Enough warning signs for dementia exist to help you know more about this challenging health issue.
Knowing these symptoms may prevent or treat the disease in time.
A few months ago, I read a story.
It was about a couple around 55 years old who had seen a neurologist. The wife believed that her husband was showing the first symptoms of dementia.
The doctor asked the husband when he realized the first warning signs of dementia.
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He replied that his wife told him about forgetting events. Then, she mentioned that he could not remember words and thought that these were the first symptoms of dementia.
The doctor suggested that the wife not mention anything else to her husband for a week and not correct him on anything he says.
As soon as the week passed and they went back to the neurologist, the husband usually articulated words while not forgetting anything significant or not.
Why did this event happen?
When stressed, tired, or we haven’t slept well, or when there we face diabetes problems, we can experience many or even all of these symptoms.
Excluding dementia or Alzheimer’s may be due to other stressful factors or events.
For such reasons and before concluding, it is crucial to talk to a neurologist or pathologist.
What is dementia
Dementia is a mental decline when certain brain parts shrink, particularly the hippocampus. (1)
Dementia is not a single disease but a set of symptoms that mainly manifests in older people.
These symptoms are related to the brain’s cognitive functions that affect everyday life. Memory, speech, orientation, concentration, and perception are such brain functions.
When a person has dementia and especially if it is in an advanced stage, they do not know where they are and who the people are around them.
In addition, they do not understand whether or when they should dress, eat or rest.
The 6 warning signs of dementia
There are many causes of dementia, but in today’s article, you will discover its six warning signs. (2)
You will also read what you can do to prevent (as much as possible) the progression of the disease when your doctor confirms it.
#1 Poor organization and planning
Busy people often get distracted by their work and forget or care less about unimportant events.
However, a person showing early warning signs of dementia or already suffering from it may have trouble completing tasks that have been familiar throughout their lives.
Such tasks are, for example, when preparing a meal or playing a simple game.
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Besides difficulty completing routine activities and movements, this person may now have trouble learning to do new things or follow a new, unfamiliar routine. (3)
For someone in the early stages of dementia, new experiences and difficulty adjusting to changes create fear.
Because of this, this person may be asking for his usual routine and not want to try new things.
#2 Changes in personality (one of the most common signs of dementia)
A significant number of people with future dementia issues will develop the symptom called “behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD).” (4)
Someone living with dementia may experience various mood swings, from calm and tearful to angry, for no apparent reason.
The above symptom may also include increased agitation, depressive symptoms, anxiety, aggression, and sometimes hallucinations.
#3 Constipation (one of the most strange warning signs of dementia)
People suffer from constipation, but it does not mean they will get dementia.
But it is a strange symptom observed in a 2019 study with 25.2% of dementia patients suffering from constipation. (5)
Many diseases are closely related to gut health, and the microflora and healthy bacteria in the gut are critical. This is so that the brain’s neurotransmitters and serotonin function normally.
This essential hormone is also called “the good mood and happiness hormone.”
#4 Sensory dysfunction
This dysfunction can appear with basic senses issues, such as smell, hearing, sight, taste, and appetite.
Sense problems can appear because some forms of dementia can cause damage to the brain’s visual system.
The result is problems that appear to be vision diseases but are not caused by eye disease. (6)
Dementia can also cause problems that may appear to be hearing impairments.
However, the more common problem is that a person with dementia may seem more withdrawn from others.
This person may also be reluctant to communicate or unable to follow a simple conversation.
All these issues can be mistaken as hearing loss when they are related to dementia.
#5 Difficulty finding the right words
All of us, can sometimes struggle to find or remember the right word or phrase.
A person with dementia, however, may forget simple words or replace them with incorrect words, making sentences difficult to understand. (7)
A similar early symptom of dementia is when the person tries to say their thoughts how they want. This action means that the person cannot explain something and is looking for the right words, which they do not find.
This indicates a hippocampus brain problem, which is shrinking.
#6 Orientation problem
People with dementia may struggle to find their way around a familiar place.
