Second Update on a Patient With Alzheimer Disease Treated by CT Scans

This is the second update on an 81-year-old female patient who in April 2015 was in the final stages of advanced Alzheimer disease (AD) in hospice care. Her husband searched to find a remedy for her illness. After reviewing evidence of upregulation of biological protection systems by low doses of ionizing radiation, he arranged for his wife to receive a series of standard computed tomography (CT) scans to image her brain. A case report described the procedure and the patient’s partial recovery from AD symptoms.¹ It covered the period from April to December 2015. A subsequent letter to the editor summarized the patient’s ongoing condition, from January until December 2016, during which she received additional “booster” CT scans.² These were intended to prolong her recovery and delay the inexorable progression of AD. The letter also mentioned that her husband, with Parkinson disease (PD), requested a series of CT scans to remedy the symptoms. These scans began on October 6, 2015. This second letter to the editor outlines the experiences during 2017 of the patient with AD, who is now 83, and the patient with PD.

Back on December 13, 2016, the patient with AD received a CT scan. On 16th, she fed herself with a spoon and opened her mouth to accept food. She gave smiles, drank glasses of juice by herself, and gave 1-word answers. A physical therapist reported some improvement in her functioning shortly after this scan.

In 2017, the patient received 2 booster CT scans, a double scan (80 mGy) on January 24 and a single scan (40 mGy) on July 25. On February 4, a major improvement was noted in her attempts to put words together. She gave many appropriate 1-word responses, some 2-word responses, and some 3-word statements. However, this speaking ability gradually declined. She was still wheelchair bound but moved her feet to help propel it.

On March 6, 2017, the physician and the patient’s husband decided to return the patient to hospice care. Over several months, she gradually lost her ability to swallow solid food and later could not swallow liquids, such as nutritional drinks. The patient would hold the liquid in her mouth, wanting to swallow, but unable to because her brain could not control those muscles. During this period of reduced food intake, her weight declined from 185 to 160 lbs.

The caregiver began to feed the patient ice chips and found that it would trigger the swallow reflex. She was given frozen drinks, such as cola, and then blended mixtures of ice, fruit, and yogurt. On August 3, after the July 25 scan, no immediate physical improvement was noted, but the patient began to flash many smiles, repeatedly.

On October 28, 2017, her 83rd birthday, the patient was able to chew and swallow chopped peaches at noon time. In the evening, she swallowed potato salad, watermelon, and pieces of cupcake. Through November, she continued to swallow solid food and appeared relatively happy, giving many smiles and laughter.

Update on the Patient With PD

The husband of patient with AD has PD and, as reported in the first letter to the editor, began receiving CT scans in October 6, 2015, to treat the symptoms. On the night after the first scan, he observed a complete absence of tremor while sleeping and on waking at about 4 am. Soon afterward, he cut his medication from 6 to 2 or 3 pills per day. By mid-December 2016, the patient noted that his tremor was reduced and his stools were softer (constipation is a symptom of PD).

During 2017, he received a normal CT scan on the following days: January 9, February 28, March 16, May 12, August 3, September 14, November 14, and December 23. On February 1, he stopped taking pills because the tremor almost stopped. By February 6, his tremor was not noticeable. Again, on September 15, the tremor was diminished. The patient consistently observed a decrease in tremor shortly after each low dose of ionizing radiation. It appears that each exposure upregulates biological protection systems, which delay the progression of PD.

The patient’s vision improved during the course of his CT scans. He can now read at a distance of about 18 inches without his glasses, which is a clear improvement. After the eye examination on May 26, the ophthalmologist noted: “Dr XXX has presented to our clinic today with improved Fuch’s endothelial cornea dystrophy including corneal edema which improved his vision in his left eye from 20/30 to 20/20. His last visit was 03/22/16 and his present visit today is 05/26/2017. He is not taking any regular treatment for this condition at this time. His dry eye and symptoms have also greatly improved.”

The patient received a hearing test on August 21, 2017. When the results were compared to an earlier test on June 28, 2016, small improvements in the high frequency range were seen. At a frequency of 4000 Hz, the improvement was 5 dB; at 6000 Hz, the improvement was 18 dB.

Further neuropsychological examinations will be carried out. Improvement in both vision and hearing appears to be correlated with ongoing scans. Proper clinical studies should be carried to provide more evidence that low doses of ionizing radiation upregulate neuroprotection systems.