Melatonin for Alzheimer’s
never give up hope, if you do you will be dead already
Alzheimer’s Disease is a progressive loss of cognitive abilities, speech and language, problem solving skills, and memory. It also makes it very difficult for sufferers to care for themselves, relate to others, and know what’s real and what isn’t. Those with Alzheimer’s can become aggressive, paranoid, suspicious, demanding, depressed, anxious, and confused. As yet nobody understands the exact biochemistry of Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s is the cleverest thief, because she not only steals from you, but she steals the very thing you need to remember what’s been stolen. ~ Jarod Kintz
About 5.8 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, about 1 in 3 seniors will die from this disease, (or some other form of dementia), which is more than die from breast and prostate cancers combined. And, doctors will tell you that there is no effective treatment for this devastating disease.
However, clinical studies have shown that long term dosages of Melatonin, 5 to 15 mg per night over two years, significantly improve the quality of sleep for those who suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease, and ameliorate the effects of this horrible affliction.
Tamara Horner MHNE, ROHP / RNCP of Purple Almond Wellness discusses the effects and benefits of melatonin on Alzheimer’s disease in a couple of very detailed blog posts.
Melatonin is a naturally produced neurotransmitter that mostly comes from our Pineal Gland, it’s principal function is to regulate the circadian cycles, (day / night rhythm), within our brain and bodies, and as you would expect it’s closely linked to serotonin.
It seems that melatonin is a bit of a wonder hormone ~ some of it’s benefits are;
- It’s an anti-inflammatory agent, and it inhibits the secretion of amayloid plaque.
- Melatonin decreases excessive insulin secretion. Too much insulin will mess with your body and brain, and then kill you.
- Melatonin improves your overall hormone balance, it’s the regulator of every other hormone you produce and ingest.
- Toxins and oxidation are reduced in your body because melatonin scavenges the deadly free-radicals and protects your liver.
Melatonin deficiency causes; sleep disturbance, heart disease, cancers, type 2 diabetes, strokes, schizophrenia, Parkinskon’s Disease, and Alzheimer’s Disease.
You can buy synthetic melatonin over the counter at pharmacies, but it is also to be found naturally in;
- Fruits and vegetables. (avocado, cherries, asparagus, tomatoes, pomegranate, olives, grapes, broccoli, cucumber, and especially banana.)
- Grains. (rice, barley, rolled oats ~ but stay firmly away from anything containing wheat.)
- Nuts and Seeds. (walnuts, sunflower seeds, mustard seeds, almonds, pistachio, peanuts ~ but peanuts are not good for most people for other reasons.)
- Poultry, (turkey, chicken, duck.) Seafood, (cod, haddock, shrimp, salmon, tuna, sardines.)
Some say that exercise is the best sleep aid. And that a racing mind makes a bad pillow. All I know is that I’m going to go on taking my daily melatonin and following a Paleo diet.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
the brains of Alzheimer’s sufferers are pretty well fucked dysfunctional
Tunes on Tuesday ~ Nursie
doctors may think they’re important,
but it’s the nurses that get you well
This has got to be the shortest Jethro Tull track ever.
The nurses in this hospital have been very good to me, especially when I couldn’t get out of bed at all.
~
Jack Collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
none of my nurses look like this
Hospital Introspection
knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom
I think that it’s acceptable for me to be apprehensive, introspective, and a little depressed ~ I’m pretty certain this is day #5 of my lying on this hospital bed. I haven’t been able to get up at all, because of the tubes, drips, and because moving is painful for me. Being immobile on a hospital bed, with very little control of my own life, and very little privacy isn’t a joyous time.
At least the catheter was removed this morning, right after the phlebotomist took my blood for the umpteenth time. Nobody tells you that catheter removal is painful, and that there’s probably going to be blood. At least the nurses make me a cup of tea after they wake me up at 5 a.m. I thank them profusely for that.
As it happens I am not looking forward to going for a pee.
I have been trying to make the best of things;
We ought to hear at least one little song every day, read a good poem, see a first-rate painting, and if possible speak a few sensible words. ~ von Goethe
My concentration has come back sufficiently for me to do most of that ~ the sensible words thing may still be eluding me. Maybe the things I write on here contain a few sensible words.
