What is dementia? What is cognitive impairment? Can cognitive impairment be reversed? And how does one differentiate between the two and any normal memory loss associated with progressive aging? Are you interested in learning more about dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease and the symptoms of cognitive impairment? Continue reading for a general synopsis.

Before diving deeper into the varying types of cognitive impairment, let’s uncover some of the symptoms most commonly associated with the neurological disorder.

What are the typical symptoms of cognitive impairment?

The following are some of the most observed symptoms associated with mild to severe cognitive impairment:

• Confusion
• Partial loss of short-term or long-term memory
• Impaired judgment/decision-making
• Poor motor coordination
• Identity confusion
• Missing/forgetting appointments or important events
• Difficulty keeping up with conversations

An individual suffering with a neurocognitive disorder may present one or more of these symptoms. These symptoms can be a normal sign of aging in geriatric populations. However, they may start as symptoms of mild cognitive impairment and progress later on. It is important to talk with your doctor about creating a plan for treatment and enacting lifestyle changes that may be able to slow or reverse some or all of these symptoms.

This then raises another poignant question regarding these early indicators: How fast does mild cognitive impairment progress?

Answer: Unfortunately, there is no solid medically based research to back any data. It is vital, however, to see a doctor to discuss a thorough diagnosis and treatment plan – before these issues advance to more severe cognitive impairment symptoms.

If you notice any new or sudden signs of cognitive impairment in children, it is absolutely critical to seek out medical help immediately. The age of a child would obviously denounce any normal aging neurological related atrophy.

Are there any other behavioral or mood changes to look out for?

There are additional and equally notable behavioral and mood changes that can supplement the current symptoms of cognitive impairment. Keep an eye out for any of the following:

• Quickly changing mood
• Emotional outbursts
• Anxiety and depression
• Impulsivity
• Apathy
• Social isolation

It is important to remember to watch for these mood and behavioral signs – and make sure to talk with your doctor about them should they present. These issues could be a symptom of mild cognitive impairment, or, they could be related to something else. Take note that individuals with mild behavioral impairment (MBI) do have an increased risk for developing dementia.

Memory and aging: Normal aging memory loss vs. dementia

Memory and Aging: Normal Aging Memory Loss vs Dementia

Another issue to address in the geriatric populations is normal memory loss vs dementia. What should stand out as a red flag and what should be cited and a pre-diagnosis market. It is vital to understand that when you are discussing mild cognitive impairment vs dementia, that there are specific diagnostic criteria that doctors utilize. Only a licensed doctor or nurse practitioner will be able to officially diagnose any potential condition.

If you are experiencing normal age-related memory loss, your doctor will likely ask about your lifestyle. There are many things that can be done to support cognitive health as you age. Diet and exercise are vital here. Eating well-balanced meals with the right vitamins and key nutrients can help support healthy aging. If you smoke tobacco, then it might be a great time to think about quitting.

Brain “exercises” are another underutilized technique that many assist in cognitive repairment and/or put a halt to current or impending symptoms. There are many ways to train your brain as you age. Here are just a few fun ways to help keep your cognitive receptors active and firing:

• Word games
• Puzzles
• Trivia and quiz games
• Memory games
• Math and number games
• Card games
• Blogging
• Reading

Current medicine and the treatment of cognitive impairment

Research into different types of cognitive impairment, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, as well as memory in general is ever evolving and technologically advancing while uncovering new information on an almost daily basis. Treatment of cognitive impairment is improving, and clinical trials are repeatedly discovering new breakthroughs.

If you would like to learn more about memory loss, cognitive impairment, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease, or if you have any questions concerning the cognitive wellness of a loved one, please click here to talk with a professional today.

Do you think you or a loved one may be suffering from cognitive impairment?

If you have noticed what you think could be symptoms of cognitive impairment in yourself or a loved one, please talk with a doctor as soon as possible. Reference the link above.

While you can find plenty of cognitive impairment tests online, it is critical to seek the help of a licensed medical professional.

Cognitive impairment symptoms can start slowly and then progress quickly. Please don’t wait to talk with a doctor after the signs worsen. Make the call today.

