Physical Wellness
Plant-Based Diet, Meditation Among Secrets of Alzheimer's Patients to Beat Deadly Disease
Two individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease are publicizing their success stories in combatting the condition through fundamental lifestyle adjustments.
Featured in a new CNN documentary titled "The Last Alzheimer's Patient," Cici Zerbe shared her positive experiences after transitioning to a plant-based diet and integrating a rigorous exercise and wellness regimen.
Despite lamenting the absence of her cherished veal cutlets over the past five years, Zerbe attributed her symptom alleviation to meditation, exercise and dietary changes.
Zerbe is part of a clinical trial directed by Dr. Dean Ornish, investigating the effects of significant lifestyle modifications on early dementia and mild cognitive impairment associated with Alzheimer's Disease. Results from this study are anticipated to be disclosed next month, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Another participant in the trial, Simon Nicholls, echoed Zerbe's sentiments, detailing his remarkable progress following lifestyle modifications. With a heightened Alzheimer's risk due to possessing two copies of the APOE4 gene, Nicholls, at 55, witnessed notable enhancements after embracing similar lifestyle changes.
"I was very worried," Nicholls said to Dr. Sanjay Gupta during the recorded interview. "I have a three-year-old son and an eight-year-old son. It's really important for me, as I get older, to try and be there for them in the future."
"There are many [changes] in lifestyle you can do to hopefully push the disease backwards and give yourself more time, which is all we need until we find a cure."
Motivated by familial experiences with dementia, particularly his mother's decline attributed to what was presumed to be Alzheimer's, Nicholls expressed a strong desire for a prolonged period of good health, followed by a swift decline.
"For the last 10 years of her life, she just sat in a chair, rocking, while on about 14 medications. I'd much rather have a longer health span and then just go quickly," Nicholls said, the New York Post reported.
Under the guidance of preventative neurologist Dr. Richard Isaacson, Nicholls adhered to a comprehensive regimen that included the medication tirzepatide, dietary alterations eliminating sugar and processed foods in favor of a plant-based diet, and a rigorous exercise routine encompassing strength training and cardiovascular activities.
"I love going for a walk every morning at sunrise for an hour and a half with a podcast. I get in 10,000 steps or more every day. I'm very consistent," Nicholls revealed. "I also do a very slow full-body workout with weights three times a week for an hour's time."
Dr. Isaacson expressed astonishment at Nicholls' rapid progress, noting the disappearance of Alzheimer's biomarkers within a relatively short timeframe.
'When I first saw Simon, he had a bit of a middle, like most guys in their 50s. When I saw him at nine weeks, I did a double take. He was totally buff, ripped even," Isaacson noted.
"Within those nine weeks, he had lost 21 pounds, about 80 percent of that fat, and put on muscle, which was excellent," Isaacson recalled. "I almost didn't recognize him."
While refraining from categorizing the outcomes as "reversal," Dr. Isaacson noted the optimism surrounding the encouraging findings observed in Nicholls and fellow patients.
Join the Conversation