October is often thought of as a “scary” month given it is the season for ghosts and goblins. Keeping with the scary theme, I wanted to share a health fact that should frighten you as well. Currently, over 5.4 million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and according to the Alzheimer’s Association, by midcentury, someone in the US will develop the disease every 33 seconds … Pretty scary! However, the future of your brain health doesn’t have to be so bleak, especially if you take PREVENTION now vs. REACTION later.
Available to all, but realized by few, are a couple of valuable & early detection testing methods that can provide insight into whether or not a person is heading into early brain impairment. The first test was mentioned in a previous “Did You Know” post. It is called the BrainSpan test. This test measures your level of inflammation in the body along with telling us what the health of your cells are. The lower the level of inflammation and the healthier your cells are, the healthier your body and brain are.
The second early detection test for possible brain impairment is what’s referred to as the SMELL TEST. A reduced or loss of your sense of smell is an indication that your BRAIN is not functioning properly. The inability to identify smells is a strong indicator for both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Scent recognition is associated with memory function because the smell nerves go right back to the memory centers in our brain.
If you or a loved one is interested in obtaining more information, please contact our office.