If you are looking for alternative treatment options for dementia and cognitive decline for yourself or a loved one, this video is for you. I’m Evan with Optimal TMS, and I’m going to take some time today to talk about dementia and what it means for you and your family.
First, what is dementia? Dementia is an umbrella term for a collection of symptoms. These symptoms include cognitive decline, confusion, struggles with memory, and problems with activities of daily living.
Many people ask what the difference is between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia consists of multiple different categories of types of dementia. 75% of these are what is known as Alzheimer’s disease.
Other types of dementia include things like Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. While we don’t know exactly what causes each of these conditions, there are a lot of similarities in their presentation, which is why they are all grouped under the overall umbrella of dementia.
Dementia is what is known as a progressive disease, meaning symptoms follow a downward trajectory over time without improvement. Ultimately, cognitive decline and dementia occur because brain cells aren’t communicating with each other as efficiently as they once were.
While there aren’t currently any treatments available to reverse dementia, there are things that you can do to slow the progression of the disease. These include eating a Mediterranean diet and filling your body and brain with healthy fats to protect its function.
Things like exercise and social interaction are also great in terms of slowing the progression of this disease. Recent research and evidence has also shown a lot of promise in something called TMS, or transcranial magnetic stimulation.
TMS uses a powerful magnet to stimulate specific regions of the brain involved in mood, cognitive control, and emotional regulation. These are things that many people struggle with as dementia progresses.
By targeting specific regions of the brain involved in executive function, planning, decision-making, and emotional regulation, recent studies have shown a lot of promise in improving activities of daily life and quality of living for patients, loved ones, and caregivers.
If you have any specific questions about your individual situation, feel free to get in touch with our team here and set up a consultation with our provider. I’m Evan with Optimal TMS, and thanks for watching. We look forward to hearing from you.
