Hi everyone!

Yes, I know my shoe theory (that shoes cause Alzheimer's disease) is
crazy, wacko, etc.  But hey, all ideas that we take for granted started
out as crazy at one time, right?

Well, unfortunately, my theory keeps getting deleted off the internet
message boards, so I thought I'd dump it here in the newsgroups where
nobody has control over what other people read.  Here's this year's
censored thread from healthboards.com in it's entirety.

Enjoy!
James Semmel
Albuquerque, New Mexico

http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=399245

06-08-2006, 03:29 PM
feetback2
Newbie (male)

Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 1
3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
TO: All Alzheimer's disease researchers, doctors, caregivers, and
patients.

I am a 35-year-old electrical engineer investigating the biomechanical
effects of shoes on degenerative diseases--an admittedly unusual topic.
April 8, 2006 marked the 100th anniversary of the death of "Auguste D",
who was Dr. Alois Alzheimer's first clinical case of the disease that
came to bear his name. Indeed, Alzheimer's disease was so rare a
century ago that doctors didn't even have a name for the condition.

In my opinion, Alzheimer's disease is just one example of degenerate
conditions that are related to the use of footwear, especially since it
affects women disproportionately more than men; women's footwear is
more physically deforming to the feet because of higher heels, pointier
toes, and smaller sizes, but any shoe might have a more deforming
effect on the lighter build of a woman's body. Even that first clinical
case presenting to Dr. Alzheimer in 1901 was a woman (Auguste D.), and
she was born on May 16, 1850, during the last year that shoes were made
completely by hand; Isaac Singer's sewing machine of 1851 made modern
shoes widely available for the first time in the history of mankind.
The second clinical case of what became known as Alzheimer's disease
was a man, "Johann F." born about a year later on March 8, 1853. Both
Auguste and Johann were among the first children growing up in the
modern manufactured shoe era.

I am interested in any questions or discussion about the topic of
posture and Alzheimer's disease. Thank you very much for considering my
novel idea.

James Semmel
Albuquerque, New Mexico

  #2
06-08-2006, 05:45 PM
needtoescape
Senior Member (female)

Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 164
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
That certainly is a novel idea.. I did have one middle eastern doctor
who said that examination of the feet could tell a whole lot about what
was wrong with a person. He included a foot exam for nearly any
problem.

I have one relative who had seriously deformed feet from wearing shoes
that were not the right size in her childhood years and she did not
have AD. (She died of pulmonary fibrosis).

The other family I know with AD have normal feet as far as I know.

If this is a serious question, good luck with your investigation!

 #3
06-08-2006, 07:30 PM
Martha H
Senior Veteran (female)

Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Middlebury, IN
Posts: 1,543
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
My mother was born poor in Germany in 1908 and went barefoot for most
of her childhood. In extreme old age (now 97) her podiatrist told her
that she has wonderful arches, due to going barefoot for the first 20
years of her life. She did share one pair of shoes with her brother for
school in the winter - he went 3 days, she went the other 2.

She got Alzheimer's Disease at the age of 91. I somehow think there was
no connection to her feet ..she still has the best feet in town!

However I do firmly believe that many women's high heeled pointy toed
shoes should be banned by Amnesty International as torture instruments
....
but the damage is to the feet, not to the brain ....

A unique idea, indeed.

Martha

06-09-2006, 08:38 AM
feetback2
Newbie (male)

Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 3
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
Quote:
Originally Posted by needtoescape
The other family I know with AD have normal feet as far as I know.

needtoescape,

The question I pose is certainly serious. Indeed, I feel the supporting
evidence is so strong that we can actually nail down a specific
posture-based therapy for controlling the condition. However, it
requires an open mind and a willingness to consider a fresh point of
view.

