The Journey Out
The Journey Out Podcast is a podcast designed to be the helping hand for everyday people who are on their Exodus Journey!
You were designed for a purpose and many times, just like Moses, we need a burning bush or sign from God that it is time to leave, or journey out, from what we are used to, to be propelled to where we are called to be.
Join us for engaging, informative and resourceful conversation ranging from healthcare to entrepreneurship to family values.
The Journey Out
Conversation w| Dr. Diana Kerwin: Alzheimer's Insight from Early Signs to Inclusive Clinical Trials
Join us on a journey as we explore the fascinating world of Alzheimer's and dementia with Dr. Diana Kerwin, founder and president of Kerwin Medical Center. With over two decades of experience, Dr. Kerwin shares her personal story, recounting a pivotal moment during her residency that ignited her passion for tackling memory impairments. This episode sheds light on the subtle signs of memory loss, providing clear guidance on when to seek medical evaluation. Dr. Diana emphasizes the importance of persistence in receiving a proper assessment, offering invaluable insights for those concerned about their brain health.
We venture into the realm of Alzheimer's clinical trials, highlighting their vital role in advancing treatment options. Discover the significance of annual wellness visits and memory evaluations for understanding brain health, especially within the framework of Medicare. We address the misconceptions surrounding clinical trial participation, clarifying that those involved are not mere "guinea pigs" but valued contributors to future breakthroughs. Dr. Kerwin also spotlights the importance of diversity and inclusion in research, advocating for ethical practices and community engagement to make studies more accessible and inclusive.
Rounding off the discussion, we examine lifestyle factors that can bolster brain health, such as exercise and the MIND diet, underscoring the potential of these strategies to reduce health risks. Dr. Kerwin offers a hopeful glimpse into recent advancements in Alzheimer's treatment, acknowledging the progress made in slowing disease progression. As we hold out hope for future breakthroughs, listeners are encouraged to stay informed and connected through additional resources and episodes, equipping families and communities to navigate the challenges of Alzheimer's and dementia together.
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Welcome everyone to the Journey Out podcast, where we were designed to be the helping hand for everyday people who are on their Exodus journey. I am one of your hosts, bree.
Speaker 2:And I'm Antoine.
Speaker 1:And, as you see, we have a very special guest sitting in between us. So we know that November is a month filled with important national holidays, in particular, national Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, and so today we wanted to invite a very special guest who is the founder and president of Curran Medical Center, a practice that focuses on finding a cure for Alzheimer's and other related dementia diseases. She has more than 20 years experience in Alzheimer's and dementia research and is board certified in internal medicine and geriatrics and licensed in Texas, california and Wisconsin. So let's jump right in what is home care?
Speaker 3:How do I navigate health care? What do I do when I feel down and depressed? I'm stressed. Am I enough? What can I do?
Speaker 1:What is this going to cost? All right, so welcome to the show, ms Diana.
Speaker 3:Thank you so much. Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here and see both of you, so thank you.
Speaker 1:Awesome. So tell us just a little bit about your backstory, how you got started and what got you to Kern Medical Center today.
Speaker 3:Great. I get asked that a lot why I went into brain research and Alzheimer's disease research in particular. And what I recall is I was in my training as a resident at Northwestern University in Chicago and I remember in my internal medicine residency clinic you would see patients and I had a clinic at the Veterans Hospital, the VA, and one of my veterans who became one of my regular patients. I noticed that he obviously had memory impairment and he would come in with his wife and as an internist you're prescribing blood pressure medicines, cholesterol medicines and telling him remember to take this medicine every day. And I realized like after two visits the wife was the one that was really going to be remembering for him and that he had short-term memory impairment. And I asked the wife I said has anybody talked to you about his memory loss or anything? She said no, no one's ever mentioned it, no one's talked to us about it. And I said well, that to me became something that I realized I really wanted to practice in that area of recognizing patients that have those impairments and I wanted to change the way that's approached, get it diagnosed and then get the right treatments for those patients.