Sources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3788702/

https://www.psychguides.com/neurological-disorders/cognitive/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4104432/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1123445/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mild-cognitive-impairment/symptoms-causes/syc-20354578

While neurological research utilizes technological advancements on a daily basis in attempts to further delve into the abyss of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), neurodegeneration is steadily becoming a predictable diagnosis in monitored patients.

In short, Alzheimer’s Disease is an age-related degenerative progression that affects an individual’s brain. Oftentimes, at the time of initial observation or clinical diagnosis, substantial and irreversible brain damage has already manifested thus intensifying the need to implement regular checkups to allow for preliminary markers to be observed and even predicted. Early monitoring can allow for therapeutic treatment to drastically slow the progression of the disease.

Understanding the early stages in a comprehensive manner could be the difference between putting a stop the illness and suffering from significant damage.

Some basic signs to be aware of when observing an individual will be briefly touched on throughout the remainder of this article in hopes to give the foundational knowledge needed for preventative measures.

Memory loss

Memory loss is a common and generalized occurrence in elderly people, but can also be an underlying predicator of other, more threatening medical conditions like Alzheimer’s Disease.

In normal, progressive aging, when a person ‘forgets’ something they have a tendency to recall the subject matter later on. With early on-set Alzheimer’s, in this same example, the individual will forget with no recall or cognitive connection to the subject matter whatsoever.

Memory loss is in fact one of the most common signs and early stages of AD. In conjunction with observed loss of memory, take note if the individual is seemingly asking the same questions over and over. This obvious repetition and dependency on other people to remember certain tasks or dates is critical to the proactive time frame.

Trouble expressing thoughts, feelings, and emotions

An elderly person who seems to be slipping in their ability to articulate thoughts in an educated manner should not be disregarded. Especially if this particular individual had no trouble of this in their past.

Someone who is aging at a normal speed is going to naturally develop progressive issues in regards to thought communication but this type of occurrence will be minimal and certainly not advance or worsen over time.

Those suffering from early on-set dementia or pre-diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, on the other hand, will often stop mid sentences. They may even stop the conversation completely or repeat their sentence. Other times you will notice them having issues identifying common objects or calling them by different names.

Because of the inevitable frustration this will cause them, you may notice that they begin to shy away from having general conversations with people.

Misplacing objects

As we previously stated, memory loss is a common sign in individuals who are suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. What often comes along with forgetting names, places, and dates, is forgetting where you placed an item.

A person with AD will often put things in strange places, making it extremely difficult to find them even with the help of another person. For instance, a person living with Alzheimer’s may put a frying pan in their sock drawer. This is obviously not the pans typical spot and will now be very hard to find the next time someone needs it to cook.

If the person is then questioned on the whereabouts of the frying pan, they may begin to through accusatory theft allegations, in attempts to make sense of their unusual behavior.

Visual impairment

Sometimes and in some people, visual problems can be a sign of Alzheimer’s Disease. Understand that visual impairments are also a normal sign of aging but monitor the remaining behavior in direct comparison to the other signs outlined above. Being unable to judge distance, differentiate colors, and failing to recognize their own image in a mirror are critical markers that should be taken seriously and discussed with a medical professional as soon as possible.

Suffering from visual impairment is a preliminary indicator but this can also be coupled with feelings of anxiousness, confusion, and intensified irritability.

Conclusive discussions

Again, the importance of having a thorough understanding of what these symptoms look like while being able to recognize the signs in a loved one is imperative to proactively treating the disease.

Preventative and alternative medicines are viable treatment options. Bredesen Protocol Treatment, for instance, is a form of integrative medicine that has seen increased effectiveness in treating Alzheimer’s Disease or patients suffering from dementia. It has shown a reverse in cognitive decline and improved brain health.

“Providing Alzheimer’s treatment for patients and those who want to optimize their brain health to avoid this dreadful disease and reverse cognitive decline has been a passion of Doctor Lawson for a few years now. Dr. Lawson is passionate about helping patients to understand their risks and mitigate them through lifestyle changes, targeted nutraceuticals including nootropics, advanced peptide therapy and the right medications when indicated.” [Bredesen Protocol Treatment for Dementia/Alzheimer’s]

Is your loved one currently suffering from an illness? Health issues on an obvious and comprehensive scale can be frustrating and exceedingly stressful. These stressors seemingly compound overnight with the ever-transcending mainstream illness-related jargon pumped through the pipelines on a near daily basis. It’s almost impossible not to worry.

