Feeling a little lonely lately? Who isn’t? All the social distancing we’ve endured the past several months has many of us feeling isolated. The consequences could be devastating. A new paper in Trends in Cognitive Sciences on the neurobiology of social distancing shows that it has serious consequences for brain health and immune system function. In fact, the authors say, “loneliness may be the most potent threat to survival and longevity.”
Why is loneliness so devastating? We are all social animals. It is hard-wired into our brains, and when we are lonely and/or disconnected from others, it can have negative physical and neurological effects.
Multiple studies have found that loneliness raises the chances of developing memory-related disorders. A 2018 study in The Journals of Gerontology involving data from 12,000 participants shows that loneliness increases the risk of dementia by 40%. Other research in JAMA Psychiatry suggests that people who are lonely face more than twice the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia.
As part of the U.S. Health and Retirement study, more than 8,300 adults ages 65 and older were assessed every 2 years from 1998 to 2010; researchers reported that the loneliest among them experienced cognitive decline approximately 20% faster than people who were not lonely, regardless of any other factors.
Research shows that loneliness is associated with a variety of mental health issues, including depression, substance use disorders, sleep problems, and personality disorders.
About 10% of Americans who are 50 and older do not have a spouse, partner, or living child. This group has the highest rate of suicide and an increasing problem of drug addiction, according to a 2018 article in The Wall Street Journal.
Social isolation at a young age can be especially harmful to brain development. In the early 1990s, thousands of Romanian infants were orphaned and warehoused without touch sometimes for years at a time. PET studies (similar to SPECT studies) of a number of these deprived children have shown marked overall decreased activity across the whole brain.
According to meta-analyses in PlosOne and Perspective on Psychological Science, the physical health risks associated with a lack of social connections are equal to smoking 15 cigarettes a day or having an alcohol use disorder. And social isolation and loneliness have twice the harmful effects of obesity.
At a time like this when we all need to be shoring up our immune system to fight off COVID-19, feeling lonely doesn’t help. In fact, loneliness impairs immune system function and increases susceptibility to infections and diseases. A 2005 study in Health Psychology found that feeling lonely and having a small social circle lowers immune defense.
Can loneliness be detected in the brain? A 2020 brain imaging study in The Journal of Neuroscience from scientists at Dartmouth University has identified brain patterns associated with loneliness. The researchers analyzed clusters within the brain that activate when someone is thinking about themselves compared with thinking about others (such as close friends or celebrities).
When participants thought about someone with whom they had very close ties, the brain activated more similarly to the way it did when thinking about oneself. Specifically, activation occurred throughout the social brain, including an area called the medial prefrontal cortex that is associated with self-representation. Basically, the stronger the social connection, the more similar the brain activation.
In lonelier people, thinking about others activated a different cluster, revealing a disconnect between the self and others.
“It’s almost as if you have a specific constellation of neural activity that is activated when you think about yourself,” study author Megan Meyer says in a statement. “And when you think about your friends, much of the same constellation is recruited. If you are lonely though, you activate a fairly different constellation when you think about others than when you think about yourself. It’s as though your brain’s representation of yourself is more disconnected from other people, which is consistent with how lonely people say they feel.”
To reduce the risk of loneliness and isolation, get involved with your family, church, or other groups online if in-person is not possible. Take an online class or find ways to volunteer as research shows that people who help care for others live longer. Grandparents who care for their grandchildren, for example, live longer, on average, than grandparents who do not.
Memory problems, depression, substance use disorders, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
By Mark Filidei, DO
Director of Integrative/Functional Medicine at Amen Clinics
When Sarah, a 53-year-old accountant, came in for an appointment, she complained that she was “getting sick all the time.” In the past year, she had endured multiple infections—4 respiratory infections, 3 bacterial infections, a urinary tract infection with pseudomonas, and 3 “tailbone infections.” In addition, she had knee surgery, but the bone failed to heal. On top of that, she felt like she had brain fog, was constantly fatigued, and woke up in pain every day.
What was causing all these seemingly disparate issues?
Sarah had a brain SPECT scan that showed a pattern we call scalloping, which is a sign of overall decreased cerebral perfusion. Scalloping is associated with toxicity (drugs and alcohol), environmental toxins (such as mold), chemotherapy, carbon dioxide poisoning, oxygen deprivation, infection, hypothyroidism, severe anemia, or medications.
When we see this troublesome pattern on brain scans, it prompts us to ask more questions of our patients to help narrow the possibilities. After seeing Sarah’s scan, I asked her a long list of questions, including:
“Have you ever had a water leak in your home?”
She responded by saying, “Oh yes, whenever I take a shower, some water seeps out at the bottom of the stairs” and “the floors are squishy.”
