Sometimes the obvious deserves mention. Medscape recently highlighted an article from the journal, Neurology, (see link at end) which emphasized how the practice of 5 lifestyles patterns could lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 60 percent.
The rate of Alzheimer’s disease is climbing and it impact on society is growing as more and more elderly require care by their children. This degenerative disease attacks a person’s memory and ability to function independently, leading to disability and death. No good therapy has been discovered by conventional medicine to reverse its course. Functional medicine can often stall its progression and reverse early disease, but prevention is always a better option.
According to this study practicing 4 or 5 of these regularly can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s by 60% in the average individual.
- Not smoking
- Physically active (greater than 150 minutes per week of exercise)
- Cognitively active
- Light to moderate alcohol consumption
- Healthy diet (MIND diet in this study)
Even practicing 2 or 3 factors gave a 37% lower risk.
This is not shocking for functional medicine doctors like myself. We work patients towards these goals on a regular basis. Sometimes we have to build them up physically or augment diets for deficiencies in the beginning, but whether they are 30 years old and a functioning brain OR 70 years old declining fast, they will benefit from this approach.
The healthier more abundant life requires work in these areas, but the alternatives are less desirable.
Medscape
Five Healthy Lifestyle Choices Tied to Dramatic Cut in Dementia Risk by Megan Brooks
Published June 22, 2020. Accessed July 18, 2020
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/932704
Original Article
Healthy lifestyle and the risk of Alzheimer dementia: Findings from 2 longitudinal studies
Klodian Dhana, Denis A. Evans, Kumar B. Rajan, David A. Bennett, Martha C. Morris
Neurology Jun 2020, 10.1212/WNL.0000000000009816; DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000009816
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
