In this 22-week study of 400 patients with dementia, half received ginkgo biloba 240 mg a day and the other half placebo. The ginkgo group had improvements in SKT test battery score and neuropsychiatric symptoms. In addition, the mean caregiver distress score reduced significantly among caregivers of patients in the intervention group, as compared to a worsening found among caregivers of patients on the placebo. Significant differences between the active and placebo groups were found for apathy/indifference, anxiety, irritability/lability, depression/dysphoria, and sleep/nighttime behavior. These results suggest that supplementing with an extract of gingko biloba such as the one used in this study may benefit patients with dementia.

Researchers at the prestigious Cochrane Reviews analyzed data from several "gold standard" placebo-controlled double-blind studies on coenzyme Q10 for Parkinson's Disease, involving 452 patients. They found that taking 1,200 mg a day of coenzyme Q10 for six months is very effective in easing Parkinson's. The Parkinson's patients had improvements in their "activities of daily living." They also had improved scores in two standard tests used to evaluate features of Parkinson's, such as the ability to maintain a normal posture or walk normally.

In a randomized study of 299 older men, daily supplementation with 2 mg folate, 25 mg vitamin B6, and 400 microg vitamin B12 for a period of 2 years was found to be associated with a significantly lower increase in the amyloid beta protein 1-40 found in tangles/plaques in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease--as compared to subjects who received a placebo. While A beta 40 increased by an average of 18.5% (26.8pg/ml) among subjects who received a placebo, it increased by an average of only 4.9% (7.0 pg/ml) among those who received supplementation with B vitamins.

Fibromyalgia represents a cellular energy crisis with many causes. Taking steps to increase energy production can often be helpful. One such method is outlined by the "SHINE Protocol" (Sleep, Hormones, Infections, Nutrition, and Exercise) which was shown to be highly effective in an earlier pilot and placebo-controlled study. A new just-published multicenter study of 257 people with CFS/FMS at 53 health clinics showed that d-ribose supplementation increased energy an average of 61% at three weeks, while also improving sleep, cognitive function, pain, and overall well-being.