Dear Dr. Z: I am very interested in an online doctor who has made several statements that seem authentic, but I have been fooled before. My mother had Alzheimer’s and I have been researching this topic on the Internet.

I would like to know if you are familiar with his research and if he is reliable.

He claims to have research on how to keep this dreaded disease at bay. I’m afraid I am headed down the same path as my mother and it really scares me. So I would be very grateful if you could give me some information. What’s your take? — R.R., from Western New York

Dear R.R.: My mom also had Alzheimer’s so it’s something I have a lot of interest in. I now question her diagnosis. I know she had dementia but as a two-pack-a-day smoker, maybe it was cardiovascular dementia — stroke.

She died in 1981. CT imaging was in its infancy and MRIs had yet to be invented. There is no test that reveals Alzheimer’s with absolute certainty. It’s not like diabetes where a blood test answers the question. So your mom had dementia but which kind and how likely was the diagnosis? Those are the main questions.