Updated Understanding of the Degenerative Disc Diseases - Causes Versus Effects - Treatments, Studies and Hypothesis.

Background: In this review we survey medical treatments and research strategies, and we discuss why they have failed to cure degenerative disc diseases or even slow down the degenerative process.

Objective: We seek to stimulate discussion with respect to changing the medical paradigm associated with treatments and research applied to degenerative disc diseases.

Method Proposal: We summarize a Biological Transformation therapy for curing chronic inflammations and degenerative disc diseases, as was previously described in the book Biological Transformations controlled by the Mind Volume 1.

Mitochondrion-specific antioxidants as drug treatments for Alzheimer disease.

Age-related dementias such as Alzheimer disease (AD) have been linked to vascular disorders like hypertension, diabetes and atherosclerosis. These risk factors cause ischemia, inflammation, oxidative damage and consequently reperfusion, which is largely due to reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are believed to induce mitochondrial damage. At higher concentrations, ROS can cause cell injury and death which occurs during the aging process, where oxidative stress is incremented due to an accelerated generation of ROS and a gradual decline in cellular antioxidant defense mechanisms.

Oxidative Stress Induced Mitochondrial Failure and Vascular Hypoperfusion as a Key Initiator for the Development of Alzheimer Disease.

Mitochondrial dysfunction may be a principal underlying event in aging, including age-associated brain degeneration. Mitochondria provide energy for basic metabolic processes. Their decay with age impairs cellular metabolism and leads to a decline of cellular function.

Nitric oxide as an initiator of brain lesions during the development of Alzheimer disease.

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important regulatory molecule for the host defense that plays a fundamental role in the cardiovascular, immune, and nervous systems. NO is synthesized through the conversion of L-arginine to L-citrulline by the enzyme NO synthase (NOS), which is found in three isoforms classified as neuronal (nNOS), inducible (iNOS), and endothelial (eNOS). Recent evidence supports the theory that this bioactive molecule has an influential role in the disruption of normal brain and vascular homeostasis, a condition known to elucidate chronic hypoperfusion which ultimately causes the development of brain lesions and the pathology that typify Alzheimer disease (AD).

Integrated treatment approach improves cognitive function in demented and clinically depressed patients.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an integrative treatment approach on cognitive performance. The study sample comprised 35 medically ill patients (20 male, 15 female) with an average age of 71.05, who were diagnosed with mild dementia and depression.