Simon-- I respect your and anyone else's right to choose their path to wellness.
I do, however, remember this: When my husband was dxed with Primary Liver Cancer, his drs were adamant: He stay the course with "traditional Western Medicine" or they wouldn't allow him to be listed for a transplant. Not a problem, but wow, we were inundated with well meaning folks who dropped of boxes of oils, crystals, magnets, healing wands, juices....the list was endless. Loving the LOVE that these people had made me appreciate their care--but he didn't take a single dose of anything he was given by these great friends.
And faith did carry us through that rough, rough year.
God presumably made all things dull, ugly, awful, dangerous, horrible, and terrible too. So why should we ask Him, every Sunday, for special favors? He clearly doesn't listen because, being almighty and all-powerful, He goes right on killing millions with war, pestilence, floods, fire, you name it.
@Midkid58 - First of all, praise God for your husbands health. Thats a great testimony. The mud and spittle was simply to point out Jesus used things of the earth and even in those days was outside the normal mindset. This isn't to say there was power in those things and I do understand that. Many of the medications we use as I've said copy herbs and EOs. There are wonderful testimonies of this. People tend to think if you're pro-herbs then you're anti-medicine and that simply isn't the case with me. Under the watchful eye of your doctor I believe you can have both. To your point its about faith. :)
Last year my husband, who had Hepatitis C was cured by Sovaldi, a MAN MADE drug. After enduring many years of fatigue and depression associated with HCV, he developed liver cancer. A transplant saved his life, but he still had HCV. 84 weeks on interferon almost killed him again. Then this miraculous drug came to be approved and after only 12 weeks (no side effects!) on this he was cured. We're still trying to wrap our brains around it.
IMHO, God made all the things--and He made scientists too. I don't make light of other's beliefs, but I use western medicine for healing and a very few oils for "comfort". Oddly enough, the oils my daughter uses (along with her meds) to alleviate her migraines, GIVE me migraines.
Simon, I believe it was the man's faith, not the spittle and the mud that cured him. That parable is about faith, not medicine. But I respect your right to believe what you choose to believe.
Oils are all the rage now. My 86 yo mother shakes her head and says "It used to be belladonna and laudanum". (Actually, those had opium in them, so they were good for something!) You DO have to be careful with those. Seriously-not FDA approved for human consumption. If the smell nice and add to the comfortable feeling in a home--go for it.
@kellse - Suffering is really a mystery. To watch our loved ones decline…we can’t help but ask why God? You know, while I was in deep dispair and entertaining thoughts of suicide, I asked God why. Why would he allow this evil disease to destroy and cause great suffering and he said to me, not in an audible voice but the thought just appeared in my mind… “when I was on the cross, I asked that same question, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" I understood perfectly and I knew I wasn’t alone. He understood my pain and it was what I needed to hear.
When we suffer, we have two choices. We make something good from it, we redeem it, or we make something bad, we become angry or bitter.
@hospicechaplin - Thanks, I've always felt a connection with Simon of Cyrene. I think its because he was forced to carry the cross for Jesus. Caregivers carry that same cross. The bible talks about Aloes, Anise, Balm, Bitter herbs, Cassia, Mustard, Myrrh and Saffron all of which have healing properties. This is not to say this is the route for everyone, but I merely was making the point these are God given gift for us to explore and use. Suffering has always been a mystery, and while we run away from it, it does have redemptive value. Wishing you the best to you and yours.
Simonofcyrene (btw a most creative username to identify servanthood)--I appreciate your effort at trying to theologically assess this very difficult issue. In regard to Jesus' miracles, the constant in all of them is Jesus. Spittle and mud have not become standard treatments for blindness. I suspect that all religious people dealing with Alzheimer's have sought God's intervention. We would readily accept such a miracle. However, when the miracle does not occur, we assume that God is with us as he is with cancer patients, diabetics, heart patients: He is supportive of our using the best tools and wisdom available to us. We each have to make our own choices on that. My choice is to make use the best clinically affirmed medications, and to anticipate that God will walk with us as we continue down a darkening pathway. I pray that you will have affirmation as you bear your cross in the way you choose.
