Think of one of the most precious memories you can have. In my case, being with family, with my friends, with my pets or in nature. Feel connected.
Now imagine those memories cease to exist. Or that you can no longer distinguish if it was a dream or it was reality and suddenly everything turns off. That is what more than 55 million people in the world suffer and more than 10 million per year.
Dementia is one of the diseases that kills the most and causes disability in the world and one of the greatest discoveries in science in recent years is that this problem begins in your brain decades before the first symptoms appear. Many think that by having a family member with this condition they are doomed to suffer from it. But as the saying goes, "our genes load the gun, our decisions fire it.
" Hello everyone. I'm DrVeller, and today I want us to debate together. I am going to tell you what the first warning symptoms of dementia are.
How to do to detect it early? and above all, what are the ingredients to repair your body. That is, to show you that many times this can be prevented and naturally.
Through our habits and food, we have the power to change the statistics. Just so you know, every three seconds a case of dementia is diagnosed in the world. First, what is dementia and how is it different from Alzheimer's?
Dementia is a disturbance in the ability to remember, think, and make decisions. But any of us, at any age, can be in this situation. Sometimes, for example, not finding the car key, forgetting a word, not remembering the name of someone you know from time to time.
That is, these forgetfulness are normal. So, to consider that someone has dementia, these alterations have to be so important that they interfere with the person's daily life. And this is not a common part of aging, as many believe.
For example, if we forget the key to the house, when we look for it we find it on the sofa or on the table. This can happen. But the person who has dementia finds the key to the house in the fridge or in the oven, and when he finds it, he wonders what is this?
What is it for? I'm going to tell you what the first symptoms are and how to recognize it early. But many people confuse the word dementia with Alzheimer's.
Actually, Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia. I am going to tell you below that there are many types. Now why does Alzheimer's occur?
Notice what is here are our neurons and the point of contact between them is called synapse. It is there where chemical messengers are transmitted for communication to occur. It is there where we think, feel, see, listen, love and remember.
The problem is that during this communication, in addition to releasing chemical messengers, another substance called "beta amyloid" is also released. And it is very important that this is understood. Normally this substance is cleaned, it is eliminated thanks to some cells that we have in our brain.
Most experts believe that Alzheimer's begins when this substance is not cleared out as it should. That is, it begins to accumulate forming plaques inside your brain. Called "amyloid plaques," they begin a cascade of brain damage and inflammation.
The ideal is to reduce the risk of this happening and as I told you before, it can start decades before the first symptoms appear and the risk can be reduced naturally. I'm going to tell you how. Although to date there is nothing that can prevent it in 100% of cases.
As I told you before, your genes are not going to condition you. They are not your destiny. Now, what increases the risk of dementia the most?
The first thing is age. It is more common after the age of 65, but it can occur at any time. Having parents or siblings with this problem can increase the risk by up to 30%.
Being alone. There are studies that show that loneliness increases the risk of dementia. On the other hand, human connections diminish it.
Having high blood pressure and uncontrolled diabetes and also smoking. This greatly increases the risk. Consuming ultra-processed foods and excess sugar.
These inflame our body and our brain. Also having had a severe head injury or trauma. These are the most important risk factors.
Now pay close attention here. What are the first symptoms to suspect that we have dementia? Memory loss is initially noticed by our friends and family and the first thing that is disturbed is short term memory.
That is, we forget what we did or what they told us five minutes ago. Distant childhood memories are finally lost. But you have to open your eyes to other symptoms that may seem subtle.
For example. The progressive loss of social skills. There may be even subtle personality changes.
Loss of interest in things that previously interested that person very much. Additionally, they may begin to have paranoid thoughts. For example, "some family member or friend robbed me or wants to hurt me.
" There may also be changes in the way you walk, which is very subtle at first, or you start to get disoriented from time to time. For example, a bakery that you have known for many years goes to the bakery, but when you arrive you do not remember for a moment how to return. Actions can become repetitive and the family member notices this, asks, or does the same thing several times.
And with the passing of time there is a loss of judgment capacity. That is to say, it no longer measures the dangerousness of its actions. You can start to have uninhibited, aggressive behaviors.
And in some cases this manifests itself before memory loss. The patient may also have hallucinations. Begin to see bugs in the walls.
These symptoms are subtle, but later on he no longer recognizes his family or objects. He loses his autonomy and it can become dangerous to leave him alone at home. Now, one of the most important messages in this video, did you know that in many cases these symptoms can be completely reversed?
This occurs, for example, when the symptoms of dementia are caused by another pathology, for example, thyroid disorders, vitamin B12 deficiency, brain infections with bacteria, for example, syphilis. Adverse effects of some medications. Even severe chronic stress and severe depression can cause symptoms that are mistaken for dementia.
They may look like Alzheimer's, but they're not. There are also other types of dementia, such as that which occurs in the patient with sequelae of a cerebrovascular accident. Even strokes often occur slowly and silently, and the only signs we had to realize it were high blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes, very high blood cholesterol and bad lifestyle habits.
