I
have to emphasize that what is written here is purely MY OPINION and
should not be used as an alternative to advice from a medical
professional.
A few days ago I received an email from a friend asking if I knew
anything about Dr. Bredesen. She had recently attended a presentation of
The Broken Brain which recommended something called
The Bredesen Protocol. Pronounced Bread'-eh-sin, it's being hailed as both a preventative AND A CURE. Really? A cure? I was skeptical.
I
spent several days researching and I was pleased with what I found. I
was on the brink of signing myself up! But when I tried to do that I
found many reasons why I shouldn't go through with it, and I didn't. I
will describe in detail what I learned further down the page but here's
my bottom line:
that corroborates the conclusions I had reached on my own and
presents a supposedly personalized plan for you to follow;
BUT, his business model is horrendous!
I refuse to support it:
It is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to get information on the program and the practitioners
You have to PREPAY $900 just to be considered for the program
If you don't qualify, you do NOT get your $900 back.
Most of the program is NOT covered by insurance (of course) and it is VERY expensive.
They are training 'practitioners' at breakneck speed
The 'practitioners' appear to have wildly different qualifications
You cannot talk to the practitioners, to vet them, until after you PREPAY
The secrecy and insistence on prepayment make me suspicious and reluctant to trust them
If you're interested in how I came to this conclusion, keep reading.
Listening to
this video,
I was VERY IMPRESSED with Dr. Bredesen's knowledge. Apparently, there
is now SCIENCE supporting the nutritional and lifestyle advice that
functional/restorative medicine doctors have been advocating FOR
YEARS!
Based on the
video
mentioned above, I wanted to know more. It SOUNDED LIKE this man had
connected all the dots I'd been reading about for the last 10 years.
There was no information online regarding where the doctor is located or how to make an appointment so I ordered his
book. While I was waiting for it to arrive I found
this WONDERFUL website which summarized the
book!
Based on this summary I believe the protocol has merit.
Bredesen explains that the amyloid plaque characteristic of Alzheimer's is your body's way of
protecting you from the three main causes of the disease. You can 'get' Alzheimer's from one or more of these conditions:
1. inflammation/glycotoxicity (glucose/insulin imbalance),
2. endocrine problems, and
3. toxins/infections.
In
order to design a treatment plan, multiple lab tests are done to
determine your current levels of the markers for these conditions. They
also test for leaky gut, leaky brain, and food sensitivities. They
claim that insurance
will pay for these tests...
Using
the results of the tests, they design a program to first normalize and
then OPTIMIZE your health. THAT IS REVOLUTIONARY, in my opinion. Most doctors ignore
everything in the 'normal' range and address only the abnormal readings.
Even if I was not concerned about cognitive decline, I would do these tests!
Using the test results, the Bredesen Protocol
claims to accomplish 4 things:
1. treat the underlying cause
2. change lifestyle factors to prevent it from reoccurring
3. restore all biomes
4. optimize hormones and other biomarkers.
While these goals are admirable, the changes you will need to make are not easy.
There is
a gigantic list
of the rules, foods, and supplements. Most
of the things on this list I have heard of (and approve of like getting
enough sleep, avoiding EMFs, and reducing stress) but they appear to
use the same protocol for everyone and I have a problem with that.
Now, remember, I am referencing a review of a book I haven't read yet, so I don't know whether the protocol devised
by the clinic will differ for each person
as they claim it will but if a personalized protocol is
required then shouldn't the book specify that?
The recommended supplements can cost from $150-$450 per month and the
supplement program
is individualized based upon your synaptic needs as defined by
the ReCODE report.
Once you start the program, the labs and report are rerun periodically to monitor your progress.
Here's what worries me about a one-size-fits all protocol:
The
recommended diet is ketogenic - high in protein and fat, low in carbs,
high in sulfur and goitrogens (cruciferous veggies), and lectins are not
taken into account. This will work for some people but could be
disastrous for certain blood types.
He really needs to address blood
type lectins.
Organic food is recommended by not
required. What is the point of detoxing if you're going to be
introducing new toxins with every meal?
Regarding their toxin removal process the book lists some of the supplements they use but
detoxing is not as easy as taking supplements.
They don't mention amalgam tooth fillings which are one of the MAIN
sources of mercury toxicity. If toxin removal isn't done correctly the
toxins released from the
places your body hides them can be REABSORBED in places where they can
do a LOT OF HARM! Like your brain! You MUST work with a qualified toxin removal specialist!
Another thing they do not address (in the
book) are genetic SNPs that impact all of the markers they test for. For instance:
MTHFR genes control your methylation pathways - the routes your body uses to remove toxins. If you have
any
MTHFR snps you may have trouble processing both B
vitamins and sulfur. A diet high in cruciferous veggies, like the one
they recommend, will not be
beneficial until you correct those snps. In addition, IF you are toxic
and you attempt to remove those toxins without FIRST correcting any
MTHFR snps
you will make yourself very sick. It would be like pouring sewage into a toilet that's plugged up downstream. It will overflow where you least want it to...
Personally, I would use parts of the book, not one of their practitioners. Here's why:
They
are 'training' hundreds of practitioners at breakneck speed. These
practitioners do 3 things: order the lab tests, enter the lab results
into the ReCODE program, and recommend supplements based on the
resulting report. How difficult can that be? It must be EXTREMELY
difficult based on what they charge.... Here are the hoops you have to
jump through to get to talk to one of their practitioners:
When
I contacted them and asked for a list of practitioners in this area I
received a loooooong email recommending that I sign up for a Patient
ReCode account using this 5 minute
video as a guide.
