Both Parents Died of Alzheimer's. How One APOE4 Carrier Rebuilt His Life. | Phoenix Member Stories
His p-tau came back at 0.09. But that's not even the best part of his story.
Key takeaways · TL;DR
Phoenix member John Yoder, APOE 3/4 with both parents lost to Alzheimer's, discovered three critical insights after starting his protocol: taking diphenhydramine (Benadryl) nightly for 20+ years suppresses deep sleep and has been linked to increased dementia risk in long-term users, APOE4 carriers process alcohol very differently than non-carriers (Oura HRV crashes after 1-2 drinks), and his p-tau result of 0.09 (well below the 0.18 concern threshold) gave him measurable evidence that stopping wrong interventions is often the highest-impact change.
Definition
The cumulative effect of medications that block acetylcholine, associated with increased dementia risk in long-term users.
Anticholinergic medications include diphenhydramine (Benadryl), many older antidepressants, bladder medications, some antipsychotics, and certain sleep aids. Acetylcholine is the primary neurotransmitter for memory and cognition, so blocking it chronically impairs cognitive function and has been linked to increased dementia risk in observational studies. For APOE4 carriers whose memory systems are already vulnerable, auditing anticholinergic burden and eliminating unnecessary medications is a high-leverage intervention often overlooked by physicians.
Definition
A plasma biomarker measuring phosphorylated tau at position 217, one of the most sensitive blood tests for detecting Alzheimer's pathology.
Plasma p-tau217 reflects brain tau pathology and correlates strongly with PET imaging and CSF tau measurements at a fraction of the cost and invasiveness. A result below 0.18 pg/mL is generally considered reassuring, while higher levels warrant further investigation. For APOE4 carriers, p-tau217 offers an objective tracking metric that doesn't require waiting for cognitive symptoms, making it a valuable addition to the bloodwork panel.
Hi Phoenix friend,
Phoenix Member Stories: John Yoder.
Watch the full interview on Youtube here:
John's mom couldn't drive anymore.
She'd get lost. Forget where she was going. His dad took over as her caregiver. Slowly, quietly, Alzheimer's took her ability to navigate the world.
Then it started taking his dad too.
His dad was stubborn about it. Independent. He'd pull out a little notebook mid-conversation and scribble things down. He'd repeat himself. John and his brother noticed the signs but thought "he's always been kind of like that."
Until the gas station.
One day, John's dad went out to get gas. He got confused. Ended up with gasoline on his clothing. A stranger (an Uber driver, of all people) looked at his ID and said: "Just follow me back to your house."
That was the last time he drove.
His brother had to take the car keys. And if you've ever had to reverse the parent-child dynamic like that, you know how gutting it is. John put it simply: "A kid never wants to play the boss of their parent."
Both parents eventually passed from Alzheimer's. His mom about four years ago. His dad just over a year ago. Neither of them ever admitted anything was wrong.
The Test
After his dad passed, John wanted answers. Not just grief. Answers.
He tried for six months to get a genetic test. Doctors referred him to places that "don't do that anymore." He got the impression nobody who offers the test actually wants to deal with the counseling afterwards.
Sound familiar?
He eventually got tested through his gym (of all places). A company called Three by Four offered a full genetic panel with counseling included. Extra $50.
Result: APOE 3/4.
John wasn't surprised. With both parents dying of Alzheimer's, he'd already assumed it was either 3/4 or 4/4. In his words: "How would I lose both parents and then just win the lottery of having two twos?"
But here's the part that matters. He didn't get tested to find out if he was at risk. He already knew.
He got tested to do something about it.
July 31st
The genetic counselor gave him a printout. Supplements. Intermittent fasting. More protein. Minimal alcohol.
He started that day. Literally the same day.
And the thing that made it stick? The feedback loop was almost immediate.
More energy. Better sleep. Sharper thinking. Week after week, every change he made compounded. It wasn't some distant promise of "maybe this helps in 20 years." He felt different in weeks.
That's the part I think people miss about prevention. Yes, we're doing this for our brains in 2040 or 2050. But the side effects of a healthy protocol are... feeling incredible right now.
The Alcohol Wake-Up Call
Here's something John said that stopped me:
"I've never known that other people didn't struggle with alcohol."
He'd go out with friends. Have the same amount. The next day, they'd be fine. He'd be wrecked. He'd ask them: "How are you back at work already?" They'd say: "I don't really get hangovers."
He thought hangovers like his were normal. For everyone.
