Ticket Holders Departure

A Compact Fearless Fighter

She stood just 4’-11’’tall when she was in good health and weighed in at 93lbs. She more than made up for her diminutive size with the will and determination of a boxing champion.

On October 17th 2012, my mother, Beatrice L. Dodson passed away. She was 87 years of age. She surrendered her ticket stub for the journey back home to her Source as well as ours.

Bea, as she preferred to be called, passed away while she was a resident of the Sherwood Healthcare Center in East Sacramento. We were compelled to place her there last year due to the combined difficulties of her health and cognitive issues arising from diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. 

Adapting to the environment of a nursing home was very difficult at first for mom. Filled with anger, fury and the inability to comprehend that she needed 24 hour around the clock care, and that she could no longer care for herself nor could dad alone provide for her needs. The folks at Sherwood worked with us from the get-go to make mom feel less threatened and more at ease  while under their care.  It was a thirteen month uphill battle but gradually the wonderful staff of Sherwood succeeded in making mom feel at home. 

Part of what mom struggled with was accepting and allowing for the fact that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She already knew that she had been living with diabetes for the past 15 or so years. In her mind, it was only the diabetes that was eating at her health and nothing else. She clung to this notion even though all of us around her had been witness to her profound cognitive decline, changes in her behaviors and changes in what came out of her mouth.

And so we watched mom transition through the stages. First denial, then anger and frustration, followed by depression and then, little by little, acceptance of what was.

Mom was a fighter and though of Mexican-American ancestry, appeared to have carried all of the lucky charm and good fortune of one who claims as much by virtue of their being Irish. On three different occasions, mother appeared to be declining in her weight, interest in food, struggling under her medications, and so was placed under Hospice Care. In each of the 3 occasions, mom eventually rallied, started to eat more, put on weight and increased her social interaction with those around her as well as her immediate cna’s and nurses. 

Farewell Beforehand

Two days before she passed away, I received a call from the supervising senior nurse that mom was again shutting down, refusing all food, water and no longer responding to her care givers. I was strongly urged to get down to the nursing home which I did.  

Once I entered the room, it was apparent by her labored breathing, the rice-crispy sound in her lungs and the vacant dolls-eyes look from under her eyelids that mom was laboring hard to hang on. I had the opportunity to spend two hours with her alone, stroking her hair, wiping down the perspiration from her brow and talking softly to her. Though she never moved nor responded outwardly in any way, I believe she could hear all of what I was saying to her.

I told her that we were all so proud of her in what she provided to us as a mother to her sons and as a wife and partner to dad. 

I shared with her that she had fought a long and valiant fight with one disease that could not be won and the other disease that had already robbed her of so much of her health and energy.

I tenderly conveyed to her that it was OKAY to let go of the fight and the holding on. We all understood and urged her to LET GO and return home to her three sisters who had preceeded her in passing, to her mom and dad and beloved grandparents.

According to the experts, I guess what I was doing, what seemed to me as a natural flowing thing to do was to extend permission to mom to let go and to go home. The words just seemed to flow out of my mouth. I don’t recall thinking about what I was saying to her beforehand. 

Her Last Rally

At the end of my time with her, I called my wife Penny, informing her of mom’s status. Penny listened and agreed to pick up dad and come quickly. I then called dad, gave him a quick rundown on how mom appeared and alerted him that Penny was going to pick him up.

While waiting for my wife and dad to arrive, a couple of the nurses popped in to check on how mom was doing. Quick glances to verify that she appeared unresponsive and shutting down.

Penny and dad arrived in about an hour. Dad was speaking to one of the nurses as he and Penny entered the room. Mom heard dad’s voice and slowly opened her eyes and turned her head his way as he lowered himself into a chair at her bedside. She managed a slight smile and a “Hello Honey,” to dad. This was dad’s invitation to lean over and give her a kiss. She kept her eyes open and kept her gaze upon dad as he talked to her for a short while. Mom exchanged a few words with dad in conversation.

