Rays of light pierce the search for Alzheimer's cure

Glow Images - model used for illustrative purposes

Glen Campbell's swan song "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" can't but evoke a sense of irony followed by compassion from anyone who long ago loved his other hit "Gentle On My Mind" and is aware of his current struggles with Alzheimer's.

Yet, his family often reminds fans that love, laughter, and music are the best medicine for him. Perhaps the warmth of love and the spiritual uplift from laughter and music point toward a deeper, Divine love that offers hope and a return to health?

Most people believe that Alzheimer's patients can't remember anything. So, it may come as a surprise that many individuals in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's can remember words to songs, words to prayers, and favorite tasks like knitting, golfing and painting.

A leading advocate for non-pharmacological approaches to treating Alzheimer's, Dr. John Zeisel¹ reminds caregivers to focus on the undiminished abilities that Alzheimer's patients express. He discusses this higher view with the acknowledgment that "everyone has preexisting, instinctual abilities that building a caring relationship can capitalize on, such as our ability to understand music, facial expressions, and human touch -- the meaning of a song, a smile, and a hug."

While this information does not describe a medical breakthrough, it hints at mental and spiritual elements that might prove important in the ongoing search for a cure as well as better approaches to care. In a 2012 article, Rachael Hirshfeld² wrote about a joint American-Israeli study which revealed that praying regularly can avoid the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by 50 percent. Yakir Kaufman, head of the neuropsychiatric department at Herzog hospital in Jerusalem, writes "We found that people with higher levels of spiritual well-being had significantly slower progression of Alzheimer's disease." According to the study, prayer, whether public or private, can also lower stress levels, which is one of the risk factors for contracting Alzheimer's.

Joan Geier³ , a woman in her retirement years, experienced one of the defining moments of her life -- a complete reversal of diagnosed Alzheimer's disease. Along the way, she received solace from the pastor of her church as well as sympathetic and well-meaning doctors. She had the mental fortitude to hang in there, as her 10-year odyssey included a period of time when her life was consumed with popping pills and visits to specialists.

At her Alzheimer's support group, Geier was introduced to a book describing a spiritual, prayer-based approach to healing. As she contemplated a view of God as all good and herself as his very image, and what that meant for her health, she began to believe that it was possible to recover. Ultimately, she regained her memory and it was confirmed by her doctor. He told her it was the first time he had ever reversed a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in his professional career. Here's how she described her joy, "It felt like there was this bright, shining, pure light that told me God was good...I saw that God truly is Love."

Our own inability to see beyond the illness in anyone has a really powerful, and deleterious impact on health. While the lack of a medical cure has created a crisis for some 34 million patients and caregivers worldwide, Zeisel and Kaufman's work and Geier's story are all rays of hope for those (patients and their families) currently experiencing the fog of Alzheimer's disease.

Steve Drake is a self-syndicated Missouri columnist and writes regularly on the relationship between thought, spirituality and health, and trends in that field. He is also the media and legislative representative for Christian Science in Missouri.

Footnotes:

1) I'm Still Here: A New Philosophy of Alzheimer's Care

http://www.amazon.com/Im-Still-Here-Philosophy-Alzheimers/dp/1583333762/ref=sr_1...

2) Study Shows Prayer Tied to Prevention of Alzheimer's

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/158642

3) Joan Geier: My journey forward to complete health published in the February 17, 2003, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel

http://sentinel.christianscience.com/issues/2003/2/105-7/my-journey-forward-to-c...