What’s new on the disease that people dread the most as they grow older? First of all, unfortunately, it’s on the rise — and it’s a steady increase. Some numbers come from a Danish pharmaceutical company who, not surprisingly, given the drug industry mentality, look upon populations as “markets.” The seven major pharmaceutical markets are France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S., where approximately 16 percent of the population is aged 65 or older. 

Hope is a word you rarely hear in relation to Alzheimer’s, but it is the energy that moves this medical research forward, that helps patients and their families.

My neighbor, Ruth, is 74 years old with stage 3 lung cancer. After she underwent surgery and radiation, her condition became “stable.” She lives from one CT scan to the next in fear that the cancer will have spread. But surprisingly, even with this enormous threat hanging over her, she is far more worried about something else: There are increasing gaps in her memory from moment to moment. Besides, her father died of it  --Alzheimer’s. It scares me too. During the past several years as a writer in the alternative health field, seeking out natural, non-toxic approaches (but not neglecting the high-tech medical advances), I’ve gathered research on this disease as a prepare-for-disaster defense.