Dopamine is the brain’s primary “cognition” brain chemical. The brain’s processing or “working” memory resides in the lateral prefrontal cortex of the brain – this brain region is most sensitive to the rise and fall of dopamine levels – and it is dependent on dopamine for optimal function. The lateral prefrontal cortex is the first brain region to “go dark “on SPECT brain imaging demonstrating reduced activity as seen on the Alzheimer SPECT scan below. Compare the normal brain scan on the left to that of an Alzheimer’s patient on the right.
Dr. Sponaugle’s research has thus far proven that most Alzheimer’s patients have HLA DRBQ genetics. Patients with specific HLA DRBQ genetics cannot make antibodies to Mold mycotoxins, Candida mycotoxins and to the toxins produced Neuro-Lyme, Lyme infection in the brain. These patients cannot effectively remove fatty toxins from their brain and body like other patients. When these neurotoxins deposit and accumulate in brain tissue, they destroy brain neurons and surrounding brain tissue, this accelerates the Alzheimer’s process causing earlier Alzheimer’s disease.
Every Alzheimer patient Dr. Sponaugle has successfully treated was suffering from the following undiagnosed conditions; Undiagnosed Benzene toxicity, Mold toxicity and Lyme disease. Many had, in addition, undiagnosed intracellular infections, a brain infected with Mycoplasma and less common, the brain toxic parasite, FL 1953, which is carried by mosquitoes.
None of these patients had been properly worked up or diagnosed, even though they had previously sought Alzheimer’s treatment at multiple medical centers and Alzheimer’s institutions – all had been placed on Alzheimer’s medications by their neurologist which for obvious reasons, failed to effectively treat their Alzheimer’s disease.
These toxins also destroy the intestinal lining thereby causing significant nutritional deficiencies, subsequently the brain is lacking in vital nutrients that are necessary for repair of damaged brain tissue and the production of essential brain neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that stimulate the brain’s electrical activity.
Through working closely with Alzheimer patients, we have learned that the myriad of biochemical deficiencies and their excessive toxin accumulation cannot be effectively treated with pharmaceutical medications or oral herbals and supplements. He must use intravenous modalities of treatment to achieve success reversal of Alzheimer’s symptoms and reversal of Alzheimer findings on brain scans. Medications like Aricept only address one brain chemical, acetylcholine, and they have proven to have limited success in treating Alzheimer’s patients.
Because the intestinal lining of Alzheimer’s patients has suffered years of toxic exposure, most Alzheimer’s patients have compromised ability to readily absorb the nutrients needed to begin the healing of damaged brain tissue. Furthermore, we have found that it is impossible to accomplish adequate detoxification of brain neurotoxins with oral detoxifying herbals and pharmaceutical medications like, Cholestyramine.
For this reason, Dr. Sponaugle designed his comprehensive Anti-aging Brain Wellness Program for patients who suffer toxin induced destruction of their intestinal mucosa, therefore the program consists of both, oral and intravenous treatment modalities. This program provides more aggressive intravenous detoxification, using all natural medicines and with it, Dr. Sponaugle bypasses the intestine by delivering vital nutrients and natural toxin remover directly into the bloodstream. This program simultaneously “jump starts “the restoration of nutrients that are so vital for reparation of damaged brain tissue and the production of the brain neurotransmitters that stimulate the brain’s electrical activity.
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
The hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease is memory loss, confusion, depression and diminished mental cognition. The brain is both a chemical and an electrical organ. The Alzheimer’s brain suffers from inadequate chemical and subsequently, diminished electrical activity. Diminished brain function can be measured via several advances in medical technology:
QEEG, qualitative EEG studies measure electrical current in the brain. SPECT scans measure cerebral blood flow which correlates with electrical activity. PET scans measure the brain’s active metabolism of glucose. Glucose metabolism has a direct correlation with brain activity.
