This semester, I am taking Pharmacology for Nursing. And in my gargantuan book, there were only a few pages devoted to drug therapy for dementia. It was one of the skimpiest chapters in the book.

It's my belief that science in many ways is in the Dark Ages. We respond to diseases that have tangible effects. No one wants a cancer patient to suffer pain. No one wants to see an MS patients be wheelchair bound. These are disease outcomes we can see and therefore want helped ASAP.

But dementia? Eh, it's just somebody "losing their mind." You can't see the pathophysiology so it's put on the back burner.

Yet, if our government representatives (who play a role in research funding via the NIH) and drug makers and scientists were faced with

- losing your memory
- losing your indepence and livelihood
- losing cognitive functions
- losing the ability to learn new info
- losing the ability to make judgements, decisions

they would be scared out of their pants. It would be pretty terrifying to wake up, not know where you are or who you are, or what to do next.

Yet, dementia research is just slowly muddling along.

We have to test drugs on mice and other animals, beg for millions of dollars, jump through hoops, slice through red tape. Trust me when I say, I personally don't care if the drug makes me grow a 3rd arm for crying out loud, let's put researcj in the Express Lane.

If you have high risk factors like I do, you just aren't as concerned about teratogens, carcinogens, etc. You focus on what is for the greater good.

Yes, the FDA fulfills a monumental purpose in our country. I'm not going to argue that. But has our hypersensitivity to drug safety sloooooooooowwwwwweeeeeed clinical trials and research? To that, I say yep!

C'mon folks. Use some common sense. If you have people willing !!!! to participate in research despite risks - for goodness sakes, get to it folks! And if I feel this way, chances are other do to. And don't ask the voters. Hello? If they don't have a high risk or experience w/this disease, they don't have a clue. Their input shouldn't matter.

I have a mother w/dementia. I have high familial risk because of that and other factors. If I am willing to participate in risky research, then there should be nothing holding us back.

Trust me, I ain't gonna' sue if I go blind or end up with 15 toes. If it helps the future for dementia patients - let's go!

Can lithium help? I don't know. I've only seen one clincal trial with that drug. What about other ideas? Let's open it up.

Instead of being intimidated by one of the most baffling set of disease states, let's do more. Let's figure it out. Together.

Dementia has been overlooked for too long. Today is the day that has to change. It's only when we speak up and say "No more. We demand change" that anything will happen.