You have a family and children to take care of – staying proactive and health conscious is a full-time job, in addition to your other full-time job. It’s imperative to validate resources in order to fully understand wellness and critical components that may affect long-term health. Let’s discuss a few here today.

Mold-related illness. What is it?

There are noticeable debates running rampant within the scientific community in regards to whether or not any adverse reactions are actually being caused by indoor mold. However, we can all agree on the fact that there are various mold classifications, and for the sake of argument here, we’ll focus that.

Mold-related illnesses are derivative of mold spores that are found in the air. These spores can cause a myriad of health problems including allergies, asthma, eye, throat and nose irritations, respiratory issues and sinus congestion. In the case an asthma reaction flares up, the mold spores will not typically be the cause of the issue, but can unquestionably worsen the individual’s current asthmatic condition.

Normal aging vs. Alzheimer’s vs. Cognitive impairment

Normal aging comes with its apparent disadvantages, oftentimes including a series of less than desirable ‘side effects.’ Aside from the lack of skin elasticity, vision degeneration, auditory diminishment and overall change in appearance, other affects can negatively impact your overall health that aren’t often a part of the progression.

A decline or negative alteration in the cardiovascular system can result in heart failure. Bones, muscles and joints may also weaken. In respect to the digestive system, constipation may result from normal aging. The urinary tract and the bladder can become damaged.

In regard to cognitive capacity, there may be some memory loss that is representative and to be expected in the majority of aging individuals.

On that note, let’s briefly discuss Alzheimer’s as it relates to generalized cognitive impairment, a disease long studied and one that continues to elude medical scholars in countless ways and on varying degrees.

There is a difference between the two. It’s important to note that cognitive impairment on its own accord can cause Alzheimer’s disease. Almost 20% of people aged 65 or older have mild cognitive impairment. The cause of Alzheimer’s disease, however, is the death of brain cells. This is considered to be a neurodegenerative disease, meaning that there is a gradual cell expiry over a certain period of time.

Some symptoms of cognitive impairment include misperception, impaired judgement, identity confusion, short-term and long-term memory loss, and poor motor coordination. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are similar to those of cognitive impairment. These include memory loss greatly affecting daily life, heightened complexity when solving general problems, comprehensive confusion where none previously existed, problems writing or speaking, and personality or mood fluctuations.

Roughly 2-3% of the world’s population may possess a genetic predisposition, increasing their chances of developing Alzheimer’s by up to 60%. This statistic is in direct comparison to the other 10-15% of the population who will also develop the disease.

Diabetes – a brief synopsis

Diabetes is a chronic condition that involves surges in glucose levels, or blood sugar. Glucose is primarily used for energy and directly sourced from the foods you consume every day. Typically, the glucose is shuttled into your cells by way of insulin (a hormone naturally produced in the body). In an individual with diabetes, insulin is lacking, thus resulting in the previously mentioned spike in blood sugar levels.

Diabetes can lead to health complications affecting numerous parts of the body. In the brain, strokes and cognitive impairment can occur. In regard to the heart, diabetes can result in heart attacks and/or heart failure.

A person can also be affected with peripheral neuropathy, resulting in nerve damage. As in many other illnesses, preventive measures can be implemented and these initiatives often include, exercise and a conscious change in the individual’s diet.

The two different types

Type 1 diabetes can be treated with insulin and is typically early onset. Type 2 diabetes can be treated with certain medications including thiazolidinediones, biguanides and meglitinides, and is generally delayed on-set.

The solution: How do you choose to live? Healthy vs. Non-healthy living

Healthy living and non-healthy living can be categorized by breaking down how efficiently an individual performs on the following two predominant factors: exercise and diet.

You know the saying, ‘if you don’t move it, you lose it.’

A sedentary lifestyle should be avoided at all costs. Physical activity is vital to the general well-being of a person’s most basic forms of functionality. Start off slow. Attempt to implement a workout regime just three times each week for at least thirty minutes. You will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly your overall mood increases.

