ReeCure

Memory impairment is a necessary feature for the diagnosis of this or any type of dementia. Change in one of the following areas must also be present: language, decision-making ability, judgment, attention, and other areas of mental function and personality. The older you get, the greater your risk of developing AD, although it is not a part of normal ageing. Family history is another common risk factor.

Causes

In addition to age and family history, risk factors for AD may include:

• Longstanding high blood pressure
• History of head trauma
• High levels of homocysteine (a body chemical that contributes to chronic illnesses such as heart disease, depression and possibly AD)
• As women usually live longer than men, they are more likely to develop AD

There are two types of AD - early onset and late onset. In early onset AD, symptoms first appear before age 60. Early onset AD is much less common, accounting for only 5-10% of cases. However, it tends to progress rapidly.

The cause of AD is not entirely known but is thought to include both genetic and environmental factors. A diagnosis of AD is made based on characteristic symptoms and by excluding other causes of dementia.

Prior theories regarding the accumulation of aluminum, lead, mercury and other substances in the brain leading to AD have been disproved. The only way to know for certain that someone had AD is by microscopic examination of a sample of the brain tissue after death.

The brain tissue shows "neurofibrillary tangles" (twisted fragments of protein within nerve cells that clog up the cell), "neuritic plaques" (abnormal clusters of dead and dying nerve cells, other brain cells and protein) and "senile plaques" (areas where products of dying nerve cells have accumulated around protein). Although these changes occur to some extent in all brains with age, there are many more of them in the brains of people with AD.

The destruction of nerve cells (neurons) leads to a decrease in neurotransmitters (substances secreted by a neuron to send a message to another neuron). The correct balance of neurotransmitters is critical to the brain.

By causing both structural and chemical problems in the brain, AD appears to disconnect areas of the brain that normally work together. Early onset disease can run in families and involves autosomal dominant inherited mutations that may be the cause of the disease. So far, three early onset genes have been identified.

Late onset AD, the most common form of the disease, develops in people of 60 years and older and is thought to be less likely to occur in families. Late onset AD may run in some families, but the role of genes is less direct and definitive. These genes may not cause the problem itself, but simply increase the likelihood of formation of plaques and tangles or other AD-related pathologies in the brain.

Symptoms

In the early stages, the symptoms of AD may be subtle and resemble signs that people mistakenly attribute to "natural ageing" Symptoms often include:

• Repeating statements
• Misplacing items
• Having trouble finding names for familiar objects
• Getting lost on familiar routes
• Personality changes
• Losing interest in things previously enjoyed
• Difficulty performing tasks that take some thought, but used to come easily, like balancing a checkbook, playing complex games (such as bridge) and learning new information or routines

In a more advanced stage, symptoms are more obvious:

• Forgetting details about current events
• Forgetting events in your own life history, losing awareness of who you are
• Problems choosing proper clothing
• Hallucinations, arguments, striking out and violent behavior
• Delusions, depression, agitation
• Difficulty performing basic tasks like preparing meals and driving

At end stages of AD, a person can no longer survive without assistance.

Most people in this stage no longer:

• Understand language
• Recognize family members
• Perform basic activities of daily living such as eating, dressing and bathing

Tests may be ordered to help determine if there is a treatable condition that could be causing dementia or contributing to the confusion of AD. These conditions include thyroid disease, vitamin deficiency, brain tumor, drug and medication intoxication, chronic infection, anemia and severe depression.

AD usually has a characteristic pattern of symptoms and can be diagnosed by history and physical exam by an experienced clinician. Tests that are often done to evaluate or exclude other causes of dementia include computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and blood tests.

In the early stages of dementia, brain image scans may be normal. In later stages, an MRI may show a decrease in the size of the cortex of the brain or of the area of the brain responsible for memory (the hippocampus). While the scans do not confirm the diagnosis of AD, they do exclude other causes of dementia (such as stroke and tumor).

The goals in treating AD are to:

• Slow the progression of the disease.
• Manage behavior problems, confusion and agitation.
• Modify the home environment.
• Support family members and other caregivers.

The most promising treatments include lifestyle changes, medications and antioxidant supplements like vitamin E and ginkgo biloba.

Drug Treatment

Several drugs are available to try to slow the progression of AD and possibly improve the person's mental capabilities. Memantine (Namenda) is currently the only drug approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease.

Other medicines include donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), galantamine (Razadyne, formerly called Reminyl) and tacrine (Cognex). These drugs affect the level of a neurotransmitter in the brain called acetylcholine. They may cause nausea and vomiting.

Other medicines may be needed to control aggressive, agitated or dangerous behaviors. These are usually given in very low doses. It may be necessary to stop any medications that make confusion worse. Such medicines may include pain killers, cimetidine, central nervous system depressants, antihistamines, sleeping pills and others. Never change or stop taking any medicines without first talking to your doctor.

Supplements

Folate (Vitamin B9) is critical to the health of the nervous system. Chelation therapy has also been employed with moderate success.

We, at ReeCure offer you therapy using stem cells using our proprietary technology.

These stem cells could be of various types including hematopoietic (CD 34+), Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that are processed and isolated using Good Manufacturing (GMP) and Good Lab Practices (GLP) and in accordance with AABB standards. These stem cells are procured from various sources including bone marrow, cord blood fat etc. as per the requirement of the patient. Stem cell therapy has provided patients of AD tremendous hope and belief, especially in the wake of no other meaningful therapy available.

After years of extensive research and systematic compilation and collation of relevant data (through its research division), ReeLabs is now supremely confident of not only reversing the disease process of the affected patient but also improving the quality of life manifold. Stem cells produced by ReeLabs are completely safe, non-toxic, easy to administer and totally devoid of side effects with an excellent probability of homing and engraftment with parent cell, tissue or organ. The eminent panel of scientists and researchers at ReeLabs work exhaustively to design accurate treatment protocols that have yielded excellent results in most cases.

The documented benefits of stem cells in patients with Alzheimer's disease include:

• Improve memory
• Improve cognitive and behavioral skills and function
• General improvement in quality of life through personality improvement
• Psychiatric improvement
• Improve motor functions including gait, balance and other movements