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Alzheimer’s — Disease or Aging Brain?
I recently read The Myth of Alzheimer’s (2008) by Whitehouse and George. These men have shown great courage by pointing out that Alzheimer’s is an industry rather than a disease.
That may strike you as a most foolish approach to take to a disease that most people approach with fear and dread. But consider just one of their arguments: no one yet understands exactly what causes Alzheimer’s. Many issues (for example, lack of exercise) link to the later development of Alzheimer’s, but no specific issue has been shown definitively to cause the condition. In that case, when causation is unclear, is it correct to call Alzheimer’s a disease? Or are the symptoms consistent with those of an aging brain?
“Well, OK,” you say. “If it’s not a disease, what is it? I’ve seen plenty of folks who have all the symptoms, so they must have had the disease. Right?”
In one instance, that of familial (early onset) Alzheimer’s, Whitehouse and George might agree. Familial Alzheimer’s appears in families. It is genetically linked, so, in fact, it could be classified as a disease. However, only about five percent of all cases are actually familial Alzheimer’s. The rest? Late onset Alzheimer’s, a syndrome frequently indistinguishable from aging brain syndrome.
Call it political correctness. Call it academic pressure. Call it whatever you wish, but understand that there is pressure, both subtle and overt, to follow only the conventional medical model where Alzheimer’s is concerned. This model decrees that cure in the form of a pill or other medical device is the only solution to the problems of the aging brain. Huge sums of money fund research and clinical trials to test the effectiveness of pills and devices.
Whitehouse and George devote a chapter to the billion-dollar industry that has grown up around Alzheimer’s disease, especially to those associations and foundations that have benefited richly from contributions. And it’s not only associations and foundations that focus so much on a “cure” that has failed to materialize. Governmental bodies and pharmaceutical companies currently operate big budgets to fund hundreds of studies searching for the “cure” or symptom amelioration. Of those, only about two percent focus on prevention.
The Myth of Alzheimer’s is the right book at the right time. More and more people are turning away from conventional medicine, partly because its cost has skyrocketed, partly because its “promises” have often failed to materialize or even damaged those who trusted it. The ideas this book presents will help both the aging and their caregivers gain maximum comfort at minimal cost and reduced risk.
This is a uniquely important book. Read it. Learn about the theories of causation. Learn how your approach affects sufferers. Allow it to open your mind to new ways of thinking about and dealing with the syndrome known as Alzheimer’s disease. It can help.