The question was asked about herbs and I responded to the chaplain. I merely pointed out to him that the bible.. Gods word talks about herbs and essential oils and I suspect he is a consecrated man should be reminded of this. You see, herbs and essential oils by and large have been pushed aside, emulated but pushed aside. Coconut oil for example was given to patients with dementia 80+ years ago but when the AMA realized you can't patent something natural then you can see how things have evolved from there. I think if it brings some small bit of relief to a loved one ...why not? I hope that helps.
So, because herbs and oils are given by God, a chaplain can't state his own observation that the uses of them he has seen applied to dementia have not been effective? What is your point?
@jeannegibbs - I think it is quite foolish to think God created dementia. The question was asked about herbs, and the chaplain claimed he didn't see evidence in "real people" and I simply pointed out to him and I suspect he is a man of God that in the bible herbs and essential oils are given to us by God.
To answer your question about pharmaceuticals... did you know many of our medications today are essentially emulations of herbs and essential oils? Yes, they are gifts.
@hospicechaplain The bible tells us that herbs and essential oils were given to us by God to eat. Jesus cured a blind man with spittle and mud, now Im sure that was consider illogical or "anecdotal "even today. In Jesus's day, "real people" were being healed and it was difficult to accept. I say, if God made herbs and minerals for us to use, then do so but with caution.
Simonofcirene, that's right! We can't just throw our hands up and do nothing! If diffusing oils helps my mom in any way at all, I will continue to use them, not to mention how they freshen the air. She loves them, and so does everyone else who enters her room!
Snowcat60, I'm sympathetic to your view that profit-driven pharmaceutical research is looking for profit first, and relief of human suffering as a byproduct.
BUT
The supplement industry, the folks who sell supplements and write books and sell videos, are profit-driven, too. And they do not have to prove to the FDA that their products work -- only that they are not harmful. They don't have to go through years of peer-reviewed trials. They are allowed to advertise on the internet and elsewhere based on testimonials only, with no scientific backing.
I agree that the profit-motive is a disturbing way to approach healthcare, but I think that is true for the little (and not so little) supplement industry as it is for Big Pharma.
Sherry1anne, my husband saw a sleep psychiatrist for many years, and as part of the treatment/monitoring of his disorder he had a thorough neurological exam every 18 months. In May of 2003 the letter from that exam said his results were "normal for a man his age." In June of that year my husband had a complete meltdown. His PCP said "dementia" and threw up her hands. I called the sleep doctor because of severe sleep issues and after a few questions he said, "Coy has Lewy Body Dementia." Ten years later this diagnosis was confirmed via autopsy. Coy was treated by a fabulous researcher/neurologist at Mayo Clinic, who was certain the disease was LBD in spite of some lack of following a typical LBD pattern. He was right.
Within my LBD caregivers support group, most people's loved ones showed symptoms gradually. The husband of one other person had a sudden meltdown as my husband did.
Dementia CAN suddenly show up at any age. It does not develop suddenly ... it has been slowly taking over the brain for at least a couple of decades. Generally it starts to show up gradually, but sudden onset is not rare, and it certainly doesn't mean the neurologist is incompetent. A doctor who spends his work days seeing patients with dementia and his "off days" attending seminars, reading the research, and going to conferences with other doctors who specialize in dementia care CAN often take a look at a patient whose history he or she knows and recognize dementia. Or can ask a few pertinent questions and make the diagnosis over the phone.
That your Mother had dementia developing in her brain for many years but was not plagued by its typical symptoms is marvelous! She must have had a strong constitution, basic good health, lucky genes,and general good luck. If she had died in her nineties, a very long life for her generation, the symptoms would never have shown. If she hadn't been under a neurologist's care, the dementia would never have been diagnosed.
