Whats The Difference Between Dementia And Alzheimers Disease
Dementia is a description of the state of a persons mental function and not a specific disease. Dementia is an umbrella category describing mental decline thats severe enough to interfere with daily living.
There are many underlying causes of dementia, including Alzheimers disease and Parkinsons disease. Alzheimers disease is the most common underlying cause of dementia.
Stage : Mild Cognitive Impairment
Clear cognitive problems begin to manifest in stage 3. A few signs of stage 3 dementia include:
- Getting lost easily
- Noticeably poor performance at work
- Forgetting the names of family members and close friends
- Difficulty retaining information read in a book or passage
- Losing or misplacing important objects
- Difficulty concentrating
Patients often start to experience mild to moderate anxiety as these symptoms increasingly interfere with day to day life. Patients who may be in this stage of dementia are encouraged to have a clinical interview with a clinician for proper diagnosis.
Alzheimers Diet: 16 Foods To Fight Dementia + What To Avoid
The best diet for Alzheimers is Dr. Bredesens KetoFLEX 12/3 diet, which is a keto diet mixed with metabolic flexibility. It encourages 12-hour fasting periods every day, including at least 3 hours of fasting before bedtime.
This slightly-flexible ketogenic diet can lower your risk of developing Alzheimers disease or dementia. In the earliest stages of mental decline, an Alzheimers diet may even reverse cognitive decline.
This revolutionary diet also encourages 12-hour fasting periods so the body has more time to repair cell damage. Make sure to not eat within 3 hours of going to bed either.
What are the benefits of an Alzheimers diet? The benefit of an Alzheimers diet is taking control of your own health, based on science. Eating foods like green leafy vegetables, fish, nuts, and even an occasional glass of red wine can reduce your chances of developing Alzheimers.
Can Alzheimers be reversed with diet? In the earliest stages of cognitive decline, adhering to an Alzheimers diet may reverse cognitive decline. Unfortunately, theres no surefire Alzheimers cure. However, we have personally observed patients whose cognitive decline was reversed after making specific lifestyle changes, including changing their diet.
Can dementia be reversed with diet? Advanced dementia cannot be reversed with a healthy diet. However, the KetoFLEX 12/3 diet shows promise in slowing general cognitive decline and early stages of dementia.
Read Also: How Long Do You Survive With Dementia
Identifying Who’s At Risk Of Dementia
Experts know that damage to the brain caused by Alzheimer’s disease can start many years before symptoms appear. If people at risk of Alzheimer’s could be identified at an early stage, it is hoped that treatments could be offered that would slow down or even stop the disease.
A major study, called PREVENT, concentrates on people in their 40s and 50s to identify those who are at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s . It aims to understand what is happening in their brains before symptoms appear.
Specialised brain scans, known as PET scans, have been developed to study two proteins in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease. The aim is to increase the understanding of the disease process, and also to identify those people who will benefit most from new drug treatments.
Although PET scans are sometimes used to help with a dementia diagnosis, these highly specialised scans are usually only available as part of clinical trials.
A number of different trials are now under way in people who are currently well but are at increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Try Intermittent Fasting And Ketosis
Besides eating a healthy diet, Dr. Bredesens patients fasted for 12 hours every night, starting 3 hours before bedtime.
They also consumed coconut oil because the medium-chain triglycerides within coconut oil enhance the production of ketones, an alternative source of energy for brain cells.
When your body and brain are running on ketones rather than glucose, youre in a state of ketosis.
And ketonesand MCT oil have been shown to significantly improve cognition and memory in people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease .
Researchers have also found that ketones and fasting can enhance autophagy, which is a process in which your body cleans itself and removes debris .
And this autophagy process can reduce amyloid beta, the main component of amyloid plaques found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease .
So if youre trying to prevent dementia or reverse cognitive decline, intermittent fasting and ketogenic dieting should definitely be considered.
As Ive discussed before, fasting and ketones can also increase your brains growth hormone, help you overcome brain fog, and support your brains mitochondria.
I personally fast for about 12 hours most days, and follow a ketogenic diet every now and then.
I also take Optimal Ketones, which are exogenous ketones that get my body into a state of ketosis more quickly. They immediately increase my mental clarity.
Also Check: How To Test If You Have Dementia
What Are Memory Problems And Dementia
Losing track of time or forgetting to pay a bill every now and then does not necessarily mean your memory is failing. However, when remembering things becomes increasingly more difficult, or your thinking skills seem to be deteriorating, it may be a warning sign of dementiaa devastating and eventually debilitating neurological condition. Dementia is an umbrella term that refers to a category of progressive degenerative diseases that affect important brain functions and lead to memory loss, difficulty with language, cognitive impairment, and personality and behavior changes. Alzheimers disease is the most common and well-known type of dementia.
Here’s How Patients Say They Reversed Early Alzheimer’s Symptoms
There are two California doctors who are shaking up the medical world, saying their protocols can dramatically improve brain health in children and adults and even reverse diseases such as Alzheimer’s. They say it all starts with sugar.
