Tag Archive for: Trump and dementia

President Trump, to quell the Alzheimer’s questions, here is what to do:

(a quick 3 minute read)

Former White House Aid Omarosa Manigault Newman in her book Unhinged claims that changes in President Trump’s actions stem from his mental decline which is leading to dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s. This ‘does Trump have Alzheimer’s?’ question has been raised by opponents since his candidacy. And now various articles from Business Insider, The Hill, Page Six, Washington Examiner, USA Today, The Splinter and The Wall Street Journal , while covering Omarosa and her new book, print the question again.

The August 14, 2018 issue of Quartz Magazine specifically points out 4 examples – each of which don’t have scientific backing. In my article, “Does Trump Have Dementia? Not So Fast! “, I countered each of Omarosa’s accusations WITH scientific backing. Here is the article for your review, a quick 5 minute read.

Coupled with Business Insider’s article January 16, 2018 by Hilary Brueck “Trump got a perfect score on a screening test for dementia and Alzheimer’s”, both articles should nail shut the coffin of continual questions pertaining to Trump suffering from mild cognitive behavior.

But let’s just say, Mr. Trump does have dementia percolating in his brain.

But let’s just say, Mr. Trump does have dementia percolating in his brain. He is the president of the United States, now what? It’s not like a parent, where you are troubled by their actions, consequently seek help from a neurologist. Plus in Brueck’s article, Trump has already been through the neurological testing.

‘Presidential Brain Health Counsel’

The last step to quell the question: create a Presidential Brain Health Counsel.  Have the top Trump advisers discretely gather three, five to seven dementia experts comprised of PhDs, physicians and neurological nutritionists scattered across the county who are responsible for reversing the various diseases of dementia. After observation, blood and nutritional testing as well as brain scans and secretive mirrored observations to reflect response times, thought processing and oxygen intake(physical exertion)[your general neurologist just isn’t going to do that], the group could issue a report on President Trump’s current neurological health with a prognosis for his future head brain health. This assessment report, from the nation’s top dementia experts, would give the final answer, once and for all.

I’ve created a list of 17 scientific leaders who have reversed and curtailed the progression of various dementias, including Alzheimer’s. A ‘Presidential Brain Health Counsel’ could surely be appointed from this list. I would be more than happy to offer my continual advisement to the White House.

 

 

Omarosa raises new questions about Trump, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease but she’s got it all wrong.

Omarosa Manigault Newman claims in her new book “Unhinged” that changes in President Trump’s actions stem from his mental decline which is leading to dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s.

As highlighted in the August 14, 2018 issue of Quartz Magazine she points out 4 examples – each of which don’t have scientific backing.  I say that as a brain health specialist and dementia practitioner, a former dementia healthcare administrator, who has spent years studying the brain and causes of dementia.

It is not mental decline Omarosa is describing, it is change in mental direction, actually mental enhancement, specifically mental perspicacity.

Let’s assess her accusations:

     “Apparent difficulty retaining new information, he doesn’t recognize new hires…”

Continual lack of instant recall, based on ill cognitive reasoning, is a precursor to dementia.  Of the 50 to 100 people the president of the US has to meet on a daily basis, as well as the dozens of issues needing attention, it is common and understandable to only remember that person who is most important to the situation at hand and the situation that calls for immediate priority.

It’s the same with memory.  Trying to stuff one more item for recall into the president’s brain holding quadrillions of facts is daunting. He is only going to immediately remember that which is most important.

Psychologist Dr. George Miller gave us the Miller Law in 1956 which holds professional acuity, to this day.  His law states the average person can only remember 7 items at once. [i]   Dr. Nelson Conway, a working memory specialist and director of the working memory laboratory at the University of Missouri says ability to remember boils down to cognitive ability combined with the amount of information to retain; for most us, we can only recall 3-5 items at a time, an average of 4 items[ii].

 

             “…reliance on notes in public speeches”

You’d be hard pressed to find a public speaker who doesn’t rely on notes or a teleprompter for their speeches. Anyone who has to deliver a speech every day, sometimes two to three a day, under the weight of being the leader of the world, would have trouble remembering what to say and scrounge for notes, especially if giving different speeches. If someone is truly suffering from dementia they may forget the purpose for their speaking engagement and could appear rattled and confused. Additionally, reference Miller’s Law.

 

          “His father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s…family history, heredity are the most important factors for determining if you will get the disease.”

According to Dr. David Perlmutter, author of various books on the brain, Grain Brain, Brain Maker and The Better Brain, genes are “a predisposition, not a determinant, meaning that while some people have a higher risk for Alzheimer’s by virtue of their genetics, that isn’t written in stone”.   Dr. Mark Hyman, author of The Ultra Mind Solution, also notes, “our genes do not dictate our destiny”.

Our surroundings and our lifestyle turn on or turn off our genes.

 

      “He’s paranoid and irritable, anything could trigger fits of rage.”

If someone has always been typically sweet yet on a consistent basis becomes very angry and mean, this could be an early sign of dementia. Yes, severe behavior and personality changes are key components of cognitive impairment.  And that is just it, Trump has always been demanding and short-tempered, key personality traits the public has been aware of since following his life’s accomplishments prior to his candidacy as well as the presidency.

 

Omarosa Manigault Newman raises the question if Alzheimer’s disease is present in Trump.  To date, a true diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease can only be made post mortem.  The average viewer can attest, the president’s job is mentally demanding, taxing and trying.  Whether you like him or not, President’s Trump discernment and shrewdness in managing our nation, not Alzheimer’s or dementia, shine through his actions.

Giving the counter measure from an experienced expert, I treat you to a fair and balanced view,

 

 

 

 

[i]The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information[1] is one of the most highly cited papers in psychology.[2][3][4] It was published in 1956 in Psychological Review by the cognitive psychologist George A. Miller of Princeton University‘s Department of Psychology. It is often interpreted to argue that the number of objects an average human can hold in working memory is 7 ± 2. This is frequently referred to as Miller’s law.

 

Miller, G. A. (1956). “The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information”. Psychological Review. 63 (2): 81–97. doi:10.1037/h0043158PMID 13310704.

 

[ii] Nelson Cowan, George Miller’s Magical Number of Immediate Memory in Retrospect: Observations on the Faltering Progression of Science, Curr Dir Psychol Sci. 2010 Feb 1; 19(1): 51–57. doi:  10.1177/0963721409359277,  PMCID: PMC2864034, NIHMSID: NIHMS167613, PMID: 20445769

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4486516/

 

If you would like to read the August 14, 2018 Quartz article referenced here, click the link here.