Tag Archives: Depression

Dementia and Alzheimers’ Disease – How Can It Be Treated?

The Latin word “De-mentia”, literally means, the removal of a person from their own mind. It stands for a significant decrease in brain function, including memory, goal-directed thinking, orientation in space and time, and language ability.

Most dementias are progressive. They cannot be cured and will gradually cause more severe problems for the patient, and for the patient’s caretakers. As the population ages, Alzheimer’s disease is on its way to becoming the third most common fatal disease.

Prescription medications on the market starting in the 1990s to treat dementia have been a disappointment to patients and doctors alike.

The frustration caused by this situation prompted me to make the development of an anti-dementia treatment protocol a major focus of my clinical work.

As always, we start with a thorough neuropsychiatric assessment, looking for potentially reversible causes of cognitive decline such as a thyroid condition, vitamin deficiency, a sleep disorder, elevated blood sugar and diabetes. Importantly, untreated depression and chronic high stress and anxiety levels are associated with a higher risk for dementia. Most of the time, psychotherapy is a far better alternative to the all-too-common multiple prescription drugs.

The protocol uses a number of carefully evaluated novel interventions and components based on sound neuroscientific principles, sourced from both functional medicine and traditional medical systems, such as Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine.

The protocol stabilizes many of my patients, and improves their functioning and quality of life. It has shown promising results not only for dementia, but also for traumatic brain injury. Continue reading →