Brain Health and Aging: Nutritional Support to Enhance Brain Regeneration

As aging sets in, many diseases become prevalent. Besides cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, brain decline increases with aging, as shown by the fact that more than three million new cases of Alzheimer’s disease are diagnosed each year in the U.S. alone. One in three seniors dies of the disease or other forms of dementia.

There is a drastic decline in quality of life for the patients, not to mention the emotional, caregiving, and financial toll that the disease costs their families. Over 11 million Americans provided unpaid care for their family members with Alzheimer’s and dementia. In 2022 the estimated cost of the condition for the U.S. topped $320 billion. It’s a runaway train that no one can afford to ignore.

Alzheimer’s disease starts with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and then progresses to more severe disease. Symptoms of MCI include forgetting important information that a person would have customarily recalled easily, such as recent events, appointments, or conversations. It also affects one’s ability to complete complex tasks such as figuring out the necessary steps, making sound decisions, or distortion in visual perception.

10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease

· Memory loss

· Disorientation of time and place

· Misplacing things

· Changes in personality

· Loss of motivation

· Mood or behavioral changes

· Trouble performing familiar tasks

· Difficulty with language

· Problems with usual but complex tasks

· Decreased judgment

Causes of Brain Degeneration

While the exact cause of Alzheimer’s Disease isn’t known, it is generally agreed that Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are due to amyloid plaque buildup in the brain and tangles—twisted fibers of tau protein that collectively ‘clog up” the brain, preventing the proper signaling of neurons, contributing to the death of brain cells. This fact is confirmed by the presence of more significant amounts of amyloid beta-protein (amyloid plaque) in the cerebral spinal fluid and observed in an abnormal brain PET scan. People with the APOE4 gene mutation may have higher risks for Alzheimer’s disease.

Convention Treatments

There are several drugs currently used for the treatment of MCI or Alzheimer’s Disease, such as Aricept (donepezil), Exelon (rivastigmine), and Reminyl (galantamine). None have demonstrated long-term benefits in stopping or reversing the disease process. The recent controversy surrounding a new drug called Aduhelm (aducanumab), (which the FDA approved for early-stage Alzheimer’s but Medicare sharply limited coverage), has thrown doubts about viable treatments in the near future.

Current management practices for brain degenerative disease focus on avoiding drugs that can affect cognitive function and treating other concurrent illnesses that may affect cognition. Medications to avoid include benzodiazepines, antihistamines, opioids, proton pump inhibitors (PPI), and anticholinergics such as certain antidepressants and antispasmodics. Conditions that may contribute to cognitive decline include high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and depression.

Complimentary Approaches

Over the years, we at Tao of Wellness have treated many patients with cognitive decline and brain degeneration. While we recognize that there is no cure for the condition clinically, we have observed improvements in cognitive function and a slowing of the disease progression for most of our patients. Here is the program we’ve put our patients on:

A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids has been shown to improve cognitive health. Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids include flax seed, walnut, hemp seed, chia seed, avocado, seaweed, sardine, and oily fish. Click here for Omega Support supplements.

Physical exercise helps prevent and slows cognitive decline. In particular, tai chi has been shown to be particularly helpful because it stimulates the cardiovascular system, lowers the stress hormone, and increases calming and happy neurochemicals. That memorization is part of learning and practicing tai chi. Click here for an at-home tai chi learning program with Dr. Mao.

Intellectual stimulation may prevent cognitive decline. Research shows that playing games and engaging in interactive mental and social activities may help preserve mental functions. Games such as Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, and puzzles like crosswords, Sudoku, and jigsaw have all been found to be helpful.

In some studies, the compound Phosphatidylserine has been shown to prevent memory loss and mental decline. Subjects who took the supplement scored higher on short-term memory, mood, and concentration tests. Check out brain health supplements containing Phosphatidylserine.

Foods high in Resveratrol, an antioxidant polyphenol found in blueberry, raspberry, and grapes, have been studied for their neuroprotective properties, including preventing neurons from being damaged by free radicals. Click here for Resveratrol supplements.

Eat more DMAE-containing foods such as seafood. DMAE (dimethylaminoethanol) is a natural compound produced by your body. Studies show that it helps reduce amyloid plaque in the brain. It is found in fish, especially sardines, anchovies, and oysters. It is found in Brain Boost Neuro Plus supplements.

Restorative sleep is critical for brain health. Our Sleep training and meditation audio program have benefited many of our patients with their sleep quality and quantity. Patients have reported a noticeable improvement in their cognitive function corresponding to their improved sleep quality.

In summary, cognitive decline is often caused by aging. As I’ve written in my bestselling book, Secrets of Longevity, “getting older is inevitable, but aging is not!”. Prevention is the key to stemming the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. For those with APOE4 gene mutation, a preventive program becomes even more critical. However, it’s crucial to implement the program outlined above immediately for patients in an early stage of mild cognitive impairment. We invite you to contact our practitioners for consultation on a treatment program that’s personalized just for you.