Page 15 - NC SeniorLivingGuide Winter Spring 2021

ARTICLE 15 16 ARTICLE

by Christina Rohr

Alzheimer’s disease affects nearly 6 improve patients diagnosed with the
million Americans. If we don’t know disease. This is her account.
someone personally who has the dis- Steve’s diagnosis was again confirmed
ease, chances are we know a caregiver with a second opinion from the Byrd Al-
or a close friend who is dealing with this zheimer’s Institute in Tampa by 2006. At
disease firsthand. After losing my father this point, Steve could no longer drive,
in 2019 to this disease, I have bee en on turn on a computer or use a calcula-
a personal mission to understand it bet- tor. He was rapidly deteriorating and
ter and see what I can do to impact my it appeared that a drug trial could be a
overall brain health.
possible answer.
Recently, I came across some interest-
ing information. Dr. Mary Newport, a In an effort to get Steve qualified for
physician and neonatologist, had shared clinical drug trial, Dr. Newport spent
a personal experience on the use of time researching on the internet and, by
coconut oil on her husband, Steve, an accident, came across information that
accountant, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s is considered a type of dia-
early onset Alzheimer’s in 2004 at the betes of the brain. There is a deficiency
age of 54. Her firsthand account sug- of insulin and insulin resistance in the
gests that using coconut oil or MCT brain of people with Alzheimer’s that
(medium-chain triglyceride oil) can becomes more severe during the course
of the disease. However a company was