.

Future costs for Alzheimer’s disease patients threaten to bankrupt Medicare, Medicaid and the life savings of millions of Americans. If the estimated number of patients triples as expected in the future, the costs for care could exceed $1.1 trillion a year.

Even the risk of an Alzheimer’s patient wandering off can be fatal. While Alzheimer’s disease is typically diagnosed around age 65 and over 5.2 million of the 5.4 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s are 65 or older, it is estimated that about 200,000 people or younger will have early onset of Alzheimer’s.

Many people with Alzheimer’s disease lose their ability to help around the house, feed themselves or are no longer able to take a shower. Many can no longer remember who their children are. When patients become helpless and unable to take care of their own basic needs, the role of parent and child are often reversed.

In the state of Florida, a region where many seniors retire, it is estimated 510,000 people are living with Alzheimer’s disease. This number is projected to increase to 720,000 by 2025.

When someone loses a spouse, their living situation can become increasingly unsafe as the disease progresses. Many are found wandering away from home, and many relatives fear they may start fires while cooking.

So children suffer with feelings of guilt and financial hardship if they have to place a parent in an assisted-living facility or a home that specializes in caring for people with Alzheimer’s and or other forms of dementia. It is expensive care and often can cost $4,000 to $6,000 a month.

Patients often have to become broke and use up their entire life savings before applying for help from Medicaid. The state determines how much they will have to pay for long-term care. Sometimes there isn’t enough funding, and patients have to be added to waiting lists which can be up to five years.

Many Alzheimer’s patients end up in emergency rooms and cannot provide doctors with details about their condition. As a result, extensive diagnostic tests are often necessary to find out what’s really wrong. This confusion is very expensive and convoluted because most patients with Alzheimer’s disease have so many health issues.

People with Alzheimer’s go to the hospital twice as often as people their same age, and their hospital expenses are often three times as much.

They are usually in the hospital longer and admitted more frequently. Being in the hospital is the most expensive aspect of the health care system. Because so many patients with Alzheimer’s disease are over 65, they are commonly covered by Medicare.

Research shows that one out of five Medicare dollars is spent on Alzheimer’s disease, and this amount is expected to increase to one out of every three dollars soon. It is common for caregivers to be admitted to the hospital with their relative who suffers with Alzheimer’s. Desperate, some families drop off their relatives with Alzheimer’s disease near emergency rooms, believing the hospital workers will find them and care for them.

The National Institutes of Health spends $5 billion a year on cancer research, $3 billion on HIV and AIDs research and $2 billion on cardiovascular research, but much less on Alzheimer’s research, while related deaths increase.

Research suggested Alzheimer’s disease is connected to insulin resistance; even mild elevation of blood sugar is associated with an elevated risk for dementia. Heart disease and diabetes also can elevate the risk, as all three are associated with insulin resistance.

Dr. David Perlmutter, author of “Grain Brain” and “Brain Maker,” believes Alzheimer’s disease is based on lifestyle choices and anything that encourages insulin resistance, like processed food, will eventually increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease can be prevented, and I believe there is a lot people can do to help reduce their risk.

Prevention remains the best way to deal with Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. It is much easier to prevent these diseases rather than trying to cure them. An ounce of prevention is worth far more than a pound of cure.

Omega Brain Health and Nutrition invites the community to attend a free dinner and seminar 6 p.m., Tuesday, March 6. Dr. Terry Rondberg will be speaking on “Fighting Alzheimer’s and Diabetes” and sharing holistic health and wellness solutions for common pain problems.

For more information or to RSVP for dinner, which will be held at Omega Brain Health & Nutrition, 28780 Old Town Front Street, Suite D-7, in Temecula, visit https://reedermedia.lpages.co/dinner-with-the-doc-mar-06.