Uncovering the Roots of Dementia: The Role of Functional Medicine

For decades we were taught there was no stopping or reversing cognitive decline, now we know this simply is not true. The brain responds to all the same insults as the rest of the body — stress, poor diet, toxins, lack of exercise or sleep, nutritional deficiencies, high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and more. The term dementia is just a label or diagnosis we associate with a collection of symptoms, it doesn't get to why a person has those symptoms. 

In this mini-episode, Dr. Hyman is joined by Dr. Elizabeth Boham to discuss the Functional Medicine approach to treating cognitive health and to review patient cases in which they treated individuals with dementia, memory loss, and cognitive decline.

Elizabeth Boham is a physician and nutritionist who practices functional medicine at The UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Through her practice and lecturing she has helped thousands of people achieve their goals of optimum health and wellness. She witnesses the power of nutrition every day in her practice and is committed to training other physicians to utilize nutrition in healing. Dr. Boham has contributed to many articles and wrote the latest chapter on Obesity for the Rankel Textbook of Family Medicine. She is part of the faculty of the Institute for Functional Medicine and has been featured on the Dr. Oz show and in a variety of publications and media including Huffington Post, The Chalkboard Magazine, and Experience Life. Her DVD Breast Wellness: Tools to Prevent and Heal from Breast Cancer explores the functional medicine approach to keeping your breasts and whole body well.  

This episode is sponsored by AirDoctor. We need clean air not only to live but to create vibrant health and protect ourselves and loved ones from toxin exposure and disease. Learn more about the AirDoctor Professional Air Purifier system at a special price at www.drhyman.com/filter

In this episode, Dr. Hyman and Dr. Boham discuss:

• The need for personalized treatment in stopping or reversing dementia and cognitive decline.

• Addressing underlying root causes that may be driving dementia such as inflammation caused by high mercury levels, belly or visceral fat, diabetes, pre-diabetes, and insulin resistance.

• The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT), a global network of dentists, health professionals, and scientists who research the biocompatibility of dental products, including the risks of mercury fillings, fluoride, root canals, and jawbone osteonecrosis. https://iaomt.org/

• How a high-fat diet can benefit the brain.

• The ability for exercise and meditation to promote BDNF, which is like Miracle-Gro for the brain.

• How the detoxification system works with the immune system to promote brain health.

• For more information visit drhyman.com/uwc

Additional resources:

“Inflammation Causes Memory Loss and It Starts Sooner Than We Thought”

https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2019/05/24/inflammation-causes-memory-loss-and-it-starts-sooner-than-we-thought/

“Your Brain and Immunity: The Fascinating Connection You Need to Nurture”

https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2019/06/04/your-brain-and-immunity-the-fascinating-connection-you-need-to-nurture/

“5 Tips for Better Brain Health as You Age”

https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2019/05/10/5-tips-for-better-brain-health-as-you-age/

“Fixing Your Broken Brain + Lots More: 10 Takeaways from My Most-Asked Questions”

https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2018/01/08/fixing-broken-brain-lots-10-takeaways-asked-questions/

“The Science of Preventing (and Reversing) Dementia”

https://drhyman.com/blog/2019/05/08/podcast-ep52/

“9 Steps to Reverse Dementia and Memory Loss as You Age”

https://drhyman.com/blog/2010/06/14/9-steps-to-reverse-dementia-and-memory-loss-as-you-age-2/

“Being Proactive in the Face of Alzheimer’s”

https://drhyman.com/blog/2019/05/14/being-proactive-in-the-face-of-alzheimers/

“Can You Reverse Cognitive Decline?”

https://drhyman.com/blog/2017/09/14/can-reverse-cognitive-decline/