Untangling Alzheimer's
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| Documentary: Untangling Alzheimer's Name: David Suzuki |
I chose to write about this documentary because Alzheimer’s disease has always been an interesting topic of discussion for me. In my opinion. This neurodegenerative disease is one of the worst a person can experience. It not only affects memory and cognition of the mind, but also the physical aspects of one’s wellbeing.
Much of what causes the neurodegenerative disease Dementia/Alzheimer’s disease remains a mystery, but David Suzuki makes it his mission to uncover the latest breakthroughs in the disease.
In her late 60s, Suzuki’s mom would forget things. In her 70s, she passed away and the family realized she had died from some form of the disease. All three of her older siblings also passed away from dementia. David Suzuki is now 77 years of age and fears that he and his family are at risk of developing the disease as well. Age and family history are definitely factors, but how much? He is now setting out to unravel the mystery of this disease, and what his future potentially holds.
Alzheimer’s disease is the 6thleading cause of death in the U.S. and the only one that can’t be stopped, slowed, or treated. So much of what Alzheimer’s entails is still a mystery; and no one really knows what causes it. From experience, Suzuki notes that “1st the short term memory goes, then you can’t follow conversation, or even recognize the street you live on; and inevitably, the disease shuts everything down.” The decline is so heavy, and usually steep.
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| Eye test |
I learned that a brain autopsy can be done to detect a build up of the protein beta-amyloid that causes the hallmark sign of plaques and tangles in the brain we see with the disease. Newer tests have been developed for early detection, such as blood tests and eye tests. They are cost effective and precise. The eye test that David Suzuki tested out in the documentary captures light and looks at single photon detection; it aids in detecting the beta amyloid protein, which can also be found in the eye. Suzuki also found that deep brain stimulation may be doing more than treating symptoms, but may also be reversing the damage to the brain.
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| David Suzuki participating in VDT |
I found this documentary to be very interesting and highly recommend others watch it as well. One part of the documentary that I found particularly interesting was the virtual dementia tour (VDT) that David Suzuki participated in. He wore shoe inserts (jabbed at his feet), gloves (made it difficult for him to grab things), glasses (decreased peripheral vision, resembled macular degeneration w/ age, and had a yellowish tint making it very hard for him to see), and headphones (which had a buzzing in the ears, making it hard for him to hear other things). These elements mimic some of the physical affects people with dementia experience, like constant chatter in the brain and consistently asking the same questions over and over; making it extremely difficult for them to engage in daily occupations. I also found it particularly interesting that they referred to Alzheimer’s as being a 3rd type/form of diabetes (Type 3 Diabetes). Researchers came to this conclusion due to the ability of the brain to respond to insulin. What they saw was that when insulin in the brain is blocked, this results in a demented state; due to insulin resistance, or more so the inability of the brain to respond. This made sense because people with diabetes are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s.
Thanks and always stay natural!
Love,
naturalOT
Reference List
Suzuki, D. (Writer). (2014, July 17). Untangling Alzheimer’s [Television series
episode].In Nature of things. CBC.
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