alzheimers news-what to do

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-WHAT TO DO
this is the 5th anniversary of this blog
this will be the 1314th blog ive written
there have been 557,585 page views of the blogs

thanks to those who read this blog

someone contacted me recently about some memory loss
the symptoms were mild but noticeable

they read my blog and sent back a message
i think it may be my parkinsons thats causing it

they are correct that a people with parkinsons may
develop memory issues similar to those with alzheimers
and
sometimes the two diseases can actually overlap

however
this person should probably see their medical provider
to look for other causes for memory loss
like
medications prescription and over the counter ones
eg
antihistamines like benadryl or sleep aids can cause memory
issues
sleep problems like sleep apnea or restless legs
stress especially new stress
anxiety depression
a decrease in physical and mental activity
excessive use of alcohol or drugs legal or illegal
meds such as pain meds or nerve pain meds
i was on an antibiotic that affected me
stopping it cleared up the symptoms

they should consider having labs done to look for
causes of memory loss
thyroid level b12 level metabolic chemistry lab for electrolytes
glucose kidney function and liver function tests
things that could affect the memory
i had my labs repeated in the last two years
and
and my vitamin d levels and vitamin b12 levels were low

they should have a memory test done by a medical provider
the commonly used one in the office is called a moca test
some doctors use a mmse test but the moca test is more
sensitive to early changes
eg my initial mmse was normal but the moca was abnormal

an mri may or may not need to be done
this would be based on what shows up in the history and examination
and labs and memory tests

then at the end of the evaluation
if its parkinsons as the probably cause
then at least you know why the memory loss is present
and
what can be done about it

also
maximize you control of your blood pressure cholesterol
diabetes
do regular exercise
get adequate sleep
avoid excessive stress
control anxiety and depression
eat correctly
avoid excessive alcohol and drug use
then
enjoy life

the organicgreen doctor