Alzheimer’s Disease
One in twelve people over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Loss of mental function due to mental deterioration and loss of memory is a significant problem for the nation’s elderly. Not only for the affected person, but also for family members who feel totally helpless in the face of their loved one’s deterioration and inability to function independently.
Major pharmaceutical companies have been working for either a cure or the development of medicines that can lessen the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Or better yet, prevent it. However, these efforts have gone unrewarded.
But progress is being made in China, where, in late 2019, a new ‘drug’ – based on seaweed – was approved, that shows promise in offering a protective effect and slowing the progression of the disease in mild to moderate cases of Alzheimer’s.
In fact, studies have shown the link between the alteration of gut microbiota composition and proliferation of pro-inflammatory T helper 1 (Th1) cells, which, once infiltrated in the brain, are associated with the M1 microglia activation, contributing to AD-associated neuroinflammation. GV-971, a sodium oligomannate derived from seaweed has been proven to suppress gut dysbiosis and the associated neuroinflammation and was shown to produce solid and consistent cognition improvement in a phase 3 clinical trial in China.
Acupuncture protocols have shown great success. In fact, it has been shown that specific scalp acupuncture points induce an increase in dopamine levels and stimulate brain activation.
The neurobiological mechanisms of scalp acupuncture therapy is based on the functional localization of the cerebral cortex. The famous ‘Xing Nao Kai Qiao’ protocol has been proven to be very effective in the treatment of post-stroke and dementia cognitive impairment.
In their data mining analysis, Feng et al. uncover the biological mechanism of scalp acupuncture: both CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein) and BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) are upregulated by scalp acupuncture, which also increases choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and restores the expression of choline transporter 1 (CHT1) and vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT). This indicates that acupuncture treats cognition and memory disorders, at least in part, by regulating brain cholinergic functioning.
fMRI studies have shown that – in resting state – several frontal and temporal regions show decreased hippocampal connectivity in AD patients relative to healthy control subjects. However, during the resting state following acupuncture at Tai Chong and He Gu (the Four Gates), AD patients have increased connectivity in most of these hippocampus related regions, compared to the first resting state. These studies thus confirmed that appropriately performed acupuncture can enhance the hippocampal connectivity in AD patients.
In our clinic we add to the TCM procedures the benefits of Functional Medicine with nutritional practices (in this case, Intermittent Fasting also has been proven to help) and photo-modulation (light therapy), both also proven to help AD patients.
Check out some of the studies: