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Alzheimer’s Often Leads to Dementia

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Dementia is a name for a group of brain disorders, whereas one or more of them, including Alzheimer’s destroys brain function within centers of the brain by way of various pathologies. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common brain disorder. It is defined as a cognitive fuction decline beyond what might be expected as normal aging. Dementia is not a specific disease but rather a term for the severity of impairment to remember, think, perform daily tasks, and make everyday decisions.

“The risk of developing Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia appears to be increased by many conditions that damage the heart and blood vessels. These include heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.”

Alzheimer’s Association 2022

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Alzheimer’s most devastating characteristics is the destruction of the brains neural conductors. Whereby memory loss is progressive, then worsens throughout time, causing the inability to communicate, swallow and feed oneself and ultimately shorten lifespan. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and leading cause of death in the United States. Those 60 years and older are at increased risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease.

“Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurologic disorder that causes the brain to shrink (atrophy) and brain cells to die. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia — a continuous decline in thinking, behavioral and social skills that affects a person’s ability to function independently.”

[Mayo Clinic 2022]

Alzheimer’s affects approximately 5.8 million people in the United States by gradually destroying memory cells. Fortunately, current treatment can slow down the progression and destruction of brain function significantly and decrease the chance of becoming a dementia statistic. Once diagnosed with Alzheimer’s the average mortality rate is 10 years. However, there are many who beat these averages and live more than 20 years after diagnosis. The younger population is not immune from Alzheimer’s. Those at greatest risk for developing some forms of Dementia are 65 and older. “Out of the ~50 million people worldwide with dementia, between 60-70% are estimated to have Alzheimer’s disease [Mayo Clinic 2022].

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Dementia pathology (disease cause, progression and development), impacts the cortical and sub cortical brain function and can manifest its symptoms and progressive disease through known and unknown cause agents. Nutrition, diet and/or behavioral deficiencies known to influence and lead toward the development of a severe brain disorder:

Key pathologies and nutritional deficiencies that lead to Dementia. Alzheimer’s Alcohol-Induced Dementia, Frontal Lobe Degeneration, Huntington’s, Hypothyroidism, Parkinsons, Vitamin B1, B12, Folate Deficiency, Syphilis, Hypoglycemia, AIDS Dementia Complex, Severe Depression, End Stage Renal Failure, Cardiovascular Disease, etc.

Another factor that could increase risk to Alzheimer's include genetics.
  • To decrease odds of Alzheimer’s, especially if genetically predisposed [someone in the family has/had Alzheimer’s], make healthy lifestyle choices which include: Maintain healthy diet and body weight, avoid excess alcohol consumption and avoid smoking. Exercise daily and avoid unnecessary stressors. Also look to nurture positive relationships and socialize in healthy environments. These are the best medicines to ward off brain disorders.

“There is a great deal of interest, … in the relationship between cognitive decline and vascular conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, as well as metabolic conditions such as diabetes and obesity.”

National Institute on Aging 2022

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Awareness to possible cause pathologies, signs and symptoms and treatment options will assist greatly in the prevention of cognitive decline and brain disorder(s). There is an extensive list of pharmaceuticals that appear to slow down the progression of any one of the cause pathologies leading to Alzheimer’s and dementia. Talk to your Geriatric and/or Psychiatrist-Neurologist to learn more about a treatment protocol for you, or a loved one. There is no cure for dementia, prevention is the best course. 

Recommendations:
1. See Geriatric Psychiatrist-Neurologist if patient is forgetful, confused, doesn’t recognize people.
2. If diagnosed with a dementia disorder seek medication to slow down the progression.
3. Dementia Prevention – Live an active mental-physical lifestyle, read books, work puzzles, get involved in community activities, services, volunteer, work, daily walks aerobic exercise, etc.
4. Studies show moderate (1-2 Drinks/day) consumption of beer, wine, or distilled spirits may help. “A recent meta-analysis of observational studies concluded that light to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced risk of dementia, whereas both abstinence and heavy drinking are associated with a higher risk of dementia” [Google Search 2022]
5. Low blood pressure medications appear to have a dementia health benefit per medical studies.
6. Mediterranean Diet – Consume plant foods (fruits and Vegetables), olive oil, cheese, yogurt, fish, poultry, no more then 1-4 eggs/week, keep total fat intake at 25%, consume less red meat.
7. Supplement diet with a quality daily mineral-vitamin and cognitive brain complex supplement.

