In my various Links posts I’ve posted a selection of articles and studies looking at modern Alzheimer’s research. The community has imploded unfortunately due to the discovery of fraud in the research. Its frustrating to watch. Alzheimer’s, and dementia in general, touches many families and it’s horrifying to watch a family member forget, well, everything till they turn into a breathing shell.
Yesterday this article was in my feed:
My Mom Was Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Then She Got Better.
““It’s Alzheimer’s.”
My mom was 61 years old. She had been struggling for years with mysterious symptoms that no doctor could explain.
……
But a year ago, my family experienced a miracle.
In January 2023, my mom went into the hospital to have a small surgical procedure, meant to patch a leak of spinal fluid. Instead, it cured her of all her symptoms. “
“We later discovered that, a year before Mom had her procedure, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center had published a newsletter subtitled “Physicians Treating Dementia Should Look for Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak—A Treatable Cause of an Otherwise Incurable Condition.” The study had examined 21 patients who presented with headaches, significant fatigue, and a diagnosis of Chiari and dementia; nine of them were found to have a leak, and repairing it had entirely cured their symptoms.”
The newsletter referenced:
New Research Detects Potential Hidden Cause of Dementia
A new Cedars-Sinai study suggests that some patients diagnosed with behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD)—an incurable condition that robs patients of the ability to control their behavior and cope with daily living—may instead have a cerebrospinal fluid leak, which is often treatable.
In this study, investigators used this imaging technique on 21 patients with brain sagging and symptoms of bvFTD, and they discovered CSF-venous fistulas in nine of those patients. All nine patients had their fistulas surgically closed, and their brain sagging and accompanying symptoms were completely reversed.
21 isn’t a huge number, but 9 patients with an identifiable specific issue, who ALL experienced complete reversal of the symptoms after the procedure….well THAT feels pretty damn significant. I hope that the medical systems are watching.