It’s some of the most devastating news you could POSSIBLY get.
Worse than being told, you have heart failure. Maybe even worse than being given a cancer diagnosis.
Because it’s hard to reach a lower point than being told you have an unstoppable and irreversible disease. It’s a disease that will DESTROY you. And there’s nothing you can do except watch it happen.
But if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, there’s something URGENT you need to know. There’s a good chance the doctor is wrong.
Even the best specialists in town can botch this one. And new research reveals one common way they get it wrong.
And that’s ACTUALLY good news. Because it means there could be hope that you or a loved one doesn’t have Alzheimer’s. Or you may have a much less severe and far more manageable cognitive issue.
This ONE test could change EVERYTHING
The new study finds that up to one in five cases of Alzheimer’s can be a misdiagnosis. And that’s especially true for folks who’ve had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) such as a concussion.
But there’s a fairly simple test that could help. An MRI can help spot the difference, potentially giving you and your loved ones new hope.
If you’ve ever had a brain injury, an MRI should absolutely be your FIRST stop after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. But even if you’ve never had a TBI, it’s a good idea to get an MRI.
Let me explain.
We simply weren’t very good at diagnosing concussions and other brain injuries in the past. And, frankly, we still have a long way to go in getting it right.
Many of us grew up in the “walk it off” and “tough it out” era. Which means we may have had a concussion or another brain injury and never even saw a doctor for it.
When your ‘Alzheimer’s disease’ is something else entirely
These long-ago injuries, the new study confirms, could lead to problems in a region called the ventral diencephalon.
Having damage in this are of the brain is no picnic. It can make it hard to learn new things and lead to struggles controlling emotions.
But this is NOT the region of the brain chiefly involved in memory.
That’s the hippocampus. And the study finds that older folks diagnosed with Alzheimer’s who’ve had a brain injury in the past often DO NOT have damage in this region.
In other words, compared to Alzheimer’s disease, this form of cognitive decline could be a whole lot easier to manage and live with. And it likely will not lead to extreme memory loss.
And that’s not the only way doctors mess up this diagnosis.
Many cases of “dementia” are actually OTHER problems in disguise. The most common is a reaction to a drug.
In some cases, it might be obvious… like when memory loss or other cognitive problems surface soon after you start taking a med. Many times, however, it’s NOT obvious at all.
You could have a new reaction to a med you’ve been taking for years. Or it could be the combined burden of multiple meds, essentially overloading your system.
That’s why it’s so urgent to get several opinions after a diagnosis like Alzheimer’s. And it’s critical to work with a doctor willing to put some time into this and help get you OFF the drugs that might be causing the condition.
The sad reality is many mainstream doctors don’t have the time. And some may not have the skills since they’re taught how to put people ON meds in school, but not how to get them off of them.
So, if possible, get a naturopathic physician on your team to have the best chance of a proper diagnosis.
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