One good thing has come out of this, I have realised that many of the people who know me on here, genuinely care about me and my welfare. I am pleased to call them my friends.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
I like the California desert
I wish I was there now
In Pain ~ In Hospital
hospital life sucks
In a hospital bed, in an 8 person ward, and I can’t even get out bed to go to the bathroom.
I’m having my blood taken every 4 hours, and my blood pressure tested ~ bp is 108 / 83, and my heart rate is 115, at 05:00 this morning.
Let me tell you a catheter is not fun.
Not as bad as the pain in my right kidney. Latest guess is it’s an infection, so I’m now on antibiotics But I know that stress and depression on its own can make you physically Ill.
Today I had my first bed bath, which was a little embarrassing, but not as embarrassing as having a catheter inserted into my penis by a lady doctor and a nurse.
Thank you all for your kind wishes. Lucky they have Wi-Fi in this hospital.
~
Jack Collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
This picture makes me feel happier
Recovery from Addiction
I understood myself only after I destroyed myself.
It used to be thought by many doctors, and those in 12-step recovery programs, that addiction was a disease in its own right. Conversely many people believed that alcoholism, drug abuse, compulsive gambling, and other addictions were due to personal weakness. That it was all down to the search for instant self-gratification, and that addicts were just unwilling to stop ~ or perhaps unable to stop drinking, using, gambling…..
However, medical science no longer believes that pleasure-seeking alone drives addicts into their own personal hell. Doctors and scientists now think that most engage in addictive behaviour not so much to attain euphoria as to escape physical, emotional, and spiritual pain and distress.
This is certainly true in my own case. From time to time I drink far too much, not because I like booze or it makes me feel good. I suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder, which is characterised by extreme emotions, and from time to time negative feelings such as anger, jealousy, paranoia, anxiety, and suicidal depression cause me so much physical, emotional, and spiritual pain that I escape into alcohol. And you know what? Drinking doesn’t really work.
In the USA 15.7 million people seriously abuse alcohol, and 2.6 million of those also suffer from a drug abuse disorder. In all some 7.7 million people in all use illicit drugs in the USA, and / or abuse prescription drugs. About 8% of the total population of the USA have a substance abuse problem. Many of these have multiple addictions ~ gambling, excessive use of pornography, and promiscuity also ruin lives. Doctors also believe that the type of addiction doesn’t matter at all; whether it be alcoholism, drug abuse, gambling, whatever….. all addictions are the same, addicts are people who try to escape physical, emotional, and spiritual distress.
Some 47,000 people a year die directly from an overdose of opiod drugs, and alcohol claims the lives of some 90,000 people a year. I know what that feels like, people who suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder have a 10% likelihood of committing suicide, which is over 1,000 times more than in the general population.
Some days I can barely breathe, I can’t eat and I can’t sleep. Some days I blame others for my pain and problems. Some days I am barely hanging on. And, some days life is pretty good.
The good news is that there are a number of effective treatments for addiction; including self-help strategies, psychotherapy, rehabilitation programs, and in some cases medication. (As it goes medication doesn’t work, and is actually dangerous for anyone with Borderline Personality Disorder.) But, I can protect myself from addiction by having meaningful and mindful interests in my life, together with supportive friendships. My problems and pain are very transient. And life isn’t always supposed to be fun and filled with pleasure, into every life a little rain must fall. Shit Happens
Some say that addiction only affects weak and pathetic people. And that there is no chance of recovery from any addiction. All I know is that I have many more good days than the bad days on which I hit the bottle.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
recovery doesn’t work for those who need it
recovery works for those who want it
you are your own enemy
We are each our own devil, and we make the world our hell.
You decide what to eat, how much alcohol you’re going to drink, how much rest and sleep you are going to get, whether you’re going to smoke cigarettes, how much fresh air and exercise you’re going to have, whether or not you’re going to take drugs (illegal drugs, prescription drugs, and over the counter medication), and how much stress you’re going to put yourself under before you stop and maybe meditate for a while.
And, more likely than not, you know what you should be doing for a healthier and longer life, as opposed to what you are actually doing with your life every day. The chances are that every day you’re putting your body, mind, and spirit under extreme stress by doing exactly the wrong things on purpose.
Our bodies are designed to self-heal, but if we keep putting our body, mind, and spirit under stress, then we are going to degenerate, get sick, get old, look old, become unfit and overweight, and die painfully long before we should.
