Nine Months After Diagnosis, David Reversed His Symptoms Through Daily Habits

Nine months after an early Alzheimer’s diagnosis, David shares the practical, repeatable habits that helped him ease symptoms and regain confidence. From cutting sugar and processed foods to consistent movement, hearing health, stress reduction, and finding renewed purpose, this episode focuses on what actually makes a difference day to day. With honest talk about setbacks, medications, and realistic expectations, the conversation offers clear next steps for anyone noticing early changes or supporting someone who is.

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Transcript

Welcome And Purpose

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This podcast shares insights, not medical advice. Please consult a professional for your care.

David’s Diagnosis And Early Signs

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Welcome everyone. We are here with David Yulfelder of David's Alzheimer's Fight. I am Karen Gilbert. I serve as Vice President of Education and Quality Assurance for Alzheimer's Community Care. And what we'd like to talk about today is with David is where he is now, about nine months following a diagnosis of early stage Alzheimer's, and the actions he took promptly when he got that diagnosis, and again, where he is today. So, David, it's been just about nine months since you and I initially spoke about what you could do following a diagnosis of early stage Alzheimer's. And just to go back for a moment, why did you go to get evaluated? What prompted you back in April to see a neurologist?

Acting Early Beats “Just Aging”

SPEAKER_00 1:06

The problem was I was forgetting things. And it was, I was working, I was a computer consultant, and I was working with multiple computers, multiple companies, and so forth, and I was forgetting routines that I would normally use on a regular basis. I was forgetting passwords. I was forgetting password to my password manager. That was really a problem. But since I had to write it down, I was okay. But and then I would be thinking about something, and within seconds, I would forget about what I was thinking about. So all these things were very troubling, and I didn't want to ignore them. So I went and decided to talk to a neurologist and find out if something that was occurring that could be causing this issue. After I saw him, I realized, and he mentioned that a lot of things that have effect. For instance, stress is a very big thing with regard to having Alzheimer's. And I was able to relieve that stress by getting uh by selling my business and going on with my life as a podcaster, as a lecturer, as we're doing today.

Building A Lifestyle Plan

SPEAKER_01 2:07

I think one of the most important things that I would love people to get out of your story is that you acted on those symptoms. You did not say to yourself, well, I'm just getting older. This is part of getting older, and it just is what it is. And I think that's such an important uh uh piece of this. Uh people should not assume that those changes are normal aging. That shouldn't happen if we're aging in a normal way. And the sooner you act, the sooner you can start to see some uh likely improvement in those symptoms. So uh you called at that time and said, What can I do? What actions can I take with this diagnosis? And at the time I asked you, well, what did the neurologist tell you? The one who diagnosed you, what did he suggest? And the only thing he had mentioned was getting more exercise. And uh that's obviously part of it, yes, and we'll talk about what you did in that regard. But we also went through this laundry list of things that you could do, actions you could take. And so tell us a little bit about that. What did you start to do?

SPEAKER_00 3:26

Well, you explained to me the healthy lifestyle approach can help subside and slow down some of the symptoms. And that means that you need to watch your diet, get rid of any inflammatory foods that you eat, especially sugar and processed foods. Also, I should be walking or doing some exercise at least 20 minutes a day, five times a week. He also said I should get a hearing uh evaluation because that could be some also something that shows there's a loss of mental possibilities. And so I did. I got a hearing test, I have a and I can't it came out very well, and so I now have a baseline. So if something if I do it again in six months or a year, we can see if there's any kind of decline. I also had some blood tests done. I had a thoraid thyroid test done, and it showed very well, and I'm except for the fact that I didn't need I do need to take levithyroxin. Uh and but that's been fine ever since. Also, there's purposeful activities that I needed to do, and that was you know reduce stress, as I said before. I needed to be more conscious of social uh activities, uh, and I was able then to join and do things that I hadn't done before. And we'll be talking about that a little later. But the idea is that you need to have social kind connectivity and be able to take a positive attitude on what your life is about. And that's what helped me a lot.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Now, what was really impressive was you were uh obviously determined. I mean, I could tell you were motivated, you were going to start making these changes immediately. And then you and I uh met at our organization's education conference two weeks later. And at that time, within two weeks, tell me what you had started to see.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

I immediately lost five pounds, which was amazing. And I was feeling even a little better than I was before. So I noticed a difference already very quickly in that in my actions that made it easier for me to understand things and remember things.

Fast Wins And Added Motivation

Hearing Loss, Brain Health, And Baselines

SPEAKER_01 5:36

Well, and that uh that certainly would have been an additional motivation to continue if you started to see improvement virtually immediately. Uh at the conference, uh, you were able to hear speakers, many of them internationally known, who were basically telling you the same thing about the dietary, um the dietary interventions you could take, getting that hearing exam. Uh, in a recent study of over 3,000 people with symptoms of dementia, more than 30% of those symptoms were traced to untreated hearing loss. And so we advise everyone by age 50, if not, if you've not already had a hearing evaluation, get that baseline evaluation. Certainly, if you're having problems, if people are telling you you're shouting or that your TV is too loud, don't wait for age 50. But that was very important uh part of this as well. And I believe you had also started using your non-dominant hand for more activities, which makes the opposite side of the brain work and create new connections. So all of this, uh, everything you've done is kind of like taking your brain to the gym and making it work. And making it work keeps it healthy. Now, you've also shared that you were exercising at least the five days a week, 20 to 30 minutes, either biking or walking. Um, but in these last nine months, you've had a few setbacks with us uh with that. Tell us about that.

