Many people are aware of some of the devastating consequences of uncontrolled or untreated diabetes, including an increased risk for heart disease, blindness, and kidney failure. But did you know that it also puts you at a higher risk for memory problems, Alzheimer’s disease, and other types of dementia? Scientific evidence links abnormal insulin levels to cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease. That’s bad news for the 50% of the U.S. population who have diabetes or prediabetes.
Diabetes is a disorder that occurs when the body’s blood sugar levels are chronically too high. The condition develops when the body either does not produce enough insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels or does not use insulin efficiently. There are two types of diabetes:
Both types of diabetes damage blood vessels, which then cause harm to the body’s organs and brain.
Prediabetes, a precursor to type 2 diabetes, is defined as having blood sugar levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
Brain imaging studies using a technology called SPECT shows that diabetes has been linked to decreased blood flow to the brain (which is the #1 predictor of future memory problems) and a smaller hippocampus, a brain region that is involved in the formation of memories.
Even mildly elevated blood sugar levels and prediabetes are significant problems and are associated with brain atrophy, memory problems, and dementia. In people who didn’t have diabetes, the risk of dementia was 18% higher for those with an average blood glucose level of 115 milligrams per deciliter compared to those with average glucose levels of 100 mg/dL. (Normal blood sugar levels are less than 100 mg/dL.) And every incrementally higher glucose level was associated with a higher risk of dementia.
“High normal” blood sugar levels have also been linked with shrinkage in the hippocampus, leading to memory problems. The dementia risk was even worse for people who had diabetes because their blood sugar levels were generally higher. It was 40% higher for people with an average glucose level of 190 mg/dL compared to those with an average glucose level of 160 mg/dL.
The great news is that diabetes and prediabetes are preventable and even reversible in many cases and can help protect your memory. Here are 10 ways to do it.
If you or a loved one has diabetes or is experiencing memory problems, understand that there are many things you can do to prevent or reverse diabetes and memory loss. At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging as part of a comprehensive brain-body assessment to help us develop a personalized treatment plan for your needs. 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.
If you want to prevent dementia or rescue your memory, choosing the right foods is one of the most important strategies. Your brain uses 20-30% of the calories you consume. If you eat a junk-food diet, you will have a junk-food mind that is less capable of quick thinking and sharp decision-making. A number of studies have found that a healthy diet is associated with significantly lower risks of severe memory problems, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Go for the greens (and reds, yellows, blues, and other hues) in your meals. Produce is packed with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that provide a powerful brain boost. Foods from plants of every color, even white, help reduce the inflammation that contributes to Alzheimer’s disease.
Your brain is about 80% water. Not staying adequately hydrated can lead to brain fog. Research has shown that performance in tasks requiring memory, as well as attention, are diminished when you are just 2% dehydrated. And your brain can actually shrink in volume when it’s dehydrated.
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and other cruciferous vegetables contain sulforaphane, which powerfully assists in DNA repair. They’re also high in folate and carotenoids, which lower homocysteine. High levels of this amino acid are linked to cognitive decline and dementia.
Acai, raspberries, and blueberries are high in antioxidants, which decrease the destruction caused by free radicals in the body and provide numerous benefits for the brain. In one study, people who consumed more berries experienced a slower rate of cognitive decline—up to 2.5 years—as they age.
Research shows that herbs and spices can be powerful memory enhancers. For example, rosemary and sage have been found to improve memory and offer protection from the cognitive decline associated with dementia. And cinnamon has been found to improve working memory in older adults.
Fatty fish like wild salmon, sardines, and mackerel are healthy fats. They are high in omega-3 fatty acids, and in particular in two types of these fatty acids, EPA and DHA, that are crucial for optimal brain health. A growing body of evidence shows that higher levels of EPA and DHA are associated with a reduced incidence of dementia and slower cognitive decline.
Eating nuts has been found to boost brain power as we age. In one study with nearly 5,000 people over the age of 55, eating at least two teaspoons of nuts per day was associated with improved memory and increased cognitive function by as much as 60%, compared with people who didn’t eat nuts. In a separate study appearing in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, mice that were bred to have Alzheimer’s disease were fed either a standard diet or one supplemented with walnuts. Over the course of the study, the mice eating the standard diet suffered memory deficits and impaired learning ability, while the mice eating walnuts showed a significant improvement in memory and learning ability.
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 issues. 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.
Do you feel like you’ve got brain fog? Are you having trouble with problem-solving and decision-making? Is it getting harder for you to concentrate or pay attention? Are you struggling with memory problems? If so, you could be feeling like you’re losing your mind.
