Calls on Congress, White House to Promote Prevention Strategies

(TUCSON, Ariz.) --- Declaring that the integration of natural and conventional therapies can play a significant role in delaying the onset of brain degenerative diseases, a non-profit education foundation has called on the federal government to help promote integrative strategies in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.  The Alzheimer’s Prevention Foundation International today issued statements to the White House and Congress, expressing disappointment that “the national dialogue on Alzheimer’s disease, and a vast majority of the federal research conducted to unlock the mystery behind the diagnosis, continues to focus almost entirely on drug-based treatment.”  Citing clinical evidence suggesting that diet and lifestyle have a profound effect in keeping Alzheimer’s at bay, the foundation highlighted the cost-effective opportunity that it says exists now to respond to the rising epidemic.

“We are looking to our nation’s leaders to help restore hope to individuals and families that aging need not be a process of brain degeneration,” stated Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., President and Medical Director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Foundation International.  “Rather, aging can be a time of regeneration,” he continued, “and the pathway to brain regeneration is through integrative medicine.”  The foundation’s educational platform is based on what it calls the four pillars of Alzheimer’s prevention: diet and nutritional supplementation, stress management, physical and cognitive exercise, and pharmaceutical medications and hormones.  When integrated, these components form a unique strategy that has been shown in clinical studies to promote optimum brain health. 

In addition to Congress and the White House, the foundation will also be working to convey this message to the National Institute on Aging, in an effort to broaden the scope of Alzheimer’s prevention research to explore integrative approaches.  “Researching preventive strategies in a conventional paradigm has not done much to meet the needs of the 4 million people who suffer from the killer disease,” said Khalsa, noting that 14 million people might be diagnosed by the year 2040.  “But research based on an integrative model combines the best of good science with the best of good sense,” he concluded, “and that is a critical step along the journey to eradicate the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s.” 

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