Have you noticed a change in memory or thinking for yourself or your loved ones? You may be experiencing a loss of cognitive function. This can be caused by many things, including different medicines, health conditions, and aging. You don’t have to give up though, there are ways for you to try to regain and maintain function.
Stay mentally active: This is a “use it or lose it” situation. If you don’t continually engage your mental faculties, you will have a greater chance of losing acuity. If you don’t yet have much impairment, start with challenging puzzles such as crosswords.
If crosswords or word games are too challenging, especially for those with notable loss, try other games such as matching games, card games, or coloring books.
Medication: Sometimes medications can cause problems with cognitive functioning. If you’ve noticed changes, ask your doctor about them. Medicines like pain killers, blood pressure meds, and even bladder control drugs can have this unwanted side effect. Your doctor may switch you to a different medicine or adjust your dosage, and this will likely help a lot.
Some medications can help with memory impairment. There are medicines even to slow Alzheimer’s. Report any changes you see in your parents, spouse, or other elderly relatives to their doctor.
It needs to be reported even if you think the person will be angry at you for having disclosed the trouble. Most doctors won’t tell someone how they came to know that there was a situation, but even if they do tell your loved one, you need to make sure that they get treatment. The doctor will assess the problem, and then figure out the best way to manage the issue.
Alternative therapies: Remember first and foremost that some alternative supplements and therapies can have side effects, or can interact with prescription medications. Always check with the doctor before adding an alternative therapy to a regimen. Here are some that might help, however.
Two of the best bets for aiding mental function are gingko biloba, and ginseng. Be careful about ginseng if you have rheumatoid arthritis though, it can make the condition worse. Either of these may interact with medication, and the gingko biloba may cause stomach irritation.
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