Once you have created an account, you will be asked to submit the first of
12 MONTHLY $75 payments! Eeep! That's
$900 just to check things out! I'm curious, but not THAT curious.
I
(again) requested a list of practitioners in my area so I could inquire
about their rates and received a list of about 20 within a 1000 mile
radius (yes, they think 1000 miles is local). But, *I* can't ask about
their rates or philosophies, only the Bredesen office can do that. And,
if I find a practitioner whose rates are reasonable, I can't make an
appointment until I pony up the $900 for the ReCODE account.
When
I asked whether they could use the genetic data I had received from
23-and-me or Ancestry.com they refused to answer. When I asked whether
they take any genes other than the APOE genes into account they refused
to answer. When I asked whether everyone follows the same diet with
different supplements they refused to answer.
You're buying a pig in a poke. They will not share one shred of information without that $900. Why? (I now think I know why! Scroll to the bottom.)
When I asked who entered the data into their program the response was that only a trained practitioner could do it. Once the report(s) is run, the practitioner then interprets the ReCODE report for you and monitors your progress while you follow the recommended program.
If you prefer to work with your regular
doctor - who
can order all the labs if they're amenable to it -
you'll have to arrange for them to teleconference with a Bredesen
practitioner who will explain which labs are needed, and how to
interpret the results.
You will, of course, pay for this service.
So...
Let's
say there is a practitioner close by and their rates are manageable.
What do you get for your $900? You would have access to the following:
UNLIMITED ReCODE reports (this is a good thing)
Complimentary Brain HQ Account (sounds like another good thing but what is it?)
Nutritional Guidelines for the protocol (crucial but isn't this in the book?)
Highest quality supplements delivered to you (might be useful)
Live Town Hall meeting with the doctor
Exclusive videos
Neural Agility Meditation
Patient Community Support Site
Exercise Tips
Sleep Hygiene
Several up to date health topics
ASSUMING
you qualify for the program. If you don't, you CANNOT GET A REFUND!
They will continue to charge $75/month for a full year.
Honestly, this sounds like a shady racket to me.
If the protocol works as well as they claim it does, why do they
control access to the practitioners and require a non-refundable payment
for reports they may never run?
Their business model makes me VERY SUSPICIOUS.
Here are some quotes from
Bredesen's Facebook page:
The cost of participation is huge. $25,000 to $30,000. We went to a Dr in
Tampa who was just trained in the protocol and the blood tests alone are
$5,000.00. The Dr did not tell us anything about how the protocol works
or even what's involved in it. We would
gladly pay the money if it would help but I do not want to be taken
advantage of when you will try anything to help or control the disease.
But was advised by a number of people that it was not legitimate. My
husband refused to go back to the Dr. If you can give me some insight
that would be helpful.
Mary - for people with mild to moderate dementia, we definitely have
success in halting and even improving the cognitive issues when we can
uncover all of the factors that are contributing to the dementia and
resolve these. It does require a lot of
motivation from the patient and their family/caregiver to comply with
the program. It requires changes in diet, daily exercise, daily brain
training, daily meditation, and adequate sleep.
But the rewards can be huge! For the patients that I work with, I get a large majority of their laboratory testing done through their medical insurance. There are some specialty tests that may not be covered by insurance, but those might be on the order of $400-$500.
I hope you will find a practitioner to work with that you have
confidence in. No one could promise that this program works for
everyone, but we have definitely seen lots of success.
Wow,
that's expensive. I looked at the training programs and even that is
1,550.00-1,800.00. I can't do that. My mom passed away from alzheimer's
too.
The
book has been instrumental in being able to get potential patients to
understand the multifactorial nature of cognitive decline. It provides a
roadmap for them to follow and a tick box for me as a Bredesen trained
practitioner. A great but no just for cognitive decline but healthy
ageing.
I
am EXTREMELY disappointed in The Bredesen Protocol ReCODE program. We
were extremely excited and hopeful to find a program that could help my
dad with Alzheimer’s. However, to find a certified provider to get a
consultation to learn more about the program
and to see if my dad is even a good candidate, Dr. Bredesen’s ReCODE
report makes you pay $75 just to get a name of a certified provider. But
we did pay the $75 because want to learn anything that could possibly
help my dad that is battling Alzheimer’s. We visited the certified
provider. Unfortunately, we will not be able to participate in this
program due to a number of reasons. And they will not give us a
refund/cancellation of the ReCODE subscription which we will not be
using at all, making us pay $75/month...total of $900 for nothing! When
we aren’t able to use the site or Dr. Bredesen’s program. It is
extremely disappointing to want to profit from families that are already
suffering so much with a family member battling Alzheimer’s. Simply
sad and heartless. I just feel it is really important for other people
interested in the Bredesen Protocol program before signing up.
BOTTOM LINE FOR ME:
I do believe Dr. Bredesen's protocol is worth trying but his business
model SUCKS and I refuse to support it.
The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that the reason
for this business model is to prevent the practitioners from 'stealing'
their patients. Using the book, which has been out since August 2017
and can't be recalled,
it's possible for a practitioner to follow the
protocol without using the proprietary software. In this light, the weird business model makes total sense.
Buy the book, have your doctor
order the lab tests, and then use the book to interpret them and design a
program for yourself. Or, find a practitioner willing to work with you.
If you're toxic, make sure you work with a qualified practitioner to remove toxins safely!