While conscious eating and an active lifestyle can’t be the cure-all, they can certainly help manage and even negate some forms of illness and other negative health-related issues. Taking control of your lifestyle by putting forth the effort to be proactive could mean the difference between enjoying the rest of your life, or surviving the rest of your life.

What’s the single most important lifestyle change you can make to benefit your health? It’s your diet. Your diet is probably the most crucial part of your overall health and wellness. By “diet,” we don’t mean a short-term reduction in the amount of food or kind of food you eat to lose weight or achieve a particular body goal, but your habitual eating patterns every day, over your whole life.

What to eat

At Proactive Wellness Centers, we always advise choosing fresh, “whole” foods as much as possible — foods that have as little processing as possible. While that generally means foods in their most natural state, it’s also important to beware of additives in many foods in grocery stores that you would not expect, such as added sugars and salt. You also need to be aware that most vegetables and fruits can contain traces of pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals that our bodies did not evolve to handle.

We often recommend the Mediterranean diet or the paleo diet as those that are the healthiest diets for most people.

The Mediterranean diet is based on the traditional eating habits of people from countries around the Mediterranean Sea, such as Greece, Italy and Spain. It emphasizes fresh, seasonal and local foods: lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and cereals and olive oil, as well as moderate amounts of fish and poultry, smaller portions of dairy such as yogurt and cheese, red and processed meats, and sweets. One aspect that many enjoy is regular consumption of moderate amounts of wine with meals. Another surprising aspect is the focus on social eating — eating meals with others, particularly family, resting after eating and exercising regularly.

The paleo diet is based on the theoretical food intake of prehistoric people of the Paleolithic Era, from about 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago. It includes lean meats, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds — foods that could have been obtained through hunting and gathering.

As a result, the paleo diet restricts or limits foods that only became available after humans started farming about 10,000 years ago, such as dairy products, grains and legumes.

Food sensitivities

We’re all a little different, which means that some of us are sensitive or intolerant to certain foods. A good example is those who are allergic to peanuts, which can cause a response as serious as an anaphylactic reaction, which is swelling that can close the airways.

Other people are lactose intolerant, meaning their digestive systems cannot fully digest lactase, the sugar found in milk. As a result, they can experience discomfort and pain after eating any dairy product, including cheese.

Many people go through their lives without understanding their food sensitivities and intolerances. They may have symptoms that look like chronic diseases or health conditions. Others experience unhealthy weight gain, or find it impossible to lose weight. However, once they eliminate these foods, their symptoms clear up, they establish a healthy weight and enjoy profound improvements in their overall health and wellness.

Another important step is to identify the foods that the individual can handle through food sensitivity testing. Once we identify the foods that you’re sensitive to, those you’re intolerant of, and those that benefit you most, we can together develop an individualized eating plan.

Intermittent fasting

One trend that is showing very promising results in controlling weight is intermittent fasting. It’s not as bad as it sounds. Intermittent fasting is not about what you eat, it’s about when you eat. It means fasting for 16 hours a day, and eating only during a set, 8-hour period in the day — for instance, between noon and 8:00 p.m.

It has a number of benefits, and while many in the medical community were skeptical five or six years ago, the opinion is changing. A recent study published by the Harvard Medical School found that it can be more effective than other diet plans for weight loss and prevention of diabetes.

Intermittent fasting works at the chemical and cellular level. The food we eat is broken down by enzymes in our gut into protein, fat and carbohydrates, which are sugars and starches, in our bloodstream.

Our cells use sugar for energy, with any leftovers stored in cells as fat. To convert sugar into either energy or fat, we need insulin. It’s insulin that brings sugar into fat cells and stores it there.

Our bodies produce insulin when we eat, so as long as we’re not eating, the insulin level in our bloodstream goes down and fat cells release stored sugar to be used as energy. When insulin levels go down, we lose weight. Intermittent fasting allows insulin levels to go down long enough for us to burn off fat.

Intermittent fasting is not for everyone. Those who experience strong food cravings, disruption of sleep patterns or who are under extreme stress from other factors in life are not good candidates for intermittent fasting.

Get your best eating plan

Take charge of your best health today. Talk to Proactive Wellness Centers to help work out the personalized eating plan for your optimal health.

Do you feel a lack of energy? Confused, sometimes? Depression that you cannot link to any other cause?