Author: Marc T. Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, USA Medical Services Officer, CPT, RET. 2022 Copyright. All rights reserved, MirrorAthlete Publishing @ www.mirrorathlete.org.

How to Identify Home Products that Cause Illness and Disease

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Updated: 24 Aug 2018

I’ve known for years the chemicals in our consumer marketplace and environment has a direct correlation with disease and rising mortality rates. Through epidemiological, disease prevention and mortality rate studies and World Health Organization reports, etc., a direct connection with consumer products is found to have an effect on health and longevity. And that connection is the Westernized cultures who produce the pathological causing pollutant and chemical contaminants that attack cellular integrity by their oxidant agents.

Healthy longevity is important especially if we hope to enjoy retirement with our loved ones.
Healthy longevity is important especially if we hope to enjoy retirement with our loved ones.

Through the advancements of modern medicine a decline in mortality rates occurred – benefiting an increase in average lifespan during the early-mid-20th century. However the data today shows a reverse in trend. The marketplace in the later 20th and early 21st century changed by introducing thousands of toxic chemical contaminants into the food chain, water and air we breathe.

The global data shows a direct correlation to man’s manipulation of our food chain for sake of profit. As a result cancer is on the rise and so is every other major medical problem including diabetes, arthritis, heart, circulatory and autoimmune disease to name a few. At this rate our children and their children will live shorter lifespans than previous generations and suffer unnecessary pain and costs that need not be.

Many of the statistical bullet points below were relative in 2007 when this article was first published. And just as relative and concerning today… mortality rates and disease is not decreasing. And occurring in an advanced culture where modern medicine should be reducing these things – It’s not.

Previous and Updated Consumer Statistical Facts,

It is a fact, cancer mortality rates throughout the globe have increased over the last decade. 7.6 million People died of cancer in the world during 2007. 13% of all deaths are due to cancer (American Cancer Society).

Since then, cancer cases have risen globally. Unfortunately Cancer is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with approximately 14 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer related deaths in 2012 [World Health Organization, 2015] and (Woodard, 2015).

From 1965 to 1982 over 4 million distinct chemical compounds were formulated by corporations. And at least 250,000 new formulations created annually since then.

Approximately 6,000 chemicals are added to our foods (Woodard 2015). And the FDA has no knowledge of 1000 of them or effect on cellular health. And fewer than half the other 4000 chemicals have not been tested by the FDA (Marler 2013).

700 chemicals have been found in drinking water.

Over 500 chemicals can be found under kitchen sinks or laundry rooms in American homes.

Over 800 neurotoxin chemical compounds are used in cosmetic-perfume industries.

How many store bought products are chemically influenced by man?
How many store bought products are chemically influenced by man?

Seventy percent of our daily calories now consist of processed foods high in trans-fat, sugar, salt, other strange chemical preservative and processing additives, etc., that lack organic nutrients.

But if we care about people dying before their lives are really over or having to endure preventable suffering, and our neighbors racking up huge medical costs that we all share, then that space on our plates for processed food shouldn’t be anywhere near 70 percent. Perhaps closer to 20 or 30 percent. It’s only then that we can call our food supply truly safe (Marler 2013).

310,000 Americans go to early graves due to processed food diets that cause heart and diabetes disease, etc., including cancer.

For example, food preservative BHA is a known carcinogen found in many processed foods we consume daily: McDonald’s sausages, an ingredient found in Gatorade, Tang, DiGiorno Pepperoni Pizza, breakfast steak, bread making, etc., (Marler 2013).

3000 annual deaths and 130,000 food borne illness are reported by hospitals.

Bottled water, how pure is it? Studies show not much better than local drinking water.

There’s a lot of man-made toxic chemicals in the air we breathe, water we drink from plastic containers and foods we eat.

Many health conscientious consumers don’t consider the cosmetic and hygiene products they use every day.

To provide awareness to common toxic home care products with known carcinogens, to identify them in your house you can perform a home toxic product identification challenge. Then you decide if you want to keep the products or replace them with an organic home cleaning, laundry and hygienic product line. When you remove known toxic chemicals from your home, less stress is put on the autoimmune system which mitigates and relieves ill-health conditions.