If you’re like most people, you might head to your primary care physician to complain about these issues. In some cases, you might be told it’s just part of the normal aging process, you might leave with a prescription for ADD/ADHD medication, you might get a recommendation to visit a psychiatrist, or you might be told you have Alzheimer’s disease. It’s highly unlikely, however, that you will be tested for Lyme disease.
That’s what happened to actor and singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson. For years, he was told he was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia. His memory continued to deteriorate, and he was taking numerous medications. Eventually, the Hall of Fame singer went to Dr. Mark Filidei, an integrative medicine doctor who diagnosed Kristofferson with Lyme disease and treated him with antibiotics and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. After a few treatments, the singer reportedly told his wife, “I feel like I’m back,” and has done much better.
Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) is a bacterial infection that is caused when a person gets bitten by an infected black-legged tick, or deer tick as it is commonly known. However, many people with Lyme disease don’t recall being bitten by a tick and who did not get the typical “bull’s-eye” rash that is considered a telltale sign of the infection. When left untreated, the infection can cause devastating, life-changing issues.
All of the neuropsychiatric issues mentioned above are considered symptoms of Lyme disease. In fact, 70% of people with Lyme disease say they experience negative changes in memory and mental sharpness. In some people, Lyme disease can also cause paranoia, mania, obsessive compulsive tendencies, anxiety, depression, and hallucinations. But many healthcare professionals are unaware of the debilitating psychiatric effects of the disease. For this reason, many people are treated with medications that don’t help, and in many cases, produce harmful side effects that make things worse.
Lyme disease is notoriously difficult to diagnose. When laboratory testing for the infectious disease is performed by mainstream labs using the standard “Western blot” test, it can often give a false-negative result. If your results are negative, you could still have Lyme disease. It’s important for testing to be done at specialty labs that are better trained to detect the disease.
Because lab testing is not always definitive, Lyme disease is typically diagnosed by a “Lyme Literate Medical Doctor” (LLMD) who is a member of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS). These trained healthcare professionals generally take a detailed clinical history, perform a thorough physical exam, and do appropriate laboratory testing.
Brain imaging studies using SPECT can also help. Brain scans of people with infections like Lyme disease tend to show low overall blood flow and have a toxic appearance. When a brain looks toxic, it prompts a psychiatrist or other medical professional to dive deeper into what the root cause may be. It increases the chances of Lyme disease being investigated.
Just as singer Kristofferson saw an improvement in his symptoms when properly diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease, there is hope for other sufferers. With an accurate diagnosis and a personalized treatment plan, people can experience a reduction in symptoms and a greater quality of life.
At Amen Clinics, we have seen hundreds of patients with resistant complex psychiatric symptoms or cognitive problems who tested positive for Lyme disease and got significantly better when it was treated. Dr. Mark Filidei, who diagnosed Kris Kristofferson with Lyme disease, is the director of integrative medicine at Amen Clinics, where we commonly use specialty labs to help diagnose Lyme disease.
If you are having issues that aren’t getting better with traditional treatment, it’s important to get a comprehensive evaluation that includes brain imaging and lab testing for possible infection. Reach out today to speak with a specialist at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit online.
Worried about memory loss? Everybody has occasional forgetfulness, but if it is impacting your daily life, it could be more serious. Are you afraid that you (or a loved one) may be showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease? Knowing the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s, which is the most common form of dementia, is key. It’s also critical to understand that these symptoms don’t always indicate Alzheimer’s. In some cases, they are indicators of other treatable health issues.
Blanking out on the name of someone you met once four years ago isn’t a big deal. Failing to recall your sister’s name is different. Similarly, missing appointments or forgetting new information can be signs of the disease. One woman thought that her husband wasn’t listening to her anymore because he constantly asked her the same questions over and over.
When it’s not Alzheimer’s: Memory loss can be due to many things that are NOT Alzheimer’s disease, including low blood flow, chronic inflammation, head trauma, exposure to environmental toxins, hormonal issues, insomnia, and more.
Early signs of Alzheimer’s can include forgetting to pay bills on time, difficulty handling complex projects, and showing bad judgment. For example, people may begin making poor decisions with money or fall for financial scams.
When it’s not Alzheimer’s: Hypertension, heart disease, and other issues can decrease blood flow to the brain’s prefrontal cortex—a region involved in planning, forethought, judgment—which can lead to problems with follow-through and impulsiveness.
