Product Description
Dr. Peter Whitehouse will transform the way we think about Alzheimer’s disease. In this provocative and ground-breaking book he challenges the conventional wisdom about memory loss and cognitive impairment; questions the current treatment for Alzheimer’s disease; and provides a new approach to understanding and rethinking everything we thought we knew about brain aging.The Myth of Alzheimer’s provides welcome answers to the questions that millions of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease – and their families – are eager to know: Is Alzheimer’s a disease?What is the difference between a naturally aging brain and an Alzheimer’s brain?How effective are the current drugs for AD? Are they worth the money we spend on them? What kind of hope does science really have for the treatment of memory loss? And are there alternative interventions that can keep our aging bodies and minds sharp?What promise does genomic research actually hold? What would a world without Alzheimer’s look like, and how do we as individuals and as human communities get there?Backed up by research, full of practical advice and information, and infused with hope, THE MYTH OF ALZHEIMER’S will liberate us from this crippling label, teach us how to best approach memory loss, and explain how to stave off some of the normal effects of aging.Peter J. Whitehouse, M.D., Ph.D., one of the best known Alzheimer’s experts in the world, specializes in neurology with an interest in geriatrics and cognitive science and a focus on dementia. He is the founder of the University Alzheimer Center (now the University Memory and Aging Center) at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University where he has held professorships in the neurology, neuroscience, psychiatry, psychology, organizational behavior, bioethics, cognitive science, nursing, and history. He is also currently a practicing geriatric neurologist. With his wife, Catherine, he founded The Intergenerational School, an award winning, internationally recognized public school committed to enhancing lifelong cognitive vitality. Daniel George, MSc, is a research collaborator with Dr. Whitehouse at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Medical Anthropology at Oxford University in England. “I don’t have a magic bullet to prevent your brain from getting older, and so I don’t claim to have the cure for AD; but I do offer a powerful therapy—a new narrative for approaching brain aging that undercuts the destructive myth we tell today. Most of our knowledge and our thinking is organized in story form, and thus stories offer us the chief means of making sense of the present, looking into the future, and planning and creating our lives. New approaches to brain aging require new stories that can move us beyond the myth of Alzheimer’s disease and towards improved quality of life for all aging persons in our society. It is in this book that your new story can begin." -Peter Whitehouse, M.D., Ph.D.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 8 reviews)

The Myth of Alzheimer's by Loella F. Niles

5 Stars
December 18, 2008
This review is from an insider, I am an 86 year old retired engineer who is coping with the early stages of the problem itself. The position of the author is that what is called "Alzheimer's Disease" is essentially the same as 'Old Age' but the Alzheimer's word is too scary and should be avoided. On pg 36 he states "statistically speaking, it is not normal to be demented at sixty six, whereas the onset of of some dementia in one's eighties, ninetie's or beyond is more or less the normal expectation"..."It would actually be quite abnormal for someone not to have increasing memory challenges in their seventies, eighties, and beyond". The book is very good and with many examples explains clearly the many individual problems of Alzheimer's. I would recommend it to other older folks who wonder, or to the family members weho are worried about Mom or Dad. Don't let the title fool you. Unfortunately it gives the impression of debunking the problem, but he emphasizes that the problem is real and he is only discouraging the use of that scary word, Alzheimer's. I personally feel he spends too much time regailing the political issue of the evils of greed. I have only one complaint. While he mentions PET scanning (Positron Emissions Testing) as a research tool, he does not point out that it is acctually available to the patient as the first, and possibbly the only, real medical test which positively diagnoses the problem in a living patient. (Much sooner than waiting for an autopsy which had been the only positive diagnosis for 100 years.) It is expensive but, with a doctor's prescription, it is covered by Medi-Care for us old folks. I am personally thankful that it tipped me off about a year ahead of time that due to "cerebellar volume loss" I would soon be using a cane in addition to the memory problems already apparent due to "cebellar volume loss" as also measured by the scan. Prof Donald E. Niles.

