Why Dementia Is Preventable In 1 of 2 Cases, And Steps You Can Take In Midlife To Prevent It

Mitchell Clionsky, PhD, is a board-certified neuropsychologist who specializes in evaluating and treating patients with cognitive impairment, dementia, ADHD, and traumatic brain injury.

A husband-and-wife team, they have a combined 70 years of professional and clinical experience in medicine and neuropsychology and have treated 20,000 patients.

They partner at a private practice, Clionsky Neuro Systems, Inc., based in Springfield, Massachusetts. Their work can be found on their website which is : www.BRAINDOC.com

03:00 Dr Clionsky Background in Dementia and Brain Testing

• 10% chance in 60’s to get dementia, risk doubles in 70’s and in 80’s people can have a 40% risk
• He’s been thinking about how to help prevent dementia for a long time in his practice

06:00 Difference between Dementia and Alzheimers

• Alzheimers is a particular form of dementia, but not the only form.
• Vascular dementia’s stem from not have enough blood flow to the brain
• Being hit in the head too many times can also cause dementia
• Parkinson’s disease: about 25% of people with parkinsons will get dementia
• There are other dementia’s as well
• Current treatments are similar for all forms of dementia

12:20 Are All Functions Impacted With Dementia’s?

• Early signs of dementia are problems with short term memory
• Executive functions in the brain start to deteriorate quickly as well

15:00 How To Diagnose Early Signs of Dementia?

• It’s best to go to a doctor first
• Dr Clionsky wants to release his test that can be used at home
• Ask for a blood tests, brain scan or get referred to another practitioners

17:40 Is Dementia Genetic or is it Lifestyle Related?

• There is a certain genetic component, but its localized to people from certain small regions of the world
• But other genetic risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea can all lead to dementia
• There is a gene called APOe4 that can increase risk of dementia

20:35 What Is The Dementia Prevention Checklist that Dr Clionsky has Come Up With?

• High blood pressure, high homocysteine, B9 and B12, vitamin D
• Cardiovascular risks: smoke cigarettes, hypertension, blood sugar, exercise, drinking
• Over the counter medications may be depleting acetylcholine in the brain
• Benzodiazepenes, valium, xanax can all increase risk of dementia

27:45 Is There A Blood Test To Detect Early Signs of Alzheimers?

• Dr Clionsky is not a big fan of this test
• It only tests for alzheimers
• Alzheimers is only 20-30% of all dementias
• The other problem is that some people with elevated amyloids that does not cause Alzheimers

30:40 How To Increase Blood Flow To Reduce Signs of Vascular Dementia?

• First test the carotid artery for plaque
• Then look at heart health including medications and exercise
• Diabetes can worsen blood flow
• Sleep apnea is a big reason for reduced blood flow
• Sleep apnea risk goes up with age: use CPAP’s

36:25 Where To Find Dr Clionsky’s Work?

• Go to BrainDoc.com
• Get the book on Amazon or library, or any other platform
• The book is called Dementia Prevention: Using Your Head To Save Your Brain