SAN FRANCISCO — There are two California doctors who are shaking up the medical world, saying their protocols can dramatically improve brain health in children and adults and even reverse diseases such as Alzheimer’s. They say it all starts with sugar.
Two prominent California doctors, with bestselling books, insist we have the power to heal our own brains from diseases. They say it should start when we’re young and begin with a look at the way we eat. Does it sound too good to be true?
Two women we spoke with who followed that advice say it is true – that their lives changed for the better and they healed their brains.
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The women say they reversed their early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease by making food and lifestyle changes based on research by neuroscientist Dr. Dale Bredesen. He wrote a book called “The End of Alzheimer’s.”
“Two years ago, I scored mildly cognitively impaired on a cognitive assessment test,” said Dr. Sally Weinrich. “Most recently, I scored perfect! I’m really happy about that! I’m claiming it!
RELATED: Daughter’s photo of mom’s crochet captures heartbreaking effect of Alzheimer’s
“I gave up a lot of red meat and beans and rice and potatoes were my favorite foods,” she said.
Recommended Reading: Does Dementia Show Up On A Ct Scan
Optimize Your Vitamin D Levels
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that our skin synthesizes when exposed to the sun.
Every tissue in your body has vitamin D receptors, including the brain, heart, muscles, and immune system. This means your entire body needs it to function properly and a deficiency can lead to costly physiological and psychological consequences, including dementia and cognitive decline.
Research shows that vitamin D deficiency is associated with a substantially increased risk dementia and Alzheimer disease .
That’s why I highly recommend checking your Vitamin D levels. You can order the test yourself here. It’s one of the most important tests you can take for your health.
The participants in Dr. Bredesens study took between 2,000 to 5,000 IU of Vitamin D3 every day.
Vitamin D can also help you overcome brain fog, and increase your brains growth hormone.
What Are The Reversible Causes
There are several clearly reversible causes of dementia that are remembered by the mnemonic DEMENTIA:
Drugs , emotional- depression, metabolic , eyes and ears declining, normal pressure hydrocephalus tumor or other space-occupying lesion, infection , anemia .
The major syndromes with progressive dementia include Alzheimer disease , vascular dementia , dementia with lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia .
Read Also: Alzheimer’s Association Of South Florida
How Is An Rpd Diagnosed
RPD can be difficult to diagnose, so it is often necessary to see a doctor who specializes in these conditions. The doctor might ask about the patients progression of symptoms, any similar illnesses in biological relatives or any recent possible exposures . The doctor may request some laboratory testing, such as blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid brain imaging and/or an electroencephalogram . The information gathered by the physician and tests might help to determine the cause of disease.
What Happens To A Persons Brain And Body As Dementia Gets Worse
Unfortunately, many types of dementia are conditions that worsen over time. When your brain doesnt get the nutrients and oxygen it needs, or junk blocks needed communication between the nerve cells of the brain, your brain tissue begins to die.
Alzheimers disease and other types of dementia usually begin with memory loss or lapses in judgment things that can be lived with for a while. As you lose more and more brain function, functions vital to life begin to be affected. Vital functions include breathing, digestion, heart rate and sleep.
In the late stages of dementia, people cant perform the tasks needed to keep their bodies alive. Brain damage and muscle weakness no longer allow even simple, needed movements. You cant communicate, walk, talk, control your bladder or bowels, feed yourself, or chew or swallow food without help.
When you cant care for yourself, move about, eat or drink enough to keep yourself hydrated and nourished, plus have mental decline, you leave yourself vulnerable to other illnesses. Pneumonia is one of these commonly seen illnesses in people with dementia. With a now frail body, a person may not be able to fight infections or even benefit from medication. The persons pain and discomfort may outweigh treatment options that can only offer a short-term benefit.
Recommended Reading: What Is The Number One Food That Fights Dementia
Treatment Advances For Alzheimers Disease
Theres no way to reverse or cure Alzheimers disease. However, scientists have made incredible progress in recent years.
New Alzheimers treatments may slow disease progression and reduce symptoms. They can help people stay independent and keep functional skills for longer than theyd be able to without treatment.
While many treatment options are still in development, current medical treatments include:
- Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors can help improve cognition and reduce behavioral symptoms. They prevent the breakdown of important brain chemicals used in memory and thinking. Donepezil is an enzyme-blocking acetylcholinesterase inhibitor known to reduce confusion in people with Alzheimers.
- Aducanumab. Aducanumab is a newly approved medication that targets the brain lesions associated with Alzheimers. These lesions are called amyloid plaques. Aducanumab was approved through the Food and Drug Administration Accelerated Approval Program in 2021 for early stage Alzheimers, and several similar medications are currently being tested.
- Memantine. This is a class of medication known as NMDA Antagonists. Memantine can delay increasing cognitive and behavioral symptoms caused by moderate to severe Alzheimers disease.
A similar American study had success reversing Alzheimers using a medication that is currently approved as a diuretic.
A decade from now, treatment options for Alzheimers disease might look completely different from today.
