ReCODE protocol

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From Mark Hyman : sorry about lack of punctuation. Didn’t copy well!

Dr. Bredesen’s ReCODE Treatment for Alzheimer’s: Getting to the Root CausesThis thought launched Dr. Bredesen into a decades-long search for the causes of—and cure for—Alzheimer’s. He founded a lab whose goal was to study age-related cognitive decline and determine the real root causes.What Dr. Bredesen discovered over the course of the next 30 years is that at the core of Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic or repeated insufficiency. The brain’s massive network of neurons needs many things to function optimally—hormones, specific nutrients, and sufficiently oxygenated blood flow to name a few. But our brains also require an absence of negative effects to function at 100 percent. This includes things like infections, toxins, and inflammation.It turns out that any number of these insufficiencies in the brain can work together to bring about cognitive decline. Dr. Bredesen’s lab, in fact, discovered 36 different root causes! He calls these “36 holes in the roof,” and while not every Alzheimer’s patient has all 36 “holes,” they will have a combination of some of them. After discovering this multitude of causes, he went on to develop a protocol called ReCODE (for “reversal of cognitive decline”) to identify and “plug the holes.”The results of his protocol have been nothing short of astounding, with hundreds of patients reversing or eliminating their own cognitive decline—including Dr. Bredesen himself! In fact, I highly recommend reading his book, The First Survivors of Alzheimer’s, to read a number of ReCODE success stories in the patients’ own words.Tips to keep Alzheimer’s and Dementia at BayDr. Bredesen’s ReCODE treatment is all-encompassing and highly individualized. Because there are so many causal factors that, when combined, lead to age-related cognitive decline, the treatment must by necessity be rather complex and involved. But while that may be the case, there are still simple things you can do to help protect yourself against Alzheimer’s and dementia based on ReCODE principles.In fact, Dr. Bredesen himself realized this and created a simpler protocol called PreCODE (for “prevention of cognitive decline”), for those who want to prevent cognitive decline before it starts. And while a complete review of even the PreCODE protocol is more than we can cover in a newsletter, here are a few tips from Dr. Bredesen’s protocols that you can begin implementing today to help keep your mind in optimal condition.If you are over 45 and have a family history of Alzheimer’s or dementia, ask for your doctor to help you complete a “cognoscopy.” This panel of tests was created by Dr. Bredesen and his team and includes specific blood tests, online cognitive testing, and an MRI. A cognoscopy helps identify potential root causes of dementia early on, even before symptoms appear, so they can be addressed.Focus on developing a good diet. If you are a regular Longevity reader, it should come as absolutely no surprise that eating a nutritious, whole-foods diet is the optimal choice for overall health and wellness. Particularly for brain health, it’s important to include plenty of protein and omega-3 in your diet.Get plenty of exercise. Again, it’s not surprising that exercise is an important aspect of physical health, but it greatly benefits the brain as well. Aim to exercise at least a half hour three-to-five times a week.Commit to getting a sufficient amount of sleep.Sleep is important to a number of brain functions. Research suggests sleep plays a housekeeping role, removing the toxins in your brain that build up during your waking hours. Make it a priority to get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night.Learn stress-management techniques. It’s normal to experience bouts of acute stress. And as long as we are able to resolve the occasional stressful situation, it doesn’t impede cognition. But when we live under a cloud of unresolved chronic stress, over time it can lead to brain atrophy. It’s super important for our brains that we learn to manage stress well.Look into brain training programs. These programs are fun and help keep your mind in tip-top shape. Dr. Bredesen recommends BrainHQ as the program with the most scientific support. It includes many programs for memory, processing speed, executive function, and other cognitive skills.I love Dr. Bredesen’s work because it can give hope to many millions of people who are suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia. We don’t need to just accept that there is no cure—there is in fact a path forward.To learn more about Dr. Bredesen and his ReCODE and PreCODE protocols, I encourage you to check out his website, apollohealthco.com, and his book, The End of Alzheimer’s.Wishing you health and happiness,Mark Hyman, MD