Voices within a room carry very well at Sherwood, and since mom’s room was perhaps 20 feet away from the nurses’ station, the duty nurse could hear mom engaged with dad in conversation. The duty nurse made a beeline for the room followed by another one moments later. Each, glancing back and forth between Penny and I with quizical looks while taking in the chat between dad and mom who less than a half an hour before was unresponsive and appeared unconscious. What they were watching should not have been happening.  Bea’s Irish luck again for a fourth time?

Gradually, mom fell off to sleep once more while dad talked to her. In a while she became slack-jawed. After a few minutes of observation, my dad couldn’t resist an attempt at humor. Dad glanced at me with a grin as he said, “Honey, that fly on the wall is going to make himself at home if you don’t close your mouth.” Mom didn’t react or move, but she closed her mouth in a snap. Dad grinned again, self-satisfied  and content that she was still with us.

Next, brother Ken arrived and sat next to dad. Ken spoke to her for a few minutes. She didn’t respond to him until he offered her some water from her glass with a straw. That merited a positive nod of her head. With Ken’s help, mom managed to sip down perhaps one third of her small  water-filled glass. 

Ken next asked her if she’d like a Pepsi? An affirmative nod to that one. Dad glanced at me with a grin again, enchanted by the moment and the possibility that maybe...just one more time....mom was going to show off her amazing run of  getting back up after a knockdown.

Ken disappeared down the hallway and returned moments later with a ice-cold bottle of Pepsi.

Through a straw, mom responded enthusiastically and sipped away. Ken and dad were exchanging big wide grins. What magic had they conjured up here?

Ken decided to go for broke. He asked mom if she’d like to have one of her high-energy milk shake drinks? The one that she seemed to prefer over any kind of solid food throughout her stay at Sherwood. The milk shake drink got the affirmative nod.

I broke away, went and retrieved one from the nurses station, and brought it back to Ken. The duty nurse followed me back to the room, further intrigued at what was going on with Beatrice. She, along with the rest of us watched as Ken succeeded in getting mom to sip away at maybe half of the kind of milk shake drink she could never get enough of. 

While this was all going on...it hit me. Mom was staging this rally for dad and Ken. She and I had already had our private shared time earlier. Mom seemed to know that Ken and dad needed something more dramatic.  We were witnessing her final performance: giving back a small measure of validation to two of her men-folk that needed attention in a different way than her eldest son. It was all ok by me. 

Two days later, Penny received a call from Sherwood. Mom Dodson had passed away at 4:40 pm. on Wednesday October 17th 2012. 

Mom had finally turned in her ticket to be punched for her journey home. God Bless You Mom.

We Love You and Admire Who You Were.

Jeff Dodson

October 30th 2012

Deep Truth: A Book Review

What if the civilized world as we know it turned out to be at least twice as old as we have been led to believe?  What if our world operates and behaves according to geological and climatic cycles that renew themselves every 5,125 years, some every 41,000 years and some that occur every 100,000 years apart? What if there was scientific research and data that proved beyond any reasonable doubt that humankind reflects a design put into place all at once instead of a life form evolving randomly through a drawn out evolutionary process?

These are the kinds of questions that tweaked my curiosity about this book along with disclosing some of the latest research involved in archeology and history: fields that I love to read about.

Gregg Braden’s book, Deep Truth,  digs into the very latest research of the hard sciences associated with archeology, our biology and DNA, and our geological climate history. Having done so, Gregg then lays out six areas of discovery which are then discussed in detail. Each area offer up evidence of a world that has grown and evolved cyclically in ways that we either never took the time to take notice of or missed altogether.

Deep Truth will take time to read through it, understand, then grasp the significance of the arguments it offers up. Some of the research disclosed may surprise you. All of it however is designed to put a spotlight upon collective assumptions and beliefs we, as a global society, have held dear for a long time that, in light of modern research,  simply are wrong or don’t add up correctly anymore.

The book dives into detail about each of the following topics Gregg categorizes as a Deep Truth.

1. Deep Truth #1

Our willingness to accept what science is revealing about our origins and history. 

2. Deep Truth #2

Our mainstream educational systems lag far behind when it comes to incorporating new discoveries and theories. Our usage of the principles of the scientific method have been ignored or misapplied. 

3. Deep Truth #3

Our survival depends upon building partnerships based upon mutual aid and cooperation in order to adapt to changes. We are currently contending with multiple worldwide crises involving our environment and the long term cyclical patterns of global climate change. 100,000 year cycles, to name one.

