Taking medication can be a helpful habit to nurture during the treatment of an illness, but if the reason for taking medication is no longer existent, then continuing to take medication can do more harm than good. Too many drugs for blood pressure, blood thinning, diet pills, painkillers, antihistamines are responsible for impairing brain function – especially when there is no need for those chemicals to be present in the body.

Most people are easily taking more medication than they need. After first being diagnosed and prescribed medication, more and more people are taking active steps to reverse their illness. That means the prescriptions may not need to be taken for as long, or the dosage may not need to be large, for the patient to begin focusing on other areas of healthful living. Because all drugs will eventually make their way into the bloodstream – and because the brain is physically fed and nourished by that same blood – excessive amounts of medications can be the root cause of some types of forgetfulness and other signs of dementia.

The worst thing that can happen is to remain over ­prescribed, and after a checkup for brain function, to be prescribed even more medication. At any health checkup, be sure to bring the list of current medication for evaluation with the doctor because this will prevent mistakes in redundant or counteractive prescriptions. Adjust diet to include nutrient­dense foods so the body has what it requires to heal itself, which may reduce the need for medication. Many false­positives for dementia could be prevented this way, reducing many other related problems that go along with a diagnosis for dementia.