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Cognitive Decline With Age
Exposure to Toxins

Cognitive Decline With Age -”The most important changes in cognition with normal aging are declines in performance on cognitive tasks that require one to quickly process or transform information to make a decision, including measures of speed of processing, working memory, and executive cognitive function”. 

There are many factors that affect the cognitive function decline and three pervasive brain illnesses. Two of the three are associated with our memory  - Memory Loss and Dementia. The third one is Parkinson. All three of these "diseases" are believed by many to be age associated. Yes age is no doubt a contributing factor, but from the self-healing perspective these illnesses are the result of a prolonged life style with exposure to contributing factors that should have been eliminated at early age, realizing their implications at an older age.​

Some of these contributing factors we discuss elsewhere on this website (see "Read more" links below) and some we discuss below:

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  • Insulin Resistance - "data from 2021 found that 40% of US adults aged 18 to 44 are insulin-resistant based on HOMA-IR measurements". "it has been implicated in AD (Altzheimer Disease), with the degree of brain insulin resistance correlating with cognitive decline". "Brain insulin receptor signaling reportedly plays diverse roles in the CNS (Central Nervous System), including regulation of synaptic plasticity [100–106], dendritic outgrowth [77, 107], and involvement in neuronal survival [108, 109], life span [110–114], learning and memory [115–117], and neurological disorders [118–121]. "insulin signaling has been demonstrated to impact on molecular cascades underlying hippocampal plasticity, learning and memory. Here, we summarize the molecular evidence linking alteration of hippocampal insulin sensitivity with changes of both adult neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. We also review the epidemiological studies and experimental models emphasizing the critical role of brain insulin resistance at the crossroad between metabolic and neurodegenerative disease".

      Bottom line - Insulin resistance is a major contributor to COGNITIVE DECLINE!

      Read more here on simple diet changes to avoid insulin resistance.

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  • Myelin Decline - "People whose brains have less myelin — the fatty tissue that insulates nerve cells — experience steeper declines in cognition over time (age). According to an NIA study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia". High cholesterol level is essential for myelin membrane growth". Furthermore, research work has shown the importance of LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol in the formation of myelin sheath. (Read More). Note: There is a strong drive among "professional" health practitioners to convince their audience to lower their LDL levels below 100 to avoid blood vessels clogging, without providing scientific evidence to the impact of this low blood LDL level on the myelin regeneration process. This 2022 meta analysis titled: "Statins and cognition: Modifying factors and possible underlying mechanisms", concludes that there is "inconsistent results of many studies", and suggests "The bias in the interpretations of studies’ results suggests a possible explanation for the inconsistency in mechanisms underlying the effects of statins on AD (Alzheimer's Disease)".

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  • Aquaporins - This is a group of proteins that are contained in various plant and play a significant role in the human body. Corn, soybean, spinach leaf, and tomato aquaporins have been shown to share homology with human aquaporin-4, which is abundantly expressed by brain astrocytic endfeet. Thus, antibodies formed against the dietary aquaporins may potentially cross-react with brain aquaporin, leading to blood-brain barrier permeability and setting the stage for neuroautoimmunity and neurodegeneration. Note, Astrocyte endfeet enwrap the entire vascular tree within the central nervous system, where they perform important functions in regulating the blood-brain barrier (BBB), cerebral blood flow, nutrient uptake, and waste clearance.

 

  • Exposure to Toxins - NIH-funded twin study finds occupational chemical exposure may be linked to Parkinson’s risk. Bottom line - exposure to chemicals, pesticides, herbicides and others - possibly through our diet, is a contributing risk factor to our brain health.

    • Reduce the amount of mercury and aluminum in your diet.

      • Mercury in Fish: especially ones that live for a long time (e.g. Tuna fish), absorb mercury from the water. Larger fish, such as tuna and swordfish, tend to have higher levels of mercury.

      • Aluminum in salt and other powdered additives: There are manufacturers that add aluminum compounds to keep their powdered products from coagulation. In our body, some of these compounds are dissolved into the blood, and the aluminum "finds it way" to our brain.

    • SILVER-AMALGAM TOOTH FILLINGS Silver-colored fillings are usually made with a mercury amalgam, which may break down over time. If you have these  fillings, replace them with tooth-colored resin fillings.

    • VACCINES, While the mercury-based preservative thimerosal has been removed from most vaccines, there are still some that contain the controversial chemical, such as flu shots. If you choose to vaccinate, make sure that the vaccine is thimerosal-free! 

    • POLLUTION, Our water and air can be a major source of harmful heavy metals. Steer clear of industrial areas when possible, and drink filtered water (reverse osmosis water is a good option).