Your mother might have had symptoms for years. Instead it was only in the last few months of her life that they showed up. That is truly something to be grateful for.
My wife's very attentive neurologist responded to a similar question like this: "Before you take anything "natural" or "homeopathic", check with us so that we can be sure it will not do damage or have a negative reaction to anything she is currently taking. But if you want to try something that is collecting anecdotal affirmation, we can be open to anything that does not harm." With that perspective we have pursued aggressive and carefully monitored medical treatment while some friends have pursued alternative routes. Nothing in the comparisons over the past seven years would lead us to change course. The wonderful testimonies that are usually spread through the internet have never been duplicated in the "real people" that we know.
I agree with Sherry1anne, some neurologist can be disappointing. I think its important to point out no one here is offering a cure as some here are implying but we do know breakthroughs come by exploring. Nutritional, herbal, exercise, etc have all shown to improve our loved ones life and Ill take that over throwing my hands in the air saying sorry, its dementia we just don't know enough about it. Never go quietly into the night.
janamark, you are so right on. There are many herbal and aromatherapy remedies that make life so much better and often also result in a clearer mind. It's a shame that all alternative treatments are labeled snake oil because there's a lot of things that can help.
theres no way to completely stop the progression, but there are things that can help with mood, etc. I diffuse 100% therapeutic grade essential oils, such as orange, Cedarwood, Rosemary, Stress Away, just to mention a few, that are doing wonders for several women at the home where my Mother lives. Purification is another good oil that cleans the air of bacteria, and has a wonderful calming lemony smell. I promise they truly work.
Ferris1 summed it up. We don't even have a pharmaceutical agent to help. After B12 or vit D,etc. there is nothing but snake oil remedies. Probably the best treatment is how we lived our lives for the first 50 years.
All neurologists are not what you might hope for. About 6 months prior to Mother's death, she was hallucinating. She had been declared sand and well on her last visit six month's prior to that. He quickly took one look at her and announced that she had Alzheimer's. He did not even examine her. It's a stretch to believe that someone "comes down with" Alzheimer's at age 100 + much less that she was O.K. six months earlier (some memory loss from stroke) and suddenly Alzheimer's. I'll never trust a doctor's diagnosis until it is proven to me. It was just his stinking opinion.
It all depends on what is causing the dementia. Many things do. My 95+ mother did well on choline. It helped with mood, energy and elimination. This would only help if your Patient was low on Acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter). If there is improvement with choline you might make additional moves that suports Acetylcholine loss like huperzine A (moss). Once that tops out, start on something else like "blood flow to the brain", or "brain cellular repair". I am researching because I want to get my mother off NAMENDA. It is helpful but makes her legs weak.
I've forgotten, unfortunately, where I got these: TC-2153 Eat/drink all 3 in 15 min. noon or early PM T tifluoromethyl (carboxylic acids) 1.2 oz. B Benzyl alcohol 2.4 oz. A Aminehydrochloride 3.1 tsp C Catalyst 1 oz. I haven't tried these with my only slightly cognitively-impaired wife. She can still cook and drive and do laundry (as long as I remind her to put the wet clothes in the dryer). She takes Namenda and Aricept, which appear to help. As an experiment, I took her off Namenda for a week, but her short-term memory got worse, so I started her on it again (with our doctor's approval!). Her short-term memory is terrible. She will ask me the same question 3 times in an hour, or tell me the same thing just as often. I've learned to bite my tongue and not to reply with anger as though she were just trying to annoy me. I keep saying my silent mantra: IT'S NOT HER FAULT.
