Did Still Alice Get It Right?

I saw Still Alice and it was a very poignant film; one
that touches the heart and is a little frightening, too. But remember that it
was about early onset Alzheimer’s disease, which is genetic and rare, although
it does affect over 250,000 people in the US.

In my view, Julianne Moore deserved the
Academy Award for her vivid portrayal of a linguistics professor struck down
with early Alzheimer’s disease.  She did a marvelous job and it’s hard to
believe someone could be that good an actress. In her acceptance speech, Ms.
Moore expressed gratitude that the film could raise awareness about early-onset
Alzheimer’s disease, which as I mentioned above, usually strikes people before
age 65. Indeed, in the film, Alice was in her early 50’s.    

“I’m so happy, I’m thrilled actually, that
we were able to shine a light on Alzheimer’s disease,” Moore said in her
acceptance speech for the Academy Awards.

But did they shine a light on Alzheimer’s
disease? Yes, they got it right for early Alzheimer’s. But again, most cases
aren’t of that type. So in my opinion it would have been extra special if, in
addition to saying in her speech that there is no cure, she could have
mentioned that when it comes to the more common type of older age
Alzheimer’s, particular lifestyle measures are known to have positive
prevention benefits. In this way, perhaps the idea of allocating precious
dollars to further lifestyle research, in addition to drugs, could be
illuminated.  

Beyond that, a recent preliminary study
from UCLA showed that an integrative type of medical program can have benefit
in slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s and reversing it, according to the
author of the study.

Our own research on prevention is now
medically proven and is summarized here: ARPF White Paper. 

Quite frankly, many studies on lifestyle
modalities such as diet, exercise, mental stimulation and psychological
well-being have a greater impact on prevention than drugs do on cure. That’s
not to say it’s 100%, but nothing is.

But you can be secure in knowing that if
you follow the ARPF’s Four Pillars of Prevention Plan you’re doing everything
possible to stave off this most dreaded and feared disease.www.alzheimersprevention.org/4-pillars-of-prevention

If you saw the film, then I’m sure you
remember the last scene and its take home message: It’s all about love.
What a sweet and powerful message.