Reduce stress
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The third intervention to reverse mild Alzheimer's in the Bredesen Protocol is:
- Goal: Reduce stress
- Approach: Personalized -- yoga or meditation or music, etc.
- Rationale: Reduction of cortisol, CRF, stress axis.
The stress axis prepares your body to fight or run away in response to danger. The hypothalamus releases CRF (corticotropin-releasing factor) making you anxious and pay attention. CRF binds to the pituitary which releases ACTH that travels to the adrenals and in turn releases cortisol and adrenaline.
Cortisol increases glucose and fat in the blood to give you energy. If you're stressed all the time it has negative effects like breaking down muscles and bone, suppressing your immune system, slowing wound healing, and hurts the hippocampus, part of the brain used in learning, and can lead to depression.
The next intervention is Optimize sleep.