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I found out yesterday that with a simple swab of the cheek of my loved ones the Dr. could tell tell them what meds would work to help them. AND, Medicare will pay for the test. However, the Dr.s hands are tied by bureaucrat nonsense because the drug companies will not get the money by trying all kinds of drugs on our loved ones.


My mother and her sisters all are suffering with Alzheimer's. We as their families suffer lovingly along side of them. When a simple, painless test could help so much. I want it to stop!! But don't even know how to start and I need to do it with very little money. Can you help me?

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Ravin1, can you please clarify a little? Are you saying that the cheek swab diagnoses ALZ? Or that the swab tells the Doctor what medications would work to "help" those with ALZ? Right now there is no scientifically proven cure, so not sure what you mean by "help them"? Not sure in which way the "Dr.s hands are tied by bureaucratic nonsense"?

My branding company has worked with mostly med/tech clients for the past 36 years. If people only knew how difficult, time-consuming and expensive it is to get approval by the FDA to bring a new medicine or device to the market, it would blow them away (hint: hundreds of millions of dollars for a single product). This is to protect the people (like you) from charlatans peddling unproven, unsafe and unethical treatments (most of which are found in Big Supplement industry). I'm so sorry for your sufferings caused by ALZ. I'm praying for a cure as I creep up there in years. Blessings!
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Ravin1 Aug 2019
I do understand the work that goes on to anything that is worth while. What I was seeing was these meds that took so much to create being used when they were not going to work and there was a simple test that could help tell family's that. It is sad, but there are wolves that feel no pain in using the sick and week to line their pockets. That is what I was seeing in my greif and anger. We have 3 people trying to care for 4 elders. I know those who are caring for loved ones like this understand how tired one can get and jump to a conclusion. Thank for the work you do.
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There is no cure for Alzheimer's and there is no treatment known to work. Symptoms are treated as they come along. There are no tests that you mention that I am aware of. I hope you are not buying the nonsense published by supplement companies, and expensive silliness. You need to be careful out there in a world that is just packed with nonsense, juju and snake oil cures.
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Ravin1 Aug 2019
No, we wouldn't do that. Thank you for caring.
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Are you talking about genetic testing that will tell the doc which antidepressants work best?

Who is telling you that the doc's hands are tied?

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cyp450-test/about/pac-20393711
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Ravin1 Aug 2019
No, my mother and her sisters are beyond antidepressants. They are violent, they don't understand and can't safely be with other residents. We have been through so many things to calm them and then it was stated that a Swab of their cheek could tell what family of meds would not work.
But, I am sorry I got so upset and posted so fast. I need to do some research. But when he said his hands were tied, I lost my head.
Thank you for understanding.
We have been given 2 weeks to find something to help, then we may have to find somewhere different for one of them. Moving sick and elderly is so hard on them. This will be the third time in 3 months. I am so sad to her.
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Ravin1, are you talking about the medical DNA? There is a DNA test that will let the doctors know what types of prescription meds one can take.

For example, on my medical DNA, I found all those prescription meds for acid relux will not work, so don't bother prescribing them for me, I will use Tums instead.

As for bureaucrat nonsense when it comes to new drugs coming down the pike, it can take years of trial testing before FDA will approve a new drug. Doctors need to use what is currently available to help with various symptoms. Sadly there are no drugs to treat Alzheimer's at this point in time.
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https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/consumer-alerts/alerts/geneticscam.asp
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The only cheek swap I could find related to Alzheimer’s was a test to identify three genetic markers that are common to Alzheimer’s. What is the source of your information Ravin 1. Thank you.
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unfortunately there is no medication that can stop the suffering of Alzheimer’s. There’s no cure. There are medications that can help with some of the behaviors caused by Alzheimer’s and dementia but....unless you want to end a life, there is no medication that can stop the suffering and cure them. Alzheimer’s can be diagnosed with a cheek swab and there are at home cheek swab tests that tell you if you are high risk for getting Alzheimer’s but there’s no test that will tell doctors what meds might work.
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Ravin1 Aug 2019
All my sister's and I are at risk. My mother all her sisters, and their mother all have or had this plague. As far as I am concerned, Alzheimer's is the taker of life and joy.
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