Sunday, December 23, 2012

What Causes Alzeihmers?


   Well there are many contributing factors but let me add one.   A report in the recent meeting of the Society for Neuroscience found that patients with Alzheimers mention changes in sleep patterns for months before it is diagnosed.  They nap longer and more fitful. They were high on the sleep disturbance index.  This offers us a correlation index but does not help us make a diagnosis of generating causes.

   Another piece: sleep apnea is also associated with this disease.  Those with chronic apnea are twice as likely to develop Alzheimers later on.  They have high levels of beta amyloid which clump around nerve cells and affect proper nerve transmission.
So we have hyperactive brains, combined with long daily naps and sleep apnea to produce Alzheimers Disease.

  Now my contribution:  I have seen apnea in my patients when they relive birth, consistently.  They lose their breath and seem “dead” for a minute or so.  No attempt at breathing.   Put a mirror to their mouths and there is nothing there.  It happens right after reliving a drugged birth.  It seems to have been part of the birth process where due to a massive input of anesthesia during the birth process their breathing was shut off for a minute or two.  They seem to relive it again and then with a sudden jerk they come out of it an begin what I term “locomotive” breathing.”  Is raspy and hoarse and lasts many minutes as the system tries to recuperate from its oxygen deprived trauma. But that apnea seems to become chronic, an imprint, that the follows the person throughout life.  It seems to stop when patients relive the birth process over and over again with all of its anoxia.   In short, they no longer are driven by the imprinted memory of oxygen deprivation to re-create the early trauma.

   There is something else these early traumas produce, and that is a hyperactive brain as it tries to overcome the imprint of death threatening events.   It is an imprint that must be combatted over and over again as the system is under attack by oxygen deprivation—by a memory of deprivation in the same way that the brain remembers deprivation of love.  And of course as the brain is driven  constantly there is bound to be dementia eventually as it has been working overtime for a very long time.   The top level brain cells have been recruited into battle too many times all due to the imprint, which is why a feeling therapy, a reliving, is essential to stopping the onset of the disease.   We need to slow it down.

   Sleep disturbance is a marker for Alzheimers because it signifies an overactive brain, a brain that is driven by lower-level imprints that keep the top level busy.  It won’t allow a drop into deep sleep levels because of the imprinted pain there.  That is why there is the use of sleep aids that suppress some of the pain and allow a descent into the unconscious.

  Since sleep apnea is highly correlated with later Alzheimers we need to ask the question about why, and for that we need to know where apnea comes from and what to do about it.   My guess is traumatic birth is a major factor; this is not a simple speculation.  I have seen it in the relivings of patients with heavily drugged birth.  It becomes a key marker for the appearance of the disease.  Let us not neglect it.


18 comments:

  1. Continuation of what the professionals possess!

    The professionals has "an imprint that must be combatted over and over again as their system is under attack by" mad ideas.

    Frank

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  2. You are talking about breathing during the birth process (also in previous blogs),how do I have to see that because breathing only starts after birth.
    I haven´t read much of the comments to see if this question has already been answered but hopefully you can explain this (again?)

    Paul

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    1. Paul:
      The person in a birth primal is suffocating; there is no oxygen getting through due to the massive anesthesia.....as she gets born the locomotive breathing begins to make up for what just happened....she is compensating and reacting to severe suffocation. art

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    2. quote: during the birth process their breathing was shut off for a minute or two

      This gives me the impression that you say that someone is breathing befor he is out of the womb.

      I can follow this primal,I have had one mmyself allthough I didnot connect it with anesthesia.Your expression locomotive breathing is indeed what happened.There where other sensations of blood running out of my head and heart.My heart became ice and ice cold and so did my head at the top.

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    3. Maybe you can exactly say when in the birthproces this happens:

      > massive input of anesthesia during the birth process <

      When the baby is still not out of the mother it is impossible that it can effect breathing because the baby is not breathing yet.

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    4. again similar "neurological sequence"...this time on first line.

      only in locomotive breathing the need is finally unmasked.
      need for oxigen.

      and every sequence is like a complete ring in the chain of pain.

      i'm not a robot )))


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    5. I have seen a baby in hospital doing the locomotive breathing long after it was born. A nurse told me "It's fine, that's how newborns breathe" but it's chest seemed to be rising up and down way too much and way way too fast. I can't imagine a tiny body would need to process such a huge amount of oxygen. The nurse's confidence and indifference was almost psychopathic. The baby was alone. This is the world we live in. Land of the Psychopaths.

