Viewpoint: Peggy Sarlin’s ‘Awakening from Alzheimer’s’ offers ‘false claims, false hope’

[S]cientists are diligently working to understand [Alzheimer’s] disease and find an effective treatment. Others apparently think they needn’t bother. A journalist and singer/songwriter named Peggy Sarlin interviewed “cutting edge doctors” who are allegedly already successful at treating Alzheimer’s, sometimes with dramatic results. She wrote a book and produced an online video series, titled “Awakening from Alzheimer’s,” claiming that Alzheimer’s is for the most part preventable and it can be reversed in 9 out of 10 patients. Wowzers! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that were true?

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One of the doctors interviewed said there is an emerging consensus. I think you can see that there is no consensus at all, except that most experts agree that a healthy diet, exercise, adequate sleep and other lifestyle factors are important for general health and well being. Their promotion of a high fat diet (especially coconut oil) conflicts with the American Heart Association’s warnings against it. Many of them practice so-called “integrative” and “functional” medicine, which are basically excuses for doctors to make things up as they go along.

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Videos such as those done by Peggy Sarlin offer false hope. The real hope lies with researchers who are working hard to develop treatments and better ways to diagnose and prevent the disease and who understand the necessity of controlled experiments—research scientists who don’t just collect hypotheses, uncontrolled observations, and patient testimonials.

Read full, original post: Hope and hype for Alzheimer’s