Brain Health; the Warning Signs
Very simplistically, Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia causes damage to the regions of the Brain which affect memory (both present and memory retrieval), learning and orientation. This disease can happen for a multitude of reasons, often specific to the sufferer. This is where personalised medicine comes into its own; your Registered Nutritionist and Medical Practitioner can work together to discern your root cause and support your symptoms, sensitivities and vulnerabilities rather than applying a blanket false hopelessness attitude akin to, “it’s Dementia, there’s nothing that can be done” which is now evidence-based to be outdated.
It is also important to remember that we all have those days when we can’t remember why we walked into a room, or unwittingly repeat ourselves, or forget where we placed an item. However, when these signs start to become more frequent, more apparent, or you, a friend or family member does not realise they are acting inconsistently (or are denying that they do), this is when you might want to think about investigating a little more deeply into cognitive function and making early initial enquiries about regarding cognitive function just in case.
Here are a few of the symptoms most commonly associated with the onset of cognitive decline and eventual Alzheimer’s Dementia:
SUDDEN LOSS OF BALANCE – excess water on the Brian / Prefrontal Cortex Hydrocephalus Encephalopathy
UNACCOUNTABLE SHORT TERM MEMORY LOSS
INEXPLICABLE CHRONICALLY DISTURBED SLEEP PATTERN
UNPROVOKED FRACTIOUS MOOD SWINGS
UNKNOWINGLY REPEATING SENTENCES & QUESTIONS
DISORIENTATION IN NORMALLY FAMILILAR PLACES
FORGETTING IMPORTANT FACTS (AND PEOPLE) WHICH WOULD PREVIOUSLY BEEN SECOND-NATURE TO RECALL
FREQUENT AND NOTICABLE DIFFICULTIES IN WORD-FINDING
MISTAKING REFLECTIONS / PATTERNS FOR 3D OBJECTS
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Dementia can begin to set-in up to twenty years before they manifest and become apparent to you or others around and observing. To live and eat in such a way that prevent cognitive decline from happening at all is of course the most preferable course of action, but if this is not possible then to catch cognitive decline in its earliest stage, at the earliest opportunity is the next best option, and there are several ways diet and lifestyle can have a profound effect on slowing the progression of cognitive decline.
Here are a few simple dietary and lifestyle modifications you can implement into your daily & weekly routine to minimise cognitive decline. The suggestions below are decent places to start, but there are many more and as with most things Nutritional Therapy is highly personalised so please seek professional bespoke recommendations from a Registered Nutritional Therapist to ensure you can pursue a dietary programme which is tailored and appropriate for you.
Challenge your Brian with new learning, and gentle stressors to encourage hormesis – a state of ‘good stress’ which the Brain embraces similar to how the body does with exercise.
Avoid processed and ultra processed foods, particularly refined (‘white’) sugars and trans (deep) fats.
Nurture and prioritise your daily movement, sleep and stress management, and if you have difficulty with any of these consult a qualified professional in their respective field of expertise.
Remove as many toxins and dementogens from your immediate surroundings – this includes checking for mould.
As I hope this post has highlighted, don’t forget Eat, Drink, Think Nutrition and spare a thought (no pun intended) for your Brain health. Losing your Brain power can be even more devastating to you, and those around you, than losing an aspect of your physical health, so why wouldn’t you start to look after your Brain right away since diet and lifestyle modifications actioned NOW could save a lot of distress and heartbreak in the future.
REMEMBER: if you are taking any medications always consult a Registered Nutritional Therapist as well as your Doctor before making significant dietary or lifestyle changes. This blog post is written for educational purposes only and in reference to ‘food’. It is NOT advocating taking dietary supplements. It is very important to please always consult a Registered Nutritional Therapist or your Doctor before introducing any dietary supplements into your health regime as these qualified professionals will be able to offer personalised recommendations.
If sleep, Brain, cognitive and/or memory are issues which you are struggling with and you want to discover the inspiring & sustainable diet & lifestyle programmes offered by Nutritional Therapy, get in touch via the Contact Me page on this website, or directly on info@eatdrinkthinknutrition.co.uk for more information about 1:2:1 Consultations with Eat Drink Think Nutrition®.
