Since the initial success of my mother’s new regime, I have been investigating natural approaches to dealing with dementia.
Although she has physically improved, she is childlike and mischievous, which is likely to cause more problems, although I am glad her condition generally is much improved.
So, this weekend I have been studying approaches to dementia, to see if there is anything I can tweak to improve her mental state.
Obviously, over the sundowning years, I had cause to use valerian a couple of times, although over the last ten years medical thinking has come around to my way of seeing it and you are now given miniscule doses of diazapam rather than chemical coshing, at least with responsible doctors. Up until now, there was little I could do about her diet, which was not great as she had always been able to eat pretty much what she wanted, unlike me. If I ate like my mother, I would be even more ill than I usually am.
Anyway, as I have outlined, she is on a super-comprehensive vitamin, mineral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antacid, alkaline diet at the moment, so when I saw that medium chain fatty acids could potentially reverse her dementia, I was immediately interested and sought out exogenous keto products to see if I could check this out, with a view to her taking on a diet more in line with mine.
After much searching, I finally found a product that can put her in ketosis instantly, and which does not cost a fortune. There is a small hazard of the product being a bit acidic, but I think if it reverses her memory problem it is worth trying once. I was a low carber long before I tried raw and explored other health options so it is not difficult to come up with a plan.
Then I had a look at the counter arguments, which basically consist of her diet already being optimal. Taking her heart and arterial problems into account, she could not be on a better diet than she is currently. Are medium chain fatty acids and ketosis worth the risk?
It really depends on how long you want to live and how much you want to remember. If you want a shorter life, in which you remember more, then go for the low carb option. It is still possible to do this as a vegan or plant based eater. If you have heart or artery problems however, it is probably advisable to hedge your bets and go for high antioxidants and perhaps a teaspoon of MCT oil rather than the two tablespoons of coconut oil advised by those who have experimented with diet as a method of helping loved ones with dementia.
I will try the exogenous product and see if I see some improvement over a three hour period. If so, then she will be living on nuts, seeds, berries and vegetables, which I have done and which is perfectly reasonable. The tricky part will be maintaining her weight on a ketogenic diet, especially once the exercise programme is in full swing. If it doesn’t work, then it is a very simple case of giving her a nice fruity drink.
Basically, the important thing to learn here is that you mustn’t jump on every bandwagon without checking the counter arguments. Low carbing for my mother is not the best option for her heart.
So – long life or sharp brain? Which is best in this case?