HAVE YOU LOOKED AT ALZHEIMER’S LATELY?
The prevalence of Alzheimer’s has grown 145% in since 2000 and is now the 6th leading cause of death in America. The condition is particularly cruel as after a lifetime of building experiences and establishing valuable relationships, you spend your last days on earth having forgotten them all. 1 out of every 3 people now eventually suffer from either Alzheimer’s or dementia. These poor people require over 18.5 billion by caregivers. The cost is projected to exceed 1.1 trillion dollars per year over the next few decades. Already the world’s most indebted nation, this is a cost that would eventually bankrupt the U.S.
Our current healthcare model has radically failed at even remotely slowing this problem down.
As far as gauging your risk, like any condition, you don’t “get” or “catch” it – you develop it. If you reach 85, somewhere along the way, your chance of developing Alzheimer’s is 50%. Which is a crazy to begin with, poorly weighted game of Russian Roulette. Additionally, science has unearthed genes that worsen the odds. If you have one of the APOE4 genes (are heterozygous) then your risk is 90%. If you have two APOE4 genes, one from mom and one from dad, then it is 90% by the time you reach 65.
The odds aren’t good, but there is a light in this tunnel. The 50% risk is for people who are not addressing their environment (nerve function, diet, toxicity, nutrient levels, stress factors, and activity). Additionally, these genes have been present throughout history, yet the disease has skyrocketed only recently. Again, pointing to an increase in environmental risk factors.
Like all degenerative illness, you don’t know that you’re developing Alzheimer’s or dementia. Thus, the sentiment that at some point people merely “get or catch it” is a major misconception You can radically increase your odds and those of your patients by assessing your genes, and testing relevant bio-markers like subluxation and inflammation. This allows you to detecting your risk and correct any issues.
“Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
– Dylan Thomas