People with Alzheimer’s may withdraw from their usual activities at work and in the community. They may appear less motivated to engage in hobbies or to take on new projects.
When it’s not Alzheimer’s: A lack of motivation and social withdrawal can be signs of depression.
Do you ever feel unsure about where you are or how you got there? Do you notice that you lose track of the seasons or aren’t aware of the date?
When it’s not Alzheimer’s: Some medications, including those commonly prescribed for anxiety, can cause a sense of confusion or brain fog. So can infections like Lyme disease; exposure to toxins like mold; or long-term abuse of alcohol, drugs, or marijuana.
People with Alzheimer’s can experience changes in their moods and personalities. Someone who has always been upbeat can become depressed or anxious. And go-with-the-flow types may become prone to angry outbursts. Any change in personality should be investigated.
When it’s not Alzheimer’s: Anxiety and depression that develops as we age can also be caused by neurohormonal imbalances—low testosterone, underactive thyroid, and the changes associated with menopause. Unexplained anger or aggression is a common sign of an untreated head injury or concussion.
If you’re noticing any of these symptoms in yourself or a loved one, it is critical to get a comprehensive evaluation that looks at all of the factors—biological, psychological, social, and spiritual—that may be contributing to these issues.
Equally important is looking at your brain. Functional brain imaging studies using a technology called SPECT show that there are specific brain patterns associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Looking at the brain can help determine if symptoms are early signs of Alzheimer’s or if they are due to other treatable causes of memory problems.
At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging as part of a comprehensive evaluation assessment to identify and address each of the potential causes of memory problems. This enables us to develop a personalized treatment plan to prevent or reverse these debilitating issues. 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.
The artificial sweeteners used in diet sodas—and thousands of other processed foods—are anything but sweet. In fact, they can be toxic to the brain. Consuming these sugar substitutes on a regular basis is not a recipe for a healthy memory.
Sherry, who weighed over 200 pounds on her 5’5” frame, guzzled diet soda thinking it would help her lose weight. It didn’t. Even worse, she started experiencing a host of symptoms—digestive issues, arthritis, forgetfulness, and confusion. In fact, Sherry’s diet soda habit was hurting her brain and putting her memory at risk.
That’s what a growing body of evidence shows. For example, a study in the journal Stroke found that drinking diet soda was linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
One of the most commonly used artificial sweeteners in diet sodas, aspartame is particularly damaging to the brain. Consider how it impacts aspartate, an excitatory neurotransmitter associated with memory as well as learning and pain perception. Aspartame stimulates this neurotransmitter. This may sound like a good thing, but in excessive amounts it overstimulates it, turning it into a potent neurotoxin that damages neurons, causes cell death, and is associated with a host of issues including memory problems and dementia.
Elevated insulin levels increase your risk for Alzheimer’s disease and also raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and other health problems.
For anyone who thinks diet sodas help with weight loss, the reality is that artificial sweeteners can lead to weight gain. Studies of rats fed artificially sweetened foods have found they have slower metabolisms and greater weight gain than those given sugar-sweetened foods—despite the fact that the rats that ate sugary foods consumed more calories than those that ate artificially sweetened foods. Both diabetes and obesity are considered independent risk factors for memory problems and several forms of dementia.
A 2018 study in Molecules found that six artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, saccharine, neotame, advantame, and acesulfame potassium-k) had toxic effects on gut bacteria. Compromised gut bacteria can lead to issues such as leaky gut, a condition in which the lining of the gut becomes excessively permeable. Leaky gut has been linked to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
If you want to avoid sugar and don’t want the damage that comes from artificial sweeteners, here are two options.
It is critical for any changes in memory or cognitive function to be investigated. Research shows that changes in the brain from Alzheimer’s disease can start decades before any symptoms arise. Amen Clinics uses brain SPECT imaging to see what is happening in the brain as part of a comprehensive evaluation that also includes cognitive testing and a detailed look at the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors that may be contributing to memory issues.
At Amen Clinics, we have helped thousands of people reverse memory problems. To speak to a specialist about how we can help you, call 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit online.
When Tana Amen’s dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she wasn’t sure what to do. She didn’t have a relationship with her father. He had left her family when she was just a baby, started doing drugs, and very rarely dropped in to see his daughter as she grew up.
When Tana reached the age of 18, she made it very clear to him she never wanted to talk to him again. She was done.
More than a decade had passed when Tana got the call from her sisters that their father had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. They were really worried, and they wanted Tana’s help.
Tana’s first reaction was, “Why is this my problem? He’s never been a part of my life. Why are you calling me?”
