One of the most common concerns patients share with me is their fear of brain fog turning into Alzheimer’s disease. 

In our modern world, almost everyone feels a little fuzzy from time to time. Maybe we forget where we placed our keys, parked our car or what we went into that room to do. All are pretty common concerns.  

But what raises the red flag of dementia?

Look for issues like this: Regularly missing appointments, repeating questions, being unable to follow a recipe or track a conversation, or not knowing the date, month or year are all signs that a deeper problem may be developing.

So what actually drives the development of dementia? According to Dale Bredesen, MD, the neurologist/researcher, founder of the Buck Institute of Aging and author of the book “The End of Alzheimer’s”, there are 3 major subtypes of dementia, each driven by different processes: 

1. Inflammation (often triggered by sugar intake and insulin resistance)

2. Imbalance or loss of key nutrients or hormones (low thyroid, vitamin B12)

3. Toxic overload (heavy metals, pesticides, chronic infections, mold and more).

As a naturopathic doctor and acupuncturist, this makes perfect sense. Looking at dementia from this “functional medicine” perspective has led us to recognize that Alzheimer’s is not just one disease with one cause that can be cured by one magic bullet. 

Instead, we have come to view the development of cognitive decline as driven by a number of factors that tip the scale from balance towards the over-production of tau and amyloid-beta (the proteins that form the tangles and plaques in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients). 

To effectively halt the process, we need to identify and address these root cause “drivers of disease”. 

Once we know the root causes of a condition, we can support our body’s immense self-healing capacities with natural therapies that restore balance and function.

The best news is that this approach not only helps sharpen the brain and reduce the drift towards dementia; it also addresses the root cause of many other chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, autoimmunity and even cancer.

So here are 7 ways to lower your risk of dementia and build your brain for the decade ahead: 

1. Hit the trail:
   Exercise improves cognitive function by increasing BNDF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor), which grows and connects new neurons. Yes, we can actually grow new neurons! Exercise also strengthens the heart as a pump, builds collateral circulation, lowers blood pressure, cholesterol and inflammation. Plus, exercise improves blood sugar metabolism and lowers the risk of diabetes. Anyone up for a hike?

2. Rest up:
   Not only does sleep help consolidate memories, it also helps the brain detoxify by supporting it’s housekeeping functions. The “glymphatic system” is a recently discovered “waste clearance system” in the brain that is active mainly during sleep. Lack of adequate sleep is now known to contribute to the pathology of a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. Here’s to 7-8 hours each night!

3. Chill out:
   Chronic stress effects nearly every organ system and contributes to the development of cognitive problems, chronic fatigue, heart disease, migraines, acne, hives, depression, insomnia and eating disorders, just to name a few. Don’t sweat the small stuff, and…

4. Learn to Meditate:
   A recent study demonstrated that 50-year-olds with a long (6-9 years minimum) history of meditation had the same amount of gray matter in their frontal cortexes (the area of the brain responsible for memory and decision-making) as individuals half their age.  A follow up study found that new meditators experienced thickening in several regions of their brains, including the hippocampus (which manages learning and memory), and parts of the brain, which control empathy and the ability to see things from multiple perspectives. And that is a good thing in this polarized world!

5. Train Your Brain:
   It turns out that reading, learning new languages and even playing games or musical instruments help build our cognitive function. Cognitive decline results from massive disuse of our minds. Watching TV is a passive activity, while reading a novel enhances connectivity in the brain, improves its function and reconfigures brain networks. 

6. Stay Connected:
   Numerous studies have demonstrated that social isolation leads to dementia. One large study with 10,000 participants in the UK focused on the relationships between social contact at age 50, 60 and 70, and subsequent incidence of dementia. They found that increased social contact at age 60 is associated with a significantly lower risk of developing dementia later in life. They found that participants who saw friends almost daily at age 60 were 12% less likely to develop dementia than someone who only saw one or two friends every few months. Reach out and invite people to dinner, to meet for a walk, a movie, or take an adult education course at a local Community College.

7. Eat Clean:
   What we eat determines our health. Over 100 million Americans are living with diabetes or pre-diabetes and most don’t know it. Regularly consuming sugar and refined and processed foods leads to “insulin resistance”, or the dulling of our body’s insulin receptors. Chronically elevated blood sugar and insulin resistance leads to inflammation that damages the brain, causing what is known as Type 3 diabetes, a form of diabetes that is associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Jump off the blood sugar rollercoaster and watch your weight melt off, your energy rise, your blood sugar normalize and brain fog clear.

The take-away:
Dementia doesn’t happen overnight.
It is a progressive process that builds over decades. 

The way you live now determines your risk of developing dementia.  Take charge of your health today, and know that you’re doing everything you can to feel better, grow stronger and live longer!

Because I’m passionate about identifying and reversing the drivers of dementia and chronic disease, I’ve completed the Advanced Training in The Bredesen Protocol to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline (ReCODE) through the Institute for Functional Medicine and have made it an important part of my practice. 

Like this post? Consider joining the Healthy Aging Reset, my online course to empower GenX and Boomers to master the lifestyle changes that prevent and reverse a range of chronic conditions, so we can live with vitality at any age. 

Subscribe at www.drsallyskitchen.com and follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn for more information and to register for the Healthy Aging Reset, starting in early February.

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