Alzheimers News/ Good News for Reagan

[Noah's Dove]

Alzheimers News Is
Smoking Gun Pointed at FDA
by Ken Welch
May 4, 1998
 
 

Researchers met in Holland on last week (4/27) to announce confirmation
of new discoveries about the causes of Alzheimer's disease, an
affliction marked by memory loss and mental incapacitation in millions
of elderly people. The new studies clearly connect the disease to long
term deficiencies of vitamins B-12 and Folic Acid. As a result,
Alzheimer's disease has become a smoking gun pointed directly at
catastrophic prohibition of a nutritional supplement for political or
financial gain.  The information about Alzheimer's, available overseas
for several weeks, has not been widely reported inside the U.S.
censorship zone. Internet users, however, could find stories posted
elsewhere, such as the website for the Times or the Telegraph in London.
The new research pinpoints excessive levels of homocysteine, a chemical
over-produced by the body during vitamin B-12 deficiency, as a common
denominator among Alzheimer's victims. Homocysteine has already been
implicated in the creation of birth defects, and associated with
increased risk of stroke and heart disease as well. Homocysteine is
neutralized by folic acid, or folate, another B vitamin.
 
 Two Essential Vitamins  B-12 is found naturally in animal related
foods, such as meats and dairy products, while folic acid is primarily
found in green leafy vegetables. Fresh uncooked spinach leaves are one
of the best sources.  Over sixty years ago it was clear to most
observers that social changes in the industrial nations were producing
nutritional deficiencies. Changing eating habits and higher costs
associated with the increasing distance from farm to table were major
factors. New manufacturing methods were also thought to be harmful to
the basic nutritional content of many refined foods. This created
interest in dietary supplements, vitamin pills, as a way to get
necessary nutrients.  While only small amounts of B-12 are needed to
fend off pernicious anemia, another deficiency disease, and the benefits
of larger amounts are uncertain, an appropriate amount for folic acid
was estimated at fifty milligrams or more to ensure good health. Few
people today eat enough fresh uncooked green leafy vegetables to obtain
anywhere near this amount, except for serious vegetarians. Those who eat
no animal products are typically deficient in the animal-produced B-12,
unless taking supplements. It is also not clear how much B-12 the rest
of the population is getting either, because of current cooking and food
processing techniques, as well as pervasive chemical treatment of food
animals.  During the 1930s and 40s, the relationship between B12 and
folic acid was an item of significant interest, in a period that saw a
vast increase in our understanding of the body's need for various
minerals and vitamins. It appeared that folic acid allowed vegetarians
to escape the effects of B12 deficiency. In fact, the appearance of
visibly good health displayed by many long term vegetarians was
discovered to be related not so much to what they avoided, but to the
large amounts of folic acid that they naturally consumed in their diet.
It was also noted that people in this group rarely went to the doctor.
 
 The FDA Steps In  In response to the studies showing the importance and
value of folic acid, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration outlawed its
inclusion in vitamin pills except for microscopic amounts. The bizarre
reasoning offered by FDA, perhaps evidence of panic, was that
vegetarians who took vitamins supplying them with additional folic acid
were so radiantly healthy that they would not go to doctors.
Consequently, the doctors did not have the opportunity to diagnose the
B12 deficiency which the vegetarians were not experiencing anyway.
Serious vegetarians were a tiny minority at the time, and no one has
ever believed this was the actual reason for a ban effecting the entire
population.  The FDA usually acts after someone complains. The parties
involved in the story were vegetarians and doctors, and the vegetarians
were not complaining. The whisper in the FDA's ear would necessarily be
from the other involved party, perhaps through their collective voice in
Washington, the A.M.A. To understand the intention behind this ruling,
it is only necessary to grasp the effect.
 
