Seeing is believing – improving vision can prevent dementia

SEEING is Believing – Easy Fix Can PREVENT Dementia

You’d think they’d have thrown in the towel by now…

I’m talking about Big Pharma… and its endless and frankly FRUITLESS quest to find an Alzheimer’s drug that actually DOES anything. (Aside from delivering awful side effects to patients, and eye-popping profits to the drug companies.)

And now, its most recent “wonder drug” du jour – the highly anticipated crenezumab – has proven to be the latest in a long list of expensive losers.

Yet despite countless strikeouts, Big Pharma continues to pitch BILLIONS into the search for a homerun Alzheimer’s drug that can hit it out of the park (see what I did there?).

Friend, they can’t seem to help themselves – after all, the financial windfall would be astronomical.

But in the meantime, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia continue to skyrocket in this country… ruining lives, stealing independence, and bringing death and despair to patients, friends and families.

But there IS a glimmer of hope.

Some researchers and public health experts have recognized that we need a DIFFERENT approach to Alzheimer’s…

Namely, modifying the risk factors for cognitive decline and dementia… to PREVENT them in the first place.

As a U.K psychiatrist revealed, “It would be great if we had drugs that worked. “But they’re not the only way forward.”

Welcome to the light, mainstream. We’ve been waiting for you to catch up!

Studies have shown that changing habits and lifestyle behaviors not only significantly reduce dementia risk – but also PLUNGE the risk of it ever taking hold.

We integrative doctors have been focusing on the root causes of disease for a VERY long time.

But I’m glad that some doctors and health experts are starting to see their light… because their findings could benefit us ALL.

The Dementia Dirty Dozen

After analyzing hundreds of studies involving more than 16,000 seniors, a panel of doctors and scientists identified modifiable 12 dementia risk factors.

Turns out, they’re linked to 62.4 percent of U.S. dementia cases – cases that could be DELAYED or PREVENTED if these risks were eliminated.

Now, some of these causative factors are easier to improve than others. Things like losing weight, exercising, drinking less, and getting together with friends are achievable goals – and don’t require buckets of money, expensive equipment, or fancy surgery.

Admittedly, some of the other risk factors on the list, like lower education levels, traumatic brain injuries, and air pollution, are a lot more complicated.

But new research just identified a NEW risk factor – and this one has an EASY FIX.

The study, published in JAMA Neurology found that vision impairment is linked to nearly 2 percent of cases of accelerated cognitive decline and dementia in this country.

Now, that may seem like just a drop in the dementia bucket.

But vision impairment affects millions of people. And that nearly 2 percent figure translates to more than 100,000 Americans suffering with dementia – regular folks who could have PREVENTED their diagnosis through HEALTHY VISION.

See, vision loss reduces sensory stimulation to the brain. That can cause structural brain changes and neuron death… and put you on the fast path to cognitive decline.

The scientists also found that a whopping 90 percent of vision impairment is preventable – or goes untreated.

But it doesn’t HAVE to. Things like eye exams, eyeglasses, and cataract surgery are relatively affordable and accessible.

So be sure to get your vision checked… and if it needs correcting, DO it.

Because as this study shows, the payoff goes far beyond seeing a couple more lines on the eye chart – it can literally SAVE your BRAIN.

Source: “New Dementia Intervention Method May be Behavioral, Not Prescribed”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/03/health/dementia-treatment-behavior-eye-care.html