Why you should take a cognoscopy in your 50s or even sooner!

Did you have parents who lived with dementia?

If, like me, you had a parent who lived with dementia, you’d know first-hand how horrible that disease is and probably, like me, you’d do anything to prevent it.  I’m lucky (and so is my Mum) that we found the Bredesen Protocol® early enough to do something

about it.  Mum has improved and has been stable for about 5 years at the time of writing.  I’m on prevention and will be forever. 

We all slow down a little as we age, don’t we?

Do we?  Some do, but we all know some people in their 90’s or even at 100 years of age, who are sharp as a tack.  So, this can’t just be a normal part of ageing.

Are you noticing any slowdown?

Maybe it’s just after a poor night’s sleep, during pregnancy or menopause or just a few “senior moments” but how do you know if it’s temporary and normal or may be the start of a more significant decline?

Alzheimer’s should be a rare disease.

According to Dr. Dale Bredesen, Alzheimer’s should be a rare disease.  In his best-selling book, The End of Alzheimer’s Programme, he outlines the root causes and the processes to counteract them.  After a stellar career in Alzheimer’s research, he found the causes and unlike any other researchers, released his recommendations publicly so that anyone could start acting on his findings.  He has conducted a small trial (25 people) where 84% of people improved and he’s currently running a 72-person trial in 6 different centres across the US, so we await the results with excitement!

So why take a cognoscopy?

The way we live our lifestyles can cause insults to the brain that can have an effect long after the markers for dementia can be present up to 30 years before any symptoms show.  Wouldn’t you want to know whether your lifestyle is enhancing your brain health or storing up problems for the future? 

What is a cognoscopy?

A cognoscopy is a thorough set of tests that establish how your brain health and memory are faring right now. 

Just like you’d get a colonoscopy in your 40’s, we should take a cognoscopy, which is much less invasive and uncomfortable, so why would you not?

In fact, the first step is completely pain-free and easy to do.  Take a FREE on-line cognitive test.  It takes around 20 minutes, so make sure you do it on a good day when you’re feeling sharp, you’ve slept well and you won’t be disturbed for 20 minutes.

The test will give you four scores:

1.     Overall – the composite of the following 3 measures:

2.     Memory – this pretty much stands for itself, how well you remember what you’re asked to on the test

3.     Processing speed – how quickly you can process the instructions and act upon them

4.     Executive function – how well you cope with complex instructions.

Then, your results will show how you fared against people your age and gender.  50 would be an average score.  But we don’t want average, do we? 

Speaking for myself, as a woman in my 50’s, I didn’t want to be average, when a lot of my peers would be experiencing menopausal brain fog!

The test will recommend either Pre:CODE (prevention of cognitive decline) or Re:CODE (reversal of cognitive decline) and at that point, the next steps are bespoke to you but may (or may not) include some blood tests to establish root causes but will definitely include some lifestyle changes. 

What sort of results could I expect?

My initial results were actually pretty good; 83 overall, but I was worried about the disparity in scores.

I scored:

83 overall

98 for memory

98 for processing speed

But only 55 for executive function.

Whilst that’s still above average, I knew there was a lot more I could achieve and after implementing the Pre:CODE lifestyle changes and just a single blood test and a few supplements, my results improved to:

96 overall

99 for memory

94 for processing speed

95 for executive function.

Whilst the processing speed has dropped a little, I’m happy that it might take me a fraction more time to process and remember accurately. 

What’s one thing I can do right now?

Take the first step now, take the FREE on-line cognitive test here: https://www.thecognitivehealthcoach.co.uk/free-cognitive-test

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Lindsey Byrne, The Cognitive Health Coach

Lindsey Byrne is one of the first Re: CODE 2.0 Health Coaches in the UK, helping people to implement the Bredesen Protocol to improve brain health and memory and prevent dementia.

Lindsey helped her Mum improve her memory despite a diagnosis of Alzheimer's and then dedicated her life to spreading the word in the UK that there is so much you can do to stay sharp and productive for your whole life.

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