Trouble Remembering?
- Do you sometimes forget names or appointments?
- Do you rely on reminder notes or set electronic devices to remind you?
- Do you have difficulty concentrating and make errors in following directions sometimes?
Could it be dementia?
That’s a scary thought, but the fact is that even when we are fatigued, our cognitive abilities decline.
When we lose sleep, we cannot function very well cognitively.
With age, there can be changes to memory and more mistakes.
When is it something that we must do something about it?
There is lots that can be done at the first sign of poor verbal and image memory when you get to the point that “I can’t deal with stress” or “I can’t do my life anymore.” In fact, when you are treated with nutrition when you are at the point that you forget familiar words or appointments you can still preserve brain function.
Dr. Brandon Brock, DC, neuological chiropractor, states that a sure sign of dementia is the loss of ability to smell. In non-smokers in his office he uses peanut butter offered to one nostril at at time to see if the patient can smell it. Taken along with other symptoms, he proceeds with diagnostic workup of dementia.
How about you?
Take a look at these stages and see if you recognize yourself at times, whether it is everyday or when you are extremely tired.
You may know someone with Alzheimer’s disease and recognize them here.
The earlier stage that you treat, the better outcome of cognitive health.
- Normal function
no memory problems - Very mild cognitive decline (that may be normal age-related)
forgets familiar words
forgets location of everyday objects - Mild cognitive decline
Trouble remembering names when introduced to new people
Forgets material that just read
Increasing trouble with planning or organizing - Moderate cognitive decline
Forgets recent events
Impaired ability with numbers (like counting backward from 100 by 7’s)
Difficulty planning, paying bills, or managing tasks
Forgets your own personal history - Moderately severe cognitive decline
Unable to recall your address or phone number
Confused about what day it is
Needs help choosing appropriate clothing for the weather - Severe cognitive decline
Trouble remembering spouse or children’s names
Needs help dressing normally
Bowel and bladder incontinence
Major personality disorder
Tends to wander or become lost - Very severe cognitive decline
Loses the ability to respond to the environment
Must have a caretaker
Experiences impaired swallowing
Falls easily
Stages and Symptoms
These are stages of Alzheimer’s disease. There are genes that are involved half of the time, but it always takes the environment and lifestyle to turn on those genes.
We are swimming in an inflammatory environment, full of stress and excitotoxins. It takes paying attention and moderating those toxic influences to stay healthy. Note the symptoms of Alzheimers below as contrasted to normal changes of aging. If you’re losing your memory, there is something to do right now!
- MEMORY LOSS THAT DISRUPTS DAILY LIFE
- Memory loss, especially forgetting recently learned information
- Forgetting important dates or events
- Asking for the same information over and over
- Increasingly needing to rely on memory aids (e.g., reminder notes or electronic devices) or family members for things they used to handle on their own
vs typical age-related change:
Sometimes forgetting names or appointments, but remembering them later.
- CHALLENGES IN PLANNING OR SOLVING PROBLEMS
- Changes in the ability to develop and follow a plan or work with numbers
- Trouble following a familiar recipe or keeping track of monthly bills
- Difficulty concentrating and take much longer to do things than before
vs typical age-related change:
Making occasional errors when balancing a checkbook.
- DIFFICULTY COMPLETING FAMILIAR TASKS AT HOME, AT WORK OR AT LEISURE
- Often find it hard to complete daily tasks
- May have trouble driving to a familiar location
- May have trouble managing a budget at work
- May have trouble remembering the rules of a favorite game.
vs typical age-related change:
Occasionally needing help to use the settings on a microwave or to record a television show.
- CONFUSION WITH TIME OR PLACE
- Lose track of dates, seasons and the passage of time
- May have trouble understanding something if it is not happening immediately
- May forget where you are or how you got there.
vs typical age-related change:
Getting confused about the day of the week but figuring it out later.
- TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING VISUAL IMAGES AND SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS
- For some people, vision problems such as
- difficulty reading,
- judging distance
- determining color or contrast
- causing problems with driving.
vs typical age-related change:
Vision changes related to cataracts.
- NEW PROBLEMS WITH WORDS IN SPEAKING OR WRITING
- May have trouble following or joining a conversation
- Stop in the middle of a conversation and have no idea how to continue
- Repeat themselves
- Struggle with vocabulary
- Have problems finding the right word
- Call things by the wrong name (e.g., calling a “watch” a “hand-clock”)
vs typical age-related change:
Sometimes having trouble finding the right word.
- MISPLACING THINGS AND LOSING THE ABILITY TO RETRACE STEPS
- May put things in unusual places
- Lose things and be unable to go back over their steps to find them again
- May accuse others of stealing. This may occur more frequently over time.
vs a typical age-related change;
Misplacing things from time to time and retracing steps to find them.
- DECREASED OR POOR JUDGMENT
- Changes in judgment or decision-making
- May use poor judgment when dealing with money, giving large amounts away
- May pay less attention to grooming or keeping themselves clean.
vs typical age-related change:
Making a bad decision once in a while.
- WITHDRAWAL FROM WORK OR SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
- Start to remove themselves from hobbies, social activities, work projects or sports
- Trouble keeping up with a favorite sports team or remembering how to complete a favorite hobby
- Avoid being social because of the changes they have experienced.
vs typical age-related change:
Sometimes feeling weary of work, family and social obligations.
- CHANGES IN MOOD AND PERSONALITY
- Can become confused,
- suspicious,
- depressed,
- fearful or anxious
- Easily upset at home, at work, with friends or in places where they are out of their comfort zone.
vs typical age-related change;
Developing very specific ways of doing things and becoming irritable when a routine is disrupted.
The Good News
There are compounds in our natural medicine chest that can halt or reverse cognitive degeneration. Take a look at a few:
Huperzine
Huperzine A (HupA), isolated from Chinese herb Huperzia serrata, was studied in China. It relieves memory deficits in aged subjects, patients with benign senescent forgetfulness, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD), with minimal side effects.
In another study, huperzine A was shown to protect the energy-producing part of the cells and therefore preserve brain function.
Vinpocetine
Vinpocetine is extracted from the periwinkle plant and has been shown in testing to grow new brain cell connections and is marketed as a “memory booster.” As well, it is anti-inflammatory in the brain without the side effects of drugs (like corticosteroids.)
A study in humans showed a positive effect on concentration and memory in those who were cognitively impaired.
Xanthinol Nicotinate
In a study on the brain, xanthinol nicotinate (a vitamin derivative) was show to increase the metabolism of nerve cells and enhance oxygen supply in the brain, which relates to an increase in memory to the tune of 10-40%, depending on the type of task.
If you have trouble remembering, ask Dr. Cheryl to dig into her medicine chest and pull some of things out for you.
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