More than one million Alzheimer's patients are misdiagnosed

False dementia — this is your brain on drugs

You might have heard recently that Alzheimer’s is even more deadly than we thought.

The CDC lists Alzheimer’s disease as the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. But new research says AD should come in as number three, right behind heart disease and cancer.

Sorry — I’m not buying it.

Don’t get me wrong. I understand how horrible AD is. I had an uncle who died of Alzheimer’s, so when I have one of those “off” days, or a serious memory lapse, I wonder, “Is this it? Is this how it starts?” After all, it could just as easily be me, you, or anyone. We learn to live in the shadow of that dread.

So I’m not questioning that the toll of Alzheimer’s is huge and tragic.

But one of the primary tragedies of AD is this shocking irony: as many as a million or more U.S. Alzheimer’s patients DON’T actually have Alzheimer’s. And many of the patients in that group — maybe MOST of them — could be lifted out of their “disease” in a matter of days.

This is a stunning revelation. And it should be well known. It should be front and center in every Alzheimer’s discussion. But it’s flying under the radar. And way too many people are suffering needlessly.

Two years ago, a study of 1,000 autopsies revealed that as many as 30 percent of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s had been misdiagnosed.

This was not a shock for some AD researchers who already knew the truth about this disease. They say that more than 100 conditions — some as simple as vitamin deficiency — can mimic Alzheimer’s.

One of those conditions is over-medication. And as “conditions” go, this one is an out of control monster. Dozens of drugs can mimic symptoms of dementia. Some of them are obvious, such as tranquilizers, sleep aids and anti-psychotics. But drugs for blood pressure, acid reflux and incontinence can do the same. Statins are famous for causing brain fog and even temporary amnesia.

And what happens when the drugs are taken away? One doctor told The Wall Street Journal that symptoms vanish in many cases. “I have had people referred to me with a clear history of dementia and when I started to peel back the medications, they were much better.”

As I’ve said before, never trust a patent drug. Never. At some point you might need a drug to save your life or relieve excruciating pain that nothing else can touch. Otherwise, avoid drugs at all costs. With just one or two common meds in your system, you might find yourself diagnosed with a hopeless case of dementia.

If you have a family history of Alzheimer’s, click here to read about the one vitamin that has been shown to actually slow Alzheimer’s progression and help prevent cognitive decline.

Sources:

New study ranks Alzheimer’s as third-leading cause of death, after heart disease and cancer: (washingtonpost.com)

Detective Work: The False Alzheimer’s Diagnosis: (online.wsj.com)

More than one million Alzheimer’s patients are misdiagnosed