I would like to point out that "normal" feet are not necessarily
"natural" feet, i.e., unspoiled by footwear. Everyone who has grown up
in civilized society during the 20th century has been exposed at some
time during their lifetime to footwear. Our feet are "normal" in the
sense that they are like the feet of everyone else, but they are
unnatural in the sense that the toes are crooked and cramped.

Thanks,
james

 #5
06-09-2006, 08:40 AM
feetback2
Newbie (male)

Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 3
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martha H
... but the damage is to the feet, not to the brain ....

Martha,

It seems to me that shoes not only affect the feet, but also the entire
body including its organic functioning. Consider the effect on the
heart, for example. During barefoot walking, the toes alternately flex
and extend; this muscular action assists blood flow in the foot, which
thus acts as a "pump" to return the blood up the leg and back to the
heart. In shoes, the toes are constricted from such movement, and so
blood flow stagnates in the foot, thus forcing the heart to work
unnaturally harder.

Well, I think that a similar argument holds true for the brain, which
is responsible for coordinating muscular action in the body during
walking. It is harder to balance the body in shoes (just ask anyone who
has tried high stiletto heels), and so the brain gives up non-essential
functions such as memory in order to compensate for the loss of foot
functionality.

Thanks,
james

06-10-2006, 12:52 AM
gizmolove
Senior Member

Join Date: May 2001
Location: WA.
Posts: 147
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
The short answer is "No".

My grandmother had Alzheimer's, she always wore low heels. My uncle, my
mother's brother had Alzheimer's, and he always worn normal mens black
pattent shoes. My mother had Alzheimer's and she did wear high heels.
And, she had small little feet. But, saying that all people with
Alzheimer's wore shoes is like saying all people that get cancer have
hair.

sorry, just do not agree.
__________________
Gizmo

  #7
06-10-2006, 03:45 AM
Martha H
Senior Veteran (female)

Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Middlebury, IN
Posts: 1,545
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
Hello Gizmo, I have missed seeing your posts - glad you are back.

I agree about shoes. False logic. All people who get nearsighted ate
bread. Therefore bread caused nearsightedness. Besides, does anyone
want to go back to bare feet?

Love,

Martha

 #8
06-10-2006, 07:53 AM
BarbaraH
Senior Veteran

Join Date: May 2003
Location: Chesterfield, VA, USA
Posts: 1,968
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
Hi all -

Giz - it is good to see you again!! Hope you keep in touch!

My mother had AD, starting in her early 80s. She was born in 1916,
always wore sensible shoes, and died at age 88.

I, too, think you're barking up the wrong tree in looking for a
connection between AD and footwear. This view does not mean I have a
closed mind, just a reasonable and logical one.

Cheers - Barbara

06-10-2006, 07:52 AM
feetback2
Newbie (male)

Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 4
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
Thus far, nobody has commented on posture, which I claim inherently
influences Alzheimer's disease. (I focused my original question on
shoes only because they have the most significant physical effect on
posture and body mechanics, but there are many other factors--including
emotional--that affect the way we walk, stand, sit, and otherwise use
our bodies.)

The typical AD patient presents with numerous postural deformities,
most notably a crooked neck with head drooping in front of the body.
Can improving posture, and restoring the natural, balanced position of
the head, thus relieve the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease?

james

06-10-2006, 12:13 PM
BarbaraH
Senior Veteran

Join Date: May 2003
Location: Chesterfield, VA, USA
Posts: 1,969
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
Sorry, James,

I have yet to meet a "typical" AD patient. I've met AD folks from every
walk of life, age, and profession. The picture you paint of "crooked
neck with head drooping" is several stages down AD's slippery slope.

My mother's posture was excellent until a few years after the onset of
AD and well past her diagnosis. In fact, it was after she forgot how to
walk (18 months before her death) and was in a wheelchair that her
posture was no longer perfect.

It was apparent as I observed my mother's decline, that her brain
gradually but steadily lost its ability to function properly, finally
losing control over movement and digestion. End stage from my mother
was marked by weight loss despite her good appetite and increasing
rigidity of her joints.

