Interesting...

I have been taking a B-50 complex tablet for a while to improve Mg uptake and help my flagging adrenal glands. The combo certainly helps with energy levels and I really notice if I don't take them.

I even took a supply with me on holiday in little ziploc bags and took them religiously every day!!!

It's good to know that they may be doing my brain some good, too.

amanda

More tests are needed in order to put me in a category for dementia or other; Every time I look at my husband I am surprised that he has gotten so old -- i do not get used to the fact that we look different. I still don't recognize our vehicle altho we have had it 2yrs now. As of last summer, not only can I no longer read my college textbooks, but now I can't even follow the fiction I read in 6th grade. My brain scan is consistent with a diagnosis of either Lyme (which was un-diagnosed for 30yrs) or predictive of alzheimer's. Even after 4 tries my "verbal learning" score was in the lowest possible category (severely impaired) which is consistent with alzheimer's. Even in our small town I am unsafe driving because i am so distracted by trying to remember where I was going, where to find the location i was going, how to change gears, etc. And I find it very difficult to have verbal conversations because I can't find words for the concepts i am trying to say (I can take plenty of time to compose a written sentence).

BUT ... I am still operating on a level almost too high to qualify for the label of "dementia". The preparatory introduction report I supplied for the dementia specialist was so complex that he said no dementia patient could compile it. Most of my life I have spent at least 3hrs per day in learning new information or skills & the current theory is that I have a good "cognitive reserve" which creates the huge disparity between specific cognitive abilities.

Last week I finished my last Lyme, Babesia, & Bartonella treatments causing nausea & necessitating bread products to keep from vomitting. So after 5 yrs high carb (and 40lbs gained) i am now able to return to a Low Carb way of eating.

All that is a preface to the fact that I read all the postings in this thread, but I really don't understand them. The doc doesn't want me on too many supplements because my "medicines list" needs to be limited to less than 1doz items, & that includes my blood pressure meds & the list has been filled with antibiotics so strong that I have lost my hair three times over these 5yrs.

My body "adjusts" quickly to lower carbs and calories, requiring ever-lowering levels to maintain wt loss. Consequently my current goal is 50-60g carbs. For yrs my calorie intake has been well below 1000/day, due to tummy upset, so i have now upped it to ~1500. I think the shock has led to a 2-lbs loss this week. Oh!! I also discovered that my over-intake of water has probably been what has lowered my sodium level for yrs & caused the nightly bouts of leg cramps that woke me 4-5 times/night.

Any Suggestions??

My inlaws, who are in their late 70's, are having severe memory issues. My sister in law visits every second week and we usually go on the weeks she is not there.

They seem to be having more issues during my SIL visits. They are much better when we are there.

Last week we were all going down to the inlaws. My SIL arrived the day before we did and went grocery shopping like she always does. The crap that she buys. WTH? My FIL is diabetic so of course she buys high carb, low fat for him. All sorts of gluten free high sugar garbage, pre made creamy salads full of sugar. Sugar cereals, low in fat of course. Every meal has bread or pasta in it.

I know the sugar is affecting their memories. I am starting to think my SIL wants them to be sent to a home so she can get control of her part of their enormous amount of $$$$$.

As a home-health CNA who has cared for quite a few dementia patients, I have noticed one common thread: their family eats like I was raised: white bread, and lots of it. Refined carbohydrates are the bulk of their diets. White Rice, pasta, and sugary desserts fill their tummies. They may have worked hard physically all their lives, and thus have been able to avoid diabetes, but much harm has been done in their brains and otherwise.

These families simply do not understand good nutrition. a small serving of green or yellow vegetables may be eaten every other day, perhaps. But it's usually cereal for breakfast, with sugar added. The same cereal or a sandwich for lunch, with very little protein. Dinner is often completely meat-free. Dinner is usually pasta, rice, or potato-based, and white bread is served with the meal. Of course, a very sweet dessert follows both lunch and dinner. A cake or pie, and always cookies, are setting on the counter, waiting for any snack desired.

My mom ate the same way. And she is now, in her 80's, having a hard time remembering her family. Her anxiety is through the roof, and she is diabetic. Of course, she doesn't want to change the way she eats now. Her body is too used to eating a certain way. So, I expect to lose her soon.

I and my friends are in our 50's and I'm starting to see some of them having memory issues already. :\

Nancy,
It is so nice to see that you are still on this list. Don't remember how I knew you, but I remember you posted muffins-in-a-cup before my 5-yr absence due to hard meds. I am back but during the yrs I needed breads to keep from vomitting I gained 35lbs. I am now eating >1000 calories per day, out of the wheelchair I was in for over 10yrs, & able to exercise ((hoorah & jumping up and down)). It is very exciting (except for my memory stuff which is scary).

Have you tried MCT's (Medium Chain Triglycerides)? There have been some remarkable studies on them and Alzheimers.

Also... wheat has terrifying effects on the brain and memory. I'm sorry to hear you've been eating it. A book you might want to read is "Wheat Belly", by Dr. Davis (a cardiologist).

Hope you find some helpful stuff soon!

No wheat bread due to celiac. My bread was homemade, using sorghum beans, tapioca & rice. Just got done with a 1-mile walk; so very cool.

Oh... just read something about B12 deficiency and dementia. In fact, low B12 is often masked and 30% of us have it. Since you've had celiac, you likely do not absorb B12 well from your food. You need sublingual B12 and/or shots.

Are you supplementing with methylcobalamin or getting B12 shots? I'd sure recommend it. If you haven't been tested, you might want a B12 shot...not just a test for MCV because high folate can disguise low B12.

The other thing is using MCT's because medium chain triglycerides can be utilized directly for energy by the brain.

Thanks for thinking of me. At the request of doctor that runs Stanford Dementia Clinic, my B12 was tested Apr 24 & my score was 578 (with "normal" range between 200-1100). We live far enough away that seeing this doctor means an over-night visit, so I don't have a follow-up til mid-July.

Since my "medicines" (including supplements) list has been so large with so many possible (I forget the word but basically areas of confrontation) between them, the doc took me off almost all supplements. I just last week was able to return to some of my supplements, which include methylcobalamin. Thanks