Almost everyone misplaces their keys, their wallet, or their phone from time to time. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re on the road to Alzheimer’s disease.
After all, Alzheimer’s is not the only cause of memory loss. It can happen for many reasons. But in my experience, when someone experiences memory problems unrelated to Alzheimer’s disease, the culprit is usually public enemy No. 1: prescription drugs.
Many common prescription medications can and do interfere with cognitive function. The problem even has a medical term: “polypharmacy.”
When I was in medical training, we often saw patients in the hospital showing signs of memory loss and confusion. But before jumping to all kinds of conclusions and ordering tests, we simply stopped all medications for 24 hours. More often than not, the patient’s confusion would clear up just as quickly.
Many types of drugs adversely impact your memory. Even the FDA recognizes certain drugs can cause memory problems. Including antihistamines, anti-anxiety agents, antidepressants, cholesterol-lowering medications, certain Type II diabetes medications, migraine drugs, and pain drugs. Of course, all these drugs are still on the market, despite the fact that dementia is the leading epidemic of our times. (They are still waiting for a new drug for that problem too.)
So let’s look closer at a few of those types of drugs…
The first is cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. These drugs wreak havoc on your health. They increase your risk of developing Type II diabetes and heart disease itself (as I will tell you more about next month). Plus, the FDA recognizes their increased risk for cognitive side effects.
Antidepressant drugs can also cause memory problems. Of course, they also cause violence, including suicides. In fact, evidence links antidepressant drugs with mass shootings and homicides. Memory loss may seem like a minor side effect compared to these tragedies, which we can just never forget.
But beyond public enemy No.1, there are also some other, overlooked causes that can contribute to memory problems.
Poor diet can also play games with your memory
Nutritional deficiencies can also cause memory loss. For example, low vitamin B12 can lead to confusion and dementia. Other B vitamins play an important role in brain and nerve functions as well.
In Europe, they call the B vitamins “neuro-vitamins.” You can get vitamin B from dairy, fish and meats, but they’re almost impossible to get optimal intakes from vegan/vegetarian diets. I also recommend a daily high-quality B complex, which should include at least 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12.
And evidence shows vitamin E can actually reverse dementia using a “mega-dose” of 2,000 IU per day. In one clinical study, vitamin E reversed dementia, while the go-to drug did nothing. In fact, when study participants took both the drug and vitamin E together, the drug even appeared to negate the benefits of vitamin E.
Side note: 2,000 IU per day may seem large compared to the puny RDAs of vitamin E. But remember, the government health “experts” base the RDA on false assumptions and misunderstandings about the biology and metabolism of vitamin E.
Tossing and turning puts a strain on mental function
Poor sleep and sleep apnea can also cause memory loss. A common but treatable sleep disorder, sleep apnea causes a person to stop normal breathing briefly, but frequently, throughout the night. Evidence links sleep apnea to spatial navigational memory deficits. This type of memory relates to your ability to remember directions or where you put things, like your keys.
Anxiety, stress and depression also interfere with sleep, which can lead to problems with attention and memory.
Less common culprits behind memory loss
Silent strokes that affect smaller blood vessels can also lead to gradual memory loss. These kinds of memory changes can range from mild to severe, and they’re known as “vascular cognitive impairment.” Increased forgetfulness can also be an early sign of stroke. Preventing stroke is a part of good cardiovascular health.
Less common causes of memory loss include: alcoholism and substance abuse (such as marijuana smoking), head injury, infections, and tumors. Each of these problems requires medical intervention and treatment.
Fortunately, you have many natural solutions to all these problems. In fact, most of the natural approaches in my new online learning protocol for Alzheimer’s prevention and reversal also benefit other types of dementia and memory loss. I’m putting the finishing touches on this new protocol now, and will be releasing all the details on Saturday, June 18th. So stay tuned!
In the meantime, remember, your brain is a highly metabolically active organ. It needs a constant supply of blood, oxygen, energy, and nutrients. And mild memory loss may be an early sign that something is wrong. So don’t ignore it.