To restore good posture would mean some means of constantly holding the
body in alignment and frequent passive range of motion exercises. There
comes a point in AD that the patient simply does not have the collected
thoughts to participate in any activity. As we say here, sad, but true.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love for a cure and an effective means of
preventing AD to be found today. The sooner, the better. Seems to me
you're not looking at the big picture. Do read the 7 Stages of AD
sticky at the top of this thread and reconsider.

Peace - Barbara

06-10-2006, 12:18 PM
feetback2
Newbie (male)

Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 5
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
Barbara,

You raised several important points that deserve detailed attention. To
start off, how are you gauging "excellent" posture?

Thanks,
james

06-10-2006, 04:28 PM
BarbaraH
Senior Veteran

Join Date: May 2003
Location: Chesterfield, VA, USA
Posts: 1,970
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
James,

I'm not going to describe or debate my own mother's illness any further
to suit your needs as a researcher or whatever. I don't have the
distance from my loss to do this and doubt I ever will. You will have
to understand that.

We're here to help each other with ideas, skills, and humor, not to
apply the scientific method. The folks here are in the thick of it,
reeling from what's happened and is happening. Perhaps this is not the
place for the dispassionate reporting that you need.

Peace - Barbara

 #13
06-11-2006, 12:14 AM
gizmolove
Senior Member

Join Date: May 2001
Location: WA.
Posts: 154
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
First off; Nice to see you too (2) again...Both Barbara and
Martha...Love you guys...Giz

James;

In Alzheimer's, most people are effected with Alz in their latter
years. It is an elderly disease. This is because it takes years and
years to develope. (It takes a long long time to have a brain distroyed
one small cell at a time from a debillatating disease that progresses
so slowly and has to distroy some 80% of the only organ that we can
think with, before it gets to the "good stuff". And, even then large
portions of the brain still has to be distroyed to effect one small
function and many many millions of functions have to be distroyed to
notice even a small change in function, abilities and personality.

That's the short course in Alz. 101. But, on a more serious note,
because Alz is a disease of the aged, most elderly people have posture
difficulties even without Alz. Bones breakdown, arthritis sets in, and
backs are just not what they used to be when you used to play tennis at
the tender age of 20.

My mother had a "Dowager Hump". Her back was curved like a hunch-back
and she was quite embarrest from it. Little did we know that this was
caused by and one of the symptoms of, osteoperosis. If any of her
doctors would have enlightened us about this, then we would have had a
big heads-up and she would not have spent the last year of her life
being bed ridden. See, her back couldn't hold her up any more and she
lost her hip. It litterly ate it'self away with osteoperosis and she
was walking with no hip socket for the ball joint to go into.

Now, to say that she just could have improved her posture and her
Alzheimer's would have gotten better, is like saying that if you just
concentrate on keeping your fingers straight you'll get rid of those
nasty lumps and crooked fingers caused by arthritis, and your aches and
pains will go away and your joints will be more flexiable.

You are putting the cart before the horse I'm afraid. Or trying to fry
the chicken .... before the egg is hatched. Sorry
But good luck on your research.
__________________
Gizmo

06-11-2006, 10:22 AM
feetback2
Newbie (male)

Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Posts: 6
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
gizmolove,

Thanks for your comments. As you indicated, the incidence of
Alzheimer's disease increases with age, while posture deteriorates with
age. Could the more balanced posture of children thus be warding off
Alzheimer's disease?

It seems to me that maintaining straighter posture into old age would
likewise delay or prevent arthritis, osteoporosis, and many other
"age-related", degenerative diseases with an unknown cause.

james

06-11-2006, 11:05 PM
Canyons
Member (male)

Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 63
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
This is an interesting thread. The only thing I have to comment about
feet and Alzheimer's is that my father who died of the disease had
terrible ingrown toenails. Maybe that will help you further.