First, vegetarians who were already getting enough folic acid did not
get more of it, but they were not going to doctors very much anyway.
Second, it was now illegal for people who were not getting enough folic
acid in their diet to obtain it elsewhere, thus insuring that long term
deficiency would result. The consequences are the truly staggering
amounts spent on medical treatment, long term care, etc. It is not
difficult to see who the winner is.  Nutritionist Adelle Davis, perhaps
the most important voice for nutrition in the twentieth century, advised
her readers in 1954 that she and others were forced to get folic acid
supplements from Canada. This is an amazing state of affairs for
something as simple as condensed spinach leaves. She was baffled by the
restriction, pointing out that the sensible thing for the problem of
vegetarians was simply to require that vitamin supplements contain a
small amount of B12, so it would no longer be an issue. (Davis, Let's
Eat Right To Keep Fit, 1954, revised 1970, Signet)
 
In her "Let's Eat Right" book, Davis also reported, "The young of
animals lacking folic acid are grossly abnormal. Similarly, women given
drugs which take the place of this vitamin (folic acid antagonists) have
given birth to malformed and mentally retarded infants." Apparently the
risks associated with serious folic acid deficiency were known.
 
One factor that has not been addressed in a flurry of new B vitamin
studies, is the often reported synergistic affect of this family of
vitamins. This refers to the fact that they work together in many ways,
and may be dependent on each other in many chemical processes. In fact,
when some B vitamins are supplied, while one or more others are missing
or in less than needed amounts, the deficiency of the missing vitamin(s)
may appear to be worsened. Has this happened to consumers of multiple
vitamins which contain only the miniscule amount of folic acid allowed
by the FDA? More specifically, has the prohibition intensified their
folic acid deficiency? This is a tricky question at the present time,
because many vitamin suppliers are marketing capsules or tablets with
50-mg.-of-everything (except folic acid of course) and not worrying
about a synergistic ratio.
 
 A Long Term Pattern
 
It is common knowledge that the FDA has continued to fight an aggressive
battle against any health related process or product that would upset a
very profitable status quo. Due to the work of Davis and others,
interest in nutrition grew rapidly, and in 1966 the FDA responded by
holding hearings over proposed rules that would make it illegal to sell
vitamins at all, except in tiny amounts, unless by a doctor's
prescription. Almost as bizarre, the new regulations would have made it
a felony for any business to suggest in its advertising that refined
foods, such as white flour, did not supply all necessary nutrients, or
that improper processing or cooking could destroy vitamins.  Efforts by
the FDA to prevent competition that might impact the balance sheets of
large corporations are legendary and have continued to the present day,
the most recent scandal involving the refusal to allow importation of a
superior dietary sweetener that is natural rather than artificial. One
observer has gone so far as to say that FDA footdragging is directly
proportional to the amount of money involved. This is probably to be
expected in an age when corruption in government seems more the rule
than the exception.  It was well understood at the outset that folic
acid was essential to human health, and that long term deficiency would
necessarily create serious health problems. One can assume that this has
become more apparent as the decades have gone by, yet the prohibition
has never been lifted. Still it took a long time before the connection
to fatal birth defects was confirmed. Official confirmation was only
logged into TEKTRAN, the FDA's Agricultural Research Service data base
as Report 078855, approved 2/26/97.  The FDA response was not to lift
the prohibition on folic acid, but to propose regulations requiring that
tiny amounts be added to certain manufactured foods. This would be just
enough, it is hoped, to prevent deformed or dying babies. Apparently
those vegetarians still need protection.
 
 Is The FDA Responsible For Billions In Healthcare Costs?  It is still a
difficult jump, from ordinary corruption to deliberately causing harm to
millions. Yet this is where events such as the Alzheimer's discovery
seem to be leading us. This is more serious than other puzzling
situations, such as the new "food pyramid" with its nutritional
equivalent of two cups of sugar a day, or the strange "unavailability"
of an anti-cavity vaccine that has been proven safe and effective for
years. Few pay attention to the food pyramid, and once the dentists have
completed their transition to gum disease fighters, the vaccine may
surface again. Or the team developing a less desirable paint-on vaccine
in Britain may get theirs on the market. Outside the U.S. of course.
 But cavities don't often cause death, mental damage or incapacity. They
just cost money. Is it really possible that government officials would
willingly create a sick population to provide a cash cow for the medical
/ pharmaceutical industry? The signs are beginning to point that way.
 
Perhaps it Is time for the families of Alzheimer's victims to learn
about the Freedom Of Information Act, and start going after those old
files at FDA. If they haven't been shredded, of course. There is not
much legal precedent dealing with government actions that harm millions,
but perhaps there is a way to recover damages.  The recent discoveries
are not a cure. Merely a major advance in understanding and hopefully,
prevention. Still, the ban on folic acid may never be lifted without
major changes in Washington. So make sure your daily vitamin contains
B12 and don't forget to eat your spinach. Fresh and uncooked, of course.