Brain Training And Daily Exercise

SPEAKER_00 7:24

Well, I had some minor accidents and I hurt my my foot and I couldn't ride my bike and I couldn't walk as much. But now it's getting better. I'm getting back on the on track, and I hope to uh I also because of that, and also the holidays, everybody you know eats a lot, I gained an extra few pounds. But overall I've lost at least 15 pounds, which is amazing. I'm fitting in stuff that I hadn't fit in in years. It's been nine months now, and I think it's only getting better. The only thing else I did was I did I am taking the uh Exelon patch, which supposedly helps the synapses you know work better in your brain. And I can't say it's not a lot, I can't say it doesn't anything, but I do still feel better overall, which is the most important thing.

Setbacks, Medication, And Continued Progress

SPEAKER_01 8:06

Well, that's a very important point as well. When you initially started seeing changes, you were not taking any medications for Alzheimer's. You added the Exelon patch later on. And uh, as you said, the Exilon patch uh is a cholinesterase inhibitor. It's supposed to make more uh acetylcholine available for the neurons to communicate. It's really questionable how much benefit it gives, but if you're not having side effects from it, if it's not bothering you in any way, why not? Why not? So I think it boils down to we may not be able to know exactly what aspect of your program is making the most difference, but doing all of it is definitely working. And this is also underscored by what you just said. You had to backpedal a little bit on the exercise because of the injury, but you're still doing all the other things. And so you keep improving.

Public Speaking And Social Connection

SPEAKER_00 9:11

And one of the other things I mentioned briefly was that I'm doing two things that I never thought I would be doing, and that is public speaking. I have joined a national group, uh, Florida Speaker Association, and also I've joined Toastmasters. And both of these have helped me have an agent actually that books me into 55 and older communities that that I can explain what's happening. And the name of the speech is Do You Want to Know? And that's really all we're talking about today is you need to be aware of what's happening. And if you think something is wrong, don't ignore it. If you have some of the symptoms I mentioned, please get checked out. It's worthwhile because the sooner you can do it, the better you will be equipped to be able to handle it and be able to subside the symptoms which I have done.

Spreading The Word And Helping Others

SPEAKER_01 10:02

You've uh reversed symptoms. Now, we don't call it a cure because whatever proteins, the amyloid, the tau, whatever's going on is still there, but you've been able to reverse the symptoms, which is huge. Uh, many of those symptoms believed to be caused by inflammation. Your diet, your exercise, everything you're doing, getting uh uh tamping down the stress, you have been able to reduce the effect of inflammation, which is huge. So um that point about getting a diagnosis early carries over to every disease. No matter what it is, we all do better when we get a diagnosis early, interventions are more effective, we recover more quickly, and as we remain now in 2026, still without a cure, still without a treatment that stops progression or reverses it. You know, we've had some new treatments, Lakembi and Kasunla, they're not for everybody, not everybody can have them because of side effects, but even those who can have them, all they do is slow decline. They're still decline. So the belief now is the lifestyle strategies are so powerful in reversing symptoms and slowing decline. So that's the message that is so important that we share. Every time I speak with you, uh I notice how much you continue to improve. And speaking in public is a huge part of that. Sharing the message, the socialization that comes along with it, meeting new people, learning from them, that is a wonderful intervention as well.

SPEAKER_00 12:05

And one of the things I wanted to mention also is that the word is getting out. I had a call from Dr. Eric yesterday. Uh, he's a gentleman or doctor that was on our podcast. He talked about the guide program. That's one of the other podcasts you can listen to. And he asked me if I'd be willing to talk to someone that was that had questions about what they were going through because they were diagnosed with Alzheimer's. So today I talked to both the husband and wife and was able to give them information and guidance as well as turn let them talk to someone that is also a friend of mine that has been through the Lakembi trials, and they wanted to talk to somebody about that actually had been through the trials, which I haven't done. And my point is it's it's amazing. It's a great feeling with Karen and myself to be available to help people, and that's exactly what this is all about. Not only to help myself, but this interactions that we're having are causing a great effect. And I really can see it. And it feels very good to have that happen.

Resources, Handouts, And How To Reach Us

SPEAKER_01 13:05

The truth is we can take back a lot of power regarding our brain health, a lot of control if we are motivated to do so. And we have this wonderful one-page list of these strategies. Many of them have websites where you can dig a little bit deeper. We are happy to share that with anyone that would like to have that handout. And you can get it by just sending an email to a very simple email address. It's the word education at allskare.org. And allskare is alzcar.org. Anyone that sends us an email, we will gladly send you that list of strategies. And then following that, you can call us for more detail on any of those and how you can implement them. But again, in the absence of a cure, in the absence of safe, effective treatment for all that really makes a difference, uh, we want people to know what power there is in the lifestyle strategies.

Closing Thoughts And Encouragement

SPEAKER_00 14:16

The other thing that is, I do have it on the website. It's uh my website is David Alzheimer'sfight.org. And on there, there's a it's a link that says handouts, and that is also where you can get the handout as well. So if you have a couple different ways to do it, please look at it. It's very helpful. That's one of the first things that Karen showed me and told me, and it's very, very, very good.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

Uh, you can reach me by phone at 561-683-2700. So thank you all for joining to everyone's health. Uh, we thank you for being with us, and uh please do reach out for additional information. This is a grassroots effort for us to all take control of our brain health and have a health span that equals our lifespan.

SPEAKER_00 15:09

And happy new year to all and wish you best for the coming year. Thank you. We are here on this earth as humans to help others. That's what I believe. Please note this podcast provides information only. Podcasts should not be considered professional advice or a substitute for professional advice. Viewers of the speakers do not necessarily reflect those of Alzheimer's Community Care or David Ufelder. Listeners and viewers are encouraged to consult with appropriate professionals and are responsible for how the information provided is used.