why the amyloid plaque hypothesis of alzheimer’s is wrong; your senses, your metabolism, and herbs on cognitive decline.
The mainstream idea of Alzheimer’s is a mistake. If you search ‘what causes Alzheimer’s’ you’re likely to get the amyloid plaque hypothesis as a result.
This hypothesis is what treatment is based off of, and it’s wrong. It’s a correlative conclusion, not a causative one. That’s why all of the drugs that have been developed targeting amyloid, have failed to improve Alzheimer’s.
The amyloid plaque is likely the RESULT of the brain protecting itself from inflammation, not the cause of the inflammation and damage. It’s a pathological hallmark.
Amyloid is a normal protein in our brain - in Alzheimer’s it folds and sticks and forms plaques
But, the functional medicine community are approaching Alzheimer’s against the amyloid hypothesis and proving that Alzheimer’s is a culmination of lifestyle and environmental choices which decide genetic expression (APOE4 is generally accepted to be the gene that acts as an on / off switch for Alzheimers).
One review stated : “In this study, less education, hypertension, hearing impairment, smoking, obesity, depression, physical inactivity, diabetes, infrequent social contact, excessive alcohol consumption, head injury, and air pollution exposure collectively contributed about 40% risk for dementia.”
Hearing impairment is an interesting one for me; reduced sense of smell is also related to cognitive decline. Interestingly, ‘assessing sensory deficits’ is on the list of proven preventative measures. I will return to sensory-related factors of alzhiemers at the end.
Some more proven strategies for preventing dementia that have nothing to do with removing plaque with drugs :
assessing sensory deficits,
regular physical activity (and muscle literacy)
treatment of cardiovascular risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity, metabolic syndrome),
cognitively stimulating activities,
social engagement,
a heart healthy diet (specifically the mediterranean, and Japanese; high fibre, high greens, high omega-3, increased flavonoids, )
drinking tea + coffee
avoiding ultra-processed foods
smoking cessation, m
managing stress and depression,
getting adequate sleep,
avoiding anticholinergics,
limiting alcohol use,
avoiding physical and toxin-related brain damage.
However, these are all preventative rather than curative; they’re all effective to stop the onset. Is there anything functional medicine / herbal medicine can do to relieve symptoms of Alzheimers?
Ketogenic diets have been proven to improve symptoms and quality of life
Increasing fibre, antioxidants and polyphenols is associated with improved cognition
Herbs such as; Lavender, Lion’s mane, Ashwaganda, Gingko, Lemon balm, Ginseng, Dan shen, and Magnolia have all been shown to relieve symptoms of Alzheimer’s such as confusion, distress,
Insulin-related therapies
Let’s dive a little bit deeper into some of the most commonly used herbs;
ASHWAGANDA : demonstrates ability to reduce neurone degeneration and improve memory. In mice, it’s been found to reverse Alzheimer’s pathology
GINGKO : improves blood flow to the brain, and has been shown to delay progression of Alzheimer’s, and is as effective as common Alzheimer’s drugs (cholinesterase inhibitors)
LIONS MANE : has a unique ability to increase nerve growth factor (NGF) and the length of neurones. It also appears to reduce the amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s.
LEMON BALM : can reduce agitation in people with Alzheimer’s, and can increase cognitive efficiency
CURCUMIN - interestingly, curcumin is drawn to amyloid plaques, and can show up in brain scans. Turmeric (where curcumin is from) is one of the plant worlds most powerful and immediate anti-inflammatory’s.
Now for one study I found that claimed a reversal in Alzheimer’s following a specific protocol;
This study reports reversal of cognitive decline through a combination of the following : healing leaky gut, optimising the microbiome, rectifying insulin resistance, reducing protein glycation, rectifying nutrient and hormonal deficiencies, treating any dormant viruses, detox procedures to reduce body-held toxins. This protocol is paired with an individualised formula of herbs. They have reported sustained improvements in 100 patients which is quite incredible given that the general prognosis of an alzheimer’s diagnosis is fatal - it’s said that ‘nobody has ever survived the diagnosis’ and pharmaceuticals are aimed at managing symptoms not improving them.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8068256/
Many of the branches of this protocol relate to metabolism. Metabolism - especially insulin resistance- have such a strong correlation with dementia that it’s earned itself the name ‘type 3 diabetes’ and in some fields, is considered to be a metabolic disorder.
Why is Alzhiemers being named ‘Type 3 diabetes’? Bottom-line, insulin resistance increases inflammation in the brain and reduces circulation (through damaged capillaries), therefore reducing the ability of the brain to get essential nutrients and clean itself’. Sometimes, Alzheimer’s has been described as a neuroendocrine disease - it seems to be the resulting combination of neurological, vascular, and endocrinological issues which all influence each other.
One of the more well known factors of alzhimers is the vascular damage. One type of dementia is ‘vascular dementia’ indicating that there is reduced blood flow to the brain due to poor vascular integrity. This poor circulation could be linked to heart issues, but it could simply be linked to lack of exercise or metabolic complications such as unmanaged diabetes.
However it happens, supporting vascular strength and full circulation is an integral part of preventing cognitive decline.
Finally, let’s come back to sensory-related factors for Alzheimer’s. People with impairments of hearing, vision, or smell, have a higher risk factor for the progression of alzhiemers. If you have more than one sensory loss, it can double your risk. Sometimes, declines in sensory sensitivity can be a canary in the coal mine for memory loss. We know that the sense centre of the brain is intimately connected with the memory centre (how many moments of nostalgia have you had entwined with a strong smell or a sound?) - when one declines, the other does too.
Interestingly, scientists have found pathologies in the retina mimic pathologies of alzhiemrs in the brain. The reason for the link between sensory loss and cognitive decline is unclear, but some researchers suggest it could be to do with the brain being ‘worn-out’ as it tries to compute suboptimal messages, or to do with the feeling of social isolation that derives from suboptimal senses.
All in all, Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline should be considered as primarily a metabolic driven issue, with poor senses, vascular health and systemic inflammation being confounding factors.
If you know you have the APOE4 gene (or even if you don’t), there’s so much you can do to prevent the decline in the first place.