 
Congratulations to Dr. Andrew McCaddon, of North Wales, who carried out
his research on Alzheimer's disease over ten years of evenings and
weekends while conducting a busy practice. Congratulations also to his
associates at Wrexham Maelor Hospital who helped with the research, and
the members of an international team co-ordinated by Oxford University.
 Dr. McCaddon and his team completed their project late last year, and
their results were just published in the April edition of the
"International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry".
 
The author always appreciates comments, which can be directed to
Ken_...@bigfoot.com

In "Report Of Treatment Of Alzheimer's Disease With Alphanae Klamathomenon
Flos-Aqua" (Journal of Orthomedicine, 1985, vol. VIII, number 1&2) Dr.
Gabriel Cousens relates a case of two Alzheimer's sufferers who showed
significant positive change after being given "alphanae klamathomenon
flos-aqua or AFA, a nutrient rich blue-green algae, for a trial period of
one year.

For his test, Dr. Cousens chose two individuals who had well documented
Alzheimer's Disease and suffered from obvious deficient mental functioning.
During the 12 month test, one individual showed some significant return of
function while the other showed cessation of progressive degeneration from
Alzheimer's.

Dr. Cousens' treatment, based on giving nutrient rich algae to his
subjects, suggests there may be a nutritional factor involved in
Alzheimer's disease. Indeed, according to the US Surgeon General, as much
as 68% of disease in America is diet related. How could this be?

Though answers are not simple, there is growing scientific evidence that
our foods may lack the essential nutrients needed to maintain good health.
Industrial agriculture, soil depletion, soil erosion as well as use of
chemical fertilizers and pesticides are taking a toll on the nutritional
contents of our food supply. Complicating matters is a steady increase in
environmental pollution. There is a growing suspicion that the dramatic
rise in degenerative disease over the past 50 years may be a result of
these changes.

If the lack of only one vitamin (C) results in scurvy, what can we expect
when many different essentials are lacking? The discovery of the cause of
Alzheimer's may be a ways off yet, but, if Dr. Cousens' preliminary study
and report are any indication, nutrition may well play a role.

The blue-green algae prescribed in Dr. Cousens' test is an edible wild food
which grows in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. This lake is a unique ecosystem
which is extremely rich in a volcanic sediment of minerals and trace
elements. Dr. William Barry, a professor of Biology and Public Health says
the blue-green algae from this lake contains all 8 essential and 10
nonessential amino acids, 9 vitamins , 27 inorganic elements and minerals,
8 essential trace elements as well as chlorophyll, beta carotene, lipids,
carbohydrates, proteins, folic acid, and other nutrients. AFA is an
excellent source of B12 (65 times more than kelp and 19 times more than
spiralina.)

Dr. Barry believes amino acids are particularly important "for proper
biochemical cellular function" and that this unique algae may "serve as a
whole food with a broader spectrum of food essentials than nearly any other
product".

Here is a quote from "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" by James F
Balch, M.D. and Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C:

"The central nervous system cannot function without amino acids, which act
as neurotransmitters or as precursors to the neurotransmitters. They are
necessary in order for the brain to recieve and send messages. Unless all
of the amino acids are present together, almost anything can go wrong with
the transmission of the message...How could such a deficiency occur? Easier
than you might think. If the diet is improperly balanced that is contains
inadequate amounts of the essential amino acids, physical disorders will
arise."

The following is an article on Microalgae by Dr. Gabriel Cousens:

M I C R O A L G A E
First & Finest Superfood

by Gabriel Cousens, M.D.

1. Discussion of AFA in this article begins.
2. Reported Benefits of taking AFA.
3. Discussion of AFA and Alzheimer's disease - 2 case studies.

Blue-green algae have been around for three and a half billion years. They
are primitive foods which contain the highest food energy highest nutrient
values, and use up the least amount of the planet's resources. I have been
using spirulina for nineteen years and the blue-green algae called
Aphanizomenon Flos Aquae (AFA) for thirteen years. Because of this and my
clinical experience with both of these wonderful algae, almost every time I
give a lecture people tend to ask me about every aspect of them. This
article is an opportunity to share my clinical experience as a physician as
well as provide the consumer report-type information about these algae that
so many people seem to be requesting. Collectively, algae supply 90 percent
of the world's oxygen and potentially 80 percent of its food. Another
advantage of the blue-green algae is their position at the bottom of the
food chain. The higher up on the chain one eats, the higher the
concentrations of herbicides, pesticides, and radioactivity. Flesh food, for
example, has 14 times more herbicides and pesticides than fruits and
vegetables.

