I want to get the word out about Cinnamon and the benefits of taking it.

About 6 weeks ago I was told that there was a study in Europe that showed taking cinnamon helped Arthritis, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. I did a search on the internet and found studies showing that taking cinnamon helped with Arthritis and also showed that it could cut glucose levels down as much as 30% for people with type 2 diabetes. It was also shown to help with cholesterol. I didn't find anything out about it for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Except that one research institute in california is going to do a clinical trial with cinnamon and Alzheimers.

Since Mom does have arthritis I figured it could do any harm. In August mom was having problems processing things. She had fallen - wasn't hurt but could figure out how to get up. At dinner she said she couldn't eat all of her sandwich. Her sister said to just take out the meat and eat that. You could see the blank look on mom's face that she didn't understand what her sister was telling her. She just poked at the sandwich with her fork. I was looking into day care for her instead of a companion for 4 hours three times a week. I was hoping I could still keep her home for another year.

After being on the cinnamon and taking warm water aqua therapy classes, I have my mom back. She has started washing dishes again she hasn't done in over 9 months. She use to be very religious about making her bed every day - that stopped about 2 years ago. Now she has said "I didn't make my bed today - I never do that". Her thought process is back, she is now remembering her old co-workers and their full names. She isn't having any more problems with her thought process. These things might seem small but they are huge for me. I feels like I have my mom back.

Here are a couple of web links with additional information

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/12/3215

http://diabetes.about.com/od/whatsonthehorizon/qt/cinnamon.htm (This one at the bottom tells about the proposed study for Alzheimer's)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/04/040414003908.htm

Every day mom has regained lost ground. It is exciting to watch!!!!

August

Mom fell and couldn’t process how to get up.
She couldn’t process how to remove the meat from a sandwich and just eat the meet.
She was having problems remembering her sister’s husband’s name. She kept calling her grandson Matthew by her deceased son’s name Peter.
She had no initiative to do anything.
She has stopped all house work for a year.
She was at the point of wanted to be weighed on.
I had her make her own sandwich one day and had to walk her thru each step on how to make the sandwich.

First of October I started her on the following items:
Hot water Aqua Therapy classes for Arthritis
3 capsules of cinnamon a day.

Items notices in October.
• The thought process has cleared.
• She is starting to do dishes again.
• She asked if she could help make dinner. I had the ingredient out to make a meatloaf. I asked if she wanted to make the meet loaf. I only had to tell her how much of the ingredient to put in. Then she made the meat loaf, shaped it and put it in the pan.
• She was able to keep her hair nice for one week after a perm. Didn’t wet it down and take out the curl.
• Recognized Harriet has someone she knows and then was able to give me her complete last name. Palmer Willis.
• She is able to walk more and not use a store scooter.
• She use to make her bed every day – that stopped a couple of years ago – one day she said “ I didn’t make my bed today – what’s with me?”

11/2 I turned on the TV and then went to paint ceramics. Mom changed the channel to find something different to watch instead of turning off the TV and going to bed.
11/3 Remember that Mara went to the craft show with us.
11/4 Stopped calling Matthew Peter
11/5 Called because she wanted to watch TV and wanted to know what was on. She then changed the channel at 5 pm to news. The TV has now been on every evening since with the news. For the past two winters would come home from work find mom sitting in the dark playing a puzzle on her computer. She didn’t turn on lights or the TV.
11/6 Remembers the craft show. Remembered that Wheel of Fortune is on at 6:30 on channel 7
11/6 Was able to talk about a negative thing at work today and it didn’t upset her.
11/6 I arrange for the vents to be cleaned in the house. They were scheduled to arrive at 1 pm. They showed up at 11 am. Mom was able to take it in stride and helped clean things from vents. She use to get really upset and unsettled when I had someone coming to the house to do repairs – she insisted that I was there when they came.
11/7 Concerned about keeping her hair nice
11/7 Voluntarily talked at the Church meeting
11/10 Started keeping track of the days of the week again on the calendar.
11/10 Recognized today’s monetary values in identifying expensive items.
11/11 Able to give her exact title for her State Department job and what state she worked in.

I was very interseted to read about the effects cinnamon had on your mom. My mom has been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer's and she is not doing to well tolerating the medicine. Was your mom diagnosed with Alzheimer's or did her behavior just lead you to believe that was what was happening? Thanks for your help.

Where do you buy the cinamon capsules?

My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s almost 5 years ago. She is on Galantamine (Razadyne®) and Namenda. I have NOT stopped these meds.

