CaringCV

We know Parkinson’s is associated with 2-4 D, now this very suggestive study indicating that there is an environmental component to Alz.

“…today’s study provides a “wake-up call” to look at environmental factors for Alzheimer’s disease and points researchers toward pesticides as a first area to assess. “We have spent so much time looking for the genetic underpinnings of the disease. Now it’s time to start looking harder at the environment.”

 http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-01-27/pesticide-ddt-linked-to-heightened-alzheimer-s-risk-study-finds

Bloomberg

27 January 2014

Pesticide DDT Linked to Heightened Alzheimer’s Risk, Study Finds

By Nicole Ostrow

The pesticide DDT, banned in the U.S. because of its toxic effects on wildlife and potential to harm human health, may increase the risk for Alzheimer’s disease, according to the first study linking the chemical to the brain-ravaging illness.

People with Alzheimer’s disease had about four times the level of a DDT byproduct in their blood compared with those who didn’t have the dementia, according to the research published today in the journal JAMA Neurology.

DDT, outlawed in the U.S. in 1972, is still found in blood samples because it can take decades for chemicals to break down. The pesticide is used in other countries, and U.S. residents can ingest it by eating fruits, vegetables and grains that are grown in those areas, researchers said. The study points to the need for more analysis about how environmental factors may interact with genes to boost Alzheimer’s risk, said Jason Richardson, the lead study author.

“We really need more attention on the role of environment and the interaction of your genes and environment for complex diseases such as Alzheimer’s,” Richardson, an associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey, said in a telephone interview. “The prevailing thought has always been it’s a genetic disease. Unfortunately that hasn’t panned out.”

Protein Interactions

Just how DDT and its byproduct, DDE, are linked to Alzheimer’s disease remains unclear. The pesticide may affect levels of proteins in the brain that are associated with the plaque that leads to the disease, Richardson said. More studies are needed to better understand this interaction, he said.

Researchers analyzed blood samples of 86 people who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and 79 patients without the condition. They also analyzed brain samples of 11 Alzheimer’s patients who had died and had previously provided blood samples.

They found DDE in 80 percent of those with Alzheimer’s and 70 percent of those without the disease. Those with Alzheimer’s had DDE levels 3.8 times higher on average. The study also showed that those with the Alzheimer’s gene ApoE4 and high levels of DDE scored the lowest on cognition tests.

“This study demonstrates that there are additional contributors to Alzheimer’s disease that must be examined and that may help identify those at risk of developing Alzheimer’s,” Richardson said in a statement. “It is important because when it comes to diagnosing and treating this and other neurodegenerative diseases, the earlier someone is diagnosed, the more options there may be available.”

No Cure

More than 5 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s, a number projected to triple by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. There is no treatment for the disease, the most common form of dementia. The only drugs approved for the condition ease symptoms for a few months while the disease continues to worsen.

Steven DeKosky, a professor of neurology at the University of Virginia, wrote in an accompanying editorial that today’s study provides a “wake-up call” to look at environmental factors for Alzheimer’s disease and points researchers toward pesticides as a first area to assess.

“We have spent so much time looking for the genetic underpinnings of the disease. Now it’s time to start looking harder at the environment,” he said in a telephone interview. “We are exploring a lot of ways that the environment may predispose us to or protect us from neurodegenerative diseases later in life. This is a new clue that we will chase down.”

At the lunch on Thurs. there were just 4 of us but we had a good chat. All of us feeling a bit overwhelmed.  Thank You for the article about Alzheimer’s it was very excellent. The graphics were really helpful to understand. I wonder if Dementia progresses in a similar way or if tends to be more specific to an area?  Take care my friend. As I looked around the table at lunch, I saw in each of the faces of the ladies there a commitment of love that is a choice, like the Source – God’s Agape love.  I thought when we get “frayed around the edges” It is so important to reconnect to the source to sense His unconditional love for us and wrap ourselves up in it to refresh and equip us for the task.  We can’t run on empty.  I was thinking of putting this on the blog but again forgot how ( in the fray) If you think it is worth it feel free.

What makes it so difficult, unless you develop the meditative discipline of a saint, (I’m working on it but I’m not there yet!) is the continual assault on your common sense and normal mental processes. I think that is where the fatigue comes from, and also why a break doesn’t really last that long because you get back into good old cheerful caregiving routine, but immediately you are being whacked in the cranium over and over with a rubber carrot….

This day brings an official New Year to all of us, and as the days lengthen I am thinking of my sisters in caregiving, and missing their company and laughter and ready understanding.

I am also thinking of the millions of people going through this grief and trauma without the blessed support of sisterhood like we have built (thanks to Senior Peer Counseling) here in our beautiful Valley,  

I am also thinking that my pledge to myself for the New Year will be: “Help me to not feel so sorry for myself. Help me to remember that grief and loss are part of life and joy, that I am not alone in this travail, and that there will be peace in the end.”

At the end of November, two of the wonderful women who help me with respite (for me and for my partner!) came to a North Island College course on Activity Programming for Individuals with Dementia. I’ve been wanting to tell my friends in Caregivers about it but there hasn’t been an opportunity.

The course was just Saturday morning but Debbie Provencher, who teaches the subject and works in many care homes, could easily have kept us spell bound for a week. She interspersed all her tricks with solid information about perception and typical behaviours, and how to engage with our loved ones and those we care for. Over  ,we found ourselves looking at each other and nodding as behaviours were named and explained. I have done a lot of workshops and a lot of reading since this illness arose in our home, but this workshop was one of the best. And a lot of fun, too.  

I just lost it the other night — trying to watch a no-brain light comedy and my spouse started going on and on again about how “coffee isn’t any good anymore.” It was for some ridiculous reason the last straw (heaven knows I put up with much more than that everyday with a grin, a smile, a joke!) Anyway, I blew, and he staggered off to bed looking perplexed and fell asleep. When I came in a bit later he woke, and I kissed him and said “I’m sorry I yelled at you,” and he said “what did you say?”

But this reminds me that I was supposed to post this story about losing it and gaining grace, from one of our sisters in our group.

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After a very bad angry melt down with my post stroke husband, I went into the laundry room which doubles as my sanctuary from the irrational paranoia and unreasonableness and cried, yelled screamed to God as to my inability to cope and keep my sanity, I journalled my feelings and thoughts to the Lord, and feeling a little calmer, I decided to check my Email before I left my sanctuary and escaped for a brisk walk or something to get rid of the extra adrenalin coursing through my system.  A single Email from a friend who has brain injury from seizures and multiple handicaps. It was a fwd story, one of her specialties to pick the right story for the right moment without even knowing:

I trust this will It will give you time to settle your brain, gather your thoughts, calm down and finish your week off on a positive note treasure hunting for the little glimpses that become big when we take the time to focus.
> Potato Chips
>
> A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey.
>
> When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old man. He was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old man looked hungry, so he offered him some chips. He gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.
>
> His smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer. Again, he smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word..
>
> As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old man, and gave him a hug. He gave him his biggest smile ever..
>
> When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?”
> He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? He’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!”
>
> Meanwhile, the old man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked, “dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?”
>
> He replied “I ate potato chips in the park with God.” However, before his son responded, he added, “You know, he’s much younger than I expected.”
>
> Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime! Embrace all equally!
>
> Have lunch with God…….bring chips.

Lesson for me:  “ heard your anguish child, I can handle it, Look for me in the little things I am there walking with you in your day”