The big issue here, folks, is that we’re taking a ton of medicines, often when we don’t even need them. And then we keep taking them for years, and suddenly, dementia shows up. Dementia rates today are significantly higher than they were 20 or 30 years ago, and it just keeps getting worse. A lot of this has to do with taking too many medicines.
Think about it: many older people in nursing homes or hospitals are on multiple medications at once—sometimes 20 or 30 different kinds! Taking too many medicines, especially without proper checking, can lead to serious side effects, including memory problems. This is called polypharmacy.
When you take so many different drugs, it’s harder to figure out what’s causing memory issues in older patients. It also makes it more likely that the drugs will react badly with each other. Some healthcare places have tried to fix this by focusing on whole foods and cutting down on unnecessary medicines. They’ve seen big improvements in patients’ health.
This means that it’s not just older people taking 5, 15, or 20 drugs a day who are at risk. Anyone doing that is at a higher risk for many other diseases, and yes, for dementia too. Medicines for heartburn, stomach issues, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and many others—we take them regularly, and then we get dementia. It’s a simple fact: we’re mixing too many chemicals at once, and they’re really affecting our brains.
Bad drug reactions are a serious problem. In 90% of cases, drug side effects don’t even get reported. These reactions cause about 10% of all hospital stays and are the fourth leading cause of death in the world! When different drugs interact, they can make negative effects worse, leading to unexpected memory loss, confusion, and a higher chance of falling.
Many patients, especially those with long-term illnesses, see several different doctors. These doctors don’t always consider how all the different medicines might interact, which can raise the risk of dementia. So, you go to five doctors, and all five prescribe new medicines. Often, doctors don’t even ask what other medicines you’re taking or if taking more drugs at the same time could make your health worse.
Here’s an interesting bit of info: more than 90% of drug side effects are never reported to doctors. You stay quiet, you get worse and worse, and you never even think to ask if the medicines your doctor prescribed are causing a lot of the problems you’re having. That’s why talking to your doctors is super important.
Protecting Your Brain: Diet and Other Steps
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