Memory is the fabric of our souls. It enables us to integrate and make sense of
the experiences of our bodies, minds, and spirits. It makes us who we are and
allows us to keep our loved ones close, even when they are far away. Memory
houses our joys, our hurts, and all of life’s lessons. It reminds us who is
trustworthy and who isn’t, who has helped us and whom we need to help.
Memory enables us to recall the important events in our lives and keeps us
centered and growing. And because it contributes to our values and outlook, it
also provides us with a sense of purpose that gives our lives meaning.
Our memories are such a part of us that we often take them for granted. Yet
when our memory is damaged, the costs can be high. A diminished memory can
rob us of our ability to make good decisions (because we forget important life
lessons) and disconnect us from those we love. Memory problems limit our
success at work, steal our independence, and ultimately make us vulnerable to
anyone who might take advantage of us.
When someone’s mental abilities, including memory, deteriorate enough to
affect daily life, we say that person has dementia. Worldwide, a new person is
diagnosed with dementia every seven seconds.[4] Of the approximately 318
million Americans living today, 45 million—about 15 percent—will get
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) at some point in their lives. Tens of millions more will
experience other forms of dementia, and 75 percent of older adults will suffer
from memory problems.[5] Plus, more than 200 medication trials have failed to
reverse Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.[6] 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.
Yet new research suggests that a “memory rescue” program, like the one
presented in this book, can dramatically improve memory and can prevent and
sometimes even reverse some forms of dementia.[7] Given how most doctors
approach this issue, however, you cannot count on traditional medicine to rescue
your memory.
THE OLD APPROACH TO MEMORY COMPLAINTS
Here is a common scenario: You are having difficulty remembering
conversations, forgetting where you put your reading glasses, or briefly getting
lost driving in familiar areas. So you see your primary care physician or local
neurologist, who asks you a few questions, gives you some short tests, orders an
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), and tells you, “Everyone has memory
problems as they age. You’re normal.” It’s also common for family members and
friends to downplay forgetfulness.
A week or so later, you meet again with your doctor, who says that the report
on your MRI came back as “mild, age-appropriate brain atrophy.” He or she tells
you that you have mild cognitive impairment (MCI). You’re reassured that it’s
common and that you’ll likely retain your personality and long-term memory
until later in the illness. You’re encouraged to get your affairs in order, given a
prescription for Aricept (donepezil, a common memory medication that has
short-term benefits but loses its effects after 18 months[8]), and told to schedule
a follow-up appointment in six months. Typically, there is no discussion about
eliminating risk factors through exercise, diet, supplementation, or memory
training exercises.
That’s literally the extent of the workup in 80 to 90 percent of the memoryrelated
cases that come to us at Amen Clinics from the traditional medical
system. It’s completely ineffective, heartbreaking . . . and unconscionable given
what we know now.
Until recently, health-care professionals assessing the presence of memory
problems in patients classified their cognitive functioning as: (1) normal with no
symptoms; (2) mild impairment observed by patients or their families; or (3)
Alzheimer’s disease, in which dementia was becoming significant and getting
worse.
The National Institute on Aging announced a significant change in 2011.
Based on new brain imaging data, they added a new “preclinical” level. As a
result, the current staging guidelines are
1. normal
2. preclinical: no obvious symptoms, but negative changes can be seen on
biomarkers such as brain scans
3. mild cognitive impairment
4. Alzheimer’s disease
Can you see the problem here? Long before symptoms develop, your brain
may already be beginning to deteriorate, years or even decades before you
realize it![9] A UCLA study found that 95 percent of people with Alzheimer’s
are not diagnosed until they are in the moderate to severe stages of the disorder.
Yet the brain of a person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at age 59 likely
started to show signs of deterioration by the time that person turned 30.
No matter your age, memory symptoms should be taken seriously.
Developing brain fog or feeling as if your memory is slipping when you are in
your forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, or even eighties is common, but it’s not
normal. It is a sign of impending doom. Ten years after you notice a problem
(called subjective cognitive decline), there is an estimated 70 to 100 percent
chance of your getting worse and slipping into dementia.[10]
But while it is true that memory issues are common with age, they are not
inevitable. In the presymptomatic stage, when memory problems are minor, help
is likely to be most effective. If you’re struggling with your memory, even if it
seems inconsequential, now is the time to get serious about your brain’s health.
A BREAKTHROUGH CONCEPT: MEMORY RESCUE
Our decades-long experience at Amen Clinics of looking at the brain, together
with the latest scientific research, has convinced me that the traditional approach
to memory problems is misguided and leads to unnecessary disease and
disability.
Just as many tributaries feed a river that is about to flood and destroy a
community, we’ve discovered that there are many different causes of memory
loss. It is no longer accurate to talk about mild cognitive impairment or AD as
single entities with single causes, just as at Amen Clinics we no longer talk
about a single type of depression, addiction, attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder, or obesity. The ability to identify and address each of the potential
causes of memory problems has enabled us to develop a plan to prevent or even
reverse these devastating issues. Steve’s story illustrates how effective our
approach can be.
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