With this and other information in her history, I focused on the possibility that mold and mycotoxins might be contributing to her symptoms.
Mold exposure can negatively impact physical health, the central nervous system, and mental wellbeing. The primary physiological effects of mold exposure include inflammatory or allergic responses and toxicity. Common reactions to mold include chills, nasal stuffiness, cough, eye irritation, wheezing, and skin irritation. Among the many central nervous system responses are headaches, confusion, fatigue, irritability, and sleep disorders. Mental health problems can include anxiety, depression, memory loss, subjective cognitive impairment (SCI), and depersonalization or derealization.
The severity of these issues depends on multiple factors, such as the dose and duration of the exposure. In addition, a person’s age and genetics, health and nutritional status, and other toxic burdens (such as exposure to glyphosate, metals, xenoestrogens, and pesticides) play a role.
Mycotoxins, which are toxic secondary metabolites produced by some fungi, can make symptoms worse.
These harmful substances have a direct effect on neurotransmitters, and a growing body of evidence shows that some patients with Alzheimer’s disease are infected with fungi. Other research suggests that type 3 Alzheimer’s disease is the result of exposure to certain toxins.
Mold and mycotoxins can have other serious consequences, including harmful effects on children’s cognitive development, negative changes in the gut’s microbiota composition, endocrine disruption, and immunosuppressive effects.
The two primary sources of mold exposure are water-damaged buildings and food. In homes and office buildings, toxic mold isn’t always visible to the naked eye, but it can lurk behind wallpaper and baseboards. Sarah hired a mold inspector, who found high levels of toxic mold in several areas of her home.
I also gave Sarah a brief primer on the prevalence of mold and mycotoxins in our food supply. Due to the widespread use of pesticides and unhealthy factory farming practices, the U.S. has some of the highest levels of mycotoxins in the world.
Some of the most harmful mycotoxins that have been found in our food supply include the following:
Other foods in which mold and mycotoxins have been found include processed meats (sausage, salami, hot dogs, etc.), berries, cheese, bread, coffee beans, and alcohol (beer, wine, etc.).
To overcome her symptoms, Sarah started by moving temporarily while her home underwent a thorough toxic mold removal process. She also adopted a low-mold diet—eliminating her typical afternoon snack of peanuts, skipping the wine she usually had with dinner, avoiding her favorite blue cheese, and other changes. In addition, her treatment plan included antifungal medications, supplements to aid in detoxification, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), and more. In time, her brain fog cleared, she managed to avoid getting infections, and she began waking up feeling refreshed and energetic.
Dr. Mark Filidei is an Internal Medicine physician and is the Director of Integrative/Functional Medicine for Amen Clinics. Functional Medicine incorporates the latest developments in systems biology, genetics, and a deep understanding of human physiology to address complex medical and mental health issues. Dr. Filidei’s approach is to find the root cause of a person’s health problems including metabolic, genetic, and environmental factors, and to treat those problems in as natural a way as possible by using targeted nutritional supplements, correcting hormone and metabolic imbalances, improving lifestyle and diet, and detecting and treating toxin exposure and infections like mold and Lyme disease.
Pop Quiz: What do cats have in common with the following?
Answer: Toxoplasma gondii
Did you know that more than 40 million Americans may be infected by this tiny single-celled parasite that is often carried in cats and shed in their feces? The parasite infects many animals, but it can only sexually reproduce in cats. When it infects a rat—or a mouse or a bird or some other small creature—it releases an enzyme to boost the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine, which is involved in risk-taking, reward, and motivation.
Scientists believe it effectively rewires the brain, so the rat gets hooked on cat urine and basically turns into a cat-seeking missile. Instead of instinctively fearing and running away from cats, the rat runs toward their natural predator. Not surprisingly, the cat eats the rat. And then the T. gondii starts to reproduce at an alarming rate.
In an amazing TED talk, science writer Ed Young recounts this most unusual love story and calls it a classic tale of “Eat, Prey, Love.”
The story doesn’t end there.
When an unsuspecting human empties the cat litter box and comes in contact with the parasite, they can become infected. The T. gondii shed in feline feces can also seep into our water and into the ground, where it can be picked up by humans. This infection, called toxoplasmosis, has a strong association with a wide range of neuropsychiatric symptoms.
In addition, if a pregnant woman becomes infected, she can pass the infection to her developing fetus, which can lead to brain damage or blindness at birth, or mental disabilities later in life.
The parasite is controlling the host. It makes you think that maybe we don’t have as much control over our behavior as we think we do.
If you’re experiencing mental health issues—such as schizophrenia, psychosis, anxiety, depression, or memory problems—and you aren’t seeing improvement from standard treatment, it’s worth investigating if an underlying infection like toxoplasmosis is involved. Brain imaging and screening tests can help detect infectious diseases and get an accurate diagnosis so you can get the proper treatment.
