ReCODE/ PreCODE
Nothing strikes terror in the hearts and minds of most middle-aged folks I know quite like the prospect of losing one's faculties— and becoming dependent on the goodwill and limitless patience of a loved one to take over your activities of daily living, slowly or quickly losing not only your sense of self but your connection to the world and ones you enjoy and love— and who love and enjoy you back.
​
I know because I was one of them.
​
And being a caregiver for someone with Alzheimer's or other non-Alzheimer's cognitive decline is a top risk factor for ending up there yourself. If you are like me and most of my living-life-to-the-fullest, lifelong learner contemporaries, neither do you want to ever be a lifelong burden on a spouse, friend or family member nor do you really want to be on the other end of that bargain.
​
Since about 2017 when he published his first book, "The End of Alzheimer's," Dr. Dale Bredesen and his amazing (and growing) team of collaborators the world over have painstakingly assembled the first-ever brain health community dedicated to the prevention and reversal of cognitive decline. The interventions they found most effective—the ReCODE (for reversal) and PreCODE (for prevention) Programs— are designed to fit anyone, whether you’re already showing symptoms or merely hoping to prevent them.
​
But knowing these things— and acting on the information— as early as possible is key in most cases.
​
-
Watch the June 2023 Facebook Live session (YouTube link) Marama and Solcere founder and naturopathic physican Dr. Heather Sandison did with Dale Bredesen. (Second half is more engaging than first half)
-
Read or listen to Sally's story here.
-
Frank (Francis C. McNear) even wrote a book after he recovered. Find him here, his book here and an interview here.
-
Watch a 2021 Facebook Live discussion (Facebook link) of an earlier, similar study, with Julie G, Dr. Bredesen and Ram Rao.
-
Watch a 2021 Facebook Live reunion (Facebook link) with four of the original successes: Julie G, Sally, Kristin, Frank.
I invite you to consider this history-making, crowd-sourced sort of adventure. It is being honed, refined even simplified month by month. Become an active participant in your cognitive health, or the cognitive health of a loved one. By intervening early you have the best chance of success. By working together we are re-writing the Alzheimer’s story, one person at a time.
-M Barr, DAOM, LAc, IFMCP(c)
"The End of Alzheimer's" Dr. Dale Bredesen Cq Assessment: Check Your Cognitive Quotient. (Early Action Is Key To Reversal.)
The first step to addressing cognitive function begins with quantifying your current status. Take the free cognitive quotient “Cq” assessment, a test devised by Dale Bredesen MD, created specifically to detect early signs of neurological degeneration. Simply click on the image below.
ReCODE
The ReCODE Program delivers personalized information and resources for those experiencing cognitive decline who are seeking a reversal of symptoms and brain health optimization with the Bredesen Protocol. (sample report)
​
If you have a physician or nurse practitioner you already work well with, you can request the required labs through him or her. If not, Apollo Health can request them for you, at a special negotiated cost-plus price, approximately seven hundred dollars.
​
Because this type of healing can be slow (with most people beginning to notice real improvement at about the 6-month mark), both PreCODE and ReCODE ask that you commit to a 12-month program, but if seventy-five dollars a month for ReCODE feels prohibitive, the PreCODE program (at forty dollars monthly) is nearly as thorough if you can get the labs on your own.
PreCODE
PreCODE is intended for individuals who are asymptomatic and interested in prevention of cognitive decline. It was designed for adults of any age with a family history of dementia, with risk factors such as pre-diabetes or inflammation, and for all of us who are over 45 years of age. (sample report)
​
If you have a physician or nurse practitioner you already work well with, you can request the required labs through him or her. If not, Apollo Health can request them for you, at a special negotiated cost-plus price: approximately two hundred and fifty dollars.
​
Both PreCODE and ReCODE ask that you commit to a 12-month program, as this is really a lifetime commitment to changing or at least upgrading how you might think about food, indoor-outdoor life balance and selfcare. At the current time (January 2022), the PreCODE program offers the same core features of ReCODE minus the hormone, heavy metals and vitamin levels testing-- and with less follow-up support-- for just over a dollar a day.
