To have impairment in your thinking ability or to have confusion is a natural phenomenon happening when you start getting old. Decline in cognition power is a part of the normal aging process. If this impairment is a bit more than the expected decline, but not reached to a serious dementia, it is referred to as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The problems related to memory, judgment, thinking ability and language will be greater than age related changes.
You may have a feeling of slipped mental function, but it can be more felt by your partner or relatives. But the condition is still so mild that it will never affect your day – to – day activities.
It is very difficult to predict the progress of mild cognitive impairment. Some patient may get a risk of developing more serious dementia with Alzheimer's disease or other severe neurological disorders. Some patients may be constant with the mild impairment and no chances of getting worse and for some lucky persons, it eventually gets better. Depending on the cause of cognitive impairment, it can be reversible or irreversible.
LIFESTYLE FACTORS
Lifestyle factors linked with an increased risk of cognitive changes include;
- Diabetes
- Smoking & alcohol
- Elevated cholesterol level
- High blood pressure
- Infrequent participation in mentally and socially stimulating activities
- Lack of physical exercise
CAUSES
Cases of reversible cognitive impairment include;
- Hypothyroidism
- Vitamin B12 deficiency
- Poisoning due to heavy metals like lead
- Drug toxicity
- Drug interactions
- Brain tumors
- Building up of fluid in brain (hydrocephalus)
- Chronic alcoholism
- Encephalitis
- HIV infections
- Brain infections like meningitis or syphilis
If you take enough treatment for these causes, your cognition will get improved perfectly.
An irreversible cognitive impairment can be caused by;
- Vascular problems – can result in the death of the brain cells due to a damage in blood vessels which prevents a normal blood flow to the brain
- Very severe brain injury
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Parkinsonism disease
- It can be even due to genetic factors (hereditary)
In these cases, the mild cognitive impairment symptoms get worse and can eventually develop very severe dementia.
When to get old, your brain will undergo degenerative changes and you will notice a slight memory loss. You may find it difficult to recall a name or incident. Beyond this expectation, if there are any cognitive issues, it can be called as mild cognitive impairment.
- More often memory loss – about social engagements or appointments
- Due to this forgetfulness, they may repeat the same questions again and again
- You may have a feeling of loss of thread of conversation, movie or books
- You may communication problems – forget some words to finish the statement
- You may find difficult to complete similar tasks – like cooking etc
- You may have difficulty to find the way of your familiar surroundings
- You may be more impulsive than you usually used to be
- You may show increasingly poor judgment
- Misplacing things
- Quick mood changes and mood swings
- Problems dealing with money
- Loss of creativity
- Attention deficit disorder (ADD)
- Dyslexia (difficulty reading)
- Dyscalculia (difficulty with mathematics)
- Learning disabilities in general
- Changes can be more noticeable to your relatives
When you start to get overwhelmed more by these changes, you may start experiencing
- Depression
- Irritability
- Aggression
- Anxiety
- Apathy
HERBAL REMEDIES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT
Ayurveda, the science of life has its foundation in the theory of tridosha – vata, pitta and kapha. Each dosha exhibits diurnal variations and also varies according to phase of digestion and age. The life span of a human being consists of three phases, namely childhood, youth and old age. Among these, kapha is having predominance during childhood, pitta during youth and vata in old age.
Vata is the factor responsible for the changes in old age. If you have a greater aggravation of vata (especially prana vata) in old age than in normalcy, it may end up in mild cognitive impairment.
Medications which can improve your brain activities and enhance the mental functions are best suited in mild cognitive impairment. Planet Ayurveda offers some excellent herbal remedies which are guaranteed to be 100% natural with no added preservatives and chemicals. The care pack includes;
- Brahmi Capsules
- Gotukola Capsules
- Memory Support Capsules
- Medhya Churna
Herbal Remedies for MCI
1. Brahmi Capsules
An excellent memory and intellect improved and loaded with stress relieving capacity, brahmi (bacopa monneiri) bags the best place in managing hypertension, vertigo, anxiety and insanity. It is enriched with the alkaloid, bacoposides. This makes brahmi efficient enough to act as a great antioxidant. Brahmi is an eminent rejuvenator, which makes it very useful in nervous breakdowns. It is a real tonic to nerves, brain and heart. It is best used in restlessness, insomnia, confusion, forgetfulness, hysteria and in cloudy thoughts. Its calming effect on brain tissues and nervous system makes brahmi one of the best medicines for mild cognitive impairment.
Dosage – 1 to 2 capsules twice or thrice a day after meals with lukewarm water.
2. Memory Support Capsules
This herbal formulation is a combination of drugs which are efficient in balancing tridosha and can improve memory and concentration. The ingredients include;
- Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis) – It is an excellent memory enhancer. Shankhpushpi balances the blood pressure and improves the mental ability.
- Licorice (Glycerrhiza glabra) – It is a natural intellect and memory enhancer. Its proper use improves the eyesight.
- Vacha (Acorus calamus) – It is a remedy for your mind. Vacha enhances your coordination and improves memory.
- Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri) – As already discussed, it is a great memory enhancer. Blood pressure, anxiety, epilepsy and hallucination are also treated well with brahmi.
Dosage – 2 capsules twice daily with lukewarm water after meals.
3. Gotu Kola Capsules
These capsules are prepared out from the standardized herbal extract of centella asiatica. These are effective in fatigue, which is a common ailment in old age. Gotu kola helps in dissolving the blood clots, thereby increasing the venous sufficiency. This is very beneficial for those patients who have cognitive impairment due to vascular deficiency. It is also very useful in lowering the blood pressure.
Dosage – 1 capsule twice daily after meals with lukewarm water.
4. Medhya Churna
The word 'medhya' means which can improve your intellect. So it is clear that medhya choorna will enhance your intellect and brain function. For the manufacturing of medhya choorna, Planet Ayurveda collected the 'medha' improving drugs and mixed it in appropriate proportions. The standardized extracts of useful drugs are used.
- Vacha – acorus calamus
- Ashwagandha – withania somnifera
- Brahmi – bacopa monnieri
- Ajamoda – carum roxburghium
- Jeeraka (cumin – white variety) – cuminum cyminum
- Jeeraka (black variety) – carum carvi
- Shunti (ginger) – zingiber officinale
- Maricha (black pepper) – piper nigrum
- Pippali (long pepper) – piper longum
- Patha – cissampelos pareira
- Shankhpushpi – convolvulus pluricaulis
Use of this choorna will sharpen your brain and rejuvenate your nervous system. As it aids in mental clarity, medhya choorna is best indicated in mild cognitive impairment.
Dosage – 1/4 teaspoon once daily with 1 spoon of Cow Ghee (Clarified Butter).
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