A TEST THAT TELLS YOU IF YOU HAVE ALZHEIMER'S.
The Osgood File. Sponsored by ClearEars, the comfortable earplug that dries and removes water trapped in the ears. ClearEars - better than drops, safe for kids. This is Dave Ross.
Doctors still can't cure Alzheimer's - but now, there's a $3,200 test that can tell you conclusively whether you have it.
The question is, considering the condition is incurable: Why would you want to know?
CBS' Dr. Jon LaPook found one of the first people in line for this new test - and you'll hear his story after this from Charlie...
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Alex Dreyfoos has degrees from MIT and Harvard, an Oscar for his work in video technology, and his own personal jet.
So, pretty sharp guy, right?
But as he turned 80, he began noticing things...
SOT - Alex Dreyfoos - with Dr. Jon LaPook, CBS News Medical Correspondent
"(Dreyfoos:) I would say it was first apparent when I was flying. And I'd hear a control tower give me some instructions, and I would have to write it down where I'd never used to have to do that. (LaPook:) You figured you had Alzheimer's, probably? (Dreyfoos:) Yes." (:13)
And knowing as well that his mother had suffered Alzheimer's, it was no surprise when the available brain tests showed there was a good chance he had it, too.
But just to be sure, he went to Dr. Sam Gandy.
SOT - Dr. Sam Gandy, with Dr. Jon LaPook
"(LaPook:) What did you think when you heard his story? (Gandy:) I assumed immediately he had the diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease." (:05)
Dr. Gandy performed a new brain scan procedure, designed to highlight the damage caused by Alzheimer's. And when the results came back...
SOT - Dr. Sam Gandy
"The chances of this happening, the first scan being negative in this context are just infinitesimal. I was shocked beyond belief. You could knock me over with a feather." (:11)
There was nothing, clean as a whistle - Alex Dreyfoos was just having typical senior moments.
And that's why you might want to take this test - to know that, even though you have a family history, you dodged the bullet.
SOT - Alex Dreyfoos, with Dr. Jon LaPook
"(LaPook:) Has the result changed your outlook at all? (Dreyfoos:) Yes. I'm not trying to do as much, 'What do I have to do to wrap up things?' - possibly making other living arrangements. I think that's all changed. We'll just take it one day at a time." (:12)
The Osgood File. Dave Ross on the CBS Radio Network. |
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