At Amen Clinics, when we see evidence of infections on brain SPECT imaging scans, we do additional lab work and testing. Our integrative medicine physicians are trained to diagnose and treat any infections, such as T. gondii, Lyme disease, Epstein-Barr virus, H. pylori, and others.
If you want to join the thousands of people who have already visited Amen Clinics and enhanced their brain function with our personalized diagnosis and treatment plans, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
While most people are focusing on ways to fight the coronavirus pandemic, few are prepared for the other pandemic that is already spreading more rapidly around the nation and across the globe—a mental health pandemic.
Recent reports show:
And that’s just the beginning.
An article in the April issue of JAMA Internal Medicine warns of an impending mental health epidemic due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors write, “These consequences are of sufficient importance that immediate efforts focused on prevention and direct intervention are needed to address the impact of the outbreak on individual and population-level mental health.”
The outlook for our mental wellbeing is grim with spikes expected in anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorders, and other issues.
What can you do now to avoid falling victim to this impending crisis? Start taking care of your brain and body by addressing your BRIGHT MINDS risk factors.
In Daniel G. Amen’s book The End of Mental Illness, he reveals that it’s time to discard the term “mental illness” and recognize that these conditions are actually brain health issues that steal your mind. When you understand that your brain is the organ that creates your mind, you can take the necessary steps to change your brain and heal your mind.
Low blood flow is the #1 brain imaging predictor of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s also associated with depression, schizophrenia, and ADD/ADHD. Did you know that as blood pressure goes up, blood flow to the brain goes down?
BRIGHT MINDS Strategy: To boost blood flow, exercise, eat foods that enhance blood flow to the brain (such as beets, cayenne pepper, oregano, and rosemary), and take supplements like ginkgo biloba.
When you stop learning your brain starts dying. The older you get the more likely you are to struggle with your memory, and as the brain deteriorates with age it leads to a greater risk of mood problems, anxiety, irritability, temper flare-ups, and irrational behavior.
BRIGHT MINDS Strategy: The older you are the more serious you need to be about your physical, cognitive, and emotional health.
The word inflammation comes from the Latin “Inflammare” which means “to set on fire.” When you have inflammation in your body, it’s like a low-level fire that’s destroying your organs, including your brain. Inflammation has been linked to depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), schizophrenia, personality disorders, and Alzheimer’s disease.
BRIGHT MINDS Strategy: Increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids (take a high-quality supplement like Omega-3 Power), try probiotics to promote better gut health (ProBrainBiotics), and floss your teeth to avoid gum disease.
If you have a family history of mental health problems, understand that your genes are not your destiny. Think of it as a wakeup call.
BRIGHT MINDS Strategy: Don’t use genetic vulnerabilities as an excuse to give in to bad habits, such as overeating or excessive drinking.
Mild traumatic brain injuries are a major cause of mental illness, but nobody knows it because traditional psychiatrists never look at the brain. Head injuries are associated with depression, anxiety and panic disorders, psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), drug and alcohol abuse, ADD/ADHD, memory problems, and more.
BRIGHT MINDS Strategy: If traditional treatment for a psychiatric condition isn’t working, consider brain SPECT imaging to see if you have underlying brain trauma that is contributing to your mental health symptoms.
Drugs, alcohol, mold, chemicals in household cleaners, and other toxins are major causes of brain health/mental health issues that traditional psychiatrists almost completely ignore. Exposure to toxins increases the risk of depression, ADD/ADHD, memory problems, autism, temper outbursts, psychotic behavior, dementia, and more.
BRIGHT MINDS Strategy: Detoxify your home as much as possible. Read the labels of the disinfectants you’re using during the pandemic and choose products that aren’t toxic.
Abnormal electrical activity in the brain has been associated with temper outbursts, depression, suicidal thoughts, panic attacks, distractibility, and confusion.
BRIGHT MINDS Strategy: Avoid things that increase mind storms, such as high stress, lack of sleep, drug and alcohol abuse, and skipping meals.
Things like Lyme disease and autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis) cause multiple brain health/mental health issues.
BRIGHT MINDS Strategy: Strengthen your immune system and seek treatment for chronic infections like Lyme disease.
Hormonal imbalances of key neurohormones, such as thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone can cause symptoms—such as depression, anxiety, attention problems, and psychosis—that mimic mental health conditions.
BRIGHT MINDS Strategy: Know and optimize your hormone levels.
Being obese and/or having diabetes is detrimental to brain health and leads to a greater risk of depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, addictions, agoraphobia, and more.