Speaker 3:And then what happened is, as I got into Alzheimer's research, you realize that there really weren't a lot of treatments available. As I was diagnosing patients with Alzheimer's and other dementias. There really wasn't a big arsenal of tools that a physician could do to make the situation better or to stop the memory loss or to cure it. And so that's when I said I really would like to do clinical trial research which is developing new medicines to treat Alzheimer's disease, and that's where Kirwan Medical Center came about. I said I really want to do it whole, like 100%, and put all of my efforts into clinical research and developing new therapies for Alzheimer's, hopefully contributing to finding the cure. But I wanted to have a center that was very easily accessible to patients and was comfortable, because research can be very foreboding and people are hesitant to participate.
Speaker 3:So I wanted to have a very welcoming center that was really focused on the patient who wanted to participate and we could help them participate in the process of finding cures.
Speaker 1:Right. And so one thing that kind of stuck out to you, just that interaction with that patient, right, and he was dealing with memory loss, but he probably didn't understand that he was going through that. So tell me, when should someone be concerned about memory loss, whether it's them or a loved?
Speaker 3:one. Yeah, and that was you bring up a great point, because, if you notice, the wife was there and it's not usual for you to bring a family member to your doctor visits but she knew she had to go because he wouldn't remember. So I think the times that memory loss should be concerning is oftentimes the patient themselves is not aware that they're forgetting things. Normally, when you forget something, you realize you forgot something. You know I misplaced my keys. I have to retrace my steps. I can't remember where.
Speaker 2:I parked Guilty Guilty. Yeah, you know you have to like, but you realize you forgot it, Right.
Speaker 3:Someone who's having memory loss won't realize they're even forgetting. They'll say, oh, someone took my keys Right, you took my keys. Someone took my car. Someone took my car that's why it's not parked here. Someone put my purse in the freezer. So it's usually the combination of the people around them notice that their memory is declining and know it's a change. The patient themselves usually doesn't recognize it. So the times that you should be concerned are when people around you notice it and you haven't. That would be a sign that you should have it evaluated If you are noticing that you're having difficulty remembering things that you used to be able to remember easily, like people who are really good about remembering birthdays and sending out cards.
Speaker 3:All of a sudden they're not sending out cards anymore because they're forgetting birthdays, or someone who used to be really good at their math and accounting now can't balance their checkbook or write a check, or is missing paying bills, or they stop remembering to take their medicine things like that. Those are times where you want to bring that to your doctor and say you know, can we look into this? And I the one thing that I will say, just having practiced in medicine for many years and working with many good doctors even really good doctors sometimes won't know what to do with memory evaluation. So you really have to push them and ask them and say could you please look in? Maybe one of these medicines or maybe something in the blood work is causing this.
Speaker 2:So for some people that have a loved one that's been forgivable or something, or they've been forgivable, does it necessarily mean that they have dementia, and if so, what is dementia and what does dementia mean?
Speaker 3:So we'll start with the definitions, I think, because that's a big area of confusion even within medicine, If you ask a few different doctors, they'll have different definitions of dementia. So dementia first is to just understand it's kind of a very vague term. It means something's happened to this person and their brain function is not the way it was most of their life. Something's changed it. Now the reason I say that so broadly is there are lots of things that can cause dementia and Alzheimer's is just one of them. So that's why, like you could have someone, could have a bad stroke and after that stroke they have difficulty remembering or they have difficulty speaking. That would be a type of a dementia. That would be a stroke-related dementia. But Alzheimer's is one type of dementia.
Speaker 3:So the question as far as whether or not someone has dementia really depends upon how extensive is the change in their brain function, so that it has to be pretty extensive to meet the definition for dementia. It has to be impairment in their memory or impairment in their ability to find words or to speak or to make decisions. That is now affecting their daily life. So maybe they're not safe to stay at home by themselves because they've, you know, walked out of the house on a 110 degree day in the middle of summer and don't have any water with them and walk for a few miles Like people are making bad decisions. That could be the sign that this is a dementia, versus something that's more mild, like some forgetfulness, and it affects them a little bit in their daily life, but they can still function by themselves. It's really that function piece and I know with what you do. You see where families need to bring in more help because the person can't be left alone, so they need more assistance to keep them safe.
Speaker 1:Right, and I think another thing that's always questioned is is dementia, alzheimer's? They're the same thing? Talk to me just a little bit about that, because they're not. They're two separate things. So tell me just a little bit about that because they're not.
