Can we treat dementia?

The answer to the question is yes, following multiple therapies and changing the lifestyle.

Dementia is a health burden of increasing significance as our population ages. Worldwide the prevalence of dementia is 5-7% in people 60 years and older, with the risk doubling every 5 years after age 60. About 5.4 million Americans are living with dementia.
Dementia is a general category referring to a chronic decline in overall cognitive function. The most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, accounting for about half of cases. There is also a category of mild cognitive impairment (or cognitive impairment not dementia) that is milder and does not meet the diagnostic criteria for full dementia.
Although the cause of Alzheimer’s disease isn’t known, plaques and tangles are often found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. Plaques are clumps of a protein called beta amyloid and tangles are fibrous tangles made up of tau protein.

There are about four drugs known today that are used to eliminate beta amyloid. Recently, scientist and medical doctors started recognizing that those drugs are ineffective for delaying or curing the disease. It is like prescribing a drug to reduce fever where the fever is the symptom showing that the body is fighting an illness. Bottom line, Beta amyloid is a protective response and those drugs do not address the cause of the problem.

There is a global recognition that dementia can be cured treating the source of the disease by applying multi-disciplinary therapies.

Dementia can be caused by heavy metal toxicity found in water and the environment, pesticides, the herbicide glyphosate, alcohol abuse or recreational drugs, chronic infections, low levels of magnesium (most people living in North America are deficient of) vitamin D, E and the B’s, fungi and molds found in homes, crops and animals, Candida albicans, parasites, insufficient thyroid hormone, also not unusual (can be addressed with iodine supplement), deficiencies in other hormones such as pregnenolone, DHEA, testosterone and estrogen impact memory and cognitive function as well, sugars and its associated substitutes, Lyme disease, herpes, leaky gut, lack of sleep, and more.

In homeopathy we look at the wholistic approach to an illness to find a matching remedy. This approach includes the individual’s environment and lifestyle.
Common symptoms addressed in homeopathy indicating possible dementia are
· Memory loss, which is usually noticed by a spouse or someone else
· Difficulty communicating or finding words
· Difficulty reasoning or problem-solving
· Difficulty handling complex tasks
· Difficulty with planning and organizing
· Difficulty with coordination and motor functions
· Confusion and disorientation
· Personality changes
· Depression
· Anxiety
· Inappropriate behavior
· Paranoia
· Agitation
· Hallucinations

Also, supplementation with forms of B vitamins, specifically methyl B6, B9 (folate) and B12, as well as eating a diet high in folate can promote detoxification. Vitamin C is an important factor to combat stress and eliminate pathogens on a daily basis. Coconut oil, which contains medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), together with fish oil help maintain the brain cells lubricated.

There are many botanical medicines that stimulate healthy brain function. Some of the most well-known are Gingko biloba and Bombyx Mori, which enhance cerebral circulation; Bacopa, known as Brahmi in Indian Ayurvedic medicine, promotes nerve growth and signaling; the mushroom Lion’s Mane, found locally in New England woods, is a brain tonic that stimulates the synthesis of nerve growth factor (NGF); Eleutherococcus senticosus, commonly referred to as Siberian Ginseng and ashwagandha are powerful adaptogen that balance and restore physiological processes, increasing energy and reducing the effects of stress. Rhodiola is another powerful adaptogen that promotes on the one hand stimulates cognition and promotes memory while helping to calm the emotions.

For more information, feel free to contact me for a free half hour consultation