People have understood the importance of blue-green algae as a food source
for at least four thousand years; Chinese herbalists have been taking it to
treat vitamin deficiency diseases for thousands of years. The Mayans and
Aztecs regularly ate freshly harvested algae. The Kanembu natives living
near Lake Johann in Chad in the deep African Sahara are still making and
eating algae cakes. In the last 30 years people in the United States have
begun to explore the use of the blue-green algaes as a high nutrient food,

The two main classes of blue-green algae; that have drawn my attention are
spirulina and AFA, the blue-green algae grown in Upper Klamath Lake in
Oregon. I was first introduced to spirulina when I was working as a holistic
physician with many people, including my family, who were spending long
periods of time in India. Those on prolonged stays who took one tablespoon
per day of spirulina were physically healthier than those who did not take
spirulina.

Curious about its makeup, I discovered that spirulina, per gram, could be
the most cost-effective, nutritious and well-rounded food on the planet, and
that it stores almost indefinitely. It contains a protein complex which is
about 95 percent assimilable. Other properties which establish it as a
superfood choice are that it has: all the essential amino acids in correct
proportion; the much needed omega-3 and 6 fatty acids; high concentrations
of human-active B-12; glycolipids and sulfonolipids; the full spectrum of
vitamins; 17 different beta-carotenoids; over 2000 enzymes; a full spectrum
of well assimilated minerals; and it is especially high in iron and
magnesium. Spirulina is the only substance which contains high amounts of
phycocyanins which seem to be a powerful immune stimulant and anticancer
force. Spirulina is second only to mother's milk in concentrations of
natural gamma linolenic acid (GLA) Its high GLA content leads me to call it
the "mother's milk" of the planet. Spirulina is 0.5 percent glycogen, which
is a ready-made glucose in a stored energy form. It contains 9 percent
rhamnose, which is a biologically active and unique sugar important for
transporting essential nutrients across the blood-brain barrier. The cell
wall of spirulina has high concentrations of mucopolysaccharides, which make
the cell wall easily digestible and provide needed materials for the
formation of glycoprotein, a combination of complex carbohydrate and protein
complexes that are important for the building of cell membranes.

Spirulina is also a powerful alkalinizing and healing food. A large body of
scientific research has documented its healing power for hypoglycemia,
diabetes, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, anemia, ulcers, hepatitis, and its
ability to boost the immune system. It has also been shown to help repair
free-radical damage. The anticancer effects of spirulina have been
researched and established by Harvard Medical School which found it to be
highly effective in treating cancer in hamsters.

In my own clinical practice, I have found spirulina to be a significant help
in the treatment of diabetes, hypoglycemia, chronic fatigue, protein
deficiency and malnutrition. It is a great building food for pregnancy. At
the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia, Arizona, I did
preliminary personal research on how to prevent sunburn while still gaining
the benefits of nutrients and energy from the sun. I found that ingesting
spirulina and applying Phycotene Cream made an effective combination.
Phycotene Cream is a skin cream whose primary ingredient is phycotene
extracted from spirulina. It was developed by Dr. Christopher Hills who has
been a leading spirulina researcher since the mid-sixties, and who many
people consider the father of the modern spirulina movement. I found that
even in the summer Arizona sun, by using this combination we were able to be
outdoors for hours without getting sunburned. Phycotene Cream used alone was
about 75 percent as effective....

In conjunction with spirulina, the other blue-green algae superfood that I
often prescribe for my clients is Aphanizomenon Flos Aquae (AFA). Although
people who sell the different algae products like to debate the merits of
AFA vs. spirulina, I find that the blue-green algae, like herbs, have
different energies that effect the human organism differently. Both are
excellent. I use spirulina and AFA in a complementary way.

The first company to harvest AFA was started in the mid-sixties by Victor
Kollman, the researcher who originally focused on the human use of AFA while
working at the Los Alamos National Laboratories in New Mexico...

