When effective treatments become available — early diagnosis will be key.
And third, while there is not yet a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, there is good reason to invest hope in the efficacy of some wonderfully noninvasive, preventative treatments. New evidence for the potency of lights that flicker at 40 hertz for clearing away the brain’s toxic build-ups is appearing all the time. Within a couple of years, research has advanced from observing the effect of the lights on mice to explaining how they work: scientists are already exploring the mechanism behind how the lights signal the brain to recruit special immune cells to work on the toxic proteins.
The best thing about these lights is how unobtrusive they are. There are no side effects to worry about, and they fit into the background of your life. Along with universally recommended ways of lowering your risk for Alzheimer’s disease—like exercise, a healthy diet, and exercise for your brain— Alzheimer’s light therapy is an excellent way to benefit from current and future research.
The sciences of diagnosis and treatment go hand in hand. The better—and earlier—we understand this disease, the more effective treatments we can discover. This new research, which is racing toward both understanding the disease and curing it, is a beacon of hope for everyone whose lives are touched by Alzheimer’s.
