Hitting Close To Home
Hey folks,
Today is the day in Iowa. I let you know tomorrow what is happening there. But today, I want to explain why I posted the Health and Science edition this week, and share a response I received on the topic.
On Sunday, I posted Scaryence Again.
Here we go again with more Scaryence. My new way of describing “Scare Science.” Scaryence is the way some use Science to scare people into conformity, participation in this or that, and basically, just to further agendas. Global Warming is a perfect example of Scaryence.
But this week we are talking about you. Yes, you. Now we all know that things happen to us as we get older. We all know that we slow down a bit. We have aches and pains, here and there. We get tired quicker. ETC. All of a sudden, what seems to be over night, we can’t do the things we use to do.
So some in the scientific community have decided to use this fact, that we all know and feel, the older we get, to make more money. Yup. Money.
Basically, this article by Reuters - Most older adults have brain disease: study By Megan Rauscher Fri Dec 28, 3:34 PM ET bothered me quite a bit.
Most older persons with dementia (i.e., memory and other cognitive impairments) had more than one type of pathology in their brain causing the impairment, Schneider told Reuters Health.
"This most commonly was Alzheimer's disease pathology and cerebral infarcts (strokes), followed by Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body disease, a disease related to Parkinson's disease," she said.
The point of their article?
Based on this study, write two neurologists in an accompanying editorial, "we may wish to maximize medical management of vascular risk factors in the growing elderly population, regardless of whether cognition is still normal or there are signs of overt dementia."
So basically, they want to scare you into spending more money on treating the possibility of you getting what you may already have, even if you do not have it.
I have been questioned about my reason for posting this. It was a, "who cares?" type of question. Then I got this response in the Comment section.
"Hi Peter, thanks for the post. I think though that the revelation, or acceptance, that we all accumulate multiple brain pathologies as we age can actually mitigate against the over-medicalization of dementia. If we accept that all brains age over the continuum of one's life and accumulate vascular changes, inflammation, abnormal proteins (such as amyloid and tau, the hallmarks of Alzheimer's), oxidative stress, etc...it breaks down the notion that there are discreet categories of dementia (ie. "Alzheimer's disease", "Parkinson's")that we can cleanly diagnose and target. I think you might appreciate and enjoy a book that I've co-authored with Dr. Peter Whitehouse, a neurologist at Case Western Reserve University, called "The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told about Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis" (St Martin's Press), and is due for release on Jan.8th. You can check out our website if you have a chance www.themythofalzheimers.com . I'm presently trying to develop a blog and will make sure to "blog roll" you (if I have the vernacular right, hahah). anyhow, thanks for the post, and happy new year to you,
take care,"
Danny George
I would like to answer both here this morning.
First, why did I post this. The simple fact is it hits me pretty close to home. All my childhood, I knew my grandfather as a zombie. He had Parkinson's. Back in those days, they felt the best way to treat it was to actually FREEZE parts of the brain. This was an attempt to slow the progression and help stop the tremors. Didn't work that well. My Grandfather knew what was going on around him, but could not communicate all the well at all. Could not do anything for himself. I watched my Grandmother have a heart attack and die, after taking care of him 24-7 for the first 11 years of my life.
This effected me more than I could possibly know at the time. As I got older, I started wanting to know all about this disease. Then came other famous people that got it. Most notable as of late, Michael J Fox. We have come a long way in the treatment of Parkinson's. As long as Michael takes his meds, he can pretty much live a normal life. I see this as a most positive step forward.
Then I met Vera. Vera was a SHARP 91 year old little lady. We would talk pretty much daily about all kinds of things. She is the one that actually introduced me to my Wife. I loved spending time with her. Then in just a span of about two years, I watched her drift away. Some days were normal, others, she thought I was her son, Son in-law, sometimes her long dead Husband. I saw her once bright, loving , and wise , eyes, slowly glace over. She pasted on a completely different person that I met. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
These are horrible diseases. I know first hand. So when some decide to use them as scare tactics to make more money, I get upset.
To Danny, Thank you for your post. I mean that. You said. "I think though that the revelation, or acceptance, that we all accumulate multiple brain pathologies as we age can actually mitigate against the over-medicalization of dementia." I agree. I think over medication is prescribed in many cases. Treatment for many ailments.
"If we accept that all brains age over the continuum of one's life and accumulate vascular changes, inflammation, abnormal proteins (such as amyloid and tau, the hallmarks of Alzheimer's), oxidative stress, etc...it breaks down the notion that there are discreet categories of dementia (ie. "Alzheimer's disease", "Parkinson's")that we can cleanly diagnose and target."
Very interesting point.
"I think you might appreciate and enjoy a book that I've co-authored with Dr. Peter Whitehouse, a neurologist at Case Western Reserve University, called "The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told about Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis" (St Martin's Press), and is due for release on Jan.8th. You can check out our website if you have a chance www.themythofalzheimers.com ."
I did and I will definitely be looking forward to reading it. Thank you very much. I hope it goes fast. I hope many people will take the time to read it. The more educated we become, the less frightening these diseases and the threat of these become. I have to wonder, other than the obvious, money, if some Doctors now a days over medicate some, in stead of actually looking to treat them. The "easy way out."
Of course you "have the vernacular right." {Laughing} to Blog roll the OPNTalk. I thank you for joining us and hope you visit often. Please feel free to share any more information you wish. In this or any other areas, any time.
You see folks, I become passionate about this type of thing, having lived with it. I do not wish ANYONE to have to suffer from these things. I hope we can find cures in the future. This is why when I see someone practicing Scaryence, I get upset with it. I will alert you anytime I see it.
Thank you again Danny, and I hope this answered some questions others of you may have had. See you tomorrow with an update on Iowa.