Success In Reversing Dementia In Mice Sets The Stage For Human Clinical Trials
- Date:
- Tohoku University
- Summary:
- Researchers have identified a new treatment candidate that appears to not only halt neurodegenerative symptoms in mouse models of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, but also reverse the effects of the disorders.
Researchers have identified a new treatment candidate that appears to not only halt neurodegenerative symptoms in mouse models of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, but also reverse the effects of the disorders.
The team, based at Tohoku University, published their results on June 8 in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. The treatment candidate has been declared safe by Japan’s governing board, and the researchers plan to begin clinical trials in humans in the next year.
“There are currently no disease-modifying therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, Huntington disease and frontotemporal dementia in the world,” said paper author Kohji Fukunaga, professor emeritus in Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences. “We discovered the novel, disease-modifying therapeutic candidate SAK3, which, in our studies, rescued neurons in most protein-misfolding, neurodegenerative diseases.”
In a previous study, the team found that the SAK3 molecule — the base structure of which is found in the enhancement of T-type Ca2+ channel activity — appeared to help improve memory and learning in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.
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Improve Your Gut Health
Improving gut health is another way to prevent cognitive decline and dementia.
Some of the participants in Dr. Bredesens study took probiotics, and Dr. Bredesen mentions that prebiotics can be beneficial as well.
This is because many studies show that probiotics and prebiotics can reduce inflammation .
Thats why I eat prebiotic-rich foods regularly, including sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, asparagus and squash. These foods promote the growth of many different strains of good bacteria in your lower bowel and are included in my free grocery shopping guide for optimal brain health.
Resistant starch is one of the most potent ways to boost your prebiotic intake. A convenient way to incorporate more of it into your diet is by using Bobs Red Mill Unmodified Potato Starch. Other high-quality resistant starches include banana flour, plantain flour and waxy maize. Cooked and cooled white rice and potatoes also contain some resistant starch.
For probiotics supplementation, I created and take the Optimal Biotics supplement.
If you want to learn more, check out this post where I share five ways to improve your gut health.
Signs Of Early Alzheimers Disease May Include:
- reduced judgment and decision-making skills
- asking the same questions repeatedly
- memory loss
- resistance to changes in routine
- wandering or getting lost in familiar places
- having trouble with money and bill payment
- frequently losing or misplacing things
- reduced drive and ambition
- making repetitive statements or motions
- difficulty reading, writing, and using numbers
- difficulty with logical thinking and thought organization
- difficulty learning or keeping new information
- difficulty completing tasks that involve multiple steps
- increased anxiety, agitation, and anger that might include outbursts of yelling or crying
- inappropriate behaviors such as undressing in public, aggression, or out-of-character vulgar language.
- wandering and getting lost frequently
- hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia
- symptoms that get worse in the late afternoon
People with severe Alzheimers lose their ability to communicate and care for themselves. At this stage, people with Alzheimers often spend most of their time in bed and need assistance with nearly all tasks.
Also Check: Does Jack Nicholson Have Dementia
Its Not Necessarily Alzheimers
More than 50 conditions can cause or mimic the symptoms of dementia, and a small percentage of dementias are reversible. Two common examples are dementia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency or an underactive thyroid . Getting the right diagnosis is important so that you know what options you have, because symptoms subside when the underlying problem is treated.
Causes Of Potentially Reversible Dementia Symptoms
Worried that a loved one has Alzheimers disease? While you may be right, you should be sure to have a physician conduct a thorough evaluation to be certain. Some illnesses and conditions that look and act like Alzheimers are reversible with appropriate treatment.
Here are 10 potentially reversible causes of dementia symptoms:
Read Also: Difference Between Senility And Dementia
Also Check: Can Dementia Be Caused By Dehydration
What Is Alcohol Related Dementia
Alcohol related dementia, as the name suggests, is a form of dementia related to the excessive drinking of alcohol. This affects memory, learning and other mental functions. Korsakoffs syndrome and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome are particular forms of alcohol related brain injury which may be related to alcohol related dementia.
Medications Side Effects Or Interactions
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It’s not uncommon to see people who are on many different medications. While they might all be appropriate and beneficial, there are also times when some medications should be discontinued or decreased. Multiple medications increase the chance for medication interactions and negative side effects, and both of these are well-documented causes of confusion and memory loss.
Ask your physician to review your medication list and make sure she knows all of the medicines that have been prescribed for you by other doctors such as specialists. Cognition can significantly improve if this issue is identified and addressed.
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Is There Treatment Available
At an early stage of the disease, problems may be reduced or reversed if the person abstains from alcohol, improves their diet and replace vitamins especially thiamine and vitamin B1. Thiamine is important to limit some of the toxic effects of alcohol, and is an important supplement for heavy drinkers.
Community support is available for the person with dementia, their family and carers. This support can make a positive difference to managing dementia.
Many people who develop alcohol related dementia are young, and this can mean that they and their family and carers will need extra consideration. It may be helpful to talk to a counsellor at Dementia Australia. Contact the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500.