 #18
06-12-2006, 01:22 AM
gizmolove
Senior Member

Join Date: May 2001
Location: WA.
Posts: 157
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
James,

I am sorry, but I just don't see how a disease that distroys brain
cells can be avoided by using "good posture", any more than having
"good feet" can prevent you from getting the flu, or getting Aids,
having a Heart Attack, or getting any other disease.

I realize that a straight back helps in blood flow and keeps the
circulation moving to provide a supply of fresh blood to body parts,
even the brain. But, that won't prevent you from getting the flu or
developing Alzheimer's or getting Cancer or Aids. Strokes can be
avoided if fresh blood isn't blocked from (healthy) brain tissue. But,
strokes and Heart Attack's can not be avoided by having "good feet".

Alzheimer's is caused by a disease that changes healthy brain cells
into goo or jelly, then liquifies those cells and the cells then drain
away leaving holes where healthy tissue should be. No amount of good
diet, good posture, healthy feet with good arches, or message therapy,
and a straight back or spine, good circulation or regular exercise, can
prevent that.

It's cause by a disease that attacks cells at the cellular level,
similar to cancer. It's an aberant cell mutation, and that is not
subject to wheather of not you live a "good" life, eat healthy, or
exercise regularly.

Sorry, don't buy it at all. Maybe you should do more research about the
biological condition of Alzheimer's, and less research about posture
and feet. There is NO connection at all.
__________________
Gizmo

06-12-2006, 10:57 AM
feetback2
Newbie (male)

Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Posts: 7
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
gizmolove,

I agree that poor circulation--say from crimped carotid arteries of a
crooked neck--could be affecting the function of the brain. Hormone
production and distribution would also be affected. Indeed, there are
many possibilities when speculating at the exact internal details.

But zoom out and stay focused on the bigger picture, which is the shape
of the body, specifically the spine. The exaggerated curves of faulty
posture places many internal structures at a mechanical disadvantage
against gravity. The brain, which is responsible for balancing the
spine, must surely be affected when the vertebral bones are chronically
misaligned.

Bear in mind that the best minds of medicine have used the most
advanced technologies during the 20th century in seeking external
causes of Alzheimer's disease, and yet they have found nothing. It
seems to me that the cause must therefore be internal, that is, from
the increased skeletal muscle tension required to sustain an upright
posture with gravity.

james

06-12-2006, 12:39 PM
needtoescape
Senior Member (female)

Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 165
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
James,
Even though I don't find much likelihood in your theories, I am glad
that the subject is being explored from various angles. If there were
enough researchers willing to look at things from what others consider
"preposterous" approaches, then eventually one might find some answers.
I applaud your courage to consider things that others find laughable. I
hope there are lots of others like you looking at equally unlikely
causes - and I hope someone is eventually right...

06-12-2006, 03:55 PM
feetback2
Newbie (male)

Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Posts: 8
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
needtoescape,

Thanks for your comment. I like the analogy that foot tension is to
degenerative diseases as dirty hands are to infectious diseases. In the
mid-1800's, the top scientists ridiculed the idea that there were tiny
germs on the hands that could kill, yet today, hand washing is
routinely used by the common person to control or prevent infectious
disease. I realize that the connection between tense feet, poor
posture, and degenerative diseases seems just as laughable as the germ
theory once did; but I can see that the common person of tomorrow will
be preventing degenerative diseases by baring the feet.

Actually, countries such as India or Japan, one of the longest-lived,
suffer less Alzheimer's disease--not to mention less heart disease--and
they already habitually remove modern shoes upon entering the home,
some restaurants and offices, replacing them with slippers, stockings,
or simply bare feet. Could adopting such a custom in the United States,
the world's largest consumer of footwear, likewise reduce our
infamously high incidence of degenerative diseases and significantly
raise our life expectancy?

james

06-12-2006, 07:22 PM
gizmolove
Senior Member

Join Date: May 2001
Location: WA.
Posts: 162
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
Gee, I hope so. With the AD history in my family, and the fact that
I've been kicking off my shoes every since I was 5. (Every chance I
get). I've always hated shoes. So, since I have 2 past generations of
AD in my family, maybe my shoelessness will save me.

