How to Identify Alzheimer's Symptoms & Treat Them at the Onset

Anyone who has seen the effects of Alzheimer’s disease knows just how distressing it can be for the patient, their loved ones, and their caregivers. If you have noticed a change in the way your brain functions, you might fear that dementia or Alzheimer’s is imminent. We’re often told there’s nothing we can do.

But this isn’t true.

There are plenty of steps to take to prevent the neurodegeneration responsible for Alzheimer’s and dementia, and we are prepared to take these steps with you.

Early warning signs

The first step to preventing Alzheimer’s or dementia is to be aware of the early warning signs. This allows you to take action while you’re still able and of a sound mind to do so.

The Alzheimer’s Association and Healthline offer the following as indicators:

• Memory loss
• Difficulty with planning or problem-solving
• Problems completing familiar tasks
• Losing track of times and places
• Vision loss
• Struggling with conversation
• Misplacing items often
• Exercising poor judgment
• Withdrawing from work and social events
• Personality and mood changes

It is important to note that seeing these symptoms occasionally or briefly is often not a cause for alarm. Everyone forgets things sometimes or misplaces objects. But if you notice yourself or a family member doing this frequently, and being unable to recover, it may be a symptom of Alzheimer’s or dementia.

Possible Prevention

Alzheimer’s can be triggered by insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, or both. In fact, it is now being termed diabetes type III.

When this is the case, there are several lifestyle changes that you, or your loved one, can make to prevent or even reverse early neurodegeneration. Exercising to maintain healthy weight and a healthy brain can play a big part in many patients’ recoveries. It’s also important for smokers to quit in order to increase oxygenation to their brain tissue.

Managing your diet is one of the best ways to prevent type 3 diabetes. Many foods in the standard American diet cause inflammation in the brain, which can lead to neurodegeneration. It’s important to identify your specific triggers.

Ketogenic diets and fasting are quickly becoming popular ways to reverse the damage caused by these inflammatory foods. However, we highly recommended that you work with a nutritionist experienced in this kind of diet, as you could make yourself worse if the diet isn’t followed correctly. Thankfully, we work with a master nutritionist that we trust with our own health. Check out her website when you get a chance.

Even with all of these prevention efforts, sometimes you need a more aggressive treatment plan. That’s where brain rehabilitation comes in.

Brain Rehab

It has been proven that brain exercise is beneficial at preventing the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s. However, it is important to work with a professional to develop a treatment plan that works for you.

If you recognize any of the symptoms above in yourself or a loved one, we recommend that you contact us for a neurological exam. This will help us develop a personalized, effective brain-based rehabilitation program for you that’s designed to support the areas of the brain that have slowed down.

With Alzheimer’s, the functionality of brain cells break down due to amyloid beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles that build up in these cells. By keeping these cells healthy, we can reduce the risk of developing plaques and tangles.

At Colorado Integrative Neurology, our approach identifies under-functioning areas in the brain, which allows us to target activation of these areas with brain-based exercises. This will improve their performance and lead to an overall healthier nervous system.

Contact us today for a free discovery session or call 720-328-5076 to start developing a treatment plan that will help you bounce back from early signs of Alzheimer’s or dementia.