The Dementia Pioneers Roadshow 2022 rolled out to the greater Lancashire area this autumn, appearing in 10 different venues in 10 weeks! I was inspired by recent uplifting research findings to get back out on the road again and spread the word. But the Roadshow 2022 was jump-started by an email from a gentleman who heard me speak in Chorley Town Hall in 2019. When I heard his family’s story, I was so moved that a roadshow revival with an update on the root causes of dementia (and what we can do about them) seemed the perfect response. So I set off….
Just kidding…. it was more like this:
We definitely need to know (1) what is causing our symptoms, and (2) what we can do to recover from them. This information is clearly not mainstream knowledge. Now you know why I named us the Dementia Pioneers!
So many people stand to benefit that it should be front page news. But until then, I thank you for being part of this ‘root-cause’ revolution and I encourage you to spread the word. Symptoms of dementia are caused by multiple factors, like the many roots of a tree they are below the surface.
To begin with, let’s overcome the fear-based propaganda that says there is nothing that can be done except look for care and support, and donate money towards finding a drug.
I have heard many stories of people who ignore symptoms during the early stages. But this is the crucial time – when symptoms are new and they can be addressed. Waiting until it gets worse is no longer the only option.
This blog is fairly new. I just launched it this year as a way to spread the word more widely than just giving in-person talks. I intend to post a blog at least once a month on hot topics that I hope you find useful and interesting. (If you don’t want to receive it, please just email me and I’ll remove you from the list.)
To begin, I will post here some of the slides from the Roadshow. These were the topics I covered:
This was the 2018 paper from Dr Bredesen and 15 practitioners that convinced me there was a lot that could be done.
You can find Dr Bredesen’s paper online by clicking this link: https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access-pdfs/reversal-of-cognitive-decline-100-patients-2161-0460-1000450.pdf
I was fortunate to find UK practitioners who were having success with their memory clients. Together we published a case series paper in 2019.
You can find this paper online by clicking this link: https://lidsen.com/journals/geriatrics/geriatrics-03-03-066
With these six patients there were numerous ‘drivers’ of their cognitive impairment. Dementia is often the result of a number of different root causes, although it can also be just one. Once that is identified and addressed by a qualified practitioner, the symptom can start to diminish.
Then in 2022 a clinical trial exploded onto the scene!
You can find this paper online by clicking this link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9484109/pdf/jad-88-jad215707.pdf
Having studied this paper I could identify 8 different topics. Each of these needed to be addressed to some degree. Although, it was often 1 or 2 that were more important than the others. Once the ‘drivers of cognitive impairment’ were identified and addressed, the patients began to feel some improvement.
It is worth saying that in a research study there is a great deal of resource to help the participants achieve success. To achieve this on your own (in the UK and perhaps elsewhere depending on your health insurance) would require much expense and effort, as your GP will not be able to provide this level of service.
This does not mean that learning and applying the basics doesn’t matter… because it does! Depending on your living situation, how long you have struggled with symptoms, your access to a trained practitioner and/or a carer, your financial resources and how able you are emotionally and mentally to make major lifestyle changes and stick to them – these all play a role!
Whatever you do, don’t give up!
One way to get started is with the 8 Factor worksheet that we used during the afternoon workshops. I have revised it into a series of questions. Answer it about yourself or somebody else. Score each question either Y or N. Work towards being able to answer Y to each. (Mark through the question if it is not applicable to your situation.)
A very special thanks to those who helped make the Roadshow possible by showing up for events, welcoming guests at the venues, chipping in to help cover the costs, crafting and reading your poems, offering a venue, and spreading details through word of mouth or on your socials. You are truly appreciated!
I hope you have enjoyed reading through this. I look forward to sharing whatever useful information I can that may help you begin to recover. Feel free to forward this blog to friends, colleagues and family.
If you have received this you must have given me your email address at some point. If you would like to not hear from me just email and ask to be removed. Or if you have topics you would like me to cover, do get in touch. dementiapioneers@gmail.com
I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. Job 42:4
Garuth
Garuth Eliot Chalfont, PhD, Health Researcher Health Coach Diploma, College of Naturopathic Medicine, London Certified Dementia Health Coach for the Bredesen Protocol ReCODE 2.0 Member of the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners
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