4. Deep Truth #4

New archeological discoveries of advanced civilizations and cultures that were flourishing near the end of the last ice age (10 - 11,000 years ago) as well as their decline and disappearance.

5 Deep Truth #5

Based upon a wealth of multidiscipline scientific data, our species reflects a design that was put into place all at once rather than a life-form emerging randomly through a long term evolutionary 

process such as what Charles Darwin's book, On the Origin of Species, advocated.

6. Deep Truth #6

A conclusion of more than 400 peer-reviewed studies has revealed that our deepest instincts are cooperation and nurturing rather than violence (war) and competition.

Gregg discusses the pain and discomfort we are experiencing globally as a species and refers to the four simultaneous threats as the Tipping Points of Change. These tipping points are: world climate change, an unsustainable world population (already nearly 7 billion), extreme poverty, and acute shortages of food and water.

Woven through this book along with the scientific data is a parallel narrative about the positive spiritual side to our species and our amazing propensity for cooperation and fair treatment to others that will be a crucial ingredient in bringing all of us together to counter and resolve these Tipping Points of Change.

Gregg along with a number of our most respected scientists, offer hope and reassurance that we can successfully steers ourselves away from each and every one of the tipping points that now threaten us if we are willing to embrace looking at who we are and where we came from in the light of what modern science is now revealing to us. 

A quote in the book from Albert Einstein had this to say about the change that is necessary: 

“A new type of thinking is essential in mankind is to survive and move toward higher levels.”

There is a substantial presentation of scientific facts, figures, tables and data disclosed in this book that may take some readers time to get through and digest. Still, for me, I enjoyed reading Deep Truth and found it both informative and enlightening.

Jeff Dodson

October 28th 2012

Dying To Be Me: A Book Review

For starters, this book, Dying To Be Me, was an amazing read.

It is a book about the agony and torture of the relentless spread of cancer. It is also about an opportunity for redemption that arises out of Anita Moorjani’s  NDE as she feels herself leave her body and, for a brief period, being allowed a glorious preview of what eternal and joyous life is like after our body physically dies.

Anita’s account of her NDE experience reminded me of what author, Betty Eadie, shared in her book, Embraced By The Light, published back in 1994 by Gold Leaf Press.

Anita's experiences that I found  wondrous were:

1. Stepping outside of linear time

The sensation of stepping outside of the physical boundaries of what we know 

of as linear time. In her NDE, every sensation, every visual image, every thought was available to Anita to absorb or experience in an instant, irrespective of whether the event occurred 20 years ago, 10 days ago or was actually in the present moment. In other words, in the ‘real time’ realm of where she had traveled to, any experience could be viewed or manifested on the spot without the barrier of time acting as a barrier or shield.

2. The analogy of the darkened warehouse

I loved her analogy of wandering through a gigantic darkened warehouse filled with wonder and visual treasures with only something akin to a small penlight. Then, flip the switch that turns on hundreds of bright floodlights and the scope and depth of the warehouse and it’s contents are now revealed.

3. Remote sensing ability

Her ability to tune in on remote events, conversations, and even the personal feelings of her family, medical personal and others, many of whom were far from her hospital room or separated by a considerable distance. Remote sensing is the parapsychology term that applies to this phenomenon.

The following excerpt of Anita's describes her feelings and observation of herself while outside of her own body:

“Ohh...I’m dying. Is this what it feels like? It’s nothing like I ever imagined. I feel so beautifully peaceful and calm...and I feel healed at last!”

“I was still acutely aware of every detail unfolding before me as I observed the medical team wheeling my near-lifeless body to the intensive care unit. They were surrounding me in an emotional frenzy, hooking me up to machines while poking and prodding me with needles and tubes.

I felt no attachment to my limp body as it lay there on the hospital bed. It didn’t feel as though it were mine. It looked far too small and insignificant to house what I was experiencing. I felt free, liberated, and magnificent! Every pain, ache, sadness, and sorrow was gone. I was completely unencumbered, and I couldn’t recall feeling this way before ---not ever.”