They may also feel confused about where they are or think they have returned to an earlier life. (8)
The sense of emotional and spatial orientation weakens with dementia onset. As a result, the sufferer may not recognize familiar landscapes and find it more challenging to follow step-by-step directions.
Our brain is a GPS orientation system that allows us to locate each place or point and where we are.
When dementia is present, this orientation system is destroyed or disorganized.
What you can do if you notice the 6 warning signs of dementia
But what can we do if we discover and our doctor confirms that we are in the early stages of dementia?
What can we do before this situation becomes even more difficult?
First, connect your diet dots!
Almost always, that’s where there is the beginning of any health problem.
This notice is because what we eat affects not only our bodies but also our brain.
#1 Vitamin B1
The most important vitamin for the brain and dementia is thiamine, known as vitamin B₁ and is water-soluble. (9)
We can get thiamine from macadamia nuts, cooked black beans, cooked lentils, asparagus, fish, and meat, but also in dietary supplements.
Especially if you eat a diet with a lot of carbohydrates such as pasta and bread as well as sugar, the body needs more vitamin B1.
These foods reduce B1’s body intake while drinking alcohol reduces thiamine further.
The best B1 source is nutritional yeast, a natural fermentation product of a specific yeast type. It is grown on a molasses or beetroot substrate and commercially available in a dried form.
#2 Improving gut flora
The second thing you should do immediately is to fix the gut and its flora. (10)
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You will achieve this by eating various vegetables, not just specific vegetables, and following a low carbohydrates and sugar diet.
#3 Vegetable sprouts
The third move is to add sprouted vegetables to your diet.
Germination is the plant process in the first few days of a seed’s life. (11)
Such excellent sources are sprouts from cabbages, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, lentils, radishes, spinach, etc., which are superfoods for the brain’s health.
#4 Ketogenic diet
The ketogenic diet, especially if combined with intermittent fasting and especially the 16/8 type, is not ideal for weight loss only.
Both diets are critical for overall body and brain health. (12)
Human studies have shown that the ketogenic diet provides significant cognitive benefits in dementia.
Although researchers should conduct additional studies, the ketogenic diet shows several benefits in delaying or reducing symptoms of cognitive decline. (13)
Also, the 16/8 intermittent diet means we can eat for eight hours in the day, and we fast for the rest of sixteen hours. An example is that we can eat from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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However, we can drink as much water as we want all day.
This diet will help the body not eat for a few hours and gradually correct its damage. (14)
#5 Sideritis (Mountain tea)
If you notice any symptoms of dementia, start drinking Sideritis or mountain tea.
Siderite, as its name suggests, has been found in research to be an amazing herb for the brain and memory problems. (15)
The Greek mountain tea is an important herbal tea for preventing and treating dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It has strong anti-inflammatory properties and is one of the most beneficial drinks for the body. (16)
#6 Ginkgo biloba
Studies found that the Ginkgo Biloba plant is also excellent for dementia patients. (17)
It protects brain neurons and cells significantly and effectively increases blood flow to the brain and extremities. Memory improves and greater physical alertness when the body has better blood flow.
Numerous studies showed that Ginkgo Biloba is a valuable and safe treatment in cases of cerebral insufficiency. (18)
Ginkgo biloba restores normal brain blood flow and helps to reduce memory loss, confusion, and disorientation. In addition, better blood flow significantly reduces the ischemic stroke chances.
#7 Vitamins and minerals
Finally, consume omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and zinc. Also, Lion’s mane mushrooms are great for brain and body function. (19)
Furthermore, take care of your sleep to reduce stress, so the brain calms down and gradually repairs its damage.
Final thoughts on the 6 warning signs of dementia
Dementia is a complicated disease, and its symptoms are apparent.
Therefore, it is crucial to have prevention and immediate treatment at first signs. In such a way, you may avoid future brain problems that are likely to occur.
Do you know about these 6 warning signs of dementia and their natural treatment?
Did you know about these 6 warning signs of dementia? Did you know what you can do to slow down or eliminate the chances of future brain problems?
Please leave your comments below the article.
I wish you to be always well! 🙂