Speaker 3:They're two separate things. So tell me just a little bit about that. And that's where it gets really confusing for people, because I've had patients come to my office and oftentimes the family brings them and says you know, the doctor says they have dementia. That means it's not Alzheimer's right.
Speaker 3:And that's not necessarily the case. So dementia, as I said, can have multiple, many different causes. No-transcript. So Alzheimer's disease does not always progress to a dementia stage. It can be actually silent. You can have Alzheimer's disease in the brain tissue. If we did a blood test or a special type of scan, we can see Alzheimer's in the brain tissue, but the person may not have forgetfulness yet.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:But if it progresses more, at some point in the future they will develop enough memory impairment that they will have what's called a dementia.
Speaker 1:Right If that is clear. And I think honestly we won't know these things until we do testing, until we go to our providers and talk with them. I must be very honest, I think one big stigma, especially for us people of color we're not going to the doctor to get any clarification for any of that, let alone kind of go through a clinical trial and try to, you know, try to participate in that and to try to find the right medications to fit these things. So is there testing that can be done and what recommendations do you have for that testing?
Speaker 3:So the first thing about doing any testing at all, or even addressing it and for this is for any patient, but especially we're finding that certain racial backgrounds are at higher risk. So African-American.
Speaker 3:Black, latino, hispanic higher risk of Alzheimer's disease. It's affecting those communities and those families and those patients more, and oftentimes there's barriers to health care in general, and so going the next step of getting the right diagnosis becomes even more challenging. But it is important to have it evaluated, and the reason for that is there are new medications available to treat it. But also you have a right to know what's affecting your health. You have a right to know what your diagnoses are, what is available to you, and then you have the right to say I don't want to do that or yes, I want to do more. I think you have a right to know, and I think that's the piece where I think the evaluation should be done. The doctor should have a clear talk with you about what they don't know and what they do know, what's available and then the patient should have the ability to say yes or no, or the family should be able to talk about it.
Speaker 2:So how do a person talk to their doctor about that, if a person is dealing with memory loss or things of that nature? So how do you communicate that with your doctor?
Speaker 3:And it's a hard one because, like I said, I mean all doctors, most doctors have good intention, but sometimes, when it's not in their area of expertise or comfort, they may not want to talk about it because it's an area they don't know much about. But you have to just kind of say well, can we, you know, check and make sure. Or one way to start is oftentimes, and not always, but dementia sometimes can run in families and you can say you know my, I remember my grandmother, my grandfather had something like this. I feel like I might be showing some signs.
Speaker 3:What can we do to evaluate me now, Like, what could we do? Or can we go ahead and just do some blood tests, maybe check my medicines? Let's check my memory and some of this the patient themselves may be reluctant to do it. It's not easy to have your memory tested. It feels like someone's questioning if you're smart or not, and memory is not intelligence. But we oftentimes think people that remember everything are really smart.
Speaker 3:but you can be smart in lots of different ways so people don't like that, but it's important to have it tested to see like maybe there's an early sign that you're you haven't picked up on yet. Um, so have talk to the doctor about you know. Can we just do a brain health checkup? Can we just check and make sure my my thyroid level is, my vitamin levels are normal, make sure I'm on the right medications? The other piece is we're learning there's a very strong connection between the heart and the brain and brain health. So you could even approach the doctor to say you know how's my blood pressure, my cholesterol, my diabetes control?
Speaker 3:Can we talk about. Can I exercise? Because that would be good for my body and my brain. What type of diet could I eat? Because those are things that sometimes primary care doctors are more comfortable with. And that's one way, because if you do have good blood pressure control, good cholesterol, good diabetes sugar control, that can actually help slow down or lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's later on. So that's one thing that people can do for themselves.
Speaker 1:Right and really what we're hearing is just being an advocate for yourself and your loved ones. Just really take, go on that extra mile to really care for yourself but take control of your health. It's super important to be able to do that and have those open and honest conversations, even though it's kind of hard or you don't kind of know where to go with this. I love those questions that you gave because it's kind of practical. You know you can go into any situation and be able to kind of navigate that, so I love that. But they get a diagnosis. They say, hey, you know, yeah, dementia, alzheimer's. What do we do now?
