The sixth most common cause of death in the United States is Alzheimer’s disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 5.8 million Americans currently have the disease, and as the baby boomer generation matures over the next 40 years, this number is projected to quadruple.

Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, and Lewy-Body dementia are the three most prevalent kinds of dementia; they all have comparable side effects and available treatments. Although no cure for dementia has yet been discovered, a variety of natural remedies and lifestyle adjustments have showed promise in terms of slowing the disease’s course and improving the quality of life for individuals who already have the condition.

style="text-align: left;">Natural Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease

1. Nutrition

Numerous research over the past few decades and centuries-old knowledge from all around the world demonstrate how nutrition can benefit people with dementia and memory loss in many different ways. Adding a supplement to your regular vitamin regimen may help alleviate some dementia symptoms, but you may also need to make significant dietary adjustments, such as giving up white sugar. Although each person’s response to nutrition treatment is different, it’s likely that you will experience some benefits.

Supplements

According to studies, taking a DHA supplement may be useful for delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms. An omega-3 fatty acid called DHA can be found in algae, organ meats, fish, and eggs. This component on the list of natural Alzheimer’s treatments has been demonstrated to slow down cognitive degradation and is mostly found in fish oil. 

While vitamin E is a useful supplement to other Alzheimer’s treatments, doctors warn that high amounts can be dangerous. Nuts, seeds, broccoli, various greens, as well as fruits like mangoes and blueberries, are food sources of vitamin E. While eating a diet high in these foods is frequently sufficient to increase your vitamin E levels, you might want to ask your doctor for a nutritional panel to see whether you would also benefit from taking vitamin E or other supplements.

In western medicine, the use of turmeric and other plants in the ginger family has been used for centuries to treat symptoms of aging, such as inflammation and cell oxidation, and more recently, it has shown promise in treating dementia symptoms, such as memory loss and attention problems, as well as pain and swelling related to arthritis.

If you have gallstones, jaundice, or take blood thinners, this plant has been demonstrated to be potentially dangerous. Consult your doctor before beginning any new herbal regimen. 

Diet modifications

One of the biggest risk factors for dementia is obesity; people with a high BMI and a propensity to retain fat around their waists have a three and a half times higher chance of being given an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Sugar is one substance that has been related to obesity and that individuals frequently ingest in large amounts.

Obesity, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease are all clearly related. Sugar is known to pass through the blood-brain barrier, which has major consequences for brain health and leads to the deterioration of the synaptic networks that facilitate thought. Diabetes has been demonstrated to be a risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease because of this symptom as well as others, like the propensity for people with diabetes to also be obese.

The US Department of Health and Human Services has provided a guide on healthy eating for the average American, complete with a two-week shopping list, to aid in the fight against obesity and related disorders. The best way to fight obesity, diabetes, and dementia has been demonstrated to be good dietary adjustments, particularly adopting a Mediterranean diet rich in whole grains, fish, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and healthy oils. This diet has been demonstrated to lessen cognitive decline and to stop its early beginning when combined with regular exercise. Along with a slew of additional advantages outside of improved memory, proper diet and maintaining physical and mental fitness show promise in reducing the advancement of Alzheimer’s symptoms.

2. Exercise

Numerous studies have been conducted on the connection between exercise and dementia. There could be a million fewer incidents of dementia worldwide if all elderly people reduced their physical inactivity by just 25%. 

Exercise is especially beneficial in the treatment of vascular dementia, in which brain cells die as a result of a restriction in blood flow caused by plaque buildup somewhere along the way. According to studies, regular exercise is a fantastic way to prevent this plaque build-up and to keep the body’s muscle mass. Recent studies have demonstrated that those over 65 who engage in 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week maintain their cognitive function. 

If you don’t enjoy going to the gym, there are numerous other ways to complete your 150 minutes at home. 

If you need inspiration, check out our list of the top 25 workout DVDs and home gyms. Additionally, there are numerous ways to exercise at home without ever taking up a dumbbell; all you need to do is turn your enduring interests into an aerobic activity. Elderly people can stay active through gardening, walking around the neighborhood, doing yard chores, and dancing.

