Cognitive Impairment Identified in 1 in 5 Seniors

Meaningful cognitive impairment afflicts 1 in 5 Seniors reports Joan Arehart-Treichel in Psychiatric News.

American, Canadian and European researchers have estimated that between 17% and 27% present evidence of measurable cognitive impairment without dementia.

The Healing Project has strongly advocated better diagnostic procedures be utilized in meeting the needs of the elderly. Dementia is often misdiagnosed or is failed to be diagnosed. If you or a loved one feels that they are not thinking clearly make sure to see an experienced psychiatrist, gerontologist or neurologist to make a diagnosis.



Common causes of cognitive deficits without dementia include alcohol abuse, depression, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Given the common nature of this disorder, one should realize in many cases it is reversible. First and foremost as we age we all become somewhat less sharp; don’t be alarmed. In some cases, the decline may be treatable and/or reversible. On the other hand, exercise, better nutrition, lowering cholesterol, and managing blood pressure can only have beneficial effects on one’s mind.

The Healing Project highly recommends the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation’s Practical Guide to Achieving and Maintaining Cognitive Vitality with Aging. It is cogent and useful. It was authored by Dr. Howard Fillet one our nation’s leading dementia researchers and clinicians.

The FDA Should Allow Peer-Reviewed Journal Republication As a Promotional Tool

The Food and Drug Administration has been considering a proposal to let drug makers use reprints of journal articles in promoting drugs for so-called off-label uses the FDA itself has not approved. The FDA would require the all publications circulated would have to be republished from a peer-reviewed medical journal. For patients in all groups across the US this plan offers the opportunity to receive therapies that are often delivered in our finest research institutions. The impact in the fields of oncology, psychiatry and neurology could be profound.

The Healing Project not only supports this initiative but also that of Abigail’s Alliance that seeks easier access to experimental treatments for people suffering from life threatening diseases. It is time to grow-up. Many things can injure us including food, vitamins, supplements etc. The FDA, CDC, and NIH are grossly under-funded and treatments that would benefit many patients are left catching dust because of the hostile regulatory environment and penurious insurance company gate keepers.

Nonetheless, the opponents of this proposal rightly point out that bad actors in the marketing departments of pharmaceuticals companies could game the system. Ghostwritten articles and manufactured research could be used to promote the inappropriate use of compounds. Regrettably, the industry’s hands are dirty as demonstrated by the recent admission that Merck shaped an article published in JAMA. The Healing Project has enormous respect for the researchers within the pharmaceutical industry but marketing has far too much to say. In order to ensure that this initiative is adopted, the industry should volunteer to accept a harsh penalty for fabricating articles and or manipulating research utilized to promote off-label prescriptions. The owner of the compound would forfeit one or more years of gross profit attributable to the agent. Further, the authors attached to the article should be deemed ineligible for any federal or state funding for a period of no less than five years. With penalties in place, it is quite likely the research promoted would be clean and patients would be eligible for medications they often desperately require.