Look no further than your kitchen cleaning, or bathroom hygiene cabinets. Simply select a shampoo, toothpaste or common home cleaning product and look for 1 or all 3 toxic ingredients listed below. The 3 chemical and toxic ingredients I chose out of hundreds of unsafe chemicals consumers unknowingly consume daily: Propylene Glycol, SLS (sodium laurylsulfate) and DEA (Diethanolamine).

Replace toxic hygienic product with green products to reduce health risk.

Below I’ve provided a short descriptor of each disease causing chemical ingredient found within common home use consumer products. Keep in mind, I’ve only listed 3 absorbed through the skin, inhaled or ingested. And barely scratched the surface or impressed upon the fact, there’s thousands of chemicals and toxins we take in daily found in our air, water and food.

Propylene Glycol – What’s Anti-Freeze doing in our shampoos, deodorants, cosmetics, lotions, toothpastes and pet food, etc.? Yes the main ingredient is Anti-freeze, Propylene Glycol. Topical application to injured skin or intravenous administration has sometimes been associated with lactic acidosis, Comas, Seizures & Renal Failure. Linked to: Central Nervous System Effects, Metabolic Effects & Poisoning (Walker 2015).

SLS (sodium laurylsulfate) – What are concrete floor cleaner, engine degreaser and car wash detergents doing in hundreds of other personal home care and cleaning products, such as bath & body products, etc.? The main ingredient is SLS. SLS (sodium laurylsulfate) acts as a detergent. Used in the laboratory as a membrane destabilizer & solubilizer of proteins and lipids, causing potential harm to skin and eyes. Young eyes may not develop properly if exposed to SLS because proteins are denatured (Walker, 2015).

DEA (Diethanolamine) – What is a known cause, or contributor to cancer, or of being potentially dangerous or hazardous to our health doing in shampoos, conditioners, bubble baths, lotions, cosmetics, soaps, laundry and dish washing detergents?

The main ingredient within many bath and body and cosmetic products is DEA, a known cancer causing ingredient. The California Center for Environmental Health (CEH) performed independent testing of 98 personal care products and found “products testing high in DEA and Cocamide DEA used to thicken hair, was listed a known carcinogen last year. Many personal care products with DEA in them is manufactured and sold by many major retailer brands consumers know and trust. Just to name a few Colgate, Palmolive, Colomer and Paul Mitchell.

Major retailers known to sell, or have sold products with toxic chemical ingredients include: “Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Pharmaca and Kohls and a store brand children’s bubble bath from Kmart and a children’s shampoo/conditioner from Babies R Us were also found with cocamide DEA. Falsely labeled organic products from Organic by Africa’s Best also tested for high levels of the cancer-causing chemical (CEH previously won a legal settlement with this company requiring it to end its use of phony organic labels) (Center for Environmental Health 2013).

For a list of brands and retailers that sell DEA personal care products, click on CEH link below.

Still need more proof. Check the back of your household cleaning, or hygiene product bottles. Pick an ingredient name you can’t pronounce or don’t understand its meaning. Type this name into an Internet search engine. You’ll see it is a man-made chemical product and it is not organic. I’m willing to bet you have at least 1 of 3 listed chemical ingredients in one or more of your favorite personal use and home cleaning products. Most likely exposed daily to all 3 and other toxic chemicals too numerous list.

If you are using products with ingredients you can’t pronounce, or understand their origins, these almost always are man-made chemical ingredients.

Take advantage of seasonal farmers markets.

The best advice I can give you is to begin replacing all home cleaning and personal care products with clean green home and hygiene products and eat as fresh organic foods as possible. Also cut down on processed and convenience food consumption.

The chemicals we use to clean our homes and foods we consume are at war with our bodies. And I’ve not even brought up the air we breathe and water we drink. To get more insight on these consumer topics of interest please click on the following MirrorAthlete article links: How Sick Buildings Effect Lives and Is Fluoride in Our City Water Needed or Safe.

It is more important than ever to remove the toxic household products and heavily processed foods from our plates. Consume as many fresh fruits and vegetables daily as possible. As a health insurance policy add a daily multi-vitamin and mineral supplement to provide an anti-oxidant boost to immune system. This will help shield cellular health by protecting it from free radical damage caused by product and environmental oxidant damage and environmental stress taken in daily.

Without preventative health measures in our Westernized culture the aging process will advance with insidious disease and shorten lifespans.

