How to protect your brain against dementia

In my last blog I pointed out that a review of 31 recent clinical trials of Alzheimer’s disease drugs concluded that rather than protect patient’s brains, the drugs accelerated brain atrophy! This suggests the unlikelyhood of a successful drug-based approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease, and the necessity of a different approach.

As I told you, the degenerative brain changes that occur in Alzheimer’s disease patients and lead to cognitive impairment and ultimately, dementia, are not the real problems that need to be dealt with. These brain changes are, like dementia, symptoms of the brain’s response to the variety of stress factors that are the real causes of Alzheimer’s disease. And it is these causal factors that must be dealt with to prevent or reverse dementia.

If you would like documentation of this view of Alzheimer’s disease, I refer you to the book:

“The End of Alzheimer’s Program,” where Dale Bredesen, MD outlines this concept of the causes of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, and basic ways of changing our lifestyles and healthcare to deal with these causal factors.

Some of the causal factors Bredesen mentions are stress, blood sugar instability and diabetes, various chronic infections, toxic insults from mold and other environmental sources, rampant inflammation, head trauma, circulation deficits, faulty diet, imbalanced hormones, and nutritional deficiencies. There are also genetic predispositions, but it appears that addressing the causal factors under our control outweighs the genetics.

I told you that even though I believe that we are all vulnerable, and likely somewhere on the gradient between optimal brain function and dementia, hopefully, most of us are not too far along that gradient. It’s incumbent upon us to take actions now that slow the inevitable and inexorable progression of the health deterioration that results from living in our modern world. In most situations, prevention is easier than cure. But, according to Bredesen, improvement is possible even after Alzheimer’s disease has been established.

I described that none of us is free from exposure to environmental pollutants, most of us eat diets that could stand to be healthier, our lifestyles involve more stress than we would like, global warming has increased the infections we are susceptible to, many of us have been exposed to other causal factors, and many have genetic risk factors. But, rather than despairing and surrendering, we can and should do what we can to help ourselves.

Here are some basic examples. Even though Alzheimer’s drugs have been shown to shrink brains like Alzheimer’s disease does, studies have shown that the inexpensive nutrient Magnesium both increases brain volume and improves cognitive function.

Studies have found that extra virgin olive oil is protective against Alzheimer’s disease. Olive oil is an important aspect of the Mediterranean diet, which itself has been found helpful for a variety of conditions including Alzheimer’s disease. This diet incorporates lots of plant-based foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices, with fish and poultry more common than red meat. It’s tasty, too.

Of course, as many researchers call Alzheimer’s disease Type 3 Diabetes, eating sugar and other refined carbohydrates tends to increase the risk of cognitive degeneration. Removing those, and enhancing insulin sensitivity can be life-changing.

A paper reported that the hormone Melatonin is protective of brain tissue and reduces neurodegeneration. Melatonin is secreted when we sleep, and this is probably one of the mechanisms that makes adequate sleep so beneficial in a wide range of health situations.

Interestingly, Melatonin exists in an inverse relationship with the stress hormone Cortisol. Therefore, the more stress we experience, the more likely we are to have sleep and Melatonin deficits. And the more we can control stress, the better our brains.

Multiple studies have linked multiple chemicals in our environment to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurodegenerative conditions. For instance, trichloroethylene, a common chemical that is used in correction fluid, paint removers, gun cleaners, aerosol cleaning products, and dry cleaning, and is ubiquitous in the environment, has been shown to particularly problematic for brains, as has the fluoride added to our drinking water and used in dentistry.

As I said previously, total avoidance of chemical toxins is impossible, so active detoxification is a necessity we can help you with. We can also offer help with the effects of head injury, and guidance about improving insulin resistance, immune function, hormone balance, and the other aspects of a neuroprotective lifestyle.

To find out more, call us at 303-394-4204.