We'll see. I'll let you know.
Last edited by gizmolove : 06-12-2006 at 07:24 PM.

 #23
06-13-2006, 09:28 AM
feetback2
Newbie (male)

Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Posts: 9
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
gizmolove,

Most crippling of the feet takes place during the first couple of
years, at a time when the growing infant's feet are literally plastic
and so shapeable. Foot binding during infancy is the only way to get
the adult feet to fit into modern shoes, which are machine-made for
pre-deformed feet. So it's hard to say just how much damage was done
before you began walking and eventually adopting a more sensible
footwear habit.

This is a good point to mention a famous observation concerning
multiple sclerosis (MS). There appears to be an important threshold age
of about 15 years associated with the autoimmune condition, which
affects women more often than men, who tend to wear flatter-heeled
shoes, and those in colder climates more than those in warmer climates,
where less-deforming footwear is worn less often. A person who grows up
in the tropics during the first 15 years of their life retains the
lower MS risk after moving to northern latitude. Yet a person who grows
up in the north, and moves to a southern country after the age of 15,
still has a higher risk of developing MS. The MS threshold thus
demonstrates that the footwear habits during the formative years are
extremely significant; indeed, they seem to be a fundamental
determinant of health during the adult years. (I suspect that a similar
climatic study could be done for other degenerative conditions with an
unknown cause, including Alzheimer's disease.)

james

06-15-2006, 02:08 PM
jinglebts
Senior Veteran

Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: ottawa, ontario, canada
Posts: 2,207
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ********2
gizmolove,
...

This is a good point to mention a famous observation concerning
multiple sclerosis (MS). There appears to be an important threshold age
of about 15 years associated with the autoimmune condition, which
affects women more often than men, who tend to wear flatter-heeled
shoes, and those in colder climates more than those in warmer climates,
where less-deforming footwear is worn less often.

james

Oh for heaven's sake, get a grip (or are you joking?? If so, it's a
very cruel joke). The latest medical theory is that MS is caused by a
virus and a lack of vitamin D -- thus the northern climate phenomenon.
(I've seen as many shoes in Savannah, GA, as in Toronto, ON. The shoes
in Savannah are very foot deforming, as it's usually warm there. As in
Miami.)

Osteoporosis is caused when an imbalance occurs between new bone
formation and old bone resorption. The body fails to form enough new
bone, or too much old bone is reabsorbed, or both. Osteoporosis may
cause spinal compression fractures, which result in loss of height with
a stooped posture (called a dowager's hump).

You are indeed putting the cart b/f the horse. What kind of researcher
are you, anyway?

jb
__________________
keep the faith ...

06-15-2006, 02:30 PM
feetback2
Junior Member (male)

Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Posts: 10
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
jinglebts,

In his publications about the essentials of body mechanics in health,
the distinguished orthopedist Dr. Joel E. Goldthwait describes several
cases of multiple sclerosis with extreme disability, ranging among 20
to 50 years in age, in which great results were actually achieved by
improvements to body alignment.

I'm merely extending Dr. Goldthwait's posture-based work to include
other conditions with an unknown cause, especially Alzheimer's disease,
which was a new disease when he began practicing medicine in the late
1800's. It seems to me that AD, like MS, is fundamentally postural and,
therefore, is controllable and preventable with similar posture
therapies.

james

06-15-2006, 04:56 PM
Martha H
Senior Veteran (female)

Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Middlebury, IN
Posts: 1,556
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
That would be nice. I fear it is much worse than that.

There is little Alzheimer's in India. Life expectancy there is much
shorter than here.

