ITS A GUIDE ON WHAT TO DO
i get questions all the time about what to do about memory problems
in a family member
a friend
a neighbor
the person asking the question
what do i do
this week the texas dept of health came out with clinical guidelines
for evaluating and treating dementia and memory loss
click on the far right pdf file
i highly recommend that if you are in one of the categories above
that you take your time and read through the new guidelines
eg
if you have a parent or a spouse who has gone to their doctor
to be evaluated for memory loss
then
work your way through these new guidelines
to be sure that a complete evaluation has been done
these guidelines wont be new to you if you have read this blog
over a period of time
as
i have been preaching these things for the last three years
i am actually on a state committee with the health department that
is working on getting this information to primary care providers
in a easy to use form for their daily practices
the viewpoint i offer is that of a former family doctor who
understands what it likes to be working in the trenches when
in the middle of the busy hectic day as a patient leaves the
room the wife says
you know he cant remember nothing anymore
in medicine we call that oh by the way
which means thats the real reason they came in
just
stop
take out the flip card
work my way down the new algorithm
and get you the answer to the cause that you deserve
of course treating alzheimers is a bottomless pit
as you know what the end result will be
however
maybe a treatable cause is found like depression low b12
poor controlled blood pressure strokes sleep deprivation etc etc
thats why these guidelines are done
for the provider to follow so the proper workup is done
and
for the patient and family and friends to be sure that
the proper workup is done
nothing is worse than to find a memory problemed patient
who has been treated for years for memory loss
to find that they had a treatable cause
then
of course we are on the brink of finding a treatment for
alzheimers disease
so take the time
click on the new clinical guidelines link here
its the third pdf file on the right
make sure the right thing has been done
as you read the new guidelines you may get lost in some of
the words
dont worry if you are put in a situation where a workup
is needed
youll quickly know what these things are
note ive actually had all of the workup that they recommend
its now all available to you in the private world
dont accept anything less
it now is the standard of care for memory loss in the us
that you should be able to get done anywhere you live
no excuses allowed
from you or your health provider
the organicgreen doctor
welcome to the organic green doctor blog
i am a family physician who was diagnosed with
early mild cognitive impairment(mci) amnestic type on december 21, 2010
this is a precursor to alzheimers disease
because of this diagnosis i have opted to stop practicing medicine
this blog will be about my journey with this disease
please feel free to follow me along this path
i will continue blogging on organic gardening, green living,
solar power, rainwater collection, and healthy living
i will blog on these plus other things noted to be interesting
Friday, May 30, 2014
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