Dr. Joe stood staring quizzically at the supposedly demented John Sterling, as he laid majestically in the hospital bed, his eyes afire with intelligence and his wit more clever my own. Simply put, this neuropsychologist, supposed brain expert sat staring at a living puzzle, and he was laughing at him. As Dr. Joe conversed with him at 8 AM that chilly January mountain morning, he discovered Sterling’s humor, his charm, and an outstanding memory based upon my tests. Yet eighty year old John's only problem seem to be a runny nose, he complain good naturedly. "Darn, I can't shake this cold", John said using his strongest obscenity. The only puzzle laid in what he was doing there. How did John anyone ever give him such a diagnosis. He had been diagnosed as having Alzheimer's by a team of physicians in Maine after a three week stay at their facility. After his own doctor and local neurologist had already made that diagnosis, yet John’s son had insisted on one last try to see if they were all wrong, and had come to Dr. Joe team for a differential diagnosis. The family thought that he was nuts for even trying.

As head of the team, which specialize in making a differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's, Dr. Joe had several rule, he saw each patient first, and there would be only one patient a week on Mondays. They stayed for one ten hour day and went home. Each member of the five person team would examine them, nurse, neurologist, social worker, internist, and myself the psychologist, all looking for diseases that could be mistaken for Alzheimer's. They did blood tests, EEG, SPECT scan, all to try and make a true diagnosis, using those tests, and a history the numbers run about 97-8% correct diagnosis. They only saw people with a definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer's, since research indicated that only half these people with the diagnosis actually have the disorder. A tragedy, twenty five percent of those with diagnosed with Alzheimer's have treatable problems. What greater tragedy is there then to tell a family there is no hope, and to be wrong.

John seem far too alert to gotten label as demented. Dr, Joe left the meeting convinced that there was some gigantic joke had been played on me; He was embarrassed to say that he looked around the room toward the end of the interview searching for a hidden camera. He listened for the sounds of the jokers who he knew must be waiting, but no cameras, and no joke.
The next week when the five member team met and Dr. Joe stood alone thinking he was fine, everyone else remember seeing a very demented man that day. All the tests were normal, EEG, SPECT, Blood, but all the other interviews but were positive for dementia. What had happen to John Sterling between his breakfast at 8 AM and looking demented by the next team member an hour later. When they looked at the tests, they were dead normal. This tall athletic looking eighty year old man, Princeton class of '32 puzzled us. Joe desperately mentioned the only abnormality, his cold, those annoying stifles, and that Joe pointed out in frustration that stifles do not cause demented behavior in under an hour. Gwen, the nurse, mentioned him taking some over the counter medication for his runny nose. Dr. Miller said "Oh no, not that" Steve, the neurologist, laugh like getting some private joke, "Yeah that". They explain to Joe that John Sterling without ever knowing it had become an antihistamine addict. Antihistamines even the ones that are sold over the counter can cause dementia like symptoms at a high enough dose. Since he had become addicted to them, his body would give him severe congestion every morning and he would respond with the meds. Yes, the six percent hypothesis, proven again, six percent all dementia is caused by medication.

Dr. Joe informed our family of our beliefs and his son scour the house removing all the Antihistamines from medicine cabinets, bedside draws, and every coat hanging in the closet. He did have a nasty runny nose for several days his son later informed them, but afterward John was back in full, for the whole day. A new morning had arisen in his life, and his head stayed clear enough to remember pass breakfast.