About this video

• Video Title: Help Your Body Heal Ep. 6 - Dementia And Other Chronic Medical Problems | To Drug Or Not To Drug?
• Channel: Goobie and Doobie
• Speakers: Goobie
• Duration: 01:06:28

Overview

This video discusses the new FDA-approved drug Lecanemab (Leqembi) for dementia, examining its efficacy, potential side effects, and the financial interests involved in its development and approval. The speaker contrasts this drug-based approach with intensive lifestyle changes, citing research by Dr. Dean Ornish, which shows significant improvements in cognitive function for individuals with early dementia. The video advocates for lifestyle modifications as a more effective and safer method for healing and managing chronic conditions.

Key takeaways

• Lecanemab (Leqembi) for Dementia: The drug is an antibody designed to bind to amyloid beta protein, thought to contribute to Alzheimer's disease. While studies suggest it may slightly slow cognitive decline (around 27%), it does not reverse the disease and carries risks like brain swelling and bleeding.
• Concerns about Drug Approval and Funding: The research supporting Lecanemab was funded by the drug manufacturer, and the lead author of a key study was a paid consultant for the company. This raises questions about potential bias and conflicts of interest.
• Hidden Data and Inequities: Further analysis of supplementary data revealed that Lecanemab may not benefit women or certain ethnic groups, and could even worsen the condition in individuals with specific genetic markers (two APOE4 genes). This information was not prominently featured in the initial study results.
• High Cost: Lecanemab has a significant annual cost (approximately $26,500), with Medicare covering 80%, leaving a substantial financial burden.
• Intensive Lifestyle Changes as an Alternative: Dr. Dean Ornish's research demonstrates that a whole-foods, plant-based diet, moderate exercise, stress management, and social support can lead to actual improvements in cognitive function in early dementia patients, contrasting sharply with the drug's limited effect and potential harm.
• Body's Healing Capacity: The speaker emphasizes that the body has a remarkable ability to heal itself through lifestyle changes, which is often more effective than drugs or surgery for chronic conditions.

Here are the key points made in the video:

• Dementia and its impact: Dementia, like Alzheimer's disease, involves a progressive loss of cognitive function (thinking, remembering) and can be debilitating for both patients and their families.
• Introduction of Lecanemab (Leqembi): A new FDA-approved drug for dementia, an antibody that targets amyloid beta protein believed to form plaques in the brain.
• Speaker's background: The speaker is a former neurosurgeon who now focuses on healing through lifestyle. He clarifies that while he has knowledge of the brain, dementia is not his specialty.
• Concerns about drug trials and funding: The study used to gain FDA approval for Lecanemab was funded by the pharmaceutical company that makes the drug, and the lead author was a paid consultant for that company, highlighting a potential conflict of interest.
• Lecanemab's efficacy: The drug showed a 27% slowing of cognitive decline in patients over 18 months, but it did not reverse the disease and the effect size is debated.
• Lecanemab's side effects: The drug was associated with higher rates of side effects compared to placebo, including infusion reactions, brain edema (swelling), and brain bleeding (microhemorrhages and occasional macrohemorrhages).
• Buried data and disparities: Supplementary data from the Lecanemab study, not initially highlighted, indicated that the drug did not benefit women and potentially worsened outcomes for those with two APOE4 genetic mutations. There were also racial and gender discrepancies in the drug's effectiveness.
• High cost of Lecanemab: The drug costs approximately $26,500 per year, posing a significant financial barrier.
• Critique of FDA approval: The speaker questions the FDA's decision to grant accelerated approval, especially given the mixed results and potential harms not fully disclosed initially.
• Intensive Lifestyle Changes: The video presents a study by Dr. Dean Ornish showing that intensive lifestyle changes can improve cognitive function in early dementia.
• Components of the lifestyle intervention:
  • Whole foods, minimally processed, plant-based diet low in harmful fats and refined sugars.
  • Moderate exercise (aerobic daily, strength training several times a week).
  • Stress management (meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, rest).
  • Support groups and emotional connection.
• Outcomes of lifestyle intervention: Patients following the lifestyle changes showed improvement in cognition and function over 20 weeks, while the control group worsened, as typically expected.
• Comparison to drugs/surgery for chronic disease: The speaker argues that lifestyle changes are more effective for chronic conditions like dementia and heart disease (citing Ornish's work on reversing coronary artery disease) than drugs or surgery, which may have significant side effects or limited benefits.
• Speaker's disclosures: The speaker no longer practices medicine and earns income from YouTube ads and viewer donations. He is not paid by pharmaceutical, device, or food companies.
• Call to action: The video encourages viewers to consider lifestyle changes for healing and to be critical of the healthcare system, which is heavily influenced by financial interests.