They're not.
When he got his Oura ring, the data confirmed it. One or two beers and his HRV would crash. Readiness score tanked. The next day's training? Gone.
This is something we hear over and over in The Phoenix Community. APOE4 carriers tend to be hyper-reactive to alcohol. The body just doesn't process it the same way. And most of us had no idea until we found other people with the same genes.
John called Phoenix his "genetic family." I love that framing.
The Benadryl Problem
This one's important.
John took 50mg of diphenhydramine (Benadryl) every night for over 20 years. Just for insomnia. It was his nightly routine. Pop a pill, go to sleep.
Then he learned it suppresses deep sleep. And that long-term use has been associated with increased dementia risk [1].
He stopped immediately.
But the fear lingered. Had he already damaged his brain? Twenty years is a long time.
His p-tau test (through Care Access, which he found through Phoenix) came back at 0.09. Well below the 0.18 concern threshold.
Relief.
His takeaway: "Sometimes the best intervention is stopping the wrong one." And I think that applies to a lot of us who are unknowingly doing things that could be making our risk worse.
The Neuronic Study
John was one of the first members to join our community photobiomodulation study with Neuronic (50+ members participated).
He didn't join Phoenix for the community. He joined specifically for opportunities like this. Access to interventions he wouldn't have found on his own.
He committed to the 90-day protocol. Every day. Morning session. 25 minutes.
By the end, he was hooked.
He reports feeling more focused, more emotionally steady, more alert on the days he uses it. When the sauna at his gym broke for a week, he noticed he wanted to go less. The NeuroNic became part of that same non-negotiable routine.
Now he does 30-minute sessions (up from 25) and recently started adding the evening sleep mode. He's become a twice-a-day user.
His insight on habits: "I don't know that I would have been as successful with NeuroNic if I weren't committed to the study. The 90 days forced the habit. By the end, I'm not giving it up."
That's a lesson for all of us. Sometimes you need the structure of a commitment (a study, a pod, a challenge) to build the habit that sticks.
"I'd Rather Be Broke Without Alzheimer's Than Rich With It"
John's philosophy is the most grounded I've heard from any member.
He doesn't obsess over zone 2 heart rate training. He thinks overthinking exercise zones might cause people to move less. His approach: just get out of the chair.
He doesn't agonize over supplement timing. He takes a handful once a day and moves on.
He has a very low bar for adding interventions (if the evidence is even correlation-level and it doesn't make him feel worse, why not?) and a very high bar for removing them.
And here's the frame that stuck with me most:
Even if nothing he does prevents Alzheimer's, he's living 13 sharp, energetic, present years instead of 13 declining ones. If a cure appeared tomorrow and his APOE4 gene was removed, he'd keep doing everything except the supplements.
That's not a backup plan. That's winning either way.
For The Busy Ones
Not everyone can retire early and make health a full-time job. John knows that. His own brother hasn't gotten tested because he doesn't feel like he has the bandwidth to act on the results.
John's advice for people with limited time:
"If all you do is stop drinking, you're way ahead already. If all you add is a consistent bedtime, that counts. One supplement. One habit change. One decision."
Most interventions that matter don't take extra time. A lithium microdose is one pill. A bedtime is a decision. Walking is free.
It's the 80/20 rule. The big levers (sleep, exercise, diet, alcohol, stress) do most of the work. Everything else is optimization.
Don't let the pursuit of perfect keep you from good enough.
The Family Reunion
John showed up to a family reunion recently. He'd transformed. Lost significant weight. Gained muscle. People noticed.
His cousin pushed: "So what's up with this new you?"
He told the truth: "The threat of Alzheimer's."
Dead silence. Subject changed instantly.
But in The Phoenix Community? That's the whole conversation. No awkward pauses. No one changing the subject. Just people who get it.
"You get kind of a new family of people with your aligned interest," John said.
That's the thing about carrying APOE4. Your actual family might share your genes. But they might not want to talk about what those genes mean. The friends who understand what you're going through, who are running the same experiments, tracking the same biomarkers, fighting the same fight?
Those people might not share your blood. But they share your mission.
And sometimes that matters more.
Watch the full conversation with John (45 min):
If John's story resonates with you, here's where to start:
🧬 Join The Phoenix Community: thephoenix.community
📖 Download the free Essential Guide to Thriving with APOE4: ebook.thephoenix.community
🩸 Get the free APOE4 Blood Work Blueprint: apoe4.co/bloodtest
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