CHINESE HERB Treatment ALZHEIMERS #2

THE CHINESE MEDICAL APPROACH

Currently, there are two treatment approaches to Alzheimer's disease in China: use of complex herbal formulas based on the traditional methods of Chinese medicine, or administration of an alkaloid drug, called huperzine A, derived from the herb huperzia. This drug inhibits the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, allowing more of it available for brain functions, including memory. Huperzine A has passed Phase I trials in the U.S. and it may become available as a prescription drug at the end of this decade. It is not possible to get sufficient quantities of huperzine A by simply consuming the whole herb from which it is derived, nor its crude extract in reasonable dosage. There are, however, numerous Chinese herbal formulas that may significantly increase levels of acetylcholine.

In analyzing the Chinese medical therapies for Alzheimer's, it is important to recognize the difficulty in distinguishing this condition from other cases of senile dementia, mainly atherosclerotic dementia. A firm diagnosis of Alzheimer's is made by extensive procedures that might include a CT scan, MRI, and EEG. In most cases, such procedures are not routinely done in China; therefore, the symptom pattern is used as the diagnostic criteria. Some reversible diseases produce dementia and even severe depression may produce dementia, so the treatments that are reported to be successful for dementia might not succeed in actual cases of Alzheimer's disease.

http://www.itmonline.org/arts/alzheimers.htm