Alzheimer’s disease is a devitalizing and eventually fatal condition with no known cause or cure. The FDA-approved medicines that doctors prescribe can only slow – not stop – the disease process, leaving patients desperate for an alternative treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. While alternative medication is beginning to become more commonly accepted and controlled in this country today, it can still be risky for the people that turn to it.
Producers of alternative medicines aren’t in thrall to the FDA, so they do not have to provide systematic research for their claims, maintain any standard of safety or truth in the production of their products, or report any side-effects or deaths that happen as a consequence of their products.
Given such provisos, patients and family must rigorously consider their options before looking for any alternative treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. If patients or their family do make a decision to seek an alternative treatment for Alzheimer’s disease a number of options exist. 3 well known diet additions that may be found on the shelves of healthfood outlets across America are coenzyme Q10, gingko biloba and coral calcium. Coenzyme Q10, known as an antioxidant, naturally manages cell function in humans, but the man-made form employed in research didn’t noticeably improve the working of Alzheimer’s patients’ brains.
Another antioxidant is ginkgo biloba – a well known plant extract and mainstay of Chinese medicine. It has been claimed to boost cell function in both the body and brain. Research did find the supplement had a good effect on Alzheimer’s patients, but it also functions as a blood thinner, which can be threatening when taken together with other blood thinners, like aspirin. Coral calcium, which is a calcium supplement with the addition of the crushed shells of sea creatures, has been offered by its makers as a miracle cure and denounced by the FDA as a fraud. Research on the favourable aftermath of the minerals in coral calcium don’t support its makers’ claims.
2 less widely known drugs that patients may turn to as an alternative treatment for Alzheimer’s disease are huperzine A and Phosphatidylserine. Huperzine A is a traditional Chinese cure with chemical properties like FDA-approved Alzheimer’s drugs. Studies are being done on huperzine A by the National Institute on Aging to pinpoint the drug’s efficacy in treating less advanced cases of Alzheimer’s disease, but at this point in time, the FDA urges caution when taking the natural cure, particularly in conjunction with other Alzheimer’s drugs.
Phosphatidylserine is a building block of neurons in the brain, and bolstering the natural substance was thought to potentially reverse the illness process in patients with Alzheimer’s. Studies using phosphatidylserine from cow neurons were halted at the outbreak of mad cow disease in the last decade, and research has only lately resumed. More studies will have to be done before phosphatidylserine can be considered a viable alternative treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
By further exploring alternative treatment options, scientists can offer patients with Alzheimer’s disease and their families hope for the future and a likely cure.