Peter
Hey folks,
Today is the day in Iowa. I let you know tomorrow what is happening there. But today, I want to explain why I posted the Health and Science edition this week, and share a response I received on the topic.
On Sunday, I posted Scaryence Again.Here we go again with more Scaryence. My new way of describing “Scare Science.” Scaryence is the way some use Science to scare people into conformity, participation in this or that, and basically, just to further agendas. Global Warming is a perfect example of Scaryence.
But this week we are talking about you. Yes, you. Now we all know that things happen to us as we get older. We all know that we slow down a bit. We have aches and pains, here and there. We get tired quicker. ETC. All of a sudden, what seems to be over night, we can’t do the things we use to do.
So some in the scientific community have decided to use this fact, that we all know and feel, the older we get, to make more money. Yup. Money.
Basically, this article by Reuters - Most older adults have brain disease: study By Megan Rauscher Fri Dec 28, 3:34 PM ET bothered me quite a bit.
Most older persons with dementia (i.e., memory and other cognitive impairments) had more than one type of pathology in their brain causing the impairment, Schneider told Reuters Health.
"This most commonly was Alzheimer's disease pathology and cerebral infarcts (strokes), followed by Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body disease, a disease related to Parkinson's disease," she said.
The point of their article?
Based on this study, write two neurologists in an accompanying editorial, "we may wish to maximize medical management of vascular risk factors in the growing elderly population, regardless of whether cognition is still normal or there are signs of overt dementia."
So basically, they want to scare you into spending more money on treating the possibility of you getting what you may already have, even if you do not have it.
I have been questioned about my reason for posting this. It was a, "who cares?" type of question. Then I got this response in the Comment section.
"Hi Peter, thanks for the post. I think though that the revelation, or acceptance, that we all accumulate multiple brain pathologies as we age can actually mitigate against the over-medicalization of dementia. If we accept that all brains age over the continuum of one's life and accumulate vascular changes, inflammation, abnormal proteins (such as amyloid and tau, the hallmarks of Alzheimer's), oxidative stress, etc...it breaks down the notion that there are discreet categories of dementia (ie. "Alzheimer's disease", "Parkinson's")that we can cleanly diagnose and target. I think you might appreciate and enjoy a book that I've co-authored with Dr. Peter Whitehouse, a neurologist at Case Western Reserve University, called "The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told about Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis" (St Martin's Press), and is due for release on Jan.8th. You can check out our website if you have a chance www.themythofalzheimers.com . I'm presently trying to develop a blog and will make sure to "blog roll" you (if I have the vernacular right, hahah). anyhow, thanks for the post, and happy new year to you,
take care,"
Danny George
I would like to answer both here this morning.
First, why did I post this. The simple fact is it hits me pretty close to home. All my childhood, I knew my grandfather as a zombie. He had Parkinson's. Back in those days, they felt the best way to treat it was to actually FREEZE parts of the brain. This was an attempt to slow the progression and help stop the tremors. Didn't work that well. My Grandfather knew what was going on around him, but could not communicate all the well at all. Could not do anything for himself. I watched my Grandmother have a heart attack and die, after taking care of him 24-7 for the first 11 years of my life.
This effected me more than I could possibly know at the time. As I got older, I started wanting to know all about this disease. Then came other famous people that got it. Most notable as of late, Michael J Fox. We have come a long way in the treatment of Parkinson's. As long as Michael takes his meds, he can pretty much live a normal life. I see this as a most positive step forward.Then I met Vera. Vera was a SHARP 91 year old little lady. We would talk pretty much daily about all kinds of things. She is the one that actually introduced me to my Wife. I loved spending time with her. Then in just a span of about two years, I watched her drift away. Some days were normal, others, she thought I was her son, Son in-law, sometimes her long dead Husband. I saw her once bright, loving , and wise , eyes, slowly glace over. She pasted on a completely different person that I met. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
These are horrible diseases. I know first hand. So when some decide to use them as scare tactics to make more money, I get upset.
To Danny, Thank you for your post. I mean that. You said. "I think though that the revelation, or acceptance, that we all accumulate multiple brain pathologies as we age can actually mitigate against the over-medicalization of dementia." I agree. I think over medication is prescribed in many cases. Treatment for many ailments.
"If we accept that all brains age over the continuum of one's life and accumulate vascular changes, inflammation, abnormal proteins (such as amyloid and tau, the hallmarks of Alzheimer's), oxidative stress, etc...it breaks down the notion that there are discreet categories of dementia (ie. "Alzheimer's disease", "Parkinson's")that we can cleanly diagnose and target."
Very interesting point.
"I think you might appreciate and enjoy a book that I've co-authored with Dr. Peter Whitehouse, a neurologist at Case Western Reserve University, called "The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told about Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis" (St Martin's Press), and is due for release on Jan.8th. You can check out our website if you have a chance www.themythofalzheimers.com ."
I did and I will definitely be looking forward to reading it. Thank you very much. I hope it goes fast. I hope many people will take the time to read it. The more educated we become, the less frightening these diseases and the threat of these become. I have to wonder, other than the obvious, money, if some Doctors now a days over medicate some, in stead of actually looking to treat them. The "easy way out."
Of course you "have the vernacular right." {Laughing} to Blog roll the OPNTalk. I thank you for joining us and hope you visit often. Please feel free to share any more information you wish. In this or any other areas, any time.
You see folks, I become passionate about this type of thing, having lived with it. I do not wish ANYONE to have to suffer from these things. I hope we can find cures in the future. This is why when I see someone practicing Scaryence, I get upset with it. I will alert you anytime I see it.
Thank you again Danny, and I hope this answered some questions others of you may have had. See you tomorrow with an update on Iowa.
Peter
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