Tunnel Vision of American Neurology Regarding Alzheimer’ Disease
Alzheimer’s research in American Medical Centers has focused on the development of new medications from Pharmaceutical companies. Assuming that Big Pharma can design a miracle drug to successfully treat Alzheimer’s disease demonstrates the remarkable tunnel vision of American Medicine. It has become increasingly clear that Alzheimer’s Disease has no single etiology which explains why medications, like Aricept, that enhance brain activity of just one “memory” brain chemical, always fail to effectively treat Alzheimer’s patients.
The True Causation of Alzheimer’s Disease
Dr. Sponaugle’s clinical research has revealed that Alzheimer’s patients suffer multiple neurotransmitter, hormonal and nutritional deficiencies. In addition, Alzheimer brains suffer from decades of cumulative neurotoxicity, the excessive accumulation of environmental toxins that worsens with every decade in industrialized countries like America.
Excessive neurotoxicity causes direct destruction of brain tissue and indirect destruction through toxin stimulation of brain inflammation.
Successful Alzheimer’s treatment requires both, oral and intravenous modalities of treatment, in which multiple biochemical deficiencies are corrected and numerous neurotoxins are removed.
Neurotransmitters – Brain Chemicals
Neurotransmitters, called brain chemicals, are chemical messengers that travel from one brain neuron to another as seen in the Dopamine slide below. Excitatory neurotransmitters are responsible for stimulating increased electrical energy in brain neurons. Memory recall, cognition, alertness and mental performance in general are all dependent on the electrical energy traveling throughout the brain.
Historically speaking, our medical training and the scientific community became hyper-focused on one specific brain chemical, Acetylcholine, as the brain’s “memory neurotransmitter.” For this reason, we developed tunnel vision and myopic thinking regarding the treatment of neurological disorders that are associated with memory impairment like Alzheimer’s disease.
Our myopic thinking has unfortunately, resulted in the too many treatment failures of Alzheimer’s patients because the primary focus of treating physicians has been to prescribe medication that enhances acetylcholine activity in the brain, Aricept is just one example.
Multiple Neurotransmitter Deficiencies
Dr. Sponaugle’s clinical research has proven that Alzheimer’s patients do suffer from suboptimal levels of acetylcholine, however, the enhancement of Acetylcholine alone fails to effectively treat Alzheimer’s because Alzheimer’s patients suffer deficiencies of multiple excitatory neurotransmitters. It is the correction of multiple brain chemical deficiencies and aggressive removal of neurotoxins that has proven to reverse Alzheimer’s symptoms and the hypo-metabolism seen on the PET scans of our Alzheimer’s patients.
Based on our clinical research, optimization of Acetylcholine activity appears to be less important than optimization of other excitatory neurotransmitters such as Dopamine, Glutamate, Histamine and PEA.
Stimulation of the brain’s electrical activity from below normal to optimal levels increases cognition and mental performance, both of which are dependent on the rapidity and intensity of “electrical firing” in brain neurons.
Our reserch has revealed that Alzheimer’s patients suffer from multiple nutritional and biochemical deficiencies – amino acids, vitamins, minerals and coenzymes. This combination of deficiencies prevents the necessary manufacturing of excitatory neurotransmitters in the brain.
The gastro-intestinal tract of elderly Americans has suffered decades of insult and injury from excessive exposure to environmental and food laden toxins.
This concept escapes the average American Neurologist because our medical training has historically placed very little emphasis on nutritional education and, far less emphasis on environmental toxicity, medical toxicology and specifically neurotoxicity than European medical training.
Yet, it is in America that we have manufactured over 81,000 synthetic chemicals since 1930, the majority of which have proven to be severely neurotoxic.
Over time, these environmental toxins destroy the intestinal lining causing significant malabsorbtion issues and subsequently numerous deficiencies of the amino acids, vitamins and minerals needed to repair brain tissue and manufacture brain neurotransmitters.