BRIGHT MINDS Strategy: Many obese people with type 2 diabetes are able to overcome the condition with a brain healthy diet, increased physical exercise, and supplements like berberine that help support healthy blood sugar levels.
Over time, sleep problems lead to an increased risk of depression, ADD/ADHD, panic attacks, memory problems, and dementia.
BRIGHT MINDS Strategy: Make sleep a priority and aim for 7-8 hours a night.
Anxiety can’t wait. Depression can’t wait. Addiction can’t wait. Your mental health can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever, and waiting to get treatment until the pandemic is over is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.
At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples, as well as in-clinic brain scanning to help our patients. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
If you have to have surgery, your doctor will typically advise you of possible complications, such as bleeding, pain, blood clots, infection, and even death. However, you may not hear about the risk of cognitive problems, such as memory loss and confusion, after anesthesia.
Sandra didn’t know anything about the potentially toxic risk of general anesthesia when she went in for knee surgery. After the operation, her knee felt better, but she felt like she had brain fog and was afraid she was getting Alzheimer’s disease. She broke down in tears and called a psychiatrist for help. Years earlier, she had gotten a brain imaging scan using a technology called SPECT. Her mental healthcare professional suggested rescanning her to see if her brain had changed.
On the new scan, Sandra’s brain looked toxic and was dramatically worse in her frontal and temporal lobes, both of which are involved in memory and attention. It was clear that something had negatively affected her brain after that first scan.
Current research on general anesthesia is mixed, with some studies showing no lasting negative effects and others showing toxic effects, but the following two studies stand out.
1. In the journal Pediatrics, children who had undergone general anesthesia before the age of 4 had lower IQ, diminished language comprehension, and decreased gray matter in the back of their brains. This is very concerning.
2. A before-and-after SPECT study of patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery showed that 68% had diminished blood flow, which was linked to decreased verbal and visual memory six months later.
What makes this even more alarming is that low blood flow is a risk factor for mental illness. Low blood flow on brain SPECT imaging has been seen with depression, suicidal thoughts, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADD/ADHD, traumatic brain injury, hoarding, murder, substance abuse, and more. In fact, decreased cerebral blood flow is the #1 brain imaging predictor that a person will develop Alzheimer’s disease.
If you have to undergo surgery, opt for local or spinal anesthesia whenever possible. If that is not an option, make sure you do everything you can to optimize your brain before going under the knife. And practice brain healthy habits after surgery to improve cognitive function.
To see what anesthesia does to the brain, look at Karen’s SPECT scans below. Karen discovered she had an aortic aneurysm and had to have surgery with general anesthesia. She had a prior SPECT scan and wanted to know what effect the anesthesia had on her brain, so she had another scan done shortly after the procedure. The post-anesthesia scan looked much worse than her original scan, which motivated her to work really hard to rehabilitate her brain. No doubt, the surgery had a very negative impact on her brain and mind, but that was recoverable with brain healthy habits. And her follow-up scan showed marked improvement.
For tips and strategies on how to prepare for a surgical procedure and how to recover more quickly, check out these 3 episodes of the Brain Warrior’s Way podcast in which Dr. Daniel Amen and his wife Tana Amen discuss her experience having a hysterectomy.
How to prepare for unexpected health emergencies.
https://brainwarriorswaypodcast.com/how-to-prepare-for-unexpected-health-emergencies/
How to recover quickly after a medical procedure.
https://brainwarriorswaypodcast.com/how-to-recover-quickly-after-a-medical-procedure/
What are the best pain management strategies after surgery?
https://brainwarriorswaypodcast.com/what-is-the-best-pain-management-strategies-after-surgery/
At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging as part of a comprehensive evaluation to help our patients see and understand any underlying brain dysfunction due to toxins, such as anesthesia. We use an integrated brain-body approach to heal the brain and minimize any symptoms associated with exposure to toxins.
If you want to join the thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health and overcome symptoms, such as memory loss or brain fog, at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
If you’re like most people, you probably think your brain shuts off at night while you’re sleeping. Wrong! While you’re snoozing, your brain is actually hard at work performing some very critical functions necessary to keep it operating at optimal levels.
Emerging research shows that during sleep, your brain cleans or washes itself by eliminating cellular debris and toxins that build up during the day (basically taking out the neural trash). This trash includes the beta-amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Your brain is so busy managing your life during the daylight hours that this cleaning system is pretty much turned off. One theory about why people with dementia sleep so much is that their brains are trying to clear out the accumulating plaques/gunk.
During sleep, the brain also consolidates learning and memory, and it prepares for the following day. The brain processes that occur during sleep are also important for the health of your immune system, appetite control, and neurotransmitter production. And sleep is also linked to mental health.
