Health
FDA approves new drug for Alzheimer’s disease: ‘Meaningful results’
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new medication for people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Eli Lilly’s Kisunla (donanemab) is a once-monthly injection intended for adults with early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease, according to a press release from the company.
Eligible patients include those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and those who have mild dementia with confirmed amyloid pathology.
EXPERIMENTAL ALZHEIMER’S DRUG GETS FDA ADVISORY PANEL’S THUMBS-UP: ‘PROGRESS IS HAPPENING’
This is the first medication to target amyloid plaques — the proteins that build up in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, often impairing memory and cognitive function — with evidence to support stopping therapy when amyloid plaques are removed, the release stated.
“Kisunla demonstrated very meaningful results for people with early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease, who urgently need effective treatment options,” said Anne White, executive vice president and president of Lilly Neuroscience, Eli Lilly and Company, in the release.
“We know these medicines have the greatest potential benefit when people are treated earlier in their disease, and we are working hard in partnership with others to improve detection and diagnosis.”
CAN WE REVERSE ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE? EXPERTS SUGGEST ‘NEW PARADIGM’ FOR COMBATING DEMENTIA
Fox News Digital reached out to the company for further comment.
The drug is designed to remove excessive buildup of amyloid plaques and slow cognitive decline, according to the company.
The approval follows an advisory panel’s recommendation of the drug at the FDA’s Peripheral and Central Nervous System Advisory Committee hearing last month.
At that hearing, Eli Lilly officials presented clinical trial results that showed the drug slowed cognitive and functional decline for people with mild cognitive impairment due to early stages of Alzheimer’s.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
In phase 3 trials published in May 2023, donanemab was shown to “significantly slow cognitive and functional decline in people with early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease,” according to a press release on Eli Lilly’s website.
That study was published by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The most serious potential side effect of Kisunla is amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), which can lead to temporary brain swelling or bleeding.
Although this effect “usually resolves over time,” it can be life-threatening, the company said.
Some patients may also experience headaches or potentially serious allergic reactions during or shortly after the drug’s infusion.
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, who was not involved in the drug trials, noted that donanemab is very similar to Leqembi, the current drug on the market that blocks amyloid formation.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health
Denonemab is “somewhat more effective,” Siegel noted, as it slows the progression of Alzheimer’s by about 35% versus 27% for Leqembi.
“It may be better at removing plaques,” he said.
Health
Is cord blood banking a worthwhile investment in your child’s future?
The umbilical cord — the lifeline between mother and baby — was historically discarded as medical waste after birth.
Today, an increasing number of parents are choosing to preserve the cord blood for its potential to safeguard their child’s future health.
The birth of a baby comes with an overwhelming number of decisions, one of which is whether to bank the newborn’s cord blood cells.
MEET THE AMERICAN WHO HELPED SAVE MILLIONS OF NEWBORN BABIES, DR. VIRGINIA APGAR, PHYSICIAN AND MUSICIAN
Whether cord blood banking is worth it for a family hinges on various factors, including the present health of their child, the existence of twins in the family and many other individual considerations.
What is cord blood banking?
Cord blood banking involves the collection and storage of stem cells derived from the blood of a newborn’s umbilical cord immediately after birth.
The reason is its potential life-saving abilities, as the hematopoietic stem cells found in cord blood have the unique ability to differentiate into various types of blood cells.
Preserving the cord blood cells provides an option for future therapeutic use in treating a range of diseases for the child or siblings.
These stem cells are less likely to face rejection during transplant due to their immature nature. This widens the blood cells’ applicability in medical procedures for the donor or family members.
Cord blood banking process
Cord blood banking can be done from either a vaginal or surgical birth, and regardless of whether the labor was induced or occurred naturally.
Once the parents decide to store the blood, the doctor will clamp the umbilical cord in two places and cut the cord, separating the mother from the child.
Once the blood has been collected and sealed, it will be sent to a cord blood bank for storage.
The doctor will inject a needle into the cord and collect, in general, between 60 and 300 milliliters (mL) of cord blood. The collected volume can vary, however, and not all collections will be sufficient for future therapeutic use for the child or siblings.
Once the blood has been collected and sealed, it will be sent to a cord blood bank for storage.
Collecting fluid in this process is relatively easy and does not cause pain to the mother or baby, according to webmd.com.
The collection process generally takes around five minutes to complete.
The blood can be stored at several different sites, based on the family’s decisions and circumstances.
- Public cord banks. These are free to use, but donations made are available to anyone.