I got the cinnamon at Kingsoopers and Target.

She is continuing to improve every day.

Why Cinnamon works.

Further research shows that people with Alzheimer’s is lacking enough insulin in the brain. Cinnamon helps the body to create the insulin that the brain needs.

http://curezone.com/blogs/mp.asp?f=198&i=1

"Moreover, in Alzheimer's disease, the insulin receptors -- the molecules that are important for receiving the signals from insulin -- are also reduced in the brain," de la Monte said.

Insulin is very important for maintaining brain cell function, de la Monte said. "If you don't have enough insulin or the ability to respond to insulin is impaired, then neurons will not function well and they probably will die," she explained.

"This is not diabetes as we know it," de la Monte added.

The findings appear in the March issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

De la Monte believes the problems of insulin production in the brain start at the beginning of the disease process in Alzheimer's patients. "It starts early," she said. "Over time, it gets worse."

According to de la Monte, these discoveries might lead to new treatments for Alzheimer's. The therapies could involve either replacing insulin in the brain with some compound, or reactivating damaged insulin receptors. "If you are thinking about how to make the cells function better, you would be thinking about replacing what's missing or making the cells respond better than they do," she said.

In addition, de la Monte thinks the lack of insulin production in the brain may also play a role in other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's.

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2006/dec2006_report_alzheimer_02.htm

http://www.smart-publications.com/overall_health/cinnamon_extract.php

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/41026.php

http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20040313220452data_trunc_sys.shtml

http://www.lionsgrip.com/curarticles.html

Be careful. MDadvice.com says that cinnamon is rated dangerous, particularly for persons over 55 years old. This would seem to apply to most readers of this Forum. Everything in moderation is always an important consideration.

That's incredible. A home remedy, I wonder if any clinical-trial studies are in the works

There are clinical studies that have been done in Europe and they are now being conducted in the US.

Also the Barbara Davis center for Diabetes has OK'd their patients to take cinnamon for help with Diabetes. I would think that if there is a problem with cinnamon that they would advise caution or not support their patients taking cinnamon.

Also Mom is now becoming more aware of world events. She saw news clip on the Pope and said, “So that’s what the new Pope looks like.” She remembers the California fires and has been wondering how the people are doing after the fires. I felt the Golden time with Mom was truly gone. Now it’s back and then some.

Thanks for this information Patty, I'm going to look into it. I am really happy for you that your Mom is showing some improvement!

Patty Thanks SO Very Much about the cinnamon!!!! Everytime I've spoken with my mom's doctor he tells me that there is nothing else we can do for her. That all we can do is keep her comfortable. I'm willing to try anything that may bring my mom back to me. This little bit of info is a beacon of light!

What strength were the three capsules taken per day? Has improvement continued for those taking cinnamon on the board?

Mom has been stable for the last 2 months at 1000 MG three times a day. I did get a new memory evulation done - it showed that she is at the same place she was 18 months ago.

Thank you for the quick response Patty! I truly appreciate it.

Is there a dosage for the cinnamon caps?
Anything is worth a try
Arlene

Found it, void that last post.
Arlene

I, too am very interested in what is happening with the Cinnamon pills. My husband has had Dementia / Early Alzheimers since 2004. He's on Namenda and Razadyne also. I purchased the Cinnamon (500 mg. per capsule). The directions indicates take 2 pills per day, which would be 1,000 mg. In your suggestion, I understood to take 1,000 mg. 3 times a day. I did read the info about Cinnamon being dangerous, so I'm being a bit cautious, although, I continuously am on the lookout for new medicines, etc. that can help my husband. He's 71 now, so he was 67 when he was diagnosed with the disease. Which particular article did you read that makes you feel comfortable using Cinnamon and that paticular doseage? My husband also has Acid Reflux, Controllable Bladder Cancer and a 100% blocked Carotid Artery in his neck. Although these other health issues are there, it's the Dementia / Alzheimer's Disease that is debilitating. It would be wonderful if something like Cinnamon could help him like it has your Mother. I would like to know which particular articles address the effects of the Cinnamon on Alzheimer's Disease and how you arrived at the doseage. Thank you!

It has been a while since I've read the articles listed above. In one of the artiles a doctor states that it is table cinnamom that can be harmful - but he is taking 3, 500 mg capsules a day. I have checked out the information on the bottles and have scaled back to having mon only take the 1000 mg of cinnamon twice a day.

