Does Chinese Medicine treat senile dementia have an advantage? Differentiation of symptoms by the stage!

In Chinese medicine, dementia falls under the category of depression and forgetfulness, so Chinese medicine clinics use kidney tonic herbs to prevent and treat it.

Does Chinese Medicine treat senile dementia have an advantage? Differentiation of symptoms by the stage!

Alzheimer’s disease is an age-related neurodegenerative disease, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s disease, characterized by cognitive dysfunction. In Chinese medicine, dementia falls under the category of depression and forgetfulness, so Chinese medicine clinics use kidney tonic herbs to prevent and treat it.

How does TCM treat dementia?

1. Asymptomatic stage

At this stage, there are no clinical symptoms, but the pathological marker amyloid in the brain is positive. It is difficult to be detected because of being asymptomatic, so you should do a physical examination diligently and cultivate a healthy lifestyle.

2. The period of subjective cognitive function decline

Self-perception of memory loss and occasional forgetfulness without any abnormalities in other cognitive functions. Non-pharmacological treatment is adopted at this stage, including regular living, gongfu exercise, cognitive training, or rehabilitation; a Mediterranean diet pattern is adopted. This stage keeps dragging on and continues for about 5~10 years before entering the cognitive dysfunction stage.

3. Mild cognitive dysfunction period

It is manifested as repeated forgetfulness, only being able to recall part of things, the ability to judge and solve problems decreases, and the interests diminish, but possessing the basic ability to take care of oneself. This stage is a mixture of deficiency and reality, including kidney deficiency evidence, liver depression evidence, and qi and blood deficiency evidence. Those with kidney essence deficiency should use Kong Sheng Pillow Zhong Dan under the doctor’s guidance; those with liver qi stagnation evidence should choose Kaixin San; those with qi and blood deficiency should choose Gui Shen Tang, and if necessary, they also need to combine with proprietary Chinese medicines, such as Ginkgo Ketone Ester tablets and Ginkgo Biloba.

4. Early stage of Alzheimer’s disease

It manifests as significant memory loss, inability to recall recent events, time and orientation disorders, inability to judge and solve problems at all, direct abandonment of difficult household chores as well as hobbies, and reduced ability to live, which must be supervised by family members. The condition is complex at this stage, with evidence of kidney deficiency predominating, interspersed with blood stasis and phlegm, and the principle of treatment is to tonify the kidneys, resolve blood stasis and open the orifice. Under the guidance of TCM doctors, Chinese herbal medicine can be used to treat the symptoms. For those with a deficiency of kidney essence, Dihuang drink can be chosen; for those with phlegm, Han Xia Bai Zhu Tian Ma Tang can be chosen; for those with a deficiency of both spleen and kidney, Hui Shao Dan can be chosen.

5. Middle stage of Alzheimer’s disease

It is characterized by severe memory loss, forgetting what has just been learned immediately, always getting lost, only being able to do simple household chores, and needing help with personal hygiene and dressing. According to Chinese medicine, this stage is mixed with kidney deficiency, blood stasis, and phlegm, and the basis of treatment is to tonify the kidney.

6. Advanced stage of Alzheimer’s disease

It is characterized by severe memory loss, remembering only fragments of life, not even recognizing people close to them, complete loss of life skills, and incontinence. The symptoms of TCM are mainly deficiency and toxicity, and the treatment should be Huang Lian Detoxification Tang combined with Oblivion Double Cure Dan.

Warm Tips

In general, the TCM symptoms are different in different stages of dementia development, and there are differences in treatment, so it is necessary to consult a doctor for a specific medication, and also to standardize the treatment with Western medicine.

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