7 Conditions Masquerading As Dementia

The UCLA protocol recognizes that dementia can have many causes and those causes are often reversible.

Sharp Again Naturally (www.sharpagain.org) is a non-profit organization formed in 2012 to educate the public and the medical community about the reversible causes of dementia.

Here are seven areas Sharp Again Naturally suggests you investigate before accepting a dementia or Alzheimer's diagnosis. These are conditions that may cause memory loss and dementia but can be reversed:

1. Nutritional imbalances and deficiencies.

  • Deficiencies of omega 3s, vitamin B12, vitamin C, magnesium, selenium, probiotics, and other nutrients frequently cause symptoms of Alzheimer's and dementia.
  • Adhering to a balanced Mediterranean-style diet is associated with slower cognitive decline.  It's also linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer's.
  • Studies also show low vitamin D levels are linked to Alzheimer's. Low folate (vitamin B9) may also lead to cognitive decline.
  • Adding coconut oil may rescue a brain from Alzheimer's.  And turmeric is known to boost working memory in just one dose. 

2. Artificial food colors, flavors, and sweeteners.

Artificial additives of all kinds may cause dementia symptoms.
Studies show the artificial sweetener aspartame impairs cognitive function and leads to memory loss.  

3. Prescription medication side effects.
  • Drugs, especially pain medications, and psychotropic drugs can severely disrupt cognition.
  • Statins are particularly harmful.  In one study from the University of California – San Diego, 90 percent of patients who stopped taking statin drugs reported improvement in cognitive problems in a matter of weeks.  In some of the patients a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer's was reversed.
  • Another study showed that the sleep drug Ambien increased the risk of dementia in elderly patients.

4. Inflammation from low-level infections, mold, food allergies, and Lyme Disease.
  • Inflammation is the body's attempt to get rid of a toxic element or organism, and so it occurs in many different situations, even root canals and urinary tract infections.
  • Studies suggest that mental disorders result from neuroinflammation.

5. Stress and stagnation/inactivity.
  • Stress elevates cortisol levels, leading to inflammation, and in turn to hormone imbalances, cognitive impairment, heightened blood sugar levels, hypertension, delayed healing time, and susceptibility to disease. The body's self healing mechanisms depend on unimpeded flow of lymph, blood, and other fluids, all of which are promoted by exercise. Inactivity, by contrast, allows cellular shutdown and blockages, taxing the whole system and interfering with healing on every level.
  • One study showed that in patients younger than 65 years-old, 41% of dementia diagnoses were incorrect.  Misdiagnosis occurred most frequently in patients with depression or alcohol abuse.  

6. Thyroid and other hormonal imbalances.
  • Many people diagnosed with Alzheimer's or dementia simply have low levels of T3 thyroid hormone. However, standard thyroid tests completely miss T3 levels, and Synthroid (T4) doesn't help. It is estimated that 10 to 15% of all nursing home residents may be there because of low T3.

7. Mercury and other heavy metal poisoning.
  • So-called silver amalgam fillings contain 50 percent mercury, and that mercury is neither stable nor inert. It off-gasses, crosses the blood-brain barrier, and destroys neurons even without contact. Removing these fillings is hazardous unless done with mercury-safe protocols.
  • Annual flu shots are another source of these toxins.  Research shows that people who took the flu shot for five consecutive years had 10 times or 1000 percent higher risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease than people who only had one or two flu shots due to the accumulation of mercury and aluminum in the vaccines.

Most doctors are not expert in these causes of dementia or how to treat them.  Sharp Again Naturally is building a medical advisory board and a database to get the word out.  It also offers help finding functional medicine specialists, naturopaths, or doctors who practice integrative medicine who are familiar with these areas.