Still need more proof, simply visit our Word Press publication site at MirrorAthlete Fitness Secrets, scroll down on our home screen page, find Topic Category and select Cancer or Product Toxins or Consumer Safety. Or type in Topic of Interest in the site articles search box next to Topic Category.

Helpful Reference Links,

Center for Environmental Health (CEH). Study Finds Cancer-Causing Chemical in Nearly 100 Shampoos and Soaps. EcoWatch. 29 August 2013. http://ecowatch.com/2013/08/29/cancer-causing-chemical-in-shampoos/

Marler, Alan. Our Unsafe Food Supply Is Killing Us. The Daily Beast. 1 March 2013. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/01/our-unsafe-food-supply-is-killing-us.html

Walker, Dani. Toxins in Personal Care Products. Powered by WordPress. 2015. http://daniwalker.com/toxins-in-personal-care-products/

Woodard, Marc. Doomed to Get Cancer. MirrorAthlete Fitness Secrets. 22 Feb 2015. http://www.mirrorathlete.org/?p=24

Author: Marc T. Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, ARNG, CPT, RET. 2015 Copyright. All rights reserved, Mirror Athlete Inc., www.mirrorathlete.org, Sign up for your Free eNewsletter.

41 Drugs to Die For

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Prescription Drugs “Can” be a Bit Like Rolling the Dice in Vegas

A great consumer safety concern with the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) drug approval process is the sheer number of manufacturer products coming to market.

Before pharmaceuticals come to market there is an extensive FDA safety-approval process where billions of R&D (Research & Development) dollars are spent to ensure consumer safety.  However, It is also true that much of the FDA’s budget is greatly dependent upon the pharmaceutical products and services industries.  The pharmaceutical industry also sustains 10’s of thousands of other government, private sector and special interest jobs throughout our health care system.  Is there a conflict of regulatory and product interest over consumer protections?  Only you can make that determination based on your medical condition and needs.

Are drugs that create health risk conditions with “little-to-no” health benefits really necessary?  Is our drug approval process regulating an acceptable life extension vs. death rate scenario as a cost-of-doing business?  Have the drug companies and the FDA caused an unacceptable level of illness, disease, death and class action lawsuits as a cost of doing business?  The answer to these questions really depend on who’s shoes your standing in.

It would appear, “patients” have become part of an animal experiment.  Human studies are now disguised as a “free pass to market” process that incorporates reuse of the same drug(s), previously pulled from consumer use and then relabeled  under different brands known as “Off-Market Labels” to treat conditions that were not initially approved by the FDA.

Have we become the little white rats for Off-Market Label drug trials?   Are Off-Market Label drug policies part of what’s breaking our healthcare systems back?  Since there are too many ways in which these questions could be answered, it is best to list and identify drugs that have caused significant health problems for the consumer and then you decide.

Listed below is 5 of the 41 most dangerous prescription drugs with class action lawsuits .  These drugs have caused serious health problems for patients and even death.   As long as Off-Market Labels continue, so will an acceptable rate of death and class action lawsuits.

The FDA is under a tremendous amount of pressure from oversight committees, consumer watch dogs and other advocates against the current drug-to-market protocols and regulatory bodies that allows bad drugs into the marketplace.  If this “business as usual” approach does not change, further erosion of our health care industries and consumer safety problems will continue.   To move forward with such relabeling drug practices and policies will cost everyone more if oversight does not include the right types of checks and balances.

Five out of 41 Most Dangerous Drugs in Class Action Lawsuits.  See following Link: http://www.legallawhelp.com/safety_and_health/defective_drugs.html

“Accutane:   Lawsuit 2010-09-30 – This was an approved FDA, “award winning” vitamin A derivative to treat various forms of cancer highly effective at mitigating and killing the spread of cells in the pancreas, brain and nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome.  There are now many problematic side-effect and deaths as a result of use.  Some of the serious side-effects include but not limited to:  Bowl disease, psychosis, hepatitis, pancreatic, myalgia, raised blood glucose, etc., And birth defect rates are extremely high when proper screening before prescription occurred.   Legal action is the result of either party(s) wrongly prescribed, or misunderstood use of, or detailed information of potential risks/brochures, or a signed consent form of understanding of pharmacist was not accomplished per prudent protocols.”  http://accutanelawsuit2010.net/

