Individual Alzheimer’s prevention is possible: carry out a cognoscopy in time
It is no longer a secret that Alzheimer’s disease is not an inevitable fate and that each of us can protect ourselves from it at a young age. The magazine “Der Spiegel” recently published a valuable article on the subject of Alzheimer’s prevention with the cover story “Clear in the head”. The article summarized that the causes (and there are many!) do not necessarily lie in the brain, but mostly in the rest of the body. An important conclusion was that a lot can be done at a young age to prevent later mental decline. A wise message – the slogan “Spiegel readers know more” really applies here. Even though we published these topics on our “Knowledge stops Dementia” website many years ago, we are very pleased that this valuable information on lifestyle-oriented dementia prevention is now also being disseminated to society in this way.
How can you actively prevent Alzheimer’s disease?
Preventive physicians such as US neurologist and Alzheimer’s pioneer Dr. Dale Bredesen recommends a comprehensive, personalized approach to preventing (and also reversing) the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease. His therapy protocol, which is seen as a preventive PreCode (Prevention of Cognitive Declineor “Prevention of Cognitive Decline”) or in the therapeutic sense as ReCODE (Reversal of Cognitive Decline or “Reversal of Cognitive Decline”), comprises several key components:
- Change your diet: A Mediterranean, ketogenic diet while maintaining low blood sugar and insulin levels and defined ketone levels is recommended. The focus is on non-starchy vegetables, certain types of fruit, good sources of protein and healthy fats and involves fasting for 12 to 16 hours a day. Click here to find out more about nutrition in dementia.
- Exercise: Regular physical activity in the areas of endurance, strength and flexibility is an essential part of the protocol.
To find out more about the positive aspects of exercise in relation to dementia, click here. - Optimize sleep: Improving the quality and duration of sleep is particularly important for brain regeneration.
- Reduce stress: Coping with and reducing stress is a key factor, as chronic stress promotes neurodegeneration, i.e. the breakdown of the brain. You can find out more about methods for coping with stress here.
- Eliminate toxins and infections: Identifying and eliminating environmental toxins is an important part of the program, as these pollutants and pathogens can also lead to neuroinflammation (inflammation of the brain), putting you at risk for neurodegeneration (breakdown of nerve cells). Click here to find out more.
- Restore hormonal balance: Hormonal imbalances and imbalances can also contribute to cognitive decline and need to be treated
- A cognoscopy The cognoscopy is a diagnostic profile aimed at preventing Alzheimer’s disease, which, in conjunction with an easy-to-perform online cognition test, provides information on whether there are currently any areas of concern. This is the only way to identify individual risk factors and adapt the therapeutic approach accordingly.
What exactly is done in cognoscopy?
Cognoscopy is a term coined by Dr. Bredesen in which a combination of laboratory tests are performed on blood, stool, saliva and/or urine. These are supplemented by tests of cognitive abilities in various areas such as memory, processing speed and accuracy, logic and concentration. The latter can be carried out by anyone in an easy-to-use online cognition test. In this way, after evaluating laboratory and cognitive tests, it is possible to determine those factors that are individually present and contribute to cognitive decline. Dr. Bredesen recommends that each of us should have such a Early detection of neurodegeneration from the age of 45 to be carried out. If there is a family history of Alzheimer’s, the cognoscopy should be performed even earlier!
Conclusion:
So act responsibly, invest in your body and use cognoscopy as a kind of “inspection” to maintain your mental alertness into old age. In this way, you not only prevent Alzheimer’s, but also recognize risk factors for many other life-shortening diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, stroke, diabetes and cancer.
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