Getting adequate sleep is vital for your brain, but an estimated 50 to 70 million Americans have some form of sleep disorder. Nearly one-third of us suffer from short-term bouts of insomnia, the most common sleep problem. Chronic insomnia affects approximately 1 in 10 people, and the rates are even higher among people with psychiatric disorders. In fact, over 50% of the time, insomnia is tied to stress, anxiety, or depression.
Sleep and brain health/mental health issues are tightly linked. Research shows that about 75% of people with depression also have insomnia. A 2016 study shows that from 69% to 99% of people with bipolar disorder experience insomnia or feel a reduced need for sleep during manic episodes. Over half of the people with anxiety have trouble sleeping, and children with ADHD are more likely to experience sleep disorders than kids without the condition, according to research in Sleep.
The relationship between sleep and brain health/mental health issues goes both ways. In general, a night of staring at the ceiling can make you wake up feeling angry, irritable, sad, or stressed the next day; lower your ability to concentrate, and impair your judgment. Over time, sleep problems can lead to a higher risk of depression, ADHD, panic attacks, brain fog, memory problems, and dementia.
How important is just one hour of sleep? A study in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence found that teenagers who on average get one hour less sleep at night are 38% more likely to feel sad and hopeless, 42% more likely to consider suicide, 58% more likely to attempt suicide, and 23% more likely to engage in substance abuse.
1. A bedroom that is too warm, bright, or noisy. The ideal temperature is personal, but it should be on the cool side. Consider blackout shades if you live in a city, where light pollution is sometimes hard to avoid. Try earplugs if you live in a noisy neighborhood or sleep with someone who snores.
2. Gadgets by the bed. Put your phone, tablet, digital watch, and more in another spot, or at least turn off the volume. Turn your digital clock toward the wall so you aren’t distracted by glowing numbers.
3. Medications. Many drugs, including asthma and cough meds, antihistamines, anticonvulsants, and stimulants (such as Adderall or Concerta, prescribed for ADHD), as well as others, disturb sleep.
4. Naps. Taking a nap because you feel sleepy during the day interferes with your nighttime sleep cycle.
5. Alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana. Although these compounds initially induce sleepiness for some people, they have the reverse effect as they wear off, which is why you may wake up several hours after you go to sleep.
6. Hormonal issues. Changes in hormones related to pregnancy, PMS, perimenopause, or menopause can disrupt your sleep.
7. Stressful situations. Death, marital conflict, work deadlines, moving, or an upcoming exam can keep you awake at night.
1. Set up your bedroom for sleep. Keep it cool, dark, and quiet.
2. Address emotional problems before going to sleep. Send a positive text or email or set an intention to deal with the issue tomorrow. If you forgive the other person first, you may just end the argument. If you’re a worrier, devote a before-bed time period (about 10-15 minutes) to journal or pray about your nagging concerns, then stop.
3. Try sound therapy. It can induce a very peaceful mood. Consider soothing nature sounds, wind chimes, a fan, or soft music. Slow classical music, or any music that has a slow rhythm of 60 to 80 beats per minute, can help with sleep.
4. Drink a cup of warm, unsweetened almond milk. Add a teaspoon of vanilla (the real stuff, not imitation) and a few drops of stevia. The combination may increase serotonin in your brain and help you sleep.
5. Refrain from checking the clock if you wake up in the night. If you know what time it is, it can make you anxious.
6. Try hypnosis. Medical hypnosis is a safe and effective tool to promote better sleep.
7. Get evaluated for a sleep disorder. A complete evaluation can help you pinpoint what’s causing your sleep problems and can give you a blueprint to getting more restful sleep.
At Amen Clinics, we take an integrated brain-body approach to evaluating sleep disorders, including brain SPECT imaging, lab tests, and lifestyle assessments. If you want to join the thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health and overcome sleep issues, at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Dementia—it’s one of the most dreaded diseases of our time. About 5.8 million people are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. And that number is expected to skyrocket to 14 million by 2050.
Determining if someone with memory problems or mild cognitive impairment is headed for a more devastating decline into dementia often involves in-depth cognitive testing. But there are a few other simple tests that can be quite telling. A pair of 2019 studies show that certain quick tests are useful in assessing a person’s risk of developing dementia or in ruling it out.
In a 2019 study that appeared in Alzheimer’s and Dementia, researchers assessed cognitive functioning and administered a smell test known as the Brief Smell Identification Test (BSIT). Losing the sense of smell is often one of the initial warning signs of impending Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms surface.
Previous research has found that people who have problems recognizing odors are more likely to have some of the changes in the brain seen in people with Alzheimer’s disease. This is because odor identification is processed in some of the same brain regions that are ravaged by the disease, including the hippocampus, which is involved in memory and learning.