Whew! Pretty remarkable disclosures of what her experience was like. Imagine being allowed a dress rehearsal exposure to the extraordinary, then being graced with the ability to return to our physical world to report about it to others.

As caregivers in our personal lives of four aging parents suffering from the effects of both stroke and Alzheimer’s induced dementia, Anita’s story renews the hope and faith of my wife and I that something wonderful awaits each of our parents when their time to go home arrives.

Anita Moorjani made a courageous decision to share her very personal and private though astonishing story with us that encompasses a miraculous healing and a mesmerizing tour of the hereafter. 

This book is a must read. If you enjoyed reading the story of 4 year old Colton Burpo and his NDE as told in, Heaven Is For Real, you will find Anita Moorjani’s book heartwarming and reinforcing of your own faith in a spiritual Creator and Source.

Jeff Dodson

September 14th 2012

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are unbiased and reflect my honest judgment of the product.

Alzheimer’s: A Natural Part Of The Aging Process?

image courtesy of pintrest.com

Earlier this week, I received an e-mail inquiry from WEGO Health inviting my participation in educating folks about AD and also challenging and dispelling one of the many myths that involve dementia and AD.  I choose to write about  was this one and submit a copy of my response to them.

Is Alzheimer’s a natural part of the aging process?

Patently false. In a nutshell.
This is just one of the many misguided and untruthful myths that has been swirling around for decades.

The World Health Organization 2012 Report entitled, Dementia: A Public Health Priority, had this to say about dementia (of which Alzheimer’s is but one type):

“The world’s population is aging. Improvements in health care in the past century have contributed to people living longer and healthier lives. However, this has also resulted in an increase in the number of people with non communicable diseases, including dementia. Although dementia mainly affects older people, it is not a normal part of aging (Italics added).  Dementia is a syndrome, usually of a chronic or progressive nature, caused by a variety of brain illnesses that affect memory, thinking, behavior and ability to perform everyday activities.”

The presence of this false belief worldwide serves as a roadblock to obtaining a timely diagnosis, appropriate medical treatment and helpful medications for the affected individual and educational guidance for families and caregivers.

Chapter One of the same WHO 2012 Report disclosed the following:

“There is a lack of awareness and understanding of dementia, at some level, in most countries. It is often considered to be a normal part of aging or a condition for which nothing can be done. This affects people with dementia, their caregivers and families, and their support structure in a number of ways. Low awareness levels contribute to stigmatization and isolation. Poor understanding creates barriers to timely diagnosis and to accessing ongoing medical and social care, leading to a large gap in treatment.”

The propensity for developing AD does increase with age, particularly so from age 85 onward, but it is by no means a certainty. In March of  this year, the Alzheimer’s Association released a report entitled, 2012 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts And Figures.

The following statistics were cited:
One in eight people age 65 and older (13 percent) has Alzheimer’s Disease.
Nearly half of people age 85 and older (45 percent) have Alzheimer’s Disease.

These numbers are sobering but do not support the myth that Dementia /Alzheimer’s is a normal part of aging.

What is needed is further education about the facts underlying dementia and its nearly 70 variations including  Alzheimer's. Education leads to empowerment and better choices about diagnosis, treatment and obtaining the best medications.

Two recent bright spot articles appeared in the online resource, Science Daily. Both featured studies  focusing on  older citizens who seemed to somehow be protected from the degradation of dementia.

The first article entitled, Resistance to Dementia May Run in the Family, was published on August 15th 2012. A small study of 277 male veterans that had been conducted by Dr. Jeremy M. Silverman of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. The finding revealed that people who are free of dementia and  who have higher levels of what is called C-reactive protein have relatives who are more likely to avoid the disease as well. A protective genetic element appears to be the underlying finding here.

The second article entitled, Secrets of ‘Super-Ager’ Brains: Elderly Super-Agers Have Brains That Look and Act Decades Younger Than Their Age, was published on August 16th 2012. A study conducted by Emily Rogalski, Assistant Research Professor at the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, identified a unique and perhaps, elite group of people age 80 and older who possess memories as sharp as people 20 to 30 years younger than them. In addition, brain scans disclosed that the outer layer of the brain, known as the Cortex, of these study participants closely resembled the cortex size of people between the ages of 50 to 65.