But by then Tana had started dating Dr. Daniel Amen, the neuroscientist and psychiatrist who is a pioneer in the use of brain imaging in psychiatry. When Tana told him about her dad’s situation, Dr. Amen asked if anybody had bothered to look at his brain.
None of her dad’s doctors had done a brain scan, so they were basically medicating him in the dark.
Dr. Amen asked if he could scan Tana’s dad’s brain using a neuroimaging technology called SPECT. There are over 2,000 brain SPECT studies on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and it’s considered one of the best tools for studying these conditions. Tana’s dad agreed to get scanned.
The SPECT brain scan showed he didn’t actually have Alzheimer’s disease. There is a certain Alzheimer’s pattern seen on SPECT scans, and he didn’t have it. He had been misdiagnosed. And he was being treated with the wrong medications.
The brain scans showed that he had a condition called pseudodementia. This occurs when people appear to have the symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia, but their brain doesn’t show it. The brain scans show that they’re actually depressed. Pseudodementia is depression that’s masquerading as severe cognitive and memory problems.
When Tana’s dad stopped taking his medications and started following a comprehensive treatment plan for depression, things took a really interesting turn.
Find out more about what happened to Tana’s dad on the Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast:
With the world’s largest database of functional brain scans—over 150,000 and growing—Amen Clinics has treated many people with pseudodementia who had been misdiagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Accurately diagnosing and treating pseudodementia helps patients reverse symptoms of dementia.
If you have a loved one is suffering from memory loss or cognitive decline, speak to a specialist today by calling 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit for a comprehensive evaluation.
Big wave surfer Shawn Dollar broke his neck while surfing in 2015, and after his neck brace came off a long three months later, everybody thought he was all better. Although his physical wounds had healed, his brain hadn’t, and he suffered from feelings of anxiety and depression, couldn’t do basic math, and often felt confused. “Something had to change, waiting for my brain to heal was taking too long,” Shawn writes on his website. “I desperately needed help. I needed a shortcut to healing.” Shawn found that help when he was introduced to Amen Clinics, where he underwent brain imaging tests called SPECT that measure blood flow and activity in the brain. His MRIs had shown no structural damage to his brain, but these scans told a different story—they revealed damage from repeated concussions due to all the big wave wipeouts he’d experienced as a pro surfer. “Everyone else to this point said I was fine,” he says. “But I now had clear medical proof to support what I was feeling.” Along with other treatments, Shawn underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to promote healing. “I felt significantly better after the first HBOT treatment,” he said. “I could think more clearly, I was faster mentally and just felt better overall. I could literally feel my brain working better. I can’t stress enough how much HBOT can quickly and safely heal a concussion or TBI.” Shawn continued his treatment and today, he is happier and closer than he has ever been with his family.
If you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or depression, Amen Clinics can help. We will help you learn more about your brain and assist with early diagnosis and intervention. Call us today at (888) 288-9834 or visit our website to schedule a visit.
New research from Amen Clinics shows that brain SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) imaging, a study that measures blood flow and activity patterns, identifies who is more likely to get better from depression. The study is published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, because depression is a highly treatable risk for cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
Depression remains an important risk factor for Alzheimer’s dementia, yet few neuroimaging biomarkers are available to identify treatment response in depression.
The researchers compared the SPECT scans of 507 depressed patients who responded to treatment to the scans of 106 patients who were considered non-responders. The objective was to analyze and compare functional perfusion neuroimaging in persons with treatment resistant depression (TRD) compared to those experiencing full remission. The study found that patients who did not respond to treatment had lower overall cerebral blood flow, especially in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes and in brain regions known to be affected by Alzheimer’s, including the right hippocampus and left precuneus.
Lead author psychiatrist Daniel G. Amen, MD says, “This is a critically important study. Knowing who is likely to get better from depression and who is not, will help treating physicians be sensitive to which patients are likely to need more help and need to be monitored more closely.” Treatment resistant depression is a major risk factor for suicide, divorce, and job loss. Dr. Amen also says, “This finding will also lead to more personalized treatment. For patients with low brain activity, stimulating the brain will be more important than standard serotonin enhancing drugs that tend to lower brain activity.”
Our findings identify imaging based biomarkers in persons with depression related to treatment response. These findings have implications in understanding both depression to prognosis and its role as a risk factor for dementia.
If you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or depression, Amen Clinics can help. We will help you learn more about your brain and assist with early diagnosis and intervention. Call us today at (888) 288-9834 or visit our website to schedule a visit.