The 2019 research team from Columbia University found that performing well on the cognitive test as well as the BSIT correlated to a very low risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, 96.5% of the study’s 749 elderly participants who performed well on both assessments did not develop dementia during the four years studied.
Another simple tool that is used to screen for Alzheimer’s and other dementias is called the clock-drawing test. A clinician gives a person a blank sheet of paper and asks them to draw a clock that shows a specific time.
If the person can draw the clock accurately and indicate the correct time, it typically rules out dementia. However, if the clock doesn’t look correct, it could be a sign of a serious problem. Researchers have identified the following 6 clock-drawing errors that are indicative of cognitive trouble, such as dementia, with 88% accuracy:
New research in a 2019 issue of Neuropsychology used brain SPECT imaging to investigate how clock-drawing ability correlates to cerebral blood flow patterns. The study found that individuals who didn’t perform well in clock-drawing had lower levels of blood flow in specific areas of the brain associated with dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease. Low blood flow is the #1 brain imaging predictor that a person will develop Alzheimer’s disease.
Functional brain imaging with SPECT is able to reveal abnormal patterns in the brain related to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias years or even decades before symptoms develop. Early detection allows you to make lifestyle changes that can delay the progression of cognitive problems and engage in treatment when it is most effective. The sophisticated imaging technology is also able to rule out dementia by detecting other issues—such as traumatic brain injuries, exposure to toxins, or brain infections—that may be the root cause of memory loss or other cognitive problems.
If you’re concerned about your memory or cognitive function and want to assess your risk in the comfort of your own home, try these 2 tests.
Can you recognize the following 12 odors that are commonly used in the BSIT? To test your sense of smell, you can order a BSIT kit online.
Get a blank sheet of paper and draw a clock that shows 10 minutes after 11. If your clock looks abnormal, or if there are any errors, it’s critical that you seek further evaluation.
At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging, as well as cognitive testing, lab work, and other assessments to evaluate memory loss and screen for cognitive dysfunction, Alzheimer’s, and other dementias.
If you want to join the thousands of people who have already visited Amen Clinics and enhanced their brain function with our personalized treatment plans and Memory Rescue program, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
By Melissa Quinn, MD
Marcia (not her real name) sat across from me in my office at Amen Clinics in Los Angeles. She felt good about the tremendous gains she had made in terms of her mood stability, sleep patterns, and anxiety level. Yet, according to her family, she remained short-tempered and easily irritated.
She’d been prescribed nearly every combination of medications but had experienced significant side effects on many of them. After I ordered genetic testing for her, we were finally on the right track.
When I suggested adding lithium orotate as part of her wellness plan, she looked at me stunned. Having a doctor recommend lithium brought up feelings of fear and confusion for Marcia. These sentiments are understandable, given that prescription lithium has significant risks, including hand tremors, increased urination, hair thinning, decreased thyroid function (over time), and more.
Lithium has been approved for the treatment of bipolar disorder and may also be helpful when prescribed “off-label” for conditions, such as treatment-resistant depression with suicidal thinking. When treating these illnesses, dosages of lithium can reach 1,800mg daily.
The supplement lithium orotate, however, contains much smaller quantities of lithium than the prescription form, generally ranging from 5mg to 10mg daily and in some cases, up to 20mg daily. Some clinicians are skeptical that such a low dosage can provide much support, but many clients have reported feeling benefits.
Here’s some background on lithium orotate and some examples of how clinicians are using it. Lithium orotate is an over-the-counter nutraceutical that consists of orotic acid (a compound produced naturally in the body) and lithium (an alkali metal). Lithium is present in the diet, mainly in grains and vegetables, which is why the supplement is often called “nutritional lithium.”
In fact, lithium is so important to our health that it has been added to the World Health Organization’s list of nutritionally essential trace elements. The orotate compound is important because it delivers the lithium in its bioactive form so your body can absorb it.
Lithium is found in the drinking water in many cities, and research shows that there is an association of lowered incidence of crimes, suicides, and arrests related to drug addictions in these areas. Some researchers are even suggesting we should put lithium in drinking water as a way to reduce suicide. The research indicates that lithium at a low dosage has a beneficial effect on behavior.
Prescription-strength lithium is regarded as a neuroprotective agent. It’s being studied in certain neurodegenerative disorders, namely, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Parkinson’s disease. It’s been shown to disrupt glycogen synthase kinase-3, a key enzyme responsible for the development of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles associated with Alzheimer’s disease. A study in the 2015 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease concluded that lithium treatment may have beneficial effects on cognitive performance in people with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.
Findings suggest that the supplement lithium orotate can promote a positive mood and supports cognitive function in the elderly.