Patty, thank you for the update. My husband takes Plavix (blood thinner) for the blocked carotid artery, so I may need to see if the Cinnamon might thin his blood. I'm going to try to check this out. In the meantime, I'm giving him about 1,000 mg. of Cinnamon per day. Please continue to keep us updated on your findings. Anything we can do to slow the disease or overcome the effects of the disease will help our loved ones have a more quality of life as long as possible. Thanks again!

[quote]patty.hertel@upicolo.org[/quote]

HI Patty - after starting to take the Cinammon, how long before you noticed any improvements? Also - would I just go to target and look for Cinammon tablets - is that a common item I can readily find?

My mom is 54, officially diagnosed about a year ago, and has been declining steadlily the last month or two - we will try anything at this point, and this sounds like a simple enough attempt.

You also mentioned your mom's memory test showed her at around the same as she was 18 months ago - but you noticed in your everyday time with her she was rmembering things better? I wasn't sure what you meant by this.


Thanks for your input.

I started to see improvement in Mom in about 3 weeks. Then it was almost a daily change for about 6 weeks.

I get the capsules at Target or Walgreens. I've also found them at Kingsoopers.

When mom started to improve she started doing things she hadn't done in a long time. It was a very exciting time for me to watch her come back. In the first posted I placed on the benefits of cinnamon, I listed a small log of what changes I had seen - that is what I meant about a daily improvement.

For someone with Alzheimer’s to have a memory evaluation stay the same for an 18 month period is fantastic. I was very happy with the results. Generally speaking there is an average of a 5 point decrease in the memory test every year.

Thanks alot Patty. MY mom is coming to visit me this week, and I will try her with the cinnamon pills. I appreciate your conitribution to the blog. I will keep everyone posted on the results I have also. God bless ...

Patty:
I am very happy for you and your LO! Very exciting news.
Do you know if/how the cinnamon pills differ from "table" cinnamon? What about a liquid form, cinnamon extract, for example?
Thank you for sharing your experience.

I am not sure what the difference is. I know there is some type of water soluble additive in the capsules.

I have read that table cinnamon can be toxic in large doses. I would think cinnamon extract would be very concentrated and could be hard on the stomach in a straight dose. I would stay away from using these forms of cinnamon.

Hi Patty H,
Thanks so much for the info about your mom. I read your notes about a month ago and soon after started my mother in law on 1,000 mg per day. We have seen improvements in her; there are moments of "clarity" that we had not seen in a while. I am sure that you know what I mean when I refer to the "vacant look" in their eyes. While these are only moments it is an improvement. Another example was a phone conversation she had that she actually was able to follow. On a day-to-day basis I see a consistant improvement in a board game that we play each day and she has a renewed interest in TV watching therefore she is not napping as much.
All this happened after an abrupt decline in her that I had consulted with the Dr. who increased the Namemda and antidepressant but not her Razadyne ER. When we increased her meds in the past we did not see improvements in these area so we are hopeful about the cinnamon. As her doctor says, "Every ALZ patient is different and different in how they react to medication."
Like so many of you, we too are grasping for straws and we hoping to find something that will help.
CaterinaMaria

Where can you buy cinnamon capsules? GNC???
Thanks, Sue
squash49@aol.com

GNC sells cinnamon capsules - I went to GNC with my parents yesterday and bought them. They stated taking them today (Mom has diabetes, and Dad has Alzheimer's). I told them to try 1000 mg twice a day. I'll write back in a few weeks and let you know what happened.

Wal~Mart sells Cinnamon. 100 1000mg capsules for $4.95 made by Rexall.Everyone on the ALZTalk.org chat are taking them or giving them to their loved ones.We are hoping it was not just a flute.We are hoping that the recommended amount of 2000mg a day will work but would not try more because there is a toxic amount.Since there is nothing saying that it is harmful we are doing our own research.If you are waiting on the FDA to do the research just forget it,Your love one(or you) will be long gone before the results are in.Where is the Alzhemed?

Whoops My Bottle Says 1000mg then in small print per serving. With 2 capsules making up a serving.Read the fine print but I still think that 2000mg per day will be safe and effective.

I find it very interesting that the cinnamon could be a help. My husband and I started adding cinnamon to our coffee because we liked the taste (we put in in the brew part,not the cup because it doesn't really dissolve)but noticed that it gave us a nice lift of energy, not jittery like more caffeine would do. Both of my parents have Alzheimers. I'll be watching this post for more info.

