On the Horizon: Could a Nasal Squirt of Insulin Slow Alzheimer’s?
Published December 19, 2011
Preliminary research from a small pilot study suggests that squirting insulin deep into the nose where it travels to the brain might slow the progress of early Alzheimer’s. This has been called a provocative study because of possible future implications.
A group of 104 people with mild to moderate memory issues were divided into three groups. One group inhaled 20 milligrams of aerosolized insulin two times daily for four months; a second group was given 40 milligrams for the same time frame; and a placebo (saline solution) was given to the third group.
At the conclusion of the study, the group treated with 20 milligrams of insulin improved slightly or remained the same in memory tests and in their ability to handle day-to-day activities. Those given the lower dose seemed more effective than the higher one. The group who received placebos declined in overall memory issues.
A professor of psychiatry at the University of Washington in Seattle, Suzanne Craft, has been a principal investigator of the insulin study and has studied its effects in Alzheimer’s. A problem she encountered with the study is how to get more insulin to the brain but not to the body. Kurve Technology helped with a solution by developing a special device that delivers a spray of insulin deep into the nose. The hormone then travels along the path of nerves into the brain.
It is still too soon to say if the treatment is even safe and the special device needed to dispense it properly is not yet on the market and will not be available to individuals. Dr. Craft wants to see much more extensive study of the potential use of insulin. An Alzheimer expert at the Medical University of South Carolina, Jacobo Mintzer, said that as a clinician he would not advise his patients to get their hopes up, but as a scientist he feels some encouragement about future implications of the use of insulin for treating Alzheimer’s.
Gerri Tyber, Operations Manager
CAUTION: Long Term Care Insurance May Not Be Good For Your Health
Published June 16, 2008For many, investing in a long term care (LTC) insurance policy can provide some peace of mind for the Golden Years. “Be prepared” as the boy scouts teach. Yet, when it comes time to utilizing such a policy, that peace of mind sometimes turns into frustration and contempt for the insurance company that was trusted to pay out when needed.
Over the years I have witnessed several of my clients endure the skillful attempts of their insurance companies to avoid paying out on legitimate claims. They seem to be especially good at continually “losing the paperwork” and repeatedly asking both the insured and their home care company to “resubmit” with the strategy of delaying the claim as much as possible. In some cases, I truly believe that they were hopeful that their tactics would ultimately “wear their insured down” and they would just go away.
Now, I am not saying this is true with all LTC insurance companies. Just like any industry, there are good ones and less-than-good ones. It behooves one to do one’s homework on any company that one is considering to purchase a long term care policy. A good LTC insurance policy, with a reputable insurance company, can truly provide peace of mind for the future. On the other hand, as we all grow older, the last thing we want to do is to go to battle with our insurance carrier. And unfortunately, most times they win.
Caveat emptor.
For other blogs on this subject click here: Long Term Care and scroll down.
Owner, Barton Home Care
Longevity and Long Term Care Health Insurance
Published February 22, 2008Long Term Care Health Insurance May Be Worth a Look
There are a number of interpretations by various studies of how long we may be expected to live. A team of Harvard researchers conducted a 21-year study (1980-2001) and considered factors like disease, income, access to health care and geographic area. Based on this study they came up with “8” Americas.
“America One,” comprised of about 10 million Asians, has an average life expectancy of 85. “America Two,” consists of approximately 3½ million low-income whites who live predominantly in the Dakotas, Iowa, Montana, Minnesota and Nebraska. This lower than normal income group lives an average of 79 years and demonstrates the best level of health among whites. The majority of the population, about 214 million, has a life expectancy of 78 and makes up “America Three” while “America Four” consists of poor whites in Appalachia and the Mississippi Valley whose life expectancy is 75. “America Five, or Western Native Americans, live to an average of 73 as do “American Six” which is categorized as black-middle America. Making up “America Seven and Eight,” both with a life expectancy of 71, are low-income Southern rural blacks and high-risk urban blacks.
Another look at longevity, this time on a global level, is one calculated by the World Health Organization called HALEs (Healthy Life Expectancy). This is the average number of years a newborn can expect to live in “full health.” It’s a complicated calculation made by demographers and statisticians to adjust life expectancy to reflect how much of that time will be spent in poor health. Consider these contrasting numbers: a male in Afghanistan has a HALE of 35 years, but a life expectancy of 42 years while a male in the United States has a HALE of 67 years and a life expectancy of 75. Similar contrasts exist for females. A female in Afghanistan has a HALE of 36 with a life expectancy of 42 while a female in the United States has a HALE of 71 with a life expectancy of 80.
A more general overview is provided by the Center of Disease Control for Health Statistics. Their computations show that a child born in the United States in 2005 can expect to live 77.9 years, up from 77.8 in 2004 and continuing a rise dating back decades. U.S. life expectancy was 75.8 years in 1995 and 69.6 years in 1955.
The United States, a country of 300 million people, ranks 42nd in the world in life expectancy. One basic conclusion that can be drawn from all these studies is that we are living longer and need to make appropriate provisions for that prolonged existence. Long term care health insurance is one option to consider in preparing for one’s future.
Gerri Tyber
Operations Manager, Barton Home Care