Yet I know that everyone reading this wants to be fit, healthy, and happy ~ so why do so many people subject themselves to so much fucking crap, every single day?
- Be your own best carer. Too many of us spend too much time taking care of other people, when what they should be doing is practicing self-care and putting themselves first. If you make yourself ill, unfit, mentally sick, stressed-out, then you’re not going to be of much use to anyone else.
- Get back to nature. Get outdoors, get some fresh air and sunshine, breathe deeply of clean air, drink at least 3 pints of fresh clean water a day, enjoy the far horizons. If you spend a lot of time indoors, using a computer, drinking coffee, then the tiny electrical signals that actually operate your mind and body get screwed, so you’re tired and can’t think properly by the end of the day.
- Get plenty of sleep. Most people need 7 to 9 hours of good quality deep REM sleep. Don’t fall asleep in a chair in front of the TV. Make your bedroom a blackout zone. Go to bed the day before you get up. Don’t drink too much booze right before bedtime.
- Eat the right amount of good quality, healthy, organic food. Avoid processed foods. Drink those 3 pints of good clean water every day. Eat a high water content diet.
- Stop sabotaging yourself. Commit to self-care and practice it every single day. If you are addicted to anything: cigarettes, booze, drugs, gambling, binge eating, self-harm, anger, stress then find a cure. Be prepared to do whatever it takes to recover from your addiction.
Some say that they hate themselves. And, some people act as though they really do hate themselves. All I know is that these days I am a very cool guy, living a really great life.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
recently I stayed at the best B & B in all America
Recovering From Addictions
Every form of addiction is bad, no matter if it’s alcohol or marijuana
In yesterday’s post 10 things successful people do, I said that successful people stay healthy and overcome their addictions ~ well, it’s impossible to stay healthy in the long-term if you have a drugs habit, drink too much, or smoke. Alcoholism, drug abuse, and smoking will all kill you, especially if you are prey to all three. Most addicts have multiple addictions. Add gambling into the mix and you will die a horrible death, after you have lost everything you have.
There are NO exceptions to that rule.
You may think that you drink a little bit, use pot or coke just now and again, take a few too many of your prescription drugs, smoke the odd cigarette when you’re feeling stressed or happy, go to Vegas to gamble every once in a while….. It could be you have a problem you’re not admitting to yourself, and lying about to everyone else.
Denial is not a river in Egypt. Denial will kill you.
The very first step in overcoming an addiction is to admit that you have a problem. The first step in all 12 step recovery groups is to honestly admit that you have a problem. Your problem with booze, drugs, smoking, gambling, unsafe casual sex, erotica, pornography, dangerous pastimes, sugar, food….. may not be so bad ~ YET. Let me tell you, your problem will only get worse, unless you do something about it. And what you have to do is STOP drinking, smoking, using drugs, gambling, or whatever.
There is no such thing as controlled drinking, drug abuse, gambling…..
And, if you cannot stop, and if you still lie about it to yourself and others, then you are a true alcoholic, drug addict, compulsive gambler, long-term chain smoker, and you’re going to lose everything you have, and die horribly. Things may only be a little bit rocky now, but that’s ok for you, missing work once in a while isn’t so bad. Let me tell you, it is going to get worse if you do not completely stop drinking, using, smoking, gambling…..
No matter how bad thing are now, they will get worse.
What to do? A good start is to go and see your doctor, and tell him / her that you have a problem. But, the chances are that, unless you have an exceptional doctor, they’re not going to be much help. Do Not just accept more medication from your doctor ~ drugs in any form are bad for you. Also, the chances are that if you have a propensity to addiction, then you also have an underlying psychological problem. What you probably need is ‘talking therapy’ to deal with your underlying Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, PTSD……
Admit you have a problem, and talk to people who understand.
From bitter personal experience I can tell you that there are only two things that work when it comes to recovering from the problems of an addiction;
- Completely stop drinking, using, smoking, gambling, binge eating…..
- Talk with people who truly understand. Ask for their help.
If you are an addict, then you will never, ever be cured, all you can do is begin to recover from your addiction. You will never be able to go back to drinking, or whatever…..
Some say that being an addict means that you are a morally weak degenerate lunatic. And, that all addicts are hopeless cases who will just die sooner rather than later. All I know is that it is possible to begin to recover from Borderline Personality Disorder and Alcoholism.
(further reading; The Big Book of AA, The Road Less Travelled, Under The Influence.)