- Private cord banks. These blood banks will store the blood for use only by the donor and family members of the donor. This can be an expensive option as there is a processing fee and an annual storage fee.
- Direct-donation banks. These are a mixture of public and private banks. They store cord blood for public use but also accept donations to reserve the stem cells for the child.
When discussing the options, cord blood banking often refers to private banking, while cord blood donation generally refers to public banking.
Private cord banking may not be worth the financial expense for the family, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The reason is that the price is steep for the chance that the child will need to use the blood at some point in time.
PARENTS WELCOME 14-POUND BABY, THE LARGEST ON RECORD SINCE 2010: ‘EVERYBODY WAS MAKING BETS’
These organizations suggest that routine storage of cord blood for stem cells as a sort of insurance is unproven, and therefore they caution parents when considering it.
Donating to a public storage bank could benefit the community, however, according to these organizations.
What are the uses of cord blood banking?
Cord blood banking can be beneficial because the stem cells are hematopoietic stem cells, meaning they are immature but can become mature cells of different types within the body.
Not only do they require less matching, they also cause fewer infections.
BABY SLEEP DANGERS REVEALED IN NEW STUDY AS NEARLY 70% OF INFANT DEATHS WERE DUE TO CO-SLEEPING
The stem cells within the umbilical cord can provide life-saving assistance for several conditions later in life.
Stem cells from the umbilical cord can treat a variety of conditions, including:
- Cancer
- Anemia
- Immune system disorders
A benefit of using cord blood stem cells is that they rarely result in infectious diseases.
They are also highly effective as they are half as likely to be rejected compared to other stem cells because they are immunogenic due to their immature nature.
What are the cons of cord blood banking?
There is only about an 8% usage rate of blood that has been stored through this process, according to a study cited by the National Library of Medicine.
Part of the reason for the low rate is that the blood is not always useful for a disease that develops later on in life.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF CONSUMING VINEGAR, PLUS TIPS FROM A DIETITIAN
Many factors go into whether cord blood can be used, such as from a set of twins when one twin is healthy and the other is born with a genetic disorder.
The blood drawn from the ill child can not be used later on for the healthy child, but the reverse could be true if the blood is a good match.
There are many circumstances that the American Academy of Pediatrics lays out as not ideal conditions for cord blood banking.
Identical twins are not often the best match for each other because a slight genetic difference in the blood cells is recommended.
Additionally, public blood banks can only accept donations from umbilical cords from a mother carrying a single child. This is due to the possibility that the blood units could get mixed up during the collection with twins.
Another downside of using cord blood cells is that it takes longer for them to create the therapeutic effect desired because they are hematopoietic stem cells.
How much does cord blood banking cost?
Typically, there are two separate fees involved when preserving a child’s cord blood cells, according to the American Pregnancy Association. The initial fee covers the enrollment and collection.
Then, there is an annual storage fee.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Those who go this route can expect to pay in the range of $1,350 and $2,350 for the initial collection, testing and registering, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Annual storage fees often range from $100 to $175, but the costs of individual storage banks will vary.
If the parents donate the blood cells from the umbilical cord, there is no cost.
The future of cord blood banking
The future trajectory of cord blood banking remains uncertain. Nonetheless, preserving cord blood cells today may have significant health benefits, offering new avenues for disease treatment as the field advances.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health
Considering the first successful umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant was performed as recently as 1988, as documented by the National Library of Medicine, the science around this practice is relatively young.
With ongoing research, the scope and efficacy of cord blood use are bound to expand.
Health
Alzheimer’s caregiver handbook: Here are expert tips and techniques for those who tend to dementia patients
Alzheimer’s disease puts a significant burden on not only the nearly seven million people who have been diagnosed with it, but also the caregivers supporting them.
More than 11 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementias, according to data from the Alzheimer’s Association. And 70% of them say that caregiving is stressful.
Dr. Heather Sandison, a renowned expert in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia care, said it’s critical for caregivers to protect their own mental and physical health.
FDA APPROVES NEW DRUG FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE: ‘MEANINGFUL RESULTS’
In her new book “Reversing Alzheimer’s: The New Tool Kit to Improve Cognition and Protect Brain Health,” published by HarperCollins on June 11, Sandison — who is based in California — outlines the specific risks that caregivers face.
In the excerpt that follows, Sandison offers some tips and techniques for how caregivers can release expectations and practice self-compassion.
Read an excerpt from Dr. Sandison’s new book
Dr. Heather Sandison: When I meet with a new dementia patient, I know that I am treating their caregiver in addition to treating them.
