What is the cause of dementia (and why can't it be reversed)?

The term dementia is nonspecific. It is a term used to describe a group of symptoms associated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills. Dementia can be reversed if it is caught early enough. You have to attend to all the factors that affect brain function. This includes diet, exercise, stress, nutritional deficiencies, toxins, hormonal imbalances, and inflammation.

In the case of most progressive dementias, including Alzheimer's Disease, there is no cure and no treatment that slows down the progression of it. There are drug treatments that can temporarily alleviate symptoms. Dementia is irreversible when it is caused by degenerative diseases or trauma, but might be reversible in some cases when caused by drugs or alcohol. It may also be caused by hormone or vitamin imbalances or depression.

There can be several causes of dementia and depending on the cause some kinds of dementia can be reversed. It’s important to remember that dementia is caused by damage to brain cells and that dementia by itself is not a specific disease. Rather, dementia is a general term used to describe the symptoms that result from a damaged brain.

Usually when there are two or more core brain functions that are significantly impaired, a person is described as having dementia. These functions include memory, visual perception, reasoning and judgment, the ability to focus and pay attention, and communication and language.