A range of seemingly unrelated symptoms may be the result of the way that your body processes folate, or vitamin B9. Folic acid is an essential vitamin, and while supplements can make up for a lack of vitamin B9 in the diet, some otherwise healthy people have a genetic mutation that interferes with the body’s ability to process it, called methylation. This can be treated.

Folate

Folate, folacin or vitamin B9 is an essential vitamin. We need it to metabolize amino acids, which are needed for cell division, part of the process of growth and maintenance of body tissues.

Folate deficiency can lead to a certain form of anemia, in which red blood cells are enlarged and immature. Symptoms include feeling tired, heart palpitations, shortness of breath and open sores on the tongue.

Pregnant women are often prescribed folic acid supplements to prevent miscarriages as well as certain birth defects in their babies, including neural tube defects, spina bifida and congenital heart defects. This is especially important in the first trimester.

Some studies have found that folic acid supplements for pregnant women reduced the risk of autism spectrum disorders by 23%. Folic supplements have been linked to reductions in rates of heart disease, stroke and congenital heart defects. Folate deficiency has also been linked with diarrhea, depression, confusion, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of cognitive decline. Long-term insufficiency may increase the risks of colorectal, breast, ovarian, pancreas, brain, lung, cervical and prostate cancers.

Sources

Because humans cannot make folate, we must get it from food. The recommended daily intake of folate for adults is 400 micrograms. Dark, leafy vegetables such as lentils, asparagus, spinach and lettuce are good sources of folate. Peanuts and sunflower seed kernels are also very rich sources of folate, as are chickpeas, soybeans and walnuts. Chicken liver and calf liver are meats that are excellent sources, as well.

The MTHFR mutation

Methylation, the process in which the body uses folate, is controlled by the gene MTHFR. It’s responsible for producing an enzyme called Methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), which is a catalyst, or trigger, for the production of DNA and RNA and in cell division.

There are a number of possible mutations in the MTHFR gene, most of which are benign. However, one called C677T can interfere with the methylation process, leading to puzzling and often serious symptoms of a condition called hyperhomocysteinemia, or excels levels of a hormone called homocysteine.

Our research has found a number of conditions and symptoms either caused or made worse by the MTHFR mutation, from autism to asthma, to male infertility to various cancers.

Treatment

As with all treatments at Proactive Wellness Centers, we begin with a comprehensive assessment of your health and your body. This includes a complete lab panel of blood and other fluid tests. We also perform an advanced genetics panel, Cartoid Intima-Media Thickness (CIMT) tests to measure the thickness of the inner layers of the arteries and, if indicated, food sensitivity testing. These tests give us a full picture of your overall health and needs.

With this, we can develop dietary and lifestyle guidelines suited to your health needs, age and sensitivities. For example, we may recommend adding a green smoothie to your daily diet. We may also recommend reducing or eliminating consumption of:

• dairy products
• gluten
• processed foods
• antacids

Depending on the lab results, symptoms and age, we may also recommend adjustments to your lifestyle. These could include:

• eliminating carpeting from your home
• filtering chlorine from drinking water
• using an electric rather than a gas stove

Nutritional supplements

At Proactive Wellness Centers, we have found that nutritional supplementation is key to advancing a patient’s overall wellness. But treating a long-term folate deficiency caused by the MTHFR mutation requires more than a simple folic acid pill once a day. Each patient requires the right supplements at the right time.

For example, methylated folate can make inflammation worse, so in a patient with a folate deficiency, inflammation must be treated before adding folate supplements.

Other possible supplements could include:

• broad-spectrum intravenous vitamin therapy
• multivitamins (excluding B9 or folic acid)
• glutathione
• fish oil
• nattokinase
• vitamin C
• vitamin D3
• probiotics

Then, we would consider adding methylated folate, as long as the patient is not inflamed.

The right solution

Every body is unique, and that means that every treatment regimen must be uniquely tailored to the patient’s needs.

Imbalances in one part or one system of the body may manifest symptoms in other parts. Rather than focusing on one system or symptom, as specialists do, we take a functional medicine approach to find the root causes. In this way, we can develop a protocol that works for each individual.

If you have symptoms that you cannot account for or that successive specialists have failed to address, book an appointment for an assessment to put you on the path to optimal, life-long wellness.