Speaker 3:And that's where some, if the doctor can't do that evaluation, then you just say you know, could I have a referral? Maybe to another doctor, one thing that most people, and most people who are worried about their memory, tend to be Medicare age 65 and older Not everybody.
Speaker 3:There are some people in their 50s and early 60s, but 65 and older, if you are a Medicare recipient. There is something called the annual wellness visit that the doctor should be doing once a year and part of it includes a checkup on their memory and part of it is the annual wellness visit. Doesn't tell the doctor that they have to do memory testing, but it says they have to at least ask about it and they should send them for testing if there's a concern. So that's one thing. You can ask for, the annual wellness visit once a year. I think that's probably a good place to start.
Speaker 3:The one thing our center does do short memory evaluations for people that are interested in learning about what's available for prevention or research, and again, that doesn't mean you have to participate. What I like about it is it's a way for us to tell them about, give them a short information about their brain health at this point in time, of short information about their brain health at this point in time. So they have that information because, like I said, they have a right to know if there is an early impairment and then decide to do what they want to do with it.
Speaker 2:Well, tell me this what should people know about getting tested, going through this, what you call it forgive me clinical trials?
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 2:So tell me, what should people know, what should they expect, and how does it work?
Speaker 3:Sure. So the first thing about clinical trials. There's lots of different types of clinical trials. Some of them are looking at ways to prevent dementia or Alzheimer's.
Speaker 3:Some of them are looking at new ways to diagnose it, like blood tests, different brain scans. Some of it are developing new drug treatments that eventually would be approved for the doctor to prescribe. But the first thing about research and anything in medicine is you have the right to get all the information and make the decision, and so the one thing about research like the first thing that we do is tell them about what's going to happen. It's called informed consent. We're going to do some memory testing with you. We're going to draw some blood. This is what might happen with the blood test. We're going to give you these results and then this is what you can do with it. You can either ask about what clinical studies might be appropriate for you and which one you might want to do. You can talk to your family about it and come back. So usually it is for the clinical research process.
Speaker 3:When it is something within Alzheimer's, it typically tends to have informed consent, and then it has some getting your medical history. What medicines are you on, like what you would normally do at the doctor's office. But the things that are a little bit different are you do get some memory testing and, like I said, there usually is some blood work done or blood tests. Sometimes there's imaging done and then if you're in a study where the medication is being developed, that medication may be given during the course of the study. If the person consents to be in the study, they would receive that medication and then get tested along the way to see is the medication doing anything? Is it helping? Is it improving their memory? Is it slowing down the progression? And some of the studies can go on for as short as six months. Some of them can be two to three years.
Speaker 2:And this can be for someone that don't have dementia and just wanted to know, maybe, if that trait or if they basically going down that road. Maybe am I saying that right and it also can be for someone with dementia, correct? Okay, great.
Speaker 3:That's the one thing is, a lot of times there's multiple different studies going on at once and a patient can only be in one study at a time. So they might choose to be in a prevention study, where they're just tested but no drug is being developed no medication is being developed, or they could be in a study where they are receiving a medication to prevent Alzheimer's, or they could have a diagnosis of Alzheimer's already and they're in a study to determine can this medication be developed to slow down the progression or stop the progression.
Speaker 3:So there's lots of different ways and I think the one thing about research is anyone who does want to participate, you know, learn about it. And again, like I said, they always have a right to say I don't want to do it, at any time in the study. You can even go into the study and then say you know what, I don't want to do this anymore. I thought I did, but and there's no obligation there and it's really you're part of a team and what they're bringing to the the development of treatments for other people is significant. They're help. They're really helping others.
Speaker 2:They're really helping others.
Speaker 3:They're helping their family members potentially have treatments in the future that may help them. What they get in return is they get a lot of interaction with medical personnel that know the disease. So what we find is patients that are in the studies oftentimes just enjoy coming in because they get to see the staff Sometimes it's once a month, sometimes every couple of weeks talk about how they're doing, how they're feeling, tell us you know their doctor changed a medicine so that we can update their record. So sometimes it's just they really are part of an important piece of the scientific team and not just a guinea pig or that type of.