Maybe we could put it this way - anything that tends to prolong human
life - good nutrition, warm clothing, heat in winter, shoes to protect
us from parasites of the ground, medicine, and technology ALL help us
to live longer, thus increasing our chance of Alzheimer's.

Let's go back to the good old days when the average person lived to be
45 and Alzheimer's was unknown ...

Is this a rational suggestion?

Tongue firmly in cheek,

Martha
Last edited by Martha H : 06-15-2006 at 06:32 PM.

  #27
06-15-2006, 06:44 PM
jinglebts
Senior Veteran

Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: ottawa, ontario, canada
Posts: 2,208
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
feet back2,

The only reference i can find to Dr. Goldthwaite is related to
osteoarthritis. I can see how you'd think that osteoarthritis is a
postural ailment, although it's not. (It CAN be caused by ill-fitting
shoes, but it's so prevalent in our society that I fail to see how all
of us could have ill fitting shoes.) And I can see how MS patients
would benefit from physiotherapy, to allow what muscles they retain
control of to operate.

Don't you think that the reason so many of us have chronic ailments is
that we're aging? Overweight? Smoked? Do you also think that
(i)asthma(/i) is caused by footwear? Some people do, you know.

If only it were that simple, as Martha H says. We should all live to be
45 -- yeah, that's the ticket.

jb
__________________
keep the faith ...

 #28
06-16-2006, 01:30 AM
gizmolove
Senior Member

Join Date: May 2001
Location: WA.
Posts: 163
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
I am going to fight the fact, that I think that this is a stupid
subject, and put my views asside, to post here one more time.

Alzheimer's, although we do not know exactly what causes it, (and, I
have personal knowledge of over 50 years; and, have studied it for the
past 8 years, so I do have some history here), we do know what, the
physical effects and the paticular cellular annomolies of this disease
are.

The cellular annomolies: All Alzheimer's victims, upon autopsy, display
an arriant protien and a certain amount of placque build up on the
brain. Holes are observed in the brain that indicate a loss of brain
tissue. On a physiological note: it is doubtful that these annomolies
could be caused by enviornmental issues or by matters of regular
general health issues, as the annomolies are on a cellular level. As in
cancer patients, the cells of an alzheimer's patient show a mutation or
annomolie at the cellular level. Although plaque can exhist on the
lungs which may have a suspect link to life style or enviornmental
issues, the very nature of the human brain cavity suggests that the
brain is protected from foreign born polutents and the brain seams to
be protected by the bodys perfect nature to all normal health issues
other than blood circulation. It is doubtful, in the eyes of modern
science, that Alzheimer's could be caused by any annomolie in blood
circulation related to health issues by the very virtue of the nature
of the annomolies themselves. While high blood pressure, heart disease,
and other vascular problems can be linked to brain functioning and may
cause issues like stroke and TIA's (mini-strokes), it is seriously
unlikely that any vascular problems could change normal or abnormal
brain cells at the cellular level. Other possiable causes may be linked
to ingestion of the protien by similar protiens found cattle who have
been known to have similar brain diseases upon autopsy. (These diseases
are strikeing by similarities). Current test now available can test a
subject for this protein to determine if the patient carries the
appropriate family gene to inheriate the disease. Somewhere between 15%
and 1/3rd of all Alzheimer's cases are thought to be familial.

What ever the cause of Alzheimer's, it most surely is not related to
poor circulation. Brain cells are not dying for lack of blood, nor is
the brain inhibited from creating enough healthy cells from poor
circulation. Rather brain cells are being attacked by a known protein
that is distroying healthy brain cells. Brain cells are distroyed by
being turned into a jelly, or softened condition, then these softened
cells turn into a liquid that can literaly drain from the brain. During
this process, various parts of the brain are effected and cognative
loss is as individual as each brain effected, as effected brain cells
are distroyed in a random pattern. (No two are alike).

