Looking for Those Cures

Erase Alzheimer's in three short weeks! Then it wants you to stay on the page! It's a money scam you can bet. I didn't stay on that page because I smelled a rat.

Elaine Pereira is much more realistic. Alzheimer's can be in the brain ten years before it starts to appear she writes HERE.  

Alzheimer’s is a real, fatal, progressive disease with no treatments. It is not just a quirky personality change. 

Because of how the disease affects the individual’s brain, their personality is affected usually causing adverse changes. Hostility, paranoia, suspicion are frequent first indications in otherwise kind individuals.

Elaine has a book about her mother's illness as pictured and it can be ordered at Amazon. We caregivers are all writing and blogging about this disease.

I used to write here about coconut oil which I gave my husband consistently. Coconut oil did not cure my husband. I tried! However the Johnny Byrd Alzheimer's Center was doing a study. They sort of dismissed us when I told them we were using it. It certainly didn't hurt my husband and it does have medical benefits. I think that coconut oil calmed him down. Dr. Mary Newport who wrote the best seller even acknowledges that it isn't curing her husband Steve. She now works for hospice.

Marijuana will not be the cure I bet. Marijuana is being studied by the Johnny Byrd Alzheimer's center.

Those medicines we give our loved ones (Nameda, Exelon, Aricept) may prolong the illness, but not stop it. My husband took Nameda and Exelon almost until the end. When Hospice came to our home, we stopped them because they helped me see he was in his last stage where it wouldn't help. See this study.

In my husband's case, his Mixed Dementia caught up with us. Stable for so long the Vascular Dementia 
took over and he quickly went downhill. Had he just had Alzheimer's he might have lived longer. 

Giving Thanks For Fifteen Again

1. Hubby is walking again around the house. He willing uses a walker when we go out. When we seniors fall, it can mean broken bones and I am grateful he accepts that walker. 
2. Chiropractors that helped hubby walk.
3. Kenny who has come into our lives last spring. Kenny is a remarkable volunteer caregiver who enables me to continue to work. At the beginning of November, despite his own surgery, Kenny has continued to be there for us, and has even brought his mom into the picture. We are so grateful for these neighbors.
4. Wayne and now Pharis who have taken up the challenge of our 7/10 of an acre. Hubby doesn't think a wife should mow the lawn, and the front and back yards were the place where in my blogging through the book The House That Cleans Itself  I have been hung up. 
5. Professionals such as Carole Larkin and Dr. Mary Newport. 
6. Support from The Alzheimer's Association.
7. Our friends Sally and Jake (not their real names).
8. The Plant City Senior Center where Jake and hubby go one day a week. 
9. Bloggers who regularly comment on this blog and who provide fun and inspiration for me when I read their blogs. I would name you all, but I might forget someone. 
10. Students I substitute for who provide such hope for the future and who have encouraging my becoming MC AC The Rap Lady. 
11. My niece and nephew who started my YouTube rapping channel.
12. Progress on my seminary counseling dissertation on caregiving even as I battle caregiving issues myself and people who provide feedback for that dissertation. 
13. Having out-of-town guests for Thanksgiving.
14. Having a great dog, Ziggy, that is a wonderful companion for my husband and me.
15. My faith that sustains. For example, I am so grateful for the LORD's sustaining us through hospital trips for me in 2012 and for hubby in 2013.

Last year I posted 15 I am thankful for HERE  and I continue to be grateful for items on that list.

Also last year I posted 15 things a caregiver can do 

to be joyful HERE 

and it has received over 750 views. 

That's a lot on JOY this lowly blog 

has spread around!

Blog Announcement

I read a lot of blogs and comment on many of them. People make money on them. Barb and my pastor have suggested I do the same--that I monetize Plant City Lady and Friends. So this post is to announce that I will have monetized this blog (if you all buy something) by the middle of next week. You can buy books I recommend  through Amazon by clicking on the Widget at the right. I may change those books for time to time, but here are the first ten I have selected.

Mindy Starn Clark's updated edition of The House That Cleans Itself is on that Widget. I am reading the updated edition now, and of course have been blogging about the first edition since last September on this blog and have a YouTube talk on the first edition. I was the first to put a review of the new book on Amazon and of course will blog about the updated edition on this blog.

The Organized Heart by Staci Eastin I reviewed here. Recently the Housewife Theologian also reviewed this book here. Although she doesn't write about Alzheimer's, Staci's book has brought so much calm in my Christian life.

