What We Treat

Brain Fog & Memory Loss

Do you worry about losing your memory? So many people do and they feel unsure of what they can do to prevent it. As we get older, more and more is added to our plate. We can then become more forgetful which in return intensifies the worry.

Is memory loss a normal part of aging? And if you are destined to develop a form of dementia like Alzheimer’s, is there anything you can do to prevent it?

When patients presented these concerns to me in my family medicine practice, I conducted an MMSE (mini mental status exam) on them. It is a test of 30 questions asking things like naming simple objects, what is the date, what is our current location, etc. Most patients aced this test and I reassured them that they were fine. The truth is, I don’t think they felt reassured. Is there a place between completely losing your memory (where this test would become abnormal) and ideal? I felt the uneasiness in my gut too. I just didn’t know what to do about it.

Now, as a functionally trained physician, I know that memory loss can come from inflammatory mediators in the brain that can be measured. The best time to have these measured and treated is before memory loss becomes profound.

I learned a lot about memory loss and how to treat it that I didn’t learn in conventional medicine from my functional medicine training. I also highly recommend a book I read by Dr. Dale Bredesen called “The End of Alzheimer’s.”

Know this: if you are struggling with brain fog or memory loss, there is a reason and steps can be taken to help you.