Daily yoga and meditation were part of the wellness intervention plans / photo: shutterstock/bikeriderlondon
Since it was first discovered more than 100 years ago, Alzheimer’s disease has been without an effective treatment. Worldwide, nearly 44 million people are believed to be living with the brain disorder or other forms of dementia. By 2030 this could rise to nearly 76 million according to the US-based BrightFocus Foundation.
But the outlook may not be so bleak if the findings of a small US pilot study are anything to go by. Scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and the University of California, Los Angeles have discovered that lifestyle and wellness interventions have reversed memory loss in patients with Alzheimer’s disease for the first time. Although the results are anecdotal, the findings are “very encouraging” says study author and neurology professor Dr Dale Bredesen.
Individualised intervention As part of the trial, a group of experts put together a 36-point plan for 10 patients with Alzheimer’s. The plans included taking up yoga and meditation twice a day to reduce stress, exercise and getting an optimal seven to eight hours of sleep. They also comprised strict diet changes, including fasting (see SB14/4 p50).
Each plan was personalised, based on extensive testing to determine what was affecting brain signals in each patient. Although the programmes were difficult to follow – none of the participants were able to fully adhere to them – Bredesen believes a multiple-component approach is key. “The existing Alzheimer’s drug affects a single target, but the disease is more complex,” he says. “Imagine having a roof with 36 holes, and your drug patched one very well... You’d still have 35 other leaks, and so the underlying process may not be affected much.”
Promising results The results were promising, with nine out of the 10 patients seeing advancements in three to six months. The only patient not to benefit had late-stage Alzheimer’s.
Such were the improvements that six participants, who’d been struggling at work or had to stop because of cognitive issues, were able to return to their jobs. Meanwhile, those who stayed in employment showed increased performance. Bredesen adds: “It’s noteworthy that the major side effect of this therapeutic system are improved health and body mass index: a stark contrast to the side effects of many drugs.”
Further research Overall, the results suggest that memory loss may be reversed, and improvements sustained, by following a tailored therapeutic plan. Yet Bredesen cautions that further research is needed. “The current, anecdotal results require a larger trial, not only to confirm or refute the results reported here, but also to address key questions raised, such as the degree of improvement that can be achieved routinely, how late in the course of cognitive decline reversal can be effected... and how long improvement can be sustained,” he says.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2015 issue 1
Letters: Letters
We need sales people in spas says consultant Helen Merchant
Interview -Rich Weissmann: Rich Weissmann
Weissmann, a partner at private equity firm KSL, talks spa investment with Rhianon Howells and reveals its plans for the Miraval brand
Wellness: All in the mind
Twin Peaks director David Lynch has a foundation which uses meditation to help those facing extreme trauma and stress. Julie Cramer talks to the foundation’s co-founder Bob Roth
How could spas adapt their design and services to help people with cognitive impairments? We cover this in our feature focused on age-friendly facilities on page 64
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An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
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Daily yoga and meditation were part of the wellness intervention plans / photo: shutterstock/bikeriderlondon
Since it was first discovered more than 100 years ago, Alzheimer’s disease has been without an effective treatment. Worldwide, nearly 44 million people are believed to be living with the brain disorder or other forms of dementia. By 2030 this could rise to nearly 76 million according to the US-based BrightFocus Foundation.
But the outlook may not be so bleak if the findings of a small US pilot study are anything to go by. Scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and the University of California, Los Angeles have discovered that lifestyle and wellness interventions have reversed memory loss in patients with Alzheimer’s disease for the first time. Although the results are anecdotal, the findings are “very encouraging” says study author and neurology professor Dr Dale Bredesen.
Individualised intervention As part of the trial, a group of experts put together a 36-point plan for 10 patients with Alzheimer’s. The plans included taking up yoga and meditation twice a day to reduce stress, exercise and getting an optimal seven to eight hours of sleep. They also comprised strict diet changes, including fasting (see SB14/4 p50).
Each plan was personalised, based on extensive testing to determine what was affecting brain signals in each patient. Although the programmes were difficult to follow – none of the participants were able to fully adhere to them – Bredesen believes a multiple-component approach is key. “The existing Alzheimer’s drug affects a single target, but the disease is more complex,” he says. “Imagine having a roof with 36 holes, and your drug patched one very well... You’d still have 35 other leaks, and so the underlying process may not be affected much.”
Promising results The results were promising, with nine out of the 10 patients seeing advancements in three to six months. The only patient not to benefit had late-stage Alzheimer’s.
Such were the improvements that six participants, who’d been struggling at work or had to stop because of cognitive issues, were able to return to their jobs. Meanwhile, those who stayed in employment showed increased performance. Bredesen adds: “It’s noteworthy that the major side effect of this therapeutic system are improved health and body mass index: a stark contrast to the side effects of many drugs.”
Further research Overall, the results suggest that memory loss may be reversed, and improvements sustained, by following a tailored therapeutic plan. Yet Bredesen cautions that further research is needed. “The current, anecdotal results require a larger trial, not only to confirm or refute the results reported here, but also to address key questions raised, such as the degree of improvement that can be achieved routinely, how late in the course of cognitive decline reversal can be effected... and how long improvement can be sustained,” he says.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2015 issue 1
Letters: Letters
We need sales people in spas says consultant Helen Merchant
Interview -Rich Weissmann: Rich Weissmann
Weissmann, a partner at private equity firm KSL, talks spa investment with Rhianon Howells and reveals its plans for the Miraval brand
Wellness: All in the mind
Twin Peaks director David Lynch has a foundation which uses meditation to help those facing extreme trauma and stress. Julie Cramer talks to the foundation’s co-founder Bob Roth
How could spas adapt their design and services to help people with cognitive impairments? We cover this in our feature focused on age-friendly facilities on page 64
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