    • BEWARE OF OLD PAINT, As recently as the 1970s, paint was made with lead. If you live or work in an older structure, there's a good chance of lead-based paint somewhere beneath the most recent layer. Be mindful of places where paint may be chipping, and definitely keep small children from putting paint chips in their mouths.

    • (Read more - Toxins and detoxification).

Myelin Decline
Insulin Resistance
Aquaporins

  • Thyroid Problems - "It has been shown that a variety of cognitive domains can be impaired by overt hypothyroidism. Several studies demonstrate reductions in attention/concentration, general intelligence, memory, language, perceptual function, executive function, and psychomotor activity. It is indicated that the most consistently influenced domain is memory [62], with specific deficits in verbal memory [63, 64]. According to studies, the prevalence of cognitive dysfunction is high among patients with hypothyroidism. Increased age, increased disease duration, and high levels of TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone) are statistically related to cognitive deficits [65]". (Read more)

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  • Medications - Many prescription drugs interfere with your memory function, these drugs include anxiety medications (Xanax, Valium, and Ativan), which hinder your brain's ability to transfer short-term memories to long-term "storage." Others include tricyclic antidepressants, statin drugs, beta-blockers, narcotic painkillers, incontinence drugs, sleep aids, and antihistamines (such as Benadryl).

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  • Smoking - Smoking impairs the blood supply to your brain, leading to memory lapses. Studies also show that smokers have a more rapid decline in brain function, including memory, than non-smokers, while smoking leads to the accumulation of abnormal proteins in your brain that interfere with processing and relaying information.

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  • Nutrition - A compelling study regarding the Parkinson's disease is presented in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience (2014) concludes: “A growing body of evidence suggests that nutrition may play an important role.”. 
    The so-called western diet is rich in saturated fat and refined carbohydrates (e.g. sugar). Excessive consumption of this diet is associated not only with the development of obesity but also with reduced global cognitive function, cognitive decline, and dementia (Morris et al., 2015). This Research Topic explores the effects of diet and diet-induced obesity on learning, memory, and cognition in both experimental and epidemiological settings. High fat and high sugar foods are highly rewarding and excessive consumption leads to enduring alterations in brain regions involved in learning, memory, and reward. These changes are proposed to drive over consumption by promoting food seeking behaviors. Moreover, alterations in brain regions essential for learning, memory, and behavioral control induced by this diet appear to be especially profound in the immature brain. (Read more below and Ketogenic diet, brain, memory and the guts) 

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  • Physical Exercise - Not surprisingly, this meta study: "An umbrella review of randomized control trials on the effects of physical exercise on cognition" concludes that "These findings suggest caution in claims and recommendations linking regular physical exercise to cognitive benefits in the healthy human population until more reliable causal evidence accumulates". On the other hand, this (2022) study concludes: "The results indicated that older adults who engaged in frequent physical activity have greater cognitive functioning than older adults without physical activity after adjusting for various individual, health, lifestyle, and household factors". This association holds true for both older men and older women.It is not surprising because as you an see on this page, physical exercise has numerous versions with a wide range of diversified implications. Just as an example, this study brings significantly different conclusions "An emerging line of scientific evidence indicates that the effects of exercise are longer lasting than previously thought up to the point to affect future generations". (Read more GYM).

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  • Inflammation - "The relationship between inflammation and age-related neurocognitive changes is significant, which may relate to the age-related immune dysfunctions characterized by the senescence of immune cells and elevated inflammatory markers in the peripheral circulation and the central nervous system". (Read more Chronic Inflammation)

 

  • Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) - "UTIs can cause sudden confusion (also known as delirium) in older people and people with dementia. If the person has a sudden and unexplained change in their behaviour, such as increased confusion, agitation, or withdrawal, this may be because of a UTI.

 

  • Shortwave Radiation - This meta review brings many studies that showed the damage incurred from shortwave radiation to functioning of many body systems including central nervous system (“impairment was mainly characterized by brain dysfunction”),  Cardiovascular system, Endocrine system, and other systems.

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Resolution​: The cognitive decline triggered by the factors listed above is characterised by chronic hypoperfusion (inadequate blood flow) that contributes to neurodegeneration and memory problems.

These days (the beginning of 2024), the most promising compound that we could find that could help resolve this hypoperfusion is Methylene Blue. "In summary, inside the electron transport chain in your mitochondria are five complexes, the primary purpose of which is to conduct the electrons generated from food, primarily carbohydrates and fat, in the form of acetyl CoA. Sometimes the electron transport chain gets blocked or impaired, and methylene blue is able to bypass such blockages".