Clinicians should be aware of the very important differences between full-dose prescription lithium and the low-dose supplement lithium orotate. When recommended appropriately, the supplement can be a beneficial addition to the clinical toolbox.
Dr. Melissa Quinn is a psychiatrist who is double board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Her passion is to help people heal, get psychologically well, find the relief they deserve, and help them to become the best version of themselves. She helps children, adolescents, adults, and families get their lives back on track with a whole-person—and when appropriate—a whole-family approach. By developing her clients’ inner strengths, she shows them how to reach their highest potential.
She knows that people are seeking a range of solutions for prevention, health, and healing. As a result, Dr. Quinn became passionate about learning integrative approaches and was subsequently board-certified in Integrative and Holistic Medicine through The Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine. She later went on to peruse a fellowship in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) through Duke University. She enjoys working with a variety of clients, but she specializes in working with patients with ADHD, developmental and intellectual delays, anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and mood disorders.
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most feared illnesses of our time. Losing the ability to recognize your spouse, forgetting the important moments of your life, getting lost on the way home—memory loss steals your life.
Experts expect the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease to triple in the next 30 years, and there is no cure on the horizon. More than 200 medication trials have failed to reverse Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. But new research offers hope.
A study presented at the 2019 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference reveals that you can lower your risk of developing the disease by a whopping 60% by adopting the 4 or 5 of the following everyday lifestyle habits.
1. Eat right: Skip fried foods, red meat, sweets, and baked goods and focus on consuming a diet high in vegetables, seafood, poultry, berries, nuts, beans, whole grains, and olive oil.
2. Get moving: Aim for 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous exercises, such as walking, swimming, or bike riding (always wear a helmet to protect your brain!). Gardening and yard work count too!
3. Avoid excessive alcohol: Drink no more than 1 glass of wine, beer, or other alcoholic beverages per day.
4. Don’t smoke: Avoid smoking cigarettes.
5. Engage in cognitive stimulation: Play chess, solve crossword puzzles, read books, or do other brain-boosting activities.
The study showed that although adopting 4 or 5 of these habits provided the greatest protection, incorporating just one of them into your daily habits also reduced risk.
The habits these researchers studied are a great start, but you can gain even more brain-boosting benefits by doing the following:
Learn the two basic principles of a brain-healthy diet that will help preserve, enhance, or rescue your memory.
Principle #1: Change the way you think about eating.
Principle #2: Change the way you eat (and drink).
The following 4 types of exercise are great for your brain.
A study at Johns Hopkins found that people who drink every day have smaller brains, and when it comes to the brain, size matters! If you want a better brain, less is more. For people who want to drink, stick to no more than 2 to 4 normal-size drinks a week.
Smoking increases the risk of dementia. Smoking is thought to cause dementia in the same way it contributes to vascular diseases: by bombarding the brain with hundreds of different toxins, increasing homocysteine (high levels trigger inflammation), accelerating blood vessel damage (which deprives your brain of oxygen and nutrients) and increasing inflammation and the particulate toxic load in your brain. Vaping is no safer, so ditch the e-cigarettes. And neither is smoking marijuana, which accelerates brain aging and decreases blood flow to the brain. Low blood flow is the #1 brain imaging predictor of Alzheimer’s disease, so avoid anything that reduces blood flow.
The best mental exercises involve acquiring new knowledge and doing things you haven’t done before. However, understand that the parts of your brain that you use will grow, and the parts of your brain that you don’t use will atrophy, or shrink. Just doing crossword puzzles or Sudoku is not going to give you the full benefit you want. That’s like going to the gym, doing right bicep curls and then leaving. Here are some exercises to work out various brain regions:
In another study presented at the conference and published in JAMA, researchers found that adopting healthy lifestyle habits can reduce risk even in people who have a genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s. This report showed that people at elevated risk for the disease could lower their risk of dementia by 32% by following a “favorable” lifestyle compared with those who had “unfavorable” everyday habits.
This research adds further proof that your genes are not your destiny and shatters the false belief that there’s nothing you can do to prevent Alzheimer’s. You can change your brain and decrease your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Based on the world’s largest brain imaging database—over 150,000 brain scans and growing—it is clear that Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia begin in the brain decades before any symptoms appear. Given the complexity of the illness and how early it begins altering the brain, we are likely never going to have a medicine that cures it. That’s why it’s so important to get serious about your brain health and your memory now.
If you or a loved one is suffering from memory issues, understand that there are many things you can do to prevent or reverse memory loss. At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging as part of a comprehensive evaluation to help us develop a personalized treatment plan to prevent or reverse memory problems. Our Memory Rescue program has already helped many patients improve their memory.
