I assume people on this forum has heard about it and seen the videos on this , but is there any reality to this..
is it now un safe to even go to the dentist , can i even trust taking a dental anesthetic ever again ?
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ANESTHETICS AND PAINKILLERS
“My dad (age 71) was outside taking the seats out of his van, to clean,” says Danette. “He ended up falling over the seat, onto his back, on the concrete driveway. He ruptured several disks and cracked his vertebrae. His only option was to have back surgery…My dad had no previous signs of Alzheimer’s…Then immediately following his surgery ‘boom’...almost like he had just had Alzheimer’s inserted into his brain during surgery or something. From that point, it was on, full blast. His memory quickly deteriorated and five years later, he lies in a hospital bed in my mother’s home, in diapers and plastic sheets, never to even walk again.”
An estimated 200 million patients worldwide undergo surgery each year. Some of the side effects of the general anesthetics used in surgery include cognitive impairment, delirium, and confusion. This problem is particularly pronounced in the elderly and especially in those who already display some cognitive difficulties.
Postoperative neurologic impairment can affect as many as 61 percent of elderly patients undergoing surgery.2
In most cases the mental disturbance is only temporary, but in some cases it can be permanent. If the patient already has symptoms of neurodegeneration, such as the early stages of Alzheimer’s, it can worsen and accelerate the condition.
Several studies have shown that general anesthetics can lead to Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, even when neither of these conditions existed prior to surgery.3-4 Unfortunately, many people go into surgery unaware of the potential danger.
Incidences such as the one described above are all too common. “My father was just diagnosed with a progressive form of Alzheimer’s disease,” says Sherrie. “A year ago he underwent an operation. After this operation he quickly began to lose his math skills, being an estimator for a paving company he lost his job. He went downhill fast, emotionally. Six months later he was getting lost in the house. Frantically, I tried to get my mom to get him tested so we could see what was wrong. She begged me to wait until after he underwent yet another oral surgery to have four titanium implants put into his lower jaw. He again, in less than a year, went under anesthesia. His condition worsened at an alarming rate! He started having delusions, confusion, conversations that one word didn’t go with the next! I know for a fact that anesthesia does exacerbate Alzheimer’s, if it’s there, but it also accelerates it! Why are we not being told?
The doctor mentioned that 85 percent of his Alzheimer’s patients are there because of anesthesia! My dad may have had Alzheimer’s disease before, but it would have progressed more slowly! My dad is only 67.” “
My dad is only 63,” says Amy. “He was just diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s in the last 3 years. On October 1 (a week before his 63rd birthday), he had to have a kidney stone crushed. They used anesthesia. He hasn’t been the same since! He’s in the hospital now. I’m going crazy! All of his tests have come back negative (as far as infections, heart problems, diabetes, etc.). He’s hallucinating, talking gibberish, can’t remember his birthday. It’s like his Alzheimer’s went off a cliff and progressed 30 years in a week!”
Although mental disturbances are frequently seen in the elderly after surgery, it has often been viewed as a temporary and minor side effect. But recent studies are showing it isn’t necessarily temporary or minor. Permanent damage often occurs. A number of studies have shown that applying anesthetics to cultured brain cells can lead to the formation of amyloid beta proteins—the hallmark feature of senile plaques seen in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients—and to the cell-death process known as apoptosis. “Our studies have shown that isoflurane (a common anesthetic gas) may induce a vicious cycle of apoptosis, amyloid beta generation, and further rounds of apoptosis leading to cell death,” says Zhongcong Xie, MD, PhD, of the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease.5 When isoflurane is given to laboratory animals in doses comparable to what is given to human patients during surgery, they develop the same degenerative features found in treated cell cultures.
Insults to the brain from anesthetics “may lead to long-term brain damage,” says Dr. Xie and “may promote Alzheimer’s disease.”6 Brenda Plassman, PhD, and colleagues at Duke University Medical Center agree. “Short-term postoperative cognitive dysfunction is common among the elderly,” she says. Her team of investigators examined the long term effects (over 6 months) of anesthesia in human patients after surgery. They evaluated 856 surgical patients aged 70 years or older. “Our findings suggest an increased risk of dementia after surgery with general anesthesia among older adults,” says Plassman. “This increased risk for dementia may be an important factor to consider when making decisions about surgery, especially those that are elective, in later life.”7
Anesthetic gases such as isoflurane and halothane seem to cause more trouble than intravenous anesthetics. But most general anesthetics are risky. If surgery is needed, it may be best to opt for intravenous anesthetics as opposed to anesthetic gas. Better yet, if possible, choose local anesthesia, which does not carry the same risk as general anesthesia. Anesthetics are used in a hospital setting to deaden pain or render a patient unconscious. Other milder forms of painkillers can be prescribed by doctors or purchased over the counter. These too, can have detrimental effects on brain health. Research suggests that older people who want to avoid Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia might want to avoid taking anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), and celecoxib (Celebrex).
Fife, Bruce. Stop Alzheimer's Now! (pp. 75-76). Piccadilly Books, Ltd. Kindle Edition.
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