IMHO main stream medicine does not want you to help yourself with God given plants, herbs or essential oils that cannot be patented. This is because they were trained by Big Pharma and taught they can cure anything with prescription drugs. Think about this? Who supports today's medical schools? After all how will they continue their obscene high profit margins? Healthychoices you are the right path so kudos to you! I have my Mom on these also with fantastic results. Another very important overlooked element would be magnesium, and I'm not talking about milk of magnesia. There are many forms that are beneficial and one must due their research to find what works best for them. As for my Mom we use magnesium chloride in foot baths and a magnesium oil spray applied to the skin along with oral magnesium glycinate. Weaning her off of big pharma meds and treating her with tried and true natural methods the way God intended has been, not to be cliche but miraculous! She happier and healthier than she has been in a long time. As for me my Mom and family we go with what the good Lord intended pure and natural foods. Lastly, diet is very important especially with all the GMO laden foods we have available. So in addition to natural supplements clean eating is a must! "Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food". Hippocrates
What's good for your heart is good for your brain. A healthy plant-rich diet, exercise, sleep, low stress, stimulation and friends. Simple, right? Why is it so hard to do? Well, it just is, for a lot of us!
My friend, who is 100 years, 1 month and 19 days old takes a LOT of herbal supplements. Her memory is not good, but her body is as represented by her age. She is of Scandinavian descent.
Joe, there is nothing that will stop the progression of dementia, and everything else that Jeanne said. Do not waste your money. Eat healthy, exercise, socialize get enough sleep. The combination of these work better than anything currently available. I, for one, do not believe a drug will be found that cures or even slows dementia because there are too many variables that contribute to developing it.
I respect your and anyone else's right to choose their path to wellness.
I do, however, remember this: When my husband was dxed with Primary Liver Cancer, his drs were adamant: He stay the course with "traditional Western Medicine" or they wouldn't allow him to be listed for a transplant. Not a problem, but wow, we were inundated with well meaning folks who dropped of boxes of oils, crystals, magnets, healing wands, juices....the list was endless. Loving the LOVE that these people had made me appreciate their care--but he didn't take a single dose of anything he was given by these great friends.
And faith did carry us through that rough, rough year.
BTW, I grow a huge herb garden. :)
The mud and spittle was simply to point out Jesus used things of the earth and even in those days was outside the normal mindset. This isn't to say there was power in those things and I do understand that. Many of the medications we use as I've said copy herbs and EOs. There are wonderful testimonies of this.
People tend to think if you're pro-herbs then you're anti-medicine and that simply isn't the case with me. Under the watchful eye of your doctor I believe you can have both. To your point its about faith. :)
IMHO, God made all the things--and He made scientists too. I don't make light of other's beliefs, but I use western medicine for healing and a very few oils for "comfort". Oddly enough, the oils my daughter uses (along with her meds) to alleviate her migraines, GIVE me migraines.
Simon, I believe it was the man's faith, not the spittle and the mud that cured him. That parable is about faith, not medicine. But I respect your right to believe what you choose to believe.
Oils are all the rage now. My 86 yo mother shakes her head and says "It used to be belladonna and laudanum". (Actually, those had opium in them, so they were good for something!) You DO have to be careful with those. Seriously-not FDA approved for human consumption. If the smell nice and add to the comfortable feeling in a home--go for it.
When we suffer, we have two choices. We make something good from it, we redeem it, or we make something bad, we become angry or bitter.
The bible talks about Aloes, Anise, Balm, Bitter herbs, Cassia, Mustard, Myrrh and Saffron all of which have healing properties. This is not to say this is the route for everyone, but I merely was making the point these are God given gift for us to explore and use.
Suffering has always been a mystery, and while we run away from it, it does have redemptive value. Wishing you the best to you and yours.
Causing well-being and creating calamity;
I am the LORD who does all these.
Calamity:
an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster.
You see, herbs and essential oils by and large have been pushed aside, emulated but pushed aside. Coconut oil for example was given to patients with dementia 80+ years ago but when the AMA realized you can't patent something natural then you can see how things have evolved from there. I think if it brings some small bit of relief to a loved one ...why not? I hope that helps.
To answer your question about pharmaceuticals... did you know many of our medications today are essentially emulations of herbs and essential oils? Yes, they are gifts.