Dr. Mary Newport's Alzheimer Disease: What If There Was a Cure? is a top viewed post here on this blog (over 250 have read this post) and you can buy it off of my new Wiget. Early on in my husband's disease even before her book came out I was in contact with Dr. Newport.

My first book review was The Coconut Oil Miracle here. The world seems to be upset that I write about coconut oil here, but it does help a lot of ailments, and anedoctablly it slows down Alzheimer's and helps with our loved one's mood.

A Promise Kept is a classic for married folks dealing with the dementia of their spouse. I bogged about keeping your marriage vow and this book here.

I'm Still Here is a book that haunts me and I look for what in my husband is still here. .

Learning to Speak Alzheimer's is a "go to" book for me. Probably will write about it and need to master the concepts in this book.

I often use two classic books, Mayo Clinic Guide to Alzheimer's Disease, and The 36-Hour Day, which I have included on the Wiget. Both are too big to review here.

Finally, I put my book, Getting Off the Niceness Treadmill, on that Amazon Widget. Here the book is cheaper than its original price on Amazon. (However, the cheapest way to read it is a Barnes and Noble eBook, folks.)  See http://www.gettingoffthenicenesstreadmill.com/index.html 

Coconut Oil Revisited

Take time to view  Tradition of Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil video. These are the people I buy our coconut oil from and their video is informative. Loving Your Guts blog is giving away expensive coconut oil here. Go there soon to enter. I also have a link to Tropical Traditions at the bottom right of this blog.

Here is a research link from Dr. Mary Newport, where I first got this information. Happy Birthday, Dr. Newport--today is her birthday!

Use Wih Oatmeal, Stews, Casseroles

If there is something I can put coconut oil in, I usually do. My adaptation for coconut oil toasted cheese sandwiches on this blog has had many hits as has Mary Newport's information. .

My Station Where I Put Make Coconut Fudge

Most often now, however, I just make coconut oil fudge from Dr. Newport's book. This fudge is my husband's "go to" food for breakfast and for lunch. I give him two cubes at each meal. Sometimes he gets some with his ice cream at night as well. It is half dark chocolate chips (dark chocolate is an antioxidant) and Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. After melting together equal amounts of the two ingredients in the microwave, I mash with a potato masher and put in ice cube trays. Once frozen, I pop out the cubes and store in the refrigerator. I have a "station" (concept from The House That Cleans Itself)  for making it in my kitchen.

This oil calms my husband and perhaps slows down the Alzheimer's. It is controversial, but finally Johnny Byrd Alzheimer's Center is doing research on it. When this center first diagnoised my husband, they smiled at my use of it--like I am crazy. Now they are doing a research study. Yes, my husband is slowly going downhill, but maybe not as much as you would expect.

Coconut oil has all kinds of benefits, not just for Alzheimer's patients. It apparently is an antibiotic. My copy of The Coconut Oil Miracle is loaned out and for good reason.

What I'm Learning About Senior Health, Part Two

I wrote about senior health in Part One below. Here are some more tips I am getting. If it is in red, click on it.

Coffee is okay for us--no more than three cups according to Dr. Oz.

Here is a link for Vitamin D  which is being studied. We take it.

Another link for Cocoa and chocolate.   which may be good for dementia patients and all of us!  Studies show a large amount may help. Maybe we can do our own research. Hubby does get chocolate with his coconut oil! Some Walmarts have dark chocolate and sugar free chocolate chips that work fine. That coconut fudge recipe comes from Dr. Mary Newport's book.

Now they say that Duacetyl (DA) in Popcorn, that gives it a buttery tast, is linked to making Alzheimer's worse. Plain popcorn is best. Wish I hadn't gotten rid of my air popper! I just threw out microwave popcorn with suspicious ingredients.

As I have written before, I wonder about all the additives that primitive cultures don't have. Some friends are into the Paleo and Gap eating, and there is a lot of wisdom to be found in studying what is best for us even if the studies have not come out that prove anything conclusively.

Exercise is so important for us, but we shouldn't jog. I now walk three times a week with my neighbor. My husband complains when he has to walk very far, but I do have to take care of me, his caregiver.

Red wine has benefits, but not too much alcohol as it can cause

Alcohol-related dementia according to this British study and other studies. Actually my husband forgets about his beer in the refrigerator and is happy with green tea, so good for us.

In addition to green tea, dark chocolate, tumeric and coconut oil which I regularly write about here, I have some other superfoods that I regularly use:

• cooked spinach
• tomatoes
• blueberries added to yogurt
• cinnamon added to sweet potatoes.