Speaker 1:And so and so talk to me a little bit about that, because actually we were at were at an Alzheimer's event probably a couple of weeks ago and we talked. They talked about clinical trials and kind of what the progression looked like, and one lady from the crowd she was really why do we have to be guinea pigs or what? So speak to me a little bit about that stigma and just kind of how we can combat that. You know just as a whole. You know we want to be able to make sure that we can combat that. You know just as a whole. You know we want to be able to make sure that we have medications that's able to work for everyone, you know, not just the select few.
Speaker 3:So talk to me a little bit about that. No, it's a really important point for us to know that a medication or drug is going to work for everybody.
Speaker 3:We need to have a really robust, diverse set of participants in studies robust, diverse set of participants in studies, unfortunately, because there is some historical bad actors that didn't provide informed consent and that is the really biggest, I think, mistake or injustice that was done was not telling somebody that they were in a study or not telling them that there was a medication available to treat them and it was withheld from them. And those are the historical pieces that we actually are taught. To be a researcher, you have to actually get training that tells us about all of these historical things that happened. They were predominantly in the black community that were bad and they were bad actors and the point is that you know that shouldn't happen again. We should have enough awareness and that's where that informed consent becomes. That is number one Informed consent, meaning every individual person has the ability to say at any time I don't want to do this or I do want to do it, but you have the responsibility.
Speaker 3:You must tell me everything available to me. You must tell me. If there's a new treatment out there, you need to tell me about it. If there's new information that comes out about this drug or other drugs, you must tell me. And we do.
Speaker 3:That is part of the certification as a researcher, is my role as an investigator and I tell participants when they come into a study is my role is number one their safety oversight while they're in the study. But number two is I'm here to inform them anything that's happening that could that they should know about new data, new information, safety information, a new drug comes out, whatever it is, I have an obligation to tell them and that's their right, and so part of I think for people to know is that we don't want them to be guinea pigs. We want them. They're participants, they're important and they have rights and we're there to respect their rights and fulfill our obligation to be sure that they aren't just treated like just to give data or information. They are part of you know. They're our responsibility to take care of while they're in the study.
Speaker 2:Well, that's a lot of good information and I think that's good for people to know and understand that. Hey, they are a part of this study and they have the right to information as they're going through it, you don't have to go in blind.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you don't have to go in blind.
Speaker 2:So that's great. So, with that information, how do you get those people involved? How can they get involved?
Speaker 3:We'd love I mean one part of opening Kerwin Medical Center. I wanted to set it up the way I thought it should be done, that it should be accessible and open and even for people who don't want to participate, they can still get information from us. They can call us up, ask questions. We're there as a resource. But if you are interested, a lot of times it's just starting on our website. They can just put in their name and information and have a call back from one of our staff and one of our staff can tell them about what's going on at the center right now.
Speaker 3:Or we try to have events with community partners, like you two here, so that we can get out into the community and give good information and give people the opportunity to ask questions and the opportunity to come back and say I'd like to hear more, I'd like to participate. What do I need to do next? So the one thing about reaching everyone, though, is it kind of does take all of us. We need our community. Sometimes you might need to tell your neighbor hey, have you thought about contacting the center? I noticed you're having some trouble with someone, your friend at church or whoever it is. We all need to kind of help them be aware that there is this piece available if they wanted to participate and be part of it.
Speaker 1:And I think also too, in factoring, if you want to join a clinical trial or do something like that, you want to think about just the atmosphere surrounding the researchers and the team that's going to be doing it, because it's the same thing with you. It's warmth there. Sometimes it can be so cold. You don't see the people who are doing the research. You don't see all of that. You guys go to events. Y'all are out, y'all have your mobile bus that comes out and just do various things in the community. So just tell me a little bit about that and why that was super important for you to just really be a staple in the community instead of just being behind the scenes and just doing the research.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that came about somewhat with just my experience over the years in medicine. Especially when you're in academic medicine, like you're at a university, you get used to being in your center and everyone has to come to you and that's really difficult for a lot of people. Sometimes it's transportation, sometimes it's child care, sometimes it's they have to work and our hours aren't compatible with them getting to a visit. So when I started to see that and you think that, well, people can get to you, we'll provide rides or whatever, that's not always the answer. You have to really learn what is the barrier for those that person and then break down that barrier. So that's where you's where the reason why we're opening up the office in Oak Cliff tomorrow is. You know, my primary office has been at Presbyterian Hospital on Walnut Hill. It's a well-known hospital.