An important component of our Brain Wellness Program is the use of intravenous amino acid and vitamin therapy which by-passes the damaged intestinal tract of Alzheimer’s patients, thereby, delivering vital nutrients directly into the blood stream and on to the brain.
This process “jump starts” the optimization of nutritional status in our Alzheimer’s patients so they can begin reparation of damaged brain tissue, and once again, begin to manufacture vital brain chemicals that stimulate the brain’s electrical function.
Multiple Hormonal Deficiencies
Our clinical research has revealed that the average Alzheimer’s patient suffers from over 20 hormonal deficiencies. The majority of America’s neurologists remain unaware that receptor activation by the brain’s excitatory neurotransmitters is dependent on optimal levels of specific hormones.
American Internists and Neurologists typically fail to recognize the importance of hormones regarding Brain Chemical activation. European research has proven optimal hormonal levels are vital to ensure neurotransmitter activity in the brain.
Neurotransmitter “receptivity” is the ability of a neurotransmitter to “fit on” and activate its brain receptor, receptivity being dependent on specific hormones makes correcting hormonal deficiencies a vital component of Alzheimer’s treatment. Research at Sponaugle Wellness Institute has proven that hormonal deficiencies are often a primary cause of reduced mental performance in Alzheimer’s patients.
Dopamine is a primary cognitive brain chemical. Both Testosterone and Thyroid Hormone must be at optimal levels for Dopamine Receptor activation or “Dopamine Receptivity.”
Adrenaline or Epinephrine cannot readily activate nerve receptors in the brain or body without the hormone Cortisol.
In the female brain, Serotonin cannot activate Serotonin receptors when Estradiol levels fall below a critical level, serotonin receptors actually close and are unavailable for serotonin activation.
One of the many components of Dr. Sponaugle’s Brain Wellness Program is the evaluation and optimization of the hormones that are vital to brain and body function.
Excessive Inflammation
European research has placed more emphasis on the concept that excessive brain inflammation is the primary cause of TAU body formation in the brain. Dr. Sponaugle diagnoses multiple underlying disorders that cause excessive inflammation in Alzheimer’s patients.
A common cause of excessive inflammation in Americans is antibiotic induced Gastrointestinal Dysbiosis, the overgrowth of pathogenic yeast and bacteria in the Gastro-intestinal tract.
Toxins produced by foreign invaders of the intestinal tract destroy the lining of the intestinal tract causing LGS, Leaky Gut Syndrome. In addition, excessive exposure to bio-toxins in our food supply, bio-toxins produced by indoor molds in water damaged buildings and from undiagnosed infections such as Lyme disease and Mycoplasma destroy the gut lining causing Leaky Gut Syndrome.
Environmental Biotoxins – Neurotoxins
American industry has created 81,000 synthetic chemicals since 1930. Scientists have not tested most for their harmful effect on the brain, however, testing has proven that the top 100 are severe neurotoxins, they accumulate in and destroy nervous tissue, especially the brain. Simply living in America for several decades assures excessive exposure to these lipophilic “fatty” neurotoxins.
Neurotoxin-Induced Destruction of Brain Tissue
Molecular Destruction of Fatty Brain Tissue by Fatty Neurotoxins
The human brain has 60 percent fat content, it is the “fattiest” organ in our body. Because the brain is the body organ that is most fatty in structure, “fatty” toxins migrate to and deposit in the brain. Over several decades, excessive accumulation of these neurotoxins in brain tissue displaces the good fatty molecules like Omega 3 with harmful fatty molecules, this destroys the structural integrity of brain tissue.
Fatty neurotoxins destroy the integrity of brain neurons, particularly the myelin sheath [insulation] on the axon of brain neurons. The myelin sheath is 80 percent fat, the fattiest part of our brain and is particularly vulnerable to insult from environmental and industrial chemicals.
