I have mentioned now and then that I am caring for my mom, who has Alzheimer's Disease. I have seen the YouTube testimonial of Dr. Mary Newport and have read Wheat Belly, and Grain Brain. I am reading "Keto Clarity" now.
I was not able to keep my mom on the dosage of CO recommended due to the very loose bowels it gave her. I have now seen some instruction to build her up to it gradually. The only problem is that she hates the oiliness. I started putting it in her coffee but since she takes it w/o any cream that was noticeable right off the bat. I make eggs for her most mornings and have used it for that but how much really makes it into the eggs? And how could I measure how much she gets? It seems a lot of it stays in the pan. I also have spread it on her gf toast, under the butter, but she strives to do things for herself and wants to do her own toast and such. The result of all of this is that I haven't seen much improvement from it. There is more on YT now than her experience, but that was not always the case. For a long time, she was the only one, besides the one fellow in Australia whose father improved. I also have Dr. Newport's book but haven't started it yet.
As for "Grain Brain" and "Wheat Belly", they focus so much on prevention, and that ship has definitely sailed for us. I asked Dr. Perlmutter, on his blog, whether there was any hope for reversal and he gave a vaguely positive answer that didn't really encourage me much. Add to that that he doesn't seem to have his own father (severe case of AD) on the regimen and I got pretty discouraged.
All of this is secondary to the fact that the real hope being held out, other than CO, is the ketogenic diet. It was hard enough to make Mother understand why she couldn't have just a 'bite' of wheat, now and then, and like so very many older people, sugar was the one thing she would light up for. It was her only true joy. She gets pleasure from any diversion from a life with very little stimulation, but true joy is pretty rare. Just tell her you have some ice cream for her, or a gf cake or brownie and she absolutely lights up. She has a manic kind of desire for it. And, she asks for toast or cereal for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch as her default. With meat, she craves ketchup, no matter what it is. Chicken and pork with ketchup seems very incongruous to me, but to her, it's what's called for. I know she's lost her taste buds to a large degree and these things have strong flavors, but that's really only part of it. You can just tell by her reactions. Therefore, I just didn't have the heart to demand she give it up, and it made it seem hollow to keep her on gf without the full dietetic picture in place.
Now for the turning point. Sunday, she woke up in near hysterics. Her eyes run all the time, but when she actually cries, she often has no tears. She told me she had been awake til all hours, worrying about what was wrong with her. I asked her what she thought that was, and she said she had figured out that she had AD. I asked her what she thought that meant and all of her answers were just more of what she has discussed many times in the past. She often bemoans her loss of memory. When I told her that the gf diet she is on was to address it, and that she has a lot going for her that other 87 year olds don't - especially those with AD - she said she was happy to hear it but she was really scared about the loss of her mind. I have often pointed out that memory is only one part of mental function and that she still has good abstract reasoning ability. Well, she was so distraught that I decided to strike while the iron was hot and told her how badly she needed to go off of sugar and starches. She agreed and actually has not forgotten our conversation to the degree that she forgets so much. In the past, when she had something sweet in front of her she would actually say that sometimes she thought it was worth any short term penalty, to be able to enjoy her sweet treats. I tried to point out that it was hardly temporary and would remind her of the (actual) tears she shed over her absent memory. That did little good. She's mentally very stubborn. This time, however, she's still aware of our conversation from Sunday morning, once I reminded her that that's why she can't have grape jelly (this morning) on her gf toast. I know she won't be able to have much of that, but I am waiting until I finish the book and have the whole diet picture.
The point of all this is that I am encouraged that we can see some reversal and that she won't fall prey to the depression that befalls so many AD patients. If we can hold on throughout the natural longevity she has inherited, maybe we can avoid very many years in a nursing home, or with her not knowing her loved ones. We'll see.