Drugs Fail to Correct Hypoxic Damage

Since healthy acetylcholine levels are critically important for memory formation and retention, it is not surprising that most prescription medications currently used to treat Alzheimer’s disease work by increasing this important neurotransmitter. Although they modestly decrease the rate of progression of Alzheimer’s, these medications-known as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, such as Aricept® (donepezil) and Exelon® (rivastigmine)-do not stop the disease. In addition, these medications can have numerous unpleasant side effects, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and liver damage.

Another medicine, Namenda® (memantine), targets NMDA (n-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors in the brain, rather than acetylcholine.10 However, like the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, Namenda® is not a cure, and does nothing to help decrease oxidative stress or the formation of amyloid-beta, two hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease that are strongly influenced by hypoxia.

With newly emerging evidence showing direct links between cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s, it makes perfect sense to use preventive therapies that target both diseases. Although there is currently no approved prescription medication that can accomplish this, a wealth of scientific evidence shows that nutritional and botanical remedies may help prevent and manage both diseases.
Antioxidants Reduce Oxidative Stress

Considerable evidence now shows that antioxidants may help protect against a variety of illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease. Since oxidative damage to brain cells is thought to contribute directly to Alzheimer’s disease, it follows that antioxidant supplements may play a vital role in preventing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

For example, a large study of 442 elderly patients in Basel, Switzerland, found a direct correlation between higher blood levels of two common antioxidants (beta-carotene and vitamin C) and memory retention. Another study published in 2005, which reported on the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in people who took antioxidant supplements, found that individuals who supplemented with both vitamin E and vitamin C displayed a decreased incidence of Alzheimer’s disease.

An even more recent study examined the protective action of vitamin E on hypoxia-induced changes in the brains of rats. Administering vitamin E prior to experimentally induced hypoxia provided significant brain protection and helped stabilize membrane lipids, an essential component of a healthy brain.

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By Edward R. Rosick, DO, MPH, DABHM