Fear and Hope: My Personal Journey with Alzheimer's

Fear can be a powerful motivator for change. In this deeply personal episode, I pull back the curtain on my greatest medical fear—Alzheimer's disease—and why it haunts me both professionally and personally. Having watched both my grandmothers lose themselves to dementia, including one who mistook me for her long-deceased husband when I was just a child, these experiences left emotional scars that continue to shape my approach to brain health.

As a physician who diagnosed seven patients with dementia this year alone, I've witnessed the devastating progression that robs people of their memories, independence, and ultimately, their sense of self. The average life expectancy after diagnosis is seven to ten years—many spent in confusion and decline. But amid this sobering reality, emerging science offers genuine hope. The evidence shows that up to 40% of dementia cases could be prevented or delayed through lifestyle interventions.

I break down the three most powerful evidence-based strategies for protecting your cognitive function. The MIND diet, which emphasizes berries, leafy greens, whole grains, and plant proteins while limiting animal products and processed foods, can reduce Alzheimer's risk by up to 53%. Physical activity protects memory centers in the brain, with just 30 minutes of daily movement associated with increased brain volume in critical memory regions. And quality sleep activates your brain's crucial cleaning system that removes the toxic proteins linked directly to Alzheimer's development. Together with stress management, social connection, and avoiding harmful substances, these approaches create a comprehensive brain protection strategy that improves your life today while safeguarding your cognitive future.

Ready to take control of your brain health? This episode provides the blueprint for making meaningful changes that benefit both your present quality of life and your long-term cognitive resilience. Share this episode with someone you love—because protecting the mind is truly an act of self-care and compassion.

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Dr. Jules

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:11):
Hey everyone, welcome to Season 2 of the Dr Jules
Plan-Based Podcast, where wediscuss everything from
plant-based nutrition to themain pillars of lifestyle
medicine.
Hey everybody, welcome back tothe podcast.
Today's episode is a deeplypersonal one.
I want to talk aboutAlzheimer's disease and why I'm

(00:36):
scared of it.
I want to talk about a diseasethat terrifies me, one that I
see way too often in the clinic,one that affected my own family
, and one that many peoplewrongly assume is just a normal
part of aging.
We're talking about Alzheimer'sdisease and, more broadly,

(00:56):
dementia, and I want to behonest with you.
This topic hits close to home.
Let's start with the basics.
Alzheimer's disease is a type ofdementia.

(01:17):
Dementia isn't a single medicalcondition.
It's a general term that we useto describe a decline in
cognitive function that issevere enough to interfere with
daily life.
Now, memory loss is a commonsymptom of dementia, but
dementia is more than that.

(01:39):
Dementia affects thinking,language, judgment, orientation
and even personality, and thereare many different types of
dementia, but the most commonone by far is Alzheimer's
disease.
It probably accounts forroughly anywhere from 60 to 80%

(01:59):
of all cases.
Now, although Alzheimer'sdementia accounts for the vast
majority of cases of dementia,there are many other different
types, and the other typesinclude vascular dementia.
Now, vascular dementia oftenoccurs after patients have had
long-standing vascular riskfactors like high blood pressure

(02:23):
, diabetes or poorly controlledblood sugars, poorly controlled
cholesterol, and these patientscan either manifest symptoms of
dementia after a massive strokeor after small recurrent strokes
.
Patients who smoke are also athigher risk.
Patients who smoke are also athigher risk and actually one of

(02:52):
the most common causes ofdementia after Alzheimer's is a
condition called mixed dementia.
So mixed dementia is whenpatients that have exhibited
chronic risk factors forvascular disease also have
Alzheimer's disease, also haveAlzheimer's.
So a lot of these patients,when we diagnose them with
Alzheimer's, we do imaging andon imaging studies there is

(03:13):
often proof of either smallstrokes that that patient has
had at some point in their lives, and in these patients there
are features of both types ofdementia.
Now we know that vascular riskfactors like smoking, high blood
pressure, cholesterol anddiabetes can increase the risk

(03:34):
of vascular dementia, but theycan actually increase the risk
of manifesting Alzheimer'sdisease.
So these risk factors areimportant for both types of
dementia and that's why theyoften coexist together in a
dementia called mixed dementia.