Also, since God presumably gave us intelligence, are the pharmaceuticals we create with that intelligence also a gift from God?
BUT
The supplement industry, the folks who sell supplements and write books and sell videos, are profit-driven, too. And they do not have to prove to the FDA that their products work -- only that they are not harmful. They don't have to go through years of peer-reviewed trials. They are allowed to advertise on the internet and elsewhere based on testimonials only, with no scientific backing.
I agree that the profit-motive is a disturbing way to approach healthcare, but I think that is true for the little (and not so little) supplement industry as it is for Big Pharma.
Within my LBD caregivers support group, most people's loved ones showed symptoms gradually. The husband of one other person had a sudden meltdown as my husband did.
Dementia CAN suddenly show up at any age. It does not develop suddenly ... it has been slowly taking over the brain for at least a couple of decades. Generally it starts to show up gradually, but sudden onset is not rare, and it certainly doesn't mean the neurologist is incompetent. A doctor who spends his work days seeing patients with dementia and his "off days" attending seminars, reading the research, and going to conferences with other doctors who specialize in dementia care CAN often take a look at a patient whose history he or she knows and recognize dementia. Or can ask a few pertinent questions and make the diagnosis over the phone.
That your Mother had dementia developing in her brain for many years but was not plagued by its typical symptoms is marvelous! She must have had a strong constitution, basic good health, lucky genes,and general good luck. If she had died in her nineties, a very long life for her generation, the symptoms would never have shown. If she hadn't been under a neurologist's care, the dementia would never have been diagnosed.
Your mother might have had symptoms for years. Instead it was only in the last few months of her life that they showed up. That is truly something to be grateful for.
I think its important to point out no one here is offering a cure as some here are implying but we do know breakthroughs come by exploring. Nutritional, herbal, exercise, etc have all shown to improve our loved ones life and Ill take that over throwing my hands in the air saying sorry, its dementia we just don't know enough about it. Never go quietly into the night.
I diffuse 100% therapeutic grade essential oils, such as orange, Cedarwood, Rosemary, Stress Away, just to mention a few, that are doing wonders for several women at the home where my Mother lives. Purification is another good oil that cleans the air of bacteria, and has a wonderful calming lemony smell. I promise they truly work.
TC-2153 Eat/drink all 3 in 15 min. noon or early PM
T tifluoromethyl (carboxylic acids) 1.2 oz.
B Benzyl alcohol 2.4 oz.
A Aminehydrochloride 3.1 tsp
C Catalyst 1 oz.
I haven't tried these with my only slightly cognitively-impaired wife. She can still cook and drive and do laundry (as long as I remind her to put the wet clothes in the dryer). She takes Namenda and Aricept, which appear to help. As an experiment, I took her off Namenda for a week, but her short-term memory got worse, so I started her on it again (with our doctor's approval!). Her short-term memory is terrible. She will ask me the same question 3 times in an hour, or tell me the same thing just as often. I've learned to bite my tongue and not to reply with anger as though she were just trying to annoy me. I keep saying my silent mantra: IT'S NOT HER FAULT.
After all how will they continue their obscene high profit margins?
Healthychoices you are the right path so kudos to you! I have my Mom on these also with fantastic results.
Another very important overlooked element would be magnesium, and I'm not talking about milk of magnesia. There are many forms that are beneficial and one must due their research to find what works best for them.
As for my Mom we use magnesium chloride in foot baths and a magnesium oil
spray applied to the skin along with oral magnesium glycinate.
Weaning her off of big pharma meds and treating her with tried and true natural methods the way God intended has been, not to be cliche but miraculous!
She happier and healthier than she has been in a long time.
As for me my Mom and family we go with what the good Lord intended pure and natural foods.
Lastly, diet is very important especially with all the GMO laden foods we have available. So in addition to natural supplements clean eating is a must!
"Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food". Hippocrates