What are your superfoods?

How do you use them?

Note that this is the third year that I have been in an Alzheimer's Association walk. You can contribute if you click on the link at the top right. Thanks for doing this. My team is my Alzheimer's Association facilitator who has taught me so much.

Pros and Cons on Coconut Oil

Today I am grieving the loss of a special young lady--age 2 years and 8 months. I remember when her parents and this toddler came to help with our yard sale in the fall of 2009. Her dad drove with my husband and Jake to deliver some furniture when my husband was still driving. I asked the young dad later what it was like to be in a car with two men with Alzheimer's; he told me it was weird when these husbands kept asking him the same question over and over. He was such a gentleman about it. Pray for the grieving parents now and for us as we grieve with them. Sad time, but not without our Christian hope.

___________________________________________

From Pinterest

Alzheimer's Reading Room on Coconut Oil  I commented here today and often read the Alzheimer's Reading Room. Lots of good information here.

Dr. Mercola on U-Tube explains that the saturated fat of coconut oil is good for us. It is hydrogenated vegetable oil and transfat that is not. I tend to notice that we don't get some of the viruses and colds that others get.

I wrote on Plant City Lady and Friends in April about oil. Dr. Mary Newport's video on coconut oil is the most popular one on this blog so far.


Coconut oil tub at right is from Tropical Traditions



Check out these links in red for yourself.

Coconut Oil Recipes



Masque With Coconut Oil

 I AM OFTEN ASKED WHERE I GET COCONUT OIL. We use it all the time and so I order online from Tropical Traditions or from Vitacost. Links are at the right on this blog. When I run out, I buy it wherever I can. Dr. Newport also posted about "Fuel for Thought" and that link is also on this page. When I run out of my Tropical Traditions order I may try that. A missionary I know makes coconut fudge from coconut oil produced from a real coconut and adds coco and honey.

Strawberry Covered Chocolate and Coconut Oil

Combine coconut oil and chocolate chips (equal amounts) as I do when I make coconut fudge for my husband (recipe from Dr. Newport's book). Instead of freezing in ice cube trays, dip strawberries in the mixture and chill. Variation: sprinkle with flaked coconut.

Here is one recipe I got from Coconut Oil Recipes for Summer. Lick on their link for more ideas.

Gluten Free Almond Coconut Bars

2 cups whole raw almonds
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup almond butter
2/3 cup virgin coconut oil
1 tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons molasses or honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 oz 70-85% dark chocolate

1. Melt coconut oil in a small saucepan on the stove on low heat.
2. Line a 9x9" baking pan with wax paper.
3. Pulse almonds in food processor until it resembles coarse sand (the goal is something a little coarser than almond meal).
4. Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the chocolate to the food processor and pulse until it forms a textured paste (the bits of almond and coconut shouldn't be too small). I also finish with a good stir by hand to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated evenly.
5. Pour into baking pan and smooth out to the corners. Refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour.
6. Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Drizzle over almond coconut base and spread with a spoon or rubber spatula until evenly coated. Place bars back in refrigerator for approximately 5 minutes, until chocolate is solid but still a little soft (for ease of cutting). Cut into bars and store in a plastic container in the fridge.  Recipe  by Sarah, Marietta, GA

Give Us This Day Our Daily Fats



Husband Gets Coconut Oil With His Chocolate, Applesauce and Breakfast to Go

Not to paraphrase The LORD's Prayer, with Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread, but we do need fats along with bread (wheat if possible). When I joined Weight Watchers in the 1970s, you were not allowed fats. Today in Weight Watchers with their "healthy food guidelines" you must have 2 tsp. of fats per day. I often put in on my thin bagel for breakfast. There is even a book called Eat Fat Lose Fat. I have that book, but don't tell because I have enough books loaned out.

But what kind of fats? Lisa, in her post "The Complete Guide to Fats and Oils--What to Cook With (or not), What to Avoid and Why" here at the Read Food Digest spells it all out. Of course coconut oil takes the prize so to speak. Lydia, in her post "The Benefits of Taking Coconut Oil" here at Why I Have a Coconut Oil Fetish lists these benefits from The Coconut Oil Miracle a book I have loaned out now. The book by Dr. Newport Altzheimer's Disease: What If There Were a Cure? where she explained how coconut oil helps dementia is also loaned out. People in my life can't get enough of oil literature.

The easiest way to get coconut oil (about 2 TBSP. per day) in my husband’s diet is for him to have it melted with chocolate chips--dark chocolate when I can get it. I have written about that elsewhere on this blog and he gets two coconut fudge for breakfast as pictured above and two for lunch.