This is interesting information regarding cinnamon. I'm new to this sight; my mother is in the middle stages of AD. Is "cinnamon bark" ok to use? It's the only cinnamn I could find at Drug Emporium.
Becky

I read only one article where cinnamon bark was used. Most articles warned about toxicity in "table cinnamon" - I'm not sure if cinnamon bark qualifies. I think the safer bet would be to use the web to find a place to order cinnamon if you can't find any at the stores in your area.

Being unable to find 500mg capsules anywhere here in Ontario, Canada, I ordered 4 bottles online, at $8.00/bottle. They arrived a week ago, and I've been taking 2000mg daily. I have the SISU brand, ingredients: Cassia cinnamon (bark powder) 200mg, (cinnamon aromaticum) 300mg. Adult dosage: Take 2 capsules two times daily. On the front of the bottle..."to help balance elevated blood sugar".

Now a chatroom friend also sent me 4 bottles from TN....also 500 mg...$4.95 from Walmart. The instructions on those bottles is 1000mg a day.

I'm definitely sticking with my 2000mg a day, and hoping for the excellent results others have found!

Patty H....Thank you for your observations on the results of the "cinnamon". MW was diagnosed 7 years ago. (Her Mother passed with AD 20 yearsa ago.) I plan to get the cinnamon tomorrow and will dose a 2000mg per day.We go to see the neuro doc on the 3 April. This should get us a base line for any results, and will keep you all advised of the results observed FYI.

I would like to go the Enbrel route, but the cost AND the travel too expensive for us.

Hi Patty,

I tried this when you first posted, but I don't think I was patient enough. I bought the capsules at Target. Now we are trying a very expensive new treatment and I was afraid to start the Cinnamon again since I would then not know the "control" aspect...but what the heck...it's my Mom. Maybe the supplement will enhance the Enbrel. Thank you for the posts.

Felicia

Dear Patty,
I came across your info yesterday and I am going to start giving my husband 2000mg of cinnamon a day. This sounds like it is working well for you. My husband has probably had Ad for over 8 years in my opinion but was only diagnosed in 2005. He is on Aricept and Namenda and is doing well but, his memory, long term and short term are not always great. He is doing very well and I think one of the main reasons is that he tredmills at 4mph for about 35 to 40 min a day, 7 days a week. He will be 69 in August. He also does search a word puzzles because it makes him find words that are written in all directions. Reading is also good. Hopefully the cinnamon will help also. I am very careful with our diets to eliminate a lot of fat, especially trans fat and saturated fat. A great book for you and the patient to read, if they can, is Dr. Richard Taylor's book, Alzheimers from the Inside Out. Dr Taylor is an AD patient who was diagnosed at 58 and it is his juornal of what goes on from the patients perspective. I bought it from Amazon.com. I'll be in touch to let you know how the cinnamon works for us. Thanks for all of your help. Elizabeth

Wow! This is some rather exciting news! My great-grandmother has Alz and also has Diabetes, although which type I'm not sure. I'm very interested in trying this for her also, should I call her doctor and make sure it's okay to try this? (I'll have to relay all this great info to my grandma!!)

Thank you!

Patty,
Are you still seeing results? Anything you can share would be appreciated. Thanks

I have also read about cinnamon being good for diabetic but I have not heard about dementia..I like to fry with low fat marg. cut up apples and cinnamon & sweet @ low taste real good ..George loves it too..

I am helping take care of my mother. Her last neurologist said that she has another tau-protein disease called corticobasal ganglionic degeneration (CBD or CBGD). However, it could also be Alzheimer's disease. There are similarities in both the symptoms and the causes. So, just in case she does have Alzheimer's disease, I've been giving her 500mg of curcumin three times per day. After reading about the water soluble cinnamon extract, and the success you folks have been having, I started my mother on it about 2 weeks ago.

If you haven't read the actual cinnamon "innovation" from the D.J. Graves of the University of California, Santa Barbara about this, here it is:

http://www.ibridgenetwork.org/innovations/download_tech_brief/3417

So, I'm giving her curcumin to attack the amyloid beta plaques, and the cinnamon for the tau. I'm also looking into lithium, which as I understand it, inhibits the tau.

By the way, there is a "recipe" for making a cinnamon tea... extracting the water-soluble components of cinnamon. I take it that researchers were first looking at how cinnamon was able to help people control diabetes. Here it is:

..... RECIPE .....
Glucose-Lowering Cinnamon Tea Excerpted from
Diabetes: Prevention and Cure,
by C. Leigh Broadhurst, PhD,
Kensington Books, New York, 1999, pp. 192-193

"In the laboratory where I work at the US Department of Agriculture, we have investigated over 60 plant extracts in a special cell culture test that determines how much a particular compound stimulates the uptake and utilization of glucose. While these tests are no substitute for human or animal studies, they are important because they identify safe compounds that act directly on cell metabolism. Plenty of plants
and individual phytochemicals can lower blood sugar, but many accomplish this by imposing toxic effects on the body. Cinnamon was by far the most active compound in our assay, so we focused on it.