3: Social Engagement

Psychosocial therapies are a fantastic way to enhance cognitive and general health in people with Alzheimer’s disease and associated dementias. Research demonstrates that establishing ongoing social contact with an emphasis on what makes people happy enhances the lives of those with dementia, regardless of whether your loved one is aging in place with your assistance or residing in an assisted care facility. Through social activities, there are various methods to enhance quality of life and perhaps reduce dementia symptoms.

Those who reside with family members have a lot of chances to enhance their life through social connections. Reminiscing in groups has been shown to instantly lift participants’ moods, and caregivers who converse with elderly people in casual situations reap a host of mental advantages as well, including happier caretakers and dementia patients. 

Alzheimer’s patients can develop new methods to interact with their caretakers through a variety of sensory activities as their cognitive faculties deteriorate. Patients benefit from the sensory experience provided by the low-impact physical activity of dance. Another sensory ability that can excite the mind and work to slow the advancement of this condition when used in conjunction with other Alzheimer’s treatments is pottery, whether it is created in a group context or as an individual endeavor. By providing an alternative outlet to speaking, which eventually becomes challenging in severe dementia, this kind of exercise can aid persons who are starting to deal with communication issues. 

A group of elderly people, frequently with varied degrees of dementia, are cared for in day programs, also known as adult daycares. These programs often last a full day or half a day and include all equipment and materials need to both entertain and care for the elderly. According to research into these programs, both caregivers and individuals who have dementia, as well as those who reside in nursing homes, can benefit.

4: Sleep

According to sleep research, cognition and sleep go hand in hand. Studies on sleep deprivation reveal that healthy persons who lose even a third of the sleep they typically get in a night can experience severe short-term memory loss, which is akin to the cognitive decline found in dementia. When their sleep is interrupted, those with Alzheimer’s disease and similar dementias can experience even worse effects, which exacerbate the already severe symptoms of the condition. Sleep difficulties are typically a common side effect of dementia, making this issue particularly challenging for both the elderly person with dementia and their caregiver. 

Elderly adults who receive cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) have been proven to have improved symptoms of sadness and sleeplessness. The key advantage of the therapy is that it teaches patients about proper sleep hygiene. CBT for sleeplessness and stress relaxation helps both seniors and the people who care for them. 

Bright-light therapy (BLT), where bright lights are viewed by the individual with insomnia at specific times of the day in order to push the body into picking up a healthy circadian rhythm, is another helpful strategy to assist regulate our circadian rhythms (or sleep cycles) as we age. Additionally, regular exercise is one of the best ways to naturally regulate sleep, according to study. Exercise is a terrific approach to improve sleep.

5. Options for Non-Invasive Medical Care

In order to support a variety of health advantages, including enhanced cognition in dementia sufferers as well as instant and long-term pain relief, acupuncture involves putting tiny needles into the body at specified medians. This medicinal therapy has been practiced for millennia all across the world, and MRI studies conducted in recent years have shown that it is effective. Recent clinical research demonstrate that acupuncture is not only a secure treatment that enhances cognitive function but that trial participants also had improvements in pain and insomnia. 

Reflexology, the art of carefully massaging the hands and feet to relieve discomfort, and gentle massage have both been shown to be excellent techniques to enhance the quality of life and mood of persons with dementia. Studies done in nursing homes reveal that massage helps individuals in memory care with discomfort and reduces suffering. 

Sadly, there isn’t a magic treatment for Alzheimer’s. However, natural Alzheimer’s treatments that reduce the disease’s course are a relief for patients and their caregivers and support overall physical and mental wellness. In your interactions with family members or patients who have Alzheimer’s, have you discovered any of these treatments to be beneficial?

Maybe you’re one of the 90% of seniors who prefer to age in place and don’t want to move into an assisted living facility in the unavoidable event that medical assistance is required. See our guidance on when to consider in-home health care services if this is the case. 

If you’re considering taking on the role of family caregiver for a loved one, weigh the advantages of helping them age in place against the drawbacks of arranging for in-home health care services to be delivered by a company or a qualified friend or relative.