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    6. Vuko: And by the way, only in the act out is the early need unmasked. We can trace back traumas based on the act out. One patient had to have all the wondows open when she slept otherwise she felt she was suffocating. art

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    7. Vuko: Explain what you mean by "every sequence is a ring in the chain of pain". art

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    8. To put it in another way.
      Is it possible to relive womblife without getting oxygen-problems ?

      Thinking this over it must be no.
      Because the source from which we got our oxygen back then is gone.
      So that we feel suffocation in a primal to me says nothing because you always will feel suffocation in a reliving of womblife.The body tries to get oxygen from a source that doesnot exist anymore.

      And that the breathing stops is not a trauma but that is normal in the womb.


      Paul

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  3. So you're saying Ronald Reagan had an overactive brain?

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    1. David: Certainly not a bright one but yes, churning away with nothing. art

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  4. Dr. Janov,
    Parkinson’s (my husband's) displays in early stage the same symptoms as Alzheimer. Sleep apnea, short naps through the day, interrupted sleep pattern – no real REM-sleep. He was also always short tempered, acted out in (rage fits), had high blood pressure (180/99 average) cold hand and cold feet. Long before the tremors were noticeable and the walking pattern changed, my husband showed all these symptoms. A stroke in 2005 intensified all symptoms.
    Now, he is on Sinemet (dopamine enhancer) and his symptoms are under control. He also has no longer rage attacks and is almost pleasant to live with - his personality has changed. Nevertheless he is disconnected from his feelings – a dry sense of humor but shows nearly not any emotion. A brain MRI in 2011 showed some thinning in the corpus callosum.

    My guess is that he had a traumatic experience in the last trimester of gestation and a complicated birth.
    The indicator for anoxia at birth shows in his behavior while I give him a shower. As soon as the water hits his face he reacts like he is drowning – gasping for air and instinctively moving away from the water.
    Sieglinde

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    1. Sieglinde: The perspicacity of you all is amazing. I wonder why I need to write. Sieglinde your life has surely not been easy. art

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    2. Dr. Janov,
      If you keep on writing, I will learn to put the right words to the symptoms I observe. Thank you for all your books and other writings!
      Sieglinde

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  5. Speaking of sleep apnea. My dad has it, but he's decided to not get any treatment or help for it. I just recently learned that my dad has had tinnitus for... decades apparently. He never mentioned it to us (the children). There was a time when there was blood in his urine - I don't know why exactly. But I remember my dad getting angry at my mom for telling me.

    I wonder what this tough man facade is all about. Hell yes you should've told us about these things. You can't just be "it's nothing, I'll be alright because you know, I'm a man and..." whatever. I don't get it. You're no less of a man if you talk about these things. It's also a generational thing I suppose.

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  6. I must say that I am worried about Altzeimers. I used to sleep really well. I did grind my teeth but found it quite easy to sleep a good 8 hours. It was only when I started a long term relationship and the first signs of the abuse started to bang on my gates that I did not sleep so well. I sometimes fall asleep during the day though I don't have sleep apnea. I do have what I call racing brain though not half as bad as it was 6 years ago. My grandmother had what the family called "Hardening of the Arteries" in the early seventies. She obviously had dementia and did not last very long once she had it. I always had a bad feeling about her but have never quite put my finger on it. She always was "strange" and was probably a bit physcotic on and off. My Fathers Parents were not the warmest people and very distant. I remember one of my Father's cousins telling me that they stayed with the family during the war and was very frightened of my Grandfather. I think so much is not remembered.

    With regard to Reagan he was a real extrovert was'nt he. I was too. I spent much of my life running away from my feelings by always being occupied. Then I could end up feeling depressed. An introvert or parasympath (I think that is the right way round)tends to not get to feelings as they are kind of below them whereas an extrovert is running past feelings. Maybe not many extroverts got to see Art because they are more readily accepted by society. Maybe that is why extroverts tend to be manic and introverts tend to be schitzophrenic. The latter has to rise up to feel whereas the former has to come down to feelings. Reagan did'nt think as such. He was easily guided by others. I read of a glamourous beautiful contemporary film star who is always fun and friendly and the life and soul of the party. Would you believe it but she does not really do feelings and everything in her life is based upon guidance from her Parents. Society is happy with that is'nt it. God forbid that people start to think for themselves. How many Altzeimers patients ever did. One friend of my parents got it really badly and ended up being seperated from all the women in his old people's home because he was so abusive and violent towards them. All of societies controls and pressures simply fade away and early trauma can happily wreak vengence on Scapegoats for the real abuse.