Speaker 3:It's in the hospital. It's easy to get to if you live in that area.
Speaker 3:And what I was finding as I went out into the community and you'd go even 20 minutes away to Oak Cliff or South Dallas and they're like we would never go up there it's the traffic or reliable car, or I don't want to take a Lyft or an Uber because I don't know where I'm going once I get there, so I said well then we need to come to you, we need to put a center in Oak Cliff so that hopefully now it's maybe only five or ten minutes from you or where you're living or where you're going to the store or to your doctor or whatever, and it's much more convenient for you to get there, because then if you want to participate, we are there for you, it's accessible and that's that's, that's the beauty of it, and I and I just I applaud you for that because you didn't, you don't have to do that.
Speaker 1:And a lot of times, a lot of uh, clinical trials and research teams, they don't do that because it's easier to just do what they're doing.
Speaker 2:Or stay where they're at. They don't come to where the people need the resource or the information.
Speaker 1:And so, listen, I just applaud you because you go the extra mile and so I just appreciate that first and foremost. And then also you have families, people who are participating in these trials. They're learning hey, my mom had Alzheimer's dementia. They're going to come to you and say I'm trying to see if I might have a gene or a trait and that can be a very just what is it? Personal Is that the word? I'm kind of intimate, kind of situation and having someone who is really tied to the community. It's not about anything else, but giving you what you need is just imperative. So I love that.
Speaker 2:And I appreciate you. And before we go I know you touched on this a little bit earlier, but can you touch on it a little bit more what is a good way to prevent or reduce the likelihood of someone having dementia or Alzheimer's? Yeah, sure.
Speaker 3:So the good I guess this is the kind of the hopeful piece is. That is kind of that goes back to that piece about autonomy and you taking control of your own health. I think part of it is knowing that we do know that you can reduce your own risk if you take care of your heart. So the vascular risk factor so go to your doctor, get your blood pressure checked, your cholesterol, make sure your diabetes is controlled, yeah. And then the other two that people have to incorporate into lifestyle is we know that exercise, if it's safe for you to exercise and this is where you have to check with your doctor first, 30 minutes a day, about five days a week, just 30 minutes of like a good walk, or if you have trouble with arthritis and walking is difficult, you know, maybe it's a stationary bike or something. It's just something to get the heart rate up a little bit, and it's 30 minutes a day. It doesn't have to be all at something, it's just something to get the heart rate up a little bit and it's 30 minutes a day. It doesn't have to be all at once, it could be 10 minutes three times a day or whatever it is. Park a little bit farther away from the store and walk in things like that. We know that that actually helps reduce your risk over time and it's never too late to start Again. It's just a safety thing. Are you safe to walk? Make sure you're not falling or tripping or at injury to walk? Make sure you're not falling or tripping or at injury.
Speaker 3:And then the other piece is diet, and this is the one that I struggle with a little bit, because the diet is called the MIND diet, the M-I-N-D diet, and people can look it up and we give information about it. But you have to be able to get to those foods too, and they're not exotic, but they have to be somewhat available at a grocery store near you. So it's things like a good, healthy fish like salmon, trout, like sardines, anchovies which sounds strange, but those are the healthier fish because they have higher in a certain vitamin called.
Speaker 3:DHA and omega-3 fatty acids. So it's a good fish or chicken. It's not a lot of red meat, usually not a lot of pork, and it's not fried food.
Speaker 1:So it's not it's got to be something that's I know we got to cut it all out, Well maybe we need to cut this segment out.
Speaker 2:No, that's great information because our diet plays a big part in how our life end up involving towards the end of you know as we get older put it that way. So thank you for that Sure.
Speaker 1:No, fried chicken. What about coffee? Coffee's okay.
Speaker 3:Coffee's okay.
Speaker 1:I'm okay, no, no.