Gram for gram, AFA is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, a
close second only to spirulina. Generally speaking their nutrient profiles
are roughly similar. Both are full-spectrum nutrients. Spirulina, however,
is significantly higher in GLA, phycotene, protein, and beta-carotenoid
concentrations. Both have neuropeptide precursors, but AFA has much higher
overall neuropeptide precursor concentrations.

Both have high human-active B-12 concentrations, but AFA has about seven
times more B-12 per gram than spirulina. The AFA human-active B-12 amount in
one gram equals the daily B-12 requirement for most people. I recommend
about 1.5 to 2 teaspoons of AFA per day. Spirulina is the second most
concentrated vegetarian B-12 source on the planet, 250 percent more than an
equal weight of liver, and has 14 times the daily B-12 need in 100 gms. One
tablespoon of spirulina (1 to 3 tablespoons is the average daily dose) will
give you two-and-one-half times the daily human-active requirement of B-12.
Taken together, spirulina and AFA provide many times the human daily
requirement of B-12. No vegetarian need ever worry about not getting enough
B-12 in their diet if they are taking either or both of these blue-green
algae superfoods.

AFA is one of the few algae which are harvested in their natural state. I
have visited Upper Klamath Lake several times and it is beautiful. One of
the few remaining alkaline lakes on the planet, it has a very high mineral
concentration due to volcanic ash deposited in the area 7000 years ago. The
water contains 60 times the nutrients needed for the AFA to reach its full
potential.

Perhaps the greatest value of AFA is not in its nutrient concentration or
even its high concentration of neuropeptide precursors, but in its amazing
positive effect on the nervous system in general, and specifically on the
pituitary, pineal, and hypothalamic structures. AFA is an elixir for the
brain-mind complex... AFA specifically enhances the hypothalamus, the
pineal and pituitary glands...

Over the years, people taking AFA have consistently reported an overall increase
in mental alertness, mental stamina, short and long-term memory,
problem-solving ability, creativity, dream recall, ... and a greater sense of
well-being and centeredness.

AFA may have antidepressive and other healing effects as well. I observed
one person who had been chronically depressed for most of her life snap out
of her depression one day after beginning treatment with the AFA. In another
case, a four-year-old mute patient, who had been previously diagnosed as
autistic, began to talk after one month on the AFA. These unique cases
support my contention that AFA has some specific effect on brain energetics
and function.

Because of these brain-enhancing qualities, I became interested in exploring
the effect of AFA on Alzheimer's disease. In my preliminary research, which
was published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine in the 1985 Winter /
Spring Issue, I reported positive effects in both of two closely followed
clients. Each had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease at highly
respected university medical centers.

One client was a 66-year-old woman with a seven-year history of Alzheimer's
disease who, after six months, showed a partial reversal of her disease. Her
response to the AFA seemed to level off after six months and no further
improvement was noted. The second case involved a 64-year-old lawyer who had
suffered with Alzheimer's for three years. He seemed to be going downhill
rapidly. After one month on high doses of AFA his degenerative process
seemed to be arrested and he remained in this stabilized condition for three
more years -- until his wife discovered that spirulina was cheaper than AFA
and began to give him spirulina instead. Once off the AFA his condition
began to deteriorate. The degeneration was slowed down when she put him back
on the AFA. This unintended experiment highlights the difference in effect
between AFA and spirulina.

These two cases do not prove that AFA cures Alzheimer's disease, but suggest
it may be possible to temporarily halt the progression of the disease, to
partially reverse or even help prevent it. It would take a comprehensive
study to make any definitive statements about its effect on Alzheimer's and,
as of yet, no study has been done.

There are three main companies that harvest AFA blue-green algae... All
three companies at this time claim to do regular algae toxicology testing
as well as micro screening for daphnia, a small water flea. They all test
for physical contaminants. There is no evidence at this time that any of
the algae harvested by the three companies have any problems with algae
toxins.

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Gabriel Cousens, M.D., is a physician and author.
He is co-director of the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia, AZ.

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If you are a caretaker or spouse of a person with Alzheimer's and would like
more information about AFA Algae or wish to be part of a study, to further
test Dr. Cousen's preliminary research please leave an e-mail reply. Study
results will be summitted to the Alzheimer Society.