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    1. planespotter,

      how very well put. I'm struggling with the 'post Christmas blues'.

      I got an invite to two parties tonight (New Year's Eve) but I am too depressed to attend.

      I had to bottle up my feelings when my kids were here for Christmas and also because of my tenants (good people, one a chef and the other, his girlfriend, a hotel manageress). But now I wait till everyone is out and at last I can let go. It's been going on for three days now. Had to drive out to a layby yesterday, spent most of the afternoon curled up in my car (my womb with a view). I will probably do the same tomorrow, I'll take Ted with me. Where I live is right out in the sticks on top of a moor with the mist and rain, lots of rain. . .

      To every-one on the blog:

      Thank you all for being so Human and Good Luck for your new year and for your connections.

      Paul G.

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Review of "Beyond Belief"

This thought-provoking and important book shows how people are drawn toward dangerous beliefs.
“Belief can manifest itself in world-changing ways—and did, in some of history’s ugliest moments, from the rise of Adolf Hitler to the Jonestown mass suicide in 1979. Arthur Janov, a renowned psychologist who penned The Primal Scream, fearlessly tackles the subject of why and how strong believers willingly embrace even the most deranged leaders.
Beyond Belief begins with a lucid explanation of belief systems that, writes Janov, “are maps, something to help us navigate through life more effectively.” While belief systems are not presented as inherently bad, the author concentrates not just on why people adopt belief systems, but why “alienated individuals” in particular seek out “belief systems on the fringes.” The result is a book that is both illuminating and sobering. It explores, for example, how a strongly-held belief can lead radical Islamist jihadists to murder others in suicide acts. Janov writes, “I believe if people had more love in this life, they would not be so anxious to end it in favor of some imaginary existence.”
One of the most compelling aspects of Beyond Belief is the author’s liberal use of case studies, most of which are related in the first person by individuals whose lives were dramatically affected by their involvement in cults. These stories offer an exceptional perspective on the manner in which belief systems can take hold and shape one’s experiences. Joan’s tale, for instance, both engaging and disturbing, describes what it was like to join the Hare Krishnas. Even though she left the sect, observing that participants “are stunted in spiritual awareness,” Joan considers returning someday because “there’s a certain protection there.”
Janov’s great insight into cultish leaders is particularly interesting; he believes such people have had childhoods in which they were “rejected and unloved,” because “only unloved people want to become the wise man or woman (although it is usually male) imparting words of wisdom to others.” This is just one reason why Beyond Belief is such a thought-provoking, important book.”
Barry Silverstein, Freelance Writer

Quotes for "Life Before Birth"

“Life Before Birth is a thrilling journey of discovery, a real joy to read. Janov writes like no one else on the human mind—engaging, brilliant, passionate, and honest.
He is the best writer today on what makes us human—he shows us how the mind works, how it goes wrong, and how to put it right . . . He presents a brand-new approach to dealing with depression, emotional pain, anxiety, and addiction.”
Paul Thompson, PhD, Professor of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine

Art Janov, one of the pioneers of fetal and early infant experiences and future mental health issues, offers a robust vision of how the earliest traumas of life can percolate through the brains, minds and lives of individuals. He focuses on both the shifting tides of brain emotional systems and the life-long consequences that can result, as well as the novel interventions, and clinical understanding, that need to be implemented in order to bring about the brain-mind changes that can restore affective equanimity. The transitions from feelings of persistent affective turmoil to psychological wholeness, requires both an understanding of the brain changes and a therapist that can work with the affective mind at primary-process levels. Life Before Birth, is a manifesto that provides a robust argument for increasing attention to the neuro-mental lives of fetuses and infants, and the widespread ramifications on mental health if we do not. Without an accurate developmental history of troubled minds, coordinated with a recognition of the primal emotional powers of the lowest ancestral regions of the human brain, therapists will be lost in their attempt to restore psychological balance.
Jaak Panksepp, Ph.D.
Bailey Endowed Chair of Animal Well Being Science
Washington State University