Reach out today to speak with a specialist at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit online.
Has your thinking gotten fuzzy—making you feel confused, decreasing your ability to concentrate, and rendering your memory sluggish? Have you been experiencing a mental haze related to COVID-19? Brain fog isn’t considered a medical condition itself, but it can interfere with your everyday life in so many ways. Common symptoms of brain fog include:
Everybody can experience brain fog after a sleepless night, during a particularly stressful period, or after indulging in a big meal with alcohol, but in some cases, it can be a symptom of a more serious problem. When are your symptoms simply a nuisance and when does mental fatigue become something you need to address? If brain fog persists over time or appears to worsen, it’s time to seek an evaluation.
At Amen Clinics, we have been seeing a growing number of patients who have had COVID-19. Many of them, even those who say they had mild cases and recovered, report experiencing lasting brain fog and fatigue. This is in addition to the mental health issues that originally drove them to seek treatment.
In other people, cognitive dysfunction is linked to other causes. For 67-year-old Lew, making a grave error on his finances that could potentially cost him $100,000 was what prompted him to seek help. He had been a Navy pilot and instructor for 40 years, but he had to stop flying because he was unable to think clearly enough to go through his flight plans. He couldn’t remember conversations; was unable to keep track of schedules, appointments and everyday tasks; and had been forgetting the names of people he recently met. Initially, Lew was diagnosed with dementia, but further testing showed his brain fog was related to a different condition altogether.
Many people with COVID-19 experience an inability to concentrate, confusion, or short-term memory loss. In some people who have recovered from the acute illness, there are lasting issues with mental fog that Amen Clinics calls COVID-Brain. According to a pre-print study published on MedRxiv, cognitive dysfunction is one of the most common symptoms seen in people who are still experiencing issues 7 months after contracting the virus. About 65% of the 3,762 respondents from 56 countries involved in this study reported symptoms lasting longer than 6 months. Over half of those experiencing “long COVID” complained of mental fog.
Getting distracted while you’re paying the monthly bills, tuning out during your weekly department meetings at work, misplacing important documents—these brain fog symptoms could be related to adult ADD/ADHD. Approximately 4.4% of adults have been diagnosed with the condition, but experts suggest it may affect many more who remain undiagnosed and untreated. Getting an accurate diagnosis that includes which type of ADD/ADHD you have (brain imaging has identified 7 types of the condition) and receiving proper treatment can help you think more clearly so you can perform better on the job and in all areas of your life.
Depression can make you feel sluggish—both physically and mentally. Many people with this condition have trouble concentrating, remembering things, and making decisions, which can cause you to spiral into even deeper depression. Getting a targeted treatment plan based on the specific type of depression you have (there are 7 types of depression) can help minimize symptoms of brain fog.
For Lew, the 67-year-old pilot who had to give up flying due to fuzzy thinking, lab testing and brain SPECT imaging showed that his brain fog stemmed from exposure to toxic mold after his home had some water damage. If Lew had simply continued taking the medications he’d been prescribed for dementia, he wouldn’t have gotten any better, and he never would have discovered that toxic mold was the root cause of his cognitive dysfunction issues. Through a cleansing program that included nutrition, supplements, meditation, and exercise, Lew’s memory and thinking began to improve. After three months, he said, “I’m fully functional again.”
Common symptoms of brain fog, such as having trouble with focus, problem-solving, and memory can be signs of Lyme disease. This bacterial infection caused by the bite of an infected deer tick can cause a host of cognitive and neuropsychological issues. Unless Lyme disease is detected and treated appropriately, the infection persists, and symptoms can worsen.
Losing your train of thought, feeling overwhelmed by the decision-making process, having trouble navigating familiar areas—these brain fog symptoms could be related to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or a form of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease. Having brain fog or feeling like your memory is slipping when you’re in your 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, or even in your 80s is common, but it’s not normal. It can be a sign of impending doom. If you live to the age of 85, you have a nearly 50% chance of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. Taking action early to reduce the risk factors that contribute to dementia can help you reduce symptoms of cognitive dysfunction.
No matter your age, persistent symptoms of brain fog should be taken seriously. If you’re struggling with your thinking or memory, now is the time to seek an evaluation. Finding the root cause of your cognitive problems can help you find the right treatment plan. The earlier you start with targeted solutions, the more effective they will be at helping you clear brain fog.
Brain fog, memory issues, and fuzzy thinking can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging as part of a comprehensive evaluation to identify the root causes of brain fog and to address the conditions related to cognitive dysfunction. Amen Clinics has also created a proven Memory Rescue Program that can help you address your risk factors, train your brain, and improve your memory.
As an essential medical practice, Amen Clinics locations are open and available for in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.