(03:54):
There's also a type of dementiacalled Lewy body dementia, and
this one involves hallucinationsand often movement issues.
And we also have frontotemporaldementia, which tends to impact
younger adults and starts withchanges in behavior and language

(04:15):
.
Now, dementia is oftenprogressive, and the same thing
goes for Alzheimer's disease.
It slowly robs people of theirmemories, their ability to
communicate and, eventually,their independence.
Now, as I've said before, thiscondition scares me and I want

(04:51):
to talk about it, not justbecause it's the leading cause
of dementia worldwide, butbecause it has impacted my own
family directly and I've watchedit unfold in real time.
Now, as a physician, I've seencountless patients lose their
minds and their lives toAlzheimer's disease.
But it's more than justclinical for me.

(05:12):
Both of my grandparents sufferedfrom dementia, and I still
remember Mémé Alcamié lookingright at me and calling me
Alphonse, her husband, who hadpassed away decades earlier, and
I was just a young kid at thetime.
I found that experience quitetraumatic and vividly remember

(05:37):
how it made me feel.
Now I wasn't even old enough tostay home alone at the time, so
when my mom and my dad went tosee Mimère Cormier, I had to tag
along.
She was in a long-term carehome with advanced dementia and
although I did have veryprecious memories spending time

(05:59):
with her.
Going to visit her in that homewas not a positive experience
for me, and while I do rememberhaving so many beautiful
memories, I also rememberwanting to avoid going to visit
her because I just couldn't bearto see her like that.
It wasn't her anymore that Iwas going to visit, it was

(06:24):
someone else, and thosechildhood memories did leave a
mark.
Now it's almost 35 years laterand I still carry this deep
phobia of being diagnosed withAlzheimer's myself.
Even my grandmother from mymom's side also passed away with

(06:47):
Alzheimer's dementia.
Now, as someone who loves music, physics, critical thinking,
writing, composing, the thoughtof losing that part of me is
terrifying.
Now, unfortunately, the realityis that this year alone, I

(07:11):
diagnosed at least sevenpatients with Alzheimer's or
another form of dementia.
Now the average life expectancyafter diagnosis is about seven
to ten years, and many of thoseyears, unfortunately, are spent
in a state of confusion,dependency and decline.

(07:31):
But here's the part that givesme some hope.
Dementia is not entirely out ofour control.
There are genes and there's age, but what we do or don't do
matters a lot.
Lifestyle medicine has beenshown to reduce the risk of
getting diagnosed has been shownto slow progression and to

(07:56):
improve quality of life in thosealready diagnosed.
Now let's break down three ofthe biggest factors that you can
actually control to reduce yourrisk of getting diagnosed with

(08:17):
Alzheimer's, slowing itsprogression and improving
quality of life if you'vealready got a diagnosis, either
in yourself or in someone youlove.
Now the first factor directlyimpacting cognitive function is
what you feed your brain, andthere's a powerful dietary

(08:40):
pattern called the mind diet.
It's a blend of theMediterranean diet and of the
DASH diets that are designedspecifically to protect brain
health, and it does so byemphasizing dark leafy greens
and veggies, berries especiallyblueberries whole grains and

(09:00):
legumes like chickpeas, beans,lentils and soy products, by
increasing the amount of nuts,seeds and olive oil and limiting
red meats, butter, cheese andfried food.
And one study showed thatpeople who followed this dietary
pattern moderately reducedtheir risk of Alzheimer's by up

(09:22):
to 35%, and those who follow itmore strictly up to 53% lower
risk of dementia.
Now, that's huge.
Now these dyes are rich inpolyphenols from foods like
berries, cocoa and green tea.
They can reduce oxidativestress and beta amyloid

(09:47):
accumulation, which are bothimplicated in Alzheimer's
disease.
So your food literally feeds orfights dementia.
The second factor to consider isexercise.
Physical activity isn't justfor your heart, it's actually

(10:09):
medicine for your brain.
It improves blood flow, reducesinflammation and increases a
compound called BDNF,brain-derived neurotropic factor
, a brain growth factor that'sessential for memory and for
learning factor.