Dr. Janov’s essential insight—that our earliest experiences strongly influence later well being—is no longer in doubt. Thanks to advances in neuroscience, immunology, and epigenetics, we can now see some of the mechanisms of action at the heart of these developmental processes. His long-held belief that the brain, human development, and psychological well being need to studied in the context of evolution—from the brainstem up—now lies at the heart of the integration of neuroscience and psychotherapy.
Grounded in these two principles, Dr. Janov continues to explore the lifelong impact of prenatal, birth, and early experiences on our brains and minds. Simultaneously “old school” and revolutionary, he synthesizes traditional psychodynamic theories with cutting-edge science while consistently highlighting the limitations of a strict, “top-down” talking cure. Whether or not you agree with his philosophical assumptions, therapeutic practices, or theoretical conclusions, I promise you an interesting and thought-provoking journey.
Lou Cozolino, PsyD, Professor of Psychology, Pepperdine University


In Life Before Birth Dr. Arthur Janov illuminates the sources of much that happens during life after birth. Lucidly, the pioneer of primal therapy provides the scientific rationale for treatments that take us through our original, non-verbal memories—to essential depths of experience that the superficial cognitive-behavioral modalities currently in fashion cannot possibly touch, let alone transform.
Gabor Maté MD, author of In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction

An expansive analysis! This book attempts to explain the impact of critical developmental windows in the past, implores us to improve the lives of pregnant women in the present, and has implications for understanding our children, ourselves, and our collective future. I’m not sure whether primal therapy works or not, but it certainly deserves systematic testing in well-designed, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trials.
K.J.S. Anand, MBBS, D. Phil, FAACP, FCCM, FRCPCH, Professor of Pediatrics, Anesthesiology, Anatomy & Neurobiology, Senior Scholar, Center for Excellence in Faith and Health, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare System


A baby's brain grows more while in the womb than at any time in a child's life. Life Before Birth: The Hidden Script That Rules Our Lives is a valuable guide to creating healthier babies and offers insight into healing our early primal wounds. Dr. Janov integrates the most recent scientific research about prenatal development with the psychobiological reality that these early experiences do cast a long shadow over our entire lifespan. With a wealth of experience and a history of successful psychotherapeutic treatment, Dr. Janov is well positioned to speak with clarity and precision on a topic that remains critically important.
Paula Thomson, PsyD, Associate Professor, California State University, Northridge & Professor Emeritus, York University

"I am enthralled.
Dr. Janov has crafted a compelling and prophetic opus that could rightly dictate
PhD thesis topics for decades to come. Devoid of any "New Age" pseudoscience,
this work never strays from scientific orthodoxy and yet is perfectly accessible and
downright fascinating to any lay person interested in the mysteries of the human psyche."
Dr. Bernard Park, MD, MPH

His new book “Life Before Birth: The Hidden Script that Rules Our Lives” shows that primal therapy, the lower-brain therapeutic method popularized in the 1970’s international bestseller “Primal Scream” and his early work with John Lennon, may help alleviate depression and anxiety disorders, normalize blood pressure and serotonin levels, and improve the functioning of the immune system.
One of the book’s most intriguing theories is that fetal imprinting, an evolutionary strategy to prepare children to cope with life, establishes a permanent set-point in a child's physiology. Baby's born to mothers highly anxious during pregnancy, whether from war, natural disasters, failed marriages, or other stressful life conditions, may thus be prone to mental illness and brain dysfunction later in life. Early traumatic events such as low oxygen at birth, painkillers and antidepressants administered to the mother during pregnancy, poor maternal nutrition, and a lack of parental affection in the first years of life may compound the effect.
In making the case for a brand-new, unified field theory of psychotherapy, Dr. Janov weaves together the evolutionary theories of Jean Baptiste Larmarck, the fetal development studies of Vivette Glover and K.J.S. Anand, and fascinating new research by the psychiatrist Elissa Epel suggesting that telomeres—a region of repetitive DNA critical in predicting life expectancy—may be significantly altered during pregnancy.
After explaining how hormonal and neurologic processes in the womb provide a blueprint for later mental illness and disease, Dr. Janov charts a revolutionary new course for psychotherapy. He provides a sharp critique of cognitive behavioral therapy, psychoanalysis, and other popular “talk therapy” models for treating addiction and mental illness, which he argues do not reach the limbic system and brainstem, where the effects of early trauma are registered in the nervous system.
“Life Before Birth: The Hidden Script that Rules Our Lives” is scheduled to be published by NTI Upstream in October 2011, and has tremendous implications for the future of modern psychology, pediatrics, pregnancy, and women’s health.
Editor