The physical effects: By observing physiological effects in Alzheimer's
victims, one can observe that loss of cognative functioning are not
effected by normal health issues. For example, if a patient has hight
blood pressure, to reduce that issue by prescribed medication(s), seams
to have no effect on the progression of the disease. Patients that have
problems with circulation issues, like blood vessil disease or problems
with carotid artery blockage requiring treatments similar to asprin
therapy, also seam to lack improvements when normal circulation is
restored, and continue to decline. Other physiological observations may
also note that regular vitamins and or nutrition therapy with
suppliments like "Ginko Baloba" and the like, also failed to have any
noteable effect on symptoms related to Alzheimer's.

Person's with Alzheimer's are never "cured" and the disease is
progressive. Normal care treatments that show some success by buying
time, and keeping the symptoms to down to a managable level are, but
not excluded to:

Anti-anxiety drugs, tranquilizers, anti-depressants, sleeping
medications to help with Sundowner's type symptoms, drugs for
phycosis/delusions, and hallucinations. As of now, there is no method
to change the cells effected at the cellular level. And there is no way
to restore or replace damaged cells. However development of stem cell
research does offer some hope for the future. Consult your doctor about
drugs that are effective for treating AD symptoms like combativeness,
confusion, and memory loss. The most popular drug for Alzheimer's is
Aricept. It is considered effective if dosage is high enough to be
effective and should be maintained one patient enters this therapy.
Removal of Aricept can cause sudden mobility and cognative loss, that
usually is permanent, and non-reversal.

If you or anyone you know has, or knows someone that has...AD, for
pitty sake, contact your local Alzheimer's Association. And, don't
blame the victum. (I hate that!). Your loved one didn't do or neglect
to do, anything to bring this on themselves. If you are over the age of
80 you have a 50% - 60% chance of having AD, or some form of dementia.
And, you didn't chose this by your life style or by not eating the
right things or failing to do anything in your life to deserve this.
You couldn't have done anything any differently to avoid this awful
disease. IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT.

And, if you are careing for someone with AD, just remember, it's not
their fault. It's the disease. This is not them, it's their illness
from brain loss. Please act as their advocate, and look out for them.
They are helpless to care for themselves. Treat them with love and
kindness. Just the way you would want to be treated if you were in
their shoes.

God Bless,
Hugs,
Giz
__________________
Gizmo
Last edited by gizmolove : 06-16-2006 at 01:33 AM.

06-16-2006, 09:22 AM
feetback2
Junior Member (male)

Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Posts: 11
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jinglebts
I fail to see how all of us could have ill fitting shoes.

jinglebts,

Or rephrased as a question, does the perfect shoe even exist?
Podiatrist and footwear historian Dr. William A. Rossi published
extensively on the subject of shoes and posture, and he clearly
demonstrated that all shoes, regardless of design, inherently influence
the gait and biomechanics of the human body. (You can actually find a
number of his articles on the Internet, but also any medical library;
see for example, "Why shoes make normal gait impossible", March 1999,
Podiatry Management.)

That's part one of my argument--that all shoes affect the posture. Part
two of my argument comes from orthopedist Dr. Joel E. Goldthwait (note
you misspelled his name), who clearly demonstrated that posture affects
the organic functioning of the body--the lungs, the heart, kidneys et
al. The brain is an organ like any other.

So the conclusion is that footwear is a cause of illness in humans, who
developed free of its limitations in Nature. All of our modern,
degenerative diseases with an unknown cause--especially Alzheimer's
disease--should thus be re-considered in the context of posture.

james

06-16-2006, 01:32 PM
jinglebts
Senior Veteran

Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: ottawa, ontario, canada
Posts: 2,210
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
Quote:
That's part one of my argument--that all shoes affect the posture. Part
two of my argument comes from orthopedist Dr. Joel E. Goldthwait (note
you misspelled his name) ...

1) I didn't misspell his name when I searched for it -- I cc'd it
straight out of your post.

