Strategies to deal with Alzheimer’s

Re “Changing minds in Alzheimer’s research,” Current, Nov. 5

Greg Critser provided a detailed and thorough history of Alzheimer’s disease and the progress that has been made to date in fighting it.

One shortcoming of the article was the short shrift the author gave to the strong connection between maintaining the mind and preventing or delaying the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, which has been documented in a number of prominent research studies.

In the absence of a cure, revitalizing the brain and training it to work in new and better ways may provide the most hope for those worried that they are either susceptible to the disease or who have already been diagnosed but are in the early stages.

New technology is on the market that can help individuals to strengthen the functioning of their brain, and this should be considered as a vital component of the medical community’s strategies in dealing with Alzheimer’s.

STEVEN WETZNER M.D.

Newton, Mass.

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If erratic or uncontrolled blood sugar leads to numbness in the feet, might the same effect be seen in the brain? Did the ubiquitous presence of jelly beans in Ronald Reagan’s life contribute to his Alzheimer’s?

I think, also, of latter-year dementia of my great-grandfather. After he retired and moved west to live with my grandmother in Berkeley, an oft-repeated morning routine would be to eat a large bowl of oatmeal piled high with sugar, don a business suit and top hat and announce that he was going to Boston.

EUGENIA KISER

Santa Monica