Of course, not every caregiver is on board with the idea of prioritizing their own health at that moment — mostly, they want to do everything they can to help their loved one get better.
“Dementia is almost like a virus. It doesn’t affect just one person. It can reach out and impair the cognitive health of the people who care for the patient, too.”
But dementia is almost like a virus. It doesn’t affect just one person. It can reach out and impair the cognitive health of the people who care for the patient, too.
To be blunt, if you are not caring for yourself, you are not going to be a good caregiver.
Taking care of someone with Alzheimer’s is such a big and important job that it’s easy to lose yourself to it … If you don’t also care for yourself, your effectiveness and your health will suffer, which will only make things worse for the person you’re caring for.
Risks of caregiving
I’m guessing you already know that caring for someone with dementia is taxing. You may not realize just how detrimental to your own health it can be. I’m sharing this list so that you can see the potential costs of not tending to your own well-being during this time.
Caregiver burden
Whether you’re living with your care partner and providing day-to-day care, or living at a distance and providing mostly financial and/or logistical support, having someone in your life who has dementia is often hard in multiple ways — emotionally, physically and financially.
ALZHEIMER’S BLOOD TEST ACHIEVES FASTER DIAGNOSES, HIGH ACCURACY AT MAYO CLINIC
Many people find that their sleep, diet, physical exercise and fun suffer. It’s a burden that works in two directions: It’s common to give up the things that help you stay healthy, and to feel a big weight of responsibility, frustration and guilt.
With Alzheimer’s, patients lose their independence, and there are no benchmarks that align with a predictable timeline. That unpredictability can make the experience stressful and uniquely challenging.
Impaired cognitive function
Research has found that dementia caregivers have significantly lower scores on tests of cognitive function.
This may be linked to the fact that many caregivers report poor sleep, which can impair your ability to process and respond to information, and thus can influence how safely you are able to perform complex caregiving tasks.
Depression
Depression and dementia are closely linked — having depression can increase your risk of dementia, and having dementia can increase your risk of depression.
“Taking care of someone with Alzheimer’s is such a big and important job that it’s easy to lose yourself to it.”
On top of that, caregivers of people with dementia experience depression more frequently than the general population, and depression in a caregiver can in turn affect the status and prognosis of the dementia patient.
Isolation
A common feeling among dementia caregivers is that people who aren’t also caring for someone with dementia can’t understand what it’s like, which understandably can lead to feeling isolated from others.
IN ALZHEIMER’S BREAKTHROUGH, RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY ‘PROTECTIVE GENE’ THAT DELAYS DISEASE IN HIGH-RISK FAMILY
Also, your devotion to your loved one can make it hard to ask for help. On top of that, your caregiving duties may be preventing you from getting together with friends or doing things that get you in the company of others, such as working out at the gym, attending church or participating in some other social activity.
Dementia risk
Devastatingly, all these negative effects combine to create an increased risk of developing dementia yourself — up to a sixfold increase compared to non-caregivers. Which is not to say that caring for someone with dementia definitely means you are getting dementia, too.
It’s really when the sense of caregiving burden is high — and you don’t exercise as much, sleep as well or make healthy food choices — that this risk is at its highest.
Caregiver non-negotiable: At least one day off
If there’s one thing I know for absolute certain about Alzheimer’s, it’s this: Taking care of someone with dementia is not a one-person job.
Trying to do it all yourself without ever taking a break is impossible. It will only increase your caregiver burden and put you on the path to burnout, which can then take a toll on your own risk of developing dementia and render you less able to care for your loved one.
It’s for this reason that I tell every caregiver I encounter that there is only one nonnegotiable piece of any caregiving plan, and that is that you take at least one full day a week off from caregiving.
WHEN A PARENT MUST CARE FOR A PARENT: HOW TO AVOID CAREGIVING BURNOUT, ACCORDING TO EXPERTS
Why? In addition to staving off your own burnout as well as giving you some time to care for yourself, putting in place a “my day Friday” (or any other day[s] of the week) will force you to line up some help.
Even if you think you don’t need any assistance now, it is only a matter of time until that changes.
Tools and techniques
Whether you realize it or not, you already have ways of coping with the stress that caregiving can give rise to — it’s just that they are likely not that helpful in the long run. That may be skipping out on sleep, drinking alcohol, blaming others, blaming yourself or deciding that you just need to try harder.
All these can ultimately only add to your caregiver burden, not lessen it.
