Brain health
A recap of the Bredesen Protocol’s appearance on the Today Show, and how research has moved on since.
Sara McQueen
Writing for CogMission
Do you remember hearing about the Bredesen Protocol on The Today Show? That was a few years ago now, so we thought we would recap what was covered there, and look at how research has progressed in that time.
If you’ve just started your research into the Bredesen Protocol, then read on to find out what we were most excited about back in 2016, and now.
01
As part of Alzheimer’s Awareness Month in November 2016, the Today Show featured interviews with Dr Dale Bredesen and two patients who have experienced positive results since following the Bredesen Protocol.
When asked about how this new way of treating cognitive decline had come about, Dr Bredesen explained:
“We spent 27 years in the laboratory looking at which features drive the underlying problem.”
One patient described her experience of developing early-onset cognitive decline in her forties. A busy mum of four, she found herself forgetting faces and names, and getting seriously concerned about her ability to lead a normal life.
She did some research, and began the Bredesen Protocol as an experimental program.
“Mentally, I feel at least in my thirties,” she says, aged 50 at the time of filming, talking about the success so far of her treatment according to the Bredesen Protocol.
02
The guidance and “prescription”, as it were, is simple enough:
But how can all of these things, done together, reverse the effects of cognitive impairment?
03
Since this feature on The Today Show, scientific research has concluded that Alzheimer’s disease is actually several different diseases, and each has a different optimal treatment.
There has been a mindset change, as we move from 20th-century medical ideas to a more modern approach. Now, huge datasets can be used to compare and explore diagnoses and patients, and figure out why a particular condition is present, not just to confirm that it is, in fact, there.
In order to approach how an individual is cured, we must first be able to see how their imbalances have come about.
One analogy is that of repairing a roof with 45 holes. Until now, we have just repaired the leaks that we could see, or in other words, the symptoms of the problems. With the far more comprehensive testing promoted by the Bredesen Protocol, we can see even the smallest holes in the roof, or imbalances in the body, whilst still retaining the view of the bigger picture of what these issues are doing to a person’s overall health.
That is why the treatment plans must be followed in detail. Exercise with no nutrition changes, or doing everything except the overnight fasting, will affect how efficiently the plan works for each person.
Plus, the treatment plans can and should be personalised for each patient, and the particular imbalances that are causing the cognitive decline.
04
Since the 2016 feature, research has only strengthened our understanding of how the Bredesen Protocol can slow and even reverse the effects of cognitive decline.
In fact, medical practitioners all over are now choosing to train in the creation and delivery of this personalised treatment plan for Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Here at CogMission, we’re based in sunny Edinburgh, and our clinic directors Jean and Charmaine have both undertaken the detailed training course with Dr Bredesen. You can read more about their experiences on the CogMission website.
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This article was first published on the CogMission blog. CogMission is Jean’s sister company, specialising in brain health.
This article is for general information and isn’t a substitute for personal medical advice. Please don’t start or stop any medication without speaking to a qualified practitioner.
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