When the myelin sheath becomes “sick” and inflamed, it cannot repair, thus myelin destruction continues causing an overall slowing of the brain’s electrical current. This further exacerbates down -regulation of the brain’s metabolic and electrical activity, the hypo-metabolism seen on PET Brain Imaging. Multiple Sclerosis patients demonstrate “white spots” on MRI, these white spots represent scarring of the myelin on brain neurons.
Our research suggests that those patients who develop Alzheimer’s symptoms early in life are patients with genetic susceptibility to toxic overload. Patients with HLA DRBQ genetics more readily accumulate excessive levels of “fatty” toxins.
Neurotoxin-Induced Brain Inflammation
Industrial and environmental fatty toxins are registered by our immune system as foreign invaders; they have no business “hanging out in the brain.” When our immune system attacks “foreign” fatty molecules that deposit in brain tissue, surrounding brain tissue gets caught in the crossfire.
The attack on bio-toxins stimulates excessive production of inflammatory chemicals called cytokines, thus increased inflammation throughout the brain and body.
Brain Inflammation Reducing Brain Blood Flow
Extensive collateral damage occurs when the immune system battles foreign neurotoxins. Brain tissue suffers from the toxin induced inflammation. The brain’s smallest blood vessels, the capillaries, become inflamed, subsequently, the 8 micron diameter capillary lumen “shrinks“ making it more difficult for the 7 micron diameter red blood cells to squeeze through, this reduces cerebral blood flow.
Less blood flow to Brain neurons
Higher risk of Mini-Stroke [TIA} and Stroke [CVA}
Less effective removal of the toxins that initiated the excessive inflation that causes more brain damage.
Less delivery of nutrients for repair of damaged Brain tissue
Less delivery of Oxygen to Brain neurons
Brain Inflammation Causing Hypercoaguability
Neurotoxic induced cytokine production stimulates excessive production of the blood clotting cascade. Excessive production of clotting factors known as Fibrinogen and Thrombin Anti-thrombin III, creates a phenomenon called hypercoaguability – excessive blood clotting.
When in excess, these clotting factors “plug” the tiny 8 micron lumen of the capillaries or “mini-pipes.” The micro-circulation in the brain is greatly diminished because the 7 micron diameter red blood cells have difficulty traveling through the brain’s smallest capillaries.
This further exacerbates neurotoxin build up because of decreased “wash out” of toxins, thus inducing more brain damage in addition to causing micro-hypoxia or lack of oxygen delivery to brain cells.
These fibrin clotting factors also become entangled in brain tissue producing the classic Alzheimer’s TAU bodies.
Healing the Alzheimer’s Brain – Dr. Sponaugle’s Alzheimer’s Treatment Protocol
It becomes obvious that healing the Alzheimer’s Brain requires much more than simply prescribing a few medications. One must heal the Brain on a cellular level. When Dr. Sponaugle attempts to heal the Brain of an Alzheimer’s patient, his goal is to increase blood flow to the Brain, reduce Brain inflammation, remove harmful toxins from the Brain and increase Brain cell metabolism and electrical function by performing restoration of multiple Brain Chemical and Hormonal deficiencies.
This feat is accomplished with a comprehensive Anti-aging Body and Brain Wellness Program that reverses age of the body and the brain. Dr. Sponaugle has learned through healing thousands of addicted brains that we cannot heal the brain without treating a myriad of undiagnosed medical disorders in the body.
Dr. Sponaugle’s comprehensive Alzheimer’s Treatment is based on 5 principle goals and can be completed in six weeks:
Restoration of Numerous Biochemical Deficiencies:
Analysis and optimization of more than 200 vital bio-chemicals including Brain neurotransmitters, hormones, enzymes, amino acids, vitamins and minerals that are deficient in all Alzheimer’s patients. Dr. Sponaugle has designed an intravenous program for Alzheimer’s patients that by-passes the gastrointestinal tract.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Subclinical “Undiagnosed” Brain Infections:
Dr. Sponaugle routinely diagnoses “stealth” infectious agents like Lyme, Bartonella and Mycoplasma in Alzheimer’s patients. These intracellular microorganisms take up residence inside of individual brain neurons causing excessive inflammation, tissue damage and subsequently, acceleration of the Alzheimer’s process. These stealth infections remain below the radar of the average American physician, however, in Europe, scientists have proven they often cause Parkinson’s, MS, ALS and Alzheimer’s.