"From an extract of commercial cinnamon, we identified new phytochemicals called chalcone polymers that increase glucose metabolism in the cells twentyfold or more. In addition, cinnamon contains anthocyanins of the type thought to improve capillary function, and an extract similar to ours has been shown to inhibit the formation of ulcers and increase blood flow to the stomach in rats. As chalcone polymers strongly inhibit the formation of reactive oxygen species in activated blood platelets, we also know them as antioxidants. A number of antioxidant phytochemicals have already been identified in cinnamon, so that cinnamon may have all three of the beneficial actions mentioned previously.

"Since the first published results that identify cinnamon as a potential therapy for diabetes, we have heard from hundreds of people who found that it works. Since cinnamon is very safe, there is little harm in trying it yourself.

"To use cinnamon to help lower blood sugar and broadly improve Types I and II diabetes, put 3 rounded tablespoons of ground cinnamon and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of baking soda (use a lesser amount if sodium is a problem for you) in a 32-ounce (quart) canning jar. Fill the jar with boiling water and let steep at room temperature until cool. Strain or decant the liquid and discard the grounds, and then put a lid on the jar and refrigerate. Drink 1 cup (8 ounces) of the tea 4 times per day. After 1-3 weeks, drop to 1-2 cups per day or use as needed. For those with Type I diabetes, start with only 1-2 cups per day and increase by 1 cup per week, monitoring blood sugar closely. Buying cinnamon in bulk is cost-effective and highly recommended...."

"As for the baking soda, it should make MHCP more soluble in water. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, which is a weak base. MHCP is a phenolic compound and therefore slightly acidic. Acids are most soluble in bases (and vice versa), meaning that MHCP is more soluble in a baking soda solution than in pure water."
http://forum.lowcarber.org/archive/index.php/t-151040.html

I re-read the earlier posts on this topic and realized that you folks might be unaware of the latest suspected benefit of this water-soluble cinnamon extract.

If you read that "innovation" from D.J. Graves at the University of California, Santa Barbara
http://www.ibridgenetwork.org/innovations/download_tech_brief/3417
it says,
"DESCRIPTION: Researchers at the University of
California, Santa Barbara have discovered an
extract of common cinnamon that contains a class
of small organic molecules that inhibit several key processes in Alzheimer’s disease. The cinnamon extract inhibits the aggregation of tau and disassembles fibers that have already formed, suggesting that neurofibrillary tangles can possibly be reversed by these compounds. The extract exhibits potent inhibitory activity, is orally available, water-soluble, non-toxic, and the bioactive molecules are likely brain permeable. The extract is readily produced in large quantities and can be encapsulated in powder form for oral administration. These properties make the cinnamon extract a highly favorable substance for development into an effective therapeutic to slow or prevent Alzheimer’s disease."

This is absolutely astounding news. I mean, a substance has been identified that is able to not only inhibit the aggregation of tau, but also disassemble fibers that have already formed! And to top it off, this substance can easily be derived from a common spice found in any supermarket. WOW! This is a blockbuster bombshell. (I hope it is true-- that someone at UCSB wasn't just imbibing in some recreational, mind-altering substances.)

If the water-soluble components of cassia cinnamon do as advertised (help in the metabolism of glucose, inhibit the corruption of the tau proteins, and untangling the tau tangles already formed), then we should expect to see a progression of improvement.

It is reasonable to assume that neurons become inactive, or rather, nonfunctional for some period of time before they finally expire. If the destructive effects of the malformed tau proteins is eliminated by the cinnamon extract (or any other means, for that matter), then one would expect the "stunned", non-functional, but still viable neurons to be restored. However, those that have expired, can not, obviously, be restored. And whatever functionality or memory these missing neurons provided will not return.

This would explain why there is a period of time after starting the cinnamon until improvements are seen. Then another period of time, maybe 6 more weeks, where abilities return. After a period of maybe 9 weeks, maybe most of the tau causing the symptoms has been removed, and those neurons that can come back to full functionality have.

