prepare for boredom, but sometimes boring stuff is important, too . . .

I am using Table 1 in the Alzheimer's study I posted about earlier in the week, the one where nine of the ten people's symptoms improved, to try to work out a game plan for Mommy to have as much relief as is possible at her stage and for me never to get this disease at all.

Table 1 is broken into three columns.  The first column is the goal, the second the approach, and the third is the rational and references.

As I've tried to organize how much of this regime I can implement with both mommy and with me, I've been looking mostly at the goal and the approach columns.  I don't have the education to understand the rationale and references.  Brilliant scientists and snake oil salesmen all sound the same to me, so I might as well ignore the rationale bits . . . 

So, to break it down line by line:

The first goal is to optimize diet, minimize simple carbohydrates and minimize inflammation.

In this study the first approach was to give patients a choice of several low glycemic, low inflammatory, low grain diets. 

I don't have the diets to choose one from, but we will eat as much low gylcemic index foods as possible, we will incorporate fermented foods as they reduce inflammation, and we will have as much fresh food as possible.  We will limit grain consumption to sourdoughs and sprouted grains.  We will try to avoid the foods that contain Xenoestrogens. 

The second goal is to enhance autophagy, ketogenesis.

The second approach is to fast twelve hours each night, including three hours before bedtime.

For Mommy and me, our last food and drink (unless she says she is thirsty) will be at 7:00.  The exception will be for me to drink enough water to swallow my melatonin.   Our first food or drink will be at 8:00, which gives us thirteen hours of fasting per night. 

The third goal is to reduce stress.

The third approach is to personalize this with yoga or meditation or music.

For me, I will engage in meditative prayer.  For Mommy, her Forest and Flower Netflix shows are very relaxing and meditative.  She will watch these daily.

The fourth goal is to Optimize sleep.

The fourth approach is to get eight hours of sleep per night.  Melatonin is used, and sleep apnea is excluded.  I have begun taking melatonin myself, and I will discuss Mommy taking it with her doctor.

The fifth goal is exercise.

The fifth approach is to exercise 30 - 60 minutes per day four to six days a week.  For me, I will walk Scooby at least a mile and as much as two.  For Mommy, this is much more difficult.  I am still pondering it.  When I exercise with her, even a little bit, she seems to have a lot of pain the next day.  I am praying and pondering so that I can build her up to thirty minutes four times a week.  Pray with me and give me insight if you have any.  As a side note, I feel strongly that if we just move Mommy's arms and legs and she HATES it, that it will have a negative and not a positive overall effect.  We need to think of some kind of exercise that she will enjoy. I am planning to try a lion hunt later today.  Wish us luck!

The sixth goal is Brain stimulation.

The sixth approach is Posit or related brain exercises.  For me, I will do the brain exercises available on Brain HQ for ten minutes every day.  For Mommy, we will make physical versions of these games, and we will play them with her.

The rest of the goals and approaches involve a lot of test results and supplements.  Since we haven't had most of these tests done, I've decided to just make as many educated guesses as I can.  For example, I don't know if our homocysteine is less than seven, but the doctor has already prescribed B12 shots for Mom.  Or, I don't know what our fT3, fT4, E2 or T counts/results are, but I know that as women over 35 we can use some progesterone.  Some of the supplements will interact with Mom's Xarelto, so I have to be careful about her supplementation.

Here's our, mostly my, supplement list so far:

alpha lipoic acid (only me until I ask the doctor about Mommy)

Ashwagandha (only me until I ask the doctor about Mommy)

Curcumin (in Turmeric - only me as it will interfere with Xarelto)

Magnesium

Melatonin (only me until I ask the doctor about Mommy)

Multi-vitamin, daily   (many of the vitamins on the paper are in both Mom's and my multivitamins)

Oil Pull with coconut oil (For Mommy we will wipe her mouth and tongue with a cloth and coconut oil)

Progesterone

Vitamin B12

I'm still adding and researching vitamins even as I type . . . 

I'd had this dream of figuring out the whole program and then posting it on the blog.  I thought that I'd be able to do that several days ago, but it didn't work out that way.  First of all, this is a heck of a lot of stuff to work through.  Secondly, I've been dealing with - "why am I not old yet, already" - woman issues for the last week, and I could hardly function.  In the last twenty years, since Amanda was born, I've been inconvenienced twice by my monthly cycle.  This is the second time.  The first was about five years ago, and it wasn't really that big a deal.  (Usually I don't even notice my monthly visitor.)  This time, I'm laid flat by this, and I am in misery and pain.  But, I'm really glad this happened as it got me to finally listen to Jeanie talking about Progesterone, - I have ignored several of her attempts to wake me up about this important supplement (sorry, Jeanie)  Now, I've ordered it, and used it, and I finally have begun to realize how important it is for my health, as well as for Mommy's.

So, this has been a long and boring post.  But, since I'm trying to work this out for both Mommy and for me, I wanted you all to know where we're heading and what we're doing.