Quote:
... who clearly demonstrated that posture affects the organic
functioning of the body--the lungs, the heart, kidneys et al. The brain
is an organ like any other.

2) Certainly posture affects lung/heart/kidney function if it's bad
enough -- many dwarves (little people) have a terrible time keeping
some organs functioning. If one is so stooped as to crush a kidney,
then it'll have a hard time working. The brain isn't like that -- it
isn't situated in your torso.

But I see now that I'm trying to persuade a true believer of the folly
of his beliefs, and nothing can persuade a true believer. How silly of
me.

Kudos to gizmolove for having the time, energy, and knowledge to
attempt to change your mind. I want no more of it. I don't have time
for this. I wonder how I even got into it in the first place.

jb
__________________
keep the faith ...

06-16-2006, 04:07 PM
feetback2
Junior Member (male)

Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Posts: 11
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
Hi everyone,

Note that my posts, on the subject of shoes and Alzheimer's disease,
are not frequent but rather, annual--this year's thread being the
third. It's not likely that a lifetime of footwear habits and opinions
will be changed overnight because of a few isolated--and admittedly
introductory--discussions on the Internet. (Actually, ever since the
mass production of the modern shoe began in the mid 1800's, many
generations of consumers have consistently and overwhelmingly chosen
fashionable styles over functional styles or going barefoot, despite
the ceaseless grave warnings from medical authorities through the media
about the consequences; so why should we believe the future to be any
different?)

I suggest that those who are truly interested in pursuing the
relationship between posture and Alzheimer's disease ponder a variety
of facets throughout the year and return here occasionally to discuss
and question the novel idea. If we are standing on top of the problem,
then we should be able to develop a solution.

Thank you very much,
james

06-16-2006, 09:43 PM
angel_bear
Senior Veteran (female)

Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Australia
Posts: 1,134
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
James, you posted this exact same question on another website in their
"new theories" section on the 9th April with no results up to and
including today.

So what I am suggesting is this is your theory, which you are entitled
to, however, please do not try and force your theory on us who have
lived with this disease or are living with this disease. If the answer
was so simple, I am certain some of the most qualified Dementia
specialists would have acted on it before now, however, I agree with
Giz .. wholly and whole heartedly ... and shoes are certainly not a
part of it. And I agree with Martha .. we were not DESIGNED to live as
long as we are living now .. medical interventions have created this ..
not SHOES, and now we live another 30+ years than originally intended
and we have more chemicals and pollution I think THAT is the tree we
should be barking at. Man has worn footwear for protection for millions
of CENTURIES yet it is only NOW Dementia and all it's forms are coming
to a head .. that's cause we're living too long ..

AND .. as I said .. we are all entitled to our theories, just some are
more logical than others.

Cheers
Last edited by angel_bear : 06-16-2006 at 09:45 PM.

 #33
06-17-2006, 08:26 AM
BonBe
Senior Veteran (female)

Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 1,383
Re: 3rd annual: Are shoes the cause of Alzheimer's disease?
Even though I am not on this medical board for alzheimers, I come often
as I am dealing with an aging mother who has not developed symptoms,
other than just being 88 and cantankorous.

But I see this James person. also posts on another website dealing with
deadly melanoma where people are dying, and he has these periodicals on
VIT D and combating melanoma. Tis not fair, and he should not be
allowed to post on this board as it is full of caregivers who would do
preactially anyting to help their aging relative, and the same on the
other website where I am a member on a cancer board for melanoma.

Anyone will say that bad or ill fitting shoes makes the whole body feel
it, I know my mom (who never wore stilleto type shoes was probably b
orn with icky feet and being 88 would not have had good quality shoes
as a child, yet she has not developed either dementia or Alz.

This guy is all over the web with the feet thing and the VIT D thing
and lord knows what else.

Sorry for posting here, but it does anger me.

Also I am worried about one of your membmers Barb (Bosmom) hope she has
recovered somewhat from her fall.

Bonnie