Something, as yet undiscovered and understood, seems to have conferred some kind of aging immunity to these select few seniors.

Finally, and again, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are collectively not part of the normal  aging process.

For more information, visit the following web sites:
Alzheimer’s Association  www.alz.org
Alzheimer’s Reading Room  www.alzheimersreasdingroom.com
Dementia Weekly  www.alzheimersweekly.com


Jeff Dodson
August 30th 2012

No Storm Lasts Forever: A Book Review

I have just completed reading my latest book by Dr. Terry A. Gordon entitled, No Storm Lasts Forever. 

Actually, I must confess that I don’t just read a book. I devour it. By the time I was finished with this book, it too resembled most all of the other books I have read and own: amply marked up with yellow highlighter underlining and lots of Post-It Notes crammed within, flagging pertinent passages.

Prior to choosing this book to read, I was unfamiliar with Dr. Gordon. I learned that he is a retired Invasive Cardiologist who practiced at Akron General Medical Center in Ohio for 20+ years. Dr. Gordon is also involved in “Steward’s Caring Place, a wellness facility for those touched by cancer and serves as a co-host of United Way’s “Doc’s Who Rock.” He is also the father of four children, including son Tyler whom the book is written about.

The book is written in a journal format encompassing 47 entries divided among three parts or sections. Journal writing is similar to diary writing though less structured and does not adhere to a methodical timeline of dated daily entries. Think of journaling as putting down words in black and white that help us reexamine what we have been through and what we have learned from it.

In my opinion, this work is a consummate effort by a father to share his feelings of pain and joy in coping with and supporting his seriously injured son along with his wife, family and friends. 

Dr. Gordon’s journal-book represents a testament to one’s faith in hope. Hope is and remains a choice for all of us no matter how dire our circumstances. It is a choice over the alternative which is deep despair, depletion of all of your energy and an overall disengagement from active living. Hope allows you the option to climb out of the wreckage after colliding with a stone wall. Despair, or rage will forever keep you pinned there, stuck in the pile of rubble--forever feeling your unhealed wounds. Hope is the promise that a positive outcome is within our grasp.

In the book, Dr. Gordon invokes a quote by Lau-Tzu which is: “If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” This is certainly so when it comes to the choice of hope over despair, anger and rage. 

What I liked most about Dr. Gordon’s book was how he was drawn to nature and drew strength from what he observed both while in Colorado where his son was being treated and also back home where he resides in Richfield, Ohio.

Dr. Gordon and especially his wife believe in the existence of Angels and their daily involvement in their lives. Dr. Gordon shares the experience of one of these angelic visitations to his Tyler’s bedside while he was recuperating from his paralyzing injuries. My wife and I share the same belief in their existence and assistance to us as caregivers of four aging parents.

Dr. Gordon loves music and one of his favorite musicians is Kenny Loggins. I too became a fan of Kenny Loggins in the 1970’s when he sang, played and toured with Jim Messina.

This book will teach you that the unforeseen tragedies that can strike you or a loved one down carry within them seeds of opportunity as well.  Opportunity to transform and refine your life for the better as you heal and rebound from the disease, the accident or the misfortune. We can become better people, better spirits as a result of having lived through and endured the experience.

Jeff Dodson

August 16th 2012

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are unbiased and reflect my honest judgment of the product.

Seven Web Sites To Know About For Alzheimer’s

A long time friend of ours was visiting with my wife on the phone a couple of nights ago. During the conversation, she disclosed that a neighbor of hers had a loved one that was just diagnosed with AD. She asked my wife Penny where she might go to on the internet for more educational information about AD to share with her friend?

It has been a long time since I had compiled and updated a list of such web sites so the question caught me flat-footed.  Here I am blogging about the disease and have so for nearly four years, yet I have not created or maintained any kind of comprehensive list of AD web sites to refer folks to.

So after the call, I got inspired and thought it was an appropriate time to gather up all of the web sites that I visit regularly, have visited or have recently discovered that offer helpful and empowering information on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

1.  Alzheimer’s Association  www.alz.org/
This is a nationwide AD web site. Top down information from Congress, the National Institute of Health, international AD research and trial news and clinical trial updates are all featured at this site. They also offer a 24 hour help line at: 1-800-272-3900.