‘REVERSING’ ALZHEIMER’S: HERE ARE EXERCISES TO MAKE THE BRAIN MORE RESILIENT
Here, I’m providing a laundry list of tools and techniques that can help make a positive difference in both your day-to-day reality and your long-term health.
Reframing
This is a shift in your thinking that helps you deal with the unexpected with more equanimity — such as when your loved one is not listening to you. It’s very easy to be judgmental in these moments, and to feel victimized, as in “Why are they making my life harder?” Especially when you’re caring for a family member, with whom you have a long history.
Ultimately, making it about you and judging the other person leads to more disconnection, which can breed upset and an escalation of the challenge.
Whenever you’re in that place of judgment, there is an invitation in that moment to notice that you’ve gotten upset, and then reframe your loved one’s behavior as the communication of an unmet need.
Determining an unmet need requires some curiosity and some detective work. In any situation, take a step back and objectively ask, “What’s going on here?”
“There is only one nonnegotiable piece of any caregiving plan, and that is that you take at least one full day a week off from caregiving.”
For example, if your care partner isn’t listening to you, instead of concluding that they are choosing not to hear you, stay open enough to investigate if their hearing aid is turned up, or needs a new battery, or if there’s too much background noise.
Releasing expectations
This is probably one of the hardest things about loving and caring for someone with dementia — little by little, they lose the ability to do things they once could, whether that’s log into an online account, manage finances, remember your name or brush their teeth.
As painful as these losses can be to witness, what makes them more upsetting is when you expect your loved one always to be able to do what they once could.
That’s why, even though you hold out hope that they will be able to do some of these things again, it’s helpful to everyone — especially you — if you can let go of the expectation that they continue to be the person they were. By releasing the expectation, you can relieve yourself of at least a bit of the disappointment that comes from being let down when your expectation isn’t met.
Maintaining a spirit of curiosity can help.
Saying things to yourself such as, “I wonder how this will go,” can help you meet your care partner where they are that day. Don’t forget to enjoy and celebrate when your loved one does regain capacity.
Self-compassion
Self-compassion has also been shown to reduce the perception of caregiver burden. An important way you can implement self-compassion is to continually remind yourself that you’re doing your best.
That may not mean you’re doing a perfect job, or even a great job — some days, you may need to phone it in because you didn’t sleep well the night before, or you’re not feeling well, or you have to focus on work that day, and that’s OK.
But it does mean that you are doing the best you can in that moment.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
The fact that you are willing to be a pioneer and learn about the things that can prevent or reverse the downward slide of dementia and put in the work to help your loved one get better suggests to me that not only are you doing your best, you’re doing a phenomenal job. It’s not easy to be at the forefront of a movement.
“Try talking to yourself the same way you would talk to a friend — someone you care for, and whom you’re trying to encourage.”
Another important tool is to become aware of how you talk to yourself. We all have moments when we get frustrated, say the wrong thing or do something we later wish we could take back. I think we can agree that no one is perfect.
So when things do go wrong, begin to notice what you say to yourself about it. It helps you become an observer of your own thoughts, which then creates a window of opportunity to be more intentional about what you tell yourself.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health
In these moments, try talking to yourself the same way you would talk to a friend — someone you care for, and whom you’re trying to encourage.
If they made a mistake, I’m guessing you wouldn’t criticize them.
You would just remind them that they’re doing their best. Resist the urge to say harsh, judgmental or downright mean things to yourself.
Excerpted with permission from the new book, “Reversing Alzheimer’s: The New Tool Kit to Improve Cognition and Protect Brain Health” (HarperCollins) by Dr. Heather Sandison, copyright © 2024 by Dr. Heather Sandison. All rights reserved.
Health
Your Fourth of July Weekend Horoscope, According to an Astrologer
Sign Up
Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
Already have an account? Login
Forgot your password?
Get back to the Sign In
Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.
Use escape to exit the menu.
-
Politics1 week ago
Oakland mayor breaks silence after FBI raid: ‘I have done nothing wrong’
-
News1 week ago
Where Joe Biden and Donald Trump Stand on the Issues
-
Politics1 week ago
Popular Republican and Trump running mate contender makes first Senate endorsement in 2024 races
-
News1 week ago
Toplines: June 2024 Times/Siena Poll of Registered Voters Nationwide
-
Politics1 week ago
Fox News Politics: Trump Ungagged…Kinda
-
Politics1 week ago
Obama again stepping into role as Joe's closer ahead of Trump v Biden rematch
-
News1 week ago
Iowa floodwaters breach levees as even more rain dumps onto parts of the Midwest
-
News5 days ago
Video: How Blast Waves Can Injure the Brain