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Furthermore - “When you’re perfectly healthy, low doses of methylene blue will enhance oxygen consumption, mitochondrial respiration and ATP production above baseline, basically optimizing the whole system. So, it acts as a metabolic enhancer and not just an antidote for metabolic poisons and other inhibitory processes"

Thyroid Problems
Medications
Smoking
Nutrition
Physical Exercise
Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)
Inflammation
Shortwave Radiation
Resolution
Methylene Blue Dosing Suggestions

Methylene Blue Dosing Suggestions:
 
Use Methylene Blue Pharmaceutical USP (United States Pharmacopeia) grade  99%+ pure. This is the kind used when injected intravenously for antidote purposes, or used orally. 
"For an acute treatment, the upper limit is between 3 mg to 4 mg per kg, which is
typically the range given as an IV antidote for methemoglobinemia. For nonacute,
more long-term treatment, 0.5 mg to 1 mg per kg per day works better. It has a half-
life of 12 to 13 hours, so once-a-day dosing is fine".

Gut Microbiome And Our Brain [Read more]
The guts and its microbiome - referred to by many as our second brain. 
This scientific study - (as an example) has found that probiotic and prebiotics might improve mental function via several mechanisms. (Read more) Another scientific study has found two strains shown to have a calming influence, in part by dampening stress hormones, are Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifdobacterium longum. Others may have similar effects, although more research is needed to identify them. Using MRI scans, Dr. Emeran Mayer, a professor of medicine and psychiatry at the University of California, studied the physical brain structure of thousands of volunteers, looking for connections between brain structure and the types of bacteria found in their guts.So far, he has found differences in how certain brain regions are connected, depending on the dominant species of bacteria. As reported by NPR: "That suggests that the specific mix of microbes in our guts might help determine what kinds of brains we have — how our brain circuits develop and how they're wired." (Read more). Indeed, the connection between our gut and mental health appears to be so strong that some have proposed probiotics may one day take the place of antidepressant drugs.

The accumulating evidence linking bacteria in the gut and neurons in the brain (the microbiota–gut–brain axis) has led to a paradigm shift in the neurosciences. Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms supporting the relevance of actions mediated by the gut microbiota for brain physiology and neuronal functioning is a key research area.

Gut bacteria transmits information to your brain via the vagus nerve, the tenth cranial nerve that runs from your brain stem into your enteric nervous system (the nervous system of your gastrointestinal tract). There is a close connection between abnormal gut flora and abnormal brain development, and just as you have neurons in your brain, you also have neurons in your gut - including neurons that produce neurotransmitters like serotonin, which is also found in your brain and is linked to mood.

Cognitive Functioning Nutritional Supplements:
Lion's Mane Mushrooms
 
We recommend this supplement following unequivocal recommendations of figures whom we learned to appreciate their integrity and professionalism over a prolonged period of time like Mike Adams in this video (on min. 17:00) and Dr. Gundry in this video (on min. 1:28) and a few other of his videos. Their recommendations and some preliminary studies like this one that concludes "Given the current evidence, lion’s mane mushrooms may have the potential to elicit both cognitive and mood effects through various biological pathways", let us to strongly recommend this supplement.
Dosage: In this study the dosage of the powder in a pill form used was 3 grams and generally speaking, this dosage is recommended by many other studies and videos.
 
Spirulina: "This review focuses on the role of Spirulina in the brain, highlighting how it exerts its beneficial anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, acting on glial cell activation, and in the prevention and/or progression of neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis; due to these properties, Spirulina could be considered a potential natural drug". The above is the conclusion of one study out of numerous recent studies, all showing the benefits of spirulina to cognitive functioning.
Dosage: As a dietary supplement, the recommended minimum amount is three grams daily – one teaspoon of powder or six 500 mg tablets. Since it is a pure and natural food, you may safely take more, to suit your personal health program.

Vitamin B12: vitamins including vitamin B12 may slow brain shrinkage by as much as seven-fold in brain regions specifically known to be most impacted by Alzheimer's disease. (
The researchers noted: "…B vitamins lower homocysteine, which directly leads to a decrease in GM [gray matter] atrophy, thereby slowing cognitive decline. Our results show that B-vitamin supplementation can slow the atrophy of specific brain regions that are a key component of the AD [Alzheimer's disease] process and that are associated with cognitive decline.".

Fresh vegetables are essential - curry, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, and walnuts contain antioxidants and other compounds that protect your brain health and may even stimulate the production of new brain cells.
 
Coconut oil is another healthful fat for brain function. According to research by Dr. Mary Newport, just over two tablespoons of coconut oil (about 35 ml or 7 level teaspoons) would supply you with the equivalent of 20 grams of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), which is indicated as either a preventative measure against degenerative neurological diseases or as a treatment for an already established case.

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Gut Microbiome And Our Brain
Cognitive Functioning Nutritional Supplements
Lion's Mane Mushrooms
Spirulina
Vitamin B12
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