The Alzheimer’s Association is in constant lobbying contact with our policy makers and influential congressmen and women. Information pertaining to national and worldwide Alzheimer’s research initiatives can be found here.

2.  Alzheimer’s Reading Room  www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/
Bob DeMarco out of DelRay, Florida founded this site in 2003. He is to be commended for being one of the first caregivers and AD activists to offer a comprehensive set of links pertaining to all related dementia and AD topics all available through his site. According to The Alzheimer’s Reading Room’s own statistics, they  average approximately 60,000 readers per month.

This site features up to the minute articles along with his blog about everything in the news about AD along with cutting edge medical research and the latest clinical trials. There are also a wide variety of inspiring personal stories from both caregivers and those who have AD that wish to express their feelings and passions.

I recommend that you bookmark this web site for frequent visits to keep yourself educated on what is going on with AD.

3.  Dementia Weekly  www.alzheimersweekly.com/
This is another excellent educational web site. Whether you are new to the frightening world of dementia/AD care or a veteran caregiver, you’ll want to include a bookmark of this site as one of your go-to places to keep informed. A section called Caregiver News features a substantial variety of helpful topics each month. Current featured articles include: 10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Caregiver, Walking Styles Detect and Fight Alzheimer's, and, The Alzheimer’s - Diabetes Connection: Much More Than Coincidence.

This web site also features an active Blog section, a Library Learning Center for on-line educational articles and a section entitled, Ask Nurse Dina. Here, visitor questions can be submitted to a nurse with over 20 years of experience with dementia/AD patients. Dina Adelman is a licensed and registered nurse in New York and New Jersey.

4.  Alzheimer’s Disease. Com  www.alzheimersdisease.com/
This  is an informational site sponsored by the pharmaceutical firm, Novartis.
Novartis markets the dementia/AD medication, Exelon, along with other popular medications such as Lamisil, Lescol, and Reclast. Novartis is based in Basel, Switzerland and was formed in 1996 in a merger between Sandoz Labs and Ciba-Geigy.

This site offers “Conversations in Caregiving,” which currently features author as well as television and radio personality, Leeza Gibbons. Leeza wrote the book, “Take Your Oxygen First,” which is her own poignant personal story of caregiving for her AD diagnosed mother.


5.  Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation  www.alzinfo.org/
The Fisher Center Foundation was established in 1995 at Rockefeller University in New York City.  The web site is a winner of the 2011 Web Health Awards.  This is an in-depth, comprehensive informational site to learn more about AD, risk factors, and current medical research.

It features an Ask The Experts section, a Blog Section and a vast Resource Locator. The Resource Locator offers 32 different links to such topics as ADD Chapters, Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), MediCare information and Nursing Homes.

6.  The Mayo Clinic  www.mayoclinic.com/
This web site is the home of the famed Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota founded in 1889.
The Mayo Clinic is known across the United States for specializing in treating difficult cases. In 2011, the Mayo Clinic was ranked #3 in the United States overall out of 4,825 hospitals by US News & World Report.

Under the heading of Disease Conditions, Alzheimer’s Disease lists 124 written articles on a wide variety of educational topics including how to help your caregiver, helping children understand the disease, considering options for long term care, and, diabetes and alzheimer’s and how they are linked.

Under the Health Information header at the top of their page, a pull down menu directs you to a series of health and medical blogs including one specifically for AD. It is written and authored by Mayo Clinic Educational Outreach Coordinator, Angela Lunde. There are plenty of educational articles and reports at this web site.

The National Institute on Aging has established several Alzheimer’s Disease Centers around the United States. One of them is right in our Sacramento, California back yard. The address is as follows:

7.   Alzheimer’s Disease Center University of California Davis
www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/alzheimers/
This web site is designed to serve primary care doctors, caregivers, students and medical researchers. It also features links for Spanish speaking readers and African-American’s who suffer from a much higher risk of vascular disease. An underlying condition of vascular disease substantially increases the possibility of developing dementia/AD as a person ages.