“Vioxx and Bextra:  Approved by the FDA – A new study links certain painkillers to High Cholesterol, 13 Feb 2007.  Pain killers known as COX-2 inhibitors (Vioxx and Bextra) at the time of the study were shown to increase excess cholesterol for lack of purging it from the body.  This increased the possibilities of blood clot and stroke.  Lipid loads in the body when using this anti-arthritic pain alleviation drugs were shown to increase leading to cardiovascular issues with pain patients.”  http://vioxx.pharmaceutical-lawsuits.com/

“Ketek:  An anti-biotic was linked to liver failure and other problems.  Originally Ketek was approved by the FDA to treat sinusitis and bronchitis.  Because of the problems it was no longer allowed for use by the FDA as originally intended.  However, in 2004 was approved to treat pneumonia outside of a hospital or nursing home.  The statements made by former physician David Ross who worked on pre-approval for FDA at Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) after 10 years stated “his superiors forced him to soften his unflattering review of the drugs.” http://www.newsinferno.com/legal-news/ketek-lawsuit-filed-in-illinois-says-sanofi-aventis-knew-of-liver-failure-side-effects/

“Zyprexa:  Approved in 1996 and has been used for years to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.  Clinical trials have shown this drug to cause weight gain and diabetes.  The CDER is known by prominent medical clinical research professional(s) regards the pharmaceutical industry as the FDA’s(agency) main client.  Off-label marketing (specific falsities as to the side effects of a drug) for anti-psychotic drugs used to sedate nursing home patients kills approximately 15,000 a year.  However there is evidence that off-label marketing is not as strong as it use to be.  Off-label use also means that prescription drugs may be used to alleviate other symptoms or conditions but not approved for use by the FDA.”  http://www.coreynahman.com/atypical-antipsychotic-lawsuits.html

“Rosiglitazon (Avandia):   Approved by the FDA – A type 2 diabetes drug approved for diabetes 2 use in 1999 caused some patients to have heart attacks.   Rosiglitazon is an oral anti-diabetic drug that increases insensitivity to insulin.  After patients experienced, heart problems, liver failure, weight gain, low blood sugar and fractures the FDA put out a warning on the drug.  In 2005 the Canadian Medical Association Journal reported that Rosiglitazon caused partial blindness in 7 patients.  In 2007 a press release stated women that used Avandia showed increased signs of upper arm, feet and hand fractures.  In 2009, there is “no increase” in hospitalizations or death in comparison to those taking metformin with sulfonylurea.   But there were increases in heart failure and deaths for those taking Avandia.  The drug is still in use today and some patients are beginning to file lawsuits.”  http://www.avandia-injury-lawyer.com/index.php?gclid=CKbgwZyUr6QCFQsSbAodPibP0w

“OFF-Label Plus,”

It appears the drug industries are now focused on “Off-Label Plus” meaning to reduce or minimize false statements, or kickback incentives that would cause serious risk to patients.  In many cases some patients that have no other choice get treated with drugs that were originally intended and approved for a completely different use “without FDA approval!”

The individual drug companies run these off-label research programs in a research setting funded by our government.  This creates quite a lengthy mess during off-label prosecutions.  Research programs are causing our government to pay for more uses of drugs than it should through numerous individual Medicaid State agencies.  This off-label product-to-market channel is creating a complicated medical lawsuit nightmare for all parties involved.

There are multiple-billion dollar; multi-national Companies with millions of “Off-Label Plus” claims throughout our nation.  A major consideration in lawsuit cases is if research and development experts, physicians and pharmaceutical sales reps have mislead the public trust, or the FDA in any serious way.  While in many other cases, if the off-label process were to be put to a halt, many patients may lose their life, while at the same time many lives may be saved. http://www.policymed.com/2010/07/pharmaceutical-marketing-lawsuits-slowing-considerably.html

Recommendation:  If you are taking any prescription drugs, and especially if that drug is one of the 41 class action lawsuits drugs found at the link I’ve provided above…  Learn all you can about the drug(s) and lawsuits, talk to your doctor and determine if there are better alternatives out there.  All too often, many of us tend to continue taking the same drugs for many years without physician follow up consultation to determine if health risk outweighs the benefits of using any particular, or combination of pharmaceuticals.

Author:  Marc T. Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, USA Medical Services Officer, CPT, RET.  2010 Copyright, All rights reserved.  Revised: 24 November 2013.  Mirror Athlete Corp., Publishing @: www.mirrorathlete.org, Sign up for your free eNewsletter.