What is the skinny (or the fat) on coconut oil? Here are some ideas from Lydia again on her coconut oil fetish quoting her post:

• "The body can use coconut oil for energy more rapidly and efficiently than any other fat source. Special fats in coconut (called medium-chain fatty acids, MCFA's) are not normally stored in your body as fat. Instead, they're quickly converted to energy."
• "Small amounts of the MCFA's in coconut oil are used in the complex processes that enable cells to communicate with each other."
• "People in countries where coconut is an important part of the diet has lower rates of heart disease and cancer than Americans."
• "The fats in coconut help fight infections of all kinds."

Lydia also notes from The Coconut Oil Miracle that:

• "Improves digestion and absorption of other nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids."
• "Helps relieve symptoms and reduce health risks associated with diabetes.
• "Helps protect against osteoporosis."
• "Supports tissue healing and repair."
• "Helps prevent periodontal disease and tooth decay."
• "Is utilized by the body to produce energy in preference to being stored as body fat like other dietary fats.
• "Has no harmful or discomforting side effects." You do have to build up to taking it, however, or you will get diarrhea. Plus it is expensive, so you want to treat it like gold.
• "Is completely non-toxic to humans."

Lydia also adds in her fetish post a list of ideas for getting it. I realized from her list that I can put the tsp. that I measure it with in my coffee to help rinse it. She doesn't deal with Alzheimer's as Dr. Newport does, however. I do remember that Dr. Newport in her inspiring book tells of a day when Steve Newport, her husband with Early Onset Diabetes, was agitated, a common problem for dementia patients. She game him coconut oil and he calmed down. My husband doesn't take any drugs to calm him down.

So, folks, this is why Plant City Lady and Friends also has a coconut oil fetish. Will I use other fats? Yes, we use real butter and olive oil all the time. Sometimes I combine coconut oil, butter and olive oil to sauté foods. Great! You can refer to Lisa's post above for good fats and oils and the ones to avoid.


Saute vegetables in good oil



Alzheimer's Disease: What If There Was a Cure?

Earlier in the blog I did review The Coconut Oil Miracle and how it helps diseases. But I have been eagerly waiting for this book at the left to come out for two years. Dr. Mary Newport and I even e-mailed each other about the topic of coconut oil and how it can help someone with Alzheimer's. I read the article she wrote here.  Her husband has Early-Onset Alzheimer's and you have to read their love story. I ordered my copy through Barnes and Noble, but you can get it through Amazon with e-books to follow.

This summer when finances were tight, I wondered if coconut oil was really necessary. When I read her book this month, however, I knew my husband needs to have that coconut oil once again.

• The ketones in coconut oil provide an alternate fuel to keep the brain cells alive. Lots in the book about the science of ketosis.  
• Dr. Mary's husband's energy returned.
• Steve Newport's personality and sense of humor returned.
• His gait or walk returned.
• Coconut oil seems to take the fog away.
• I think all of this is true for DH as well.

There has not been significant clinical testing to determine if it works. People tried to stop Dr. Mary's crusade. She was able to speak in Europe about it, but not in our country. Humm. This is the same thing that our chiropractor said about Ribonucleic Acid and CoQ10 that he recommended my husband take. There aren't studies. But we think these supplements do help.

Dr. Mary recommends a combination of MCT (I get this from Vitacost) and coconut oil (I get from Tropical Traditions).See my links at the side. You can't heat coconut oil over 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  You can use coconut oil from the drug store section at Walmart.

I am just using coconut oil, however, and had trouble lately adapting recipes that my husband would eat.  While coconut oil in oatmeal worked for a time with my husband, he got tired of oatmeal for breakfast.

New recipe. There is a simple recipe in this book that may have helped my husband pass that Alzheimer's driving test for the second year in a row--"Coconut Fudge". Lately I have been serving this to my hubby after I got Newport's book and before he took that driving test last Friday.

Melt  chocolate chips and combine with an equal amount of liquid coconut oil. Freeze in ice cube trays. You can add walnuts and/or shredded coconut before you freeze. When frozen, pop each fudge piece out of tray and refrigerate. This works with my husband. I know it does, and he likes the fudge.

This is not a formal review of Dr. Mary's book, folks, but I just had to get the word out. Is coconut oil a cure for Alzheimer's once someone has it?  Probably not, but coconut oil may help prevent health problems in general and improve the quality of life for the dementia patient.

This is good news!