Removal of Brain Biotoxins – Neurotoxins that Destroy Brain Neurons:
Dr. Sponaugle’s intravenous toxin removal protocol provides much more efficacious removal of harmful bio-toxins than oral modalities of treatment.
It is impossible to measure all of the 81,000 synthetic chemicals manufactured by American Industry since 1930. The majority, including pesticides, are fatty or lipophilic in nature and are removed with Dr. Sponaugle’s intravenous toxin removal protocol.
Several European studies have proven that Melatonin and Serapeptase enhance the removal of TAU bodies from the brain. In Dr. Sponaugle’s family workshop, he teaches families about several herbal medicines that prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
Doug’s Story – Dr. Sponaugle’s Perspective
Doug and his wife, Dottie, came to Sponaugle Wellness Institute in February of 2011, seeking help for Doug’s Alzheimer’s disease. They were referred by Dr. Dana Dupree, an accomplished ophthalmologist who specializes in retinal diseases. Dr. Dupree see’s many patients with Alzheimer’s disease and is familiar with my success treating brain disorders like Alzheimer’s.
Doug had 10 years of frightening and progressing Alzheimer’s Symptoms before Doug’s two neurologists made the clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease and later, confirmed it with Doug’s first PET scan which revealed moderate, not mild, and diffuse “hypometabolism. This is a classical Alzheimer’s pattern on PET scan which reveals a severe reduction of brain activity.
Just 3 weeks into our Brain Wellness Program, Doug had miraculous improvement in his cognitive function, at that time he performed his second video testimony. In comparison to his first testimony, Doug had regained his memory, cognitive function and his depression was gone.
Doug in fact, could not only drive his car again, he drove to Washington, DC. He also took his boat out in the Gulf of Mexico, something he had not been able to do for 3 years.
Six weeks into our Brain Wellness Program, Dottie stated she felt Doug’s mental and physical function, including his energy levels, were that of his thirties. Our Brain Wellness Program is actually an Anti-aging – Brain and Body Wellness Program. We have learned to heal the brain, we must heal the entire body, optimize body function in order to heal brain damage caused by years of insult from toxins and oxidative stress.
Our Anti-aging, Brain and Body Wellness Program reverses years of the aging process in both, the Brain and body.
Doug’s Story – Parkinson’s / Alzheimer’s
Doug first sought Dr. Sponaugle’s help for his Alzheimer’s Disease in February of 2011. Doug’s initial PET scan a year earlier in February of 2010 is seen above on the left, it confirmed his neurologist’s clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Dr. Sponaugle began treating Doug in February of 2011. Within just 3 weeks of treatment, Doug experienced 90 percent reversal of his Alzheimer’s symptoms, see Doug’s second testimony. Doug had a repeat PET scan in June of 2011 before he returned to New York for the summer months. Doug’s second PET scan as seen above on the right, revealed none of the classic Alzheimer’s “hypometabolism” seen on Doug’s PET scan before Dr. Sponaugle’s Alzheimer’s Treatment.
Doug’s reversal of Alzheimer’s symptoms correlates with the Radiologist’s report on the second PET scan. Following Dr. Sponaugle’s care, Doug has no Alzheimer’s symptoms.
No brain fog – no memory loss – no cognitive impairment – no depression!!Doug and Dottie, feel his memory, cognitive function, brain performance and happiness have returned to a level Doug enjoyed in his thirties.
© Copyright (2012) Marvin Sponaugle, MD All Right Reserved
