A Tattoo on my Brain by Daniel Gibbs & Teresa H. Barker

Author:Daniel Gibbs & Teresa H. Barker [Gibbs, Daniel & Barker, Teresa H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2021-05-06T05:00:00+00:00

14

My Experiential Life: Living with Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease

The grilled chicken chunks on Lois’s plate glisten with the olive oil, herbs and spices we always use to marinate them before we set the skewers on the grill. Juicy chunks of red pepper, green pepper and onion punctuate the spaces between the tastefully charred chicken bites. Nestled in a bed of brown rice, the whole thing looks like she just lifted her plate from the cover of Bon Appe´tit magazine. Mine, not so much. We are on Day Two of the two-day pre-test elimination diet for an Alzheimer-related clinical trial. More accurately, I am. Researchers are testing an ancient medicinal herb to see how long a specific dose of this extract lasts in my system. In animal studies, a very concentrated tea they’ve made from this plant produces cognitive improvement in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. They hope it will have that effect in humans. I’m their man – or one of eight or so participants in this study.

For them to get a clean reading, they have to be sure that they’re starting with a clean slate – that any traces of improvements or healthy components in my blood and urine cannot have been caused by anything else. The anything else includes most of the fresh, healthful foods Lois and I routinely eat, and the olive oil, herbs and spices we use to flavor them. Lois, always the good sport, is having some fun with the concept of the study and has agreed to keep me company on this diet, but in her parallel universe where she gets to eat all the good stuff. We call mine The Unhealthy Diet. No fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, pepper or flavorings of any kind. No chocolate, coffee, tea or any of the indulgences that have been found to contain some possible health benefits. Also, no ice cream or anything containing vanilla, because something about the vanilla bean can throw things off. This doesn’t mean that the approved menu is completely without appeal. Chicken is on the list, although without seasoning. Macaroni and processed cheese, without our usual onion and pepper, is too. Highly processed foods like white bread, Rice Krispies, and white rice get a thumbs-up. Butter is allowed. So are croissants – usually my rare, guilty pleasure. The clinical trial is two days prep, followed by a fasting day down at the hospital for blood draws and urinalyses before, and at multiple intervals after, chugging down about a pint of this very thick but not bad-tasting concoction. Two weeks from now, we’ll repeat the prep and tests after a different dose of the brew.

I’m okay eating bland, nutritionally barren foods for two brief periods in the name of science. These small, incremental steps are essential to all scientific advances. By incremental, I mean that this study is strictly about dosage – how much is needed to achieve a consistent measurable presence after it enters your system. This phase of the study is not

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