Regarding prevention, what are the ingredients to repair your body? As always we tell you that food is your medicine and that your medicine is food . We must not wait for these plaques to accumulate in the brain.
It's like seeing a match in the woods. No waiting to put out the fire. Poor diet, mainly excess sugar.
Ultra-processed junk foods ignite a fire within us called chronic inflammation. And that fire accelerates aging, both our brain and other organs. It is like a forest that is burning.
But hey, what are the best foods for memory and increase brain power? Dark green leafy vegetables first. Broccoli, chard, arugula, spinach.
They have all the nutrients your body needs to make energy, mainly messengers, brain chemicals. They are not only nutritious plants, they are true remedies. Its daily consumption is associated with delaying aging by ten years.
Fruits, but not just any. Mainly the pomegranate, a super antioxidant, the avocado that contains good fats, vitamins, antioxidants. The red fruits in general, the blueberry.
The black berry. The cherry. Again they are true remedies.
These foods protect our neurons from damage caused by free radicals, substances that damage DNA. They produce death of our neurons and inflame our entire organism. But some of the most powerful foods for the brain are those that contain Omega 3.
A very healthy fat. The main sources are fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, but it can be found in plants such as flaxseed, chia, and sesame. It is also present in the egg, the yolk, mainly from those free-range chickens.
Or you can consume it in the form of supplements. Omega three is vital to build the brain blocks where memory is stored. In addition, it fights inflammation in the rest of your body.
Turmeric with black pepper. This isn't just seasoning, it's super antioxidant and super anti-inflammatory. Consuming them daily can reduce the damage that accumulates in our neurons and reduce cell death.
Although human studies are lacking that confirm 100% what I am telling you, consuming turmeric with pepper every day could help a lot. Coffee, mainly caffeinated. Some studies have shown that consuming 1 to 3 230-milliliter cups of coffee can reduce the risk of some dementias associated with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
Ideally you have to take it without sugar. Doing so not only protects your brain, it also takes care of your heart and kidney. Other very good foods for your brain that you should incorporate into your routine.
The nuts. almonds. Extra virgin olive oil.
At the same time that you should avoid ultra-processed foods as much as possible. Excess sugar. Avoid smoking and alcohol.
If you can, limit the consumption of red meat to no more than twice a week or change these meats to poultry and fish. Doing this reduces the risk of dementia by up to 35% and also delays aging. I'm going to tell you if there are supplements or vitamins that we can take.
But what are the most powerful habits for your memory? First. Work out.
Having muscles is extremely important. The same stimuli that go to your muscles to grow act on your brain, improving its power, its efficiency. And here I don't just mean walking every day.
You have to do strength exercises against resistance and it doesn't matter how old you are. Adults and the elderly who exercise daily reduce their risk of dementia by at least 50%. And they can also delay the appearance of any symptoms for up to 11 years.
Sleep better. When we sleep we strengthen our memory, we prepare our DNA, we consolidate our memories. The ideal is to sleep 7 or 8 hours every day.
We have a video on the channel explaining about insomnia and how to treat it naturally . Keep your mind active, that is, practice mindfulness. This is teaching or training your brain to pay attention.
For example, when you are going to grab the keys to your house, concentrate and say "I am grabbing the key. " Little by little, your brain will pay more attention to everything you do. Exercise your brain every day for at least 15 minutes with board games, reading, doing crosswords or if you can, try to learn a new language, a new skill, like dancing.
Use your non-dominant hand to do simple tasks. The important thing is to keep your mind active every day. To meditate.
This is very important and it doesn't matter how you do it, whether counting your breaths at bedtime, praying, whether you are a religious person. Daily meditation was shown to increase brain volume in the areas where memory is stored. Other important tips.
Increase your social connections. As I told you before, loneliness is a risk factor for early death, dementia, heart attacks. And a secret that you may not know.
Treat hearing loss. Early treatment of hearing problems lowers the risk of dementia. If you have this problem, seek a specialist to see if you need hearing aids.
Now, I'd love for you to hear one final message that I have to give you on this issue. But first. What about supplements and vitamins for the brain?
Well, regarding vitamins, if you eat a balanced diet, you don't need to replenish them, with the exception of vitamin B12, which there are patients, mainly vegans, who may be deficient or who have some gastrointestinal pathology. Each case must be evaluated individually. And also vitamin D, it is very important to maintain normal levels.
Those with severe vitamin D deficiency may be at increased risk of dementia. We have video explaining how to treat deficiency of both vitamins. Ginkgo biloba.
There are many studies done, but none of them show that it really has any impact on brain function. Attention and memory. My message is that the best is always natural.
A diet rich in colors, varied, along with other healthy habits. And regarding magnesium for your brain, we have a video explaining everything about this mineral. Now a very important message for all those who suffer from or have a family member with Alzheimer's.
Diagnosis is not a death sentence. keep living. They may not remember what was said five minutes ago, but they are still capable of feeling love, joy and enjoying life.
These people are much more than they can remember. I hope you liked the video. I ask you to please share this material.
Let's discuss together, tell me your experience. And of course, subscribe to our channel. This helps us a lot to continue growing.
Bye Bye!