The UC Davis Medical Center is located in Sacramento at 4860 Y Street, Suite 3700, Sacramento, California. An information line is set up at: 916-734-5496. Fax: 916-703-5290

If you suspect a dementia/AD problem with yourself or a family loved one, it is important to see your family doctor or primary care physician. They in turn can refer you to a neurological specialist who can arrange for further diagnostic testing to make a more accurate diagnosis.

Although Alzheimer’s Disease is the most predominant type of dementia diagnosed, there are approximately 30 different kinds of dementia, some of which, mimic or present themselves with AD like symptoms but are not AD.

Start with your doctor and medical professionals. Then start the process of educating yourself and your family more about this disease.


Jeff Dodson
July 31st 2012

Applying The Brake Pedal To Alzheimer’s?

Vancouver, Canada was the scene this past week of the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2012 (AAIC 2012). It was attended by some 4300 research scientists and neurologists from around the globe. The program included presentation of cutting edge drug trial findings, the latest refined diagnostic scans, and all research related to diagnosing and eventually halting AD.

Baxter International’s medication, IVIG/Gammagard, was one of the featured medications that  had its study findings presented after its successful passage through a Phase II Clinical Trial identified as NCT # 002999988. That trial enrolled a  group of volunteers numbering less than 30.

Gammagard is now about to undergo a much larger study of just over 400 enrollees who are currently being recruited at 37 study site locations in a Phase III Clinical Trial identified as NCT # 01524887.  Passing a Phase III Clinical Trial is essential prior to the next step of seeking FDA approval for Gammagard.

Gammagard is a human blood product administered intravenously.  Within each dose are the antibodies from the plasma of more than 1000 blood donors.

Gammagard works by applying the brakes to the deterioration process caused by the buildup of protein clumps called amyloid plaques. It also puts the brakes on the damage that is caused by inflammation.  It offers hope, for the first time, of long-term stabilization of AD symptoms.

What it does not do is heal or restore any of the damage already done to the brain. Neither does it bring back the memories, cognitive abilities or the executive function of the brain that have been taken away.

Two other medications that had their study results presented were Pfizer Pharma’s  Bapineuzumab, and  Ely Lilly’s drug, LY2062430, otherwise known as Solanezumab.

Sadly, in an announcement on Monday July 23rd, and just days after the AAIC Conference,  Pfizer disclosed that their drug, Bapineuzumab, had failed to meet all of the threshold requirements of passing its Phase III Trial.

I posted my first blog article about Alzheimer’s medications in February 2010. Listed among the promising new medications at the time were Baxter’s IVIg 10%, now being called Gammagard.

I went back through my AD Clinical Trial research notes from late 2007 into early 2008. At that time, I noted that some 90 new drugs were in the trials pipeline. Bapineuzumab was one of them. This drug, at the time, was listed as a humanized monoclonal anti AB antibody.

The washout rate of new drugs from the time of introduction to receiving FDA approval for the marketplace is brutal and a very long odds endeavor. In 2007 the odds were 1 out of every 1000 new medications making it all the way to market.  The timeline from laboratory to marketplace back then ranged between 12 to 15 years. The present need, in terms of the demand for dementia and Alzheimer’s medications, is for this timeline to be compressed down to something like 3 to 5 years.

Medical researchers today now have access to some of the world’s fastest supercomputers in an effort to speed up the basic research involving an astonishing number of protein molecules, neuron cells, intracellular components and cell structures, all of which must be examined in an effort at cracking the code, the armor and the camouflage of Alzheimer’s Disease.

We cross our fingers that the effectiveness of both Gammagard and Solanezumab will survive the trials and testing ahead of them in order to reach the marketplace.

The race is on for first stopping AD altogether, then, a cure. 2020 to 2025 is the present future deadline being spoken of  for such breakthroughs. That is just eight to thirteen years away.  Just 4 years ago, as previously noted above, there were only 90 new medications in the clinical trial pipeline for dementia and AD.


As of July 2012, there are now 930 new drugs in that pipeline, 200 of which are in Phase III trials.

A new medication that successfully makes it to a Phase III trial has approximately a 60% chance of reaching the public marketplace.

Our sense of urgency has started to take hold.

Now hear this: “Research scientists, Keep the gas pedal floored!”


Jeff Dodson
July 27th 2012