PET project While I'll always hold that Nature knows best, I can also say with no hesitation that not all medical technology is bad. Without it, we wouldn't have techniques like the magnetic molecular energizer (MME), which has virtually miraculous results for a vast array of conditions. Now there's another new advancement that's making inroads in diagnosing one of the hardest conditions to detect: Alzheimer's. In fact, this new technique can help predict Alzheimer's years before the actual onset of the disease, which could allow people to take more intense measures to ward it off or -- at the very least -- delay it. The technique, which was designed by researchers at UCLA, uses a chemical called FDDNP in conjunction with PET scans. The FDDNP binds to amyloid plaque and nerve tangles in the brain. These two things are the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease and cause the cognitive decline associated with it by inhibiting messages that the brain is trying to process. But when the FDDNP attaches to them, PET scans can pick them out much more easily than other Alzheimer's diagnostic measures currently being used. In fact, the UCLA researchers found that the FDDNP was 98 percent accurate in diagnosing cases of Alzheimer's. Sound too good to be true? Well, here's the catch: Five of the researchers involved in this study stand to make a lot of money from FDDNP since it's a chemical that can be patented. That also means that if and when it becomes available, it will undoubtedly be very expensive for patients. I'll admit I'm wary. But there have been a few instances of mainstream medicine making good over the years, so for now all we can do is hope for the best. And in the meantime, if you have a family history of Alzheimer's disease, you should certainly be taking steps to protect yourself from the same fate. For Dr. Wright's advice on doing just that, refer back to the March 2006 issue of Nutrition & Healing, available free to subscribers at www.wrightnewsletter.com. What is...a PET scan? The term PET stands for Positron Emission Tomography. Scans using this technology involve injecting a small amount of radioactive glucose into a vein and making detailed, computerized images of areas inside the body where the glucose is used.
Source:
"New chemical is said to provide early sign of Alzheimer's disease," Reuters Health news, 12/21/06
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