Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
By Dr. Garland Glenn
You’ve heard it before: “Grandma’s lost her keys again,” or, “I can’t seem to remember names like I used to,” or, “It’s just a Senior Moment.”
While common with aging “Senior Moments” are NOT a normal part of aging.
Symptoms of Alzheimer’s and dementia are often attributed to “normal aging,” so nobody pays them much attention. This is a dangerous misconception because these changes reflect abnormal degeneration of brain cells.
Commonly mistaken for each other, Alzheimer’s and dementia are related, but not the same thing.
How do Alzheimer’s and Dementia differ?
Dementia is not a specific disease – it’s an umbrella term for symptoms which indicate advanced degeneration of the brain. Many dementias are progressive, meaning symptoms start out slowly and gradually worsen. Caught early enough, it may be possible to slow, stop, and even reverse the progression before it’s too late.
Alzheimer’s disease is a specific form of dementia that affects distinct parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. It is the most common form of dementia, responsible for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases.
A major cause of all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, is inflammation. Lifestyle factors including physical trauma, diet, exercise, diabetes, gut troubles, and toxins are the major causes of inflammation.
Most of us have known someone who slowly and sadly drifted into cognitive decline, eventually spending the rest of their life in a memory care unit.
But what if I told you, it is preventable? And in the future, what if that means someone you love, or even YOU can age without Alzheimer’s!
How do you know if you have brain inflammation?
When you sprain an ankle, you know something is wrong because of the pain, redness and swelling. But an inflamed brain doesn’t hurt.
Instead, brain inflammation causes fatigue, foggy thinking, forgetfulness, lack of motivation, and depression. People don’t realize these are symptoms of poor brain health.
Inflammation destroys the brain, accelerates brain aging, and raises the risk of Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, and other brain degenerative diseases. Brain inflammation can even lead to psychiatric mood disorders and depression.
Do you suffer from the following symptoms of brain inflammation?
• Perpetual mental or brain fog
• Trouble concentrating or remembering things
• Life always seems difficult and tiring
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Lack of motivation
• Constipation
• Loss of sense of smell
If so, you may have brain inflammation.
Causes of brain inflammation:
• Blood sugar imbalances (hypoglycemia, insulin resistance, or diabetes)
• Hypothyroidism
• Gut infections
• Heavy metals and other environmental toxins
• Stress and lack of sleep
• Head injuries or stroke
Functional Medicine has the answers!
According to The Institute for Functional Medicine: “Functional Medicine is a systems biology–based approach that focuses on identifying and addressing the root cause of disease. The functional medicine model is an individualized, patient-centered, science-based approach that empowers patients and practitioners to work together to address the underlying causes of disease and promote optimal wellness. It requires a detailed understanding of each patient’s genetic, biochemical, and lifestyle factors and leverages that data to direct personalized treatment plans that lead to improved patient outcomes.”
As a Functional Neurologist for over 25 years, I am experienced in identifying the root causes of Alzheimer’s and Dementia, formulating an individualized treatment protocol, and reversing the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and Cognitive Decline.
Taking action can mean the difference between maintaining a healthy, functional brain into your “golden years,” or aging into disability.
Being one of only five clinics in the state of Florida certified to use IntellxxDNA, we are now able to use each patient’s genetics to personalize their care to a degree unthought of just a year ago.
At The Carroll Institute, we have developed the most comprehensive protocols for addressing these conditions.
If you or a loved one is experiencing memory difficulties or problems with cognition, please don’t ignore it.
Please call us at 941-350-7722 to schedule a Discovery Phone call with one of our certified Brain Health Coaches and find out how we can help you. You can also visit us online at The Carroll Institute.
It’s time to take control of your brain health and “Age Without Alzheimer’s.”
Call 941-350-7722 or visit thecarrollinstitute.com