Then, maybe at the 9 week point, the difficult task of re-learning and re-training is what's left to do. Considering the alternative of continued decline, this situation would not be so bad. The brain can re-wire around damaged areas. And, there exists the possibility that new neurons will be created. These may "fill in the gaps", but probably won't "know" what to do. This then would be the same situation as anyone with severe brain damage from any other cause would be faced with.

So, I won't be discouraged by a lack of improvement, or very slow improvement, as long as there is no further decline. I consider halting the decline as victory.

We are giving it a try too. 2000mg per day.

I have been reading the postings on cinnamon and am quite interested with your results. I cannot help but ask...has anyone with type 2 diabetes and no Alz taken the cinnamon themselves and observed any improvement in their own cognitive state??

ttt

Looking for PattyH - haven't heard from you since March. How's your mom doing - still improving on the Cinnamon??? VERY INTERESTED to hear from you.

On 03/11 we started taking 1000 mg. daily. I opted for the low dosage because I use cinnamon extensively when I cook and bake. Because I stopped baking and tapered off on my use of cinnamon in cooking as the weather grew warmer...We increased the dosage to 2000 mg in June and have been maintaining that dosage. As the weather cools down and my cooking habits change, I will probably cut back again.

Charlie has always reacted quickly and often strangely to medications (especially oral ones) so I was only mildly surprised that within 1 week of starting cinnamon he appeared to be come more aware and communicative, less apathetic, and showed more initiative. Except for the 03/29 observation that he was selecting his own outerwear, all changes have held.

The only down side to taking cinnamon probably started around 03/29.and lasted a couple of weeks. During that period he became more easily agitated and prone to anger, less content, and testier. After he went to the doctor and tested negatively for both a UTI and dehydration, I attributed those poor reactions to an increase in awareness and continued cinnamon. My hunch paid off...Charlie is his old sweet, loving self.

Below are my initial observations:
----------------------------
03/18.
Charlie and I have been taking cinnamon for a week. He thinks that it is going to help prevent us from becoming diabetic.

I know that it is probably not enough time for anything to have changed. Charlie amazed me tonight when...for the first time in many, many months... he selected a pool cue and challenged someone to a game of pool.

He had a heck of a time remembering whether he was shooting high or low balls. His shots were not up to par...but...He ended up winning 3 out of 4 games.

You can bet that we are going to continue taking our cinnamon
------------------------------------------------
03/20/08
Something is definitely happening here.

Yesterday Charlie didn't play pool (or much of anything that broke his sitting pattern)...but...He cracked jokes, was sarcastic, and initiated ideas that required action (on my part).

The only things that I can think of that could be responsible for this are the addition of cinnamon or a UTI. I still think that it is too soon for the cinnamon to have done anything...If it is a UTI, I hope that it lasts forever.
-------------------------------------------------
03/29/08
Charlie is still taking cinnamon daily.

No major changes...Charlie's short term memory is not improving. Just little things have been noticed.

His vocabulary is becoming renewed. Fastidious, precipitation reappeared during coffee this morning

On days when I do not lay cloths out he goes to the closet and selects fresh shirts and slacks. (In the past he tended to repeat yesterday's wardrobe)

It's funny how much little things can matter. Life is good and getting better in our corner of NC

I certainly hope that these good results continue.

As I've written before, I switched from using ground cinnamon to the cinnamon tea in order to increase the amount and avoid the side effects of the unneeded components that get thrown away in the grounds. But it is a bother to make.

One question that still remains unanswered is whether the active component of cinnamon is degraded by saliva. I read an article about using cinnamon to lower cholesterol levels, and it mentioned that this was the case. But the component of cinnamon responsible for lowering cholesterol is probably not the same as whatever it is that helps with AD symptoms. So, lacking a definitive answer to this question, I figure the less contact with saliva, the better.

swarfmaker---I personally do not see the value of going through the trouble of brewing cinnamon tea...but...Since you do...

Have you tried brewing cinnamon in the top portion of a Mr. Coffee coffee pot...or...Considered making your own tea bags by cutting down coffee filters to size, pre-measuring the cinnamon into the filter, sewing the filter closed and placing them in hot water? You may be able to avoid a certain amount of messy, time consuming skimming.

--------------------------

For the record...I do not suggest that anyone use cinnamon as a replacement for Alzheimer's medications. Using cinnamon in conjunction with Alzheimer's medications is what I had in mind.

After enduring the discomfort of Aricept on and off for nearly 2 years, I felt that the time had come to discontinue using it. His neurologist concurred...and...Expressed the feeling that in his case Namenda would probably not be worth the effort.

Those are good ideas, and making the tea is a pain.