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
addicts are not lunatics,
but they may well have a psychological problem
I now know Exactly why I’m a lunatic
Knowing that you’ll push everyone away is tough to deal with.
Some people suffer. Some people are in constant mental, psychological, and spiritual pain. Those people may find themselves doing crazy and impulsive things, drinking too much, using drugs, getting into inappropriate and dysfunctional sexual relationships, pushing away everyone that truly cares for them, isolating themselves….. Those people may be suffering from a serious mental illness called Borderline Personality Disorder ~ they may need professional help. They may act like a lunatic.
People with even mild Borderline Personality Disorder, (BPD), do very strange things; they test the people who care for them by doing things which are really socially unacceptable ~ for example constantly being late, flirting inappropriately, expecting and needing gifts lavished upon them. They have extreme reactions to the thought of being abandoned and / or rejected.
People with BPD have a propensity to enter into dysfunctional and unstable romantic and sexual relationships / have casual sex / cheat / commit adultery with monotonous regularity. They tell themselves their sexuality is normal. They are impulsive and have intense, highly changeable moods. Paranoia, anger, ennui, and emptiness all come easily to those who have even the mildest touch of BPD in their psyche.
They tell themselves that they like being alone in their comfort zone
Suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder is difficult, but the situation isn’t hopeless. Recovery is possible, growth is certain, becoming a better person is the eventual reward for all that suffering. I should know, I have been at the very Gates of Hell because for most of my life I suffered from undiagnosed and untreated BPD.
But now I know. I know what caused me to push people away from me all my life; it’s a symptom of Borderline Personality Disorder. If you don’t get close to people they can’t hurt you, and if you push someone away hard enough that they leave you, well that just means you were right about them all along…..
Knowing Exactly what’s wrong with you is very liberating. Knowing Exactly why you have suffered and are still suffering is even more liberating. And, I know Exactly why I developed Borderline Personality Disorder.
When I was about four-and-a-half years old, the woman who loved me most, the woman who cared for me, got sick and died. She was my nana, my maternal grandmother. And nobody told me that she’d died, my parents didn’t explain, there was a wall of silence, and I thought she’d abandoned me because I wasn’t good enough.
That one event blighted my whole life ~ until now.
Some say that it’s good to be mean to the one who loves you, because if they stay with you it proves that they love you. And, that if they leave you it proves that you were right to be mean to them all along. All I know is that only the mentally ill can like being alone and lonely.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
You can get so that everything seems normal
even crazy, vicious, evil mood swings
even turning into a Mr. Hyde
The Pointlessness of Medicinal Marijuana
Banning cannabis just makes it even more desirable.
Some say that using cannabis has medicinal benefits. And that using a little weed never hurt anyone. All I know is that regularly using cannabis will put you on a slippery slope to misery, degradation, and death.
The US Food and Drug Administration, (FDA), has not approved marijuana for medicinal use, although a large number of doctors and their patients swear by its effectiveness and positive health benefits. Which is utterly delusional because a placebo is just about as effective as cannabis when it comes to relieving the worst symptoms of most illnesses. However, people still take medicinal marijuana to obtain relief from the more unpleasant symptoms of their illness ~ and not just to get high. However, medicinal marijuana will still give you a rush and get you high.
Cannabis in my view is being deliberately oversold as a medication, deliberately so by people whose primary objective is drug legalisation. Nations should be cautious and should not be seduced by extravagant and unscientific claims by noisy lobbyists. ~ David Raynes
This inevitable drug rush is because marijuana’s healing properties come from its high cannabidoil (CBD) content and critical levels of medical terpenes, flavonoids, and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). CBD, won’t get you high, but THC certainly will. Actually, there are more than 100 cannabinoids in marijuana ~ doctors and scientists don’t know what effect some of these potent chemicals have on the human brain and body.
Nevertheless, medicinal marijuana does show some slightly positive effects in treating certain psychological problems, and the pain from illness such as degenerative neurological disorders. Allegedly, medicinal marijuana helps ease pain, nausea and loss of appetite in people with HIV and cancer, and it just might help people with epilepsy or multiple sclerosis. It’s the CBD and THC that has these beneficial effects.
