SAN ANTONIO - – Gail Youngdale, 80, lost her mother to Alzheimer’s.
“After my mother died, my children started saying, ‘Mother you’re doing the same thing.’ Slowly, but surely, I noticed that my speech was different a little bit and I had forgotten some things that I didn’t want to forget,” Gail said.
That was about three year ago, and she took quick action, getting tested and then enrolling in a clinical trial for a new medication.
KSAT spoke with Gail and her daughter, Teri, about the medication over the summer.
“I’m doing better,” she said, chatting with us for an update.
Gail and Teri said not only does the medicine seem to be working, but her medical team also addressed her gut health as a part of her treatment plan.
“I’ve had problems with my gut before and I’m not having problems with it right now, so I feel real good about that,” Gail said.
“They gave her what they call a brain diet with that are the leafy greens, the protein that you eat every day to keep that biome healthy. And they have her on probiotics,” Teri said.
A new enlightening study done in San Antonio at the Glenn Biggs Institute showed that a healthy gut could be a crucial piece of dementia prevention.
“If we could control that, perhaps we could reduce risk in dementia,” said Alzheimer’s Association of San Antonio and South Texas Executive Director Greg Sciuto.
Sciuto knows it’s not always a typical conversation to talk about constipation and diarrhea, but said understanding your gut makeup allows you to balance it and change your health outlook.
“Certain microbiomes are more prevalent in folks that have dementia and others are less prevalent,” Sciuto said.
That’s why Gail is taking specific probiotics for her gut health and is regularly testing to make sure she isn’t pre-diabetic.
“I’ll be 81 next month and I think I’m doing great!” she said.
Gail hopes others will call their doctor, and mention gut health.
“It really takes time to build the courage to make the call to say ‘I have a problem and I need help,’” Teri said
“I took a deep breath one morning and called the number and they couldn’t have been nicer,” Gail said.
She said that phone call changed the trajectory of her life, allowing her to continue living it.
“Don’t be afraid of it. There’s so many medications that can help you with it. You’re not going to be left alone,” Gail said.
Anyone who has questions about Alzheimer’s or dementia can call the Alzheimer’s Association of San Antonio and South Texas at 210-822-6449 or visit their website.