What If Memory Loss Isn’t Just About Getting Older?
For many of us, concerns about brain health become personal long before they become medical.
Maybe you have watched a parent begin repeating the same story. They forget an appointment, struggle to find a familiar word, or become overwhelmed by something they used to manage easily. At first, everyone laughs it off as getting older. Then, slowly, you begin to wonder whether something more is happening.
And somewhere underneath the concern for them is another uncomfortable question:
Is this going to happen to me, too?
The encouraging answer is that genetics are only one part of the story. We cannot change the genes we inherited, but brain health is influenced by many factors throughout our lives—including metabolic health, inflammation, cardiovascular health, environmental exposures, nutrition, sleep, stress, physical activity and social connection.
That means there are things we can begin doing now to support a healthier brain.
When Is Forgetfulness More Than Normal Aging?
Occasionally walking into a room and forgetting why you went there is not automatically a sign of dementia. Neither is occasionally forgetting someone’s name and remembering it later.
What deserves more attention is a change from a person’s previous level of functioning, particularly when it begins interfering with everyday life.
Early warning signs can include:
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Repeatedly forgetting recently learned information
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Asking the same questions over and over
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Increasing difficulty planning, organizing or managing finances
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Struggling with familiar tasks
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Losing track of dates, time or location
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Increasing difficulty finding words
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Frequently misplacing items and being unable to retrace your steps
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Changes in judgment, mood or personality
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Withdrawing from activities that were previously enjoyable
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Increasing difficulty concentrating or following conversations
These symptoms do not automatically mean someone has Alzheimer’s disease. Memory and cognitive changes can have many potential contributors, including medication effects, sleep problems, thyroid disorders, nutrient deficiencies, depression and other medical conditions. But cognitive changes that interfere with daily life should not simply be dismissed as “normal aging.” Early evaluation matters.
What Does Blood Sugar Have to Do With Your Brain?
More than most people realize.
We usually think about blood sugar in relation to diabetes, weight or metabolic health. But your brain is an extraordinarily energy-demanding organ, and the way your body regulates glucose and insulin can affect the brain as well. (Learn more here about blood sugar and the brain).
Type 2 diabetes is an established risk factor for dementia. Researchers are studying several possible connections, including vascular damage, inflammation, altered energy metabolism and impaired insulin signaling in the brain.
This relationship has led some researchers to use the phrase “Type 3 diabetes” when discussing Alzheimer’s disease.
This does not mean Alzheimer’s disease is literally another type of diabetes, and “Type 3 diabetes” is not an official medical diagnosis. Rather, the phrase developed from research demonstrating important overlaps between Alzheimer’s disease and abnormalities in insulin signaling and glucose metabolism within the brain.
That distinction is important—but so is the underlying message.
Metabolic health is brain health.
Supporting healthy blood sugar throughout adulthood may be one of the many ways we can support long-term cognitive health. That includes paying attention to the quality of our food, eating adequate protein and fiber, building and maintaining muscle, moving regularly, getting sufficient sleep and addressing insulin resistance rather than waiting until it progresses to diabetes.
What About Toxins, Chemicals and Heavy Metals?
Our brains do not exist separately from our environment.
Over a lifetime, we are exposed to pollutants and chemicals through the air we breathe, the water we drink, our occupations, household products and other environmental sources.
Researchers are actively investigating how environmental exposures may interact with genetics and other risk factors in neurodegenerative disease. Studies have examined air pollution, pesticides and metals such as lead, cadmium, manganese, iron, copper and others. Research supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has also associated long-term exposure to components of fine particulate air pollution with higher rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
This does not mean that every chemical exposure causes dementia, nor does it mean that everyone needs an aggressive “detox.”
Instead, it gives us another reason to think about brain health comprehensively.
Reducing unnecessary exposures where possible, supporting adequate nutrition, protecting the body’s normal elimination pathways and addressing known or suspected significant exposures appropriately can be part of a broader brain-health strategy.
The emerging science is especially interesting because it suggests that genes and environment may interact. Someone’s genetic susceptibility may influence how their body responds to environmental exposures.
That brings us back to the question so many people ask when Alzheimer’s or dementia runs in their family:
“If my mom or dad has it, am I destined to get it?”
Your Genetics Are Important—but They Are Not Your Entire Future
Watching a parent lose pieces of their memory is incredibly difficult.
Roles begin to change. You may find yourself reminding your parent about appointments, helping with finances, repeating conversations or worrying about whether they are safe. At the same time, you may recognize little similarities between yourself and them and wonder what your own future holds.
Family history can influence risk. But risk is not the same thing as destiny.
Researchers increasingly recognize dementia as a complex condition influenced by multiple factors rather than one single cause. Metabolic health, cardiovascular health, physical activity, smoking, alcohol, hearing, social connection, education and environmental factors are among the potentially modifiable contributors being studied.
We cannot promise that healthy living will prevent every case of dementia. We can, however, stop thinking of brain health as something we only address after significant memory loss develops.
Prevention begins much earlier.
How We Approach Cognition and Overall Health at Lake Life Wellness Center
At Lake Life Wellness Center, our goal is to look at the whole person rather than treating brain fog or memory concerns as an isolated symptom.
Through functional medicine, we can evaluate factors that may be affecting cognitive health and overall function. Depending on the individual, that may include looking more closely at blood sugar regulation, nutrient status, inflammation, digestive health, sleep, stress, metabolic health and environmental exposures. The goal is to identify areas where the body may need additional support and create an individualized plan.
Acupuncture can also be incorporated into a comprehensive wellness plan. We often use acupuncture to support stress regulation, sleep, circulation and overall nervous-system balance—all areas that can influence how a person feels and functions day to day.
Movement is another major piece of the puzzle. The brain needs the body to move. Walking, strength training, yoga, Pilates and other appropriate forms of exercise support cardiovascular and metabolic health while helping maintain strength, balance and independence as we age.
Our detoxification therapies may also be used as supportive wellness therapies alongside nutrition, hydration, movement and other strategies designed to support the body’s normal elimination processes. These are not treatments for Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, but they can be incorporated into a broader individualized wellness program.
Most importantly, we want people to understand that taking care of the brain is not one intervention.
It is the cumulative effect of how we eat, move, sleep, manage stress, regulate blood sugar, maintain muscle, nourish our bodies, reduce unnecessary exposures and stay mentally and socially engaged.
Start Protecting Your Brain Before You Think You Need To
You do not need to wait until you are forgetting important things to care about your brain.
And you do not need to live in fear simply because Alzheimer’s disease or dementia is part of your family history.
There is still much we are learning about cognitive decline, and there is no single diet, supplement, detoxification program or treatment that can guarantee dementia prevention. But there are meaningful, practical steps we can take to improve the health of the body that supports the brain.
That is exactly what we will be discussing at our upcoming seminar:
Brain Health: The Hidden Causes of Brain Fog, Cognitive Decline & Dementia
Saturday, September 26th at 10:30 AM
Lake Life Wellness Center
200 Main Street, Sandpoint
Cost: $30
We will talk about inflammation and neurodegeneration, blood sugar and insulin resistance, environmental exposures, nutrient deficiencies, lifestyle factors associated with dementia risk, and practical functional strategies for supporting memory, focus and mental clarity.
If you are concerned about your own memory, have a family history of dementia, are caring for a parent experiencing cognitive decline, or simply want to be proactive about protecting your brain as you age, this seminar is for you.
Your brain is something worth protecting long before memory begins to fade.
To learn more or reserve your spot, visit lakelifesandpoint.com or call 208-264-0644.