Cognitive Decline

Cognitive decline, or cognitive impairment, occurs when you begin struggling with your cognitive abilities. This includes trouble remembering, concentrating, learning new information, and making sound decisions.  Cognitive impairment can happen at any age, which is why it is important to watch out for the telltale signs.  The signs of cognitive decline or impairment can be subtle at first, but they tend to worsen over time. Some of the most common signs to look out for include:

• Short-term or long-term memory loss
• Confusion and impaired judgment
• Difficulty following instructions or completing tasks.
• New changes in mood or behavior
• Emotional outbursts or anger
• Forgetting familiar names or faces
• Vision problems
• Poor motor skills
• Lack of balance

How is cognitive decline treated?  Increasingly, research is finding interventions in multiple areas such as genetics, detoxification, nutrition, sleep and hormones can reverse cognitive decline and even Alzheimer’s dementia.  Early treatment and/or prevention is less difficult and should begin as soon as possible.  Modern medicine is realizing that there is no “magic bullet’ prescription for dementia.  New, groundbreaking therapies come from the recognition that there are more than 36 different factors that contribute to severe cognitive decline.  We can now test for many of the variables that contribute to this illness, and systematically guide patients to make the changes that reverse cognitive decline and restore function.