Speaker 3:I'm okay. I'm okay, let me caveat that a little bit.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Dianne.
Speaker 3:So coffee by itself is okay. When we start doing coffee latte, double splash, splish, squirt, whatever it is yes. Lots of sugar and cream and things like that. That starts to where it gets a little bit less. So sugar plays a part in a lot of it Sugar is not part of a healthy brain diet? So you try to away from sugars, so keep it black and not a ton. It's usually two cups of coffee, yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'm going to cut it down and I'm going to do no sugar no creamer. I'm going to do this.
Speaker 2:Okay, doesn't taste as good. It doesn't. I got to get used to that.
Speaker 1:Got to get used to that. So tell us, how can they learn more about what's going on the new office in Eau Clive? Where can they go to just get all the information for Kerwin Medical Center?
Speaker 3:So probably the easiest place to start is if you want to start online. Just go to kerwinmedicalcom and our website will come up. It has information about us, about what we do, it has information about studies, If they're interested in just hearing more, and I think just one thing for people to know is that you're never obligated Just by putting in your information. We don't give your information to anybody else.
Speaker 3:But you will get a call back, or you can email and we'll email you back and get you the information that you're looking for, and then you can decide if you want to hear more, if you want to come into the office and have a visit. And that's really where it's kept open-ended for somebody, so they can really just kind of get what they want and make sure their questions are answered. So that's a good place to start. They can email us at enroll E-N-R-O-L-L at kirwinmedicalcom and that's just an email that goes to one of my staff members. That'll respond and again, if they want to come in for a visit, they'll get them scheduled On the website. It'll also tell us our two locations. We have one location at Presbyterian Hospital on Walnut Hill and then we also have the new location opening tomorrow at 4315 South Lancaster Road and that's our Oak Cliff location. So tomorrow's our grand opening. We're ribbon cutting at three o'clock and we'll probably start seeing patients there like as soon as maybe Friday or Monday it's ready.
Speaker 2:One more question how close do you think we are to curing this disease?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's a great question.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry to put you on the spot.
Speaker 3:We are. So I started doing this and I knew that during my lifetime we'd have some big breakthroughs. I've been doing it for 20 years already, so it took a while to get here. What we have currently available definitely has made an impact that's different. Like today, I tell people although we haven't found the cures yet, the medications that have been approved in the last two years actually do slow down the disease to the point where the disease is not the same disease as what your grandmother or aunt or whoever had years ago.
Speaker 3:We can now slow it down to the point where you may not reach those late stages of dementia that everyone fears, that fear of being completely incapacitated, being dependent upon or a burden to your family. The medications can do that. They don't cure it, but because they slow the progression, it gives that person many more years of independence.
Speaker 3:So we're not at the cure yet. That'll be the next step. But we have to make these incremental things. You can't slow down a train like that we got to slow. Or you can't stop a train like that. We have to slow it down first before we can reverse it.
Speaker 2:So we're slowing it down first, and we need people to participate in these trials, so that's important.
Speaker 1:Every medication, every trial, everything counts, and so it's getting us to the bigger goal of ending Alzheimer's as a whole. So I thank you for your time.
Speaker 3:Thank you for asking me Really.
Speaker 1:appreciate you for coming and just giving us invaluable information for not only us but our community. So I just thank you so much and everything that you do at Kern Medical Center. So to gather all of what we talked about today, please click the link in our bio taking you over to our podcast website to be able to download everything we discussed today transcribed just for you, under the transcript tab. If you've enjoyed what you heard today and would like to hear more, please subscribe and follow us on YouTube at the Journey Out, and as well as follow us on all podcast platforms. On our podcast website, you can support the Journey Out podcast with a monthly donation of your choosing, helping us to continue to provide these episodes every week, and your contribution is more than appreciated and we thank you. And with that, that's a wrap on today's episode of the Journey Out. We pray that the things discussed today have been a helping hand for you and your loved ones hoping the journey out.
Speaker 2:We pray that the things discussed today have been a helping hand for you and your loved ones, hoping that it positively brings you out of one season to the next, starting your Exodus journey, and I know this was a lot of information, but I hope you take this information to be a resource to your family and your community. Thank you, guys. I love you.
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