Aging well and remaining in your home has never been more important than it is today. Most seniors want to remain in their home but if memory issues arise, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, placement in a long-term care facility becomes inevitable.
The pandemic has highlighted the inherent weaknesses of long-term care facilities. In the spring, Canadians watched in horror as news outlets detailed outbreaks and deaths in senior care facilities. An analysis done by the Canadian Institute for Health has shown that long-term care resident deaths made up 81% of all reported COVID-19 deaths in Canada.
This is a frightening prospect if you are experiencing memory issues or if Alzheimer’s runs in your family. However, cognitive decline and long-term care does not have to be your future – there is now hope.
Dr. Dale Bredesen is an internationally recognized expert in the mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease, and he is changing the world of Alzheimer’s disease research. Until recently, doctors did not know what caused Alzheimer’s and couldn’t offer much help; however, that has changed.
Dr. Bredesen has shown that Alzheimer’s is not one disease, but is instead caused by more than 36 different factors. Just like a roof in a rainstorm that has 36 holes, which leaks and will eventually flood if the holes are not patched, Alzheimer’s has 36+ causes that must be addressed if you are to reverse cognitive decline.
In Dr. Bredesen’s books, “The End of Alzheimer’s” and “The End of Alzheimer’s Program: The First Protocol to Enhance Cognition and Reverse Decline”, he details factors that have been identified as contributors to cognitive decline. He also describes how the Bredesen Protocol can prevent the disease and has been shown to reverse symptoms in people with mild to severe decline.
Knowing precisely which factors are inhibiting or could inhibit your cognition is the first step. Dr. Bredesen believes everyone over the age of 45 should consider getting a “cognoscopy”, especially if Alzheimer’s or dementia runs in their family. A cognoscopy tests for each of the dozens of risk factors, and involves giving blood, taking cognitive tests, and providing a health history.
Based on the results of a cognoscopy, patients receive a personalized treatment protocol that uses diet, exercise, sleep, stress reduction, supplements, and more to achieve reversal. The Bredesen Protocol uses a multi-pronged approach to treat a complicated, multifaceted disease.
If preventing Alzheimer’s is your goal, then a cognoscopy gives you a baseline of your cognition, and provides a framework to repair any abnormal factors are detected before you have symptoms. Prevention is key as cognitive decline generally starts 10 to 15 years before it is diagnosed. If you are already in decline, knowing which of the 36+ factors are causing your memory loss gives you the knowledge for a personalized, targeted approach to reversing Alzheimer’s.
Dr. Bredesen’s research and protocol have achieved remarkable results in the treatment and prevention Alzheimer’s disease and ushers in a new era of hope. Whether your interest is in prevention Alzheimer’s disease or reversing it, you can find a health care professional trained in the Bredesen Protocol in your area by contacting Dr. Bredesen’s team at Apollo Health.