Not what I was looking for, exactly by D. Mckinzie (Atoka, OK)

3 Stars
August 24, 2008
Although this book has a lot of interesting information, it's basically just a book about his theory about Alzheimer's, what causes it, and how to avoid getting it if you don't have it yet. There's also some discussion of nutrition, etc. While I don't necessarily disagree with him (his theory makes a lot of sense) it's not really all that I wanted to see in the book. I would have appreciated a chapter or two at first detailing basic information about Alzheimer's, what is believed about it, how it progresses, what can be expected as it progresses and any helpful ideas about dealing with it. My mother has just been diagnosed and I'd like some ideas about what to expect and what is actually going on in her body, as well as why she does some of the things she does. I haven't quite finished the book, but I haven't found any of that yet. And I found endless discussion about his theory a little tedious. It basically comes down to what you're looking for. Someday when I have time (my mother lives with me and keeps me busy now) I might enjoy this book a bit more. But right now, I really wanted a lot more help dealing with and understanding Alzheimer's, not theories about what causes it.

You'll Never Look at Alzheimer's the Same Again! by Phyllis Staff (Dallas, Texas USA)

5 Stars
March 01, 2008
Call it political correctness. Call it academic pressure. Call it whatever you wish, but understand that there is pressure, both subtle and overt, to follow only the conventional medical model where Alzheimer's is concerned. This model decrees that cure in the form of a pill or other medical device is the only solution to the problems of the aging brain. Huge amounts of money flow to that end. In The Myth of Alzheimer's, authors Whitehouse and George ask you to understand that: · what we are routinely told is not the whole truth about Alzheimer's disease, · there is no universal agreement on the cause or cure for the symptoms of Alzheimer's in brain or behavior, and · a billion-dollar industry relies on the perpetuation of the myth of Alzheimer's. Heresy, pure and simple. If the author were less well educated or experienced, we could burn him at the stake or, at the very least, denigrate his notions as those of a far-out kook. But as it is, we must regard his observations as having some degree of credibility. Whitehouse and George devote a chapter to the billion-dollar industry that has grown up around Alzheimer's disease, especially to those associations and foundations that have benefited richly from contributions. Of course, it's not only associations and foundations that focus so little on assistance and prevention and so much on a "cure" that has failed to materialize. Governmental bodies and pharmaceutical companies currently operate big budgets to fund hundreds of studies searching for the "cure" or symptom amelioration. Of those only about two percent focus on prevention. The Myth of Alzheimer's is the right book at the right time. More and more people are turning away from conventional medicine, partly because its cost has skyrocketed, partly because its "promises" have failed to materialize or damaged those who trusted it. The ideas this book presents will help both the aging and their caregivers gain maximum comfort at minimal cost and reduced risk. This is a uniquely important book. Read it. Learn about the theories of causation. Learn how your approach affects sufferers. Allow it to open your mind to new ways of thinking about and dealing with the syndrome known as Alzheimer's disease. Thank you, Dr. Whitehouse, for presenting an extraordinary alternate view that encourages people to take responsibility for their own aging, their own health.

Myth of AD helped my family by Caregiver20

5 Stars
February 19, 2008
I'm only in college but I've been a part-time caregiver for my great aunt since October and this book was really inspiring to my mom and I when we read it a couple weeks ago. We never say that my aunt has a "disease", and this validated our belief that she is a regular person who is still capable of having some quality of life in spite of the changes that she is undergoing. We look at old pictures together, and she still gets a lot of pleasure from doing simple things like that (the book suggests a few activities you can do). All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone who is caregiving for someone, and really anyone else who is interested because there's a lot of information and a fresh new perspective here that I believe will really catch on if people give it a chance.

A new approach to understanding Alzheimer's disease and dementia by Susan Berg

5 Stars
February 02, 2008
Dr. Peter Whitehouse confirmed what I thought about Alzheimer's disease. In his provocative book, his thinking about memory loss and cognitive impairment agrees with mine. I concur that people need to be resposible for their brain health. The author describes ways for people to maintain their brain function. His strstegies are practical and easy to do. Read this book so you can keep your brain "alive" and free from Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. If you know someone who has dementia, read this book to help them slow the decline of their disease. by Susan Berg author of Adorable Photographs of Our Baby: Meaningful, Mind Stimulating Activities and More for the Memory Challenged, Their Loved Ones, and Involved Professionals

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