(10:30):
That's essential for memory andfor learning.
Now, older adults who exerciseregularly have a 38% lower risk
of cognitive decline, and just30 minutes a day of moderate
activity, like brisk walking,has been linked to larger brain
volume, especially in thememory-critical hippocampus.
Even in people with mildcognitive impairment, or MCI,

(11:00):
aerobic exercise has been shownto measurably benefit memory and
function.
If you're looking for a reasonto get moving today, this is it.
Muscles are made for moving andwhen they move, they reward you
with chemical compounds calledmyokines and myokines.
They circulate everywhereinside of your body, cross the

(11:21):
blood-brain barrier and impacteverything from metabolic health
to cognitive function.
Now, a highly misunderstoodmedicine that we can all benefit
more from is sleep.

(11:43):
Go back and listen to my fullpodcast episode on sleep, where
I reviewed the different sleepstages and, if you remember in
N3, deep sleep, slow, wave sleepis where the magic happens and
that's where your glymphaticsystem clears the brain's waste

(12:05):
that has accumulated throughoutthe day.
Now that cleaning system, theglymphatic system.
It only works well while yousleep, and during deep sleep
your brain flushes out beta,amyloid and tau proteins, which
are the hallmarks of Alzheimer'sdisease.
So if you are sleep deprived,that means that your brain's

(12:28):
garbage doesn't get taken outand these metabolic byproducts
they accumulate.
Now studies have shown thatpeople who sleep less than 6
hours on average in midlife havea 30% higher risk of getting
diagnosed with dementia andpeople with sleep apnea up to

(12:50):
70% higher risk of cognitiveimpairment.
Now, getting good and consistentand restorative sleep isn't a
luxury.
It's actually essential forbrain health maintenance.
Now what about stress,loneliness and substances, the

(13:14):
other pillars of lifestylemedicine?
They matter too.
Chronic stress increasescortisol and cortisol can damage
memory centers in the brain.
And, as we've discussed in thesleep episode, high cortisol
before going to bed impactssleep quantity and sleep quality
.
Loneliness is also a big riskfactor for cognitive decline, as

(13:37):
some of our physical diseasesand alcohol or substance abuse
can accelerate brain aging.
So your social health, yourmental health and your emotional
health they all tie into brainresilience.

(13:57):
But how much power do we reallyhave?
According to the LancetCommission, up to 40% of
dementia cases could beprevented or delayed by
addressing modifiable riskfactors.
And that's the way we eat andthe way we move and how we sleep
and how we connect and how wemanage stress will all determine

(14:20):
how we manage chronic condition.
All of it matters.
You don't have to be perfect,but you do have to be
intentional.
Now, if you've seen Alzheimer'sdisease close up, you know it's
brutal, it's slow, it'sheartbreaking and it can feel

(14:40):
hopeless.
But there is hope.
Look, we may not be able tocontrol everything, but we can
control a lot more than we think.
And the changes that we maketoday, they're not just for
someday, they're for right now,for better energy, better focus,
better living.
So you improve your life today,but you also improve it for the

(15:06):
future.
What I want people to take awayis that the mind diet can lower
Alzheimer's risk by up to 53%.
30 minutes of movement a dayprotects memory and brain
structure and reduces the riskof getting diagnosed with

(15:27):
cognitive impairment orAlzheimer's or other types of
dementia, and improves functionin people already diagnosed.
And then there's deep sleep,which clears toxic proteins that
are directly linked toAlzheimer's.
Now, lifestyle medicine ispowerful, and more powerful than

(15:50):
the vast majority of medicationthat we actually have.
So eating right, moving yourbody, managing stress,
connecting socially, making sureto have adequate quantity and
quality of sleep, and avoidingsubstances that are known to
impact brain function will putall of the chances on your side

(16:13):
and reduce the risk of youhaving to go through what my
family has gone through.
But let's keep the conversationgoing, because real health isn't
just about adding years to yourlife.
It's about adding life to youryears, and if this episode
resonated with you, please shareit with someone you love in

(16:34):
hopes of reducing the chancethat you'll have to go through
either a diagnosis in yourselfor in your family.
Until next time, stay strong,stay curious and stay kind.
Thanks so much for listening.
We'll see you at the nextepisode Peace.
Thanks so much for listening.
We'll see you at the nextepisode, peace.

(16:54):
Hey, everyone, go check out mywebsite plantbaseddrjulescom to
find free downloadable resources, and remember that you can find
me on facebook and instagram atdrjulescormier, and on youtube
at Plant Based Dr Jules.