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Alzheimer Disease Support
Alzheimer disease develops over decades. Alongside your neurologist, we address metabolic, vascular, inflammatory, and toxic contributors and support brain reserve.
What you may be noticing
Memory lapses that are becoming more frequent. Repeating questions, getting lost in familiar places, difficulty managing finances or following conversations. Or you have a family history and want to protect your brain before changes begin.
Why it is rarely one thing
Alzheimer disease is a progressive neurodegenerative condition. The brain changes associated with it, including amyloid plaques and tau tangles, begin many years before symptoms. That long runway is the most important fact about Alzheimer disease, because it means prevention and early support have time to work.
Research increasingly frames Alzheimer disease as the convergence of several processes: insulin resistance in the brain (sometimes called type 3 diabetes, a working hypothesis), inflammation, vascular damage, poor sleep and impaired clearance of waste, and toxic exposures. Genetics, including the APOE4 variant, raises risk but does not decide the outcome.
Sleep deserves special attention. The glymphatic system moves cerebrospinal fluid through brain tissue to clear waste products, including amyloid and tau, guided by water channels on support cells called astrocytes. Animal research suggests this clearance is most active during deep sleep, though scientists still debate how much it changes between sleep and waking. Either way, protecting deep, consistent sleep is one of the most practical steps you can take.
Medical diagnosis and treatment belong with your neurologist, and I never ask anyone to stop a prescribed medication. My work focuses on the modifiable terrain and on preserving function. I make no promise of reversal. I do offer a careful, comprehensive plan to protect what you have and support the brain through each stage.
Patterns we look for
- Brain insulin resistance and glucose metabolism.
- Inflammation and neuroinflammation.
- Vascular health: blood pressure, lipids, and small vessel disease.
- Sleep quality, sleep apnea, and glymphatic clearance.
- B12, folate, and homocysteine.
- Omega-3 status and vitamin D.
- Thyroid function and sex hormones.
- Toxic burden: mold, heavy metals, and other exposures.
- Blood-brain barrier integrity and brain-directed immune activity.
- Hearing loss, a significant modifiable risk factor.
- Physical inactivity and social isolation.
- APOE genotype and family history, used to guide prevention and build cognitive reserve.
How I evaluate it
A comprehensive functional neurological exam measures memory, processing speed, eye movements, balance, and frontal function, tracking change over time.
NeuroQuant volumetric MRI quantifies hippocampal and other regional volumes as age-matched percentiles, helpful for tracking. Functional labs may include fasting insulin, HbA1c, advanced lipids, homocysteine, B12, folate, vitamin D, omega-3 index, a thyroid panel, sex hormones, inflammatory markers, and toxic burden testing when indicated. Coordination with your neurologist includes any biomarker testing and medication decisions.
Sudden confusion, a fall with head injury, or new weakness or speech difficulty needs emergency care.
How we address it
- Coordinate closely with your neurologist and care team.
- Protect deep sleep and circadian rhythm, and treat sleep apnea.
- Restore metabolic health and insulin sensitivity.
- Support vascular health and cerebral blood flow with daily movement.
- Open drainage pathways, then lower the toxic burden and reduce inflammation.
- Provide nutrient categories that support synapses, membranes, and brain energy.
- Preserve function with brain-based rehabilitation adapted to each stage, along with hearing support and social connection.
Every protective step counts. The brain responds to care at every age and every stage.
Book your Comprehensive Functional Medicine Eval/Neurological Exam today to discover what the contributing root causes are that are underlying your health concerns.