Everyone has occasional episodes of forgetfulness or short-term memory loss. Some forgetfulness is just part of life. However frustrating as a memory slip is, it doesn’t mean you’re edging toward Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is marked by such symptoms as not knowing the year, losing track of where you are or forgetting the names of immediate family members.
Some of the suspected causes of memory loss include hardening of the arteries, hormonal imbalance, drug reactions, and hypothyroidism. A diet that is high in processed foods, junk foods, and fried foods may cause poor memory and concentration. Food allergies may also be a factor in transient memory loss.
Research has revealed a strong correlation between memory loss, excessive amounts of aluminum in the brain, and dietary deficiencies such as zinc and vitamin B12. B vitamins, especially choline and B6, play an important role in maintaining memory. Amino acids are also very important.
Most age researchers agree that to retard the effects of aging such as memory loss, you must maintain the known markers of aging at a level comparable to what you had at a younger age. DHEA or “Dehydroepiandosterone” is considered such a marker. As we age, DHEA levels decline and we become prone to all forms of degenerative diseases. DHEA Blood levels in men and women peak around age 20, and it is the only hormone that declines in a linear fashion in both sexes. By age 80, blood levels of DHEA are only 5% of what they were at age 20. DHEA plays an integral role in maintaining youthfulness and improving health.
Practically speaking, you may want to start making lists of whatever it is that you need to remember to free up your mind for more important things. Let’s look at some common sense approaches that may help you to correct this problem yourself.
Royal Recommendations for Prevention and Treatment
1. Avoid refined foods (e.g., white sugar), processed foods (e.g., white flour), and fatty foods.
2. Be careful in your food combinations. In general, protein and starches (including sugar), as well as fruits and vegetables, are poor combinations. Do eat foods that are high in B vitamins such as whole grains, tofu, farm eggs, legumes, wheat germ, soybeans, fish, brewer’s yeast, nuts, millet, brown rice, and raw foods.
3. Check your food allergies. (See “Allergy—Foods.”) At the very least, avoid dairy and wheat products for at least one month. Try to eat as close to nature as possible. A diet of 70% complex carbohydrates, 20% fat, and 10% protein is desirable.
4. Including fiber in your diet, such as psyllium husk or oat bran, can reduce the effects of chemicals and allergies on this disease. (See “Constipation.”)
5. Do not drink tap water as this may be contaminated by aluminum. Drink distilled or reverse osmosis water instead. The following may also increase your risk of aluminum exposure: aluminum cookware, aluminum cans, antacids, certain food additives, douches, and shampoos.
6. Check your medicine cabinet. Your forgetfulness may be due to the alcohol you’re drinking or drugs you’re taking such as diet pills, blood pressure medication, or antihistamines.
7. Normalizing thyroid function is important. (See “Hypothyroidism.”) This can be evaluated by measuring the basal body temperature. Place a thermometer under the arm for 10 minutes on two consecutive mornings before arising from bed. For menstruating women, this should be done in the early part of the cycle. The average temperature should be greater than 97.8 degrees. If not, you may have subclinical hypothyroidism—even if blood tests are normal. Blood tests usually measure only inactive thyroid levels.
8. As the body ages, and degenerative diseases increase, hormone levels decrease. Have your doctor check your DHEA, testosterone, and estrogen levels. Keeping hormone levels as near mid-range as possible helps to keep the body functioning at its optimum. Natural hormone supplements from plants are available.
9. Practice deep breathing techniques by inhaling slowly for 10 seconds, holding your breath for 10 seconds, and expelling your air over 10 seconds. Be sure that you are breathing with your diaphragm by allowing your stomach to rise with inspiration and fall with expiration. Do this several times each day. This helps improve mental alertness.
10. Get in shape. (See “Obesity.”) Research confirms that a healthy body helps breed a healthy mind. People over 40 who exercise aerobically three times a week have 20 percent better memory skills than those who don’t exercise. Regular exercise improves blood flow to the brain. Improved blood flow means more oxygen to the brain cells needed for thinking and memory.
11. Keep calm. Stress and anxiety can clearly disrupt memory performance. (See “Stress.”) It could be that your mind needs a vacation. Find ways to unwind your mind with reading good books, soft music, or meditating.
12. Check your heavy metals. (See “Chelation Therapy.”) For example, tissue levels of cadmium are often higher in cigarette smokers and individuals that live in areas where the drinking water is soft. Mercury from amalgam fillings and aluminum from various compounds are other sources of heavy metals to consider. These can all decrease circulation and oxygenation supplied to the brain.
13. Supplements found to be helpful for this condition include antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, and E (which help to neutralize damage from environmental pollutants), B-complex (with choline), Bioflavonoids, lecithin, the minerals magnesium and zinc, and GH3. Vitamin B12, which helps to maintain the health of nerve cell membranes, can be taken by subcutaneous injections 1 cc one to three times weekly.
14. Herbs known to improve memory include anise, blue cohosh, ginkgo biloba, rosemary, and bee pollen. Of these, ginkgo biloba has the best reputation for increasing circulation and oxygenation of the brain and improving memory loss. This can be taken as an herbal capsule, herb tea, or homeopathic tincture.
15. Homeopathics to consider include: Anacardium (specific for weak memory), Alumina (confusion of identity), Baryta Carbonicum (especially indicated for the elderly), Ferrum Phosphoricum (if anemia is present), Ginkgo biloba (if circulation is poor), Kali Phosphoricum (general tonic of cerebral function), Lycopodium (especially in men who lack confidence), Mercurius Solubilis (if the patient has a lack of will power and thinks he is going insane), Selenium (mental labor causes fatigue), and Silicea (if poor nutrition or assimilation is a contributing factor).
To learn more about healing and health optimizing therapies, go to www.NewHopeMedical.org or call NEW HOPE MEDICAL CENTER at (702) 476-0000 (direct line) or toll free (866) HEAL-NOW!