What THC does is make your brain release dopamine ~ the pleasure chemical, and to be honest, that’s why everyone uses pot, even the people who take it for ‘medicinal’ reasons. You will get high if you take cannabis for any reason ~ you will feel more relaxed, happier, and probably sleepy. You may also have hallucinations, delusions, short term memory loss, paranoia ~ and if you have pneumonia or bronchitis those illnesses will suddenly get a lot worse.
Cannabis does more harm than good, even when taken for medical reasons. New medical guidelines have been issued in Canada, (where cannabis is legal), warning that the negative effects of the weed far outweigh the minor benefits it has for most illnesses. The Canadian Family Physician journal states that in the few conditions where cannabis is helpful the effects are only marginally better than a placebo.
This Canadian guidance states that there is little evidence that cannabis could help many patients at all, and that the downsides far exceed the potential benefits.
Marijuana very strong stuff, especially the more potent types grown now, and its effects last a very long time. You will still be suffering from the after-effects of using pot four weeks later. Pot is addictive, and it’s also a gateway drug to worse things such as cocaine and heroin.
Marijuana is damaging and dangerous. If you use marijuana a lot you will probably get one or more serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia, anxiety and depression, memory problems, have difficulty with coordination, distortions in your sense of time and space, and have suicidal thoughts. Your work, social life, and interpersonal relationships will suffer. You will do risky and stupid things. To top it off, marijuana damages unborn babies too.
The real reason anyone uses cannabis is to experience the instant gratification of a THC / Dopamine rush. Anyone who craves instant gratification is immature and nowhere near being a balanced, grown up, grounded, and together person. They care little about the future, themselves, or anyone else. They have no real life outside of feeding their own wants, needs, and desires. They are unlikely to ever get well until they first learn to cure their own need for instant pleasures. This applies to anyone who demonstrates little self-control.
If you really want to turn into a Mr. Hyde, then smoke pot.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
On Offending People.
I you’re not offending someone, you’re not doing your job.
Yesterday evening I started to write a post for today ~ or rather I began 3 different posts, and scrapped all of them. All three of those posts would have offended some of the people who follow my blog, and some of my close friends, so I junked all of those questionable posts.
I believe in absolute freedom of expression. Everyone has a right to be offended. ~ Taslima Nasrin
If you have followed my blog for any length of time you will know that I don’t shy away from offending some people, but the people I’m happy to offend deserve whatever they get, and more. I have no problem being offensive to Bankers, Politicians, Government Officials ~ and on Monday of this week I was offensive toward the disgusting sex-pests, perverts, paedophiles, and rapists who work for some ‘Big Charities’ such as Oxfam.
I’m not happy to offend the innocent who just happen to do, (or have done), some things I profoundly disagree with. That would be cruel, hurtful, hypocritical, mendacious, and vicious of me.
I try to practice ‘mindfulness’ every time I encounter a stressful feeling or negative emotion, of I am challenged by my own anger. Mindfulness grounds me in the present and stops me obsessing about the past. I can look at my feelings as though I am an uninvolved observer, rather than being at the centre of the maelstrom. That way I can act and react in a balanced and thoughtful way.
So, instead of what I intended to write about, which in each of the three cases would have been stressful, challenging, negative, and emotive ~ I’m going to tell you how I came to the decision that writing about this stuff would have been a bad idea.
These days I try to live a kind, mindful, self-aware, and spiritual existence ~ bringing inner peace and happiness to myself and those around me. Offending innocent people for no good reason than my own instant gratification is not living an ethical and spiritual existence.
I try to be accepting, understanding, and supportive to those around me. I do my best to live a mindful life. I work very hard at walking the warrior’s path to ultimate truth and inner peace. I profoundly believe that as I give to the world, so I shall receive in return.
Ergo, publishing a blog which I knew would upset and hurt some people, which would make them think that I was actually attacking them, was not who I am trying to be today. In any event, I am not perfect within myself.
When you are offended at any person’s fault, turn to yourself and study our own failings. Then you will forget your anger. ~ Epictetus
I want to make good changes in my relationships, my behaviours, habits, and routines ~ attacking someone, or a group of people, is neither good nor positive. So, I decided that I just wasn’t going to do it.
And you know what? I feel better for not publishing any of those three negative, emotive, and judgmental posts.
The posts I had half written, and then trashed were about Borderline Personality Disorder, casual sex with strangers, and the medicinal use of marijuana.
~
jack collier
jackcollier7@talktalk.net
