We continue to be bombarded with scientific articles, detailing new modifiers and new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease: most of these are ineffective, but some reports do contain a hint of a possible solution. Encouraging news The latest effort is entitled “ALZ-801 for 2 years sustained cognition in early Alzheimer’s: no safety issues seen in a 2 year long, Phase 2 trial of Alzheon’s oral therapy”, posted by Steve Bryson, PhD, in “Alzheimer’s news today”, on 22 September, 2023. This report describes a Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT04693520), designed to evaluate the two-year safety and efficacy of daily ALZ-801 in 84…

Medscape Medical News, a medical information newsfeed, sends me daily suggestions for articles to read, and I save the URLs for interesting items. In the batch I received on September 18, 2023, is a report regarding the risk profile of statin drugs, by Megan Brooks. The report advises us that “A newly published scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) focuses on the impact of aggressive low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering on the risk for dementia and hemorrhagic stroke.” You can access Ms. Brooks’ report by clicking on the link, or at https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/996569?ecd=mkm_ret_230923_mscpmrk_neuro_brain-diet_etid5882072&uac=235227EV&impID=5882072, via your browser. The article, on…

About Lyme disease: its relationship to Intracellular Hypothyroidism: origin, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment. An old friend, who is an avid and successful vegetable gardener, is passionate about mushrooms, especially chanterelles (Fig. 2), which abound in the woods of Ontario and are easily found, if you know what to look for. So successful is he in the chanterelle hunt, that he is able to augment his income (a bit!) by selling them to knowledgeable restaurants. 2023 has been a bumper year, for chanterelles and my friend, while keeping himself amply supplied, sold his surplus for more than $1,000. In July however he…

I just received a note in my “Guardian” newsfeed, regarding a much-lauded, best-selling book, entitled “Uprooting: From The Caribbean To The Countryside – Finding Home In An English Country Garden”, by Dr. Marchelle Farrell. [1]According to the Guardian newspaper, Dr. Farrell, a psychiatrist of African/Trinidadian origin who studied, and is working, in the UK, describes the dismay and anxiety which she experienced, on hearing that as an Afro-Caribbean migrant, any children she might have were highly likely to develop schizophrenia.She was advised that the risk of schizophrenia in the offspring of African/Caribbean-origin women, migrant to the UK, is “9 times…

PEA (Palmitoylethanolamide) Today, I came across Dr. Alan Jacobs’ blog, of 2 March, 2022, regarding PEA (Palmitoylethanolamide), which helps to generate Allopregnanolone and is therefore helpful in the treatment of the post-finasteride syndrome (PFS). [1] Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is a lipid (fat), found naturally in foods such as egg yolks and peanuts, and in the human body. PEA has analgesic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects in chronic neuropathic pain and arthritic pain and taking it reduces anxiety, promotes sleep and has other properties reminiscent of cannabinoids, although it is not a cannabinoid and does not attach to cannabinoid receptors. I was not…

And now, some good news, for a change: it’s about APPLE CIDER VINEGAR! Yesterday, the “Guardian” sent me an article by Amy Fleming, reporting on on apple cider vinegar research by Dr. Darshna Yagnik (PhD). Ms. Fleming’s report is very well written and is easy to read and understand: Dr. Yagnik’s experience with taking ACV, and experimenting with it, is very nicely explained and the many beneficial effects of apple cider vinegar are clearly described. The article reminded me of a friend of mine A very good friend of mine had a problem: gastro-esophageal reflux (“acid reflux”), commonly known as…

T3, reverse T3 (rT3) and the T3/rT3 ratio: The normal ranges The normal range for the T3/rT3 ratio is “greater than 20”. The optimal range is greater than 24. The normal FT3 range is 3.1–6.1 (? 5.8) Pm/L (the FT3 range was originally quoted as 3.1–6.1 pmol per litre: this was changed to 2.8–5.8 pmol per litre in 2021, but in my opinion the change was unfounded). I regard the correct range of FT3 as 3.1- 6.1. There is no “normal”range for rT3: The rT3 range, 5 – 25 ng/DL, as given in the medical literature, is nonsensical because (as…

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), occupational burnout is a result of chronic work-related stress, with symptoms characterized by “feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy”.[1] While burnout may influence health, it is not itself classified by the WHO as a medical condition or mental disorder.[1] The WHO additionally states that “Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life”. However “psychology today” avers that burnout, though…

An opinion re. pathogenesis, diagnosis and management Long Covid: In 2021, I wrote a post entitled “Long Covid: a report from China” [1], in response to “Euthyroid Sick Syndrome (ESS), in Patients with COVID-19”, by Runmei Zou, et al [2].Now, two years later, “long Covid” still affects approximately 10% of people who contract Covid 19, including a number of celebrities: so it is still a hot subject and I feel it imperative that I comment on it once more.Note: here, the reference tags (#1 –10) are hyperlinked to the articles referenced. Background Since long Covid was first described, much effort…