Cognitive decline - Vital Hormone Clinic

What is Cognitive Decline?

Cognitive decline refers to the gradual loss of cognitive abilities like memory, attention, reasoning, and problem-solving. It is a natural part of aging, but can be accelerated by certain health conditions.

As we get older, changes occur in the brain that can affect cognition:

• The brain shrinks in size, especially areas like the hippocampus that are vital for memory.
• Important brain chemicals like acetylcholine and dopamine decline.
• Nerve cells and connections between them are lost.
• Blood flow to the brain reduces.

Initially, cognitive decline may be subtle. You may notice minor forgetfulness or have trouble multitasking. But over time, it can progress and start interfering with daily activities.

Some common signs of cognitive decline include:

• Increased forgetfulness and relying on memory aids
• Difficulty learning or recalling new information
• Struggling to follow conversations or track story plots
• Becoming confused about past events and people
• Taking longer to do routine tasks and make decisions
• Losing track of dates, appointments, keys, bills etc.

Mild cognitive impairment is a condition where cognitive deficits are worse than normal age-related decline, but not severe enough to be dementia. Many with MCI go on to develop Alzheimer's disease.

While cognitive decline is expected with age, its speed and severity is influenced by many factors like genetics, lifestyle and health conditions.

Strategies to maintain cognitive health include:

• Eating a healthy diet rich in antioxidants
• Exercising and staying mentally and socially active
• Getting good quality sleep and managing stress
• Controlling cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol

Drug treatments like cholinesterase inhibitors can temporarily improve symptoms in Alzheimer's disease. But lifestyle measures to promote brain health are most effective when started early, before significant decline occurs.

At Vital Hormone Clinic, we offer cognitive health evaluations and hormone therapy tailored to your needs. Declining hormones like estrogen, testosterone and growth hormone are linked to poorer brain structure and function. Our personalized programs can help optimize your hormone levels to support healthy brain aging.

Schedule a consultation today to learn more about evidence-based strategies to enhance your cognitive abilities and reduce age-related decline. Investing in brain health is one of the wisest lifelong choices you can make!