Dave & Debbie Jensen Share Their Experiences Participating in The Enhance Protocol® An Interview with Eric Collett, CEO of A Mind For All Seasons®, and Dave and Debbie Jensen.
Dave Jensen was working as an executive vice president of a large commercial insurance firm when early-onset Alzheimer’s disease began to rob him of capacity. In spite of hiring a personal assistant to help him with the work, Dave was eventually forced into an early retirement. Now, a year after enrolling in The Enhance Protocol by A Mind For All Seasons, Dave has improved dramatically and has new hope for the future. In addition to a video interview, Dave and Debbie were kind enough to answer some questions about their participation in The Enhance Protocol. Here is what they had to say:
Eric: What was it like to get a diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s?
Dave: It was like a kick in the gut- totally out of the blue. I’ve always been in pretty good shape and I thought I ate pretty well, so this was a total shock to me. We have a history of cancer on both sides of the family but not one incidence of Alzheimer’s.
Eric: Where did you turn for help prior to finding A Mind For All Seasons? What was your experience?
Dave & Debbie: We initially went to a neurologist near our home. He did a sleep study and told me I was just getting older and to get a pad of sticky notes to remind me of what I needed to do. No real diagnosis was ever made. Obviously, things still continued to go downhill. A year later, a doctor friend of ours got us into Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ. This doctor did several cognitive tests and a PET scan which definitively showed early onset Alzheimer’s disease. He prescribed Donepezil to “hopefully slow down the inevitable progress” and wished us luck. There was nothing he could do or prescribe that would cure this. It was like a death sentence with a fairly hopeless “good luck” attached.
Eric: What has participating in The Enhance Protocol meant to each of you?
Dave & Debbie: An absolute godsend which, initially, we did not understand the value. We were in shock and my wife, in denial. I kept working and she hid her head in the sand hoping it would all just go away. One Sunday I shared with our church congregation about my diagnosis. She was devastated and angry because now our secret was out. We both realize now how futile and silly that was because it was real and not going away and as a result, we received an outpouring of love and support. A friend that heard our news stopped us and told us about the Enhance Protocol and how to contact “A Mind for All Seasons.” They were extremely helpful and hopeful but never promised any positive outcome. Eric had us purchase Dr. Dale Bredesen’s “The End of Alzheimer’s” book on which much of their protocol is based. For the first time, we had hope. We were skeptical because up to that point, the word “Alzheimer’s” was a grim and hopeless diagnosis. We started with our foot on the gas, 100%. We did everything they told us to do- bloodwork, diet, treatments, red light therapy, etc. It wasn’t easy at first but we have experienced astounding and positive results. So much so that if there was no threat of Alzheimer’s, we would continue to stick to this protocol and will never go back to our naive and deadly “normal” American diet. We are both pretty active, have run a couple of marathons and just thought, “hey, we work out every day. We can eat what we want.” We were almost literally dead wrong!
Eric: What changes have you observed since beginning The Enhance Protocol?
Dave & Debbie: This took some time to see significant change. Every week we have a help and support call with Eric and each time we would express concern that we weren’t perhaps seeing the seemingly miraculous quick results that some patients in Dr. Bredesen’s book expressed. Each week Eric would – again- explain to us that by the time Alzheimer’s is diagnosed, you’ve had the disease 10-20 years already! He said that it takes time to have this healing protocol work from the inside that will eventually manifest outside, or cognitively. Thankfully, that has come to pass. We’ve been on this program for almost a year and in the past few months have seen dramatic and positive results. I am more engaged in family conversations. Some say my “Dave Jensen” is back.
Eric: What has been the best thing about participating in the protocol?
Dave & Debbie: The best thing about this protocol is the hope it provides. For ages, this diagnosis has been a grim death sentence, and now it’s not! How could you not dive in with both feet? Eric and Randy are thoughtful, caring and truly have our best interest at heart. They want us to succeed as much as we want to succeed. We’re never alone and their staff is always there to answer questions and support us. A close second is the change in our physical and emotional well-being. I would never have believed a change in diet could make such a big difference in the way I feel.
Eric: What has been the hardest thing about participating?
Dave & Debbie: The hardest thing was the initial change in diet. We all know that sugar is poison but it’s addictive, cheap and prevalent in almost everything! It took a while to not have those cravings but the results have been astounding. One thing that both Eric and Randy have said that really hit home to us is, “You’re going to pay for whatever your lifestyle is sometime. Either you pay now with better diet or later with poor health.” You choose. It’s one thing to do it because you’d like to lose a few pounds, it’s a whole different ballgame when it’s life or death. That decision is easy.
Eric: How have your adult children felt about your participation?
Dave & Debbie: This is probably the most remarkable thing. We have four married daughters who basically thought I was being tortured by my wife. They would say, “Mom! Just let dad eat what he wants. This is dumb and you’re probably wasting your money anyway.” One of our daughter’s and family were living with us for 8 months while remodeling a house. Jake, our son-in-law, would try and sneak me a concrete ice cream shake every now and then. They were worried and thought this was futile. Deb told them, “Tell you what. When dad says, ‘I’m done’ then we’re done. But dad believes in this and has faith that it will work, so until then, we’re all in.” They couldn’t really argue with that. The thing is, you can’t make anyone do this or anything else. The patient has to be committed way beyond what any family member feels about it. There are way too many opportunities to cheat on the diet, etc. Now, our girls have each expressed how “dad has changed so much lately! He’s got his sense of humor back, he engages in our conversations, he plays with the kids again!” They are beyond thrilled. Jake still tries to sneak him ice cream. 
Eric: If a family was thinking about participating in the protocol but were hesitant, what would you tell them?
Dave & Debbie: I would tell them they have every right and reason to be skeptical and hesitant. But here’s what I also know. This program is amazing, hopeful, based on solid science, and it works. It’s not easy just like anything else worthwhile in life; it takes commitment, work, diligence, and consistency. It wasn’t as fast for us as we had hoped but there is never a “one size fits all” protocol for any two people. Your genetics, lifestyle, stress level, sleep habits, diet, etc all play a huge part in your success. We were merely hoping for a stop in the progression but what we are actually seeing is a slow but incremental reversal of this once deadly disease. Why in the world would we not give it an honest effort? What have you got to lose except a frightening diagnosis?
We hope you enjoyed this informative Enhance Protocol Review by Dave and Debbie Jensen and Eric Collet, CEO of A Mind For All Seasons.
Podcast #105