Dementia - a symptom with many causes from Alzheimers to poisonings
[UPDATED MARCH 2024]
Introduction
Dementia is not a diagnosis - it is a symptom of some underlying dysfunction. Dementia is not an inevitable consequence of ageing - it always has a cause.
The early signs of dementia are brain fog, poor short term memory, poor concentration, difficulty learning and so on. If these symptoms are tackled early then progression to dementia may be halted.
Food for the Brain website
Please see Food for the Brain website where you can find valuable information on preventing and treating dementia. One can also order test kits from this site for homocysteine levels and other potential markers for cognitive decline.
Home Instead Website
Please see Home Instead Early warning signs of dementia to look for in the elderly
This resource features an extensive discussion covering:
- What dementia is and what its common forms are
- The importance of early diagnosis
- Early warning signs and what to do if you suspect dementia
- Creating a long-term care plan with your doctor and your loved ones
Furthermore the guide discusses that:
- Alzheimer's disease is just one form, but dementia covers a wide range of diagnoses affecting cognition and memory.
- Early signs include memory loss, difficulty with language, confusion and disorientation, difficulty with numbers and time, and mood swings.
- Although more common in elderly people, dementia can occur in people from around the age of 30 onwards.
- Created with the elderly, their loved ones, and caregivers in mind, this guide aims to drive better understanding to help people successfully navigate life with dementia.
Causes of dementia
Poor energy supply to the brain
Prion disorders
Poor blood supply
See Arteriosclerosis - what causes it and how to prevent it.
Hormonal disturbances
Myxoedema madness (underactive thyroid) is a much forgotten diagnosis. This is often overlooked in Down's sydrome, where the mental retardation is put down to the Down's and no thought is given to other possible diagnoses. See Hypothyroidism and Thyroid profile: free T3, free T4 and TSH
Poisonings
- Alcohol - a relatively small amount disturbs short term memory
- Pesticides - the farmers with "sheep dip flu" develop a sub-cortical dementia. See Chemical poisons and toxins
- Drugs - especially psychoactive drugs like major tranquillisers (Largactil)
- Heavy metals - lead, cadmium, aluminium, etc. See Comprehensive Urine element Profile. Also see Detoxification - an overview
Anatomical problems
The following are all possible causes of dementia. Any patient with a progressive dementia should have a brain scan.
- Brain tumours
- Hydrocephalus
- Blood clots (subdural haematoma).
Alzheimer's disease - but is the diagnosis correct?
Only too often I see patients who have gone demented and have been diagnosed as having Alzheimer's without having been properly investigated to exclude other causes. If I had a patient with dementia I would want to go through:
- MRI brain scan
- All the causes of brain fog, poor memory, difficulty thinking clearly. See Brain fog - poor memory, difficulty thinking clearly etc
- Tests for hypothyroidism - see Thyroid profile: free T3, free T4 and TSH
- Trial of B12 injections - I can't think of a reason not to try these in any patient with dementia or foggy brain! See B12 - rationale for using vitamin B12 in CFS
- DMSA provocation test for Mercury and other heavy metals - see Comprehensive Urine element Profile
- Trial of high dose oils - see Phospholipid exchange
Possible cause of Alzheimer's
The link between Alzheimer's and aluminium was discovered at a renal unit in Leeds, where 10% of the patients developed "dialysis dementia". It was discovered that the water used for dialysis was not distilled water but tap water. Alum is used to clear tap water (otherwise the water was brown from the peat). Aluminium in the alum, therefore, passed freely into these patients causing dialysis dementia.
See:
- British Medical Journal - Dialysis Dementia, 1976
- WATER SUPPLY ALUMINIUM CONCENTRATION, DIALYSIS DEMENTIA, AND EFFECT OF REVERSE-OSMOSIS WATER TREATMENT, A M Davison, 1982, The Lancet
Aluminium should be avoided. The main sources are:
- Deodorants - nearly all are aluminium based and pasted on under the arms in sweaty areas where they can easily be absorbed.
- Antacids (acid blockers - it amazes me that these are allowed to contain aluminium!)
- Aluminium pots and pans, cooking foil
- Aluminium cans for drinks
- Cigarette smoke
- Aluminium is made more toxic where there is a zinc or selenium deficiency. Both are very common.
As a good reference point:
Wang et al (2016) in a systematic review of chronic exposure to aluminium and risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) which considered eight cohort and case-control studies (with a total of 10567 subjects) concluded that: ‘Results showed that individuals chronically exposed to aluminium were 71% more likely to develop AD.’
Reference - Chronic exposure to aluminum and risk of Alzheimer's disease: A meta-analysis
Reversal of cognitive decline: A novel therapeutic program
Dr Dale E. Bredesen published a paper in September 2014 with the above title. 10 patients, including patients with memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease, amnestic mild cognitive impairment, or subjective cognitive impairment were treated with a ketogenic diet, supplements and hormones, etc. Nine of the 10 displayed subjective or objective improvement in cognition beginning within 3‐6 months, with the one failure being a patient with very late stage AD. The same interventions and principles apply to my ME patients who essentially have an early "dementia" due to poor energy delivery mechanisms. However since the brain is plastic in the early stages this is all reversible- as my patients demonstrate! The full paper can be viewed here - Reversal of Cognitive decline - Dr Bredesen
Dr Bredesen has published the following books
- The First Survivors of Alzheimer's: How Patients Recovered Life and Hope in Their Own Words - 2022
- The End of Alzheimer's Programme: The Practical Plan to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline at Any Age - The End of Alzheimer’s: The First Programme to Prevent and Reverse the Cognitive Decline of Dementia -2020
- The End of Alzheimer’s: The First Programme to Prevent and Reverse the Cognitive Decline of Dementia - 2017
Related Tests
Related Articles
- Brain fog - poor memory, difficulty thinking clearly etc
- Prion disorders: Alzheimer's Disease; Parkinson's Disease; Creutzfeldt-Jacob's Disease & Motor Neurone Disease
- Arteriosclerosis - what causes it and how to prevent it
- Hypothyroidism
- Phospholipid exchange
- Detoxification - an overview
- B12 - rationale for using vitamin B12 in CFS
- Chemical poisons and toxins
External Links
- The First Survivors of Alzheimer's: How Patients Recovered Life and Hope in Their Own Words - 2022
- The End of Alzheimer's Programme: The Practical Plan to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline at Any Age - The End of Alzheimer’s: The First Programme to Prevent and Reverse the Cognitive Decline of Dementia -2020
- The End of Alzheimer’s: The First Programme to Prevent and Reverse the Cognitive Decline of Dementia - 2017
- Chronic exposure to aluminum and risk of Alzheimer's disease: A meta-analysis
- British Medical Journal - Dialysis Dementia, 1976
- WATER SUPPLY ALUMINIUM CONCENTRATION, DIALYSIS DEMENTIA, AND EFFECT OF REVERSE-OSMOSIS WATER TREATMENT, A M Davison, 1982, The Lancet
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